List Detail
Margaret Hayes '85
Margaret Hayes, Class of 1985, began her Lasallian journey while attending Saint Patrick’s High School in North Providence. It was 1981 and she was a freshman with a love for dance and performance. Just up the street, the all-boys La Salle Academy was casting for the musical “Pippin.” Margaret’s Mom knew this was something she would enjoy and encouraged her to go.
La Salle needed girls.
Margaret had been taking dance lessons since she was four with Elaine Colaneri, a great teacher and mentor for Margaret still today. As a child, dancing was fun. She loved creating stories to songs through dance and movement. As an anxious teen, dance became a refuge and source of strength and became her passion. As an adult, it would become a superpower through which she would touch the hearts and minds of thousands of students.
But that comes later.
The “Pippin” audition was not intimidating to this high school freshman, it was exciting. Margaret nailed the audition. Little did she know that it was a life-changing opportunity.
“Pippin” marked the beginning of her career in theatre at La Salle. While a student at St. Pat’s, Margaret continued to perform at La Salle. Following her junior year, the news broke that St. Pat’s and St. Mary’s schools would be closing. La Salle would be welcoming girls that fall. Margaret became a member of the graduating class of 1985, La Salle’s first co-ed class.
While senior year brought change and uncertainty, Margaret seized on the opportunities that fell her way. Because dance was not offered at La Salle, Margaret was allowed to teach a section of it as part of her physical education class. It was Mike Scanlan, a teacher at St. Mary’s who had come to La Salle as an administrator, who suggested Margaret teach dance. To Margaret, Scanlan’s suggestion was a telling lesson about empowering students.
“He believed in me and saw something in me as a student,” said Margaret. “He gave me the confidence to teach.”
After graduating, Margaret was asked to choreograph several musicals and to start a dance program there. Her answer to those requests was always the same. “Yes.”
Dedicating her talents to the students at La Salle was not only time well spent, but it also proved to be a springboard for her career. She was invited to join the faculty full-time in 1993 by Br. Jerome Corrigan, FSC, the school’s president, and Br. Frederick Mueller, FSC, its principal. Margaret’s Lasallian journey was well underway. Now a teacher in the arts department, Margaret began cultivating relationships with mentors like Mike Scanlan, William Connors, Brother Phillip Bergeron FSC to name a few.
Later Br. Michael McEnery succeeded Br. Jerome as President. Under Br. Michael’s leadership, La Salle flourished. Its infrastructure expanded. Its arts program reached astounding heights. Br. Michael had a special knack for helping students -- and anyone who crossed his path -- get the most out of themselves. He did that for Margaret, pointing her in directions that deepened her faith and fueled her vocation.
“Br. Michael provided us with amazing facilities and countless opportunities to grow our arts program,” said Margaret. “He encouraged me to take part in every Lasallian Formation program that was available.”
Margaret made the most of those opportunities. While serving as arts department chair for nearly two decades, Margaret was a driving force behind the first “Christmas at La Salle” in 1995. The performing arts curriculum grew. Margaret’s commitment to the larger Lasallian community grew too, fostering programs inclusive of lay faculty. She credits Br. Ed Phelan, FSC, Br. John McMahon, FSC, and Br. Dennis Lee, FSC, entrusting her to create and run a retreat for Christian Brothers and other Lasallians. In recalling the influences of the Christian Brothers, Margaret returns to Br. Frederick, noting his steady guidance and model of leadership. She remembers with gratitude that it was Br. Jerome who approved a springboard floor in Room G-18, La Salle’s first dance studio.
Margaret’s Lasallian story continues to be told. She has taken on the role of Lasallian Animator, charged with ensuring that the school maintains its Lasallian identity. And there is still the stage. Margaret continues to direct and choreograph plays and musicals for both high school and middle school performances.
She has never forgotten that superpower she discovered as a high school freshman.
“Dance and theatre are an excellent way to reach students,” said Margaret. “It can be their refuge, give them confidence and bring them pure joy too. With any kind of art if you can imagine it, you can make it happen. That is a tool to make the world a better place.”
Margaret sees the theatre as a safe place for all children, as it was for her. That place to learn life skills and experience sheer joy. She looks back at that casting call for “Pippin,” and it makes her want to dance! Margaret has truly found her “Corner of the Sky.”
Back
La Salle needed girls.
Margaret had been taking dance lessons since she was four with Elaine Colaneri, a great teacher and mentor for Margaret still today. As a child, dancing was fun. She loved creating stories to songs through dance and movement. As an anxious teen, dance became a refuge and source of strength and became her passion. As an adult, it would become a superpower through which she would touch the hearts and minds of thousands of students.
But that comes later.
The “Pippin” audition was not intimidating to this high school freshman, it was exciting. Margaret nailed the audition. Little did she know that it was a life-changing opportunity.
“Pippin” marked the beginning of her career in theatre at La Salle. While a student at St. Pat’s, Margaret continued to perform at La Salle. Following her junior year, the news broke that St. Pat’s and St. Mary’s schools would be closing. La Salle would be welcoming girls that fall. Margaret became a member of the graduating class of 1985, La Salle’s first co-ed class.
While senior year brought change and uncertainty, Margaret seized on the opportunities that fell her way. Because dance was not offered at La Salle, Margaret was allowed to teach a section of it as part of her physical education class. It was Mike Scanlan, a teacher at St. Mary’s who had come to La Salle as an administrator, who suggested Margaret teach dance. To Margaret, Scanlan’s suggestion was a telling lesson about empowering students.
“He believed in me and saw something in me as a student,” said Margaret. “He gave me the confidence to teach.”
After graduating, Margaret was asked to choreograph several musicals and to start a dance program there. Her answer to those requests was always the same. “Yes.”
Dedicating her talents to the students at La Salle was not only time well spent, but it also proved to be a springboard for her career. She was invited to join the faculty full-time in 1993 by Br. Jerome Corrigan, FSC, the school’s president, and Br. Frederick Mueller, FSC, its principal. Margaret’s Lasallian journey was well underway. Now a teacher in the arts department, Margaret began cultivating relationships with mentors like Mike Scanlan, William Connors, Brother Phillip Bergeron FSC to name a few.
Later Br. Michael McEnery succeeded Br. Jerome as President. Under Br. Michael’s leadership, La Salle flourished. Its infrastructure expanded. Its arts program reached astounding heights. Br. Michael had a special knack for helping students -- and anyone who crossed his path -- get the most out of themselves. He did that for Margaret, pointing her in directions that deepened her faith and fueled her vocation.
“Br. Michael provided us with amazing facilities and countless opportunities to grow our arts program,” said Margaret. “He encouraged me to take part in every Lasallian Formation program that was available.”
Margaret made the most of those opportunities. While serving as arts department chair for nearly two decades, Margaret was a driving force behind the first “Christmas at La Salle” in 1995. The performing arts curriculum grew. Margaret’s commitment to the larger Lasallian community grew too, fostering programs inclusive of lay faculty. She credits Br. Ed Phelan, FSC, Br. John McMahon, FSC, and Br. Dennis Lee, FSC, entrusting her to create and run a retreat for Christian Brothers and other Lasallians. In recalling the influences of the Christian Brothers, Margaret returns to Br. Frederick, noting his steady guidance and model of leadership. She remembers with gratitude that it was Br. Jerome who approved a springboard floor in Room G-18, La Salle’s first dance studio.
Margaret’s Lasallian story continues to be told. She has taken on the role of Lasallian Animator, charged with ensuring that the school maintains its Lasallian identity. And there is still the stage. Margaret continues to direct and choreograph plays and musicals for both high school and middle school performances.
She has never forgotten that superpower she discovered as a high school freshman.
“Dance and theatre are an excellent way to reach students,” said Margaret. “It can be their refuge, give them confidence and bring them pure joy too. With any kind of art if you can imagine it, you can make it happen. That is a tool to make the world a better place.”
Margaret sees the theatre as a safe place for all children, as it was for her. That place to learn life skills and experience sheer joy. She looks back at that casting call for “Pippin,” and it makes her want to dance! Margaret has truly found her “Corner of the Sky.”
La Salle Academy is a high school rich in history and grounded in the person and teachings of Jesus and the Catholic faith, which are core to the school's life and culture. The De La Salle Middle School provides a strong holistic foundation for students to transition into high school. The high school and middle school provide students of diverse ethnic, economic, and religious backgrounds, a community to foster growth in the tradition of St. John Baptist de La Salle’s ideals of faith, service, and community.
