The Impact of Philanthropy
Story appeared in the 2019 issue of QMS Connections Magazine.
BY JENNY MCLEOD, DIRECTOR OF DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI RELATIONS
Preserving our School History
QMS is a wonderful and inspiring place to learn and grow, and the philanthropic support for our School Archives will have a lasting impact for years to come. We are incredibly grateful to our donors for their intentional act to preserve our School’s history. This gift is meant to be shared. We hope you take the opportunity to visit our Archives the next time you are on campus and explore the unique history of QMS.
“I feel truly honoured that I have been entrusted with the challenging yet rewarding task of organizing the QMS records. I am looking forward to the years ahead as the archives become an integral part of the School community.”
How do we capture the cultural heritage and collective memory of our nearly 100-year-old school? By establishing a Queen Margaret’s School Archives.
Queen Margaret’s School is rich in history and tradition. Founded in 1921 by two pioneering and entrepreneurial women, Miss Nora Denny and Miss Dorothy Geoghegan came together through a shared love of service, education and the Guides to provide a solid education for young people.
The school has continued to progress and flourish over the years with facility improvements, an internationally and culturally diverse student body and teaching and learning practices that support student success.
Building on the incredible history and the strong traditions we have been fortunate to inherit, Queen Margaret’s has continued to be a truly special community. We celebrate how far we have come and strive to keep beloved traditions in our ever-evolving school. For many years, the preservation of our history has been a passion and priority for our QMS Alumni and Old Overseas Margaretian Association (OOMA). Our dedicated alumni have given their time to advocate and raise funds for an archival space on campus, and in November 2018, the doors to the QMS Archives were finally opened.
To honour the dedication of the OOMA, a Major Gift was anonymously donated to support the longevity and sustainability of the newly established QMS Archives. This investment will support the permanent preservation of our school records, conservation of artifacts and will continue to fund our Archivist position.
The space is a community hub, a place for teaching and learning. It’s an area where students, alumni and community members can come together to connect through the discovery and sharing of thousands of stories contained within our history.