Grandparents & Grandfriends Day
Saint Mary's School offers many opportunities for families to engage in the life of their Saint Mary's girl.
Families are an integral part of the Saint Mary’s experience, and Grandparents & Grandfriends Day is a special annual event that provides our girls with one way to share that with some of the most special people in their lives.
NEW! This year, grandparents and grandfriends who have generously donated to Saint Mary’s Annual Fund are invited to attend our Pre-Event Cocktail Reception on Thursday, April 11, 2019, from 6-8 p.m. at the Theo Coonrod Head of School home. This special event is hosted by Head of School Brendan J. O’Shea and our Annual Fund Grandparent Chairs Larry and Clare Garden Maddison ’64C. Donors to the FY18-19 campaign will receive a special insert in this year’s Grandparents & Grandfriends invitation. If you would like to attend the cocktail and have not yet made your gift to this year’s campaign, CLICK HERE.
April 11, 2019
6 p.m. | Pre-Event Cocktail for Donors at the Theo Coonrod Head of School Home. Donors please click here to register for this reception.
April 12, 2019
SCHEDULE:
9 a.m. | Coffee and Conversation with the Head of School in Smedes Hall Hear remarks from Grandparents
9:45 a.m. | Welcome and Remarks by our Grandparent Chairs in Smedes Halls
10 a.m. | Faculty Panel and Q&A
Smedes Halls
Please enjoy the following activities with your special Saint Mary’s girl.
11 a.m. | Chapel Service
11:30 a.m. | Lunch in Chan-Poyner Dining Hall and Individual photos with your Saint Mary’s girl
12:20 p.m. | Class Visit | Classrooms
2:30 p.m. | Optional Campus Tours
Want us to invite a grandparent or grandfriend? All you need to do is contact Christiane Newell in the Development Office at 919-424-4107 or cnewell@sms.edu.
Meet our Grandparent Annual Fund Chairs
Larry and Clare Garden Maddison ’64 generously returned this school year as the Grandparent Chairs for Saint Mary’s Annual Fund campaign. This year is very special to them, as it is the third year they’ve served and it’s the year their granddaughter Maddison Wooten ’19 graduates! For decades, the couple has together faithfully supported Saint Mary’s School through volunteer service and gifts made to the Annual Fund in support of Saint Mary’s mission. Clare is also one of the newest members in our Giving Circle program, and we are grateful to both Larry and Clare for their generosity and support of Clare’s alma mater.
As parents to alumna and Parent Association member Sally Maddison Wooten ’85HS, and grandparents of Maddison '19, Clare and Larry both boast legacy connections to Saint Mary’s. Clare is a loyal and dedicated alumna leader who has never wavered in her support of her alma mater and currently also serves as a member of the Board of Visitors. Previously, she was a member of our Alumnae Council and served as a member of the 175th Anniversary Gala Committee and co-chair of the Sesquicentennial, alongside Martha Anne Olsen Sigmon ’47HS.
Larry, who is a founding partner of Maddison & Caison CPAs, also boasts several legacy connections to Saint Mary’s. In addition to Clare, Sally, and Maddison, his late mother, Jane Purrington Maddison ’31C, was a former Alumnae Association president. His late aunt Sara Purrington ’26C, sister Blair Maddison Sloan ’59C, and niece Elizabeth Sloan Mickle ’86HS also attended Saint Mary's.
Of course their most important role these days is as grandparents to Maddison, a senior from Raleigh.
As Chairs of the Annual Fund Grandparent Campaign, the couple partners with the Development and Alumnae Office to help engage and connect with other Saints Mary's grandparents, provide news and information especially relevant for grandparents, and speak at our Grandparents and Grandfriends Day alongside the Head of School and keynote speakers.