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Honor your past. Inspire Saints’ future.
For decades, St. Stephen’s and St. Agnes School (SSSAS) has been strengthened by the generosity of Saints who chose to include the school in their estate plans. These legacy gifts have built our endowment, secured our financial foundation, and ensured that future Saints will benefit from the extraordinary education and community we cherish today. Each gift reflects a story of gratitude, vision, and commitment to our mission. By joining the Signet Society and including SSSAS in your will, you, too, can leave a lasting legacy that shapes the lives of Saints for generations to come.
I invite you to explore the stories of those who have already made this meaningful choice and to imagine the impact your own legacy could have.
I look forward to speaking with you!
Ashley Stone
Director of Major and Campaign Giving
703-212-2717
Meet Our Donors
Carrie and Jim Garland P ‘15, ‘17, ‘20, ‘23
Jim and I decided to include the school in our estate plans several years ago, when we did an overhaul of our estate planning. We felt this was an important step because we are grateful to the different schools, churches, and communities that have been part of our family's life, and it feels good to know that we can give back to those places. In every case, those places have made an impact on us. The process of estate planning is similar to tax planning—necessary, but not necessarily easy (or fun!) I think once the process is started, it becomes easier and easier because you get to have conversations about people and places that you have the most affection for and that mean the most to you and your family. When you have carefully gone through the process, it is very satisfying to know that others will truly benefit when you are gone. I met with SSSAS more than once to discuss our estate plans and they have been extremely helpful. Jim and I underestimated the level of care the Advancement Office takes with those who include SSSAS in estate planning. The Advancement Office is of course pleased to know who has included our school in this way, but they are also devoted to helping us think ahead about how we would like our monies directed. There are many different possibilities and options and the Advancement Office shows a deep concern to assure that we select the best plan for our family. We encourage all Saints families who have gone through the estate planning process, or who are about to go through it, to include SSSAS in their plan. The better plans you make now, ahead of the moment your family's life changes, the more useful your money can be to a school that certainly improves lives in our community.
Marnie and John Repetti '81, P ‘16, ‘19
Marnie and I recently sat down to do what most of us would rather avoid, estate planning. As we did, I started to think about how SSSAS has been a part of my life for over 40 years. I started as a fourth grader in 1972, graduated in 1981 and became a parent of a student in 2003. Our oldest son, John, graduated in 2016 and our youngest, Mark, graduated in 2019, which is the 75th anniversary of the founding of St. Stephen's and just a few years shy of the 100th anniversary of the founding of St. Agnes. I wondered: will our school reach the kind of longevity that many of the strongest independent schools in the nation have enjoyed? I would like to think it will, that the school will be here for at least 100 more years…but that depends on us, the first couple of generations that walked the halls. For me, the school has been such a big part of my life that I wanted to help ensure that this special place will continue for generations to come. Incorporating the school into our estate planning decisions was one of the easiest and best ways to do that.
Sam and Margaret Teague P ‘11 & Former Faculty Member
Since 1990, St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School has been part of our family. As a former faculty member, this school community has been my second home. It has supported me in times of grief and celebration and it has provided me with lifetime friends. It is where I work, learn, play, and go to church. Our son, Sam Teague, attended SSSAS from the time he was three months old (thanks to the faculty/staff nursery) until he graduated in 2011. The school generously gave me, as a faculty member, financial support for the exceptional education Sam received. Without this support, the gifts of academic excellence, Christian values, sportsmanship, and commitment to service Sam received at SSSAS would have been out of our reach. This community has given so much to our family, that it was an easy decision to want to give something back. Family takes care of family. It was and always will be our desire to help SSSAS continue the exceptional work it does every day and to ensure future families will have the same opportunities we have had.
Alumna Belinda Lowenhaupt Collins '64
As my husband Tony and I sat down to think about estate planning, we knew that the schools we had attended had made such a difference in our lives. We decided that we wanted to honor our parents who had made a real sacrifice in my case for me to attend St. Agnes. It wasn't easy to send two children to private school on a single federal salary, but my dad and mother made that possible. Both my brother and I attended St. Stephen's and St. Agnes from kindergarten through 12th grade. Attending St. Agnes made such a difference in my life; I learned to write; to think; and to give back to others. So, the decision to honor Henry and Sara Lowenhaupt with a gift to the school in our estate was an easy one. Tony and I felt this was a gift that would live on long after we are gone and would help other students get the high quality education we had received.
Jane McKee Ingram ‘45
(1927-2020)
Jane McKee Ingram and her husband, Jack, felt strongly about giving to secondary education. They believed it sets the foundation for the rest of an individual's life. St. Agnes School had a profound effect on Jane; teachers like Mrs. Ross and Mlle Michalot were masters in their fields of Science and French and truly cared about the education of their students. Jane saw the current faculty of St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School having the same effect on today's students. The school's religious tradition is important to the Ingrams, too, as they feel it strengthens the character of each student.
Jane and Jack wanted to make a gift that would honor Jane's experience and provide for current and future students of the school. They decided that a Charitable Gift Annuity would be the right vehicle for them, allowing them to make a much larger gift than they thought possible during their lifetime, that paid them income for the rest of their lives — in a fixed amount that they could count on, and at a higher yield than CDs or mutual funds can provide. They also benefitted from an income tax deduction for setting up a Gift Annuity and took advantage of the fact that part of the annuity income would be tax-free.
"I am so proud of my school today and so impressed by the opportunities available to current students. In addition to academic excellence, the school expands their abilities in so many different ways from arts to athletics, music to technology. Jack and I were pleased to make this gift to support such an important school with such an important mission."
Dorothy Wyatt Shields ‘54
(1936-2020)
As Dorothy "Poogie" Wyatt Shields reflected about her past during retirement, she increasingly felt that her experience at St. Agnes started her on her life path. Her French education at St. Agnes prompted her to take her children to live and learn in France for a year, and her English teachers inspired a delight in writing and drama "for fun." The school's Episcopal identity led her to earn a master's degree in religious studies and provided the starting point for a passionate quest for the meaning of community in diverse situations.
For most of her adult life, she and her family enjoyed a simple lifestyle. Later in life, she was the beneficiary of a bequest which she split between her children and several charities. She said she "wouldn't think of leaving St. Agnes out." She made a gift to the school every year since her graduation in 1954 and believes that every gift, no matter the size, counts. Giving through her estate plan was another way to continue giving and help ensure the future of the school that has meant so much to her. It was her hope that her gifts would encourage others to consider adding St. Stephen's and St. Agnes School to their estate plans as well.
IT'S EASY TO BECOME A MEMBER OF THE SIGNET SOCIETY
The first step to estate planning is an easy one; visit our Sample Gift Language Page to learn more about specific language to use when setting your intent, or to view the other planned giving options. It can be as simple as one sentence in your will or trust or tailored to fit your more specific plans.
Each member of our community who intends to give our school an estate or planned gift will be welcome into be a member of our Signet Society. We look forward to working with you and are here to answer any questions.
Thank you for considering us in your plans for the future!
Ashley Stone
Director of Major and Campaign Giving
703-212-2717