See Sister Anne Dyer's article about the Aquatic Center

Stone Ridge joined with the global community in honoring the life of the Holy Father, Pope John Paul II. On Thursday, April 7 in the Stone Ridge Chapel, there was Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament throughout the day and Benediction offered by
Rev. Javier Santaballa at 2:40 p.m. On Friday, April 8 at 9:30 a.m., an all school Mass of Resurrection was celebrated
by Rev. Msgr. Peter Vaghi in the school's gymnasium.

Dirda also read from his recently published Bound to Please, a collection of essays on great writers and their works. The evening ended with an informal book signing while guests enjoyed coffee donated by Caribou Coffee of Bethesda and cookies baked by the Fourth Academic class. Dirda’s appearance was part of Stone Ridge’s burgeoning Visiting Writers Series.

On Monday 7 February, noted political commentator, journalist, news analyst, and author Cokie Roberts '60 came to Stone Ridge to speak to the Upper School, primarily about her growing interest in women's roles in the history of America and especially how her own background has shaped and influenced this interest.

While sure that "history has always informed my coverage of politics," Roberts acknowledged that beyond the traditional repertoire of anecdotes addressing women in early America, such as Betsy Ross and the American flag, or Martha Washington at Valley Forge, we really don't know the full stories of women in history. In an attempt to change this, and perhaps fuel her own understanding of the role of women in politics and society today, Roberts began the compilation of her 2004 book Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation, exploring the lives of the women behind the men who wrote the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.

Roberts described her frustration in researching the roles of women in Colonial America, for while much of the correspondence of prominent male figures was preserved, there was little to be found from their female counterparts. The letters of Abigail and John Adams were one exception, and Roberts found that they provided not only a representation of Colonial America, but also of women's roles and responsibilities at that time, a subject not commonly broached in conventional history classes. Wanting to know about the "women who were influencing the most influential men," Roberts found that little had changed from these early times to the America of her youth, when she would look around and note that "women weren't in charge, but they were running everything."

Roberts credited Stone Ridge for not only providing "the right educational paths," but also for nurturing a strong sense of the innate rights, not only of women, but of all human beings. Reflecting on an experience when she, as a Middle School student at Stone Ridge, participated in an all-school performance of The Magic Flute, Roberts still notes in wonder that it was "such a testament that they thought we could do anything."

After returning from the Christmas break on January 4, a group of approximately thirty-five Upper School students, plus faculty and staff, broke into three committees: education, fundraising, and prayer. The environmental science class began researching the tsunami and plans to present its findings to the school. The school is hoping to raise at least $1,000 towards relief efforts and is looking for matching gifts from a company/companies. A collection area has been set up in the Upper School's assembly hall complete with a thermometer to track the fundraising effort.

As of January 12, the results of all student fundraising efforts for the victims of the tsunami are being sent primarily to Catholic Relief Services. The Middle School plans included a prayer service, an education component, and a fundraising breakfast. The Lower School held a Mass and is conducting an age-appropriate project to reach out to the children.

On January 6, the students held a morning prayer service. At the conclusion, Headmistress Anne Dyer, RSCJ announced that she would match the monies raised by students for the victims of the tsunami. The matching funds from the adult community will be sent through the Society of the Sacred Heart to its Religious Community in Indonesia. The Community is safe and located at a higher elevation in Indonesia. Stone Ridge will support their efforts in every way possible. Altogether, the Network of Sacred Heart Schools has sent over $104,000 through the Society of the Sacred Heart for the relief of tsunami victims. Here at Stone Ridge, collections between the Middle and Upper Schools, as well as within the faculty and staff, have totaled over $5,800.

Three Stone Ridge students, Jessica '05 and Olivia Bennett '06 [sisters] and Michelle Patterson '05, who raised $6,800 between December 29 and January 2 for the tsunami victims received media coverage. January 5, there was a story on Fox-5 TV during the 5:00 p.m. broadcast about their five-day Herculean effort to raise money which will go directly to the International Red Cross. There are also pieces that ran in the Kid's Post [The Washington Post] on January 6, and in the Catholic Standard on January 13.