“Our goal is to create a beloved community, and this will require a qualitative change in our souls as well as a quantitative change in our lives.” - Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., 1966

At Saint Mary’s Hall, we endeavor to fulfill Dr. King’s vision of creating a beloved community for our students, a community where everyone is cared for and embraced. As Head of School Len Miller described in his New Year letter to the community, we have “found new ways to build community” making “meaningful changes to reinforce our commitment to our students and create much-needed personal connections.” To reinforce this message, we were deeply fortunate to hear from our School Chaplain Dr. Fredricc Brock and Dr. Kan’Dace Brock, licensed social worker at University Health System and Lead Pastor at The Message Church, in Chapel last week. They presented a thoughtful reflection on the significance and impact of Dr.  King. In synopsizing and applying Dr. King’s message to our Saint Mary’s Hall community, the Drs. Brock shared, “Community is not just something, it is everything.”

We were intentional around community building this fall. On October 9,  Dr. Gene Batiste, Assistant Head of School for Engagement at Dwight-Englewood School, delivered a parent-engagement presentation. Click here to view his address to the Saint Mary’s Hall community directly. Though he covered substantial material during his nearly three-hour presentation, some of his most noteworthy messages involved debunking diversity myths and reviewing specific cultural identifiers. He concluded his presentation by applying the principles set forth in Charles Vogl’s book, The Art of Community: Seven Principles of Belonging, in an interactive way to our community.

On November 4, Mark Henick, author of So Called Normal: A Memoir of Family, Depression and Resilience, addressed parents in the Remmert Theater. He candidly and courageously described elements of his journey with his own mental health and suicidality. He offered many lessons for attendees, including how community can mitigate instead of perpetuate mental health difficulties. 

Additionally, our employees engaged in professional development this year during Teacher In-Service days. As a community, we explored the multifaceted reasons to create an inclusive school culture, engaged in cultural sharing, and discussed how teachers can talk with students about issues of difference. We have done considerable work and there is more to do.

This Spring, we plan to host Dr. Lizz Dexter-Mazza, a certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) therapist and co-author of the DBT STEPS-A, a social emotional learning curriculum for middle and high school students. She is one of the experts referenced in Dr. Delaney Ruston’s film, Screenagers Next Chapter. We plan to host a movie screening and discussion with Dr. Dexter-Mazza focused on ways to empower our students to manage their emotions, and improve communication and their capacity for stress management. Dr. Ruston, Dr. Dexter-Mazza, and colleagues offer specific strategies for supporting teenage mental health and enhancing our students’ lives and communities on and off campus.

Perhaps one of the most important endeavors to support, create, and nurture a beloved community for our students is to conduct several quantitative and qualitative measures to understand student, parent, faculty, and staff resilience. In February, we will conduct a series of surveys developed by Dr. Suniya Luthar of Authentic Connections. Upon completion and analysis of the data, Dr. Luthar will provide feedback to our community to help us understand strengths that fortify our resilience as well as areas of growth and opportunities for change.

We have been deliberate in cultivating belonging and enhancing the student experience and there is more to do. We look forward to the future and ongoing methods to cultivate a beloved community within and beyond the gates of Saint Mary’s Hall.

With gratitude and humility,

Dr. Sandra Lopez-Morales
Assistant Head of School for Student Experience

During Upper School Advisory on January 11, our senior class attended the 2022 College Alumni Panel. 

Panelists provided insight into many aspects of the transition from Saint Mary’s Hall to college such as balancing the demands of being a college athlete and a student, finding a smaller community within a large institution, time management, the importance of networking for internships and job opportunities, and ways to get involved on campus.  The panelists reassured the seniors that they would indeed be well prepared to succeed in college because of the education they received from SMH and encouraged them to push themselves to take challenging courses in college because they will have the tools to excel.

College Alumni Panelists included:

• Mary Corinne Archer ’18: The University of Texas at Austin
• Daisy Bousquet ’18: Texas A&M University
• Matt Leonard ’19: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Brian Garrett ’19: Davidson College
• Weston Bohne ’20: Texas A&M University
• Mafer Benavides ’20: Tulane University
• Max Rosenbloom ’21: The University of Texas at Austin

One of the greatest skills we get to start working on with students in Middle School is how to take ownership of their learning.

It is more than just remembering what they need to bring to class or memorizing an equation, but rather, thinking through what they need to do in order to participate, remember, connect, collaborate, and engage with the curriculum, teachers, and their peers in the moment and long-term. Developmentally, students are ready to have the conversations and are beginning to have the insight to think and articulate how they learn best. They are able to ask and begin to answer, What do I do well? What are my obstacles? How will I overcome my obstacles? Even more so, students are gaining the knowledge to truly set deep and meaningful goals for success here at school and in life. There is no doubt that this is a process that can be difficult, but because we find these skills so important, we are intentional in how we work with students to develop their own resources to take full ownership of their experience here at school and beyond. Ask a Form 8 parent, and they can tell you that the growth in a child’s understanding of their learning is evident as they meet with their child and the Advisor each year during our student-led conferences. A foundation is set in Form 6 that evolves each year. Therefore, we remind you that we will have virtual conferences on Wednesday, January 19 in which students will share, through their lens, their thoughts on their learning. 

Sincerely,

Sarah Visagie
Head of Middle School

The Middle School Drama Production, Revenge of the Space Pandas, cast is currently in rehearsals under the direction of World Languages Department Chair Laura Renard and Middle School English Teacher Chase Hebert.

The production will perform February 3-February 5. Visit the Fine Arts Ticket Page for show information and tickets! View the cast list. 

Periodically, the Athletics Department likes to take the time to shine a spotlight on the individuals who sacrifice time and energy to represent the School outside of the classroom.

A few of these individuals earn further recognition in the form of Team Awards, TAPPS All-District, and TAPPS All-State awards. Take a look at quotes about the season from our coaches and the award winners below, and a take the time to congratulate them on their recognitions.