Vol. 10, No. 3 Tappahannock, Virginia, October 2007

Dear St. Margaret's friends and families,

So often in my speaking and writing about St. Margaret’s I start with the mission and then add the people and programs and sense of place.   Can you imagine how exciting it was to see all of these come vividly to life at the dedication of our new athletic complex last Friday?   It was a perfect, crisp, cool October day, with a clear blue sky and the gentlest breeze.   One minute we were a crowd of 300 stepping onto the new fields, many for the first time; very quickly we became St. Margaret’s School, each person in a special place. Standing in front of an honor card of fall athletes and coaches, as well as the school cross and banner and the American flag; standing beside our chaplain, board chair, athletic director, and former student/current board member/dedication speaker; facing students, parents, alumnae, board members, and neighbors, I knew these few brief minutes would translate into a picture that would capture this special place and time.

Memories ARE made of this! Now we have the picture and it is time for the place to come alive with strong programs and dedicated people. This year, we’ve extended all sports’ practices to 2 hours, 5 days a week, with Sunday practices on closed weekends. We’ve added coaches from our faculty and our community.  And we’re seeing dedication, an appreciation for being part of a team, and a stronger commitment to physical fitness in our athletes. We have also had some notable wins!

In her dedication speech, Heather Wood Mantz ’87 recalled being part of the team that put the first banner on our gym wall, but many of you will recall Frances Gilchrist’s winning teams in an era before we honored our successes in this way.  Yes, the values taught through athletics are part of our mission and our heritage.   We are so grateful to now have a place where they can visibly come to life.   Those of you who were with us on October 12th have your own memories of the sights and sounds of this special day.  I hope that more of you will return soon to stand beside these fields and cheer on our teams or walk the cross country trail that traverses the surrounding woods. There are more memories to be made!

Sincerely,
Margaret R. Broad,
Head of School



 

Fall Family Weekend 2007 -
Families make it more fun.......

SMS Students Are Scholars -
Seniors recognized for academic achievement.......

Athletic Complex Dedicated -
New athletic complex is a “field of dreams”.......

Parent Council Starts Strong -
Council sets pace for a successful year.......

THE CURRENT

The Current We know you are proud of all your daughter has accomplished. Let her know by placing an ad in this year's yearbook Visit www.sms.org/yrbookad to download the order form. Orders are being taken now. Ad content is due by December 5. Questions? Contact Yearbook Sponsor Shannon Spears at 804-443-3357 Extn: 7552 or email sspears@sms.org

Spend the night... or a day at St. Margaret's School Meet students and teachers Go to classes, take a tour Visit Days: December 8, 2007 Overnight Visit: January 20-21, 2008 Prospective parents, contact the Admission Office for an invitation. Current parents, let us know if there is someone we should invite! Contact us today: (804) 443-3357 / admit@sms.org or RSVP online at www.sms.org/rsvp