I always have mixed emotions at graduation. There is a sense of pride at sending forth 209 young women ready to take on the world and make a difference. And, yet, each class has a special character to it and there is sadness in letting go. This class will attend 76 different colleges and universities in 27 states, the District of Columbia and the Province of British Columbia. Of these schools, 45 percent are out of state and 55 percent are in the state of Texas. The total scholarship worth of this class is $24,414,413. This class was adventuresome. You found them doing volunteer service all over the globe. Outside the of United States, they ministered in Africa, India, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, Panama, Jamaica, Vietnam, Equatorial Guinea, Cambodia, Laos and Nicaragua. Members won numerous awards, but I think what distinguished this class was how close they were to each other and how they supported each other no matter what.
I love class reunions! It is always so much fun to reconnect with former students, learn of the marvelous things they are doing and how they are making a difference in our world whether in the medical community, the legal community, the engineering community, raising families, running PTAs and the list goes on. The St. Agnes June reunion was just plain fun. I am amused as I hear comments such as "Wow, we didn't have this" - whether talking about the Center for Science and Student Services, the new art wing or the new gym, chapel or library. It makes me think of a Zen master who wrote: "No seed ever sees the flower. Things are begun and only come to fullness of fruit after us." Or as someone once said: "We plant trees for future generations." I was at the Fannin Street location and my parents helped build the Bellaire location which we all enjoy today. What I enjoyed at the Fannin Street location, the generation before me made possible. It seems to me that is the way it works. We build and get things ready for future generations! And, so begins our next project - one that our current graduates helped craft through their suggestions and ideas, and they will see on this campus as alumnae.
This past year, we took another bold step into the future as we purchased land to enlarge our campus and make our dreams of offering more extracurricular and athletic opportunities a reality. Once again, we are getting our school ready for future generations of young women. I laugh as I think about the past and how far women's sports have come. When I was a student at St. Agnes, I loved to play sports. We had two competitive sports - volleyball and basketball - and we had outdoor courts that also served as tennis courts. We also had a strong intramural program which consisted of tennis, ping pong, volleyball and basketball. We loved both the competitive sports and the intramurals. I understand, firsthand, how the opportunity to stay active gives young women a boost in self-esteem and pride, develops leadership skills and builds on the ability to think strategically, focus, and reach goals.
Our Athletic Task Force partners with us as we build on a legacy of success in competitive sports and wellness education - taking our 13 competitive sports, including field hockey which began its inaugural season on campus August 1, and a growing intramural program to the next level. The extension of our campus at 7611 Bellaire Blvd. helps us accomplish our mission and we can't wait to see this dream actualized in the coming year and beyond. When I returned to St. Agnes as principal in 1981, we had seven competitive teams: volleyball, soccer, basketball, swimming, softball, tennis, and track. In addition to these sports, we now have athletes competing in cross country, water polo, golf, and lacrosse, which we added two years ago and won the 2011 state title. We began our inaugural field hockey team this fall with 40 students participating. More than 33 percent of our young women play on a competitive team and 65 students are athletes who play multiple sports. Each year, we are proud of our graduates who go on to college to play competitively. From this class, Michelle Rigsby will run track at Colorado School of Mines; Emily Sweet will play volleyball at Northeastern Louisiana University; Catherine Herrera will be on the golf team at Penn State University; Audrey Le will play lacrosse at Wesleyan University; Kellie Pressler hopes to walk onto the basketball team at the University of Missouri; and Van-Anh Hoang will swim at Texas Christian University.
Not only will our new facilities build on a legacy of success in competitive sports, our vision is a plan to have all students involved in fitness and wellness endeavors by taking our intramural program to the next level, beyond spirited matball matches at lunch. In future years we will be able to see the seeds of these new programs, as well as a new auditorium and student center now in the planning stages, flower. Please watch our Web site throughout the school year as we share more information about our growing campus, our award-winning athletic program, and our growing intramurals.
As graduations come and go, my mixed emotions continue; but my pride wins out as I see our remarkable Academy women, with a strong moral and spiritual compass, move into a world in which they can make a difference. And I know from years of experience that they will.
God bless you,
Sister Jane Meyer
Head of School
