Educational Facilities

For over a century, RHSM occupied an historic campus on one city block in Salt Lake City’s Avenues neighborhood. Increased interest in quality education and small class size caused a surge of growth during the 1980’s, so in 1984 the middle and upper school students were moved to a renovated public school building on Lincoln Street. Ten years later a new Middle School facility was connected to the Upper School where the students share access to the Larimer Center for the Performing Arts, a library and media center, the gymnasium, cafeteria, and other educational resources and facilities.

As the school’s program and student body continued to outgrow the beloved Avenues Campus, RHSM’s trustees purchased nine acres of land on Guardsman Way and in 1999 a capital campaign was launched in to raise funds to build a new home for the school’s youngest students. The resulting Philip G. McCarthey Campus, a cozy yet modern “educational village,” opened its doors on December 2, 2002. In addition to its spacious classrooms and outdoor play areas, the McCarthey Campus features a computer lab, a science lab with indoor and outdoor exploration areas, the Steiner Library, St. Margaret’s Chapel, light-filled art and music studios, and a dining hall. The Beginning School is housed in its own “little red schoolhouse” adjoined by a large motor skills gymnasium just for RHSM’s youngest students. The McCarthey Campus field house and soccer field are used by Lower School students for physical education and by the school’s sports teams for practices and games.

While RHSM is proud of past accomplishments, the administration, faculty and trustees continue to plan and implement improvements to insure ongoing academic excellence. This could not be accomplished without the generosity and loyalty of current and past parents and alumni. For their support – past, present and future – we are extremely grateful.

The Chapel Program
The Rowland Hall-St. Mark’s School community is supported by a full-time Episcopal priest who serves as chaplain. Children in the Lower School visit St. Margaret’s Chapel on the McCarthey Campus weekly as part of their specialties program. At Chapel, the children celebrate various religions and their holy days, from Bodhi Day and Rosh Hashanah to Christmas and Ramadan. The Beginning School chapel program focuses primarily on the meaning of friendship through stories, play, and conversation when the chaplain visits their classes each week. Middle School and Upper School students become actively involved in learning about diverse religious traditions by helping the chaplain plan and conduct their own monthly chapel celebrations. Students, faculty, and parents are welcome to participate in monthly communion services. RHSM’s chaplain also serves a vital role in our school community as spiritual advisor and caring counselor.

Service Learning
In keeping with the school’s mission to “develop students who will lead productive and ethical lives, RHSM offers a fully-integrated service learning program. From the Beginning School through the Upper School, students are involved in age-appropriate service activities with other children, senior citizens, the homeless, and recent immigrant populations, through service projects in schools, hospitals, libraries, food banks, care centers, and other non-profit organizations. The overall objectives for our children as they participate in service learning include the development of an awareness and appreciation of the differences among us, recognition of the power of teamwork, and an understanding that privileges do not come without responsibilities.

The Extended Day Program
The Extended Day Program is designed for families who want or need care for their child beyond regular school hours. Before school, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:20 a.m., youngsters from age three through fifth grade may enroll to enjoy supervised games, arts and crafts, free play, and outdoor activities. Extended Day is also offered for children ages three through kindergarten (half-day) when their school day ends at 11:30 a.m., and after school day for first through eighth grade students until 6:00 p.m. Families may enroll their children for a full year, several days a week, or on an occasional basis (space permitting).

Throughout the year, Extended Day provides special enrichment opportunities for your children, such as dance, drama, scouting, art, karate, computers, soccer, art, music, games, and other activities.

Winter Sports
One of the best-loved and longest running traditions at RHSM is its Winter Sports program – six Friday afternoons in January and February in which first through twelfth grade students and faculty engage in a variety of recreational activities. Among the choices are alpine and cross-country skiing, snowboarding, ice skating, rock climbing, rollerblading and skating, indoor soccer, gymnastics, creative dance, basketball, and swimming.