When school opened on September 7, the successful result of Remarkable Opportunities - Campaign for SEM was already evident.
Where once a collection of old garages stood behind our student and faculty residences on Soldiers Place and Potomac Avenue is now the stunning Magavern-Sutton Courtyard. The courtyard, designed by SEM alumna Mary Magavern Worrell '60, unifies the houses with the school building and provides an outdoor space for faculty and students to relax and study. It has also already serves a lovely event space for alumnae and school gatherings.
The Magavern-Sutton Courtyard was made possible by a generous lead gift from Bill and Linda Magavern '73.
The chapel at the heart of our school was also lovingly refurbished and the exterior restored thanks to a generous lead gift from Jim and Michal Wadsworth and co-named by them for Gary Sutton, former SEM teacher, current SEM historian and irreplaceable employee.
At its June board meeting, SEM's Trustees surprised Jody Douglass, now retired head of school, by dedicating the residence she has lived in at 26 Soldier's Place, as The Jody Douglass House, in recognition of her extraordinary impact on SEM.
"During Jody's tenure, SEM has made enormous strides in its mission to be an outstanding school with a national reputation. We are so very grateful for her many accomplishments, including the establishment of SEM's residential program, achieving our unprecedented enrollment and inspiring our vibrant school community," said Campaign and Board Chair Margaret Brown '72, .
Natalie Stothart, one of two new assistant heads of school, now lives in the Jody Douglass House with her husband and two sons.
