Stories and Experiences

"While an adventure of a lifetime, it was also a journey into ourselves. One of our teachers captured the time so well when he commented, “This trip is like a retreat.” We wrote letters home, kept journals, and our students were challenged every day to leave their comfort zones.

A Life-Changing Journey Through Spain and Morocco

This summer's trip to Spain and Morocco was a transformative and unforgettable experience for students and faculty alike. Though the journey began with unexpected challenges—multiple flight cancellations and overnight stays in less-than-ideal locations—it quickly turned into an opportunity for growth and bonding. The silver lining was an unexpected full day in Amsterdam, where students explored the stunning city and visited the world-renowned Rijksmuseum. There, thanks to Mr. Cassie’s guidance, they developed a deeper appreciation for iconic works of art, from Van Gogh’s emotional brushstrokes to the realism of Rembrandt.

Bringing History to Life with the Alamo Internship Program

This summer, four SMH students—Bianca Rodriguez '26, Amruta Patel '26, Rabani Bajaj '27, and Sophia Garza '27—are stepping into the past through a unique and immersive internship at the Alamo. Now in its second year, this specially designed program offers a hands-on curriculum that brings history to life!

Throughout the internship, these students are engaging in a variety of museum and archival activities that deepen their understanding of historical preservation and research, such as:

Navigating the Gray: Educational Travel and Ambiguity Tolerance

Rewind to June 1995. My three best friends and I stepped off the Eurail train at Santa Lucia station in Venice, eyes wide with excitement, as the magic of a new city unfolded before us. We had been crisscrossing Europe for three weeks, hopping from Oslo to Paris and every stop in between, navigating unfamiliar streets with nothing but paper maps, a travel book, and the hope that we’d find a hostel bed at the end of the day. Our shoestring budget had us living off fresh market finds—breads, cheeses, and fruits stuffed into our worn-out backpacks. Not one of us carried a cell phone or pager, and the world wide web was accessible only through a dial up modem with its grinding, static-filled symphony of chirps and beeps. We had no email addresses. At eighteen, our only contact with family was the occasional call using a phone card at a pay phone or a postcard mailed from wherever we happened to be. The digital grid we take for granted today didn’t exist yet—everyone was truly unplugged.

Transformational Gift to Support Global & Experiential Learning at Saint Mary’s Hall

Saint Mary’s Hall proudly announces a transformational $3,000,000 gift from the Jeanie Rabke Wyatt Family Foundation to support the School’s Global & Experiential Learning Program. The gift will provide access to experiential learning opportunities through student financial aid, support curricular programming, and endow the Jeanie Rabke Wyatt Director of Global & Experiential Learning position.