A Message from the Head of School

Dear St. Margaret's families and friends, This issue of The Thistle is full of projects and plans, people and programs, past and future. Reading these articles drew me back to the why behind so much what, when, and how. For those of us responsible for St. Margaret's School, the answer to "Why?" will always be "Because it helps us fulfill our mission of educating young women for life." At St. Margaret's, our students arrive as girls full of promise and leave as young woman brimming with confidence. To show you our mission in action, I would like to introduce you to two of this year's seniors. Kristina Bethea arrived as a tenth-grade boarding student with solid goals backed by solid experiences in student leadership, sports, academics, and service. As President of the School, she models commitment, determination, and spirit, with a desire to encourage her fellow students to take advantage of the opportunities and assistance they have here. The highlight of her years was her selection by the faculty to represent St. Margaret's School at the national People of Color Conference, where she learned strategies for working as an advocate for positive change within a diverse community. Kristina was also selected by Pathways to Success to travel to Nicaragua on a summer service trip to build, paint, and dedicate a school. Denison University, my alma mater, has awarded Kristina a merit scholarship. She hopes to pursue nursing or law, but may also want to return to work at St. Margaret's before beginning graduate school in order to give back to a community that has given her so much. We are proud of Kristina, whether leading announcements, shooting baskets, playing tennis, or singing with Soulful Voices, a gospel group founded last year with fellow students. Kelly Proctor, a four-year day student from Urbanna, was clear about her desire to be more in touch with herself as a girl, so a girls' school was the perfect choice for Kelly's four years of high school. Here she places highest value on what she has learned through the English program and the crew team. Kelly is an editor of Tides, our literary magazine, sports writer for school press releases, and also a runner. Kelly, too, values travel for providing defining experiences. She met family friends in the Philippines who showed her a vastly different culture and also saw art in new ways on a ninth-grade school trip to Spain. Looking ahead, Kelly is considering advertising as a career because of her joint passions for art and writing. Her independent study internship at the Martin Agency in Richmond gave her a look at the professionalism and creativity within this field. Kelly can see herself responding positively to phonathon requests for annual fund gifts, because she has been on the calling end and knows how important these annual contributions are to the school. She would also love to lend her professional expertise to our marketing and admission programs once she is established in her career. We admire Kelly's talent and initiative and look forward to keeping her closely involved with the school throughout her life. Kristina and Kelly have taken very different paths through St. Margaret's, yet both comment on their growth as individuals, their appreciation for opportunities to pursue passions, and the importance of the skills they have acquired, especially in writing. We will follow their paths, just as we follow those of all who have preceded them through letters, e-mails, phone calls, their visits to us and ours to them. We are so proud of our graduates. Their successes in life are tangible measures of our success in getting them started. My thanks go out to each of you for keeping St. Margaret's School in your lives through active involvement, loyal annual support, and thoughtful planned gifts. I hope that many of you will join us on June 2nd when Kristina and Kelly and 34 classmates step from the graduation platform into the lives they have been preparing for during their St. Margaret's years.

Kristina Bethea '02, head of School Margaret R. Broad, and Kelly Proctor '02.   Strategic Plan in Action - Retaining Outstanding Faculty   The Campus Master Plan - Strengthening our Foundations   "Bridging The Past and the Future" - Join us in June for a Reunion on the Rivah   Alumnae Profile Series: A Profile of Lee Boudreaux '86 - One for the Books   A Message from the Alumnae President Trudi Allcott '77   Help Make the Thistle House a Home   Alumnae Profile Series: In a Class of her Own - Fay Gibian Lohr '62   Alumnae Profile Series: In a Class of her Own - Amy Bevans '97   True Colors: A Closer Look at St. Margaret of Scotland   Own a Little Part of SMS - Building Collectibles The Fall/Winter 2002 edition of The Thistle, St. Margaret's alumnae magazine.