CAPTAIN'S CORNER

Dear St. Margaret's friends and families,

Here we are, five weeks into this new school year. Together we have explored the Rappahannock River, understood the value of our honor code, completed one-sixth of the academic year, learned each other’s names and interests, and cheered each other on.

Just as we began to settle into the comfort and familiarity of our routines, we looked around and discovered that our intimate community of 200 had more than doubled in size. Yes, it was Fall Family Weekend, and this weekend was not just for families!

Fall Family Weekend has grown to be a celebration of St. Margaret’s. Our Board of Governors and Foundation Board hold their fall meetings on campus. Alumnae organize the craft fair and river run. Parents sponsor an ever more successful raffle and open house. Teachers invite parents to an afternoon of mini-classes and individual conferences. All of us share meals in our riverfront dining room, conversations both formal and informal, and the 5K early morning run/walk. On a clear, cool autumn weekend, I can’t imagine a more beautiful or energetic place to be.

Looking beyond the activities of the moment, we realize that we are not just today’s St. Margaret’s, known, understood and appreciated by this year’s students, faculty and staff. We are the school that the parents chose, that the alumnae remember, that the neighbors see and hear as they walk by, and that this Board of Governors holds in trust for the future. All of us have a part in planning for that future, and that is a large part of what we will be doing this year.

In April, a visiting committee from our accrediting bodies, the Virginia Association of Independent Schools and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, will spend three days with us assessing our progress over the last five years. Our preparations for this visit began over a year ago and are nearing completion.

We are also taking this year to engage in formal strategic planning, having completed nearly all of the initiatives outlined in the plan we developed in 2000. Already we have surveyed our parents and students, and our alumnae can look forward to hearing from us later this year. You can expect us to keep asking questions! Your answers are important to us. St. Margaret’s today is planning from a position of strength. I invite you to share our pride in this year’s school and our enthusiasm for the opportunities ahead.