Marymount is on the move, and the pace is fast.  Compelled by the ceaseless efforts of our Head of School and faculty and the contagion of our shared purpose, Marymount is beginning to separate itself from other independent schools in both the quality of the education delivered and the depth of the values instilled. 

Proof of Marymount’s success is found in the astonishing scores achieved by our students in the most recent ERBs.  The year-over-year improvement at every grade level surpasses all expectations – not just our own, but the expectations of the very organization that administers the test.   Our Eighth Grade students will graduate this year equipped with writing and composition skills that place them, without exception, in the highest ranking of all independent schools nationwide.  The preparedness of our graduates has never been higher, as borne out by the high quality of the universities and colleges to which our graduates have matriculated.

These successes have been achieved at a time of great economic crisis locally and abroad.  While the education at public primary institutions throughout all of California is beginning to implode under the weight of severe budget cuts, our Head of School has kept Marymount squarely focused on achievement of the school’s mission.  Academic programs have been enriched at all levels, teaching specialists abound throughout the classrooms, the arts and music programs are thriving, and our sports teams are winning.  Marymount, too, has been under economic pressure, but we have mustered the resolve and ingenuity to press forward.         

In his book The Tipping Point, Malcolm Gladwell describes the tipping point as the moment in time when critical mass turns an idea or trend into an epidemic.  Only time will tell whether Marymount has reached or is nearing the tipping point in delivering the finest education possible – not just a high quality education, but the finest.  The critical mass necessary to achieve the tipping point or to sustain its effect is embodied in the support of the Marymount community.  We are an institution with a rich history of parent volunteerism and financial support.  There can be no better time than now to take that financial support to the next level.  Help us reach the tipping point in the quality of a Marymount education by making a generous contribution or pledge to the 2009-2010 Annual Fund. 

Very truly yours,

CeCe and Kirk Borchardt

Annual Fund 2009-2010 Co-Chair