Relocating Execs Find Private Schools Big Draw By Laurie Burstein When Patty Warwick-Williams, a senior vice president for the May Department Stores Co., learned she was being transferred to St. Louis from Portland, Ore., she and her husband began doing research on schools for their teenage sons. Whitfield’s Schmitter Gallery exterior shown above. Photo at left: Gallery interior with (left to right): Mark Anderson, Whitfield president, and the Williams family—David, Patty, J.B. and Steve. “We were shocked and excited by all the choices of schools that St. Louis had to offer,” Warwick-Williams remembers. “As out-of-towners with two boys in high school, it was a relief to find the dedication to education in this area.” A 20-year veteran with May, Warwick-Williams says she and her husband did some research on the Internet, but it was mostly through her colleagues (along with her real estate agent) that she learned about the area’s schools. Deciding to go the private school route—her boys were already in a private school in Oregon—the family visited several in St. Louis. Warwick-Williams says her boys, ages 14 and 15, chose Whitfield School in Creve Coeur. “They were drawn to Whitfield for many reasons, including the young faculty, the progressive, intimate atmosphere, the computer lab and, of course, Murphy the school dog,” she says. Now almost two years later, both parents and the boys remain very happy with their choice. Craig Westbay, a partner with Deloitte, also relocated to St. Louis with his family two years ago. Finding a good school for his daughters, Lauren, 16, and Paige, 13, was a top priority. Today, both his daughters attend John Burroughs School in Ladue. “Finding a great school for our children was critical,” Westbay says. “We were tremendously happy with the number of choices and the high quality of the private schools in St. Louis. The whole process of finding a school and then moving our daughters there was a very smooth transition.” For many mobile executives with young families, deciding what school in which to enroll their children comes later—first they have to decide if a particular region even has schools that are good enough. Simply put, elementary and secondary schools have become crucial drawing cards in the competitive world of talent recruitment—they can lure a company’s best people to a region...or keep them away. “Schools are a huge factor when deciding where to move your family,” Westbay says. “We have lived in Charlotte, N.C., San Francisco, and Connecticut and have found St. Louis to be one of the best places to find a great education for your children.” Doug Muhleman is the current board chairman of Whitfield and an alumni parent. He is also the group vice president for brewing operations and technology at Anheuser-Busch Cos. When he went through the relocation process years ago, Muhleman searched long and hard for the right school. His children graduated from Whitfield, and today Muhleman is in the position of offering advice to other parents who are relocating to this area. “Relocating impacts the entire family and is a huge issue when uprooting high-school-age children,” Muhleman explains. “But with so many educational opportunities in St. Louis, the transition can be made fairly smoothly.” Muhleman adds that when he talks with a potential employee who may move to St. Louis, he lets them know about the schools. “Our private schools are very important for attracting and retaining key executives,” he said. Greg Desenberger principal, Desmet Jesuit High School Keith Shahan, headmaster at John Burroughs, echoes this thought. “We have excellent relations with the big corporations,” Shahan says. “Many of the St. Louis area CEOs and other top executives send or have sent their kids here. I can remember a number of instances where companies recruited successfully only when they found a suitable school for the children. There is no question that our private schools are a big asset.” PRIVATE SCHOOL CRIB SHEET Whitfield School 175 South Mason Road St. Louis, MO 63141 Phone: (314) 434-5141 Fax: (314) 434 -6193 Web: http://www.whitfieldschool.org Founded: 1952 Grades offered: 6-12 (co-ed) Enrollment: 475 Average class size: 12 (limited to 15 or fewer) Fulltime faculty: 60 Tuition: $16,975 Notes: New construction valued at $16 million was completed in the fall of 2002 Mary Institute and St. Louis Country Day School (MICDS) 101 North Warson Road St. Louis, MO 63124 Phone: (314) 995-7367 Fax: (314) 872-3257 Web: http://school.micds.org Mary Institute founded: 1859 St. Louis Country Day School founded: 1917 Schools merged: 1992 Grades offered: Junior kindergarten (JK) through 12; grades 5-8 single gender, remainder co-ed Enrollment: 1,228 Average class size: 16 Fulltime faculty: 173 Tuition: Grades JK-4: $12,850; Grades 5-6: $14,450; Grades 7-8: $14,785; Grades 9-12: $15,555 Notes: MICDS is divided into three schools, Upper, Middle and Lower, each with its own head of school John Burroughs School 755 South Price Road St. Louis, MO 63124 Phone: (314) 993-4040 Fax: (314) 993-6458 Web: http://www.jburroughs.org Founded: 1923 Grades offered: 7-12 (co-ed) Enrollment: 594 Average class size: 14 Fulltime faculty: 81 Tuition and Fees: $15,440 Notes: A $26 million campaign for campus expansion, building improvement and endowment was completed in the summer of 2000 Desmet Jesuit High School 233 North New Ballas Road Creve Coeur, MO 63141 Phone: (314) 567-3500 Fax: (314) 567-1519 Web: http://www.desmet.org Founded: 1967 Grades offered: 9-12 (boys only) Enrollment: 1,230 Average class size: 24 Fulltime faculty: 90 Tuition: $7,430 Notes: recent $7.5 million capital improvement campaign Word of mouth is a strong marketing tool for all of the region’s top schools, but parents and children have to see the schools for themselves before being sold. Mark Anderson, Whitfield’s president, says families go through a personalized process when learning about the 50-year-old institution. “Whitfield doesn’t just admit students, we admit families,” Anderson says. “We want the whole family to be vested in the school.” Anderson says families come in for an interview, tour and, eventually, admissions tests. And because prospective students want to get the straight scoop directly from their peers, Anderson says they are given separate tours by student ambassadors. For those who think top-notch schools like Whitfield and John Burroughs are strictly for existing St. Louis families, Anderson has refreshing news for the region’s growth: 40 percent of the students currently enrolled at Whitfield are not originally from St. Louis. Likewise, Shahan says out-of-town students are very welcome at John Burroughs. Indeed, almost half of the incoming class at John Burroughs in the past ten years had no previous family members who went to the school. Lynn and Craig Westbay chose John Burroughs School for daughters Lauren (left) and Paige. “About one third of the students in the metropolitan area go to private schools, one of the highest percentages in the country,” Shahan explains. “Accordingly, the general knowledge about specific private schools is quite high. Incoming executives hear this from their peers at the company they are relocating to first, and then from real estate agents, friends in the area, et cetera.” Matthew Gossage, Head of School at Mary Institute and Country Day School (MICDS), speaks about relocation issues from personal experience—as a parent, out-of-town executive and educator. “Our family moved to St. Louis from a city that did not have a strong tradition for independent schooling,” Gossage says. “What drew me to St. Louis as an educator also drew us as a family.” Gossage agrees that the level of education provided by private schools in the region is truly outstanding. “Local and out-of-town parents are blessed with a deep and diverse pool of great schools, all of which can provide an ideal fit for every individual child and family,” he says. Nor are the choices of private education restricted to non-parochial schools. Greg Densberger is principal at Desmet Jesuit High School. He says those relocating to the region should have no problem finding a good college preparatory school—parochial or private. “I don’t think there is another city in the country with as many strong options for both religious and private education as we have in St. Louis,” Densberger says. Laurie Burstein is a St. Louis-based freelance writer.

May 2004 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Sean Sovacool tries mastering the Senior Open. special regional airport section. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.stlrcga.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - www.technologygateway.org - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Joshua Scheck glimpses inside the storm. George Tompras and Renee Bogdanos of Kreis’ Restaurant. In the Spotlight, HALE IRWIN.