A Monthly News Update From the St. Margaret's Campus

Vol. 4, No. 06 Tappahannock, Virginia, January 2002

CAPTAIN'S CORNER

Dear St. Margaret's friends and families,

Headmistress Margaret BroadHappy New Year! I've always been a firm believer in New Year's resolutions. Each year, I look forward to rereading last year's resolutions, assessing my success at living up to them, and pushing myself to formulate a new set of goals. Without challenging goals, how can we measure our growth? This month, as we conclude two of our long-range planning processes, it occurs to me that the plans we develop are actually our public statement of our resolutions for St. Margaret's School, our tangible goals that allow us to set the parameters for measuring our success.

This month, the Virginia Association of Independent Schools voted to approve our continued accreditation. This is an assessment made every five years. Our school is measured against a list of 57 standards of good practice, as well as against our own statements of mission and philosophy. In their report to us, the 8-member visiting team presented a 33-page document containing commendations and recommendations in every area of school life. They have taken our own resolutions, examined them thoughtfully against a larger perspective, and helped us formulate some of the new resolutions that will guide us in the years to come.

Later this month, our Board of Governors will meet to adopt an ambitious 10-year campus master plan. This concludes a year-long planning process that challenged members of all our constituencies to consider how we can best ensure that our facilities continue to support our programs, in many cases allowing them to grow to their full potential. Which programs? All of them! Academic, spiritual, residential, athletic and fitness, fine and performing arts, river. These are strong programs that merited this comprehensive assessment of our facilities. The plan will be a public statement of our resolutions on behalf of our historic campus. Its phases and stages will guide our decision-making, budget planning, and fund raising. Where will we start? Phase I, Step 1 calls for some renovations in Latané Hall, beginning with the bathrooms and including attention to the electrical, heating, and cooling systems. You'll be hearing more about this because we would like to begin working on this goal right away by raising the funds necessary to complete the work this summer.

As we prepare to merge all of our planning documents - our Strategic Plan adopted in 2000, the recommendations provided by our VAIS visiting committee, and the facilities priorities outlined in the Campus Master Plan-we realize that we will have plenty of New Year's resolutions to guide us! My sincere thanks to each of you for your continued commitment to helping up live up to these exciting goals.

Sincerely,
Margaret R. Broad,
Head of School

COMPASS POINTS

Learning to Lead - Girls Become Leaders at SMS
- Leadership training is another way that SMS educates young women for life

Career Closeup - Students Get a Jump on Careers
Seniors explore their options through independent study projects

Holiday Fun - School Celebrations Make Holiday Memories
Christmas traditions make memories for SMS students

A Senior Looks Back - A Senior Looks Back: "My Experience at SMS"
Virginia King '02 tells why she'll be sad to leave SMS

THE CURRENT

The winter sports roster includes a new team this year: swimming. Here are the second trimester athletes:

Varsity Basketball - Brittany Alexander, Kristina Bethea, Becky Clark, Cassy Cormack, Blair Fisher, Ali Hord, Juliane Kelly, Lindsay Neist, Fola Ogundiran, Robin Ridderhof, Julie Srebro, Jennifer Stuart. Managers: Madison Barkley, Evita Moody. Coach: Sue Saunders.

JV Basketball - Suzanne Atchison, Veazey Bobo, Emily Chang, Jenny Jackson- O'Toole, Keosha Johnson, Yoo-Ri Jung, Nicole Lane, Hannah Lee, Hye Yoon Lee, Michelle Manning, Shahar McSalters, Drenika Mosby, Jacky Sydnor, Jenny Szittya, Amanda-Hunter Taylor. Coach: David Cook.

Soccer - Catherine Chilton, Sarah Copeland, Lauren Crockett, Emily Fisher, Erin Kelley, Danielle Magid, Jessie Malm, Ann Kramer Osburn, Kat Price, Kelly Proctor, Maggie Ransone, Sarah Taliaferro, Patricia Van Pelt, Sarah Weakley. Coaches: Rodney Watkins, Whitfield Mastin.

JV Soccer - Annie Arnest, Marin Brown, Cecelia Farfan, Lauren Gibbs, Jessica Hinson, Kaoru Hoshino, Shu Jin, Neillee Katona, Eun Young Lee, Jennie Lynn Leonard, Maria Montes, Ashley Morici, Brooke Shafer, Jessica Stokes, Gabby Vargas, Palmer Ware, Tessa Zaytoun. Coach: Cupper Dickinson.

Swimming - Merritt Allaun, Mary Andrews, Allie Burdette, Virginia King, Lulu Fiscella, Julia Fiscella, Olivia Longest, Mary Elizabeth McDowell, Margaret Moncure, Mary Burke Parker. Alternates: Rachel Chang, Sojin Lee. Coach: Katie Speigler.

Visit the SMS web site for sports schedules and directions: www.sms.org/calsport.php



THE FORECAST

Important Dates:

 January
  • 26 - SATs
  • 31 - Long weekend begins after 2 p.m.
    • February
  • 4 - Boarding students return by 7 p.m.
  • 8-11 - Closed weekend and final exams
  • 15 - End of Second Trimester
  • 18 - River Day
  • 19 - Minimester begins
  • 22-24 - Closed Weekend

    • SMS Press Room