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175 Years of St. Mary’s
175 Years of St. Mary’s
For 175 years, the mission of St. Mary’s Episcopal School has been to provide a superior educational experience for girls. Our robust academics, Episcopal identity, and rich traditions create an environment where girls flourish as students, athletes, creators, performers, and more. Most importantly, at St. Mary’s, integrity, compassion, and confidence are the norm for our girls. From Chapel to the PE class, alumnae reflect on the experiences and traditions that have made St. Mary’s a special place for girls to learn and thrive for 175 years.
Mrs. Leonard: What Love Looks Like in Teaching
By Alison Taylor Nooks ’91
Since our founding in 1847, St. Mary’s has strived to provide girls with an exceptional education. 175 years later, St. Mary’s is one of the premier college preparatory schools for girls. Our dedicated faculty and staff are driven by the goal of helping every student reach her full potential. Our girls develop essential life skills such as decision-making and leadership, enabling them to succeed in college and beyond.
Light. Life. Learning. Commitment. Perseverance. Impact. Growth. Kindness. Encouragement. Life-Changing. These are just some of the words that come to mind as I think of my academic journey.
My academic journey from my years at St. Mary’s to college, to earning two master’s degrees, to now with 25 years in higher education and serving as the First Lady of Gordon State College, has been deeply rooted in my relationships. My family, friends, amazing teachers, and dedicated faculty have encouraged me along the way.
It was not always easy, and some boldly declared my improbability of success. Thankfully, those who believed in me far outshined those who did not. From incredible highs, like getting into college or completing graduate school, to even unbelievable lows, like losing my mother and several other loved ones within the first two years of college, I was blessed with individuals who were permanent fixtures in my personal cheering section.
When I think about my support system, I often think back to Mrs. Faith Leonard, who taught me algebra and geometry at SMS. It was because of her that I minored in mathematics. Not because I thought I would teach it someday or had a larger plan for my career, but because she made me feel special, valued, and cherished as a math student.
Mathematics is a reminder of what love looks like in teaching and learning. It reminds me of what I want every student to feel like when our paths cross. At St. Mary’s, most people knew me for my gifts in ballet, theater, or singing in the SMS Choral Ensemble, and each of those experiences provided some of my happiest memories.
However, my SMS years were crucial in laying the groundwork for my academic success as a first-generation college student. I suspect few knew the complexity of my path, but in Mrs. Leonard’s class, I knew with certainty that I was capable and that she shared in that belief. In her class, math was more than math. She communicated care, humor, empathy, and encouragement in every lesson.
When I am teaching a college course, reading to 2nd graders in the community, or working with graduate students in preparation for their first job, I remind them of the power of impacting lives in any field they pursue. I remind them that the goal of a joy-filled profession is touching lives in a meaningful way.
I often share my Mrs. Leonard story and how I still love mathematics because of one special teacher and how moments in her class would shape me in ways she likely never could envision. All of these years later, I am still grateful for the light and life of Mrs. Leonard, who truly understood the power and transformative impact of teaching and learning.
Alison Taylor Nooks ’91, MBA, MA, is the First Lady of Gordon State College and the Director of Graduate Career Management Services, Stetson-Hatcher School of Business at Mercer University. She also serves as the Co-coordinator of the Spouse/Partner Program for the American Association of State Colleges & Universities.
Day by Day: Words Etched in Our Hearts
By Lucy Nassif ’22
From its origins in Calvary Episcopal Church to the incredible story of Sister Constance and her companions, St. Mary’s is deeply rooted in its Episcopal identity. As an Episcopal school, St. Mary’s is known for its inclusive approach to education. We are committed to respecting all faiths and ensuring each girl feels valued. One of the visible markers of our Episcopal identity is Chapel. Chapel services have been a regular practice since St. Mary’s was led by Sisters of the Order of St. Mary. Girls in Early Childhood and Lower School attend Chapel once a week, and Middle and Upper School students attend Chapel daily. Amid the busy schedules of students, faculty, and guests, Chapel allows our community to pause and come together to sing, pray, and reflect.
The rain was pitter-pattering on the pavement outside on a cold January afternoon when I found myself kneeling in a cramped closet at the back of the library—the St. Mary’s archives. I already sifted through 30-year-old graduation photo albums and 60-year-old The Tatler articles when I stumbled upon a program made for a special Chapel event in 1995. As I scanned the 27-year-old sheet of paper for any information relevant to my article, nothing initially stood out as particularly remarkable. But as I slid the sheet back into its folder, I caught a glimpse of these lyrics:
I cannot remember a day in St. Mary’s Chapel when we did not conclude the service by singing “Day by Day.” I then realized why this sheet of paper was different from the other things I had found in the archives—it was familiar.
Every morning, Assistant Chaplain Rainey Ray Segars ’05 commences the service by asking students to take a moment to notice our breath. She reminds us that in Chapel, we have no control over our test scores or mid-quarter grades; we must allow ourselves to settle into the rhythm of the present moment. In this way, Chapel is a moment of rest for students, or, as Reverend Hester Shipp Mathes ’92 calls it, Sabbath time.
“God asks us to observe the Sabbath because it is a reminder that we are worthy because we are the children of God, not because of what we produce and achieve,” she explained.
“So much of school is centered around what we are producing. To have the daily reminder that ‘I can sit here and be, and that in itself is enough’ is daily Sabbath.” In this sense, the tradition of Chapel surpasses the history of St. Mary’s, even the history of the Anglican Church; Sabbath-keeping is an ancient tradition.
Reverend Hester Shipp Mathes ’92 currently serves as the Senior Associate Rector at Church of the Holy Communion. Mathes joined Church of Holy Communion in 2014 as Curate. Beginning in April, she will serve as the priest of Church of the Holy Trinity and the Memphis campus of St. George’s Independent School.
Photo by Cindy McMillion
Reverend Mathes believes that Chapel is St. Mary’s daily opportunity to ground ourselves in a “larger arc and wisdom of spiritual connection.” Our ancestors and our successors have and will walk through this world in different ways, but “the common thread running through our journeys is the intentional daily practice of Sabbath,” she said.
Chapel is not only our consistent reminder but also our opportunity to practice holding, breathing, and reveling in God’s creation, moment by moment, breath by breath. As the words of this prayer have been etched into the hearts of generations of students, St. Mary’s tradition of Chapel will continue to offer our community the gift of spiritual nourishment “Day by Day.”
A Family Legacy: St. Mary’s Oldest Tradition
By Rainey Ray Segars ’05
Rainey Ray Segars ’05 is a life-long lover of St. Mary’s. She is the former Director of Alumnae and the current interim Chaplain. Her dearest wish is that her child could go to SMS, but alas, the child is a boy—Gobble, gobble.
The Christmas Pageant is St. Mary’s oldest and one of its most beloved traditions. Although there is no clear documentation of the first Christmas Pageant, the tradition began under the tenure of the Sisters of the Order of St. Mary over 130 years ago. The Pageant has grown and evolved but is timeless in its beautiful and moving sentiment. The current iteration of the Christmas Pageant features seniors, who have attended St. Mary’s for 12 years or more, posed in living tableaux depicting the birth of Christ as 2nd- and 3rd-grade students provide the soundtrack for the program.
Christmas Pageant volunteers Lynn Hitchings Albano ’77, Barbara Snyder, Kathy Daniel Patterson ’78, Allison Brown Coates ’76, Kirk McClintock, Shelley Kuykendall Herzke ’90, and Lisa Francis Turner ’78 ensure this beloved St. Mary’s tradition continues for many years to come.
Every December, Lynn Hitchings Albano ’77 stands behind the Christmas Pageant box with shepherds, angels, and Josephs. As the 2nd- and 3rd-grade choristers sing angelic tunes, St. Mary’s seniors quietly sing under their breath the familiar carols they once performed. Since their days in St. Mary’s Early Childhood Center, these now-seniors have looked forward to their places in their own Pageant. And now, their day has come, and it is, as always, led by Lynn Albano.
For Albano, the Christmas Pageant is not only St. Mary’s oldest tradition but also a family legacy.
“My history with the Pageant is almost as old as I am,” Albano shared. “My grandmother was Gilmore Lynn (beloved former St. Mary’s teacher and principal), and I can remember being four years old in Junior Kindergarten, helping her with the pageant. I would run down the hall and get things from her office for her. My grandfather built the box we used in the 40s, and I helped her with the Pageant every year, except the years I was singing in it, which was grades 1-6 back then. When my grandmother retired, my mother (Mary Catherine Lynn Hitchings ’47) took it over around 2007. I never really considered any other volunteer roles. It always had to be the Pageant.”
Albano loves that the Pageant is St. Mary’s oldest tradition and that it has continued for close to 130 years.
“We have tried hard over the years not to change it much. We want it to stay very low-tech. Although my biggest worry is always whether or not the curtain will open,” Albano laughed. “One time, it stuck on the first song, ‘The Angel Said Unto Mary,’ and stayed there through the whole song. It didn’t open until the song was over, and when it finally did, Lower School Music Teacher Nancy Miller turned around and said, ‘Well, let’s do that one again!’ Then, they just sang it again. To this day, when things go wrong, we think of Nancy and simply say, ‘Let’s run that one from the top!’”
Albano believes the Christmas Pageant’s consistency and authenticity throughout the years is its main charm. “That’s why people come back year after year because it is the same as it was in 1940 and 1960. Like nothing else, the Pageant links the past and the present. Of course, now there is a larger box and more participants, but we have the same shape, same gold, and the same old-timey curtains we pray will continue to work.”
For Albano, the Pageant is a visual reminder of how, at St. Mary’s, changes come, and yet traditions persist.
“This tradition has just been kept alive for so long. In earlier years, a small wooden chapel in St. Mary’s Cathedral was the site for the Pageant. When I go to the Cathedral for a wedding or a funeral, I think of how beautiful the Pageant must have been there. Then it moved to the attic of St. Mary’s Poplar location. It moved to the gym when the church was under construction. Then it persisted amid COVID. I am so proud that we made it happen during COVID, and those girls didn’t miss out on the tradition. The Pageant persists, regardless of the circumstances around it.” “St. Mary’s has other traditions,” Albano concludes, “but in my biased opinion, this is the best.”
A Gift and Tribute: The Carillon
By Rainey Ray Segars ’05
St. Mary’s first publication was the Twentieth Century Tatler in 1903. Since then, St. Mary’s students have launched a variety of publications, including current editions: video publication Bella Vista, literary magazine Belles Lettres, audio journal Belles Melodies, and the school newspaper The Tatler. Every year, Upper School students chronicle and celebrate life at St. Mary’s through the school yearbook, Carillon. First published during the 1959-60 school year, Carillon, named for the bells of the church, is one of St. Mary’s oldest publications.
On St. Mary’s campus, one of the biggest days of the school year comes at the end of April—yearbook distribution day. For days before, the yearbooks stay hidden on campus in boxes and under blankets, waiting for the big reveal of the cover and theme in Upper School Chapel. Once they are distributed, class is disrupted for the rest of the day as teachers fight a losing battle against a constant chorus of “Sign my yearbook!” Families put them on their coffee tables as décor. Younger Turkeys ask their parents to read to them from the yearbook at bedtime. The excitement around St. Mary’s yearbook, the Carillon, is a long-standing culture, since before the time of then-yearbook editor Sarah Matthews Pietrangelo, MD ’01.
Pietrangelo recalled her time as Carillon editor. “The theme I chose for the 2001 yearbook was ‘Poetic License,’” she shared. “I loved the creative outlet that the yearbook afforded me. Looking back, I see the many influences of some of my favorite SMS teachers: the ideas from Upper School History Teachers Ms. Joan Traffas and Mrs. Sheila Patrick’s classes, the great literature from Upper School English Teachers Mrs. Carol Lacy and Mrs. Leigh Mansberg’s classes, the appreciation for music that Dr. Rhendle Millen instilled in us (regardless of how off-key we might have sung!), and the geometric precision in layouts from Mrs. Marsha Stemmler’s geometry class. Upper School Physics Teacher Mr. Michael Volpe actually loaned his BMW convertible for the front page picture. I always hoped the class of 2001 would view the yearbook as my gift to our class—such a wonderful group of women. I also now hope that the incredible faculty of St. Mary’s see how their hard work and lessons concretely shaped us and see the yearbook is a tribute to them as well.”
Former Carillon Editor Sarah Matthews Pietrangelo, MD ’01 views the yearbook as a gift to each year’s senior class.
Pietrangelo, a current St. Mary’s mom, feels that the gravitas of the yearbook persists today as an emblem of all that is possible in the life of an SMS Turkey. “What I love about the yearbook is that it is important and relevant to my daughter as a current student and to me as an alumna. My 2nd-grade daughter Louise enjoys finding pictures of her teachers and friends, but her favorite part is looking at photographs of the older girls and seeing the possibilities and the opportunities at St. Mary’s as she gets older—the theater productions, the soccer team, and the field trips,” Pietrangelo said.
”The yearbook does a wonderful job of capturing the essence of St. Mary’s,” Pietrangelo added. “For me, the yearbook brings the joy of the past—memories of old friendships, beloved teachers, and of those special and formative years at St. Mary’s. Everyone and every aspect of St. Mary’s are equally represented in the yearbook—one page for track and field, one page for Model UN, one page for the French club, one page for Honor Council, and one page for class pictures. Every contribution to the St. Mary’s community is acknowledged and honored.”
Pietrangelo loves flipping through the pages of the Carillon with her daughters Margaret ’35 and Louise ’32 and seeing the possibilities that await them.
When “You Can” Became “I Can”
Since the 1900s, the opportunity to participate in athletics has been a critical part of the St. Mary’s experience. Whether on the field, in the water, or on the court, athletics allow our girls to explore new talents and develop key skills while learning the value of commitment and teamwork. Today, St. Mary’s offers 12 sports to Lower, Middle, and Upper School students. From the growing list of collegiate athletes to recently winning the school’s first state championship in lacrosse, the athletic program continues to improve and excel.
When the DJ started playing the Commodores’ 1977 hit song “Brick House” at a recent wedding she attended, Elizabeth Van Brocklin Still ’80 was instantly transported back to the gym at St. Mary’s. It’s been more than 40 years, but Still could see herself running laps around the gym as the song played in the background.
And every time Still gets a cramp while running, she can see former Upper School PE Teacher Mrs. Barbara Smith with her blond Dorthy Hamill haircut and hear the words, “Breathe in through your nose. Out through your mouth.”
There is so much about St. Mary’s that Still has carried with her all these years. The way Upper School Math Teacher Mrs. Faith Leonard made sure her students understood “how to get from point A to point B before moving on to point C.” The way dance teacher Mrs. Louise Rooke was forever patient in ballet class even when her students lacked the poise their teacher demonstrated. The way her faith was nurtured through daily Chapel and weekly Bible classes.
But most importantly, Still credits St. Mary’s athletic program with instilling in her the confidence that she could and can do anything. PE class included games like Red Rover, soccer and volleyball, and dances like the Virginia Reel. Students took turns choreographing exercises to music and teaching the rest of the class.
As an athlete and varsity tennis player, Still developed habits and practices that she would carry with her throughout her life. During her junior year, she started riding her bike to school regularly, a practice she continued as an adult. She once had to replace a relatively new car battery because she drove the car so infrequently, preferring the bicycle for transportation.
St. Mary’s 1978-1979 Varsity Tennis team
“St. Mary’s is very good about delivering the message to all students that they can do anything they set their minds to,” she said. “Through athletics, we were taught to move, to stretch ourselves, to try and fail, and keep trying. Sports provided opportunities to try so many different things. Eventually, it was no longer the school telling me that I could; I was believing and experiencing I could.”
Elizabeth Van Brocklin Still ’80 treasures the mint julep cup she received after playing tennis for four years in high school. She remembers Susan McDearman handing the engraved mint julep cups to her and fellow tennis players and class of ’80 members: Meg Loeb Milligan, Molly Francis Roberts, Jeanne Burrow Wilbourn, Laura Kilpatrick Lamar, and Margaret McDearman Green. Still went on to play tennis at Mount Holyoke College. Today, she enjoys playing pickleball and golf at home in California.
And in September 2020, Still needed to know more than ever than she could when her son, Finley, passed away. “After Finley died, I would run on our treadmill, row on the erg, and stretch. I was numb and didn’t feel like doing it,” she shared. Still kept moving because history taught her she could turn to exercise for expression and catharsis. “Faith, family, the support of friends, and physical exercise literally helped me continue to be able to put one foot in front of the other.”
