One Stitch at a Time
Story appeared in the 2021 issue of QMS Connections Magazine.
BY LEANNE SCHULTZ, Director of Operations & Human Resources
““Beautiful things come together one stitch at a time.” ”
Lucy Lavigne with her family’s ancestral cross-stitch bible.
In September 2020, at the beginning of the new school year—one marked by the scope of adversity and challenges that our Founders’ and their students faced over the early years of Queen Margaret’s School—Grade 10 student Lucy Lavigne stood before her fellow students in chapel and described her vision of the QMS Centennial Heritage Quilt. Inspired by the kneelers dutifully cross-stitched by students over the years under the guidance of Miss Denny, she invited students, staff, and alumni to create a 4-inch cross-stitch square that would represent our beloved School.
Many months later, as I finished my piece representing the Windsor Oak (one of my favourite trees on our campus), I reflected on how the stitches in my square represented the thousands of students and staff who, over the last century, together make up the fabric of Queen Margaret’s School. Although we may not know all of their stories, each student and staff member form the history of Queen Margaret’s School. Like this cross-stitched quilt, you cannot make out the individual stitches when you look at it from a distance. But they are there, forming part of the whole.
When the Centennial Committee first came together in 2017, this volunteer group of staff, Governors, and alumni had visions for an elaborate series of festivities and projects that would honour the School and our Founders. We wanted to celebrate the accomplishments of our past and present, while charting an exciting course for our future. A number of initiatives got underway, including a new Strategic Plan that included a new logo and branding which would enhance our profile around the world. Some incredible projects were also started, such as the 100 Stories Project, a website that features an archival timeline of the School, anecdotes from our alumni and exciting updates from our recent graduates and current students. Momentum was building…and then the world came to an abrupt stop with the COVID-19 global pandemic.
Under the leadership of our new Head of School, David Robertson, and our Board Chair, Mary DeLury, the Centennial Committee quickly reconvened, with revised plans to make April 4, 2021 (the 100th anniversary of the School opening its doors) the launch of the Centennial Year, instead of the culmination of the planned year of celebrations. With this new timeline, the Centennial Planning Committee brainstormed a new QMS Centennial Event Calendar—one that will honour our past, celebrate our present, and inspire our future. Many volunteer hours have contributed to creating a celebration program worthy of our 100 years.
Over the summer, some of our volunteer quilters have been working hard to piece together our QMS Centennial Heritage Quilt, carefully crafted by students, staff, alumni and community members. When it is complete, the QMS Centennial Heritage Quilt will be an incredible graphic metaphor for our community, reminding us how generations of individuals over 100 years have each left their mark. This stunning piece will be hung at the School as a legacy art project for all to admire the many individual stitches that came together, one at a time, to create a beautiful thing.
