CAPTAIN'S CORNER

Dear St. Margaret's friends and families,

Who we are is determined by the choices we make, and making choices is a life skill, as important to practice as reading and writing. This is the time of year when our students are both making new choices and living the experiences they have chosen.

When we introduced the Minimester program seven years ago, we structured it to provide a valuable opportunity for our students to move outside of the traditional academic curriculum. Choices made during these high school years have a lasting impact on those made later in life. How wonderful to learn now how to present yourself to the college of your choice and how to make that choice, or what skills are necessary to travel and live in another culture, or which volunteer activities have the most immediate and lasting impact. Over the years, alumnae have initiated and abandoned careers based on Minimester and Independent Study experiences.

In the course of the school year, students practice making choices in their selection of courses, sports, and afternoon and weekend activities. They learn the value of establishing their own goals, seeking input from others, planning ahead and learning from past experiences. The ninth-grader who hopes to one day be president of the school can begin immediately to complete her graduation requirements in order to leave room in her senior year schedule for the leadership class that goes with this office. The two-season athlete can plan now to schedule an additional elective during the trimester when she is taking an activity, rather than competing in a varsity sport.

As we move toward our final trimester, our seniors are taking time to reflect on the choices they have made during their years with us. Early, strong college acceptances, outstanding SAT scores, the opportunity to participate in the choir tour to the United Kingdom; all these are results of careful choices made years ago.

Just last week, the leadership class reviewed the goals they established last spring and rated themselves on their success. They learned important lessons about how much time and process it takes to achieve goals. They also learned how good it feels when you can see your success. The new Scotty mascot is a tangible legacy of their goal to improve school spirit. Was the mascot the reason the stands were packed for this season’s final basketball game, cheering the team to an overtime victory?

For St. Margaret’s, the choices we have made in the last three successfully completed strategic plans have brought us the teachers, students, programs and buildings that make up the strong school we are today. Next winter, we will pause again to think about our choices for the future. Over the February long weekend, we will gather board members, faculty and staff, students, alumnae, parents and neighbors for our next round of strategic planning. Ours is a community that has valued making choices as a life skill and that has never stopped learning from the choices we’ve made.

Sincerely,
Margaret R. Broad,
Head of School

COMPASS POINTS

23-25 - Second trimester exams

28 - Health Day; Minimester begins

11 - Minimester ends; Spring Break begins

19 - Choir tour of Great Britain (through 4/1)

29 - Spring Break ends; boarders return by 7 p.m.

Some things change, but reunion is always in style! Save The Dates: Friday, June 10 - Sunday, June 12, 2005 More info: Carol Smith, 804-443-3357 or csmith@sms.org