News and Updates
West Austin News:
St. Andrew’s Celebrates Opening of New Athletics Complex and Student Union
September 2025 Update:
Highlanders Celebrate Grand Opening of $32 Million Athletics Complex and Student Union
On September 5, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School celebrated the long-awaited Grand Opening of its $32 million Athletics Complex and Student Union, a project completed in just over a year.
The day began with a ribbon cutting, blessing of the building, and a spirited pep rally featuring performances by the choir, band, cheer, and dance teams. Students also revealed the name of the new student union, Highlander Hall, chosen by a campus-wide vote.
That evening, the celebration continued with the first-ever games in the new competition spaces. On Johnson Dunham ’12 Court, Highlander volleyball swept Lago Vista 3–0, and Highlander football capped off the night with a 56–6 win over Texas Legacy.
The Athletics Complex and Student Union reflects the strength and generosity of the Highlander community and marks one of the most ambitious projects in the school’s history.
September 2025 Update:
After Just One Year of Construction, St. Andrew's Opens $32 Million Athletics Complex and Student Union
On September 5, 2025, St. Andrew’s will gather to celebrate the Grand Opening of its $32 million Athletics Complex and Student Union.
AUSTIN, Tex. (September 3, 2025) — St. Andrew’s is entering a new chapter of Highlander history with the opening of a dynamic Athletics Complex and Student Union designed to bring students, families and fans together. St. Andrew’s Episcopal School will celebrate the grand opening of the new facility on Friday, Sept. 5, at 9:30 a.m. with a ribbon cutting, pep rally and name reveal by students for the new complex.
Festivities will continue into the evening, culminating with the Highlanders’ first home athletics competitions at the complex, with girls volleyball taking on Lago Vista High School at 6 p.m. and football facing Texas Legacy Football Academy at 7 p.m., a daylong celebration with the entire Austin community.
Designed to meet St. Andrew’s recent growth and thriving K-12 community, the 58,000-square-foot complex was built in just over a year in collaboration with Harvey Cleary Builders and LPA Design Studios. It features state-of-the-art athletic and student life facilities, making it one of the most ambitious projects in the school’s 72-year history. The complex is made possible through the generosity of donors and the support of the Highlander community.
At its heart, this new Complex is about bringing people together,” said Melissa Grubb, Head of School. “It will be alive with the cheers of our fans, the laughter of friends gathering after class, and the energy of students growing as athletes and leaders. It is a gift from our community to future generations, ensuring that every student has a place to feel supported, connected, and inspired.”
The Student Union is where Highlanders study, connect with other students and build lifelong friendships. It is also home to the Spirit Shop, a space where students gather to purchase spirit wear and snacks run by Highlander parents, and serves as the backdrop for cherished St. Andrew’s traditions such as graduation, St. Andrew’s Day, Highlander pep rallies and other community celebrations.
“Being a student-athlete at St. Andrew’s is about embracing a multifaceted role where excellence is pursued both academically and athletically,” said Thomas Sale, Director of Athletics. “Our students are rigorously challenged, fostering their development in each of our four pillars. The sports performance center, set to replace our current weight room, exemplifies our commitment to this holistic development.”
For all Highlanders, the Athletics Complex and Student Union offers state-of-the-art athletic equipment and a wide range of spaces designed for learning, training and community. The facilities include a competition gym that seats more than 800 spectators, six practice courts that give more students and teams time to train without interfering with evening homework or family schedules, a multi-purpose dance studio for The Highlights dance team that will also feature a golf simulator, an athletic film room for athletes and artists to review film or use for classes, and a sports performance center focused on technology-enhanced training to help student-athletes and performers reach their fullest potential. Every practice, performance and gathering in this space reflects the foundation of St. Andrew’s mission to nurture scholars, artists, athletes and servants who strive for excellence and strengthen the bonds of community.
“This state-of-the-art facility will significantly enhance our strength and conditioning programs, offering a dynamic space that aligns with our mission to cultivate healthy, well-rounded individuals,” said Sale. “At St. Andrew’s, we are not just building athletes. We are dedicated to developing healthy human beings in every sense of the word.”
For more information about the Athletics Complex and Student Union, visit raisetheroof.sasaustin.org.
About St. Andrew’s Episcopal School
Located in Austin, Texas, St. Andrew’s Episcopal School is a private coeducational school for grades K-12. Students benefit from dedicated faculty, a challenging academic program, fine and performing arts, competitive athletics and a wide selection of extracurricular activities.
Learn more about St. Andrew’s Episcopal School and the award-winning multiphase Raise the Roof Capital Campaign.
August 2025 Update
We are excited to share that the Athletics Complex & Student Union will officially open on September 5, 2025. This state-of-the-art facility will soon welcome students, athletes, and the entire St. Andrew’s community.
That evening, the Highlanders will make history with the first-ever home games in the new complex — girls volleyball at 6 PM followed by varsity football at 7 PM — complete with our new concession stand.
We’re now in the final stretch of fundraising for this transformational project. Thanks to a $7 million matching gift, every dollar given will be doubled. Let’s cross the finish line and reach our $32 million goal!
Watch our athletes’ reactions to the new complex!
April 2025 Update
Athletics Complex and Student Union construction time-lapse
December 2024 Update
Announcing an extraordinary $7,000,000 dollar-for-dollar match challenge!
A visionary donor has stepped forward with an incredible $7,000,000 dollar-for-dollar matching gift challenge, propelling us closer to reaching our $32 million fundraising goal for the Athletics Complex & Student Union. Once matched, this extraordinarily generous gift will help us finish Phase 1 of the campaign and shift our focus to our next transformative endeavor—the new Middle School and 6-12 STEM Center!
As we stand at this pivotal moment in St. Andrew’s history, we are focused on providing facilities that reflect the exceptional faculty, programming, and opportunities that define our school. This campaign is not just about upgrading buildings; it’s about exceeding expectations and ensuring our students have access to best-in-class spaces that match the caliber of their educational experience. These thoughtfully designed facilities will be unrivaled in Central Texas, providing the finest spaces for academic, athletic, and artistic pursuits while allowing room to expand programming and enhance every facet of student life. This campaign allows us to elevate how we support their journeys as scholars, artists, athletes, and servants and reaffirms our commitment to preparing them to be curious, courageous, and compassionate global citizens.
All new gifts are eligible for the match – this is an amazing chance to double our impact, and we are profoundly grateful for this donor’s faith in our mission, and for the generous and meaningful support of our Highlander community.
Together, we’ll Raise the Roof!
November 2024 Update
Construction and fundraising continue in earnest!
October 2024 Updates
Steel arrives, and our second story is up!
It has been a very exciting month of construction! Our first batch of steel arrived on campus, allowing our construction team to “raise the roof” on our upstairs practice gym, Student Union and Highlander Spirit Shop. We anticipate significant and visible progress over these next few months.
September 2024 Updates
Our K-12 student “Hopes and Prayers” ground blessings are poured into the foundation
Our 900+ students’ hopes and dreams offerings were carefully laid into the foundation of the Athletics Complex entry lobby, forever cementing the good wishes for this beautiful new facility.
First half of the Athletics Complex & Student Union foundation is poured
In just six hours, half of our Athletics Complex & Student Union foundation was poured. The Harvey Cleary team poured approximately 300 cubic yards of concrete for the foundation between 2AM and 8AM this morning. Over 30 concrete trucks were involved in the delivery of the concrete to the job site.
Next week, the second half of the foundation will be poured, along with all of our K-12 students’ hopes and dreams offerings. These offerings will permanently reside under the St. Andrew’s seal in our new Competition Gym Lobby, forever a reminder of the hope and promise this facility brings.
August 2024 Updates
Ground Blessing Service
We celebrated the groundbreaking of our new Athletics Complex and Student Union with great fanfare! Our Ground Blessing Service took place on August 30 at the site, where we celebrated with our generous donor families, Board of Trustees, and all Middle and Upper School students, faculty and staff.
What an historic moment in the life of our school! As our Head of School, Melissa Grubb, said, “Everything that you see here on this campus was built because our families believed in our mission, believed in our collective vision, and chose to give. All of our buildings are here because of philanthropy, faith and generous hearts.”
Our K-12 students each wrote a “hope or a blessing” for this new Athletics Complex & Student Union. All of the blessings were collected and presented at the Ground Blessing Service. During construction, these hopes and dreams of students across St. Andrew’s divisions will be laid into the building’s foundation itself, cementing in the aspirations of current St. Andrew’s students for the years and decades to come.
The building will soon rise and our Raise the Roof Campaign continues as we work to raise the remaining $14M to reach our goal. We are very grateful for the generosity of our St. Andrew’s school community. Onward!
July 2024 Updates
Construction has officially begun, marking an exciting milestone in our ‘Raise the Roof’ campaign! We’re thrilled to share the progress with you. Check out the aerial photos below to see the transformation happening on campus. From laying the foundations to seeing the first structures take shape, every step brings us closer to realizing our vision for St. Andrew’s. Stay tuned for more updates as we continue to build a brighter future together.
News
"Raise the Roof" Campaign wins Award of Distinction from The Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts Communicator Awards
St. Andrew’s Episcopal School’s “Raise the Roof” capital campaign branding was recognized by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts with an Award of Distinction in the Campaign | Non-Profit Category.
The Communicator Awards is dedicated to recognizing excellence, effectiveness, and innovation across all areas of communication. They are the leading international awards program honoring talent in this high competitive field. The Communicator Awards is sanctioned and reviewed by the Academy of Interactive & Visual Arts, an invitation-only group consisting of top-tier professionals from acclaimed media, communications, advertising, creative and marketing firms. AVIA members include executives from organizations like Amazon, Big Spaceship, Chelsea Pictures, Conde Nast, Critical Mass, Disney, ESPN, GE Digital, IBM, The Nation of Artists, Nextdoor, Spotify, Time, Inc., the Wall Street Journal/Dow Jones, and Wired.
St. Andrew’s partnered with creative agency Mighty Citizen to develop the “Raise the Roof” concepts for their $85M capital campaign to build a new Athletics Complex & Student Union and Middle School and STEM Center. Literally translated, “Raise the Roof” describes these two beautiful new facilities, which will both be two-story. Raising the roof indeed!
