A Monthly News Update From the St. Margaret's Campus
Vol. 4, No. 08 Tappahannock, Virginia, March 2002
CAPTAIN'S CORNER
Dear St. Margaret's friends and families,
Each year at this time, we challenge ourselves, as individuals and as a community, to let go of our usual patterns and try new things. Experience tells us that the greatest growth comes when we move out of our comfort zones to let in new ideas, experiences, people, and places. This issue of "River Views" gives you a glimpse of how teachers and students took advantage of this time. During Minimester, teachers appreciate the chance to share their passions with their students, be it film or cooking or jazz. Students often find interests that they will choose to pursue again.
For each of the last five years, one or more teachers has had a mini-sabbatical from teaching during Minimester in order to explore areas of personal interest relevant to her St. Margaret's School responsibilities. This year, thanks to a generous gift from George Taylor, father of Amanda-Hunter '03, ViAnn Farmer launched the Queen Margaret of Scotland Girls' Schools Association faculty exchange program with a trip to our sister school in Melbourne, Australia. She has returned with a wealth of energy and ideas, but I'll let her share her experiences with you herself in a future issue of this newsletter!
Two of our national professional conferences also fall at this time, and I try to combine attendance at these with visits to alumnae. While in Napa Valley for the National Association of Principals of Schools for Girls conference, David and I had the privilege of meeting Colonel Frances Thorpe '32 (left) in her Vacaville home. Frances and I have corresponded for years, so it was a special treat to share an afternoon with her, hearing about her military career as a flight nurse and homesteading in Alaska after retirement. We hope she will be able to visit our campus for the first time since her graduation when she travels to Hampton in the fall for a flight nurse reunion.
The next week, at the annual conference of the National Association of Independent Schools in San Francisco, I represented the National Coalition of Girls' Schools at the first meeting of the general council of a new advocacy initiative focused on promoting America's Independent Schools. They will launch their campaign by telling the stories of our students, teachers, and graduates, much as we do in these pages and in The Thistle. Who better to demonstrate the power of our schools?
Dinners with our son, Ben, who is attending college in San Francisco, and walks in the city, the valley, and Point Lobos National Park below Carmel, provided the spring break element of this trip. I, too, have returned inspired and refreshed, excited to hear the stories our teachers and students will tell through journals and Independent Study Project presentations and to share my own enthusiasm for our continued work together. Educating young women for life commits each of us to continue our own education throughout our lives. I am proud that St. Margaret's School deliberately provides both time and opportunities for personal growth for all members of our community.
Sincerely,
Margaret R. Broad,
Head of School
COMPASS POINTS
Learning by Doing - Minimester: A Time to Explore
- Students learn by doing in the two-week Minimester term. Here's a look at what they discovered this year...
Winter Sports Wrap - Winter Sports Teams Give Tournaments Their All
Scotty teams compete in tournaments, post final scores....
Fun for Everyone - Mark Your Calendar for Spring Family Weekend
Plan now to attend Spring Family Weekend....
Summer Success - Help Your Child Plan for Summer Success
Help your daughter make appropriate plans for when school's out....
Reminders for Parents - Spring reminders from the Admission Office
For both current and prospective students....
Coming Alumnae Events - Join us for these Alumnae Association events
Check the calendar of upcoming alumnae events....
THE CURRENT
More than 45 students have earned places on the St. Margaret's honor and merit rolls for the second trimester. Their hard work prepares them to take advanced classes and builds a strong record for college admission.
Honor roll students earn additional perks: they are recognized at a faculty tea, and granted the privilege of taking one honor roll cut day during the third trimester.
Honor Roll - Students named to the honor roll have an average of 90 or above with no grade below a B.
Honor roll students include seniors Anne Czechanski, Carter Holloway, Virginia King, and Kelly Proctor; juniors Emily Chang, Kaoru Hoshino, Hannah Lee, Maggie Lu, and Jessie Malm; sophomores Cecelia Farfan, Cariad Shepherd, Jessica Stokes, and Robin Ridderhof; freshmen Annie Arnest, Rachel Chang, Neillee Katona, Hye-Yoon Lee, and Palmer Ware; and eighth-grader Brooke Shafer.
Merit Roll - Students achieving merit roll recognition have an average of 87 or above with no grade below a C.
Merit roll students include seniors Nikki Clark, Shannon Davis, Taylor Ellis, Katie Herrick, Shu Jin, Olivia Longest, Poo Monthienvichienchai, Heather Porter, Nicole Silverstein, Rachelle Slotnick, Maryama Tagoe, Sarah Taliaferro, and Brittany Walker; juniors Laura Caton, Evita Moody, Lindsay Neist, Fola Ogundiran, Amanda-Hunter Taylor, and Patti Webb; sophomores Alli Johnson, Yoo-Ri Jung, and Allison Smith; freshmen Catherine Chilton, Sunmi Lee, and Sarah Rice Stender; and eighth-graders Victoria Grant, Jennie Lynne Leonard, and Erin Martin.
THE FORECAST
Important Dates:
MarchApril28 - Easter Break begins after 2 p.m.
May1 - Boarding Students return by 7 p.m.
19 - End of interim assessment period
3-5 - Spring Family Weekend & May Ball
