STE Community Celebrates New Academic Building following Harvey Destruction

August 24, 2017 

Only two weeks into classes, students were told to stay home from school that morning due to Hurricane Harvey. Excitedly texting each other about the news, we laughed it off thinking that the school was just being overly-cautious. Another text was sent out indicating that classes were cancelled for the week. Again, we didn't think much of it and rejoiced at having not just a day off, but a full week off. 

Our enthusiasm quickly faded as we watched the water climbed higher and higher. The lower school building, middle school building, and chapel were completely flooded. Our school was devastated. We had another week off while school leaders scoured Houston for places where we could hold classes. Our solution: portable buildings. Lovingly dubbed Scotland Yard, a playful nod to STE’s prominent Scottish Arts program, we made the best of our new temporary campus.

March 25, 2020

Headmaster Mike Cusack began implementing distance learning because of COVID-19. Email inboxes were filled with Google Classroom invitations as we began to adjust to the “new normal.” We had a new way of holding class for the rest of the year that consisted of a small rectangular grid of our classmates and teachers that was accessible with a click of the teal “Join Now” button on Google Meets. 

Our school was operating virtually while we kept a close watch on coronavirus transmission rates. Later that same summer, after spending years fundraising, construction finally began on a new three-story academic building that would transform the campus. But with COVID-19 on the rise and tighter building regulations, the construction process hit one roadblock after another.

Kelly Cmaidalka and Wendy Ruiz are at STE's new academic building, Shaw Hall. 

October 30, 2021

Four years following the destruction of Hurricane Harvey, the Saint Thomas’ Episcopal School community is excited about a new beginning marked by the completion of our new and improved campus. 

“The new academic building has been built three feet above the 500-year Base Flood Elevation. Underground water detention has also been installed to assist in mitigation,” Interim Director of Advancement, Wendy Ruiz, explained.

Featuring state-of-the-art science laboratories, a secure underground parking area, and expansive art studios, this eighty-five thousand square foot building is quite unbelievable to behold. 

Amongst the newest addition is the Cusack Scottish Arts Center located on the first floor. It is dedicated to a beloved couple in the Saint Thomas’ Episcopal School community: Headmaster Mike Cusack, a world-renowned solo bagpiper, and his wife, Highland Dance instructor Donna Cusack. 

Mrs. Cusack and her sister, Mrs. Diane Krugh, produced twenty-four US champions and one world champion in Highland Dance. The new Cusack Scottish Arts Center showcases spring-loaded dance floors, built-in breakout rooms, and a soundproof recording studio. The Cusack Center is a dream come true for all dancers, bagpipers, and drummers alike.

The second floor of the building encompasses the entirety of STE’s Middle School while the third floor holds the entirety of STE’s Upper School. These floors are equipped with built-in and ready-to-go TV systems with dividers in each classroom to accommodate the individual needs of each class. 

The brilliantly-designed Maker Space on the second floor includes our new center for robotics and inventor labs. Open lounge areas offer a comfortable place adjacent to the classrooms where students and faculty can work together or have conversations before and after class. The third floor outdoor terrace overlooks the beautiful courtyard.

STE families and students watch the ribbon-cutting ceremony.

“It is inspiring to see the project nearing completion. I am excited for students to experience all our new campus has to offer,” explained Mrs. Ruiz on behalf of the building committee. 

As this process wraps up, STE’s students and faculty are excited to make memories in our new home and to start an exciting chapter for Saint Thomas’ Episcopal School.