Headliner, Spring 2025
Headliner
Spring 2025
Dear Saints,
Throughout this year of Centennial celebrations, I have relished the opportunity to look back over the past 100 years and revisit the words of former heads of school—through letters that mark moments of celebration, challenge, and growth, each one a part of our school’s storied history.
Their words, though written decades apart, echo a shared truth: the heart of St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School has always been its people—those who teach, learn, lead, and love within this community. I am reminded that while much has changed over the last century, the spirit and mission of who we are as a Saints community have endured.
A hundred years ago, this school was just beginning—built on a bold vision and a deep belief in the promise of every child. As we honor that vision, we do so with profound gratitude for those who came before us: those who, from the very beginning, lived our school’s mission each and every day, inspiring each of us to lead with purpose, pursuing goodness as well as knowledge.
Happy Centennial, Saints! And here’s to another amazing 100 years!
Warmly,
Kirsten Adams
Head of School
“Reflections on Our 50th Anniversary”
Roberta C. McBride, Headmistress
Spring 1975 St. Agnes Alumnae Magazine
“As we start into our second half-century, I hope that we can continue to serve the community as our founders planned and that we can move forward to broaden and strengthen our curriculum, our financial structure, and our outreach through increased scholarship support. It is easy to get discouraged in times of economic stress, but the faith and effort of those who saw St. Agnes through the depression of the thirties can be matched by those who now are responsible for her future. Faith in the importance of our role as an arm of the Church; a willingness to move with the times; keeping what is good and casting off what is out-worn, and the commitment of faculty.”
“The Right Thing for the Right Reason”
The Rev. Ed Ward, Headmaster
Winter 1988 St. Stephen’s Magazine
“We will remain an academically demanding college preparatory school, enriched by the participation of both girls and boys, and young men and women. We will remain a structured and traditional school, with the potential for strengthening not weakening the traditions of the school as we grow together. We will continue to offer a strong athletic and extracurricular program, more varied than ever in its offerings. We will remain firmly dedicated to Christian ways as the standard and inspiration for our community life.”
Message from the Head of School
Joan G. Ogilvy Holden, Head of School
Fall 1990 St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes Magazine
“Our students are being educated with a clear sense of values, with a high standard of academic rigor, with a belief in who they are, and with a sense of responsibility for one another.”