CAPTAIN'S CORNER

Dear St. Margaret's friends and families,

Thanksgiving to Christmas to New Year’s, so few weeks, so many messages! I love the purple signs that Chaplain Riggs posts around the school each year, “Slow down. Quiet. It’s Advent.” This year, I’ve been gratified to watch our school community take this admonition to heart, and wait patiently, but not idly, reaching out to share their God-given rather than store-purchased gifts with each other and with many, many more beyond our campus.

The gift of music resonates beyond its performance. Sophomore Hope Scott directed Soulful Voices, our student gospel choir, at our own Sunday evening compline service as well as at a program for retirement home residents. Imagine the wonder in our eyes and theirs when two of our Korean students sang clear, haunting solos during these a capella performances. And music director Beverley Gordon’s groups, Ensemble and Treble Choir, have been everywhere: dressed as Santa’s helpers at the St. John’s Church annual Ho Ho Lunch for community children held on our campus, and at concerts they gave for two other local groups.

And looking toward the new year, our students also have had some good advice for their resolutions. Goal setting is the focus of our December co-curricular program. Soccer star Rob Ukrop of the Richmond Kickers launched our conversations with his spirited message in Town Meeting: Believe in yourself, be prepared, then be yourself. We were glad we had set aside time to make this message personal for each of our students. Mary Williams, our own clinical advisor, and Day Family Coordinator Cupper Dickinson took goal setting up again in the weekly day student meeting, as Chaplain Riggs and I did during Monday night residential meeting. At both meetings, we shared our own paths with our students before they wrote personal goals which they will work on during the remainder of this school year. The beauty of this comprehensive co-curricular program is that we already have scheduled time in the spring to get out the goals we all wrote and consider our progress. Former SMS Board of Governors member Brooke Trible Weinmann ’75, said it well in her commencement address in 2000, “You can have it all, but not all at once.” Setting and achieving goals is an important first step and an essential life skill!

So now we prepare to go our separate ways for the two weeks of our holiday break with joyful music in our ears and New Year’s resolutions already written. My warmest good wishes to each of you and my sincere appreciation to all of you who so generously share your gifts with our school and your communities. May we all enjoy a joyous new year!

Sincerely,
Margaret R. Broad,
Head of School

COMPASS POINTS

5 - Boarders return by 7 p.m.

9-11 - Closed weekend, Snow Ball

23-25 - Closed weekend, Junior Variety

29 - Long weekend begins at 2 p.m.

2 - Boarders return by 7 p.m.

13-15 - Closed weekend; exam review

18-20 - Second trimester exams

January 11-12 or February 8-9, 2004

Prospective parents, please contact the admission office for an invitation. Current parents, let us know if there’s someone we should invite! (804) 443-3357 or admit@sms.org for more information.

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