Creating Special Places

CREATING SPECIAL PLACES REPORT ON ADVANCEMENT // 2014–2015

Thanks to generous donations from our community, St. Margaret’s School invests in site improvements each year to ensure the school is providing its students an inspiring learning environment and superior facilities that support our girls’ growth and development. This is a summary of projects completed in the past year, and goals for the years to come.

CREATING SPECIAL PLACES

Athletics & Wellness Centre The centrepiece of this year’s Creating Special Places initiatives, the newly renovated and expanded Athletics & Wellness Centre, seeks to encourage students to develop healthy habits to achieve balance in their lives for the longterm. This Centre is the direct result of a student-led wellness survey created to assess overall health and identify sources of stress. The results of the survey pointed to an imbalance between wellness and academics, and emphasized the girls’ desire to be active on an individual level. With the findings of the survey in mind, and drawing on the expertise of our physical education team, we created the Wellness Centre as a hub for health, well-being, and mindfulness for one and all.

WOW FACTOR: Original artwork features inspiring quotes and brings the outside in with nature-themed graphics and photography from the annual Outweek.

Key Features:

Covered Outdoor Area:

Impact:

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The outdoor covered training space adds an additional 112 square metres (1,200 square feet) for students to get out in the fresh air year-round, while protected from the elements.

The courtyard offers ample space in which to practise yoga, and spin bikes and rowing machines can be rolled outside to train. Plants, privacy, fresh air, and light come together to create an inviting atmosphere.

Students are the primary beneficiaries of this project with class use, group training, and one-on-one coaching now available both during and after school hours. In addition, new and expanded programming has been added to engage the whole community in fitness: new classes from yoga to spin to strength training have been added to encourage both parent and staff participation.

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More than double the size of original indoor fitness facility Covered outdoor training and yoga area Non-slip, impact-absorbing fitness flooring Bright, contemporary glassenclosure with privacy panels New equipment including spin bikes, TRX, and rowing machines

// ANNUAL REPORT 2014–2015 //

Inspired by urban gardens of China— especially the vertical garden walls in Shanghai—our living wall has been created as a unique and beautiful focal point on campus, also the entryway to our new outdoor training area.

Positioned at the intersection of the outside entrance to the covered training and yoga space and the main access to our very busy South Gym viewing gallery, the living wall commands attention and has instantly become a key design element on campus.

The wall emphasizes a connection to nature: showcasing the verdant riches of our west coast site, the installation reflects the goals of the adjoining Wellness Centre by providing a calm environment for reflection, meditation, and well-being.

WOW FACTOR: Nearly 300 plants dot the two-metre high by three-metre wide living wall (~ 6x10 feet) with a built-in watering system.

Barbeque Picnic Pavilion

Campus Landscaping

Art Gallery

Given all the activities and sporting events that take place on the fields surrounding the lower campus, SMS needed a gathering place for our community: a place for food and camaraderie. The West Coast Modern style of the pavilion is eyecatching, and the built-in barbeque with lots of counter space makes for a perfect outdoor cooking area.

Already well used, the picnic area is a great place for families to congregate.

The main street entrance to our amazing 9.3 hectare (23 acre) property now takes full advantage of its surrounding natural beauty. A visually “busy” rock garden has been replaced with turf and various west coast indigenous plants, maintained by a new sprinkler system. As one enters the property, the simple beauty of the grounds makes a strong impact, while promoting a feeling of peace and safety.

Transforming a room in the library Learning Commons, the new art gallery offers a formal display space for student artwork, complete with halogen lighting and contemporary furnishings to create a professional ambiance. Art galleries are a common feature in contemporary libraries as spaces for critical thought and intellectual exchange.

// ANNUAL REPORT 2014–2015 //

CREATING SPECIAL PLACES

Living Wall

CREATING SPECIAL PLACES

THANK YOU to our donors. The 2014–2015 Annual Fund exceeded its goal and raised $168,000.

Planning for the future

Investing in stability, sustainability, and growth Over a century after our founders—Edith and Isobel Fenwick—established St. Margaret’s School (SMS), their mission continues to make a difference in the lives of girls. The school’s vision and goals outlined in our 10-year Strategic Plan continue to be our guide as we build our legacy for the years to come by focusing on two key areas.

Campus Renewal is of vital importance to provide our students access to world-class facilities. Our Creating Special Places campaign—supported by the Annual Fund—has resulted in important advancements that elevate the educational experience at SMS. Recent campus upgrades—like those outlined in this summary—have contributed new energy and momentum to our school. These successful projects point the way towards an ambitious Campus Renewal—a plan that depends on the shared vision and support of our entire community.

Equally important to our future and ongoing success is building our Endowment Fund. An endowment is a pool of invested funds that provide returns and ongoing income to be used either for a designated purpose or for general operating support. A strong Endowment Fund provides scholarships for students and allows schools like ours to expand access and diversity.

It supports faculty development so that excellence in teaching remains a long-term priority. It supports new facilities, services, and program offerings, while providing an important safeguard against potential instability, like changes in enrolment due to shifts in global markets or local demographics.

All of the advancements at SMS, in the classroom and beyond, are only possible because of gifts from our caring and committed community—people like you. Thanks to our donors, Campus Renewal and the SMS Endowment Fund will create an inspiring learning environment for girls today, and empower tomorrow’s graduates to seize every opportunity for success.

Your Girls ~ Our Future The SMS Endowment Fund

GET INVOLVED BY SUPPORTING THE ANNUAL FUND AND ADVANCEMENT INITIATIVES AT SMS: GWILTSHIRE@STMARG.CA | 250.704.4660 | WWW.STMARG.CA/DONATE

St. Margaret’s School | Confident girls. Inspiring women.

Creating Special Places

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