“Stuart Hall began as a dream in my heart,” declared William Gallop, our founding headmaster. “This dream was nurtured most carefully with prayer.”
” In 1984, following twelve years as Headmaster at the Academy of the Sacred Heart, Mr. Gallop felt the call to create a new school that would fill a need which had not previously been met in New Orleans. His vision was to offer a Catholic education for boys only in an independent, preparatory-school environment. Mr. Gallop named his budding school for Janet Erskine Stuart, a religious of the Sacred Heart, who was an English educator at the turn of the twentieth century. She wrote extensively of a philosophy of education espousing faith, scholarship, honor, and leadership-- qualities upon which the Stuart Hall education is built. Her belief that “education is formation, not just information” became the cornerstone of the school’s mission.
Following a tiring period of research, planning, and public relations efforts, Mr. Gallop’s dream began to take shape.
He leased classroom space at the Annunciation Episcopal Church property on Claiborne Avenue near Napoleon Avenue, and the school opened its doors for the 1984-1985 school year to 63 students and 10 faculty and staff members. The oldest boys were in first grade, and would go on to become the first graduating class of Stuart Hall in 1991. “School began with tremendous parental support and a feeling of optimism that was seen everywhere,” Mr. Gallop reflected. The school held its first auction in the spring of 1985, earning $30,000. The first Annual Fund campaign was also conducted, bringing in an additional $25,000 to ensure the school’s solvency.
1986-1989: The Journey to Carrollton Avenue
Just sixteen days before the third school year began, an order by the fire marshal forced the school to seek a new location. Mr. Gallop secured temporary classrooms and grounds at the former New Orleans Academy campus in Lakewood South. Parents, grandparents, faculty and friends worked long into the night over the next two weeks to prepare the campus for the first day of school. They succeeded, and the 1986-87 school year began on schedule. Mr. Gallop observed, “The real miracle I learned was that when people are committed to an ideal, you can accomplish anything.” The following April, the Carrollton Presbyterian Church and School campus became available, and a twenty-year lease was signed. In 1989, Margaret d’Hemecourt was welcomed as the first Head of Middle School, a great sign of growth for the school
1994-2000: Building a Legacy
In 1994, the first Board of Trustees was convened. Mr. Gallop resigned as Headmaster in 1997, and upon his departure, he charged all constituents of the Stuart Hall community to help the school grow to its highest potential. That summer, Mr. Kevin Avin was appointed as Headmaster. In June of 1998, Stuart Hall was formally accredited as a member of the Independent Schools Association of the Southwest (ISAS). Shortly thereafter, the Board of Trustees and Administration embarked on an expansion plan involving a long term lease with Carrollton Presbyterian Church and the acquisition of property adjacent to the campus. They launched the “Building a Legacy of Leadership” campaign to fund the expansion and increase enrollment over the next decade.
2001-2005: Living the Vision
In 2001, school officials spent countless hours conducting surveys, securing permits, and securing City Council permission to proceed on the construction of new school buildings. Ground-breaking on the first building took place in 2002. This building was completed in 2004 and soon dubbed the Whelan Early Childhood Center, in honor of the Whelan family’s generous contribution to its construction. By the spring of 2005, the two-story multi-purpose gymnasium had been raised.
2005-2006: Weathering the Storm
In August of 2005, Hurricane Katrina scattered the school population, flooded the ground floors of three main school buildings and destroyed all playground equipment. Once again, the Stuart Hall family demonstrated its resiliency. Students, parents and faculty began to reconnect through the Internet blog that Technology Director Bob Krieger built. Principal Cissy LaForge called an October faculty meeting. Teachers and parents returned in growing groups to gut, scrub, and refurnish the damaged buildings. Mr. Avin and Development Director Erin Beech sought funding from federal entities, private foundations, corporations, and insurance providers to expedite the school’s reopening. Owing to the tireless dedication of the entire school family, Stuart Hall reopened on November 7, 2005. 90% of faculty and staff were retained and almost 88% of the student body returned that morning. Mr. Avin announced to all present, “During all that has recently occurred in the life of our school, I assure you we have not, and will not, waiver from our purpose--our mission.”
2007- 2018: Celebrating Leaders for Life
By 2007, Stuart Hall was able to boast not only recognition as a Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education, but also state recognition of four 7th graders for SAT and ACT scores (tests designed for 11th graders), with an overall class average in the 92nd percentile of math scores. 100% of graduates were able to attend their first high school of choice. In the summer of 2008, Admissions Director Katherine Diliberto announced a record enrollment of 332 students for the coming school year. Now well underway, that school year has brought new accolades, including the qualification of 87% of our 7th Graders for the Duke Identification Program. This issue of Hallmarks celebrates the milestone of our school’s first quarter-century. We invite you to join us in joy and thanksgiving; we truly have been blessed. And we ask you to look ahead with us to an even brighter future as the Stuart Hall School for Boys continues “Growing Old on the Avenue.”
2019- 2024: Focus on the Future
In 2019, after 24 years of loving service as Stuart Hall's headmaster, Mr. Avin announces his plans for retirement at the conclusion of the 2020-21 school year. His leadership and guidance, weathered many literal and figurative storms and Stuart Hall remained strong in excellence and in its mission of education, formation, and its purpose, our boys, as its guiding beacon. The legacy of loving servant leadership Mr. Avin leaves behind will endure as long as the Blue and Gray stand tall.
“I am a blessed man... [Tootie and I] offer our sincere appreciation to every person, most especially every boy, who has ever intersected the life of our School. Our young, strong school has been enriched by every individual gift and talent emanating from God’s love and grace.”
In 2020, Stuart Hall shuts down and transitions to distance learning as a result of the worldwide pandemic. The Board of Trustees names Brian Moscona as third Head of School in summer of 2021 serving Stuart Hall for one year. During the summer of 2022, Timothy M. Burns is named Interim Head of School as the Board of Trustees begins a national search for a new permanent leader. In November 2023, Peter Kernion is appointed the fifth Head of Stuart Hall for the 2024-25 school year.