News from the Hall: May 28, 2026

Dear Saint Mary’s Hall Community, 

I hope the first weeks of summer have brought your family some time to rest, recharge, and enjoy being together. In this final News From the Hall, we celebrate the close of another remarkable school year and the well-earned promotion of all our students. 

In the final week of school, we promoted our Form 5 students to Middle School, our Form 8 students to Upper School, and our Form 12 students to 47 different colleges and universities across 24 states and Washington, D.C. 

The accomplishments of the Class of 2026 are extraordinary. Our senior athletes earned 18 All-District Honors, 6 All-State Honors, and 12 Academic All-State Honors, while helping lead 10 of our 16 varsity teams to the playoffs, including a State Qualifier in Swimming and a State Championship appearance in women’s basketball. Two seniors will continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level. 

This class also accumulated 8,309 hours of documented community service over the past four years. Eleven seniors earned the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award at the Silver and Bronze levels, and two achieved the rank of Eagle Scout. Our artists, filmmakers, performers, and writers earned Gold and Silver Scholastic Arts Awards and national first-place finishes in Speech. 

Nine seniors were named National Merit Commended Scholars, and three were named National Merit Finalists. Many traveled the world through our Global and Experiential Learning Program, and all leave Saint Mary’s Hall having made a lasting impact on this community. We are deeply proud of who they are, what they have accomplished, and the way they have contributed to the life of our school. 

At the beginning of the year, Student Body President Kathryn Tubb ’26 encouraged our community to “stay curious and stay connected” and to “lean into the unexpected.” As the year comes to a close, I find myself thinking about how fully the Class of 2026 embraced that challenge. 

At Commencement, Dr. Liz Stockdale reflected on this class’s rare ability to combine “seriousness and joy.” I thought that captured them perfectly. This is a class that worked incredibly hard, cared deeply about one another, and still found joy in the everyday moments of school life — cheering each other on at games and performances, gathering in the Senior Section of the library, traveling together, laughing together, and simply enjoying being part of this community. 

Senior Class President Henry Scott ’26 spoke beautifully about the small moments that stay with us long after graduation. As he reflected on his classmates and their many talents and accomplishments, he arrived at a simple truth: 

“It’s not the big things. It’s the small things we do that add up.” 

That idea stayed with me. Because in so many ways, those small moments –the conversations, encouragement, traditions, friendships, and acts of kindness –are what make Saint Mary’s Hall such a special place. They are also what prepare our students so well for whatever comes next. 

I am profoundly grateful to our teachers, staff, families, and students for the care, commitment, and joy they bring to this community each day. 

Have a wonderful summer. I look forward to welcoming many of you back to campus in August.  

For those looking for some summer reading, I have selected What to Make of a Life, by Jim Collins, for the fall “Lunch and Learn with Len” discussion. I look forward to the conversations that we will have about how this book reflects the first part of our School’s vision statement, “To know oneself.” 

Until then, I leave you with our closing Commencement blessing: 

“Go now in peace and hope.” 

 

Sincerely,

 

Len Miller
Head of School