The Capital Campaign
Charting our Course

Since 1921, St. Margaret’s School has had one mission: Educating Young Women for Life. As the world has changed, so have we, but we have never wavered from our commitment to providing girls with the opportunities and experiences they need to be prepared for college, careers, and the increasingly interconnected world in which they will live, work, and serve their communities. St. Margaret’s graduates are making a difference in this world!

Now, while we celebrate the strength of today’s school, we acknowledge what it will take to chart the course for a stronger St. Margaret’s School in the future. St. Margaret’s leadership has a clear understanding of the school’s identity, what it offers young women, and what it needs to foster excellence and remain relevant in the 21st century. One of the hallmarks of St. Margaret’s is achieving change through careful consideration and planning. In this way, the St. Margaret’s board and staff have developed a plan to address the challenges currently faced by the school. The challenges and solutions they have identified include:

Expanding athletic facilities

St. Margaret’s emphasizes health and wellness because sports provide a place for girls to develop competence, confidence, and a sense of connectedness. Today we know that teamwork is an essential life skill. Unfortunately, the athletic facilities have not supported this program. The one playing field within walking distance of the school is substandard in size for both field hockey and soccer. For softball, students have been transported to the town’s little league park.

The new athletic complex, being developed on land that St. Margaret’s purchased six years ago, allows St. Margaret’s to finally compete on a level playing field in athletics and admissions. The new facilities build a sense of community and pride and offer St. Margaret’s the ability to fully develop varsity and junior varsity programs, host tournaments, hold summer camps, and strengthen its relationships with the larger Tappahannock community.

Enhancing our river identity

The river, which runs alongside St. Margaret’s entire nine acre property, is the school’s most distinctive natural resource. Implementing the Master River Plan will let the river figuratively run through all aspects of St. Margaret’s. The program will optimize the interdisciplinary, athletic and recreational uses of the river. Landscaping improvements will include the creation of a river walk and other places to enjoy the aesthetic value of the river. The river will be further integrated into the academic curriculum, becoming an extended classroom where girls will enjoy hands-on learning opportunities in a variety of disciplines.

St. Margaret’s strong crew program will be enhanced by the addition of a floating dock, a boat house, and new crew shells. In addition, the school will be able to purchase enough boating equipment to enable all students to have access to the river. Additional water safety training for students, teachers and staff will ensure that the increased access is achieved in a way that keeps everyone safe.

Supporting students, programs, and teachers through endowment

St. Margaret’s $5 million endowment is very small compared to its peer schools. A school of its size and caliber should have an endowment of at least $10 - $15 million. As girls’ boarding schools have become increasingly competitive, St. Margaret’s is at a market disadvantage because of its small endowment. The larger community uses a school’s endowment as a benchmark to compare institutions.

St. Margaret’s must guarantee that it can keep up with the growing costs associated with professional development, outstanding classroom instruction, and financial aid. Increasing endowment income will not only help operate and maintain facilities, it will also provide need-based financial aid and help underwrite special academic, extracurricular and professional development programs. Just as importantly, the endowment will enable St. Margaret’s to ensure that faculty compensation is competitive which will reward the faculty’s dedication and provide an extra incentive to remain at the school.

Building a tradition of giving through the Annual Fund

The Annual Fund is a yearly appeal that is essential to St. Margaret’s School’s success. Our goal in including annual fund contributions within this comprehensive capital campaign is to build a tradition of giving among all those who value the benefits of a St. Margaret’s education while we also seek to address the immediate challenges we have identified. Annual gifts, along with endowment income, close the gap between tuition and fees and the cost of a St. Margaret’s education.

These contributions make an immediate impact by supporting the schools’ activities this year, while also laying the foundation for our future. Percentages of participation from alumnae, parents, board members, and friends of the school are important measures of confidence in our mission and programs. It is essential that we build a strong philanthropic base of support for the school through a tradition of giving to the Annual Fund.

The Time is Now

Simply put, St. Margaret’s changes lives. And those lives—of students who are able to reach their fullest potential—have an impact which radiates exponentially into the lives of the young women’s families and communities. Today, St. Margaret’s strength is in the quality of her programs, the diversity of her students, and the experience of her faculty. With our mission at the center of all we do, charting our course for a stronger tomorrow challenges us to expand our athletic facilities, enhance our river identity, support our students, programs, and teachers through endowment, and build a tradition of giving through the annual fund. Now is the time to affirm our commitment to St. Margaret’s School’s future.