Creating Concept of Community Within a School
by Sr. Kathleen Fagan, RSHM, Headmistress, Marymount School

From book buddies to senior seminars, Marymount School is committed to building a community in which all members thrive. A handshake at the front door welcomes each student to school, while chapels, retreats and assemblies give us the opportunity to reflect as a group, sharing our vision and goals with each other. We value the separate, yet collaborative roles of everyone involved in our school—students, parents, faculty and alumnae—who together create an optimal learning environment.

As a Nursery-Class XII school, we have established many traditions that link girls of all ages. Kindergarten and Class II share reading time. Students in both Lower and Middle School eat lunch family-style with teachers and students from other grades. Freshmen are assigned junior big sisters, and all families new to the school are matched up with a current family even before classes begin.

After opening our new Middle School building in 2002, we strengthened our community even further. Although the Middle School at
2 East 82nd Street is less than two blocks away from the Fifth Avenue buildings, we knew it was important for our middle school girls to maintain their connection to the rest of the school. We assigned all our students to “Houses” named after notable women. Each House includes young women from kindergarten through Class XII and meets periodically for special activities and occasions, allowing strong relationships to be built across all grade levels.

Parental involvement is an essential element in education; in fact, we see parents as partners with the school. We offer a variety of parenting workshops each year, and there are many opportunities for parents to become active members of our community, from assisting on field trips to chaperoning school dances to giving tours to applicants and their families.

Involvement in the Marymount community does not end at graduation. Marymount alumnae stay connected with the school through an active alumnae association. Alumnae are invited to discuss their careers with our graduating class annually in a series of senior seminars and often provide internship opportunities as part of a mandatory program for our seniors each spring. Some alumnae—myself included—have returned to Marymount as teachers, administrators or parents. Regional events across the country allow even our more distant alumnae the opportunity to catch up with their alma mater.

Marymount is part of an international network of schools founded by the Religious of the Sacred Heart of Mary, with schools in London, Rome, Paris and Los Angeles as well as New York. Student exchanges and frequent collaboration between the network schools stretch the boundaries of the Marymount community across the globe. We also teach our students that our community extends beyond the school walls to the world around them and that they have a responsibility to this greater community, as well. As our mission states: “Students are urged to become active community participants, responsive to others within and beyond Marymount.”#

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