This is an abbreviated episode.

On the River today the sun will rise at 7:34 this morning and set at 6:07 tonight.   High tide will be at 9:02 and low tide at 3:58 this afternoon,  high tide will return at 9:38 tonight.

It will be a waxing gibbous moon with a 62% illumination.

Last night volleyball was defeated in the first round of state play.  Although it was a disappointing outcome, it did not overshadow the grit and determination of the team’s season.

New to the campus are two tree swings on the river lawn.  One swing is located near the graduation stage, and the other down on the river's edge.

Today Volleyball travels to Richmond in the first round of the state playoffs. Fan Vans will join them with a 4:30 departure.

On the River today the will rise at 7:33 and set at 6:08.  High tide will be at 7:46 this morning and low tide at 2:41. High tide returns at 8:25 tonight.  It will be a first quarter moon with a 50% illumination.

American Studies is testing today.

In news

Officials in South Korea have now identified all 154 victims of this weekend's tragic crowd crush at a Halloween celebration. 55 men, 99 women were killed by the surging crowd in the narrow streets of Seoul's very popular nightlife district.

On this Halloween we share that on the river today the sun will rise at 7:32 and set at 6:10 tonight. It will be a waxing crescent moon with a 40% illumination.

In weather it will be mostly cloudy with a high of 68 degrees with seind from the south from 3 to 7 miles per hour.

In news

The midterms are one week away. On November 8th, Americans will cast their votes for representatives in Congress and candidates for state and local offices. They`re called midterm elections remember because they happen two years into a U.S. president`s four-year term. Every two years, all 435 seats in the House of Representatives is up for election, while about a third of the 100-seat Senate are up for grabs.

AP Calculus is testing today, along with A.P. U.S. History and Ancient History.

Tonight volleyball plays their last home game before heading to the state playoffs next week.

Last night we caught up with some seniors before celebrating their senior night.

We asked some players about their thoughts about their feelings before the game.

So, what did you learn from this season . . .

Some underclassmen were in the stands and we asked what senior they were cheering for in particular.

We continue our eighth installment about Viola Woolfolk who served as Saint Margaret’s headmistress from 1950 to 1984.

From the desk of Linda May Shields of the Class of 1963:

This practical goal of keeping the school affordable was not always achievable. During the 1970's when church schools were struggling, she again demonstrated through her actions what it is like to be committed to accomplishing something. The board offered Viola another contract with a salary increase, nothing dramatic, just enough to keep up with inflation. When she received it, she refused to sign it. Not because she wanted more; she wanted less. She would continue at her previous salary.

Geometry is testing today as is Algebra I.

There are no athletic competitions today.

In the news

Brittney Griner was again before a Russian court today and received no mercy. The court upholding Griner's nine year prison sentence, rejecting the NBA star's plea for leniency. She was convicted in August after Russian authorities say that they found vape canisters containing cannabis oil in her luggage at Moscow airport.

There was swift reaction from the White House after the appeal that didn't go anywhere, slamming the court proceeding as a quote, "sham," vowing the Biden administration is doing everything it can to bring her home.

In national news yesterday it was reported that alarming new details about the devastating impact the Covid-19 pandemic has had on America's children. A newly released national education assessment reveals that fourth and eighth graders fell behind in reading and had the largest decline ever in math scores.

The math scores are historic, the worst decline ever recorded, with roughly 25 percent of fourth graders and 38 percent of eighth graders performing below the basic level. The lowest of the three achievement levels for the test.

Students who were already struggling in school showed the most dramatic drop off. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona calling the results appalling and unacceptable.

This was anticipated a year ago here at St. Margaret’s as the school moved to launch a S.T.R.E.A.M. program to get students in the field and return to hands-on learning.  The school is also planning a summer program where students can fortify their math and science work to regain what was lost during the pandemic.

Latin is testing today, and Spanish is completing class presentations.

Volleyball hosts Christchurch School today at 4:30.

In our nation’s news today

Just 15 days from now Americans will cast ballots in midterm elections that are becoming more about the economy with each passing day. House and Senate control are at stake as Americans deal with higher inflation and fears of a looming recession.

On the international front:

The inner workings of the Communist Chinese party are notoriously secretive and opaque. Rarely do we get a peek behind the veil. Today was one of those historic moments.

As expected, leader Xi Jinping was named to a third term as general secretary of the party, the highest and most powerful office. And it was the six men who walked in behind him, the loyalists of the loyal, whose very presence told the world everything it needed to know about who was in charge.

The global consequences could be serious. That's why governments everywhere, especially Taiwan and its allies, watched this carefully staged event with grave interest.

As the School grew, the afternoon teas gave way to hockey practice; etiquette classes were replaced by computer lab, and lipstick was permitted. In response to the demands of the job, Viola relinquished some of the direct contact she had with the girls, which by her own admission

was the part of her job that was most satisfying. In a way, Viola had to relinquish some personal power, and that was tough. In an interview for the Washington Star in 1977, she described her influence in this way: "The girls didn't wear lipstick because I decided they shouldn't. They didn't

wear uniforms because I had to wear them as a child and I despised them.  If I were 27 now I could never come into this School because the faculty, the board, the parents, the girls are not going to take that dictatorship. I hate to say dictatorship, but it practically was."

From the desk of Linda May Shields of the Class of 1963:

The teacher graded my exam early and to my surprise and his, I tied Ellen Brooks, Class of 1964 for the highest grade in the class. I will never forget the look he gave me. His head was cocked to the side and his eyes glared at me, and he asked "what happened?" To satisfy himself, he graded it again. Nothing changed and then he accused me of receiving some help. Miss Woolfolk,

in ear shot of the last remark, came to my defense in a way no one ever has. Without becoming ruffled she reduced him to spaghetti.

We continue our sixth installment about Viola Woolfolk who served as Saint Margaret’s headmistress from 1950 to 1984.

From the desk of Linda May Shields of the Class of 1963:

Perhaps it was this sense of discipline and control that made her a wizard in math. Often I think of her almost genius-like qualities when it comes to the numbers. Faster than an adding machine she could total figures, and word problems weren't even brain teasers. My nemesis at St.

Margaret's came in geometry class. From the beginning I knew I was in trouble when the teacher referenced theorems and I thought it was a foreign language. My ignorance only grew. In his thick accent he would go over several theorems in class, and I found myself trying to comprehend

but failing miserably. He had little patience with slow students and would start rubbing the back of his head when answers were not forthcoming. Birds also bothered him and often he would throw books in the direction of the windows in an attempt to silence their songs.