Founders' Day celebrates 175 years of women's education at Saint Mary's School

RALEIGH, N.C. - Oct. 25, 2016 - PRLog -- Saint Mary's School will celebrate the school's 175^th year history on Founders' Day 2016 in a special chapel service, Tuesday, November 1, at 11:20 a.m.  The Rt. Rev. Anne E. Hodges-Copple, Bishop Pro Tem of the Episcopal Diocese of North Carolina, will be the guest speaker.

Each year, Founders' Day honors Saint Mary's School founder the Rev. Aldert Smedes; the Rev. Bennett Smedes, who succeeded his father as the second rector/head of school; and all those who have gone before at Saint Mary's.

The Rev. Theodore DuBose Bratton, third rector/head of school, instituted Founders' Day as part of the All Saints' observance on November 1, 1902, and it has been celebrated annually ever since.  Founders' Day 2016 is the school's 114th annual observation of this important celebration of Saint Mary's rich 175-year history.

Founded by the Rev. Aldert Smedes, Saint Mary's School opened its doors on May 12, 1842, and has remained open ever since on the same site in Raleigh.  History tells us that 13 girls, "The Original 13," arrived on that first day at Saint Mary's in 1842, as Aldert Smedes stood in the Grove to welcome them.  A total of 21 students enrolled for the first session.  In 2016-2017, Saint Mary's enrolls 275 students from 10 states and five nations.

Today, Saint Mary's School is a vibrant, modern, independent, Episcopal, college-preparatory, boarding and day school dedicated to academic excellence and personal achievement for girls in grades 9-12.  Saint Mary's School remains true to Aldert Smedes' time-honored mission of providing an excellent education for young women and to his belief that "an educated woman can make a difference in society."

Saint Mary's is the fifth oldest girls' boarding and day school in the nation.  The historic core of the school's 23-acre campus is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a stop on the North Carolina Civil War Trails.  The Saint Mary's Chapel, designed by Richard Upjohn, is a National Historic Site, and five of the school's 25 buildings are Raleigh Historic Properties (Smedes Hall, the Chapel, East Rock, West Rock, and Pittman Auditorium). http://www.sms.edu