Dear Friends,

When I was little boy, I remember being somewhat confused when my parents commented that someone was “hiding his light under a bushel.” It just didn’t make sense for someone to put a light under a bushel, and even more to the point, I really had no idea what a bushel was anyway!

And so here I am these many years later, on the Sunday before Christmas, and as I reflect on the week just passed, this phrase has mysteriously popped up again. I know now that the phrase comes from the Bible (Matthew 5:15 – Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house) and in this winter season, when the sun sets early and the days are short, the light of Christmas stands as a beacon of peace and hope throughout the world.

I know also that the phrase has application to our lives together at St. Margaret’s. We speak frequently of the strength of our school community and the depth and meaning this brings to our lives, but it is often difficult to explain in any accurate way what this is all about. It is subtle and develops over time when certain things come together and the “light” shines through. This past week was one of those times, a week when our light was not hidden but rather shone brighter than I can recall and moved me in ways I will long remember.

For those of us who had the privilege to experience this week first hand, singling-out one specific moment when the strength of St. Margaret’s shone the brightest would be difficult. It seemed that at every turn there was something truly special taking place. The traditional Lessons and Carols Service in the Lower School signaled the 30th anniversary of this wonderful event. The Preschool Christmas Concert seemed especially sweet this year. Chapel for the Middle and Upper Schools on Thursday was truly one of the most memorable ever as students, faculty members and honored guests soared to new musical heights with songs of Christmas. And if all of this weren’t meaningful enough, there was Friday.

To describe what took place on Friday could be easy – we created a special schedule to send our football team off to win the state championship, we ended school an hour early and then we all left for Christmas vacation. Pretty simple! Of course, in reality it was far from matter-of-fact, and it was emphatically a day when the light of St. Margaret’s was not “hidden under a bushel.” There were so many bright stars that historic Friday. There was the entire SMES community stretched out across the campus dressed in Tartan Football – Making History t-shirts forming a “tunnel of love” for the team as they wound their way to the bus. There were our awesome cheerleaders leading the way and giving out 1200 “crimson and blue” pompoms to very excited and in some cases, awestruck, students. There were the passionate chants of “We are Tartans” and our band playing the alma mater as the team boarded the bus. And then, oh yes, there was the game – but not before a dozen St. Margaret’s students filled the air of the Home Depot Center with a dazzling rendition of the Star Spangled Banner.

To say our team played well would, of course, be the classic understatement. They were simply superb. Brilliantly coached and impeccably prepared, the Tartans established dominance early and brought home for the first time ever a state championship in football. The success of this team and our football program in general should be inspirational to all of us. Out-manned and out-weighed week after week, this team demonstrated exceptional teamwork, perseverance and heart. They did not hide their light under a bushel – they were brilliant!

Immediately following the awards presentation at the end of the game, I realized that the team had suddenly left the field and had moved swiftly to the stands to thank the huge group of St. Margaret’s supporters (students, faculty, staff, friends, siblings, parents, grandparents and alumni – lots of alumni) who had made the trip this Friday evening to witness history in the making. It was quite a sight. A team of boys or better put, a “band of brothers,” in front of a sea of red, everyone standing and applauding each other. What a joyous moment!

And so “the week to remember” came to a glorious end. What place this week will eventually take in the history of St. Margaret’s remains to be seen, but for me at least, it is difficult to imagine our light shining any brighter. I know that at Christmastime, it is, as my parents reminded me often, more blessed to give than to receive, and yet, somehow this year, I feel truly blessed to have been on the receiving end of a gift of a week I will long remember.

With gratitude, appreciation, and best wishes to all our Tartan Families for a joyous Christmas and healthy and happy New Year,

Marcus D. Hurlbut