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Contact: Jenni Brockman Phone: 804-443-3357 Fax: 804-443-6781 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Tappahannock (September 23, 2002) - Now that the new school year is under way, and all the talk of must-have fashions and gotta-get gadgets has quieted down, students who think big are free to focus on making this a semester to remember. 
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The new St. Margaret's School wardrobe helps students focus on their studies by removing the pressure that many teenaged girls feel about their appearance. Other ways that teens can get the most out of school include maintaining a sense of adventure,becoming involved in an organization or cause, and getting daily execrise
"Despite all the media messages that abound today, we know that young people really are interested in meaningful involvement," said Margaret R. Broad, Head of St. Margaret's School. "As adults and educators, we strive to create an environment where a girl's mind is what matters, where her achievements count and what she believes in-as well as how she puts her beliefs into action-is more important than how she looks or what she wears." In fact, students at the Tappahannock school began wearing a mix-and-match uniform this fall. Girls asked administrators for the change, which relieves some of the peer pressure that teens feel about their appearance. There are other ways that students can tune out distractions and focus on the opportunities that a new school year presents, Broad said. St. Margaret's, along with the National Coalition of Girls' Schools, offers the following tips for teens and their parents:  Have a sense of adventure. Maintain a "can-do" attitude. Dare to think differently. Update old habits and seek out new experiences. Be ready to lead. Make a difference. Start a club. Organize a fund-raiser. Solve a problem. Make things happen. Get physical. Learn a new sport. Walk for a cause. Take tai-chi lessons. Run or jog with a friend. Sharpen your money skills. Keep a money journal. Make sense of your spending habits. Save loose change for a special purchase. Make a donation. Change the world. Add new friends at school. Say "hi" and start a conversation with one new person every week. No pressure. Just be friendly. Invite new people to have lunch with you.St. Margaret's is a 158-student boarding/day school for girls in grades 8-12 that was founded in 1921 by the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia. Its mission, "Educating Young Women for Life," is reflected in a college preparatory curriculum and co-curricular activities that equip girls to face the technological, global, intellectual and societal challenges they will encounter in our rapidly changing world. Founded in 1991, the National Coalition of Girls' Schools www.ncgs.org today represents 103 private and public single-sex schools across the United States. More than 44,000 girls attend NCGS member schools. In 2001-2002, 38% of member school students and 27% of member day school students received need-based financial aid. The average grant was $13,558 at boarding schools and $9,021 at day schools, for a total of $69 million. |
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