St. Margaret's School - Review #3

SMS creates an environment that encourages a students individuality. Faculty encourage students to stretch outside of their comfort zones and enables girls to reach their ultimate potential. The focus of SMS is to create empowered women who will change the world.

The best thing that happened to me during my time at SMS was the encouragement that I received from faculty that got me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to become a leader and confident adult.

I am not sure what I would have done differently as my mistakes allowed me to learn, but I think that I would be more open to the experience from the beginning. It was such an amazing opportunity to learn and grow in a beautiful environment and it is easy to not fully appreciate it until looking back years later.

I loved the community feel. The teachers and my classmates have become lifelong cheerleaders and supporters for me in every phase of my life. The bond does not end at graduation and is not limited to women at the school at the same time period. I have met women who graduated in a variety of decades that have all embraced the SMS sisterhood and really added value to my life.

Don't forget to sit on the back lawn and soak in the beauty of the river. It is a perfect place to meditate, journal, etc.

The small class sizes and individualized learning allowed students to tailor their education to reach their ultimate goals. I was able to foster solid relationships with my teachers that allowed me to have the confidence to also foster relationships with my college professors at a much larger university.

I love the student athlete model at SMS. There are a variety of sports every season and the structure of a boarding school allows for creativity for practice and activities.

I was involved in the theatre program and was really inspired by the support received from the school as well as the community. Due to the small size of the school, all programs can be altered to fit the student body.

There are a large amount of extra-curricular activities and a schedule that allows students the opportunity to be involved in a variety of activities which leads to a well balanced student. I was able to participate in sports as well as community service and cultural activities.

Since the majority of the school lives in the dorms, the sense of community is very strong. There are a number of dorms and each has a different feel and atmosphere so students can live in the environment that suits them best. The dorm selection was fair and the school had proper procedures in place to handle any disputes or roommate transfers.

The dining room itself was a highlight of the school. It is amazing to eat in a dining hall overlooking the Rappahannock River. The dining services options are also quite spectacular and offer the students and staff a large amount of options and variety. There is always a large option for hot menu items as well as a well stocked salad, soup, cereal bar. The cafeteria staff are great at offering seasonal and fun options that can be quite festive for certain holidays!

The town itself has small town charm, but the real appeal in the surrounding area is the school's waterfront on the Rappahannock and the accessibility to the Chesapeake bay. The small town charm is balanced by ease of travel to both the state and the nations capitals.

The student life activities were very diverse and were very flexible to desires from students. The day students were very integrated, despite the large percentage of students being boarding students. The community of boarding schools in the state is quite large leading to lots of joint school activities.