2 min read December 2021 — Saint Mary’s Hall is a college-preparatory, co-ed, independent school in San Antonio, Texas, for students age 3-12th grade. In an interview with Invest:, Head of School Len Miller discussed lessons learned during the pandemic, online learning, what makes Saint Mary’s Hall unique, and his outlook for the education sector.
What were some of the key takeaways for Saint Mary’s Hall in terms of handling the challenges posed by the pandemic?
Our biggest highlight was maintaining a sense of community through the entire year, having kids return to campus, and offering a high-quality hybrid experience to those families for whom being on campus wasn’t an option. We were able to continue our program safely, offering alternatives while maintaining the educational expectations and standards of our institution. We learned that we could pivot and be more agile in offering students the safest and best education possible during an unprecedented time, and we relied on our core values to do so. We became more appreciative of the importance of relationships, connectivity, and being in person for education.
What is the future of remote learning?
For our model of education, it’s better to be in person, which is key to the overall student experience at our school. We often use the phrase “know and be known” to describe what we do here, and online learning makes that more difficult. This is why we didn’t offer a hybrid option this year. Online learning is certainly important and will create opportunities for many people going forward; therefore, we will still teach those skills within our classes, instead of offering them as a separate class. Some institutions and businesses will continue to shift toward online education, and homeschooling will continue to be a trend in our society; however, it is not the core of how we conduct school at Saint Mary’s Hall, where we aim to continue as an in-person, relationship-based community.
What is the state of the educational sector in San Antonio?
For an independent school like ours, one of our most important challenges is preparing our students academically for some of the most selective colleges in the country while at the same time giving balanced attention to the overall wellness of those students. As a great school with a strong sense of community, we’re finding a way to balance rigor and support simultaneously to benefit the whole student.
What is the role of your core values in the way Saint Mary’s Hall operates?
Our core values include respect for self and others, knowledge, and self-confidence. We think preparation for success in college and in life is best done by teaching a broad liberal arts curriculum while also teaching what it means to be a community member. We offer the traditional disciplines, such as math, science, english, and history, but our students also take a modern language to ready them for an increasingly global world. In addition, we have a rich variety of co-curricular activities. There are after-school opportunities to participate in theater, music, choir, and sports. We even have unique opportunities such as our Student Investment Group, who present stock pitches and invest real money in the stock market. We use our core values to help our students get into college, to know how to take care of their well-being, to be active citizens and leaders, and to have a positive mindset. This allows them to learn and give back to the learning of their community.
How does Saint Mary’s Hall distinguish itself from competitors in the San Antonio area?
We value our small class size and the community building that comes with it. We have a beautiful 60-acre campus near Salado Creek, which is a huge differentiator as it blends nature with our school architecture. We will celebrate our 150th anniversary in 2029. We’ve been here a long time and have earned the reputation of a great school, where relationships, community, and a sense of belonging are key aspects of our education and school experience.
We celebrate and teach diverse faith traditions from the major world religions. We have a diverse group of students, and we aim to graduate students who are aware and respectful of different faiths and backgrounds.
What is your outlook for Saint Mary’s Hall and San Antonio’s education sector for the next few years?
San Antonio has an openness toward growth and innovation; there is a huge space for independent schools to grow. We have a bright future ahead. We’re strategically thinking about and planning what the future of education will look like as we advance into the 21st century. I think San Antonio and our school can play a big role in leading educational innovation going forward.
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