“Love Is Creative Unto Infinity”

P R I N C I P A L L Y
S P E A K I N G
The 2009-2010 school year was
one of the most memorable in
the history of Elizabeth Seton
High School. The premier event,
of course, was the year-long
celebration of the 50th Anniversary
of the school. We were able to mark
this milestone in a variety of ways
that provided the opportunity to
reflect on the accomplishments
of our many students, teachers,
and staff who participated in the
school’s history and contributed
to building Seton into one of the
finest learning institutions in the
Washington Metropolitan Area.
In addition to our anniversary, a
number of other notable events
have taken place over the past
year. For one, we have a change
of leadership in the President’s
office. Sister Virginia Ann Brooks,
under whose direction the Brooks
Center for Athletics and Fine
Arts was built, has gone to a new
assignment in Jacksonville, FL. Her
replacement, Sister Ellen Marie, is
a 1974 graduate of Seton. She has
made it her first order of business
to reach out to and invite back
our many alumnae, who have so
much experience and so many
accomplishments to share with
today’s Seton community.
Our enrollment remains strong, at a
time when financial pressures make
the option for a private school a
difficult one. The major reason for
this is Seton’s ongoing reputation for
academic excellence. Beyond that,
however, we are always mindful
of our mission to serve others,
honoring the legacy of St. Elizabeth
Ann Seton and the Daughters of
Charity. We have a model service
learning program, wherein our
students contribute their time
and effort to the local community,
especially to the disadvantaged.
Our retreat program has expanded
to include three-day Encounter
Retreats offered to juniors and
seniors. We also have a waiting
list for our weekend Urban Plunge
retreats, where students and faculty
prepare and serve meals at several
shelters during the day and return
to school in the evening for prayer
and reflection.
A few years ago, the Washington
Post designated Seton as one of
the thirty great schools in the
Washington area, and we continue
to work hard to live up to that
honor. Our curriculum remains as
challenging as ever and ensures that
our students are well-equipped to
meet the most rigorous of collegiate
standards. This year our graduating
seniors have earned over $8 million
in college scholarship offers and
have been accepted into such
prestigious schools as Harvard,
Brown, Swarthmore, M.I.T.,
Amherst, and Stanford. Much
of this excellent achievement is
attributable to our outstanding and
dedicated faculty and staff.
Our athletic program, under the
direction of Candy Cage, a 1981
Seton graduate, is thriving. This year,
the Roadrunners have won both the
WCAC basketball championship
and the City Title Game. The track
team has won its fourth consecutive
WCAC title and remains one of the
premier scholastic track teams in
the country.
Seton’s music program is one of the
finest in the area and is regarded as
one of the best “all women” programs
in the country. At an adjudication
in Atlanta this year, the number of
trophies and plaques received for
outstanding performances in both
the choral and instrumental groups
challenged the capacity of the bus
to hold them all on the return trip.
If history is any indicator, and Seton
now has a long enough historical
perspective to call upon, neither
the students nor the faculty will rest
on their laurels. I am confident that
in this coming year we can look
forward to accomplishments that
will equal, and hopefully exceed,
those of the past year.
Sharon Pasterick
Principal
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