Class of 2029 Rejoices at Kindergarten Dedication Ceremony
Rosemary branches blessed with holy water were joyfully waved in the air by kindergartners as they processed through their new building—Eleanor Hall—during St. Andrew’s Kindergarten Dedication Ceremony on Thursday, November 3. Almost exactly a year since the groundbreaking, Eleanor Hall is finally ready to welcome 51 kindergartners and six teachers into its 5,000-square-foot learning space. Click here to view the photo gallery.
The ceremony’s moments of reverence were complemented by the kindergartners giggles and smiles as they offered a prayer, a blessing, and a song in honor of their new home. The opening scripture offering by student Addison Sell ‘24 affirmed them: “Jesus said ‘Let the little children come to me and do not stop them; for it is such as these that the kingdom of heaven belongs’” (Matthew 19:13-15).
Kama Bruce, Head of Lower School, remarked on the gift of the kindergarten’s presence in the St. Andrew’s community. Quoting author Robert Fulghum’s book All I Really Need to Know I Learned in Kindergarten, Kama told the kindergartners, “You may never have proof of your importance, but you are more important than you think. There are always those who couldn’t do without you. The rub is that you don’t always know who.”
Head of School Sean Murphy was happy to note, “Establishing this kindergarten program makes St. Andrew’s the only K-12 Episcopal school in Central Texas, and one of only 19 in the nation. We can now offer 13 years of a St. Andrew’s education, which is very exciting for future generations of St. Andrew’s students.”
While celebrating the bright future of the kindergarteners and classes yet to come, Sean acknowledged the efforts of many others that led to this historic occasion, including a special St. Andrew’s family. Alumna Bremond MacDougall ‘84—whose grandmother Eleanor helped found St. Andrew’s in 1952, and whose mother Eleanor was in the first graduating class of 1958—provided the lead gift to the kindergarten building with her husband and fellow alumnus Michael MacDougall ’84. Sean addressed Bremond, “We are so honored that this building is named after your mother. I hope she would be proud of the work we plan to do. As you said in your remarks at our groundbreaking, how lucky are our first kindergarten students who get to be here from the very beginning, just as Eleanor was. I hope you will come visit Eleanor Hall often, Bremond, to watch these young students learn and grow in this beautiful space.”
The kindergartners embraced their chance to perform John Denver’s “Garden Song” accompanied by faculty musicians and the Upper School’s Select Choir vocalists. The kindergartners gleefully sang and pantomimed the lyrics, “Inch by inch, row by row, gonna make this garden grow.” They turned the stage over to the adults for the final ribbon cutting, officially marking the opening of Eleanor Hall to the community.
The handprints of the kindergartners and their teachers are eternally etched in the paved walkway leading to Eleanor Hall; the written hopes and dreams of other St. Andrew’s students offered to the kindergarten are forever buried in the entryway. As the Class of 2029 prepares to move into this state-of-the-art space, it is the legacy of a joyful education and the support of an entire St. Andrew’s community that will sustain them and future classes for generations to come.
About St. Andrew’s Eleanor Hall:
Eleanor Hall was formerly the site of the Daughters of Charity convent. The Daughters of Charity sold their property to St. Andrew’s Episcopal School in 2014. At the time, the school’s newest strategic plan called for the formation of a kindergarten program. The acquisition of the property solidified the School’s plans to move forward.
Designed by STANTEC architects and built by American Constructors, Inc., this $2.8M building includes a soundproof music room, makerspace with a teaching kitchen, reading lofts, an outdoor education garden and a number of environmentally friendly and energy efficient features, including a rainwater collection system and a lighting system with daylight sensors.
Eleanor Hall was conceived, built, and funded thanks to the efforts and generosity of St. Andrew’s Board of Trustees, Kindergarten Task Force Trustees David Grimm, Jeff Howard, Gerry Speitel, and Anne Smalling; St. Andrew’s Kindergarten Campaign Committee: Yvette and Jason Wesbecher, Randy Erben, Margie Gaudin, Taylor Bowles, Niffer and Mark Greenberg, and Anna and Jason Near; and 113 donor families.
