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St. Margaret's School Head Margaret Robinson Broad
Sabbatical Scrapbook: October 13, 2000 - January 4, 2001
Thank you for this extraordinary opportunity! Already this year, we realize how important this three-month period away is for St. Margaret's. Planning for my absence has forced us to look differently at how we work together, to be sure all of our systems work, and to deliberately acknowledge my roles in all of this. This has been productive and healthy. Planning how I will spend this time has been an exciting and thought-provoking challenge.
I have three goals for these three months:
- Spend extended time with my family doing things we love to do
- Establish connections with more schools in the Queen Margaret of Scotland Girls' Schools Association, specifically two in New Zealand and one in Australia
- Take time to write about St. Margaret's and my life and work over these last twenty years.
To connect with our sister schools, I will spend three to seven days in each of the three schools, staying with the Headmistresses in their homes. My longest visit will be at SMS-Berwick, near Melbourne, where we already have a well established tenth grade exchange. In each school, we will be considering opportunities for faculty and student exchanges.
Writing will be the link that ties all of this together. This summer I have been accepted to a short course offered by NAIS for school heads who write. Twelve of us will work intensively with published colleagues to explore how to use the richness of the lives we lead in schools in our writing. In the middle of my sabbatical, I will have three full weeks alone in Australia to build on this experience and work on a writing project that I have been playing with for some time. Recently a short article I wrote for the National Association of Episcopal Schools was reprinted in a pamphlet. I'm interested to consider how my writing might be used both in the school and the larger school world.
Thank you for this incredible opportunity. I look forward to working with you to provide such opportunities for others who have devoted their lives to our school.
Margaret R. Broad
Head of School
Excerpts from my personal album and journal
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 Queen Margaret College, Wellington, New Zealand
Queen Margaret College Headmistress Ann Mildenhall checks that her students' school uniforms conform to the dress code. A day at school after two weeks away has taken a while to get used to, but Ann has kept her calendar open; and it is glorious to be on the observing side. The original college building is magnificent, soaring ceilings, regal staircases, a central timbered entrance hall. The rest of the facility is only 12 years old, purpose built with carpeted ramps leading between levels, each division distinctive and colorful. We end this full day with dinner with Ann and her three top staff and their husbands at the Wellington Club; even the Duke of Edinburgh is a member here! It is great food and wonderful company. I need to spoil my staff a little more! |
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 St. Margaret's College, Christchurch, New Zealand
One last morning in school. Today I processed into the chapel with Headmistress Claudia Wysoki. There I spoke of actual and spiritual gifts, and left a St. Margaret's bear behind. This round wooden chapel carpeted in red gives an amazing sense of close community even with all 650 students in the congregation.
Here is a wonderful multi purpose space with stepped seating made up of moveable, padded seats for two or three arrayed in a semicircle. Theatre lights and excellent acoustics complete this inspiring space. Although they have holes to support an altar rail, they've left it off to convey inclusiveness, and it works. Together surrounded by music and voices, led by their young American woman chaplain, we experience its intimacy and celebrate the spiritual ties that link us and our schools.
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 St. Margaret's School, Berwick, near Melbourne, Australia
My first visit to this sister school where our girls were the first adventurers. Thier trips were built on trust, Headmistress Virginia Henry and mine, and on the commonality of our visions and missions for these girls. So many girls have made the voyage and here they are safely returned! Their bright eyes translate the memories of their days with us. Nina brings wonderful lilies from the family nursery and reminiscences of her GAP year in Tappahannock. The others share their different memories but all agree that the highlight was how small and friendly they found our Virginia school. |
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| To email Margaret: margaret@sms.org |
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