Highlander Summer 2018 by St. Margaret's Episcopal School

SUMMER 2018

The Health and Wellness Issue

Strategic Plan: Achievements & Next Steps

The Student-Athlete Experience

Meet the New Director of Equity and Inclusion

Blending Disciplines to Enhance Learning

CONT E N T S DEPARTMENTS

2 TA R TA N SNA P SH OTS Learn the latest news happening around St. Margaret’s, from Preschool to Upper School.

FE AT U R E S

13 P E R SP ECT IVE The Reverend Canon Robert Edwards, head of chaplains at St. Margaret’s, shares insight on spiritual wellness and how it is pursued at St. Margaret’s.

14 FACULT Y P R O FI LE St. Margaret’s all-school counselors Janice Avalone and Jeremy Dailey take proactive roles as stewards of students’ healthy social and emotional development and well-being.

32 A LUMNI P R O FILE Five St. Margaret’s alumnae returned to campus this spring to share their experiences as women excelling in STEM fields.

34 C L A SS NOT ES AN D ALU M NI U PDATES Learn the latest from your classmates, including travels, career changes, weddings and babies!

41 LO O KING B ACK Reflecting on the growth and success of St. Margaret’s under the leadership of outgoing Board of Trustees President Jason A. Weiss.

44 TA R TA N SCENES What’s happening in the St. Margaret’s community? Check out photos from the latest events on and off campus.

On the cover St. Margaret’s cross country team completes a training run during a preseason retreat in picturesque Big Bear.

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Health and Wellness at St. Margaret’s

18 20 22 24 27 42

Strategic Plan Update

From the school schedule to curriculum development to the physical campus, St. Margaret’s commitment to health and wellness is far-reaching and ongoing.

PTF Parent Up Speaker Series Through engaging, entertaining and informative presenters, the PTF Parent Up Speaker Series has impacted community members determined to raise successful children.

A look at the 2017-2018 achievements in the school’s Strategic Plan, and what’s planned for 2018-2019.

Meet the New Director of Equity and Inclusion Victor Cota will be working across the St. Margaret’s community to fulfill one of the school’s most important strategic initiatives.

The Tartan Student-Athlete Experience A closer look at how St. Margaret’s athletics program strives to instill a meaningful foundation from which students can lead healthy and productive lives.

Blending Disciplines to Enhance Learning Pilot units implemented across all divisions and all disciplines at St. Margaret’s introduced learning in new and relevant ways—and it’s only the beginning.

Commencement 2018 Re-live the festivities for St. Margaret’s graduating Class of 2018, as well as important milestones of the classes of 2022 and 2025.

PTF Report A closer look at how the PTF offers enrichment to the students, teachers and the families of St. Margaret's through fundraising and the support of educational, cultural, physical and spiritual needs.

GUIDEPOSTS

Message from the Head of School

SUMMER 2018 ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL Will Moseley, Head of School EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Anne Dahlem MANAGING EDITOR Ryan Wood GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Kustera COPY EDITOR Jennifer Perez

Dear Friends, When we launched our ambitious Strategic Plan two years ago, we recognized the height of our ambitions and weight of our goals. There was a lot to unpack, prioritize and do in the detailed 16 goals of the plan. In this short time, we have made tremendous progress on key elements of our plan, including cultural competency work, interdisciplinary studies, STEAM, entrepreneurship, faculty professional development and now an increased emphasis on health and wellness. Our Strategic Plan delineates the importance of nurturing our students’ individual health and wellness — mind, body and spirit — as we carry out our mission. If we do this work well, academics and our students’ many co-curricular pursuits converge to support a balanced, rewarding life of good health and wellness. I often say: How we spend our time demonstrates our values better than anything else. Over the past year, we have prioritized analyzing and supporting the health and wellness of our students across the school from all angles and intersections. This issue of the Highlander Magazine spotlights these initiatives and further details St. Margaret’s dedication to this work. In the cover story, learn the intricacies of the new school schedule that puts student wellness at the forefront of how we spend our time together, and about the work of our newly formed Health and Wellness Leadership Team. Meet our school counselors and learn about their many programs across the school that nurture student well-being. Learn how Victor Cota, new director of equity and inclusion, is fostering a more inclusive school community where every student feels welcome, valued and loved — foundational to healthy child development. Hear from Father Robert Edwards about finding inner peace and wellness, and learn more about the student-athlete experience and the PTF’s role in supporting parent partnership and education through the Parent Up Speaker Series. We will continue to talk about the impact and benefits of our health and wellness initiatives, from nutrition to mental health, in the coming weeks and year ahead. These are some of the most exciting advancements of all the inspiring and innovative things happening at St. Margaret’s, and we are eager to continue engaging in this work with you.

EDITORIAL BOARD Jeannine Clarke, Anne Dahlem, Ryan Dahlem, Jeneen Graham, Will Moseley, Ryan Wood CONTRIBUTORS Beth Adamany, Janice Avalone, Patrick Bendzick, Victor Cota, Anne Dahlem, Ryan Dahlem, Jeremy Dailey, Robert Edwards, Marina Goffredo, Jeneen Graham, Jillian Gray, Annalee Gunderson, Ali Monge, Will Moseley, Jennifer Ross-Viola, Jonathan Tufo, Ryan Wood Highlander Magazine is published biannually by the Communications Office as a St. Margaret’s Episcopal School community magazine. St. Margaret’s publishes responsibly. Highlander Magazine is printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper, using soy-based inks, made from renewable resources such as natural pigments and vegetable oils. St. Margaret's Episcopal School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, sexual orientation or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational, admission, financial aid, hiring and athletic policies or in other schooladministered programs.

ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL 31641 La Novia San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 949.661.0108 www.smes.org

Wishing you a happy and healthy new school year,

Will Moseley Head of School HIGHLANDER

Tartan Snapshots Girls in STEM Symposium Educates and Excites Tartans Interested in STEM Opportunities More than 100 members of the St. Margaret’s community attended the second annual Girls in STEM Symposium, a night of inspiration, information and celebration of the limitless possibilities for girls in science, technology, engineering and math. The night featured presentations by graduate-level researchers from the University of California, Irvine, tips and information on STEM options at the college level, a workshop for younger Tartans led by St. Margaret’s Upper School STEM Club, and panels of St. Margaret’s alumnae and parents sharing their insights on STEM fields.

LITERACY DAY SHOE DRIVE BRINGS SCHOOL TOGETHER FOR SERVICE With the theme of empathy and “walking a mile in someone’s shoes,” the children’s book Those Shoes served as the inspiration for a school-wide shoe drive to help those in need in Orange County. The donation of hundreds of pairs of shoes to Family Assistance Ministries was the culmination of St. Margaret’s eighth annual Literacy Day, which celebrates reading, writing, speaking and listening.

Read more about the Girls in STEM Symposium and the Tartan alumnae panel that participated on page 32.

ST. MARGARET ’S HAS STRONG PRESENCE AT PEOPLE OF COLOR CONFERENCE St. Margaret’s had a notable presence at the National Association of Independent Schools People of Color Conference in Anaheim. The conference, with a mission of examining and advancing educational issues through the lens of people of color and their experiences, drew more than 6,000 educators, including 20 from St. Margaret’s. Middle School teachers Veronica JohnsRichardson and Kevin Estipular hosted a workshop presenting quick and actionable solutions to promote cultural competency in the classroom, which received high praise from attendees.

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

TARTANS WIN EIGHT NATIONAL MEDALS IN SCHOLASTIC ART & WRITING AWARDS St. Margaret’s students were honored at the national level for their works in writing and visual arts, collectively winning eight national medals in the prestigious Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Among the Tartan winners were Nadia Farjami and Kinsale Hueston, who each received gold medals in poetry. The national medalists represent less than 1 percent of the 350,000 works submitted.

ST. MARGARET ’S INDUCTS 21 INTO PRESTIGIOUS CUM LAUDE SOCIETY

Grade 8 Entrepreneurs Pitch Business Ideas in the Tartan Tank

St. Margaret’s inducted 11 seniors, eight juniors and two faculty members into the prestigious Cum Laude Society during a celebratory ceremony. St. Margaret’s is one of just 382 chapters of the Cum Laude Society around the world and the only chapter in Orange County. More than 300 St. Margaret’s students have been inducted since 1986. To see the complete list of Cum Laude Society inductees, visit www.smes.org/cumlaude

Thirteen Middle School students pitched their ideas to a panel of judges during an inspiring “Tartan Tank Demo Night” in McGregor Family Theater — the exciting conclusion to a grade 8 science program started by teacher Eric Harrington that builds entrepreneurial skills and encourages the creation of problem-solving ideas through the engineering design thinking process. SwipeRescue, a project by Maddie Milo, Mary Smith and Sasha Kuljis that makes rescue-pet adoption more efficient, was the grand-prize winner. SwipeRescue joined three other projects in receiving invitations to the Wayfinder Incubator at the University of California, Irvine, to further develop their ideas.

GRADE 4 STUDENTS ATTEMPT TO BUILD MINIATURE ‘UNSINKABLE’ SHIP St. Margaret’s grade 4 students put their month-long design challenge to the ultimate test, building a “mini-Titanic” ship out of foil, clay and toothpicks that can float in water and take on weight without sinking. The testing was the culmination of an extensive process that included drawing potential hull designs, assembling the ship according to plan, and then testing and re-testing prototypes to find a design that can bear significant weight and keep its center of buoyancy. The STEAM unit was tied into a study of the infamous 1912 sinking of the RMS Titanic and the engineering problems that doomed that ship.

PRESCHOOL TARTANS VISIT UPPER SCHOOL TO LEARN POETRY St. Margaret’s Preschool students visited the Upper School to learn about poetry and create poems with help from English IV students. The Preschool students picked the topics, then worked with the older Tartans to construct poems with rhyming elements. “We love getting divisions together for service and learning experiences,” Upper School English teacher Meredith Schumacher said. “This was a great way for some of our younger students to learn more about poetry from the ‘big kids’ who were serving as writing mentors.” HIGHLANDER

Tartan Snapshots

STUDENTS HONOR VETERANS FOR EXTENSIVE GRADE 8 HISTORY PROJECT

SENIORS EXPERIENCE INDEPENDENCE AND THE WORKING WORLD THROUGH ISPS

During a celebration at St. Margaret’s, more than 20 United States veterans were honored and thanked for their service to the country and their participation in an extensive unit in grade 8 U.S. history. Students had interviewed the veterans and documented the stories they shared, then put together a meaningful gift based on insights from the interviews, which were presented along with the transcript.

Seniors participated in an experiential-based Independent Senior Project in the weeks before graduation, a program designed to give seniors an opportunity to apply their St. Margaret’s experience to the outside world.

The gifts were presented during a ceremony that also featured a speech by St. Margaret’s staff member and Marine Corps veteran Tony Hager.

The ISPs included service opportunities, creative projects and internships with small businesses and larger corporations. In addition, 10 Tartans spent six days in Jennie Lakes Wilderness in Sequoia National Forest in a backpacking adventure that built teamwork, risk management and leadership skills.

Tartans Learn Entrepreneurial Skills in New Upper School Course Upper School students dived into the world of entrepreneurship this spring, learning relevant skills and immersing in problem-solving experiential learning in a new entrepreneurial studies elective. As part of the curriculum, the class took part in two experiential case studies with local businesses, proposing solutions for the energy bar manufacturer Rise Bar, founded by alumnus Pete Spenuzza ’00, and virtual-reality software company EON Reality. The students finished the semester pursuing start-up ideas and pitching them to investors.

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

GRADE 7 DEBATES SOLUTIONS TO THE GENDER WAGE GAP The gender wage gap in the United States was the topic of a lively debate among eight Middle School students, who weighed the issue and potential solutions. The final debate was the capstone activity for a comprehensive research unit in grade 7 English, during which students learn research, non-fiction reading strategies, writing and public-speaking skills.

Athletics

THE ARTS

ST. MARGARET ’S WELCOMES ARTIST-INRESIDENCE JESSE COLIN JACKSON The visual arts department welcomed Jesse Colin Jackson for a week of creation and education as Artist-in-Residence, turning the Johnson Wallis Visual Arts Center into a fun and interactive hub for creative construction. Mr. Jackson is an assistant professor of art at the University of California, Irvine, and brought his interactive project “Marching Cubes,” consisting of hundreds of 3D-printed magnetic shapes that allow for endless creative possibilities. “We wanted to give students the opportunity to see an artist at work,” St. Margaret’s Visual Arts Chair Jesse Standlea said. “Mr. Jackson’s artistic process is different from what we traditionally envision an artist having. He often did not know how his work was going to turn out when he started it. I thought it was incredibly insightful for our students to see how his creations developed throughout the week.”

GIRLS LACROSSE WINS SOUTHERN SECTION CHAMPIONSHIP St. Margaret’s girls lacrosse team won the U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section championship for the first time since 2008, beating Redondo Union 17-6 in the championship game to cap an 18-1 season. Cailin Young was named an All-American and Orange County Player of the Year, while coach Holly Reilly was named Orange County Coach of the Year.

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS BLAKE STEVENSON RECOGNIZED BY CAPPIES, OC VARSITY ARTS The Orange County CAPPIES critics honored Blake Stevenson as “Best Comic Actor in a Musical” for his performance in the Upper School spring musical The Drowsy Chaperone. Blake was honored at a ceremony in May at The Grove in Anaheim. Blake was also recognized as the classical voice artist of the year by OC Varsity Arts, qualifying him as a finalist in the vocal music category. He joined fellow Tartan Roger Penske, who was named a finalist in the 3D visual arts category by OC Varsity Arts.

To read more St. Margaret’s news, visit Tartan Today online at W W W. S M E S . O R G / TA R TA N T O DAY

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Boys lacrosse won the U.S. Lacrosse Orange County championship over Foothill in a thrilling 12-11 doubleovertime victory. The Tartans finished the season 19-3.

• Emily Sun was the CIF Division IV champion in the high jump, with a winning leap of 5 feet 3 inches. •

Both girls soccer and boys volleyball advanced to the CIF-Southern Section semifinals to cap successful seasons. Girls soccer finished with a 20-6 record, while boys volleyball finished 20-3.

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St. Margaret’s boys track and field team was named the 2017-2018 CIF Southern SectionFORD Academic Award Team Champion with a cumulative 3.775 grade-point average.

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St. Margaret’s had 17 students in the class of 2018 commit to play intercollegiate athletics. Learn more on page 23.

HIGHLANDER

NURTURING Healthy LIVES A STRATEGIC ENDEAVOR BY ANNE DAHLEM & RYAN WOOD

S T. M A R G A R E T â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

s St. Margaret’s continues to evolve its educational program, creating new ways to foster the health and wellness of students is one of its top strategic priorities. On campus, St. Margaret’s has engaged in a growing national conversation among educators, pediatricians, psychologists and parents around healthy development of young children and adolescents and the connections to social and emotional well-being and academic performance. The school pays close attention to compelling research in a number of relevant areas — academic, co-curricular and social demands; technology and media use; scientific understanding of the brain; and physical development, with important factors such as sleep, nutrition and fitness.

As they looked out to the future of St. Margaret’s educational program, school leaders asked themselves what is the evolving role of the school in partnering with students and parents in their personal health and wellness? Their answer: When school or school-related activities comprise the majority of a young person’s daily life, the school has an important responsibility and unique opportunity across its educational offerings to help shape and model healthy living for its students — mind, body and spirit — as a part of its mission.

S TA R T I N G W I T H R O U T I N E When you think of the best place to begin new health and wellness efforts, the school schedule might not immediately come to mind. After all, isn’t this the more routine details to a complex and vibrant educational program: What time does class start? When and where do I have to be? When is lunch? When are the holidays and the breaks? While you might not consider it a vital part of a child’s health, in reality the school schedule rules. This was apparent to the Strategic Plan goal team focused on student health and wellness programs. In fact, they deemed the school schedule a major factor and exciting opportunity in student well-being, and recommended it be the first priority.

HIGHLANDER

The schedule touches every member of the St. Margaret’s community on a daily – and for many, hourly – basis. It dictates when you should awake in the morning, when you have breaks, where you have to be and for how long, when you can eat, connect with friends or exercise, how much time you need to dedicate to homework and studying, family mealtimes, even when you lay your head down on your pillow each night.

School students and found that they were averaging less than 6.5 hours of sleep on school nights, falling well short of the recommended minimum of eight to 10 hours a night critical to brain development in children. While the later start time grabbed the spotlight among students and families when it was first announced last December, it is not the only feature that will have a direct impact on student sleep. Confining classes to only four or five per day, down from a maximum of seven previously, limits the amount of nightly homework and prep time for the next school day.

This is the perspective St. Margaret’s had when it decided to take a deeper look to optimize and eventually overhaul the school schedule, with an emphasis on rest, balance, nutrition, fitness and emotional and spiritual well-being. Planning a new schedule was not a simple task. A shift of this magnitude required incredible planning, coordination and consensus among all constituencies of the school.

The majority of students surveyed said that the current weekly schedule did not support their overall health and wellness. Administrators aimed to reduce daily stress and priorities, another serious concern in the lives of college-bound students today. As a result, a focus on balance and personal nourishment, including nutrition, also guided the new schedule, which allocates more downtime in the day. There is a morning break to grab a snack and connect with friends, twice as much Upper School advisory time, and a consistent lunch period for all students that occurs at the same time each day.

“How we allocate time in the school day indicates what we value, and we identified important daily priorities that we needed our schedule to better support. Our new schedule demonstrates our community-wide commitment to student health and wellness and intentionally nurtures optimal child and adolescent development and learning,” Head of School Will Moseley said. “We gathered valuable research and took many months to plan with multiple perspectives and, at times, competing factors. Ultimately, we stayed focused on what is best for our students’ academics and well-being so they can be successful, happy and can thrive. We held at bay any preconceived ideas about what we must do or could not change. The result is an elegant, thoughtful schedule that meets student needs across a broad spectrum and supports our complex and innovative academic program.” Adolescent sleep, or lack thereof, was the tipping-point information that compelled St. Margaret’s to upend the schedule and move the school start time 30 minutes later for all students. Leading national experts, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics, called on schools to move school start times later to accommodate later teen sleep cycles and lessen chronic sleep debt. St. Margaret’s also conducted research with its own Upper

"We were determined to provide a predictable and consistent schedule, with less daily commitments, so the cadence of their days is more focused, sustainable and enjoyable.” “One request we heard repeatedly from students and faculty was improved consistency to the daily and weekly schedule. Previously, block lengths and meeting times changed daily, including lunch,” said Ryan Dahlem, assistant head of school for strategic initiatives, who is leading the project as a S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L priority of the school’s Strategic Plan. “Students asked for a balanced day that provided them reliability in flow and regular times for breaks and lunch.

U P P E R S C HO OL S C H E DU L E

CRIMSON WEEK MON

TUE

WED

THU

BLUE WEEK FRI

TUE WED THU FRI MON TUE WED School Schedule Before & After*

MON

Faculty Collab/Prep

7:30 - 8:10

Faculty Collab/Prep

8:15 - 9:15

9:20 - 10:20

Daily G morning D faculty A collaboration F D and A professional development time Break

Break

Activity/

Advisory

Tutorial

Chapel

Activity/ Class Meeting

Convo

Advisory

11:20 - 12:20

Chapel Tutorial Consistent classClass lengthsConvo and Advisory reduction Meeting Service inLearning/ class-to-class transitions will Innovation quality and productivity of improve E learning B G E B teaching and

Lunch Consistent daily schedule with classLunch time, community time, additional breaks and A at same F time C eachAday F C lunch

Lunch

1:05 - 2:05

2:10 - 3:10

Tutorial

FRI

Chapel

Activity/ Class Meeting

Break

Convo

*One-week sample of the Upper School three-week rotating schedule

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

10:35 - 11:15

12:20 - 1:00

THU

Faculty Collab/Prep

Start time 30 minutes later in the morning F C G E C

10:20 - 10:35

PLAID WEEK

Classes Upper SchoolD Tutorial B for B Tutorial Dand Middle students reduced to 4 or 5 per day

It helped us better understand the pressure they were often feeling on a daily basis. We were determined to provide a predictable and consistent schedule, with less daily commitments, so the cadence of their days is more focused, sustainable and enjoyable.” St. Margaret’s worked with an Independent School Management scheduling consultant who helped create weekly consistency, meet required class teaching time and preserve, and in some cases extend, important community time including Chapel services, class meetings, convocation and advisory. A morning tutorial time was added for students to connect with teachers earlier in the day as they requested, and afternoon tutorials now align with athletics dismissal dates and times. In accord with an increased focus on service learning, the new schedule features time in the school day, through a new Service Learning/Innovation block for Upper School students to complete their service learning graduation requirement—which historically has been done outside of school hours. Over the course of four years, this shift re-claims more than a week’s worth of personal time for a busy Upper School student. The new block further provides time in the school day for new student programs called for in the Strategic Plan, including mindfulness, personal goal setting, life skills, health and wellness and entrepreneurship. Administrators also looked at the flow of the yearly school calendar. They safeguarded and prioritized longstanding practices, including no school events on Sunday, finishing the first semester before Christmas break, rally points including Spirit Week and Literacy Day, and school breaks throughout the academic year that provide exciting celebratory moments and important downtime to relax and recharge. The new schedule is an innovative, all-school endeavor supporting the health and wellness of students. It lays a solid foundation to implement and accommodate other new health and wellness programs in the school day and year. Importantly, this institutional change elevates the emphasis of this work across our community.

M I N D - B O DY C O N N EC T I O N St. Margaret’s believes that a student’s physical, social and emotional development is as important as her or his academic growth, and recognizes the powerful way they all support one another. Through required courses and broad offerings in health and human development, physical education and interscholastic athletics, St. Margaret’s fosters the physical, emotional and personal growth of students and establishes habits for lifelong fitness. St. Margaret’s physical education is an important part of the student program that begins in Preschool with a focus on gross motor development and an abundance of outdoor playtime and connection with nature. Lower School students engage in physical education three times a week and build fundamental fitness knowledge and athletics skills. Middle School physical education courses allow students to choose from 12 sports offered during the school day, and compete in a private school league with a focus on development in the sport and overall fitness and training habits. Upper School students come together to comprise 41 varsity and junior varsity teams that include strength and conditioning and personalized training plans for each athlete. More than 80 percent of Upper School students fulfill their physical education requirements by participating on a Tartan Athletics team. Physical education, aerobic and anaerobic activities, and playing sports nurture important skills and character traits of teamwork, resilience, HIGHLANDER

Intentional Spaces Across Campus Nurture Well-Being and Quality of Life

any say, “Wow,” the first time they walk through the Gateway Arch and see the sprawling beautiful greenspace preserved at the center of campus. In his talk at St. Margaret’s last year, University of California, Irvine psychologist and researcher Paul Piff spoke about the powerful science of awe and connections to wellness, positive behavior and outlook that can be inspired by nature, sacred and outdoor spaces, as well as landscapes, art and architecture. University of California, Berkeley research says that even “momentary experiences of awe stimulate wonder and curiosity.” Sitting on 22 acres, St. Margaret’s campus is a meticulously planned and beloved home where Tartans learn and grow. A closer look across campus reveals an additional, albeit silent, contributor to the quality of life and well-being of students through the thoughtful design of interior and outdoor spaces. Some are grand and obvious, some are subtle touches, yet all are intentionally designed by the school’s academic leaders, space planners and architects. The multipurpose Highlands Quad and Chalmers Field juxtaposed against the majestic campus buildings support athletics, recreation, personal connection, intimate and large gatherings and much-needed awe-like inspiration as students and adults go about their day. The Fountain Courtyard adjacent to the Chapel provides a quiet, reflective space on campus for students and adults with a meditative labyrinth, prayer garden and the calming sounds of running water from two fountains. The Chapel is a central sacred space and haven that is always open to students and members of the St. Margaret’s community for respite. The rock garden and fountain adjacent to the Performing Arts Center provide a beautiful, calm space on campus, as well. A study by environmental psychologist Louise Chawla found that frequent contact with nature is associated with reduced symptoms of attention-deficit disorder, lower rates of depression and increased memory, along with introducing children to new sights and sounds that broaden their perspective. Outdoor spaces that incorporate natural elements are intentional and growing throughout campus. Taking advantage of the beautiful Southern California climate, there

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

Continued from page 9

are outdoor classrooms and gathering spaces in every division of campus, most notably the acclaimed Ingrid S. Andrews Outdoor Classroom in the Early Childhood Education Center. This hub of creative, hands-on learning and nature immersion with a student garden for Preschool students is an oft-studied model by many California school leaders and recently inspired the new Lower School Outdoor Classroom, which opened in August. When the Middle School campus was built, lockers were nixed in favor of classrooms with wall-to-wall windows, allowing an abundance of natural light into the classrooms. Outside, the Nolet Family Amphitheater serves as a large and small gathering place between classes, incorporating natural materials as well as the favored ping-pong tables for student downtime and fun. Interior spaces also offer places for students to study and tinker collaboratively or individually. There are maker spaces for technology exploration and creation, private practice rooms in the Performing Arts Center for music expression, open studio space in the Visual Arts Center and comfortable group and private study spaces and reading nooks in the Library. Classrooms in every division are designed for the unique students they serve, with desks and chairs that fit the students and the specific learning happening in the classroom. Flexible, comfortable furnishings serve students through inviting design and customizable functionality. St. Margaret’s is continually upgrading classroom technology tools maximizing learning, display capabilities, interactivity, connectivity and collaboration among students and teachers. In many ways, the Upper School campus – with central outdoor student gathering spaces with trees, umbrellas and benches positioned adjacent to open and bright classrooms – has served as the model for campus facilities that have followed. Over the last two years, the Upper School has undergone several renovation phases to continue to improve the classroom and common-space experience for students with technology upgrades and modern furnishings for students. A student Community Life Commons opened last year adjacent to the Tartan Courtyard and the student Tartan Center multipurpose space. This summer, a new science lab was added, and all science labs were reconfigured to modernize and better support specific course teaching and learning. A new quiet study lab also opened on the Upper School campus this school year. “As we move St. Margaret’s forward and advance important elements of our Strategic Plan, the physical campus is an important partner. We thoughtfully design every new facility and reimagine existing environments to support optimal learning, creativity, healthy lifestyle, student comfort and well-being. We want our students to be inspired and nurtured by the spaces they spend their time in and that the spaces befit the important work they are doing—growing and learning,” Head of School Will Moseley said.

integrity, persistence, respect and emotional intelligence. Importantly, research consistently shows that physical activity has both short- and long-term positive effects on brain development and has been proven to improve memory, focus and cognitive function, according to the University of Michigan. Exercise has psychological benefits as well. According to Harvard University Medical School, it burns stress chemicals, like adrenaline and cortisol, and stimulates the production of endorphins. The result calms the body, reduces stress and anxiety, regulates mood and wards off depression. It also increases energy, improves healthy sleep habits, and builds self-esteem and confidence. St. Margaret’s also supports the indisputable tie between quality nutrition and a healthy and happy student. Research published in the Journal of School Health links childhood nutrition to all aspects of childhood and adolescent development and overall academic performance. Conversely, a University of Michigan study shows a student’s academic performance may positively influence future health. “We know there’s a direct correlation between nutrition and performance among students, academically, physically, and socially and emotionally,” AllSchool Counselor Janice Avalone said. “Anecdotally, we see students visit the Health Center with headaches, fatigue or problems focusing. We often find that the underlying problem is that they are simply hungry, and after a healthy snack, they are re-energized and able to return to class. “We strive to partner with parents and students in nutrition efforts, and provide more opportunities for healthy food options, including snacks on campus,” Dr. Avalone said. Currently, the school partners with the PTF leadership to ensure healthy and delicious food choices that appeal to students and match dietary needs, including salads, vegetables, vegetarian and gluten-free offerings through the Hot Lunch program. Hot Lunch has increased partnerships with highquality local meal vendors that provide fresh, wholesome choices like Sapphire in Schools, Panera and Baja Fresh.

Last year, the school added healthy snack vending machines on campus that provide fresher foods with fewer preservatives and less processing, and piloted morning snack options for Upper School students. Today, nutrition education is taught through the health curriculum, athletics training, guest speakers and programs like the annual Health and Wellness Expo organized by the all-school counselors with outside experts and healthy food organizations. “We believe in the vital importance of the mind-body-spirit connection, and we strive to nurture strong nutritional habits and to offer healthy food choices and education across our programs, boosting our students’ overall potential and well-being. We are very eager and energized, especially with the focus in our Strategic Plan, to keep evolving and growing these programs,” Dr. Avalone said. >> To read more about St. Margaret’s social, emotional and mental health programs, see the article about Dr. Avalone and the school counseling program on page 14.

HIGHLANDER

N E W H E A LT H A N D WELLNESS LE ADERSHIP TEAM Faculty and staff members who are responsible for health and wellness efforts across the school came together in May for a health and wellness summit to collaborate on their efforts. The newly formed team is led by Director of Athletics and Physical Education Patrick Bendzick and includes representation from the school nurses, all-school counselors, chaplains, division directors of community life, physical education teachers and coaches and other school leaders. “St. Margaret’s has two registered nurses, two all-school counselors, four chaplains, an athletics trainer, learning specialists and an excellent coaching and teaching staff. We have tremendous expertise, second to none, and substantial programs going on across the school,” Mr. Bendzick said. “We are supporting individual student medical backgrounds and needs, their physical education, nutrition, mental and spiritual health, and we recognize that these efforts are intertwined and go hand-in-hand. Our goal is to ensure we are working together across the school, sharing information and identifying and maximizing overlaps and connecting points in our programs to best support our students.” The summit began with the group brainstorming ways to connect and advance current programs and develop a collective vision for the future. They shared ideas on sticky notes that they stuck to a large poster board. Then, they started looking for links and potential opportunities. By the end, the large poster board was filled, and lines resembling a spider web linked departments and programs with students meaningfully positioned at the center of the board. The discussion ranged from the design of campus facilities, such as the Health Center and the Garden, to curriculum in health and wellness,

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spirituality and physical education classes, to supporting student social and emotional health, and the recently implemented Magnus Health platform. “Our first step is to analyze programs and offerings and how we educate our students and support their health and wellness. We are prioritizing new ways to track data, coordinate efforts and expertise, and tap relevant, current research to develop an interconnected school-wide health and wellness plan and revamped curriculum,” Mr. Bendzick said. The group will complete the plan in the fall of 2018 and begin piloting new programs in the spring of 2019. "We are focused on the whole picture of their wellness and how it all comes together," Mr. Bendzick said. "Combining our efforts and working together will only strengthen our programs and deepen the impact to our students.”

“The Board of Trustees identified the health and wellness of our students, and their changing needs, as an important area and opportunity for us to keep growing,” Mr. Dahlem said. “Today, St. Margaret’s has tremendous resources dedicated to the health and wellness of our students and an increased focus on the importance of this work within our student program. Our goal is to bring synergy to these efforts across the school, and we are well poised in enthusiasm, commitment and expertise to advance this high priority of our Strategic Plan.” The impact of the new school schedule and the new health and wellness pilots will be closely monitored in the months and years ahead. Student health and wellness is at the forefront of St. Margaret’s priorities. It is a goal that will never be complete but rather always ongoing as St. Margaret’s continues to love and care for each and every student. “As we guide and nurture our students, we recognize the importance of not just their intellectual growth, but also their spiritual, physical, social and emotional growth,” Mr. Moseley said. “I am proud of the work we are doing to prioritize our students’ overall well-being. This fits right into our mission. We strive to develop happy, healthy thriving children who will leave St. Margaret’s as adults ready to care for themselves and share their interests, skills and passions with the world.”

Perspective

Finding Peace and Wellness Within "Knowing that we can be loved exactly as we are gives us all the best opportunity for growing into the healthiest of people.” — Fred Rogers “For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” — Romans 8:37-39

ll spirituality and therefore wellness, no matter the tradition, religion or practice, always operates on an “inside/out” model.

Contrary to what we see, hear and experience from numerous sources, there is no legitimate teaching or theory that contends that true wellness can be attained by garnering something from outside of us. As Paul reminds us in the Romans passage, we have been granted God’s absolute, pre-existing, unconditional love. There is nothing we can do to earn it, or, for that matter, to even become separated from it. It just is. The key to wellness, then, is to discover how to access this love from within. The reason I say discover is that each person must seek it for themselves. It cannot be given to us, nor can it be intellectually taught to us. What we can do is become conscious of it. When we are truly conscious of God’s unconditional and ever-abiding presence within us, we experience a peace, to quote Paul again, that “passes all understanding.” Our entire spiritual operating system experiences what Judaism calls “Shalom,” or a complete peace—a feeling of contentment, completeness, wholeness, wellbeing and perfect harmony. One of the important parts of becoming conscious of this deep, innate experience of peace and wellness within us is to comprehend more fully that our minds have developed a habit of believing we must do something more than become conscious of it. Our ego or “false self” continually rejects the notion that within us lies an untapped reservoir of innate wellness and completeness. If our ego were to acknowledge this truth, it would eliminate the reason for the existence of the ego in the first

BY THE REVEREND CANON ROBERT EDWARDS, RECTOR OF ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

place. This is why Jesus states, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Zen Buddhism uses similar language in saying we need to access our beginner’s mind: “In the beginner’s mind there are many possibilities, but in the expert’s there are few.” Our ability to experience such peace does not stem from our intelligence or our emotional sensitivity; rather, the experience of wellness within us is a gift in and of itself. The key is positioning ourselves to experience it. If we were to hang around a bus station, we would eventually find a bus, or perhaps more appropriately, a bus would find us.

The same is true for this wellness within us. When we practice the art of quieting down from within, God’s presence or wellness will find us. The list of things preventing us from experiencing this sense of wellness within us is long. They may begin with flat-out resistance, apathy, forgetfulness (sometimes called spiritual amnesia), dwelling on the past, harboring feelings of resentment or holding onto expectations. The most important thing to understand is that right now in this present moment there is a vast ground of sacred wellness abiding within us, and we are either cognizant of it or we aren’t. In Colossians 3:15, Paul writes, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts.” The key word to this passage is the word “let,” sometimes translated “allow.” Notice that the passage does not say “generate”? We don’t create the peace that Paul is referring to. In fact, we have absolutely no control over it because it isn’t ours to own. Instead,

we “acknowledge” or “allow” it to expand or rule in our hearts. Everyone has experienced moments of deep inner peace. These experiences are more common than we think; however, they are often attributed to the wrong sources or events. It is important to understand that these experiences don't occur because a person or event caused them. Inner peace is never dependent upon what is happening on the exterior of our lives. It always springs from within. Paul echoes this concept when he writes, “I have learned the secret to be at peace in all things.” He purposely doesn't say “about all things.” Inner peace is something that transcends all that we know and experience. All of us have been granted this amazing capacity to experience peace in all and every situation including utter and absolute chaos. This notion goes against the grain of our everyday logic. Hence, we rely on the writings and experiences of those who have gone before to enlighten us. It is safe to say that a good portion of the scriptures were not written to convert people. For instance, Paul’s epistles, which are the first written documents in the New Testament, were written for people and communities that were already formed. These communities had already felt some kind of inner spiritual experience, and they sought validation of these experiences and instruction on how to comprehend them more deeply. The formula is simple: The experience came first, and the practice followed. Spirituality at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School utilizes the same model. Whether it be Chapel, the Good Shepherd program, the Fountain Courtyard Labyrinth, the St. Francis reflection area or the votive candles, the basis for these practices and the reason we have set aside sacred spaces is we believe all people are God’s children, and each of us has a pre-existing relationship with the Creator. Each one of us is loved unconditionally by God, and as we seek to comprehend this love, these practices and spaces offer us the opportunity to become more aware of God’s abiding presence that is already occurring inside of us. When we do so, to quote Fred Rogers, “We give ourselves the best opportunity to be the healthiest of people." HIGHLANDER

PROMOTING

Personal Growth All-school counselors Janice Avalone and Jeremy Dailey are trusted members of the community who oversee programs and initiatives that advocate for the health and wellness of all Tartans. By Ryan Wood

t. Margaret’s commitment to health and wellness as integral parts of the academic and overall success of students manifests itself in the warm and welcoming offices of all-school counselors Janice Avalone and Jeremy Dailey.

There, they take on proactive roles as stewards of students’ healthy social and emotional development and well-being. They are well-known and prominent faces throughout the school and longtime members of the school community. They are both educated with advanced clinical psychology degrees and experts at providing professional, trained and confidential assistance for students or families. Dr. Avalone and Mr. Dailey nurture the mental wellness of students through a number of outreach programs that provide regular touchpoints to every division on campus, both counselor-led and student-driven. They include peer counselors, friendship circles, parent talks and campus-wide events focused on topics like nutrition. “There is nothing more important, more precious, than the well-being of our students, and that especially includes their social and emotional health. We strive to provide a thoughtful support system through our two, full-time school counselors and the programs they administer that reach and are accessible to all our students and families. The School Counseling Office is an integral and intentional aspect of the student experience,” Head of School Will Moseley said. “Dr. Avalone and Mr. Dailey are trusted and

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known points of contact for the entire community, providing students, families and employees with support, guidance and even just a loving, comforting ear whenever needed.” The counselors will meet privately with students and families at their request or at the suggestion of parents or a teacher. They are there to help students navigate their studies, busy schedules and challenges in their lives, academic, social or emotional. The door is always open. “We like to see students focus on who they are becoming, not just what they are becoming,” Mr. Dailey said. “A big piece we really want our students to think about is who they want to be, so they can become what they want to be. If you have a good sense of your identity, how to serve others and how to be in relationships with others, and how to work hard in the process, everything else is going to fall into place.” Yet Dr. Avalone and Mr. Dailey also recognize that nurturing the health and wellness of students necessitates more than just an open-door policy. It requires a proactive approach. Using their expertise and experience, they have developed a number of programs on campus that educate and nurture the physical and mental health of the Tartan community throughout the year. One of the most well-known is St. Margaret’s peer counselor program. It involves the careful selection of Upper School students to serve as one-on-one mentors to younger Tartans in the Preschool, Lower School or Middle School. The older students are trained by professionals to serve as active listeners capable of navigating

Faculty Profile

Dr. Avalone’s 5 Healthy Habits of Happy Children 1. HEALTHY EATING: Studies indicate that diet during early life is linked to mental health outcomes. 2. RECOMMENDED SLEEP: Ideally more than 8 hours a night for teenagers and more than 9 hours a night for pre-teens. 3. LESS SCREEN TIME, MORE OUTDOOR PLAY TIME: The American Academy of Pediatrics has recommendations including no screens during meals or an hour before bedtime. 4. A GROWTH MINDSET: Defined as a set of beliefs that help learners connect success with hard work and perseverance. 5. FOSTER INDEPENDENCE: This includes teaching responsibility, demanding accountability and encouraging exploration.

different topics their younger pals may be interested in sharing when they meet once a week. Younger pals are initially identified by a teacher or parent, but often volunteer to stay in the program for several years. The program is designed to provide a more positive, healthy and safe school climate. While oneon-one settings are the bedrock of the program, peer counselors also meet with preschool and kindergarten classes, as well as grade 7 and grade 9 advisories. Dr. Avalone and Mr. Dailey see a huge benefit for the younger Tartans to have an older student there for support and a friendship that can last for years. Yet they also see how the time spent as a peer counselor can positively impact the older Tartans who are navigating busy schedules and high expectations in the Upper School. “There’s that face-to-face connection, where they have this sense that they’re really making a difference,” Dr. Avalone said. “They get to be present, and they can see the difference they make in the face of a child that is waiting there for them. It’s magic.” Overseeing more than 50 peer counselors is just one of many programs that Dr. Avalone and Mr. Dailey organize and implement. They hold a monthly talk with parents that provides education on a number of topics, including nutrition, digital media, stress and anxiety. Once a week they meet with Lower School students in

friendship-circle sessions that work on socialemotional development and peer interactions. They meet regularly with students grades 3-5 for “character talks” to address age-appropriate topics of health and wellness. Each fall, the counselors organize weeklong activities around Red Ribbon Week, a national drug awareness and prevention campaign. And in the spring, the Health and Wellness Expo brings in students of all grades to try healthy foods, engage in wellness activities and learn more about the impact each can make on the human body. “We know there’s a direct correlation between nutrition and behavior,” Dr. Avalone said. “That mind-body connection is alive and well. Both Jeremy and I are very passionate about educating our students and their families on that.” Dr. Avalone and Mr. Dailey have been cherished and trusted members of the St. Margaret’s community for years. Dr. Avalone started at St. Margaret’s in 1997 teaching Lower School religious studies. She became the school’s first full-time school counselor in 2011 after completing her Master of Science in clinical psychology. She has since completed her Doctorate of Psychology and is a licensed marriage and family therapist. Mr. Dailey, meanwhile, has been at St. Margaret’s since 1999 and was a math teacher at the school for 11 years. He completed his master's degree

in clinical psychology long before becoming a counselor, seeing the benefit of having social-emotional expertise even when teaching a traditional subject. He has also taught AP Psychology in the Upper School and developed the edX Psychology course in collaboration with Upper School Principal Jeneen Graham. He often assisted Dr. Avalone in lending support to the male peer counselors in the Upper School, which made him a perfect fit when St. Margaret’s chose to add another all-school counselor in 2015. “This is a very special community, and having an understanding of that and the students being familiar with me already has been really valuable,” said Mr. Dailey, who also coaches boys volleyball at St. Margaret’s. Dr. Avalone and Mr. Dailey work passionately to nurture the mind, body and spirit of each child at St. Margaret’s, knowing that a student’s health and wellness correlate to reaching potential in the classroom and an improvement in overall quality of life. “We have research that shows that students are more successful when they develop awareness about themselves, about their interactions with other people, and about their body and its needs,” Dr. Avalone said. “That’s why we’re here, and that’s why we have these programs. We want to give these students all the tools they need to thrive.”

HIGHLANDER

Speaking to the Hearts and Minds of Parents Through engaging, entertaining and informative presenters, the PTF Parent Up Speaker Series has impacted community members determined to raise healthy, thoughtful, kind and successful children.

BY RYAN WOOD

he PTF Parent Up Speaker Series is designed to find established thought leaders in parent education and bring them to St. Margaret’s to share their wisdom with the school community.

Generously funded by St. Margaret’s Parent Teacher Fellowship and free for attendees, the PTF Parent Up Speaker Series educates the St. Margaret’s community on issues and topics that are of importance to parents in the 21st century. Past speakers have touched on topics such as power, social networking, love, resilience and the importance of non-cognitive skills. “The PTF has created a world-class speaker series at St. Margaret’s through their generosity,” St. Margaret’s Upper School Principal Jeneen Graham said. “It is extraordinary that our parents, faculty and students have the opportunity to learn from these incredible researchers, scholars and practitioners who are all experts in their fields.” As organizers of the series gathered to brainstorm potential guests for 2017-2018 — led by Dr. Graham, PTF president Marina Goffredo, PTF parent education chair Ali Monge and assistant chair Katie Kalvoda — they sought relevant and informative guests that spoke to the series’ ultimate goal. “We built upon the thought of raising healthy children, and what topics we can touch on that really drive that point home,” Ms. Goffredo said. “Our objective is not only to teach parents something new about parenting and understanding our children, but to also offer practical takeaways and solutions.” What followed was an unforgettable trio of speakers who moved attendees to think, to laugh, to wonder and even at times to tears through rich and relatable storytelling and important lessons backed by ample research.

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JULIE LY THCOT T-HAIMS Organizers of the series have long been interested in bringing Julie Lythcott-Haims to St. Margaret’s. The author of the New York Times-bestselling book How to Raise an Adult: Break Free of the Overparenting Trap and Prepare Your Kid for Success, Ms. Lythcott-Haims had a moving TED Talk on the subject of parenting pitfalls and raising children to be ready for the world that awaits them in adulthood. That message aligned perfectly with the mission of the Parent Up Speaker Series. Her presentation was inspired by a decade serving as Stanford University’s dean of freshmen. In that role, she was a fierce advocate for young adults and often observed and grew concerned with the growing trend of parental involvement in the day-to-day lives of college students. Yet she also experienced this topic as a parent herself, which brought an emotional perspective that sometimes conflicted with her professional perspective. Ms. Lythcott-Haims wove powerful and comical analogies to explore the issue of overparenting in today’s society. She believes it is driven by parents wrongly motivated by a combination of love, fear and ego in order to mold their children into perfect specimens: accomplished, talented, top candidates for that big brand-name university, and, ultimately, a financially successful leader in their chosen field. As a result, parents often subject their children to a “checklisted childhood,” during which days are a race of enrichment activities, AP courses, hours of homework, competitive sports, languages and exotic projects aimed at bolstering the child’s credentials. The result is a child who struggles to think and act freely and who is susceptible to depression, anxiety, sleep deprivation and isolation.

Ms. Lythcott-Haims’ message to parents is to raise the children they have, not the children they wish they had; to treat their children like human beings, not like carefully picked stocks that will someday yield a return on their investment. “We were blown away by her authenticity and emotions and the stories that she drew from,” Mrs. Monge said. “She really understood what we are feeling as parents.”

MADELINE LEVINE Madeline Levine brought 30 years of experience as a child psychologist, consulting therapist and educator, experiences she recounted in the bestselling books The Price of Privilege and Teach Your Children Well. “We were thrilled to have Dr. Levine at St. Margaret’s,” Mrs. Monge said. “The breadth of her experience, and the stories she shared from seeing so many children throughout her career, really made her a trusted source with our community.” Dr. Levine’s talk centered around two major themes: redefining success for children; and the unique challenges that affluence and privilege present in child-rearing and child development. Parents have a tendency, Dr. Levine said, to project to their children that the upward trajectory to success follows a straight line from excellent grades in school and extracurricular achievements to an elite college education to a coveted internship to a high-paying, high-powered job. Yet less than 10 percent of people, according to an informal poll of the audience by Dr. Levine, has admitted to following this straight path. Dr. Levine said parents tend to place unnecessary pressure on children and have a narrow definition of success because of today’s uncertain economy, the loss of trust in traditional institutions, greater competition for selective schools, and community and cultural pressures. To combat this, Dr. Levine suggests building a larger tent to accommodate the diverse and unconventional interests of our students and talk freely about our own challenges and how we face them day-to-day.

PAUL PIFF To conclude the 2017-2018 lineup, Parent Up organizers had an interest in providing insight to parents on “the factors that could motivate kindness in our children,” according to Mrs. Monge. That led to the final speaker of the school year, Paul Piff. An assistant professor of psychology and social behavior at the University of California, Irvine, Dr. Piff spoke to parents, community friends and Upper School students about the transformative role of awe in our lives. Dr. Piff said awe can be found in many places, such as nature (big and small), religious spaces, the cosmos and science. Experiencing awe allows for opportunities to open our eyes and minds and appreciate the things around us. In a series of social experiments that aimed to find a relationship between awe and generosity and awe and helpfulness, Dr. Piff and his team were able to draw positive correlations in both aspects. They found that subjects who experience a feeling of awe, even if just for a short time, displayed higher levels of selfless behavior and ethical decision-making. "Dr. Piff was an inspiring speaker that touched on an aspect of science that impacts us all. As a teacher, I chose to abridge one of my lessons and send my students on an ‘awe’ walk around campus. The impact on their general happiness and engagement was immediate and remarkable,” Dr. Graham said. “It was a great way to wrap up a tremendous year of speakers for the Parent Up Speaker Series.”

The 2018-2019 PTF Parent Up Speaker Series lineup features experts in fields relevant to the health and wellness of children, including technology use, sleep habits and mental health. For more information, visit WWW.SMES.ORG/PARENTUP.

OCTOBER 26: Dr. Jean Twenge, professor of psychology at San Diego State University and author of iGen: Why Today’s Super-Connected Kids Are Growing Up Less Rebellious, More Tolerant, Less Happy—and Completely Unprepared for Adulthood.

DECEMBER 7: Dr. Michael Breus, clinical psychologist, clinical sleep specialist and author of The Power of When.

JANUARY 11: Dr. Michael Thompson, consultant, psychologist and author of The Pressured Child: Helping Your Child Achieve Success in School and in Life. HIGHLANDER

2017-2018 ACHIEVEMENTS AND NEXT STEPS BY RYAN DAHLEM , Assistant Head of School for Strategic Initiatives St. Margaret’s continued the excitement and momentum of implementing its aspirational Strategic Plan during the 2017-2018 school year. The school made significant progress across several initiatives with a continual focus on understanding students and placing their needs at the center of the design process. The Strategic Plan was unveiled in 2016, and implementation of it began in earnest during the 2016-2017 school year. Achievements during that first year included establishing Strategic Plan goal teams to define action steps, professional development for all faculty and staff in design thinking to guide the innovation process, the launch of a faculty innovation grant program, expanded Middle School electives, continued execution of the Campus Master Plan and completed pilot programs in entrepreneurial studies, virtual reality, interdisciplinary studies, service learning, cultural competency and outdoor education. The work continued during the 2017-2018 school year, when new programs were introduced and existing programs were enhanced. The following is a summary of achievements around the school’s priorities for 2017-2018 and a preview of next steps in each of these exciting areas:

SCHEDULE REDESIGN • A comprehensive review and redesign of the school schedule engaged the entire community around this important health and wellness initiative. • The new schedule features a later start time for all students, more consistent daily structure, fewer class-to-class transitions, doubled advisory time in Upper School and time for service learning during the school day. NEXT STEPS: Schedule launches August 2018, with ongoing feedback loops and data collection to measure impact. See page 6 for more.

INTERDISCIPLINARY STUDIES • Nearly 40 faculty members across all four divisions received Innovation Summer Grants to create and implement interdisciplinary lesson and units. NEXT STEPS: Innovation Summer Grants 2.0 were launched and funded for 2018-2019 implementation. Student feedback will help 18

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identify opportunities for anchor grade level interdisciplinary experiences and development of interdisciplinary courses. See page 24 for more.

VIRTUAL REALIT Y • Generous PTF grants funded additional virtual reality stations and handheld devices around campus. • St. Margaret’s contracted a VR instructional coach to source content and support faculty. • Pilot lessons were tested in Lower, Middle and Upper School with strong student feedback. NEXT STEPS: Continued integration through VR instructional coach model. PTF Grants approved to fund VR Empathy Project in Middle and Upper School and VR applications in Athletics Department for 2018-2019.

SERVICE LEARNING • A new service-learning model was launched in grade 9, including six half-days devoted to service learning throughout the year. Advisory

“The faculty and staff remain fully committed to fulfilling the vision set by the Board of Trustees for the future of St. Margaret’s. By fostering a culture of innovation on campus, we have established the confidence to pilot new ideas, scale up successes and move forward with larger institutional changes guided by our love and care for students."

groups established ongoing relationships with local community organizations. Feedback from students was very positive with a desire for more time to serve. • The St. Margaret’s community also rallied to support victims of Hurricane Harvey, raising relief funds and sending a team of 17 Upper School students for support on the ground. • The school piloted College Board AP with WE service-learning courses in AP environmental science and AP Spanish. • St. Margaret’s partnered with Family Assistance Ministries for an all-school “Walk in My Shoes” service-learning activity and shoe drive as part of Literacy Day. NEXT STEPS: The new service-learning model will scale up to grade 10 utilizing time in the new schedule. Other priorities for 2018-2019 include closer partnership with St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church service efforts and increased professional development for divisional directors of community life on leading service-learning initiatives.

Design Thinking in Action CULTURAL COMPETENCY, EQUIT Y AND INCLUSION • The director of equity and inclusion senior leadership position was created. After a national search that yielded nearly 50 interested candidates, Victor Cota was appointed director of equity and inclusion effective August 1, 2018. See page 20 for more. • Former Scholar in Residence Rosetta Lee returned to consult on the creation of the new leadership position and continued development of a cultural competency skill framework. • Curriculum development included a new Native American poetry English elective in the Upper School and pilot lessons designed through Innovation Summer Grants. • A cultural competency workshop was conducted for grade 9 students as part of the new service learning model. • St. Margaret’s sent 18 faculty and staff members to the NAIS People of Color Conference and five students to the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference. NEXT STEPS: The focus will be on a successful transition of the director of equity and inclusion, creation of an Equity Team, recruitment efforts to further diversify the faculty and development of a cultural competency skill framework.

STEAM AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP • Dr. Jennifer Ross-Viola completed a successful first year as STEAM Fellow, bringing the AppJam+ coding program to campus for grades 5-8 and expanding STEAM programming in numerous areas across campus. • The Lower School piloted an innovative STEAM block in grade 5, and the Middle School Tartan Tank expanded in grade 8 to include a student demo fair and evening demo night for finalists who pitched to a panel of entrepreneurship experts. • The Upper School launched an entrepreneurial studies semester course featuring experiential case studies with local companies and coaching from community entrepreneurs to develop students' own business models. • St. Margaret’s expanded its relationship with UCI Applied Innovation, including entry into the Wayfinder incubator program for Tartan Tank winners. NEXT STEPS: Develop additional Girls in STEAM programming, expand Lower School STEAM block to grade 4, create a prototype of an Upper School incubator program, introduce an eSports Team and utilize innovation block in the new schedule for a design sprint challenge.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Action steps for Strategic Plan implementation were created using design thinking, a creative process for innovation based heavily on empathizing with the “end user.” Here are two examples of how design thinking guided St. Margaret’s approach to innovation.

• The professional development budget increased by 35 percent to support and nurture faculty talent and expertise. • Faculty participated in professional development experiences across the country. The school also brought experts to campus for divisional and departmental professional development in all divisions. EMPATHIZE • The Preschool faculty participated in EMPATHIZE Reggio Emilia International Summer School at the Loris Malaguzzi International Centre in Reggio Emilia, Italy, through generous donor funding. NEXT STEPS: The focus will be on aligning professional development with Strategic Plan goals and providing additional professional development experiences at the division level per faculty and staff feedback in the design thinking process.

CAMPUS MASTER PL AN • Several facilities projects were completed to enhance the student experience. • The Johnson Wallis Visual Arts Center opened in fall 2017. • A new student parking lot with additional capacity was completed and opened in fall 2017. • Phase I of an Upper School renovation, including new technology infrastructure and flooring, was completed in fall 2017. NEXT STEPS: Second phase of Upper School renovation, including new student furniture, classroom display screens and remodeled Upper School science labs; construction of new Upper School science lab and student study space; creation of Lower School STEAM center, including remodeled science classroom, ICE Lab and CUBE; construction of new kindergarten outdoor classroom; and relocation of kindergarten classrooms to the Lower School campus.

A LOOK AHEAD: STUDENT HEALTH AND WELLNESS THE FOCUS FOR 2018-2019 • Building on the momentum of the schedule redesign, health and wellness initiatives will broaden to include students’ relationship with technology, psychological and emotional health, sleep education, mindfulness, nutrition and analysis of homework load. The new Health and Wellness Leadership Team will guide and coordinate these efforts across campus. See page 6 for more. • Strategic Plan goal teams will reconvene in January 2019 to review progress of overall Strategic Plan implementation and adjust action steps going forward.

IDEATE DEFINE

PROTOTYPE & TEST ITERATE

SCHEDULE REDESIGN: • Empathize: Student interviews and shadow days revealed specific health and wellness challenges associated with the current school schedule. • Define: Students need a schedule with a later start time, more consistent daily structure and fewer transitions. • Ideate: Health and Wellness goal team brainstorms innovative schedule design. • Prototype and Test: Draft schedule shared with students for feedback in fall 2016. • Iterate: Comprehensive, yearlong schedule redesign ensues with many iterations and input from full community. Final schedule communicated in December 2017 for launch in August 2018.

SERVICE LEARNING: • Empathize: Student interviews reveal desire for building authentic relationships through service-learning experiences and preference for service learning during the school day. • Define: Students need a service-learning graduation requirement based on building ongoing relationships with community partners and time to serve during the school day. • Ideate: Experiential Learning goal team brainstorms a service-learning graduation requirement that shifts from required service hours to consistent, transformational experiences. • Prototype and Test: Prototype offered to students and run as small-scale pilot in spring 2017. • Iterate: Positive feedback from pilot incorporated into larger rollout to grade 9 in fall 2017 and grade 10 in fall 2018. HIGHLANDER

MEET THE NEW

Director of Equity and Inclusion Victor Cota will be working in all corners of the St. Margaret’s community to fulfill one of the school’s most important strategic initiatives. BY RYAN WOOD

he director of equity and inclusion is a newly created position at St. Margaret’s, yet Victor Cota believes that only tells half the story. “It’s a new position, but it’s not necessarily new work,” said Mr. Cota, who officially started his new role on August 1. “There’s already been a lot of great progress made to lay the foundation around cultural competency and the Strategic Plan. This is a chance to build on that work.” St. Margaret’s conducted a national search and comprehensive interview process to fill the school’s newest leadership position. Many highly qualified candidates were considered, but Mr. Cota’s deep understanding and expertise in the work led to his appointment this spring.

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cultural competency: possessing the understandings, perspectives and skills needed to communicate and interact effectively with others across differences within the school community and in the larger world. The position will involve Mr. Cota in every division, department and office at St. Margaret’s. The responsibilities of the senior leadership role are widespread, inspired by the school’s aspirational Strategic Plan, which calls for the development of cultural-competency skills as an essential element of a St. Margaret’s education, and the fostering of an inclusive school community so all students feel known, loved and included.

AMONG OTHER RESPONSIBILITIES, MR. COTA: • will be tasked with developing and implementing a PK-12 culturalcompetency framework and inclusive multicultural curricula in all divisions, in collaboration with Principals and department chairs. • will serve as a coaching resource for faculty with respect to inclusive classroom teaching practices, curricula and individual student support. • will work with school leaders, including the Head of School, Principals and director of human resources, to ensure inclusive hiring practices. • will analyze, benchmark and report on the school’s progress in matters of diversity, equity and inclusion. • will serve as faculty mentor for the Upper School’s Tartan Inclusivity and Diversity Education (TIDE) student leadership group. • will work with all corners of St. Margaret’s, from the chaplains to counselors to the admissions office, to advise on the school’s commitment to equity, inclusion and cultural-competency skill development. “Our school-wide focus on an inclusive community and cultural competency is a significant part of our Strategic Plan and the vision we have for St. Margaret’s, and our community affirmed its excitement and support for this important new leadership position through our recent accreditation process” Head of School Will Moseley said. “I am very excited to partner with Victor in this work.” A native of Orange County, Mr. Cota already has strong ties to St. Margaret’s. Since 2015, he has served as the director for St. Margaret’s Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano program, which acts as a college access resource to local, motivated students from underrepresented backgrounds. Under Mr. Cota’s leadership, Breakthrough SJC increased interest and enrollment among qualified students, strengthened teaching-fellow recruitment and expanded awareness and financial stewardship of the program throughout the San Juan Capistrano community. It is one of the top performing Breakthrough chapters nationally.

Before his tenure at Breakthrough, he was principal of YES Prep Northbrook Middle School and middle school principal of YES Prep East End Campus in Houston while serving as a Corps Member in Teach for America, a national organization committed to teaching in low-income schools and increasing opportunities for students. “In the past, my work has been focused primarily on underrepresented communities, and there will be a piece of that work here,” Mr. Cota said. “There’s a lot I can bring from my previous experiences. I have learned important lessons about education and equity that I can instill into the work I’m doing now for the benefit of all students in the St. Margaret’s community.” Between his hiring in March and his start date, Mr. Cota worked to familiarize himself further with the broader Tartan community, while also attending several professional-development institutes related to cultural competency, diversity and inclusivity, including the National Association of Independent School’s Equity Design Lab. “I’m committed to developing as many skills as I can around equity work,” he said. St. Margaret’s has long prioritized cultural competency, which is defined as possessing the understandings, perspectives and skills needed to communicate and interact effectively with others across differences within the school community and in the larger world. The school has partnered with national diversity and inclusivity thought leaders like Jennifer Bryan, Steven Jones, Robert Greene and Rosetta Lee. In 2017, Ms. Lee served as a scholar-in-residence and spent a week at St. Margaret’s. Mr. Cota’s hiring is the next step forward in further developing culturalcompetency skills to all students, faculty and staff, to help make St. Margaret’s the strongest, most innovative and inclusive school community possible. He’s ready to get to work. “I think about how important it is to be fluent in the academic skills so you can read and write and speak and communicate,” Mr. Cota said. “To me it’s equally important to be fluent in cultural-competency skills so you can work across differences, engage with many different people from many different backgrounds. “The real core of it is building skills and tools in individual people, including pre-K through grade 12 students, including faculty, including myself, so that we’re all day by day getting better at being able to engage with others — the same way we want our students to get better at math every day, or a sport every day. “We’re not starting from scratch here at St. Margaret’s,” he added. “We are already developing it. Now, we are putting together more of a framework to build on the school’s momentum and action around this work going forward.”

HIGHLANDER

TheSTUDENT-

The athletics program at St. Margaret’s is central to the school’s mission and integral to the overall learning process. More than 80 percent of St. Margaret’s Upper School students participate in a sport and experience the benefits of teamwork, competition, triumph, adversity and overall health and wellness that athletics demands.

ATHLETE EXPERIENCE

St. Margaret’s athletics program strives to instill a meaningful and solid foundation from which students can lead healthy and productive lives. Through the hard work of students and coaches alike, athletics at St. Margaret’s has been successful in accumulating championships, preparing students for college athletics, and giving students experience with competition, camaraderie and social interaction.

Lower School

UPPER SCHOOL

Lower School athletics programs are delivered through a compilation of physical education classes, after-school clubs and a culminating track and field meet that features athletes from all parts of the county. Summer programs are offered in a variety of disciplines with the goal of building fundamental skills and a love of the sport.

Middle School

MIDDLE SCHOOL SPORTS:

Cross Country • Flag Football • Girls Volleyball Equestrian • Boys Basketball • Girls Basketball Golf • Boys Lacrosse • Girls Lacrosse Coed Soccer • Track & Field • Boys Volleyball St. Margaret’s Middle School athletes participate in the Parochial Athletic League, providing competitive opportunities for all skill levels. In addition, practices take place during the school day so students can continue their athletic development with various outside club programs.

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

UPPER SCHOOL SPORTS

VARSIT Y AND JUNIOR VARSIT Y TEAMS

Sports by season FALL

WINTER

80 %

OF STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN A SPORT

SUCCESS SPRING

• Cheer

• Baseball

• Golf (girls)

• Basketball

• Golf (boys)

• Cross Country

• Soccer

• Lacrosse

• Equestrian

• Surf

• Swimming

• Tennis (girls)

• Tennis (boys)

FALL • Football

• Track & Field

• Volleyball (girls)

• Volleyball (boys)

197 26 30

ACADEMY LEAGUE CHAMPIONSHIPS

INDIVIDUAL CIF CHAMPIONSHIPS TEAM CIF CHAMPIONSHIPS

Leadership and service are key components of every athletics team. Team members receive annual leadership training, and every team participates in service projects.

High-Tech Athletic Tools St. Margaret’s is committed to providing a leading athletic experience and is dedicated to staying at the forefront of athletic innovation and technology to improve training and increase safety.

BRIDGEATHLETIC: A strength

VIRTUAL REALIT Y: Using sports training VR programs, student-athletes can use technology as a low-impact training tool.

and conditioning platform that leverages technology to help coaches create, deliver and track athlete training and progress.

INSITE IMPACT RESPONSE SYSTEM: A web of sensors inside

FIRSTBEAT SPORTS: A heartbeat

HUDL: A video and performance-

analytics platform which delivers physiological insights to coaches and athletes.

analysis platform that provides cuttingedge insights and showcases teams and student-athletes.

football helmets that alerts trainers on hits that exceed a safe amount of force.

QUALITY COACHING

FORMER COLLEGE ATHLETES

1 NATIONAL HALL OF FAME INDUCTEE

1 OLYMPIC GOLD MEDALIST

FORMER PROFESSIONAL ATHLETES

4 WITH COLLEGE COACHING EXPERIENCE

COLLEGE–BOUND ATHLETES

15 % • •

OF ST. MARGARET’S GRADUATES GO ON TO PL AY INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

Coaches and St. Margaret’s College Counseling Office help student-athletes find the college that is best-suited for them. Informational NCAA Recruiting Workshops at St. Margaret’s offer students and parents guidance on navigating the recruiting process.

MEMBERS OF THE CL ASS OF 2018 COMMIT TED TO PL AY AT THE FOLLOWING UNIVERSITIES

• Amherst College

• Northwestern University

• Carnegie Mellon University

• Oberlin College

• Case Western Reserve University

• Rhodes College

• Colby College

• Santa Clara University

• Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

• University of California, Los Angeles

• Lewis and Clark College

• University of Pennsylvania

• Marquette University

• University of Rhode Island

• Massachusetts Institute of Technology

• Washington and Lee University

• San Diego State University

TARTAN GRADUATES ARE CURRENTLY PARTICIPATING AT MORE THAN 50 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES ACROSS THE NATION, INCLUDING: • Harvard University • Marquette University

• United States Military Academy—West Point

• Princeton University

• University of California, Berkeley

• Stanford University

• University of Colorado, Boulder

• St. John’s University

• Villanova University

HIGHLANDER

BLENDING DIScIPLINES TO ENHANCE LEARNING

Grade 5 students learn about the circulatory system through visual arts and science during STEAM block.

Pilot units implemented across all divisions and all disciplines at St. Margaret's introduced learning in new and relevant ways — and it's only the beginning. B Y R YA N W O O D

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

ines were blurred, and the figurative walls that separate subjects came tumbling down. Visual arts

students were learning in the science classrooms. Math students were calculating the work of athletes in the weight room. Middle School science students were collaborating with Upper School art students and then observing Preschool students to further develop a creative project unlike anything they’d ever done. Hundreds of Tartans were part of a new wave of learning at St. Margaret’s last fall, as faculty created curricula to bridge the gap between disciplines and present academic content in a new, enlightening way.

As part of a strategic priority to enhance interdisciplinary knowledge and increase relevant learning experiences at St. Margaret’s, Ryan Dahlem, assistant head of school for strategic initiatives, and Jeneen Graham, in her previous role as academic dean, created an Innovation Summer Grants program last year. The program was designed to incentivize creative faculty willing to partner with a colleague from another department to develop interdisciplinary curricula.

“When we interviewed students about our curriculum and pedagogy as part of the design thinking process, a theme of relevance emerged where students are eager to derive higher meaning and purpose in their studies,” Mr. Dahlem said. “Designing interdisciplinary curriculum helps accomplish this by allowing students to connect their learning across subject areas. It illustrates the relevance for them and increases their engagement.” More than 40 faculty members submitted Innovation Summer Grant proposals, in every division and every discipline. While some collaborations were natural fits, such as units connecting science and math or English and history, some teachers had unpredictable collaborations that provided intriguing pilots. One such unit involved grade 7 math teacher Stephanie Windes, science teacher Kevin Estipular and strength and conditioning coach Dan Berman, who collaborated to create relevant learning through the strength-training work done by millions of people every day — including many of the students themselves.

The Chronicle of Higher Education. Duke University, for example, has created a culture that emphasizes such research and scholarship, led by a newly created position of vice provost for interdisciplinary studies. At the Massachusetts Institute of Technology’s Media Lab, traditional disciplines are set aside as product designers, nanotechnologists, data-visualization experts and industry researchers work side by side to reinvent how human experiences can be aided by technology. At St. Margaret’s, interdisciplinary initiatives were sparked by collaboration between the math and science departments in 2016. Faculty worked together that summer to ensure a greater understanding and a more synced timing of concepts taught in physics 9 and grade 9 math classes, which led to a 100-page “Mathematical Methods of Science” workbook that was provided to each freshman at the beginning of the school year. That collaboration helped students understand the connections between the two subjects. “A strong background in math helps science make sense,” Math Department Chair Elizabeth O’Shea said.

“There is a scientific and mathematical approach to strength training and improving force production. It’s not just about getting tired and sweaty,” Mr. Berman said. “We saw a great opportunity to use these physicaleducation approaches to enlighten students in math and science classes.” In algebra class, Mrs. Windes’ students learned how gravity and weight work together to create force. Force is then calculated with lift height to calculate energy in joules, which can then be converted to calories burned. With those concepts in hand, students started a lab in Mr. Estipular’s life science class that explored the levers within the human body and how they’re used for a simple strength-training exercise like the squat. The students went to the weight room, performed squats and completed the calculations to determine energy generated and calories burned. Their collaboration was one of 17 interdisciplinary pilot units introduced and implemented last fall at St. Margaret’s. There was a blend of science, visual arts and technology in a unit that created garden tools specific to preschool-aged children using the design thinking process. Through field research at St. Margaret’s Preschool, grade 8 students created innovative tools, including a shovel with measuring capabilities and tools with different grips and fine-motor-specific handles. In the Upper School, physiology and photography classes combined for a unit exploring the similarities and differences between how human eyes and digital cameras capture visual imagery. Through hands-on activities, students were able to explore the science behind vision and the functionality of digital technology from a new angle. Elsewhere, world languages and English I joined to introduce a Chinese language lesson to provide greater context for study of The Joy Luck Club. And Upper School visual arts and world history classes combined to explore artwork of the French Revolution, which led to the creation of contemporary art pieces based on relevant themes. The vision for interdisciplinary studies at St. Margaret’s is inspired by higher education. Colleges and universities emphasize interdisciplinary studies and see them as “increasingly necessary in an interconnected world where solutions to global challenges are rarely found in a single discipline,” writes

HIGHLANDER

"...students are eager to derive higher meaning and purpose in their studies...interdisciplinary curriculum helps accomplish this by allowing students to connect their learning across subject areas. It illustrates the relevance for them and increases their engagement.” School leaders then strategized how to implement similar learning experiences across all divisions and all subjects. That led to the development of the Innovation Summer Grants program last year. “We felt the best way was to leverage the experiences, expertise and creativity of our amazing faculty,” Dr. Graham said. The units varied from a one-week blending of two classes to curriculum that spanned the entire school year. In the Preschool, faculty collaborated on a 14,000-word instructional blueprint titled “The Science and Gardening Life Lab Curriculum” to further make time spent in St. Margaret’s garden more relevant for preschoolers using constructivist-based approaches in science, engineering, math, art and technology. In the Lower School, the grade 5 schedule was reorganized to synergize separate science, technology and art blocks into a 90-minute STEAM block that allows students to work on projects that incorporated one or more of the subjects. The success of the grade 5 STEAM block led to the expansion of the block to grade 4 starting this fall. It also encouraged school leaders to pursue more collaborative spaces for students to support interdisciplinary learning, as schools like Stanford University and Columbia University have done. The 2018 Fund A Need was dedicated to STEAM education, with one priority being a reimagined and redesigned Lower School STEAM Center to connect the science and technology learning spaces to allow for open flow and increased collaboration. The upgraded space will be ready for the start of the 2018-2019 school year.

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

St. Margaret’s faculty spent time reflecting on the successes and listening to student feedback from last fall’s work. New interdisciplinary pilot units will be implemented once again this school year following another round of Innovation Summer Grants. Some popular and effective units will return with updates and tweaks to improve the relevancy and implementation, while others will be new experiences and new collaborations. Some examples include a Lower School science/technology/Library collaboration where students will brainstorm solutions to food challenges for astronauts in space; a math/science collaboration that examines the Fibonacci Sequence and the golden ratio and explores how the concepts are applied in biology, art, history and music; and an English/history collaboration in which students will examine music and literature to learn how history and culture merge and inform one another. Some of the pilot units may evolve into a pilot class or a permanent unit in the curriculum, as St. Margaret’s continues to move toward a learning experience that blurs the lines, breaks down barriers and derives higher meaning and purpose in the lives of students. “Students will have so many opportunities to pursue interdisciplinary majors in college and approach complex problems from a variety of academic perspectives throughout their lives,” Mr. Dahlem said. “Our faculty are doing an amazing job of providing opportunities for our students to learn in an interdisciplinary way here at St. Margaret’s. We are very excited for what the future holds.”

Congratulations

COM M EN CEM EN T 201 8

THE CLASS OF

2025 St. Margaretâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s grade 5 students bid farewell to the Lower School in style â&#x20AC;&#x201C; with a pathway of Tartans cheering them on as they made a symbolic walk to the Middle School. There, they tossed their Lower School red sweaters into the air after wearing them for the last time.

THE CLASS OF

2022 The Class of 2022 was officially promoted to the Upper School during a formal Chapel ceremony in May. The ceremony featured musical performances, remarks from Middle School Principal Jeannine Clarke and a reception in the Fountain Courtyard for students and their families.

HIGHLANDER

CO M M EN CEM EN T 201 8

THE CLASS OF

2018 121

100%

C L A S S O F 2 01 8 G R A D UAT E S

AT T EN D I N G CO L L EG E O R U N I V ER S I T Y

“If I only had the time, I’d talk about every single member of this class because in one way or another, you’ve all touched my heart and mind.” ALICE NA , VA L ED I C TO R I A N

For complete speeches and photo galleries from Commencement 2018, visit www.smes.org/commencement2018. 28

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

“Remember the service projects, the retreats, sport events, clubs and activities. Most of all, remember the friends and relationships made.” B RYA N T V I L L A M I L , S A LU TATO R I A N

77 27 COLLEG ES AND UNIVERSITIES IN

S TAT E S

765

A P T E S T S TA KEN OV ER 4 Y E A R S

PL A N TO PA R T I CI PAT E I N I N T ERCO LLEG I AT E AT H LE T I C S

HIGHLANDER

COM M EN CEM EN T 201 8

S T. M A R G A R E T â&#x20AC;&#x2122; S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

CLASS OF 2018 HIGHLANDER

Alumnae in STEM Give Back to St. Margaret’s Five Tartans returned, inspiring and educating current students about the future for women in STEM fields.

T’S

EPISCOP

GIRLS

S T. M A

By Ryan Wood

STEM

Jen Hutchinson '88, Lara Ohanesian '14, Jennifer Jung '13, Melisa Osborne '13, and Paige Selby '08

When Jen Hutchinson ’88 was invited to speak to St. Margaret’s girls and their families about a future in STEM, she didn’t hesitate. “I jumped at the opportunity,” she said. “There is a such a need for our young girls to understand that this field is for them. It’s not just for men, not just for one particular type of person. There are so many opportunities, so many jobs, and so many issues in the world that need their solutions.” Ms. Hutchinson was one of five Tartan alumnae who returned to their alma mater in March to share their insights into STEM professions. It was one of the highlights of a memorable Girls in STEM symposium, a night

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

of inspiration, information and celebration of the limitless possibilities in science, technology, engineering and math — and the need those fields have for more women to share their ideas, pursue their passions and change the world. The five Tartan alumnae once sat in the same classrooms with the same interests as the students to whom they spoke. Since graduating, they have branched out into a variety of STEM pursuits and are at various points in their careers. The alumnae brought those experiences back to St. Margaret’s, sharing details on how their stories developed since starting as young girls with an interest in STEM and an unknown road ahead of them.

Alumni Profile “There is a such a need for our young girls to understand that this field is for them... There are so many opportunities, so many jobs, and so many issues in the world that need their solutions.” T H E PA N E L IN CLU D E D :

Ms. Hutchinson, a social entrepreneur with a master's degree from Pepperdine University who works in the fast-paced world of digital start-ups, where she uses technology to help solve problems.

Paige Selby ’08, a software engineer for Google who has a bachelor's in industrial and systems engineering from the University of Southern California and a master's in computer science from Brown University. She mainly works on Google’s YouTube platform but has also contributed to Waymo, Google’s autonomous-vehicle project.

Jennifer Jung ’13, a USC graduate in human biology with an emphasis in applied physiology who works for ScribeAmerica, a top medical records firm.

Melisa Osborne ’13, a graduate student at USC finishing her master's in biomedical engineering pursuing a Ph.D. in molecular/computation biology. She is interested in integrating engineering and microbiology to introduce innovations in personalized medicine.

Lara Ohanesian ’14, a manufacturing engineering major at California Polytechnic University, Pomona, who has completed internships as a product process engineer and a product developer. The alumnae shared their backgrounds, the roots of their interest in STEM, how St. Margaret’s prepared them and the college paths they took. They answered questions about difference-making projects they have tackled, from Ms. Osborne’s microbiology research to Ms.Selby’s work with Waymo. They were asked whether they have a mentor, and what they wish they would’ve known earlier in their life about their profession. Ms. Ohanesian shared her perspective of a manufacturing engineering field that’s dominated by men, even if the projects they are pursuing cast a wider net. “There are a lot of products nowadays that are made for women, but made by men,” she said. “I think it will be interesting to see more products made for women, by women. Speaking as an engineer, if you are interested in commercial products, you can come with the perspective of a woman already built in.” Ms. Selby, meanwhile, gave an enlightening perspective on her career path in technology. She primarily works as a software engineer for YouTube, Google’s massively popular video platform that didn’t even exist until she was in high school.

that constantly allows for an entry point. “There is always a new starting line in STEM,” Ms. Selby said. “I didn’t start with computer science until after college. I wish I would’ve known to not worry, that there’s always the opportunity to enter a field or start in a field. Technology is changing. There’s always new language to learn and a new starting point for you to get involved. It’s never too late to join a STEM field.” Afterward, the alumnae stayed and answered more questions from curious students and their families about college and the STEM professions, and reconnected with St. Margaret’s faculty in attendance. Afterward, STEM Fellow and science teacher Jennifer RossViola beamed about the success of the night and the impact she felt the alumnae made on current students. “It was really powerful to have the alumnae here,” Dr. Ross-Viola said. “They walked the path before these girls. They are the ones these girls can see themselves being in five years or 10 years. It’s more relevant for the girls to see models who were just like them. I think our alumnae are instrumental in being that beacon and that guiding path for these girls. “I want our girls to be excited and think that it’s cool to be in STEM, and that they know that girls’ voices are needed in the STEM fields. I hope they feel more enthusiastic about that after this symposium.” Ms. Hutchinson, too, expressed her pride in being part of the evening. Sparking that enthusiasm is what compelled her to return to her alma mater, with experiences under her belt and a new generation of Tartans eager to learn more about STEM. “I want to extend the message that STEM is a wide-open field. There are so many things you can do,” Ms. Hutchinson said. “If these girls feel a little inspiration to jump into this field, I want them to go for it.”

It was a reminder to her of the fluidity of STEM fields

HIGHLANDER

A LU M N I U P DAT E S L E T T ER FR O M T H E TA R TA N A LU M N I A S S O CI AT I O N P R E S I D EN T

Support for T.A.L.E. Special thank you to all our Tartan Alumni donors who have supported T.A.L.E. — the Tartan Alumni Legacy Endowment — and St. Margaret’s throughout the year including our June promotion Take a Stance for your first alma mater! TO G E T HE R WE S U RPA S S E D 10 PE RCE N T FO R A LUM N I G I V IN G , a school record and one step closer to our goal of growing alumni giving participation to 20 percent by 2020!

Greetings Fellow Tartans – On behalf of the Tartan Alumni Association, welcome Class of 2018! You are joining an amazing group of people: Tartans from 32 prior graduating classes who are learning, working and making a difference around the globe. My pride in watching each of you accept your diploma from our alma mater was beyond words. Particularly, seeing Gavin Clarke ‘18, son of alumna Jeannine Cordova Clarke ‘87, become St. Margaret’s first ever legacy graduate! Now two generations of Tartans are impacting our world. Reflecting on the year, there is even more to celebrate. As Head of School Will Moseley said during his commencement address, the mission to lead lives of learning, leadership and service does not end at graduation. As an older Tartan alumnus, I can tell you with confidence that graduation is just the beginning. I am proud to serve in a leadership role in the Tartan Alumni Association and am pleased to announce the addition in 2018 of four new Council members Ian Thomas ’09, Mattingly Messina ’13, Madison Gottlieb ’12 and Olivia Santora ’13 to the Tartan Alumni Council. Each of these Tartans brings a wealth of knowledge and Tartan experience, which will benefit the council, and therefore the school. If you are interested in joining us, or simply exploring the options available, please contact Jillian Gray in the Tartan alumni relations office. We’d love to have you! Serving is one way to support our alma mater. The other is giving. The Tartan Alumni Legacy Endowment — T.A.L.E. — continues phenomenal growth, surpassing the half-million mark in funding. Go Tartans! Our combined giving efforts have secured the availability of this fund to provide need-based financial aid for all prospective Tartans, including the children of alumni, for years to come. This is a major accomplishment for an alumni association less than 40 years old and could not have been achieved without the generous support of gifts large and small from so many Tartan alumni. Whether you are currently concentrating on learning, leading or serving, remember this: All three are required to be successful, and you know how to incorporate them to achieve success. You are a Tartan! Connect to each other. Visit campus. Share your stories. Give to your alma mater. Together we can achieve great things. We are Tartans! In Tartan Spirit,

Upcoming Alumni Events TA R TA N F A M I LY B B Q

September 7, 2018 HOMECOMING

October 12, 2018 YO U N G A LU M N I FR I E N D S G I V I N G

November 2018 A L U M N I C H R I S T M A S P A R T Y ( 2 1 +)

December 21, 2018 ALUMNI CAREER FORUM

February 26, 2019 ALUMNI WEEKEND 2019

May 10-11, 2019

Choose Your Connection. Follow, like and post to enjoy the latest alumni and campus news, events and nostalgic flashbacks!

 Mark T. Risner ’86 Tartan Alumni Association President and Trustee

Add TartanAlumni or take a snap of our snapcode

 @TartanAlumni  Tartan Alumni Association  St. Margaret's Tartan

Alumni Association

 @tartanalumni 34

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

Class Notes C O M P I L E D B Y J I L L I A N G R AY

'87

Jeannine Cordova Clarke holds a lot of titles at her alma mater, from Middle School Principal to longest alumni donor. She now has another one — proud alumni parent to the school’s first legacy graduate. Congratulations to Jeannine, Todd and Gavin Clarke ’18 on this exciting milestone in the school’s history and for their family. As Jeannine shared with Gavin and all the members of the Class of 2018 at the senior banquet: “You have each been well-loved during your time at St. Margaret’s, you have learned, you have led and you have served.” Inspiring words for all Tartan alumni!

recently and is the director of anesthesiology and wellness medicine at the Zelken Institute for Aesthetic Medicine.

'94

25TH REUNION: The 25th reunion for the ’94s is on the horizon. Stay tuned for a class email looking for volunteers and pooling ideas for the celebration taking place over Alumni Weekend, May 10-11, 2019. Interested in helping? Please connect with the Alumni Relations Office at alumni@smes.org.

'95

Chico Jones has a new website aimed at making philosophy interesting and accessible. Check out thephilosurfer.com and his YouTube videos and blog posts.

'00

Pete Spenuzza and his company Rise Bar, an organic energy bar manufacturer, participated as an experiential case study for St. Margaret’s entrepreneurial studies class this spring. After touring Rise Bar’s headquarters in Irvine and sampling the company’s products, Pete asked the students to propose researchbacked ideas to help Rise Bar go viral. "After fielding many insightful questions from the students regarding Rise Foods, I was very eager to see their projects just a few weeks later," Pete said. "Not only was I impressed with their highly collaborative presentations, but I was also inspired to rethink my current business marketing strategy." Rise Bar is expanding its reach and can now be found in Target.

'99

Jeannine Cordova Clarke & Gavin Clarke '18

'88

Mark Flather is leading the charge to help organize an ’88 30th reunion gathering! Please make sure your email, phone and address are updated with St. Margaret’s — alumni@smes.org — to get the latest planning news and updates.

'89

30TH REUNION: It is hard to imagine that 30 years have already flown by since graduating from St. Margaret’s. Make your plans now to join us for Alumni Weekend and our 30th reunion, May 10-11, 2019!

'91

Dr. Todd Newman was recognized as one of the top doctors in Orange County for anesthesiology by Orange Coast magazine in January. Todd has recently pursued his dream to revolutionize how patients care for themselves and receive care before surgery. Todd started his own practice

20TH REUNION: Can you believe the 20th reunion is here? Watch your mail for further details or connect with the Alumni Relations Office to join the planning committee at alumni@smes.org. Trevor Connon was recently featured by his company, Capital Group, reflecting on his 12 years with the company, from his current role as a fixed-income investment analyst to other hats he has worn with the company, from technology support to private markets to the investment group. He attributes his success to being “curious, flexible and open and always trying to learn from others.”

Pete Spenuzza

T LC : TA R TA N S LO V E TO CO N N EC T T LC : TA R TA N S LOV E TO CO N N EC T.

What’s second-best to some tender, loving care from family or friends while you’re away at college? How about a nice meal and some Tartan swag from your first alma mater? In its debut What’s second-best to some tender, loving year, the TLC effort brought some cheer to San Diego and San Francisco young alumni. Want care from family or friends while you’re away at us to visit your campus? Have five or more Tartans at your school? Post your college visit college? How about a nice meal and some Tartan request on Instagram with the #TLCxSMES. swag from your first alma mater? In its pilot debut year, the TLC effort brought some cheer to San Diego and San Francisco. Want us to visit your campus? Have five or more Tartans at your school? Post your college visit request on Instagram with the #TLCxSMES.

HIGHLANDER

N OTA B L E: S A N F R A N C I S CO A LU M N I E V E N T R EC A P

San Francisco alumni were able to celebrate with Head of School Will Moseley and area Tartans at a San Francisco alumni event in March. Along with catching up on the latest campus news and happenings, alumni enjoyed authentic Irish sweets and sausages ahead of St. Patrick’s Day. Special thanks to Rachael Stoddard Gilly ’02 and Mattingly Messina ’13 for hosting with the TAA.

'03

Josh Mers and his wife, Alex, are getting ready for baby Mers this October. It’s a bittersweet blessing, as Josh’s father, Jim, and husband to ECDC staff member Lisa Mers, passed away in February. The entire St. Margaret’s family continues to offer our love and support. Josh and Alex are living and working in Denver. Polly Bendush Erickson and her husband, Scott, welcomed their own bundle of joy to the world on March 6, 2018, at 8:10 a.m. Cooper William Erickson was 5 pounds, 13 ounces and 20 inches long.

'02

Alumni Weekend 2018 saw the Class of ’02 gather together at the home of Anna Remsberg Marquez to celebrate its 15th-ish reunion. Special thanks to Anna for hosting and to Rachael Stoddard Gilly, Clary Delano and Ian Tacquard for planning the celebration. Those enjoying the festivities included Jessica Pakzad Bennett, Neel Bhalla, Michael Ciauri, Courtney Coons, Colter Fleming, Kara Hayzer Fuentes, Chris Gee, Rahasaan Henderson, Brittany Hunsaker, Amanda Miyawaki, Chris Ostoich, Emmy Parker, Donny Reid, Stavros Savvas, Raj Sharma, Alex Slavin, David Smoler, and Kirby Tranter. In other ’02 news, Matt Edwards is living in Orange County and is vice president, enterprise program management office for MUFG Americas, one of the largest financial institutions in the world. Polly Bendush Erickson

'04

Our 15th reunion is slated for May 10-11, 2019. Save the date— details forthcoming!

'05

With their first anniversary in the books, wedding well wishes still go out to Joey Kelly and his wife, Kelly (yes, that’s right), who were married July 1, 2017, at the Martin Johnson House at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in La Jolla.

'07

Parker Phillips and his brother, Graham Phillips ’12 were Independent Senior Project hosts at Phillips Pictures to three of our newest alumni — Sarah Ko ’18, Alice Lee ’18 and Grace Miyamoto ’18. The team worked together on the Phillips’ most recent feature film, Bygone, doing a documentary about the soundtrack process for the film with an array of musicians including George Ko ’11.

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

Class Notes

'08

Downtown San Juan Capistrano was home of the 10th Reunion celebration over Alumni Weekend. Shout-out to Chayse Pake, Hunter Steffien, Olivia Wetterau, Leslie Taylor, Max Sutro and Paige Selby for rallying their class on short notice! Kudos to those making the trek back, including: Chrissy Allen, Cris Alvarez, Stephanie Park Baker, Harry Bartlett, Andrew de Burgh Sidley, Scott DeYoung, Dorian Farhang, Elmer Flores, Cameron Hiller, Mark Kanow, Matt Lyman, Leslie McDonald, Julia Ramadan, Merissa Ren, Shayan Fakhimi, Christian Gaarenstroom, Dan Morrison and Zack Johnson. While Kristina Mooradian wasn’t able to make it back for reunion due to her graduation, she was back on campus in April as the alumni speaker for St. Margaret’s cum laude induction ceremony. Kristen just finished her MBA and JD degrees at Northwestern University. She’s an associate at Kirkland and Ellis in Chicago. Congrats to Andrew de Burgh Sidley, who recently completed writing, producing and directing his first feature film called The Bestowal, a science-fiction drama about a lonely businessman who is visited by an interdimensional being who appears as a beautiful woman. It is currently in post-production.

Kristina Mooradian

Andrew de Burgh Sidley

N OTA B L E: TA R TA N S N A M E D 3 0 U N D E R 3 0 BY F O R B E S

Alex Schmider ’08 and Austin Russell ’13 were each named to the prestigious Forbes 30 Under 30 list for excelling in their respective fields. Alex was honored in 2017 in the media category for his work as a senior strategist for transgender media with GLAAD. In his role, Alex ensured the fair, accurate and inclusive representation of transgender people in the media, working with television networks, film studios and media outlets to provide educational trainings, feedback on scripts and other resources.

'09

10TH REUNION: Mark your calendars now for the 10th reunion during Alumni Weekend, May 10-11, 2019! Be on the lookout for class details and information coming from your reunion volunteers soon! Congrats to Ian Thomas, who started serving as a member on the Tartan Alumni Association’s Alumni Council this past winter. Ian’s app, WeCroak, went viral and continues to grow with coverage in the New York Times and more. The app’s premise is finding happiness by contemplating mortality.

'11

Since graduation, Cameron Price has lived and traveled all over the globe, including Thailand, Laos, China, India, Israel, United Kingdom, Spain, Italy, Greece, Croatia, Montenegro and Canada. In June 2015 he graduated from Dartmouth with a major in economics and minor in computer science. The day after receiving his diploma he moved to Columbus, Ohio, where he began working at Abercrombie & Fitch in their global headquarters as a business analyst in their men’s merchandise planning department. On April 21, Cameron married Laura Doll, with Brandon Price ’13 and Collin Price ’15 serving as the co-best men. George Ko was also there to celebrate. Cameron and Laura have since moved back to Orange County, where he is a financial advisor for UBS, joining his father’s team, The Price Group at the Irvine branch. Nick Geller, a graduate of California Maritime Academy, is serving as a third officer for Military Sealift Command (MSC) on the Navy’s floating hospital, the USNS Mercy. Nick recently departed for a five-month international humanitarian mission in Asia, as part of the multinational Pacific Partnership 2018. The Mercy is expected to make mission stops in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and Vietnam with its medical, dental, civil engineering and veterinary teams.

Austin, founder and CEO of Luminar Technologies, was honored in engineering and manufacturing on the 2018 Forbes list. His company is developing laser-based radar sensors (called lidar) for self-driving vehicles. He is one of the youngest innovators on the list. The Forbes 30 Under 30 list is an annual list which identifies young leaders, creators and thinkers around the world in categories like media, economics, education, manufacturing and industry, healthcare and music. Cameron Price

HIGHLANDER

'12

The ’12s had their 5th-reunion celebration at Hennessey’s. Thank you Caroline Walters and Madison Gottlieb for helping organize. In other class news, Kent Iizuka enjoyed being on campus for a quick tour this spring prior to finishing flight school in March. He earned his wings of gold at NAS Corpus Christi, Texas, and is currently stationed in NAS Jacksonville, Fla., flying the P-8A Poseidon. Jenny Tedori is a designer working at Shlemmer Algaze Associates and living in Los Angeles. Marina Morales Gonzalez is currently working for Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano at St. Margaret’s as the Americorps VISTA Community Coordinator. As a VISTA corps member, Mari commits one year to serve as a catalyst for change, living and working alongside community members to break the cycle of poverty. Madison Gottlieb was back on campus for the graduation of her brother, Peter Gottlieb ’18. She also hosted two ISP (Independent Senior Project) students, Ali Morin ’18 and Alyssa Chong ’18, at PJ Salvage, where she is the digital marketing manager. Madison began serving on the Tartan Alumni Association’s Alumni Council in July.

'13

Thank you to Melisa Osborne and Mattingly Messina, who brought the ’13s together for their first reunion during Alumni Weekend. Tartans participating in the 5th reunion celebration at Hennessey’s included Amy Berchtold, Austin Foley, Allie Frost, Arreanna Marko, Kelsey Patch, Symone Pinedo, Mary Raymund, Olivia Santora, Karly Thomas, Alex Waller, Katie Wechsler, James Yorke, Laura Pusay, Emily Chin, Chandler Desforges, Sebastian Luna, Austin Birch and Zoe Oedekerk. In other class updates, Emily Morton will be entering the occupational-therapy program at the University of Southern California this fall and loves being a dog mom! Arreanna Marko received her bachelor’s degree in human physiology from the University of Oregon. She is currently working at a physical therapy office and plans to apply to graduate schools to receive her doctorate in physical therapy. Gigi Morally continues working at Bestreich Realty Group as an analyst and investment sales broker, specializing in the sale of development sites, multifamily, and mixed-use properties in Brooklyn. Jason Goldberg is growing his company VRYL, expanding with a new platform hub to organize influencers called CuratedBy. Jason recently had an article published with Forbes, and after participating in St. Margaret’s entrepreneurial studies class last year Jason connected with current parent and former Sony executive David Perry, who is now VRYL’s CEO. Congrats to Mattingly Messina, who joined the Tartan Alumni Association’s Alumni Council in January, and to Olivia Santora, who will also be joining the Alumni Council this summer. Yasmeen Antone will be attending the University of California, Irvine School of Law starting in the fall.

N OTA B L E: A LU M N I C A R E E R F O R U M R EC A P

What do you have when over 400 students and 25plus alumni come together for an afternoon of career exploration and insight? A recipe for intrigue! Check out a video recap and speaker listing at www.smes.org/acf.

Kent Iizuka

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

Interested in speaking at the next Alumni Career Forum on Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2019? Connect with the TAA on LinkedIn and let us know!

Class Notes #TA R TA N T I D B I T S W I T H H A R R I S O N W H I T E ‘ 1 3

by Annalee Gunderson '19

Harrison White ’13 is a graduate of Yale University and was a four-year letterwinner in baseball for the Bulldogs. During his senior season in 2017, he led Yale to the Ivy League championship and an NCAA Tournament appearance. Though he initially planned to continue his education after graduating with a political science degree from Yale, Harrison was drafted in the 31st round of the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft by the Miami Marlins and chose to pursue a professional baseball career instead. He played the 2017 season for the Batavia Muckdogs, the Marlins’ Class-A minor league affiliate.

'14

Along with working for Special Camp this summer, Yamili Burgos Pacheco is a nursing student at Biola University and will graduate in 2019. Carl Eubanks just completed his degree at the University of Southern California and started working this summer for Google as a software developer in New York City. Matt Williams has been busy at Notre Dame as a self-described science enthusiast, educator and author. He’s been contributing for the Huffington Post and is doing Teach for America.

You were planning on going to medical school after graduating from Yale, but then you were drafted by the Marlins. Was it hard to choose between professional baseball and medical school? I really didn’t think I was going to get drafted. I had a decent junior year at Yale. My senior year I did OK, but I didn’t think it was good enough to get drafted. I spent about two weeks after the end of my senior season at Yale telling myself, “Hey, baseball is over, you’ve got to get your mind in the state that you are not going to play again.” Once I did get drafted, it was not a tough decision for me. That was something I worked for my entire life. I’m always going to have the opportunity to go back to more school. I’m not going to have the opportunity to play baseball again. That’s the thought that ran through my head, and I would make that decision again 100 times over.

What is one thing from St. Margaret’s that followed you into your career? In terms of baseball, I think I learned at St. Margaret’s to really be close with my teammates and develop good connections, and that was reiterated once I got to Yale. At St. Margaret’s I learned to really get close with the guys and help the younger guys along the way and be a good teammate. That really served me well, not only through my years at Yale but in my first season of pro ball. As for school, I really don’t think my education in high school could’ve been much better than it was at St. Margaret’s. That’s something I really treasure. Once the baseball part of my life is done, I’m going to rely much more heavily on the education that I started to build at St. Margaret’s and continued to build at Yale. That is very important to me.

What was your favorite class at SMES? I would have to say Ms. Bouchard’s biology class. It was super interesting to me. I did well in the class, and Ms. Bouchard was one of my favorite teachers.

Here’s a fun one: What is your ideal walk-up music? It has to be something that appeals to the crowd. The ideal one? Maybe “Welcome to the Jungle” by Guns N’ Roses or “Shoot to Thrill” by AC/DC.

What does the future look like for you in five years or 10 years? I really don’t know. I’m going to ride this baseball wave for at least a little bit longer. This is the only chance in my life I’ll get to do this. At a certain point, I will have to be smart about when it starts to impact my professional career, if baseball doesn’t turn out to be my professional career. I have to weigh the pros and cons of playing another season every offseason. If I stay realistic with myself and keep a good frame of mind of what’s going to be good for me for the next year or two years or five years, I’ll make the best decision I can.

Carl Eubanks

N O TA B L E : J U L I A N N A C O L E M A N ‘ 1 4 AWARDED FULBRIGHT SCHOL ARSHIP

Following her recent graduation from the University of Southern California with degrees in French and neuroscience, Julianna Coleman ’14 will be going to Senegal as a Fulbright Scholar. She will work in Dakar at a university hospital with families of children with disabilities and at several schools helping spotlight sociocultural factors that shape how children with disabilities are cared for by their family. Julianna shared, “I'm very much looking forward to the Fulbright, and I'm also grateful for the academic and extracurricular foundation that St. Margaret’s provided to me that has led me to this point.” We wish Julianna the best on her prestigious award and in the future as she aims to become a physician weaving together culture and medicine within her practice.

HIGHLANDER

Class Notes

'15

After spending a semester abroad in London from University of California, Berkeley, David Weaver interned for the summer with Volvo. Shiva Shabak has been busy at UC Berkeley on the Panhellenic Executive Council as vice president of programming. She’s also a member of Delta Delta Delta and interned this summer in Dublin, Ireland. MacKenzie Andrich, currently studying at the University of Washington, just completed a semester abroad in Amsterdam, studying law and criminology. MacKenzie shared, “Not only had I never been to the Netherlands before, but I also was the sole UW student in my program, knowing no other students in it when I enrolled. I ended up making so many new friends from various colleges, cities, and countries and traveled to seven countries and dozens of cities. I met up with SMES alumni, Amanda Leasure, in Amsterdam and Kierra Mitchell and Jassmin Del Rio in Dublin, Ireland.” Liam McGregor turned a class project with a friend into a viral trend at Stanford University with their “Stanford Marriage Pact.” The pact is based on a 50-question query of values and “non-negotiables” aimed to help utilize an algorithm to help identify a life partner.

'16

Noah Choi is settling into life in Texas. Following his transfer to Rice University, Noah applied for a fellowship at MD Anderson and was selected after a very competitive process. He’s since earned his EMT and worked this summer directly with a doctor in the health services department, focusing on cancer prevention. They worked with cancer survivors and compiled data to create a decision-making aid involving fitness/ exercise in order to improve quality of life. Nick Shanks has been named to the United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Division III All-American First Team. Shanks, a midfielder, notched 38 goals and 12 assists for Tufts University this past season. Laurel Smith interned this summer for CEM Can Felipa Sports Club in Barcelona, Spain.

Nick Shanks

'18

Congrats and thank you to Danielle Drislane and Parker Ryan, who will be serving as the Class of ’18s class agents through the 5th reunion in 2023! Be sure to share with them all the happenings in your life so they can be celebrated by the whole St. Margaret’s community. Way to go ’18s – welcome to the Tartan Alumni family!

Danielle Drislane & Parker Ryan

N OTA B L E : TA R TA N A LU M N I R E T U R N TO S E R V E AT S P EC I A L C A M P

Several St. Margaret’s graduates returned this summer to serve as counselors and staff members at Special Camp for Special Kids. The groundbreaking summer day camp for children and teen with disabilities is led by Executive Director Lindsay Stump Eres ’00 and provides a unique experience for more than 200 campers each summer.

MacKenzie Andrich

Alumni returning this year include staff members Elizabeth Stephens ’15, Sabine Scott ’15, Katie Schwartz ’17, Devon Palladini ’17 and Kate Ramm ’17, along with senior counselors Yamili Burgos Pacheco ’14 and Ginna Byun ’16 and volunteer counselors Lucas Santora ’17 and Kayla Farahbod ’17. Several Tartans from the Class of 2018 are serving as counselors as well. “Special Camp is a place where one forms a type of human connection that is so meaningful and profound,” Yamili said. “This place has started a chain reaction of love and compassion for its participants and staff alike, and I know it will continue to touch the lives of many in the future.”

Liam McGregor

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

Looking Back

Thank You Jason A. Weiss President of the Board of Trustees 2013-2018

ason Weiss’ term as president of the Board of Trustees concluded in June after five years—a period of continued growth and success for the school. On behalf of the entire St. Margaret’s Episcopal School community, we offer our sincere gratitude to Jason for his boundless dedication, vision, love and service. The extraordinary impact of his leadership touches the lives of every Tartan today and will for many generations to come. Jason will continue to serve on the Board as secretary. We are also deeply grateful to his wife, Joanna, and their children, Leah, grade 9, Will, grade 9, and Audrey, grade 7, for their ongoing support and contributions to Jason in his service on the Board. The Weisses exemplify the promise of our St. Margaret’s mission—lives of learning, leadership and service. Under Jason’s leadership, St. Margaret’s Board of Trustees advanced many important initiatives from financial sustainability to strategic planning to major capital developments. A few highlights include: MASEEH MIDDLE SCHOOL Opened in August 2015 HIGHLANDS QUAD AND CHALMERS FIELD Opened August 2015 CREATION AND LAUNCH OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN January 2016 JOHNSON WALLIS VISUAL ARTS CENTER Opened August 2017 ENDOWMENT GROWTH more than tripled to $11.2 million UPPER & LOWER SCHOOL STEAM FACILITIES EXPANSION Opened August 2018

“It has been wonderful partnering with Jason over the past five years as Board president. He is wholly committed to our school mission, values and Episcopal identity, and possesses deep passion for St. Margaret’s. I am incredibly grateful to Jason for all his tremendous efforts on behalf of our students to steward and advance St. Margaret’s.” — WILL MOSELEY, Head of School

“I am so grateful for all that Jason has done for our school and community. Jason epitomizes the role of a servant leader, giving so much of himself to St. Margaret’s though his time, treasure and talent. Under Jason’s leadership, the Board focused on supporting Mr. Moseley and the administration to fulfill the school’s mission and strategic plan, helping make St. Margaret’s a leader in the education community.” — PAUL WESTHEAD, Incoming President of the Board of Trustees "Jason Weiss has brought boundless energy and astute leadership to the Board as St. Margaret’s grows to meet the needs of our children and embrace the challenges of our times. Jason has been a steward of the efforts of all the volunteers who contribute to the success of St. Margaret’s. On behalf of the PTF, we value his insight, his hard work and his presence on campus. Thank you, Jason, for all you do for our children.” — MARINA GOFFREDO, PTF President 2017-2018

HIGHLANDER

he Parent Teacher Fellowship is a volunteer organization that provides support and fundraising to St. Margaret's. Membership consists of each parent of a child currently enrolled in the school and every faculty and staff member. As a Fellowship, the PTF is proud of the strong sense of family community and the shared commitment to the school that the organization upholds.

FUNDRAISING SOURCES & USES

BY MARINA GOFFREDO, 2017-2018 PTF PRESIDENT, AND BETH ADAMANY, PTF OFFICE MANAGER

Forever Plaid (All-School Fundraiser) > FUND A NEED > PTF GRANTS > ENDOWMENT

Library Luncheon > PTF GRANTS > LIBRARY

Online Auction > PTF GRANTS

Hot Lunch > PTF GRANTS

Book Fair > LIBRARY

Snack Bar > PTF GRANTS

The PTF offers enrichment to the students, teachers and the families of St. Margaret's through fundraising and the support of educational, cultural, physical and spiritual needs.

PTF GRANTS

FUND A NEED

$235,348

$312,500

FOR 2017-2018 SCHOOL YE AR

R AISED IN 2018 THROUG H 3 43 G IF T S FROM 1 22 G ENEROUS FA MILIES

The PTF offers enrichment to students, teachers and families through fundraising, much of which goes to the PTF Grants program. These grants enrich daily student learning and fund important school projects. The PTF Grants Committee is comprised of nine members of the PTF Executive Board, which solicits grant requests from faculty and staff and, along with input from school administration, evaluates the requests and awards the approved grants. There are two grant cycles each year. The first is in the fall semester and is funded in January. The second cycle is in the spring and awards grants that can be used starting the following fall semester.

A FEW OF THE GRANTS INCLUDE: • Kindergarten-Grade 1 Outdoor Classroom construction • Teacher classroom fund

AmazonSmile

• Grades K-6 Reader's Workshop materials

> PTF GRANTS

• Virtual reality sports training materials

Arts Alliance > PTF GRANTS

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

• Hummingbird Robotics classroom kits for Lower School ICE Lab • Wacom Cintiq drawing screen and stand for visual arts classrooms For more about PTF Grants and the 2017-2018 grant awards, visit www.smes.org/ptfgrants

The 2018 Fund a Need at the Forever Plaid: La Belle Époque all-school fundraiser was an initiative to upgrade STEAM facilities and curriculum at St. Margaret’s to keep pace with innovation and student demand. That includes renovation of STEAM learning spaces and environments, a customdesigned science lab in the Upper School, a redesigned Lower School STEAM Center and funding for school-wide STEAM curriculum and initiatives through the STEAM Endowment.

LIBRARY

$12,081 R AISED IN 2017-2018 A portion of the funds raised at the Library Luncheon, as well as funds from the PTF Book Fair are donated to St. Margaret’s Library for collection development, technology tools and other priorities to maintain its stature as a vital, essential learning resource and space for all Tartans.

COMMUNITY-BUILDING

COMMUNITY EVENTS TARTAN SPIRIT DAY

he PTF is built on a foundation of volunteerism with a strong sense of community. If you are interested in volunteering for any PTF events and programs, fill out the form at www.smes.org/ptfvolunteer

WELCOME BACK COFFEE

and submit it to the PTF office.

TREE LIGHTING CEREMONY

PTF TARTAN FAMILY BBQ

COFFEE HOUSE CABARET

15,100 HOT LUNCH MEALS SERVED EACH DAY BY VOLUNTEERS

ES TIM ATED NUMBER OF HOURS VOLUNTEERED BY S T. M ARG ARE T ’ S PARENT S DURING THE 2017-2018 SCHOOL YE AR

198

PARENT UP SPEAKER SERIES FACULTY/STAFF HOLIDAY LUNCHEON

220

SILENT AUCTION ITEMS PROCURED FOR FOREVER PL AID

MEMBERS ON THE P TF G ENER AL MEMBERSHIP BOARD

1,584

WINE SOIREE

ATTENDEES AT THE PTF TARTAN FAMILY BBQ

ARTS ALLIANCE: Channeling volunteer and financial support into enriching and expanding visual and performing arts.

BOOSTERS: Supporting the athletics MEMBERS ON THE P TF E XECU TIVE BOARD

programs of St. Margaret’s.

HOT LUNCH PROGRAM: Parent volunteers serve the students a nutritious lunch on a daily basis.

COOKIES SERVED AT THE HOLIDAY TREE LIG HTING CEREMONY IN NOVEMBER

P TF VOLUNTEERS IN THE LOWER SCHOOL

ORGANIZATIONS AND PROGRAMS

VOLUNTEERS IN THE TARTAN ANG EL S PROG R A M

NEW FAMILIES: Seasoned parents help make the transition to St. Margaret’s easy for new students and parents through gradelevel activities. TARTAN ANGELS: Providing members of the St. Margaret’s community with aid and outreach in times of need.

HIGHLANDER

TARTAN S C E N E S

Forever Plaid: La Belle Époque The St. Margaret’s community gathered for a night of friendship, fun and generosity at The Resort at Pelican Hill in March for the all-school fundraiser Forever Plaid: La Belle Époque. The event, chaired by Dana Melsom and Jennifer Barber, raised more than $310,000 for Fund a Need to support STEAM education, as well as raising money for the PTF Grant Enrichment program.

Library Luncheon More than 300 parents and friends attended the 37th annual PTF Library Luncheon at the Ritz Carlton Laguna Niguel in April. Chaired by Amy Ainsworth along with co-chairs Betsy Denham, Caren Edler and Danielle Fox, the New York Citythemed event raised funds to benefit the Library and the PTF Grant Enrichment program.

S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E P I S C O PA L S C H O O L

Grandparents and Special Friends Day St. Margaret’s welcomed nearly 500 grandparents and special friends to campus in May for a morning of fun-filled activities, performances and classroom visits during Grandparents and Special Friends Day in the Lower School. After a Chapel service that featured student readings and performances, guests visited their student’s classroom to meet teachers and friends and view projects that students have worked on.

Swallows Day Parade The 60th annual Swallows Day Parade in downtown San Juan Capistrano featured more than 100 students, faculty and staff marching. St. Margaret’s has participated and sponsored the parade for more than 25 years.

JOIN US OCTOBER 15, 2018 MONARCH BEACH GOLF LINKS The Tartan Tee-Off has raised more than $700,000 over the past four years for student financial aid thanks to our participants.

PTF New Board/Old Board The leadership of the PTF officially transitions each summer with the installation of the new board. At the New Board/Old Board ceremony in May, Jill Golubow was sworn in as new PTF President beginning July 1 by outgoing President Marina Goffredo, and the PTF’s new leadership team was introduced.

HIGHLANDER

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

MISSION VIEJO, CA PERMIT No 15

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School 31641 La Novia San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675-2752 Change Service Requested

Tartan Traditions…

UPCOMING EVENTS

S E P T E M B E R 7: PTF Tartan Family BBQ O C TO B E R 1 : Admission Applications Available O C TO B E R 1 2 : Homecoming O C TO B E R 1 5: Tartan Tee-Off O C TO B E R 2 2 – 2 3: Fall Break O C TO B E R 2 7: Admission K-12 Open House N OV E M B E R 2 1 – 2 3: Thanksgiving Break D ECE M B E R 6 : Admission Preschool Open House D ECE M B E R 24 – 31 : Christmas Break JA N UA RY 1-7: New Year’s Break FE B RUA RY 1 : Admission Application Deadline

Is there a future Supreme Court Justice among this group? The Class of 2022 visited the United States Supreme Court in May as part of the time-honored annual St. Margaret’s grade 8 trip to Washington D.C. and Philadelphia. Students immerse in United States history and civics visiting American landmarks, monuments and museums including the White House, National Mall, Arlington National Cemetery, National Museum of African American History and Culture, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. The trip is also a class rite of passage as students conclude their Middle School years and begin the transition to Upper School.