Wow.

When I reflect on just the last few days at Saint Mary's Hall, "wow" seems like an appropriate expression of awe for all of the truly delightful moments our community shared on this campus. Last week included the joy of Bishop's Day, the solemnity of our NJHS ceremony, and a truly beautiful evening of community and philanthropy with Passport. We are so grateful to our Passport Chairs, Emilie Petty '01 and Carla Brozovich '01. Due to them and the Passport committee's hard work and planning, our community laughed, played, and raised $650,000 for our School, a great success.

One of my favorite moments last week was when Patrick Cunningham, our Technical Director and Theater Manager, who is retiring after 27 years at the Hall, gave the keynote speech at our Cum Laude induction ceremony. His words brought our mission to life, and with his permission, I share them with you here:

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Patrick Cunningham Cum Laude Speech, 4/28/22

Dr. Stockdale has asked me on this occasion to reflect on my time here at Saint Mary’s Hall.

When I arrived at SMH, over a quarter of a century ago, I had already had many and varied job experiences. Some were impersonal. They desired no input from me. Output only. I was a cog in the machine, easily replaced by any other cog.

In addition, I spent many years self-employed as an artist, where I was the one who had to make it happen. If I wanted to feed my family or pay my rent, it was up to me to make that happen. There was a certain sense of exhilaration that came with making it happen, but I was working alone. It was an individual effort.

However, after I arrived at Saint Mary’s Hall, got this theater open, and got settled into the job, I realized I was offered a unique opportunity. I found myself in a community that provided me a chance at making “it” happen, and that what I brought to the job both personally and professionally directly helped build our school community. But now, I didn’t have to do it alone. I had others: my colleagues, parents, and you the students-to help make “it” - the community -happen.

From this, I distilled my working mantra for SMH:

Your success is my success. How can I help you be successful?

And the very nature of my job allowed me to implement this in practical ways. Theater at its core is a collaborative art. Cast and crew come together to make “it” -a successful production- happen.

But I wanted to take this notion of giving outside of the walls of the theater and beyond the bounds of the job description.

• If the Lower School Library needs a cutout of a giant bookworm for the book fair, I am happy to do it because it helps their event be successful.
• If the English Department needs rolling walls and staging for National Day of Writing in the Ancira, I am happy to do it because it helps their event be successful.
• If Bishop’s Day needs a sound system and flags, I’m happy to do it because it helps their event be successful.
• If Admissions needs a set up in the Hearth Room for a New Families Meeting, I’m happy to do it because it helps their event be successful.
• If you need a set up in the Remmert for your club meetings or presentations, I am happy to do it because it helps you be successful.

And all these small successes help uplift the community as a whole.

I have found that when you are giving this way, it is best to do so fully and freely and without the expectation of any return. Sometimes it comes back to you, which is good but even better is when those you have freely given to, are inspired to give freely to others. So this would be my charge to you:

Find your gift. We all have one. You are still early on the path of finding yours, but find your gift and share it fully and freely, without expectations, and your life will be richer for it and the world will be a little better place.

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Thank you for such wisdom, Mr. Cunningham.  I know the next couple of weeks will hold many more special moments, and I look forward to celebrating each of them with you.

Warm regards,

Len Miller

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Over the past few weeks, Middle School students have embarked on their experiential education overnight trips. Forms 7 and 8 traveled to Port Aransas and Form 6 traveled north to Camp Buckner.  These experiences are integral to the development of our Middle School students. These trips help build the skills necessary for life-looking beyond their community, making real-world connections, working with others/collaborating, challenging themselves, building self-confidence, providing insight into their own interests and passions, seeing the strengths in others, and developing leadership.  Not only do these trips help build skills for success in life, but they also speak to our core values of courage, respect, and responsibility. Every day, night and day, students had to navigate living with others beyond their nuclear family. They worked together, played together, ate together, and slept with many people in the same room. And as they returned to school, they began to reflect on their trips. Students may not understand how this experience has impacted who they are yet, but one day they will realize that a piece of who they are was informed by the experience of joining their classmates and teachers on their Middle School trip.

My first experiential trip occurred when I was in fifth grade. We spent the night on a whaling ship. It was… an experience. However, many years later, I remember it quite fondly. In fact, I can tell you exactly where I went for each of the next 3 years for my Middle School experiential trips and what I remember from each one. Once a faculty member, I went on at least one experiential trip (and sometimes more than one), until the year I was pregnant with my daughter eight years ago. Finally, this year, I made it back out and enjoyed an awesome experience with our Form 6. My own “outdoor educationess” reappeared as I climbed to the top of the high ropes course and inched along the cable, with only a harness to keep me from falling. (A much different feeling now that I have kids than when I was single…) 

I have spent the night in cabins, tents, hotel rooms, and for three nights, on the back of a canoe with Middle School students. I have shared meals, laughs, and tears on trips. I have watched introverts become extroverts. I have watched quiet leaders rise to the top. I have watched students show courage and challenge themselves in new ways and have watched groups bond. I have seen a new sense of responsibility appear in students as well as seeing integrity shine in students when seeing something unjust. In my 25 years of educating Middle School students, as well as the years I spent in Middle School, I can honestly say that experiential/outdoor education experiences have a lasting effect on students. It was these experiences that helped shape my understanding of how far I could push myself, how I could collaborate with others, how to be a leader, and probably most importantly, how to respect those with different viewpoints. I learned to take responsibility for my actions as well as keeping my area of a cabin clean! Mom and Dad were not there to help me. Whether it is today, tomorrow or sometime in the future, I wonder how your child will reflect on the impact of their Middle School experiential education trips.

As we all make plans for summer, we are excited to share this information regarding summer training for SMH athletes. 

Led by Saint Mary's Hall Director of Sports Performance and Athletic Mindset and our team of coaches, SMH Athletics is proud to continue this unique summer training program initiative. This is not a sport-specific training program. This multi-faceted summer sports performance program is designed with the busy summer lifestyle of the SMH Upper School student-athlete in mind. With a holistic methodology concentration for both male and female student-athletes, SMH Sports Performance coaches focus on in-depth emphasis of all-around athletic functional performance and injury reduction capability with a detailed concentration on nutritional and recovery education. 

Rising F8 - F12 SMH student-athletes are encouraged to attend. Please take a look at the 2022 Summer Sports Performance & Exercise Science Training Camp power point which provides all the information you need. 

Registration Start Date: Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Registration End Date: Friday, May 13, 2022

To Register and Pay: Visit the SMH Athletics

Ticketing Services Site