Current Parents

Ellen Douglas & Chris ‘97 Alves

St. Paul’s Episcopal School has always represented history, excellence in education, a grounding in faith, and a vibrant welcoming community to our family.

My grandfather Rev. Joseph Hodge Alves, Jr. first came to Mobile in the late 1920’s after finishing seminary to lead his first church as the priest at St Paul’s Episcopal Church when the only thing on campus was the Little Church. He lived at Wilmer Hall, acting as the father spiritually and emotionally to the resident orphans who affectionately called him “Dad”. His career as a priest soon took him to various other churches throughout the Southeast finishing his career in Falls Church, Virginia, at which time he retired to Baldwin County. My parents, when looking for somewhere to settle down, were strongly influenced by the fairly new Episcopal school in Springhill. I graduated from St. Paul’s class of 1997, our daughter Lanier graduated class of 2026, and our son Walter will graduate class of 2031.

St. Paul’s has provided a superior level of education for our family. I attended Ole Miss on scholarship and excelled while there thanks to the foundation provided by St. Paul’s. Lanier is currently at Ole Miss on scholarship and will no doubt excel as well. Walter is well on his way to follow in those footsteps. St. Paul’s gave us the necessary skills to be successful at the next level as well as always accommodating our needs in ways that many schools are not willing to or are not equipped to.   

Along with an extremely high level of education, St. Paul’s has always provided our family with a grounding in faith. Throughout the school week, it has provided us with a subtle reminder of God’s love. Through weekly Chapel and monthly Big Church, our students are ingrained with uplifting messages that fortify their spiritual strength, allowing them to better handle the challenges of the world.

Thanks to St Paul’s, we have also been immersed in a vibrant and welcoming community.  Weekly sporting events, Big Show, Fall Show, Singing on the Red Steps, Saints Night Out, Mom’s Mingle, Mothers in Prayer, tailgates, skeet shoots, golf tournaments, and too many more events to mention provide parents, alumni, and students alike numerous opportunities to engage with each other. Ellen Douglas has taken advantage of many of these opportunities to be involved in the Saints family by volunteering her time as the Lower School Parent Council Chair, Grade Level Representative for numerous years, middle school football mom, middle school & upper school volleyball mom, and Graduation Sensation Committee Chair to name a few. St Paul’s truly provides more opportunities to be involved than you could possibly find the time to take advantage of.

For these reasons, Ellen Douglas and I donate not only our financial support but our time to St. Paul’s, and we strongly encourage others to do the same. 

GO SAINTS!!