Episcopal Upper School Newsletters

Dear Upper School Families,

Service is near the heart of our life together at Episcopal, reflecting our call to love our neighbors and prepare students for meaningful lives.  This semester, students in our Service Learning and Community Impact class have taken full ownership of their learning by organizing an All-School Donation Drive for the Companion Animal Alliance.  They have studied animal shelters, presented their vision to their peers here on campus, and composed a thoughtful invitation to our parent community.  I am proud to share their message with you below:

Hello Upper School Parents,

The Upper School Service Learning and Community Impact class has an exciting opportunity to support the Companion Animal Alliance animal shelter! Companion Animal Alliance, or CAA, is the municipal animal shelter for East Baton Rouge Parish, caring for lost, found, displaced, and surrendered animals while helping pets and people stay together through adoption, foster, rescue, and access-to-care programs. For this service opportunity, we are collecting used towels and blankets in good condition to donate to the CAA.

The CAA is an open intake shelter, meaning it is required to take in all animals in the East Baton Rouge area. The CAA provides care to thousands of animals each year, highlighting the importance of towels and blankets. Our drive greatly benefits the CAA by helping animals and allowing the budget to go towards other necessary things, including food, medications, veterinary services, and more.

We are asking that you go around your home and collect older, used towels and blankets, and bring them to school on October 5th, from 7:25-7:45 AM or 3:15-4:00 PM. Remember, these simple items help out different animals in a variety of ways. We are very excited to help out the animals at CAA, and we hope you are as well!

Thank you,

The Episcopal Upper School Service Learning and Community Impact Class

I am enormously proud of these students for exercising real leadership and taking initiative.  Communicating directly with hundreds of Episcopal parents is a meaningful step, and they have approached this project with care and dedication.  Please support their effort by bringing used towels and blankets to campus on October 5th.

I also want to highlight the outstanding work of our College Counseling team.  This week, the College Counseling department hosted Episcopal's inaugural College Advisory Council meeting.  Council members are admission directors, associate deans, and executive directors from the Louisiana State University Roger Hadfield Ogden Honors College, Mercer University, Louisiana Tech University, and Sewanee: The University of the South. In this first year, they heard presentations from the leaders of our signature research programs, ESTAAR and Thesis.  Beyond being wowed by the work our students are doing, the college counselors sought feedback on how to best position students in those programs for their college applications.  The entire upper school also benefited from the event, with an admissions panel where students heard answers to questions ranging from how best to use their high school years to what makes an honors college or program a valuable part of a college education.  I am deeply grateful for our college counseling team's vision, and I invite you to join me in that appreciation.

As a reminder, the first quarter concludes this Wednesday.  Please encourage your students to reach out to their teachers or advisors if they need guidance or support as they finish the quarter strong.  

Thank you for your partnership, trust, and continuous support of our faculty and students.  As always, don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions.

Thanks,
Dan Binder
Head of Upper School

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BUST BREAST CANCER:
On Wednesday, October 7th, students are invited to donate $1 and wear PINK free dress in support of Woman’s Hospital’s BUST Breast Cancer initiative.  We hope our Upper School students will join us in wearing pink and helping BUST breast cancer! Please refer to the Student Handbook for free dress guidelines.

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MADAGASCAR JR:
You are invited to attend this season's Middle School musical, Madagascar Jr.  Please click here to purchase your tickets for performances on Friday 10/16, Saturday 10/17, and Sunday 10/18.

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ACADEMIC RESOURCE CENTER:
Upper School students are encouraged to utilize the Academic Resource Center!  ARC is a free-of-charge, Upper school-student-run operation that offers peer-to-peer tutoring and studying.  Upper School students can access ARC during their study hall or free study (appointments and walk-ins welcome).  The booking page can be found on the ARC Canvas Page, as well as here.

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PARENT SERIES WEBINARS:
Episcopal families have access to the 2026–27 SAIS/ISACS Parent Series, featuring respected speakers and experts on topics designed to support parents and families throughout the school year. Parents may choose to participate live or watch the recordings, but you must sign up individually in advance.  Once registered, parents will receive a Zoom link to the live webinar and a follow-up link to the recording.  For more information, please click here.

CONTACTS:

Feel free to reach out to any of us in the Upper School office — we are here to help and support you.  If we're not the right contact, we’ll connect you with someone who can assist you best.

Mr. Dan Binder
US Division Head
[email protected]
225-755-2708

Ms. Marian Castille
US Dean of Student Life
[email protected]
225-963-9894

Ms. Dakota Newman
US Counselor
[email protected]
225-755-2709

Ms. Tracie Hiles
US Administrative Assistant
[email protected]
225-755-2711