History

The Church of Saint Luke in the Fields has a history going back to 1820. It has always maintained an interest in children and in education. However, the current school had its beginnings in the early 1940's when the neighborhood around Saint Luke's Chapel (then a part of Trinity Church) on Hudson Street underwent a profound change. During the Depression years and before, many poor people lived in the area and worked as longshoremen on the nearby docks. A more affluent group moved in during World War II, and high rents forced the poor to move away. As a result, Saint Luke's congregation decreased sharply. Reaching the new neighbors became a priority for the church.

One of the community's pressing needs was a school. In 1944, Mary Kingsbury Simkhovitch, head of Greenwich House and a member of Saint Luke's, met with The Rev. Edward H. Schlueter, Vicar of Saint Luke's Chapel for thirty-four years, about establishing a school at Saint Luke's. Together, they asked the Rector of Trinity Church, The Rev. Frederick Fleming, to present the idea to the Vestry. The Vestry approved the establishment of a school in May 1945. The Rev. Leicester C. Lewis came to Saint Luke's as Vicar and founding Head of the new St. Luke's School. He was succeeded by The Rev. Paul C. Weed, Jr.

Marguerite S. Gates became the first Principal in July 1945. School opened on Monday, September 24, 1945, with nineteen children and two teachers in rooms in the old Parish House. Before the end of that first year, registration had reached forty-seven students in three grades and a combined Nursery-Kindergarten. There was after school care for the children of working mothers. The classrooms were in the rear wing of the Parish House at 487 Hudson Street, and the dining room was in the basement, where the Thrift Shop is now located.

Mrs. Katharine Taylor joined the school faculty in September, 1946, and became Principal in 1951. In 1980, Mrs. Taylor retired and Ms. Barbara Belknap became the third Principal of the school. In 1990, Mrs. Kathleen G. Johnson was named Interim Principal. From 1991-1995, Ms. Jessie-Lea Hayes was Head of School. Ann Mellow led the school from 1995-2007. Bart Baldwin, Jr. was appointed to succeed Ann Mellow as Head of School and started his tenure on July 1, 2007.

Trinity Church completed the current building for the school in 1955 and renovated the entire block of buildings into large apartments for the teachers and the chapel staff. In 1976, Saint Luke's Church and St. Luke's School became independent of Trinity Church. The vestry of Saint Luke's Church constituted the St. Luke's School Board of Trustees to which was delegated the ongoing operations and fiduciary responsibility for the School. Since separation, the School has expanded its facilities in science, art, the library and technology, and has completed major refurbishment of the original 1955 school building.

Today, the school serves approximately 200 students from Junior Kindergarten through Grade 8. It maintains a small student population to foster caring relationships among children and the adults who guide them. Its graduates are well-regarded for the quality of their academic preparation and their personal integrity. They are admitted and enroll in a rich variety of private and public day and boarding schools.

The Story of the Winged Ox, The Symbol of St. Luke's School

St. Luke is known as the "Beloved Physician" and the patron saint of artists. When this Church was consecrated in 1822, the congregation chose St. Luke as its patron because the area had long been a refuge from epidemics.

The winged ox, symbol of St. Luke's School, is a symbol closely associated with St. Luke. The ox was one of four faces of living creatures visualized as supporting the throne of God. In the Book of Revelation, written in approximately the 2nd century A.D., the four faces became four living creatures standing around God's throne. These faces included a man, a lion, and an eagle, and an ox. Early on, these creatures became associated with the four evangelists: the ox with Luke, the man with Matthew, the lion with Mark, and the eagle with John.

The late Canon Edward N. West of the Diocese of New York, a theologian and liturgist, designed the Church banner from which the school logo was derived.