News at St. Catherine's
Horner Named St. Catherine’s Day Honoree for the Class of 2021
Ellie Horner was celebrated during the traditional St. Catherine's Day service, held at St. Christopher's this year.
It was meant to be a secret.
But when senior Ellie Horner found out she was named the St. Catherine’s Day honoree for the Class of 2021, there was one person she had to tell — her twin sister Claire.
Horner was introduced during Wednesday's St. Catherine’s Day Service, held at St. Christopher’s. A time-honored tradition, St. Catherine’s Day celebrates the senior who, by the vote of her classmates and faculty, best represents scholarship, determination, courage, hope and faith — the ideals of Catherine of Alexandria.
“I texted Claire to meet me in the bathroom in the Bacot basement with instructions to ‘be discrete’” Horner said during her speech. “(When) I told her, she started to cry — her sobs sounded like a wounded walrus.
“And as we stood there in the bathroom, as I watched her cry, I couldn’t help thinking to myself, ‘how amazing is it that I have this person in my life, that I have this person who I spend twenty hours a day with, that I share a room with and have shared a womb with, and who cares for me, supports me, and inspires me beyond any measurable length?’ ”
And true to those words, Claire cried as her twin sister was introduced as the Class of 2021 honoree on Wednesday.
During her speech, Horner also reflected on the qualities of her classmates and the other students at St. Catherine’s, “ specifically the values of Catherine of Alexandria that you naturally display every day — hope, courage, knowledge, determination, and faith.”
From the Lower School students, Horner has learned to be positive.
“Their positive energy is nothing but contagious, and I can’t help smiling as I see them radiate happiness each day on the playground, as they greet their friends, and as they approach learning with an ecstatic eagerness,” Horner said. “I have tried to reflect this positivity, and with positivity comes hope.”
Horner said she admires the Middle School girls for their courage.
“To say the least, it is not a time most people want to relive, and because of that, I admire the middle schoolers I see every day around the Green, on the Washington patio, or exiting the Kenny Center,” she said. “Middle School is a time when you first start to find your passions, and it takes courage to try new things.”
And for her fellow Upper Schoolers, Horner admires their knowledge and determination.
“The St. Catherine’s community as a whole has taught me faith,” said Horner, who will play lacrosse at Cornell next year. “Faith in the goodness of our community. In the strength of our relationships.”
In order to adhere to COVID-19 protocols, only the seniors attended the service. Middle School and Lower School students filled their traditional roles by entering the service only for their specified timeframe. The service was live-streamed on campus for the rest of the student body, faculty and staff. Former St. Catherine’s Day honorees joined Horner for a Zoom call that same day.
St. Catherine’s Day is a tradition that has changed throughout the decades, but dates back to 1924. The revealing of the St. Catherine’s Day honoree is kept secret until the service. During the service, the School community honored the memory of alumnae, faculty and staff who have died over the past year.
Watch the entire St. Catherine's Day service
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But when senior Ellie Horner found out she was named the St. Catherine’s Day honoree for the Class of 2021, there was one person she had to tell — her twin sister Claire.
Horner was introduced during Wednesday's St. Catherine’s Day Service, held at St. Christopher’s. A time-honored tradition, St. Catherine’s Day celebrates the senior who, by the vote of her classmates and faculty, best represents scholarship, determination, courage, hope and faith — the ideals of Catherine of Alexandria.
“I texted Claire to meet me in the bathroom in the Bacot basement with instructions to ‘be discrete’” Horner said during her speech. “(When) I told her, she started to cry — her sobs sounded like a wounded walrus.
“And as we stood there in the bathroom, as I watched her cry, I couldn’t help thinking to myself, ‘how amazing is it that I have this person in my life, that I have this person who I spend twenty hours a day with, that I share a room with and have shared a womb with, and who cares for me, supports me, and inspires me beyond any measurable length?’ ”
And true to those words, Claire cried as her twin sister was introduced as the Class of 2021 honoree on Wednesday.
During her speech, Horner also reflected on the qualities of her classmates and the other students at St. Catherine’s, “ specifically the values of Catherine of Alexandria that you naturally display every day — hope, courage, knowledge, determination, and faith.”
From the Lower School students, Horner has learned to be positive.
“Their positive energy is nothing but contagious, and I can’t help smiling as I see them radiate happiness each day on the playground, as they greet their friends, and as they approach learning with an ecstatic eagerness,” Horner said. “I have tried to reflect this positivity, and with positivity comes hope.”
Horner said she admires the Middle School girls for their courage.
“To say the least, it is not a time most people want to relive, and because of that, I admire the middle schoolers I see every day around the Green, on the Washington patio, or exiting the Kenny Center,” she said. “Middle School is a time when you first start to find your passions, and it takes courage to try new things.”
And for her fellow Upper Schoolers, Horner admires their knowledge and determination.
“The St. Catherine’s community as a whole has taught me faith,” said Horner, who will play lacrosse at Cornell next year. “Faith in the goodness of our community. In the strength of our relationships.”
In order to adhere to COVID-19 protocols, only the seniors attended the service. Middle School and Lower School students filled their traditional roles by entering the service only for their specified timeframe. The service was live-streamed on campus for the rest of the student body, faculty and staff. Former St. Catherine’s Day honorees joined Horner for a Zoom call that same day.
St. Catherine’s Day is a tradition that has changed throughout the decades, but dates back to 1924. The revealing of the St. Catherine’s Day honoree is kept secret until the service. During the service, the School community honored the memory of alumnae, faculty and staff who have died over the past year.
Watch the entire St. Catherine's Day service
Located in the heart of Richmond, Virginia, St. Catherine’s School is a private, all-girls pre-K, kindergarten, elementary, middle and high school. We provide a well-rounded educational experience for girls from communities across Richmond, Chesterfield, Henrico and all of central Virginia. St.Catherine’s all-girls educational experience is rooted in more than a century of history and tradition. From our revolutionary past to our dynamic present, St. Catherine’s has always focused on preparing students for a boundless future.
