In May, The Episcopal School Foundation meets to discuss at length the establishment of a college preparatory boys boarding and day school near Boca Raton, which would have initially an enrollment of approximately 150 students in Form I through Form VI (Grade 7 through Grade 12). Foundation members stress that the school be open to boys regardless of race and to accept “responsibility to teach and succeed with each individual boy.”
In July, benefactor Alexander Henderson donates $100,000, which is partially used to acquire 16 more acres from Arvida. The Butts family donates 10 acres and an additional 5 acre donation from Arvida brings the future campus to 70 acres total. Also in July, the first Board of Trustees meets to establish the Articles of Incorporation of Saint Andrew’s School of Boca Raton, Incorporated. The Board of Trustees include: The Reverend Hunter Wyatt-Brown, Eugene Curtis, Alexander Henderson, Gregory McIntosh, A.D Beveridge, Thomas Fleming, Aaron Sanson, and Anthony Duke. The U.S. Army Reserve helps to bulldoze and clear the land for campus construction. A ground-breaking for Henderson Hall, the first building on campus, takes place on December 17, 1961. During this ceremony, Father Wyatt-Brown forms a rustic cross from two pine branches, which is preserved and housed in the Chapel of Saint Andrew the Apostle.
By July, Father Wyatt-Brown, Saint Andrew's School's first Headmaster, hires new faculty including: Dr. Joseph Gould (History), William Burt (Biology), Dr. Merrill Howe (English), Ned Fox (English), Father Raymond O’Brien (French/Latin), Richard Meyer (Athletics), Father Benton Wood (Theology/History), Marcelo Lescano (Spanish), Terry Carlisle (Math), Valerin Yavorsky (Arts), Frank Chambers (Math/Physics), and Phyllis Gould (Music). In the early years, it was customary for students to refer to each faculty member by the title "Master." By August, Henderson Hall, McIntyre Hall (Early Years Middle School), Arthur Vinings Dining Hall - Fuller Lounge, the Chickee Chapel, an Athletic Building with an Olympic size pool and four tennis courts, two dormitories, and six faculty homes are constructed and in place for the fall opening of school. School opens September 21, 1962, with 122 students from as far away as Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, and several states including Michigan, New York, and Ohio. Student sports teams emerge such as swimming, football, golf, soccer, tennis, and basketball. The Flying Scotsmen are formed under the direction of Phyllis Gould, and the Bagpiper School Newspaper and Tartan Yearbook are born.
By the fall, Dr. Pierre Vignau (French/Spanish), Ken Garside (Chemistry), Fred Burr (Math), Jake Dunnell (English), and other teachers join the Saint Andrew’s faculty. A third dorm is constructed to accommodate an expanding student body, which has reached 201. In addition, Surprenant Hall is built to accommodate a student union. Proctor Martin is named the school's second Headmaster and serves for one year.
In January, a groundbreaking is held for the Headmaster's Residence. In June, Saint Andrew’s School hosts its first commencement ceremony with 12 graduates. Rooks Hall is built as a new academic center. Eugene Curtis becomes the school's third Headmaster. Within less than a year, enrollment grows to 232 students from 20 states and 9 countries. On August 15, Hurricane Cleo devastates the campus with 125 mph winds.
In March, the Key Club is chartered under the sponsorship of the Kiwanis Club of Boca Raton and becomes the 150th Key Club in the Florida District. In August, Miami Dolphins Training Camp moves to Saint Andrew’s School campus and continues each summer until 1970.
In April, the Chapel of Saint Andrew the Apostle is constructed and dedicated in the memory of Alexander Henderson. Since 1967, all school commencements have been held in the Chapel. During the 1967-68 academic year, the George Plimpton movie, The Paper Lion, starring Alan Alda, Lauren Hutton, and Joe Schmidt, is filmed on the Saint Andrew's School campus.
After five years, Frederick Burr returns to Saint Andrew's School to become the school's fourth Headmaster. Mr. Burr, in a Bagpiper interview, comments, "It may sound corny, but I have a deep affection for Saint Andrew's...I think it's really exciting to be a part of something new like Saint Andrew's." Board of Trustees vote to officially admit girls as day students for the fall of 1971. IBM’s opening launches a period of rapid growth in Boca Raton’s population, benefitting school enrollment.
Long-time faculty members Phil and Judy Crangi arrive at Saint Andrew’s School. In the late fall, school administrators announce that girls are to be formally admitted as boarding students for the 1973-74 academic year and will reside in Dorm II.
Senior projects are instituted and seniors engage in off-campus experiential learning during spring break. The popular "Pack and Paddle" trips are launched and continue on for many years as an exciting spring break option.
