The Bell, Fall/Winter 2019

MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD OF SCHOOL

Head of School Dr. Merry Sorrells

Dear St. Martin’s Families,

While I was thinking about this issue of The Bell dedicated to our StM community, eight years of feeling at home at St. Martin’s passed through my mind.

When I first arrived at St. Martin’s, I began hearing that the greatest quality of the school was its sense of community. To be candid, I don’t know of a school which doesn’t claim to have a defining sense of community. This awareness left me curious to see how the St. Martin’s community would distinguish itself. Suffice it to say that it didn’t take long for me to see just how special our community is.

I quickly learned that:

• St. Martin’s is a place where alumni, young and old, reminisce as fondly about their teachers, and the staff members, as about their lifelong friends.

• It's a school where the pre-kindergarten teachers host a celebration for the seniors (their former little ones) each year at graduation time.

• In the Lower, Middle and Upper Schools, everyday acts of kindness by students are recognized by the faculty and administration and commended publicly.

• People care for and look out for each other: From the parents, to the students, to the teachers, to the staff and administration. We know each other well, from the youngest to the oldest.

• It is a school where the folks working in the dining hall know the students passing through their stations so well that they notice when they are absent, and they celebrate their milestones with them.

• It is a place where in Chapel, the Butterfly Song (gestures included) is sung with the same zest and zeal by seniors and alums as it is by the children in the Lower School.

• St. Martin’s is a community where God is revered. Every student who passes through the school gains and grows spiritually.

• It is a school where the two-year-olds can be seen proudly reciting the Pledge of Allegiance, hand over heart, and marching exuberantly to their patriotic favorite, “It’s a Grand Old Flag!” And that patriotism continues all the way to the Upper School, where students lead their fellow students in reciting the pledge and the Lord’s Prayer.

• And it is a school where the youngest to the oldest join arms and proudly sing the Alma Mater, swaying together whether in Chapel, in assemblies, or on the sidelines of sporting events. Pride in St. Martin’s underscores these moments in a deep and meaningful way.

Writing about the sense of community at St. Martin’s evokes so many warm and wonderful feelings. The list goes on and on, and I am so pleased to be a member of such a strong community.

Merry Sorrells, Ed. D. Head of School

Discover more at stmsaints.com/messages.