Alumna and Borad of Governors member Alexandra Alexis speaks to current students
Recording our steps along the way
Ready to Roll
Walking with Purpose: SMS Celebrates Together The whole SMS community made with the past,” says Thornicroft. told the current students: “For great strides last October when “We feel strongly about where we years, I have been teased about my students, staff, alumnae and are and about envisioning where ‘two block walkathon’ but today families walked all or part of the we are going in the future.” I can report that this ‘Old Girl’ 16 kilometres from the site of the easily walked the whole thing!” Patrick Giommi, Deputy Head of former school building at Fort and School, says: “It was a long walk, continued on page 7 Fern Streets to the present campus but the girls didn’t complain. on Lucas Avenue. Head of School, That speaks to their spirit. They Cathy Thornicroft says the walk was embraced the experience.” an important way to honour the The wider community was school’s progress throughout the enthusiastic as well: “We got years and to connect students with tremendous support from the the school’s history. The walk was traffic that day, from the liaison a re-enactment of the 1970 move police officer, and from the when the school purchased the municipalities,” says Giommi. 22-acre Lucas Avenue property. “The alumnae participation This year marks an important “The walk was a re-engagement was terrific, and the staff kept centenary at SMS: in 1912 the new and fostered a sense of pride,” the kids organized and safe.” building at the school’s second campus opened its doors. Designed says Thornicroft. “The girls Alexandra Alexis is an SMS alumna by Francis Mawson Rattenbury, took it in the spirit we wanted; renowned architect and SMS parent, who participated in both the they wanted to participate the building marked a new beginning 1970 walk and the re-enactment. for the school and new Principal in something historic.” In 1970 she was a Junior School Girls from Kindergarten to Grade 12 were excited to take part and being part of such a large community of people with a connection to SMS had a powerful impact on everyone:“It’s important to have that sense of belonging and of reconnecting
student. Part way through the original walk, complaining of fatigue, she hopped into a Volkswagon Bug to cover part of the distance. Her older sisters, also Alumnae, completed the walk and have teased her about it ever since. At the end of the 2011 walk, Alexis SMS SPIRIT | 05
Margaret Barton after the tragic drowning in 1911 of Edith Fenwick and Isabel Fenwick, the founders of SMS.
SMS’ full architectural history is beautifully described in Deidre Simmons’ book Servite in Caritate: The First 100 Years of St. Margaret’s School 1908-2008.