In hopes of providing a better academic and athletic experience for student athletes in the community, Saint Stephen’s has recently formed an alliance with the Premier Sports Campus in Lakewood Ranch.

Tim Mulqueen, Director of the Premier Sports Campus (PSC), home to 140 acres of sports fields that have hosted practices and tournaments for football, soccer and lacrosse, said the alliance was formed in order to give families an opportunity “to receive the very best in academic and athletic excellence.”

Mulqueen said, “Saint Stephen’s and the PSC want to make a difference in the lives of the youth in the community, to positively affect them and their families through academics and athletics. The partnership allows us to reach out to families across the area and expose them to the wonderful academic institution that is Saint Stephen’s and to give them the quality of training they want in their athletic discipline at the PSC.”

Head of School Mrs. Jan Pullen said the partnership with the PSC is a win-win situation for both organizations; it gives Saint Stephen’s more exposure in the community and gives the PSC the support of a world-class academic institution.

“If our alliance is advertised, people might be out at the PSC fields and see a sign for Saint Stephen’s and decide to come check out our school,” she said.

Pullen added that because Saint Stephen’s is part of both Manatee and Sarasota County, “it’s always nice for our school to be connected with outside organizations.”

“It’s even better that we can make those connections with organizations like PSC that share our same values,” she said.

Mrs. Jennifer Vigne, Director of Marketing at Saint Stephen’s, said she hoped this partnership would help raise awareness of the school, especially in the community out East.

“About 20% of our students currently come from [Lakewood Ranch], so we definitely want to be an active participant in that community. We also want to introduce our school to new families within that community,” she said.

Pullen said in addition to the experience Saint Stephen’s had in working with student-athletes via partnerships with IMG and the Under-17 Soccer program, the fact that Saint Stephen’s and the PSC share so many of the same values was a huge factor in the decision to form the alliance.

“They really value family and kids and are trying to have a great sports center. They wanted to make it very community minded. The values that we hold as a school and that Mr. Mulqueen holds for the PSC are very much the same, and so the partnership meshed very well,” she said.

Mulqueen agreed that many of the principles held by the two organizations are the same.

“Both organizations believe in developing leadership, scholarship, integrity and service. This can be achieved in school and on the athletic field. Mrs. Pullen and Mrs. Vigne…have such great experience and vision on developing great people that I wanted the PSC to be part of that environment,” he said.

Vigne added that she felt the sharing of those values would strengthen the alliance.

“We both foster that family atmosphere and embrace the balance in our children’s lives; both academics and athletics are equally important to a child’s development. We felt that because we share those values, combining our forces would really just strengthen our ties to the community and the opportunities that were available to students,” she said.

Mulqueen said he believes the partnership will provide tremendous exposure for both organizations.

“Once people experience Saint Stephen’s and visit the campus, they will want to be enrolled there. We feel the same at the PSC,” he said, adding, “People will soon realize that both organizations have a strong bond and value system that they should be a part of.”