St. Margaret's School - Review #7

St. Margaret's has such a strong staff. The teachers honestly care about their students and their success in school. Being a teacher at a boarding school is hard because of the extra commitments, but the teachers are like family to all of us. They treat us as if we were their own children. We really are like a family because of all the time that we spend with our teachers outside of class. I don't know if all boarding schools have such strong families within their schools, but SMS is a family. Another aspect that really makes St. Margaret's shine in my eyes is the river. Living on the Rappahannock River is such a blessing. We have so many traditions that are centered around the river such as our annual River Day and many of our Blue/Grey competitions involve the river. Most all of our science classes use the Rappahannock River in some way, shape, or form.

The best thing that happened to me was making all the sisters that I did. I have made some wonderful friends who I know I will be friends with for the rest of my life. St. Margaret's also proved to me that I am a leader. Being voted Vice-President was one of the best days of my life. I loved being a leader for my school it is one of my biggest accomplishments of my life.

It is hard at first to get used to everything. Give yourself time before you make up your mind about whether or not you like boarding school. I loved boarding school, but my first couple weeks there my parents didn't think that I would make it through the year. I was so homesick and I cried home. After about two weeks I was in love with the place and now I am away at college and I am homesick for St. Margaret's!

The family that is built every year within the school. There is not just an exclusive family between the students, it is a family between the students, faculty and staff. There is always someone to help you out because everyone is so friendly. There are no cliques or popularity contests; succeeding at SMS is about being yourself.

RAMEN NOODLES! Every room has ramen. You never know when you might not want cafeteria food and Ramen is the perfect substitute for a meal.

The academics at St. Margaret's are very strong. Although classes were difficult and assigned a lot of homework the teachers are always there to help you whenever you need it. After classes are over there is a time set aside called "Teacher Available" more known as TA. This is a time when teachers are in their classrooms and students can come by and get help with their homework or the material covered in class. Another aspect that is helpful with academics is the two hour required study hall Sunday-Thursday nights. This is a time when everyone has to be in their room studying. The study hall really motivates all students to get their homework done.

The athletic program at St. Margaret's is what makes our school spirit sky high. We may not win that many games in a lot of our sports, but the athletes enjoy competing and they enjoy spending time with one another. Even when we lose a game miserably, our team spirit never dies.

I was a member of Treble Choir both years that I attended St. Margaret's School. The class was so much fun because you get to sing and collaborate with your friends. During Christmas time we have a lot of performances around town and it is a chance for us to reach out and meet the locals. During Spring break of 2005 the members of the Treble Choir and Ensemble will be going to England and will be performing all around the country. In the Spring there is a musical put on every year in which members of Treble Choir and Ensemble participate in as part of the class requirement. I did not take any art my two years at St. Margaret's, but there are many classes to choose from concerning visual arts and art shows are put on throughout the year.

St. Margaret's has a strong leadership program. I was Vice President of the student body my senior year and I had a blast with it. I was involved with the Leadership class and the girls in my class became some of my closest friends. One of my best friends then and today was President of the Student body while I was Vice President. I keep in touch with many of the girls that were in the leadership program. Basic Needs is another incredible organization at SMS. We hold blood drives, food drives and make stockings for underprivledged children. The experience of giving to the community is very rewarding.

Dorm life is the best part of boarding school. Living next door to your friends and sharing a room with your friend. Your neighbors and roomates become your sisters. Its your home and their home, its one big house that everyone shares. The weekends in the dorm are so much fun. Everyone just kicks back and relaxes with each other. I have a lot of fond memories of girls just hanging out in my room on the weekends ordering pizza and horsing around.

St. Margaret's has such a nice dining hall. I have been visited several boarding schools around Virginia and ours, I think, is the best. There is a huge variety of food. Sandwiches, salads, hot entrees, soda, milk, juice. There are even two griddles so that people can come up with their own meals. We spent a majority of our time in the dining hall just sitting around the table talking. The dining hall over looks the Rappahannock River and when it is warm enough there are places to eat outside looking out at the river. One traditions that I love is Advisor/Advisee seated lunch on Mondays and Wednesday. This is a time for us to sit with our advisors and catch up after making it half way through a busy day. An advisor is a liason between you and your parents. They help you with whatever problems you are having and do nice things for you because you are far from your parents.

There are trips to Walmart every Thursday and Sunday. There are also these really cute shops and cafes right down the street that we go to on the weekends a lot.

Our weekends are filled with things to do. We have mall trips, mixers at other guy boarding schools, dinner and a movie in town and sports events. We have so much offered to us and we get to meet so many other people from so many other schools. My favorite weekends are when we just stay on campus and hang out with each other in our rooms and hang out by the pool.