At St. Margaret’s, we begin with the end in mind. Fifteen years ago, a discussion was started at a faculty work day about what St. Margaret’s wanted its graduates “to be.” What was the end result we wanted for our graduates? Over the next few years, a list of qualities was expanded and refined and became a part of the school’s curriculum guide and integrated into each class’ syllabus. The qualities were affectionately called the “to be’s.” Ever cognizant of the rapid rate of change in the technology age, St. Margaret’s strives to evolve to meet the need of our students while maintaining continuity and staying true to our mission. With this commitment to evolving and adapting in mind, the conversation about the “to be’s” was begun once again; the time had come to evaluate if these qualities will still serve today’s students.
After much brainstorming and analyzing, the verdict on our “to be” statements is that they still hold true, perhaps now more than ever. We still want our students to be:
Intellectually Honest
Respectful
Responsible
Engaged
Self Motivated
Flexible
Confident
Rather than revise the seven words, the faculty formulated what it is that having these qualities will enable our students to become.
They enable them to become:
Creative Problem Solvers. As Creative Problem Solvers they will be able to make reasoned judgments using creative and critical thinking skills, designing and implementing multiple strategies to solve various problems.
Effective Communicators and Collaborators who can develop, implement and communicate ideas in a variety of media, work with others and be open and responsive to new ideas.
Morally Courageous Members of a Community who exemplify the qualities of the “to be” statements. As such members of a community, they will demonstrate awareness of interdependence and a sense of responsibility towards the environment and humanity.
By beginning with the end in mind, St. Margaret’s ensures that all actions are pertinent and purposeful. All we do helps us move our students along towards becoming the extraordinary young women we know them to be.
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