Contact: Jenni Brockman
Telephone: (804) 443-3357
Fax: (804) 443-6781

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

St. Margaret's School Announces Campaign

In two evenings of kick-off festivities, St. Margaret's School announced "The Campaign for St. Margaret's School-Educating Young Women for Life in a New Century," a capital, annual support, and endowment campaign to raise $3 million. A total of over 400 people, including members of the Board of Governors and Foundation Board, alumnae, parents, students, faculty and friends attended two kick-off events.

The three components of this campaign are:

• $1.8 million for a new facility to house science and technology classrooms, as well as a dining facility. This figure also includes new tennis courts.
• $500,000 to increase the endowment for student scholarships, faculty salaries, and campus maintenance.
• $700,000 over three years in unrestricted annual gifts.

The campaign, which is chaired by Jane Whitt Sellers, SMS ‘71 of Richmond, VA and Margaret S. Ray, SMS ‘61, of Virginia Beach, VA Beach, is off to a strong start with gifts and pledges totaling $1,136,000 already committed for the new building. An additional $300,000 has been committed for the endowment and the 3-year Annual Fund portion is off to a strong beginning.

In January 1997, the St. Margaret’s Board of Governors adopted a strategic plan, which would serve as the guiding document for the School into the new century. Among the top priorities coming from this plan was the need for new facilities to support the School’s program.

“The new building, which will be called the Community/Technology Center, will be located on the site of the current science building and tennis courts adjacent to Ball Gymnasium. This is the last riverfront site on campus. The Board of Governors is committed to keeping the green space between Brockenbrough House and St. Margaret’s Hall open for the aesthetic enhancement it gives to the Tappahannock community,” stated Headmistress Margaret R. Broad.

Broad continued, “Since the new building will be primarily glass on the road and river sides, the view from Water Lane should be greatly enhanced.”

The School has conducted an extensive interview process for the company to construct the building. Qualification statements were provided to local and regional contractors. Construction is anticipated to begin this winter with an anticipated completion during the 1999-2000 academic year.

“To our knowledge, this will be the only waterfront facility between Fredericksburg and Irvington which can be rented for anything from wedding receptions to reunions to meetings. It is our hope that this facility will bring a new level of river accessibility to the Tappahannock/Essex County community,” stated Broad.

She concluded, “We are thrilled to be able to add this building to our campus—a multi-purpose space which will not only benefit St. Margaret’s School, but the entire community as well.”

St. Margaret's School is an Episcopal boarding and day school for girls in grades 8-12.


Visualization of the the New Community-Technology Center located on the waterfront between the Gym and the Woolfolk Library on the South end of the Campus

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Pictured is Margaret R. Broad, Headmistress of St. Margaret's School with Tappahannock Rotary Club President Bruce Thomas. Broad was the featured speaker at the October 15th meeting of the Rotary Club. She discussed the School's current capital campaign, The Campaign for St. Margaret's School-Educating Young Women for Life in a New Century and its positive impact on the Tappahannock community. She also displayed a model of the proposed Community/Technology Center, a two-level building which will include science classrooms and a new dining facility.

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