The Daily Thistle, St. Margaret's School

Those were the voices of the duo that performed at yesterday’s Chapel. In a Reading to the Hebrews, Rev. Johnson’s Homily spoke to a certain coming together 30 years after the death of Christ.  It was a critical time in Christianity, would the teachings of Jesus Christ be remembered and propelled? From St. John’s Church, this is Rev. Johnson with the students of St. Margaret’s

As the Omicron variant spreads across the nation, the levels in Essex County have also increased. We are happy to report that life at St. Margaret's remains masked, distanced, and safe relative to the world beyond Water Lane. Students are attending classes as we move into the core of the 2nd trimester. The weekend highlight was a raucous bingo night hosted by the Bells. Prizes included two lemon p...

This is our final Merry Christmas on this . . . the 12th Day of Christmas . . .  It is Epiphany … and it signals the end of the Christmas season as lights and trees will begin to come down. This week the school is opening for in-person classes … We are following a more stringent mitigation protocol for the next two weeks .. while everyone is being tested. The campus experienced its first wint...

Today we share last evening’s Christmas service from our own St. John’s Episcopal Church here in Tappahannock, Virginia.   Presiding over the service is Reverend Candine E. Johnson who serves as both the Rector of St. John's Church and Chaplain at St. Margaret's School. From St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tappahannock, Virginia

Three years before the founding of St. Margaret’s, King’s College at Cambridge University began the Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.  That was in 1918, only six weeks after the end of World War I. In 1928, this annual tradition was the first broadcast across the world.  It continues today as the Daily Thistle comes to you from King’s College, Cambridge.  In 1919, Arthur Henry Ma...

Today our seniors will be hosting a Christmas Market in the Reading Room, The Thistle Shop will also be open from noon to 1:00 pm. We celebrate our Christmas Service today at 5:00 PM.  We will be sharing portions of it in tomorrow’s Daily Thistle. Following the service, the St. Margaret’s community will be sitting down for a Christmas Feast in the Dining Hall.   Following dinner, we...

This is Pearl Harbor Day We thought we would continue with some sounds from the Tappahannock Christmas Parade that was held on Sunday. In Alumnae News, we share the death of  The Rev. William "Pegram" Johnson  III, of Richmond, Va., who died on November 25, 2021. A Burial (Memorial) Eucharist is scheduled for 2 p.m. on January 2, 2022, at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 815 E. Grace St. in...

Water Lane.  The Parade route found our St. Margaret’s campus front and center as the judges set up their headquarters in front of St. Margaret’s Hall.  Our new Step Team was also in the parade along with the school float.  This is actually the first time in a long time that St. Margaret’s has participated in the parade.  It is also true with the level of Christmas decorations...

Those were some of the sounds from my Chemistry lab on gases.  Yesterday was Giving Tuesday, and our $10,000 goal was surpassed with gifts approaching $15,000.  On behalf of St. Margaret’s, thank you for supporting our school in our Centennial year. We also thought we would share a conversation with Mrs. Brooke Trible Weinman we met in Atlanta Georgia this fall.

Yesterday Rev. Johnson welcomed us back from our Thanksgiving Break and spoke of the Advent Season and The Feast of Lights marking the Jewish celebration of Hanukkah in her homily. We share this as we return for the start of our 2nd Trimester, but, first, we hope you enjoy a duet performed by two of our students.

Today we bid farewell to our students as St. Margaret’s begins its Thanksgiving Break, trimester exams concluded today.  Last night a handful of students enjoyed sitting on the dock under a full moon with the moonlight reflecting off the river.  It was a brilliant evening in the blessing of our riverside campus. On behalf of the faculty and staff, we also thank Virginia Ferguson and Autu...

In January 1989, the announcement that Margaret Robinson Broad would fill the role of headmistress was made.  At the time, Mrs. Broad had been working at st. Margaret's for nine years, first as a French teacher and department head; then, as the Academic Dean.   November 16, 1989, a celebratory service was held in Ball Memorial gymnasium to celebrate the ministry of Mrs. Broad, Saint...

Yesterday we celebrated St. Margaret's Day or, as it is often called in Scotland, the feast day of St. Margaret.  Today we share some sounds of the celebration of St. Margaret.

Saint Margaret of Scotland was born in 1045, her birthday a mystery.  Margaret was sometimes called "The Pearl of Scotland." Her birth in the Kingdom of Hungary to the English prince Edward the Exile, Margaret and her family returned to England in 1057. Following the death of King Harold II at the Battle of Hastings in 1066, her brother Edgar Atheling was elected as King of England but never...

Perhaps Miss Woolfolk's greatest achievements were the lives of the students she touched.  In a letter dated January 22, 1986, Ann Rice Gray '65 wrote, "Your life has so much power for good in the lives of so many people. I wish there were a way to trace those threads of influence through the good works and best moments of all the girls you are a part of. There you are, in Tappahannock, Virgi...

In our Centennial year, we continue to share chapters in the school history.  In our last installment, we spoke of the appointment of Ms. Viola Woolfolk as headmistress of St. Margaret's in 1948.  She would be formally installed in that post in 1950. In October 1954, ground was bro­ken for Latame Hall. The building was completed and opened in 1955. At the time, Latam§ Hall served as the...

This is Veterans Day. On the 11th hour, of the 11th day, of the 11th month in 1918, World War I ended. The Great War was fought in Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East among 30 countries. 20 million died, another 20 million wounded. Towns and villages saw the entire generation of their young men killed in the trenches and fields of France. England’s educational bastions of Oxford and Cambridg...

A few weeks ago, I sat down with Ms. Kate Taylor, an alumna of the Class of 1983.  She is also a member of the Board of Governors and has a deep affection for St. Margaret’s - a place she will share, “changed her life.” Let me share a short conversation with Ms. Taylor as we sat in St. Margaret’s Hall, complete with the music visitors here in our hallowed hall.

This is an abbreviated version of The Daily Thistle. Welcome from the banks of the Rappahannock River, on the campus of St. Margaret’s School in Tappahannock, Virginia. For Monday, November 8, 2021

Yesterday, Virginia began to share her interview with the Class of 1961.  We left off with a lead into a story about a St. Margaret’s Teacher who would be arrested for espionage!  Remember, in 1961, America was in a Cold War with the Soviet Union.  The Cuban Missile Crisis was 15 months after the Class of 1961 left the St. Margaret’s Campus.  And here, on our riverfront campus,...

Nancy Mullins Winters Carol Collins Taylor Kacky Hudson Fox Dorothy Quarles Chappell Betty Townsend Sexton Those are the members of the Class of 1961 whom we welcomed to campus last weekend. On Friday,  they all arrived on campus to celebrate their 60th Reunion. All were determined to overcome COVID and see that they celebrated the class on campus in 2021. On Friday evening, they joined the B...

Yesterday was All Saints Day - and the school celebrated Holy Eucharist at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Tappahannock, Virginia As an Episcopal school, the very soul of the St. Margaret’s community is found in the Episcopal Church from which our school motto rises - “As you grow in age, may you grow in grace.” In honor of All Saints Day, we share the music of our chorus and words from Reverend Jo...

At St. Margaret's, these singular events are important to us. The Daily Thistle would like to thank the faculty, families, friends, and the student body for supporting our seniors in their last game in the gym we know so well.

At St. Margaret's School, these singular events are important to us. The Daily Thistle would like to thank the faculty, families, friends, and the student body for supporting our seniors in their last game in the gym we know so well.

We visit Ms. Jessie Rice, or Dr. Rice of Lexington, KY.  She was a 1982 graduate of St. Margaret's School and attended SMS with her sister.