St. Margaret’s Concludes Memorable School Year and Honors Class of 2025 at All-School Closing Ceremony

St. Margaret’s had a special last day of the school year, as the entire school community came together to celebrate the Class of 2025 and reflect on a wonderful 2024-2025 school year during the All-School Closing Ceremony in Pasternack Field House.

This year’s traditional conclusion to the school year included the Class of 2025 taking part in a ceremonial walk around the entire St. Margaret’s campus, visiting their younger peers in the Early School, Lower School and Middle School. Students greeted the seniors with bubbles, pompoms, signs and lots of cheering as they made their way through campus and into Pasternack Field House.

There, the All-School Closing Ceremony recognized the Class of 2025, which will officially graduate during Commencement on Saturday. Also recognized was the Class of 2029 moving up to the Upper School and the Class of 2032 moving to the Middle School.

The All-School Closing Ceremony was also an opportunity to pass out two special school community awards. Senior Tessa Maryott was honored with the David G. Boyle Lifetime Service Award, given to a lifetime Tartan student whose service and dedication to the school best reflects the extraordinary contributions of the late David Boyle, former Associate Head of School, Upper School Principal and Faculty Emeritus who worked at St. Margaret’s from 1980 to 2012.

There was also the Susan A. Remsberg Award, which was awarded to Director of Equity and Inclusion Victor Cota. The award is given annually to a member of the St. Margaret’s professional community for outstanding contributions and significant impact on the school community, exemplifying a profound commitment to St. Margaret’s mission and core values in the past year or recent years. Faculty emeritus Susan Remsberg was in attendance to present the award.

A new annual honor was also introduced celebrating exceptional philanthropic leadership within the community: The Stacey Nicholas Inspire Award for Philanthropy.

The award, named in recognition of longtime benefactor and community leader Stacey Nicholas, will be presented each year to a member of the school community who has demonstrated extraordinary generosity, vision, and commitment to advancing the mission and programming of St. Margaret’s, while also inspiring others to do the same.

The inaugural recipients of the Stacey Nicholas Inspire Award for Philanthropy are Paul and Kia Westhead, recognized for their outstanding dedication to the school and unwavering support of its mission. 

The ceremony also honored members of the professional community who are either retiring or celebrating milestone anniversaries at the school. Two longtime professional community members were named Professional Community Emeritus—the highest honor St. Margaret’s bestows on a member of the professional community. The honor and the traditional gift of a college chair with their years of service engraved on it was presented by Head of School Dr. Jeneen Graham to:

The ceremony concluded with a blessing filled with gratitude and reflection, emphasizing the deep sense of commitment that defines the St. Margaret’s community. As the school year came to a close, the ceremony served as both a celebration of legacy and a call to continued excellence, honoring those whose enduring contributions have shaped the school’s past and will continue to inspire its future.