This was a week of celebration at St. Margaret’s. From the Lower School Awards Chapel to the grade 5 recognition, grade 8 promotion and graduation events, the community celebrated individual and class achievements in each division of St. Margaret’s. On Wednesday, St. Margaret’s entire student, faculty and staff gathered in the Pasternack Field House to mark the conclusion of the 2010-11 school year with the All-School Closing Ceremony and the “topping out” of the Performing Arts Center construction.
The ceremony was a culmination of the school year, a send off for the Class of 2011, who, seated together wore the sweatshirts from the colleges they will attend in the fall, and a time to acknowledge the members of St. Margaret’s who celebrate significant anniversaries. Headmaster Marcus D. Hurlbut presented the people listed below with a gift and congratulated them on their years of service to the school.
The closing ceremony ended with the singing of the alma mater and the Tartan Marching Band leading the entire student body, faculty, staff and administration from Pasternack Field House to Gateway Field to celebrate the “topping out” of the Performing Arts Center construction. The enthusiastic crowd viewed the two final beams being placed on the new Performing Arts Center construction building, signaling the highest point that the building will reach. Throughout the week, students, faculty and staff took time to sign the two beams prior to them being placed at the top of the building.
During the All-School Closing Ceremony, Mr. Hurlbut said:
“By all measure, this has been an outstanding year at St. Margaret’s. So many of you have brought honor to the school through your talent, dedication and hard work in the classroom, in the science labs, on, behind and above the stage, in the art studio, in Chapel, on the fields, courts and tracks, in the pool, on the golf course, in the equestrian ring, and in dedicated service to a wide variety of groups and organizations on and off campus.
“We have all witnessed the beginning of another long-awaited and exciting chapter in the history of St. Margaret’s as the Performing Arts Center has risen out of the ground and begun to take shape.
“Those of you in the Middle School moved into a temporary new home and very quickly made it your own.
“When we return in the fall, the Performing Arts Center will look different than it does today but it will be far from finished. It is my every hope that next year at this time we will have opened this extraordinary new facility.”
Message from Board President Michael J. Berchtold
Dear Members of the St. Margaret’s Episcopal School Community,
The 2010-2011 school year has been a memorable year of achievement and progress for St. Margaret’s Episcopal School.
The most visible signs of this wonderful year are the 103 graduating seniors who donned their college sweatshirts today, the last official day of school, proudly displaying the diverse group of colleges and universities across the country they will attend this fall. The Class of 2011 joined together one last time with the entire St. Margaret’s student body for the all-school closing ceremony that concluded with a “topping out” ceremony of the Performing Arts Center marking the highest point on the new building and symbolizing the significant progress we have made on our campus master plan this year.
We are pleased to report that the Performing Arts Center construction is on time and on budget with a grand opening set for June 2012. The Building on the Promise capital campaign has also continued to raise considerable funds for the master campus plan. Currently, we have raised $19.4 million of the $28 million needed to complete the master plan—nearly $3 million since September 2010. We are very grateful for the generous support of those who have stepped forward to make leadership gifts to this effort.
While the temporary Middle School has worked very well for us this year, we remain focused on raising the additional funds within our school community and finalizing tenant relocations to allow us to begin construction of the permanent Middle School in the near future. We will be sure to keep you apprised of our progress.
In May, 435 parents responded to a parent satisfaction survey created by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Over the course of the summer we will review and analyze the data and report our findings in the fall. Initially we can report that 90 percent of our parents are overall “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the St. Margaret’s education for their children. We are very mindful that there is always room for improvement, but pleased that this initial outlook indicates a strong alignment of our school community with our mission.
Several strategic initiatives advanced this year as well. Led by our Academic Dean and Lower School Principal, Dr. Regina McDuffie, we addressed student and teacher assessment and feedback tools across all divisions of the school in an effort to measure student growth over time toward specific learning goals. Data gathered from this initiative has also been used to increase opportunities for faculty professional development, including credentialing and advanced degrees. The information gathered from these assessment tools provides data needed to implement best practices for the 21st century learner.
In addition, the Board of Trustees Finance Committee embarked on long-term financial sustainability analysis and planning for the school that will position St. Margaret’s for continued financial strength through the next two decades.
Our school’s success is a product of the shared understanding, dedication, vision and hard work of countless individuals—our students, faculty, parents and administration, led by our Headmaster of eight years, Mr. Marcus D. Hurlbut. We have tremendous confidence in him and I am pleased to announce that Marc has committed to the Board of Trustees his leadership of the school through the 2012-2013 school year.
We will also welcome new trustees to the board next year. St. Margaret’s parents Mrs. Flora Ko and Mr. Paul Westhead, Tartan Alumni Association President and parent Dr. Todd Newman and 2011-2012 Parent Teacher Fellowship President Mrs. Karen Carnahan, join the Board on July 1, 2011. Longtime Trustees Ms. Stacey Nicholas and Mr. Chris Anderson, 2010-2011 PTF President Mrs. Tricia Raymund and outgoing Tartan Alumni Association President Mrs. Ashlea Scott Meggers will leave the Board at the end of June. We offer our sincere gratitude for their exemplary leadership and dedicated service to the school.
Finally, we are slated for continued full enrollment of the school for the 2011-2012 school year and eagerly anticipate the completion of the Performing Arts Center this time next year. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our St. Margaret’s community and we look forward to coming together once again at the end of August for the 2011-2012 school year.
Have a wonderful summer.
Sincerely,
Michael J. Berchtold
President, Board of Trustees