St. Mary's Fall/Winter Magazine 2023

PREPARED & INSPIRED

FUTURE DESIGN

COMMUNITY SUPPORT

’ ST. MARY S 2023 FALL/WINTER MAGAZINE

ST. MARY’S

2023

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6 4 A Look Back At 30 Years 6 Tomorrow’s World Today 18 Falcons Soaring 30th Anniversary

Designing Our Future

Prepared & Inspired

WHAT’S

INSIDE? Of Trustees 2 Board Welcome New Member 3 Faculty Building Blocks Thinking 10 Design Community Project Assessment 12 ISA St. Mary’s Shines Bright Theatre Company 14 Falcon Inspiring Magic Hearts 17 World-Sized Connecting & Inspiring Kindergarten 20 Early Connecting The Dots

School 22 Middle A Banner Year Engagement 24 Community Heart Of St. Mary’s 26 IBDayHubIn The Life 27 Prepared How To Listen 28 Inspiration Cultural Celebrations Updates 29 Alumni Class Notes School 30 High Class Of 2023 Bound 32 College Class Of 2019

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FALL/WINTER MAGAZINE Head Of School:

Doug Patterson Managing Editor:

Heather Wilkins Contributors: Jillian Auckland Carmen Anderson Virtue Byrd Marco Camargo Mark Chapman Kristie Kender Dustin Mittelsteadt Rob Risley Cathy Smith Lauren Sterner Sharon Taylor Rob Warren Mimi Yogaratnam Photography: Alex Carroll Nick Davies Rick Davitt Patty Siegman Heather Wilkins © 2023 St. Mary’s School All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without permission from St. Mary’s.

@stmarys.ib.world.school @stmarysib www.smaa.org

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Dear

St.Mary’s

Community,

I am proud to share the second edition of our St. Mary’s Fall/Winter Magazine. Our theme is Prepared & Inspired. Every single page is filled with examples of our faculty, staff, students and community living out this theme.

Our faculty and staff are collectively grounded in our mission and committed to delivering a balanced curriculum that prepares and inspires every student. This is evident in Ms. Sterner’s literacy article where faculty are inspired through professional development and new curriculum tools to challenge and prepare our students academically. When our teachers are passionate and engaged, that excitement and knowledge translates to their students and classroom dynamic.

The 2023-2024 school year is extra special at St. Mary’s as we celebrate our 30th anniversary.

This is a major milestone in the life of a school. For 30 years our entire community has helped realize Father Sillers’ vision. Today we are just as intentional about creating globally minded students with strong character and empathetic hearts. Pastor Mark’s article beautifully articulates how Chapel and Christian Enrichment classes emphasize the development of well-rounded students who not only excel academically but also possess strong moral and ethical foundations.

The theme prepared and inspired continues to shine through in the “Designing Our Future Together: St. Mary’s Brings Tomorrow’s World Into Today’s Classrooms” article. We are thoughtfully preparing our students for the next 30 years by scaffolding the structure and tools that will enable them to produce creative solutions to the world’s most complex problems. “Design Thinking in Action: Grade 8 IB Community Project: God’s Garden” is a wonderful example of our Grade 8 students putting the design thinking cycle to work and taking action to help our youngest Falcons in the Early Education program.

Our home to school partnership is critically important and appreciated. Our parent community is amazing. Read about the fellowship, engagement opportunities and events our PTF has created these past few months. A huge thank you to all our community members who volunteer your time, lend your guidance and expertise, positively cheer on the sidelines, attend gallery walks and parent teacher conferences, make financial contributions that impact our programs and more.

All these efforts shape a prepared student body and inspired community.

I hope to see you on campus often! Please enjoy reading our 2023 Fall/Winter Magazine.

Doug Patterson Head of School

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St. Mary’s

BOARD St. Mary’s Board Of Trustees

Welcomes A New Member The Board of Trustees is the governing body of St. Mary’s School. Board composition reflects the strategic expertise, resources and perspectives — past, present, future — needed to achieve the mission and strategic objectives of the school.

As such, the trustees are volunteers from diverse backgrounds within and outside the St. Mary’s parent community. Individual members serve a three-year term and participate in ongoing trustee education, evaluation and board leadership succession planning. The Board works to ensure all members are actively involved in the work of the Board and its committees. St. Mary’s is thrilled to welcome Ali Santore to the Board of Trustees.

Ali Santore serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer for Providence Health System, the third largest nonprofit health system in the country. In this role, Ali is responsible for ensuring the organization realizes its mission of making healthcare more affordable and accessible for poor and vulnerable populations across seven states.

With degrees from Cornell University and the University of Oregon, Ali has had the opportunity to speak at the United Nations and testify before U.S. Congress on the importance of addressing environmental sustainability in healthcare. In 2022, Ali was featured by Harvard Business School as one of the “Women Changing the World” at its Dynamic Women in Business Conference. In 2021, Ali was named one of the top 25 healthcare leaders in the country under age 40.

Before joining Providence, Ali served in the United States Senate as a legislative aid and speechwriter where she met her husband, Mike, who currently leads the St. Mary’s Narwhals Circle.

Ali, Mike and their daughters, Avery (15) and Paige (11) moved to Orange County from Washington, D.C. in 2018. Becoming part of the St. Mary’s community has been the highlight of their time in Orange County. Ali and Mike could not be more grateful for the opportunity to champion and support St. Mary’s.

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“

The training we have received is invaluable to me as an educator. This training is providing me with the knowledge and tools I need to provide rich, differentiated literacy instruction that will benefit all my students. After only a couple of months, I am already seeing the difference this type of instruction can make for students. The students in my class are not only becoming more confident readers and writers, applying new skills in authentic ways, but they are also developing a genuine curiosity about language.

—Anne Yeargin, Grade 2 Lead Teacher

”

by Lauren Sterner Dean of Academics

Building

BLOCKS

The Fundamental Building Blocks Of Literacy Begin With Our Faculty At St. Mary’s, we are committed to providing the highest quality education.

We accomplish this through a regular cadence of review and evaluation of our academic program. During a deep dive into the Lower School curriculum, we confirmed the importance of continually enhancing literacy instruction in our division. St. Mary’s sought the expertise of CORE Learning to provide professional development for teachers and to develop a structured literacy program grounded in the science of reading.

In the spring of 2023, we initiated a collaboration with CORE Learning to discuss the early stages of integration and create a training plan for the following school year. This intensive training program focused on equipping Lower School teachers with the knowledge and skills required for effective literacy instruction. CORE’s experienced instructors provided specialized training modules targeting specific areas during our Professional Development days.

The impact of this training has been profound, with participating teachers reporting increased confidence and competency in delivering literacy instruction, backed by evidence-based practices. Notably, the knowledge gained from the training was immediately applicable in the classroom, leading to improved student outcomes.

Following the initial training sections, CORE Consultant Company continues to collaborate with us throughout the 2023-2024 school year with on-site visits and continued training sessions. Together, we designed and implemented a structured literacy program tailored to our school’s unique needs. This program, firmly rooted in the science of reading, incorporates systematic, explicit instruction in phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, vocabulary and comprehension.

The carefully curated curriculum materials, assessment tools and ongoing support from CORE ensures teachers can effectively implement the program in their classrooms successfully. The results of this collaborative effort have been vast. Student performance data has revealed significant growth in reading proficiency, particularly among our early readers.

The partnership with CORE Learning has proven to be a transformative journey for St. Mary’s Lower School. As we move forward, we will continue to work closely with CORE to refine and expand our literacy program.

The collaborative model has set a powerful precedent for improving literacy education, and we are committed to sustaining and building upon these successes.

The experience with CORE Learning underscores the potential for strategic collaborations to enhance literacy education. By investing in teacher trainings and embracing evidence-based instructional strategies, we can continue to empower our educators and elevate student achievement.

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1995-97

1994

St. Mary’s has 200 students enrolled; campus expands to include a dozen classrooms, playground, library and administrative offices.

Father Sillers opens his fourth school, which he refers to as the Jewel in the Crown.

St. Mary’s starts the school year with a set of four classroom trailers.

A LOOK BACK AT

30 YEARS

1995

ST. MARY’S SCHOOL ROAD MAP

St. Mary’s graduates its first class of 16 students.

2006 The MYP earns International Baccalaureate candidacy.

New athletic field and playground equipment are installed.

2002 The International Baccalaureate (IB) MYP and PYP are adopted by St. Mary’s.

New building opens (gym, library and media resource center, Middle School labs, classrooms and art studio).

2007

Early Preschool Two-year old program begins at St. Mary’s.

First permanent building for Lower School opens.

WHAT IS AN

St. Mary’s becomes an authorized International Baccalaureate (IB) World School (Preschool through Grade 8).

Receives reaccreditation with WASC and NAEYC and accreditation from CAIS.

2009

1997

An IB World School

IB

EDUCATION?

2010 St. Mary’s is officially named St. Mary’s School; a new monument sign is installed.

2011 Lower School Science Lab opens.

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2022 2021 St. Mary’s successfully delivers in-person learning at every grade level.

2023

First Scholar student graduates.

St. Mary’s Fund raises over $1 million.

St. Mary’s launches first fall/winter magazine.

Hosts first Winter Market.

St. Mary’s celebrates 30th anniversary.

715 students are enrolled with 145 faculty and staff.

Five scholars are enrolled.

Hosts first Design Fair and MS Fest.

25th Annual Golf Classic is held.

2020 St. Mary’s temporarily pivots to remote learning.

2018 First phase of Imagine More completed and includes Bhathal Merage Academic Center and Green Family Commons.

2019 St. Mary’s introduces new mission: World-sized hearts.

World-class minds.

2015 Library is renovated and the IB HUB officially opens in spring 2016.

2013 Athletic field and outdoor play spaces are enhanced.

2016 Flexible furniture campaign is introduced at spring Gala.

St.Mary’sGala St.Mary’sGala

2017 Launch of the Imagine More campaign to reimagine the school campus.

EEP playground reimagined.

Designing Our

FUTURE Together

St. Mary’s Brings Tomorrow’s World Into Today’s Classrooms Since taking the helm as Head of School two years ago, I’ve felt a tremendous sense of responsibility. Not only to safeguard the rich legacy I inherited, but also to apply our founding principles to 21st century demands. St. Mary’s understands education must evolve as swiftly as every other social sector. It’s a dynamic field that requires innovative responses. Our answer to this need is clear. It’s time to Design The Future.

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by Doug Patterson Head of School

We begin with our mission and its six guiding words: “World-sized Hearts. World-class Minds.” This is our compass, directing every decision we make. As we chart our course for the future, these guiding principles underscore our dedication to nurturing compassionate individuals with a global perspective and fostering academic excellence. We remain steadfast in our mission to cultivate both empathetic hearts and exceptional minds.

I’m excited to share our Design The Future Campaign — how it evolved, why it’s needed and what it promises this next generation of students.

Launching from a Strong Foundation

Father Sillers founded St. Mary’s 30 years ago with an audacious vision. He anticipated a rapidly changing, globally interconnected world that would require adaptability, cooperation and resilience. He positioned St. Mary’s for longterm success by recognizing the skills its students would need — curiosity, a collaborative spirit, proficiency across disciplines, a strong moral foundation and compassionate and intellectual engagement with complex problems. In 2007, St. Mary’s became a fully-authorized PYP and MYP IB School, further enhancing Father Sillers’ founding values. His vision is woven into our DNA and, for 30 years, has made St. Mary’s a premiere institution educating world-sized hearts and worldclass minds. That’s a legacy we aim not only to maintain and foster, but to expand.

Future Ready: Finishing Our Master Plan with a Dedicated Design Thinking Facility

The Design The Future Campaign combines our vision for an outstanding facility with our mission to develop world-sized hearts and world-class minds. It fully embodies our beliefs and values and completes the Master Plan.

As we celebrate our 30th anniversary, we’re already planning for the next 30 years. Those four original portables, now three decades old, represent our tender beginnings. Now it’s time to modernize our campus with a state-of-the-art facility that will house a Design Center and a new home for our Early Education Program. In addition, recognizing our community is the heart of our campus, we will renovate our outdoor spaces to reflect a parklike atmosphere. Design The Future will create a space where our school family can connect and thrive.

This campaign is not about bricks and mortar. It’s about crafting a dynamic and comfortable environment that stimulates creativity and celebrates achievement.

It’s about creating a campus commensurate with our students’ ambitions.

Our Design Center will allow students the freedom of exploration and the proper environment to test their theories. It will let them transform their exciting ideas into tangible possibilities, giving them access to the materials and equipment necessary to produce those designs. It will also give them more access to each other, to communicate and learn from other points of view.

Design Thinking is the natural evolution in that educational process. It’s the product The Design Center will be located on the second floor of our new two-story, of applying Father Sillers’ foresight to today’s world. Our planet faces a variety of 28,000-square-foot facility. It will house innovative science, technology and fine challenges — rapid technological developments, complex geopolitical problems, arts labs for every St. Mary’s student. Intimate nooks and comfortable spaces will social upheavals and environmental threats. But St. Mary’s students understand foster conversation and collaboration. Well-equipped studios supplied with these challenges as opportunities. When given the chance, they’ve proven materials will allow for hands-on experimentation. And advanced scientific they’re capable of designing their own futures.

Designing Our instruments in our science and technology labs will foster creative problemsolving skills.

Better by Design Together Think of the rapid changes our world has undergone in the past five years Our six specialized labs — including an Empathy Lab, Idea Lab, Garage, — from ChatGPT to self-driving cars and SpaceX rockets. In this accelerated Falcon Workshop, Tool Shed and Studio — allow for research, collaboration environment, teaching students how to learn proves far more critical than teaching and prototyping. The labs surround an inviting, modern Gallery designed for them what to learn. Now facts and figures are readily accessible inside our phones. students to showcase their work and inspire others.

Today’s students must understand the validity of information and how to think The Early Education Center will be located on the first floor. We’ve dedicated critically to analyze and apply it. Fortunately, those strategies can be taught. this new learning space to our youngest Falcons. Designed to nurture creativity To find the most efficient and effective tools to teach those strategies, we looked and intellectual growth, the center will offer flexible classrooms and a Learning beyond the education sector to the larger world. Successful entrepreneurs and Hub for gathering and sharing meals. Classrooms can be reconfigured to businesses, we discovered, rely on design thinking techniques. IDEO, an industry accommodate a variety of student needs while maximizing imagination, play, leader in design, revolutionized design thinking and proved its success. Its five-part wonder and reflection. cyclical process involves empathizing with others about their struggles, defining their problems, generating ideas to solve those problems, creating and experimentA Peek Inside Their Future ing with prototypes to address those problems and testing their effectiveness. Design Our 40,000-square-foot outdoor and collective spaces will offer park-like thinking breaks down problem-solving into concrete steps. It fosters empathy and settings for us all to gather together or quietly reflect. The new Community Hub collaboration. It teaches students to work through frustration, understanding roadwill house a coffee cafe and student store where parents, students, faculty and blocks as inherent parts of the process. It rewards creativity. And it celebrates evenstaff can socialize. “Community” defines the St. Mary’s experience. To foster that tual success. Design thinking trains students to resolve complex issues creatively. intent, we’ve integrated thoughtful and organic spaces throughout our

FUTURE

When we teach children to trust themselves, trust the process and trust that answers to difficult problems lie within their grasp, we aren’t merely educating students. We’re educating future leaders.

campus for families to connect during the seemingly simple moments in their day.

Together, we can provide students with an optimal learning environment, preparing them to thrive in a rapidly changing world.

The Future Starts Today

Today we find ourselves in a very unique and fortunate position. We’re living through exciting times that promise to offer unfathomable opportunities for this next generation. But our students must be equipped to handle them. I invite you on this journey toward preparing and inspiring our children to become courageous and caring global citizens and tomorrow’s enlightened leaders.

I look forward, with your help, to ushering St. Mary’s into this next exciting chapter in our collective story with the Design The Future Campaign.

Designing Our

FUTURE Together

Design Thinking In Action

Grade 8 IB Community Project God’s Garden

by Sharon Taylor

Chief Advancement Officer

At St. Mary’s, our mission is to develop our students’ world-sized hearts and world-class minds. Our graduates understand service and action are the outward expressions of inward convictions. As an IB World School, students at St. Mary’s strive to be caring members of the community who demonstrate a personal commitment to service and act to make a positive difference in the lives of others and the environment.

Each year, our Grade 8 students embark on a Community Project to identify and address a need in their or another community. This is a culminating experience; every Grade 8 student participates in the Community Project.

Students Kaiden Fishback and Julian Ghailian are utilizing the model of design thinking to bring their project to life. The title of their project is “God’s Garden,” and their goal is to create a self-sustaining, regenerative organic garden for Early Education students during the upcoming capital campaign, Design The Future. Our Early Education playground has a functional garden where EEP students learn to garden, plant and harvest. During the construction of the new building, our students won’t have access to the garden, so Kaiden and Julian are planning to build individual planter boxes for each class, so they can continue to garden and learn about plants, life cycles and more. They hope the boxes will remain and be utilized in the new Early Education spaces, allowing our youngest students to enjoy and learn for years.

By progressing through each step of the design thinking process, Kaiden and Julian identify a need, plan and take action within the Early Education Community. Here is a sneak peek into how the new Design Spaces would dramatically enhance their ability to have an impact with their project and make a difference in our Early Education Community: Empathize: This step allows students like Kaiden and Julian to understand our students’ and teachers’ needs and preferences. In our new “Empathy Lab,” they could regularly meet with our Head of Early Education, Shelly Harmon, to understand the curriculum and gain insights into what planter boxes would engage and benefit preschoolers the most. Understanding safety, size, colors, shapes and materials would help them with their design. They could also interview students and teachers to hear their needs. The “Empathy Lab” offers research space, comfortable seating, interview pods and a human-centered environment, bringing the skill of empathy to life.

Define and Ideate: Based on their “empathy” work, the boys can define and identify the specific needs to design the “perfect” preschool planter box. Durability, kid-friendly materials and appealing aesthetics to encourage interest will all need to be considered.

If our new Design Labs were in place, the students could access the “Idea Lab” to design the boxes virtually. They could use the technology of AI, virtual reality and augmented reality to generate multiple ideas and brainstorm all options. The concept of “no bad ideas” would allow them to dream and innovate. They could have a building plan in place before they begin building.

Prototype and Test: Now, the fun begins. Our students could utilize the “Falcon Workshop” to prototype planter boxes. Initially, they might use low-cost materials to create models that can be refined. They would test their prototypes with their target audience to gather feedback and, if needed, return to the drawing board. This type of iteration is a crucial step in design thinking. Giving our students space to refine and improve their design allows for an enhanced final product. The “Tool Shed” and “Garage” would give Kaiden and Julian the space to build the boxes. The “Art Studio” could be the place to add the finishing touches.

Paint, design, color and imagination can come to life within the studio.

Presentation: The “Gallery” space would be perfect for presenting their incredible work and individually designed planter boxes. All Community Projects would be showcased in the Gallery, giving our students a place to spotlight their projects, share their experiences and explain their process.

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The new Design Center will significantly enhance our IB curriculum and elevate our academic program. Design Thinking is a powerful tool for making a better future, instilling confidence in every student they can be a part of positive change, no matter how large the problem. This new facility fully allows us to execute our Design Thinking education program.

ST. MARY’S DESIGN FAIRE 2024

JOIN US FOR AN INTERACTIVE DESIGN EXPERIENCE Join us for a morning filled with innovation and design exploration.

Discover the intricacies of how Design Thinking works with our IB curriculum. Engage in an hour of hands-on, interactive design activities with your students in the classrooms.

SAVE THE DATE

FRIDAY MARCH 1 2024 ALL SCHOOL 8–9:15AM

St. Mary’s School Shines Bright On The International Schools Assessment St. Mary’s School has reason to celebrate as we continue to achieve outstanding results on the International Schools Assessment (ISA). The ISA is a globally recognized assessment tool that measures students’ performances in key subject areas, providing valuable insights into a school’s academic programs. St. Mary’s performance on this assessment reaffirms its commitment to delivering high-quality education and preparing students for success.

ISA Assessment

by Jillian Auckland MYP Coordinator

Outstanding Writing Proficiency: St. Mary’s students excelled on both writing sections of the ISA, showcasing their ability to communicate thoughts and ideas eloquently in both narrative and expository text types.

This is a testament to the school’s rigorous language program and the emphasis placed on effective communication and expressive language skills. Proficiency in written language is a crucial asset that will serve students well throughout their academic and professional lives.

Excellence in Reading: St. Mary’s students performed exceptionally well in the reading section of the ISA. Students are well-equipped to navigate complex texts and engage with a variety of subjects and genres, thus broadening their knowledge base. This vital skill is not confined to the classroom; it extends to the real world where strong reading comprehension is indispensable for interpreting documents, contracts, reports and complex instructions, setting students on a path toward success in both their academic and professional lives.

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Strong Performance in Mathematical Literacy: St. Mary’s students have demonstrated impressive proficiency in mathematics, underscoring the school’s dedication to a robust math curriculum. Its strong mathematical foundation equips students to tackle complex problems and think analytically. Students demonstrated exceptional skills in solving complex mathematical problems and showcased a deep understanding of mathematical concepts. This impressive performance reflects the school’s dedication to nurturing strong mathematical skills among its students, which is crucial in today’s increasingly data-driven world.

Impressive Science Aptitude: St. Mary’s performance in science was equally commendable.

The students’ ability to apply scientific knowledge, think critically and draw conclusions and inferences about scientific concepts showcased the school’s dedication to fostering a deep understanding of the natural world. These skills will be invaluable as students pursue careers in STEM fields and contribute to scientific advancements.

Continued Excellence Across All Subjects: These positive results are not only a cause for celebration and pride, but also a source of inspiration. As we reflect on our results and our desire to continually improve, the St. Mary’s academic team plans to build on our historic success in reading, writing, mathematics and science to achieve even higher outcomes for our students. With these remarkable achievements in all areas, St. Mary’s School continues to set a shining example of educational excellence for its students and the wider community. The positive outcomes on the ISA reaffirm St. Mary’s School is preparing students not only for academic success but also for a brighter future as responsible, wellrounded and globally aware citizens.

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Inspiring Students to Create Magic & Take Risks

by Rob Warren Director of the Arts

Roald Dahl was a master of escapist storytelling, inspiring generations to dream and unravel their imaginations. He once said: “A little magic can take you a long way,” and how right he was.

St. Mary’s community was treated to magic in action when our student-run Falcon Theatre Company brought to life the musical, Willy Wonka, on the Coast Hills Church stage last spring.

The production included 72 student performers, 20 backstage crew and 12 theatre professionals.

Dahl’s moral fable about five children who find golden tickets hidden in their chocolate bars and embark upon unimaginable adventures within the secretive walls of Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory is bursting with creative flavor. The colors, characters, creations and oddities offered an irresistible menu of stimulating ingredients. Making magic from reality is always a challenge, but the collaborative mix of creative vision, imaginative performance and technical expertise the St. Mary’s students achieved onstage and off has been breathtaking and inspiring.

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This incredible Falcon Theatre Company production could not have been completed without our talented cast, crew and production team. “We are the music makers and we are the dreamers of dreams.”

“During the adventure of traveling through Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory, I learned that people should always be themselves. Although people go through ups and downs, life is short.

So live every second happily and enthusiastically.”

—Jade Petrocelli, Grade 6

“Through this experience I learned many lessons but one thing that changed my daily life for the better was to always take risks. When I first arrived at the audition I was having second thoughts but I decided to take the risk. That experience made me think that just one small risk can make a dream come true.”

—Adrian Manoucheri, Grade 6

a kra nk a

Won b

“The school musical was such a memorable experience. I learned so much about making strong character choices and enjoyed being able to make memories with people that we bond with in rehearsals.” —Yunah Choi, Grade 7

The Falcon

THEATRE COMPANY

“... if you want to view paradise, Simply look around and view it.

Anything you want to, do it! Want to change the world?

There’s nothing to it…”

“I loved learning how to improve my acting and I enjoyed making new friends while collaborating to make this musical the best it could be!”

—Makenzie Colburn, Grade 6

“Working backstage in costumes for the plays and musicals was like being part of a secret world where creativity knew no bounds.

I learned that it’s not just about clothes but about the magic that happens behind the curtains. When creating costumes, I learned that it’s not just about the applause at the end, but it’s about the feeling of creating something beautiful that lasts long after the final curtain call.”

—Ali Talebloo, Grade 8

“My involvement and role as Grandpa Joe in the Willy Wonka Musical was my first time in the Falcon Theatre Company, as well as my first experience with theater as a whole. I got tremendously closer to individuals I’d never get the chance to get closer with through all the long rehearsals, and picked up the skill to act, sing, and properly carry myself on stage and in front of an audience. And to all the students out there who may be reading this, if your friends are planning to do the musical, then consider giving it a shot— you may find something that you really like.” —Liam Hong, Grade 8

Currently, The Falcon Arts Department is busy preparing for our Annual St. Mary’s Winter Market. This festive and joyous event brings our entire community together to celebrate the holidays in a European-style market setting. Over food, fellowship, entertainment, shopping and activities, the spirit of the season will be felt throughout our St. Mary’s campus. The Arts will be represented both onstage and off with student exhibitions of Visual Arts and Media Arts and performances by our Falcon Music Ensembles, Falcon Dance Ensemble and The Falcon Theatre Company’s fall play: The Grinch.

St. Mary’s Arts Season will continue during the second semester presenting numerous concerts, staged performances and exhibits that will entertain and inspire our community.

Please come join us in celebrating our student artists.

Athletics

Connecting & Inspiring

Academic WORLD-SIZED HEARTS Programs

Faith Development At St. Mary’s, we are dedicated to providing students with a well-rounded education that fosters not only academic excellence but the development of strong character, compassion and a sense of global citizenship. To achieve this holistic approach, our Chapels and Christian Enrichment classes are thoughtfully integrated into our curriculum, aligning with a one-year scope and sequence that is age-appropriate and connects with the International Baccalaureate (IB) Learner Profile and Attitudes.

Science, Faculty Technology Professional Chapels at St. Mary’s & Innovation Development Our regular Chapels are more than just gatherings; they are an integral part of

our educational experience. These weekly sessions provide a space for reflection, spiritual growth and character development. Our Chapels are designed to be inclusive, promoting unity and an understanding of diverse beliefs while remaining grounded in Episcopal principles.

Chapels tie into the one-year scope and sequence by addressing age-appropriate themes and biblical stories that resonate with your child’s development stage.

Whether through engaging storytelling, songs or discussions, we aim to instill values such as kindness, empathy and respect. These themes align with the IB Learner Profile, particularly emphasizing attributes like “Caring,” “Open-Minded” and “Reflective.”

Christian Enrichment Classes

Our Christian Enrichment classes provide your child with the opportunity to explore their faith in greater depth. These classes delve into the Bible, Christian history and theology, encouraging critical thinking and nurturing their spiritual development. While rooted in Christian teachings, these classes emphasize the importance of interfaith understanding, respecting different beliefs and promoting the IB Attitudes of “Tolerance” and “Respect.”

The age-appropriate one-year scope and sequence ensures the content is tailored to your child’s grade level. We aim to create a progressive, meaningful journey of faith development, building upon their prior knowledge and experiences, while reinforcing character traits like “Principled,” “Inquirer” and “Balanced” from the IB Learner Profile.

The Connection

by Pastor Mark Chapman School Chaplain

Our Chapels and Christian Enrichment classes are interwoven with our educational philosophy, emphasizing the development of well-rounded students who not only excel academically but also possess strong moral and ethical foundations.

This approach aligns with the IB’s mission to nurture inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who are motivated to create a better world through intercultural understanding and respect.

As we strive to empower your child to become compassionate, principled and globally aware individuals, we invite you to engage with us in this journey. Our Chapels and Christian Enrichment classes are not only about education but about cultivating a nurturing, inclusive and empathetic community.

We encourage you to have open conversations with your child about their experiences in both Chapels and Christian Enrichment classes and to reinforce at home the values and character traits they are learning at school. Together, we can help them grow into responsible and compassionate citizens of the world.

Thank you for entrusting us with your child’s education and character development. We are excited to continue this enriching journey with your family.

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PREPARED INSPIRED AND

St. Mary’s has a long-standing successful athletic history.

Winning championships is great, but winning with both class and grace is even better. Act like you’ve been there before because our Falcons certainly have many times.

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O

ur goal is for all St. Mary’s teams to be identifiable by their attitude, class, effort and sportsmanship. We are prepared to demonstrate Falcon Pride — shaking hands and leaving areas better — win or lose. We play for the name on the front of our shirts and make our teachers, coaches, parents, students and supporters proud.

Athletic teams are an important, and often first, representation of our school, so it’s imperative St. Mary’s makes a positive and lasting impression.

Our coaches are a huge part of our program. At St. Mary’s, we focus and rely upon a teacher/coach model which helps develop faculty/student relationships outside the classroom. Teachers who coach form strong bonds with students and can become the single-most important influence on a young person’s life in their formative years.

Coaches who are teachers often view winning less as a primary goal and more as a by-product of all that goes into it — practice, commitment, teamwork, personal accountability, time management, risk-taking and integrity to name a few character traits we focus on. The athletic field becomes another classroom where lessons are experienced on an emotional as well as intellectual level. In short, teachers make the best coaches, and St. Mary’s is fortunate to have great teachers who become great coaches!

by Rob Risley

Director of Athletics

Making a comeback this season to our athletic offerings was Cross Country. While technically a team sport, it was very important to the St. Mary’s Athletics program to relaunch the Cross Country team to offer an athletic option to those students looking for a more individualized competitive outlet. Running is such a positive lifelong pursuit that can be continued at any level and completed anywhere, anytime. To have coaches model that enjoyment of running and then enable our runners to compete not only for St. Mary’s but also for themselves was an essential goal of our Fall Athletics program.

FALCONS SOARING

St. Mary’s Athletics enjoyed an extremely busy fall season competing in the Parochial Athletic League (PAL) in Cross Country, Flag Football and Volleyball, whilst also fielding competing teams in Song and Cheer. We ran Academy programs for younger students in Spirit Cheer, Flag Football and Lacrosse to prepare and inspire our future Falcons for athletic success.

Over 250 athletes participated in the Fall Athletics program, which included League titles for Mountain A football and Canyon B volleyball. Our Mountain A football squad competed in the PAL playoffs, and their excellent season came to a close in the championship game with a hard fought game.

A team of flying Falcons (Grades 3-8) — led by coaches Bash Lopez, Jillian Auckland and Karen Johnson — practiced locally and competed twice at Cooks Cordova Park in San Juan Capistrano.

Every runner was able to set a personal best. Our Grade 8 Falcons showed their world-sized hearts by finishing their race and then going back onto the course to help run in younger athletes. This act of teamwork and kindness encompasses our mission and how we want our athletes to represent themselves and our school.

During the fall season, more than 15 coaches presided over 150 practices and over 90 games or meets during the season. We had some great victories on the court and field. Every runner on the Cross Country team set personal bests at the final meet of the season. Our Falcons certainly represented themselves well this fall, and we look forward to celebrating adding two more banners to the rafters!

An Early Kindergarten IB Experience

by Cathy Smith Early Kindergarten Teacher

A

rt is a powerful form of communication. It serves as a universal language that transcends cultural and linguistic barriers. Artists can provoke thought and inspire change. They have the ability to convey complex ideas, emotions and perspectives through their work, allowing viewers to connect with and understand these messages on a deeply personal level. Additionally, art has therapeutic qualities, both for the creator and the audience, offering an opportunity for self-expression and a means to process emotions.

Artistic expression can take many forms, including visual arts like painting and sculpture, performing arts such as dance and theater and literary arts like poetry and prose. Each medium provides a unique way for artists to communicate and for audiences to interpret and engage with the content.

Early Kindergarten’s Unit of Inquiry, How We Express Ourselves, incorporates art and the exploration of shapes. This approach not only introduces our young learners to fundamental concepts in geometry, helping children learn early math skills but also nurtures their creativity and self-expression. Additionally, students learned how artists have used 2D and 3D shapes to create their masterpieces and express themselves to the world.

EK students became risk-takers and thinkers as they created their own masterpieces by using the same techniques as other artists. They also became knowledgeable and applied the elements of art, such as color, form, line shape, space and texture, enhancing the students’ visual literacy. These elements form the building blocks of artistic expression and provide a framework for students to analyze and create their own artwork.

Math, literacy, science, social-emotional learning and fine motor skills have been woven in throughout this Unit of Inquiry to create an enriching “tapestry” of learning.

Geography was also introduced, as many of these artists are from different countries around the world. The children enjoyed discovering where each artist lived on maps and globes found in their classrooms.

Piet Mondrian is a Dutch painter known for his significant contribution to the development of abstract art, emphasizing geometric shapes and primary colors.

Mondrian’s work taught the students the value and importance of straight lines in creating shapes and the science of primary colors, leading to many color-mixing experiments in class. They were excited to learn that Mondrian art has been used on clothing and painted on buildings. One student inquired, “Are there swimming pools with Mondrian art painted on the sides of the pool?”

Wassily Kandinsky was a Russian painter and art theorist who is regarded as a pioneer of abstract art. His art exposed our students to concentric circles and grids. Students applied this knowledge to their art pieces by creating a grid and colorful concentric circles, representing flowers growing in a garden. One class designed concentric circle leaves on a tree.

Yayoi Kusama, a Japanese contemporary artist, quickly became one of the students’ favorites for her use of polka dots and infinity rooms. Students honed in on their fine motor skills as they drew and colored in a variety of different-sized dots all over their pumpkin -shaped paper. Suddenly, they noticed dots everywhere, for example, on their shoes, clothing and cabinets. One student exclaimed, “Even the letter ‘i’ has its own dot on top!”

An Early Kindergarten student, Sevilla, was so excited she got to visit the Yayoi Kusama Museum in Japan.

EK students observed the works of Jackson Pollock and Vincent Van Gogh. After many class discussions, they were able to create their own magnificent pieces using swirls and dashes in their Van Gogh-inspired Starry Starry Night scenes. They then changed the pace in their next piece to use Pollock’s flair of splatter painting to create another personal masterpiece. Students then learned about a Venn diagram to compare and contrast information. They used this tool to compare the artistic styles of Pollock and Van Gogh.

One student reflected on these artists and discovered they both use lines to create movement in their art.

3D shapes became tangible as Early Kindergartners studied Alexander Calder, an American sculptor and one of the most influential figures in the development of kinetic art, a genre of art that involves movement. Students created mobiles, molding wire and clay into various sculptures using spheres, cubes, cylinders and rectangular prisms as their inspirations.

Connecting

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THE DOTS

Their final masterpiece reflected their freedom and confidence. Students chose 2D and/or 3D shapes along with the art medium they wanted to use for their special and unique summative project. They titled their art, described their art and reflected on how they felt about their treasured masterpiece.

This type of inquiry-based learning is engaging, deepens the student’s understanding of shapes and art concepts and encourages them to make connections between what they are learning and the world around them. It fosters a sense of curiosity, critical thinking and creativity — valuable skills that extend beyond the classroom.

St. Mary’s 2023

Christmas Card

Making Spirits Bright

Every year St. Mary’s produces a beautiful Christmas card that shares a seasonal message while inviting our community to our holiday celebrations. This card is created from student artwork. This year we asked all students (Early Education through Grade 8) to consider submitting a piece of art to be featured in the official St. Mary’s Christmas Card. A small committee – comprised of our community, including leadership, faculty, parents and students – reviewed and selected a variety of art that best represents our school, our mission, values and International Baccalaureate Programme. The selected artwork is included in the final design of the St. Mary’s Christmas card. All artwork submitted will be featured at the Winter Market on December 14.

Congratulations to our Falcon artists winners!

Annie Zhou cover winner (Grade 7) Logan Lowell (Grade 7) Harrison Thavirat (Grade 8) Karina Zhang (Grade 4)

Middle

School Life

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“As the head coach of the St. Mary’s Cross Country team this year, I’ve had the

privilege of witnessing a perfect embodiment of the culture cultivated within our Middle School. Throughout this season, our Middle School student athletes have consistently demonstrated the value of camaraderie by supporting and cheering on

”

each other and their younger teammates from the Lower School. —Mr. Lopez

by Dustin Mittelsteadt Interim Head of Middle School

Building A

BANNER YEAR F

MSfest

ather Sillers said it best, “Mine is not a tiny vision.” Step into the world of Middle School. A transformative time of growth, challenges, pits and mountains. Everyday brings a new opportunity. The vision for Middle School is simple: to prepare and inspire students to change the world. We strive to empower our students to thrive in new environments, be open-minded, take risks and pivot whenever needed.

Building a strong foundation is a must. Stacking bricks daily is something we strive to do. From service learning to role modeling, equipping students with tools they can use is imperative. This year our advisory groups are responsible for cleaning up the Green Family Commons everyday after lunch. This is an opportunity for students to serve their community and truly give back. On top of cleaning up after lunch, our students have the opportunity to do beach clean ups and service work during their Field Studies. Service in action is the backbone of who we are.

Preparing our students for high school is something we take very seriously from changing math to five days a week to adding grammar lessons daily. We want to build the foundation for our students to thrive in high school. Additional textbooks and novels have been added to classes, so we can finally find a balance between digital and print texts, understanding that yes, the world is digital, but it doesn’t mean our students can’t navigate in both worlds. This year, we continue to prepare our students by offering high school placement opportunities to practice, test and review.

Our goal is to ensure our students are prepared and confident to successfully enter any environment when they graduate.

Culture and community is what really stands out in our Middle School. Falcon pride is embedded into everything our students do. From athletics to the musical, to MUN to ASB, our students are building community and contributing to our school culture daily. To see for yourself, swing by one day after school. You might see over 100 student athletes practicing in the gym and field and another 100 working on the annual musical. From set design to costumes, opportunities are endless. This is who we are.

This past October we had a chance to open up the classrooms to our families for our first ever MS Fest, an opportunity for parents to see what their children are doing on a day-to-day basis. Students were able to show wherever they were in their learning a true reflection of authentic learning, and parents were able to learn right beside them.

Father Sillers’ dreams and visions for his students were always big.

Thirty years later, the vision is still big and dreams are even bigger.

“MS Fest provided parents with a way to experience an authentic snapshot

into a standard Grade 8 math lesson in my classes. It was designed to have guests go through the average daily routine of math class, albeit in a limited time, and progress through a standard opening activity, highlight important concepts and apply that new concept in problem solving. Having students assist the adults provided that scaffolding experience that so communally appears in classrooms. From what I observed, there were mostly feelings of joy and empathy, which can hopefully strengthen the already strong school-home connections. —Dr. La Londe

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St. Mary’s 2023-24

Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF) Board Every St. Mary’s parent is a member of the Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF). We value building community through volunteering and planning meaningful events and activities on campus. Being actively involved on campus is a great way to make friends and become more ingrained in the St. Mary’s community. Our PTF Board is a leadership group that commits to serving our school in various positions to ensure we fulfill our mission of supporting the educational, fundraising, cultural, physical and spiritual needs of St. Mary’s. If you are interested in learning more about serving on the PTF Board, please contact ptf@smaa.org.

Thank You To Our Wonderful PTF Board For The 2023-24 School Year!

Top row, from left to right:

Heather Senner, Caitlin Steffien, MaryAnn Samuel, Laura Clifford, Mariko Nordhoff, Lindsey Michael, Stacey Marriott, Alexandra Weed and Liz Chayes.

Front row, from left to right:

Shiva Manoucheri, Mingying Gu, Joy Wang, Priscilla Colwell, Carey Tushin-Vile, Mahdis Bormand, Maggie Liu, Leslie Murphy, Kim Davenport and Michele Hull.

Parent Teacher Fellowship

Welcome Back to School Coffee In September, the PTF Board hosted a Welcome Back Coffee to kick off the new school year.

Our Falcon community enjoyed reconnecting with friends, meeting new people and learning about volunteer opportunities on and off campus.

We’re thrilled to share we offer more than 75 unique ways to get involved with hundreds of opportunities waiting for enthusiastic volunteers. The turnout was fantastic with many of these roles eagerly taken by our amazing community members. It’s a true testament to the spirit and dedication of our Falcon family!

25-Year Tradition of Community & Competition

St. Mary’s Golf Classic

Falcons Flock to First Ever

St. Mary’s Pickleball Mixer

This event was a huge success with 104 golfers coming together to celebrate this milestone classic. It was an unforgettable day of golf, camaraderie and celebration showcasing the strong bonds within the St. Mary’s community. Thank you to our committee, Golf Chair Kathyrn Mayes, sponsors and volunteers who contributed their time and resources to make this event possible.

Your support played a crucial role in creating an exceptional experience for all participants.

Congratulations to the best dressed foursome: Michael Page, Jason Puckett, Brian Lannon and Kris Price. And a big congrats to the foursome winners, including: Men’s Group – Chris Harmon, John Massa, Alex Cotraviwat and Eugene Suh; Women’s Group – Kathryn Mayes, Jen Farr, Michelle Tolmie and Heather Wilkins; Mixed Group – our presenting sponsor, Gallagher Foursome – Charlene Montoya, Phillip Baker, Alec Grollman and David Grollman. Your impressive skills and sportsmanship were inspiring to witness, and we look forward to seeing you defend your titles next year!

On Sunday, September 10, the St. Mary’s PTF hosted its first ever Pickleball Mixer! Approximately 75 players with varying skill levels enjoyed some friendly competition on the court at the Newport Beach Pickleball Club. Players and spectators enjoyed a taco bar, beverages and fun with fellow Falcons. Congratulations to our pickleball winners, Cliff Downie and Tom Spence! And a massive round of applause for Megan Roshan and Heather Senner for putting together this amazing community-building event.

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As we reflect on the day’s events, we are filled with immense pride and gratitude for the sense of community that we all share. Your presence and participation made it a memorable and enjoyable event, and we can’t wait to do it again in 2024!

Record-Breaking Attendance

St. Mary’s Grandparents & Special Friends Day

St. Mary’s hosted more than 500 grandparents and special friends on November 17 for our annual event.

Multiple generations of families spread throughout our campus for a special day filled with connection, shared experiences and recognition for our special grandparents and family friends. Guests were treated to student-led exhibits and presentations. Falcons toured their guests around St. Mary’s where classrooms were filled with smiles and students proudly introducing their teachers and sharing their work.

Thank you to the many volunteers who made this event happen. And, thank you to our grandparents and special friends—we are grateful for you and appreciate your support!

by Kristie Kender Parent Engagement and Events Manager

Community Support and Engagement is at the Heart of St. Mary’s Culture

COMMUNITY Engagement

St. Mary’s Gala 2024 Save the Date: Saturday, March 9 Balboa Bay Resort

Mark your calendars for the most anticipated event of the year! The St. Mary’s Gala is back, and it promises to be an unforgettable evening at the exquisite Balboa Bay Resort. We invite you to be part of something truly extraordinary.

Celebrating 30 Years of St. Mary’s

Founder’s Day

Every year late in September our community gathers to celebrate our Founder Father Sillers. We intentionally plan this event close to Father’s birthday (October 2) and wear red in honor of his favorite color. This year’s celebration was especially significant because we are celebrating 30 years of St. Mary’s. Over 500 dedicated community members came together to commemorate our anniversary and honor our Founder. The day was filled with a delightful blend of food, music, camaraderie and acts of community service.

Event highlights:

Students had a blast dunking our beloved faculty and Head of School in the dunk tank.

The cake walk, featuring over 75 mouthwatering cakes, brought smiles to the faces of our lucky winners.

Interactive games and activities entertained guests of all ages.

A heartwarming food drive was organized to support our neighbors at Coast Hills Church.

We owe a tremendous debt of gratitude to the PTF Board, whose hard work and dedication brought this joyous occasion to life. A special shout-out to our incredible PTF Event Assistants Lindsey Michael and MaryAnn Samuel, for their invaluable contributions.

Founder’s Day was a day of celebration, unity and giving back, and we couldn’t have asked for a more resounding success!

Why attend?

Every year, our Gala is not just a night of glamor; it’s a night of giving, sharing and making a difference.

With the support of more than 300 passionate guests, we’ve consistently raised over $300,000, all of which directly benefits St. Mary’s and the enriching programs it offers. Join us to be a part of this incredible journey!

Celebrate With Us The Gala is not just about fundraising; it’s about celebration. It’s a time to come together, celebrate our vibrant community and cherish the bonds that make us strong. This is an opportunity for you to enjoy an enchanting night in the company of your fellow Falcon parents.

Meet the Dream Team Our Gala Co-Chairs, Megan Roshan and Lindsay Dickhout, are already hard at work with our amazing committee to create a spectacular event. The theme for this year is under wraps, but stay tuned – it’s sure to be a showstopper!

This is a night you won’t want to miss.

Save the date and get ready for a Gala like no other! Let’s make memories and make a difference together.

A Day in the Life of the

by Mimi Yogaratnam

Director of Information Services

“Ms. Mimi! Your world map is upside down!” When students notice that the large world map mural in the IB Hub classroom is mounted in a south-up map orientation, it elicits a conversation about perspective, with the takeaway that there’s always another way to look at things. The IB Hub’s physical ceiling map above the book stacks represents our planet from yet another perspective. Perspective is one of IB’s key concepts, an acknowledgment that knowledge is expanded by different points of view.

Perspective is quite evident during St. Mary’s Global Conversations – gatherings designed to bring parents together who share a common language, to chat in their mother tongues and meet others in our school who share a similar culture. Since an IB recommendation in 2016, the IB Hub has hosted more than 30 Global Conversations in a multitude of languages that represent the diversity in our student body. These Global Conversations have subsequently spurned community events ranging from Lunar New Year lion dancers, gospel singers and Nowruz Haft-Seen to Flamenco and Kathak performances.

As an IB world school library, we strive to inculcate an open-minded perspective with our entire collection of printed materials and realia. The collection is reviewed annually, and titles are purchased to complement every single Unit of Inquiry. Starting with the two-year-old Early Preschool Falcons, weekly library visits for a story and the opportunity to check out books are interwoven into each grade-level curriculum.

Storytime read-alouds tie into both the Programme of Inquiry and seasonal thematic celebrations.

Reading aloud allows students to experience language at a higher level using visual, acoustic and semantic inputs simultaneously.

The library collection encompasses 15,000 titles in English, Spanish, French and Mandarin, the three languages taught at St. Mary’s, and over 21 mother

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Global Conversations (And Continuing To Grow)

15,000 Book Titles

40

Cinderella Versions

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Mother-Tongue Languages

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IB HUB

tongue languages. We are proud of our 40 different versions of Cinderella, which bring a multitude of perspectives from a single story. The conversations are endless with all the connections, comparisons and confusions evoked! Likewise, students become knowledgeable navigating the non-fiction collection cataloged using the Dewey Decimal system. Students begin to check books out in Early Preschool. Library skills are introduced in Kindergarten, and research begins in Grade 1. Students learn what plagiarism is and how to create MLA citations. Research skills build from year to year, and by Middle School students are able to access relevant sources, print or digital, on their own and cite sources independently. Annual library boot camps serve as refresher courses across grade levels.

Middle School students have the opportunity to be a member of the Geography Club which meets weekly in the IB Hub. St. Mary’s has a proud legacy of students earning their way to both state and national tournaments. Students develop a mental map of the world to understand the ‘where’ of places and events.

Meanwhile, Lower School students in Grades 4 and 5 may voluntarily participate in the Battle of the Books (BOB) Club and tournament that first began in 2010.

Students are required to read 20 novels and earn the chance, by testing, to compete in the final battle. The main aim of the BOB competition is to share the love of reading with each other and to focus on collaboration and camaraderie.

The library is truly a hub on campus. On any given day, events include story-time with EEP and Lower School students, high school placement testing boot camp, admissions tours, parent gatherings, grade level activities, Advisory meetings, Global Conversations, BOB and Geo Club meetings, parent volunteers and more. The IB Hub is not merely a repository of books but a dynamic (and loud) space that challenges patrons to see things from another perspective.

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Novels To Read (Battle Of The Books Club)

1

“Upside-Down” Global Map

LISTEN

How To So Your Kids Will Talk You pick your child up from school and ask about their day. You receive a one word answer that gives very little information about what actually happened between drop off and pick up, but you know something must have happened. If this sounds familiar, know you’re not alone. Instead of personalizing the behavior, put yourself in your child’s shoes. Think back to a time when someone pressed you for information, and you weren’t ready to share. Maybe they’re tired and need time to decompress. Maybe they’re not in the mood to talk. Whatever the case, respect the boundary and return to the conversation at a later time.

by Dr. Carmen Anderson School Counselor

Speaking of time, timing is essential! Some families sit down at the dinner table and share about their day, some children open up in the car and others prefer to chat right before bed. Recall a moment when you had a meaningful conversation with your child. When did that happen?

Did you initiate the conversation, was it prompted by your child or did it develop organically as you were engaged in an activity together? Paying attention to details of communication that went well can lend itself to recreating those moments in the future.

Enter the conversation from a place of curiosity and try not to interview for “success.” If the first thing you ask about is the test your child took or the tryout they had, they may come to associate your questions with expectations. Children often put enough pressure on themselves to achieve, and your child may worry that they’ll disappoint you if they don’t have good news to report. I’ve often heard students say their parents only care about grades or some other outcome. Counter this perception by asking an open ended question like, “What was the best thing about your day?” When children feel seen for who they are as individuals, they’re more likely to open up.

Finally, do your best to listen without judgment. Easier said than done, I know, but this adjustment will go a long way. One of the quickest ways to shut down open communication with your child is to have strong reactions and share those out loud. If you hear about mistreatment by a friend and respond by telling your child not to spend time with that individual, you run the risk of shutting down future conversations once the duo works through their issue. Most friendships endure trials, and our children need reassurance they’ll get through this moment in time. They need us to connect with where they’re at emotionally. If your child shares disappointment about a situation and you respond critically by telling them they should have studied more, practiced more or followed your advice, that’s a surefire way to provoke an eye roll and evoke the sense you just don’t understand. Children want to share, and often in doing so, they simply want to be heard. They need us to convey confidence they’ll make the choice that’s right for them in due time. Give them the gift of space to choose their own course of action. When we rush in too quickly, we rob them of an opportunity to develop self-efficacy, and we rob ourselves a chance to connect on a deeper level with our children and model active listening.

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by Marco Camargo

Student Activities Coordinator

Cultural Celebrations & Service

INSPIRATION In Action

Inspire. To excite, encourage or breathe life into. To inspire someone means to fill with them the desire or want to do or feel something, especially to do something creative. When you inspire someone, you are igniting a passion or feeling. Every day at St. Mary’s we are working to inspire our community. As our Student Activities Coordinator, I support our cultural celebrations and service.

My goal is to continually infuse our programs with inspiration.

At St. Mary’s cultural celebrations can be inspired by an idea at a Global Conversation or a gathering of parents, faculty and staff.

From a gathering of families of similar cultural backgrounds, one becomes inspired to share stories, traditions, customs with our larger community and, thus, fulfilling a directive from our International Baccalaureate Programme.

How do we inspire this passion and love for one’s culture? Well, it starts with a group of people coming together with a love of their culture and desire to share it with others. Whether it’s the Lunar New Year and Black History Month committees who have been gathering for six years or to the newly formed Diwali committee, St. Mary’s is a beautiful community filled with rich cultural heritage.

Our newly formed Diwali committee, stemmed from a gathering of parents from the Indian Subcontinent Global Conversation hosted

by Mimi Yogaratnam, St. Mary’s Librarian. The group shared their personal journeys and what led them to St. Mary’s. In these discussions, families expressed the desire to pass stories to our children. The end result: celebrating Diwali as it is one of the most recognizable celebrations from that region. Recently, parents 28 met with teachers and staff and planned the first ever Diwali

celebration on campus. This committee decorated the courtyard in marigolds, rangoli and light; hosted a presentation explaining the history and customs of Diwali; and showcased a classical/ Bollywood troupe performance. All this came from a simple thought and desire to share what forms our identity and brings us joy.

Service at St. Mary’s also comes from a desire — a desire to help.

A key attribute of a St. Mary’s community member is an overwhelming desire to help. That form of help can be assisting each other to organizations outside of St. Mary’s. Our Christmas service program, Community Candy Canes, was inspired many years ago out of a desire to take the Advent message preached by Pastor Mark Chapman and help those less fortunate. This program inspires so many to take action and get involved. Community Candy Canes has supported dozens of organizations meet their needs during this holiday season. To date, thousands of people and animals have directly benefited from our acts of service.

Cancer Awareness Month initially began with a St. Mary’s ASB member’s desire to honor someone battling cancer. This student simply donated her hair which ignited inspiration. This inspiration sparked a 12-year running community program. St. Mary’s Hair Donation Drive has grown into an assembly of over 500 students, faculty, staff, families and invited guests uniting to support those battling cancers and honoring the memory of those we have lost.

From cultural celebrations to our commitment to service, St. Mary’s community is filled with inspiration. Every day our teachers and community work hard to encourage our students to use world sized-hearts and world-class minds to create and inspire.

Class Of 2011

Emilie Marcinkowski Emilie graduated from the George Washington University Physician Assistant Program in May 2023, where she received the Humanitarian/Professionalism award and was named to the Alpha Eta National Honor Society for Allied Health Professions. She passed her board exam in June and received a license to practice medicine in Virginia. She started working at Virginia Neurosurgeons in Arlington, VA, where she will work with complex brain and spinal patients in the clinic and operating room.

Class Of 2013

Nikki DiNicola Congratulations to Nikki DiNicola (‘13) on Your Wedding!

St. Mary’s has been a home for many families over the past 30 years. Who would have thought that four of our Early Education Program Falcons would grow so close that, years later, they would stand by each other on the most important day of their lives? That’s precisely what occurred on October 14, at a beautiful white chapel outside Dallas, where alumna Nikki DiNicola married her college sweetheart, Matt Wilkins!

Nikki’s bridesmaids were all from St. Mary’s. She asked her best friends since preschool to stand by her as she exchanged her vows: Gillian Yosenick (’14), Elena Gillespie (’14), Lauren Lemieux (‘14) and Katrina Adams (‘14). Nikki’s sisters and co-maids of honor are also St. Mary’s graduates, Carlee DiNicola (’11) and the most recent Father Sillers Legacy Award recipient, Lacey DiNicola (‘23). But the list of distinguished alumni doesn’t end there. To bear witness to this momentous day were Emily Marcinkowski (’11), Kiera Makowecki (’11), Jacob Makowecki (’14), Kennedy Farrell (’11) and Megan Keena (’23). To make this special day even more extraordinary, Nikki asked our very own Pastor Mark to officiate her nuptials.

Class Of 2016

Marco Calderone Marco is a 2016 St. Mary’s graduate in his senior year at the University of California, Irvine. Marco will graduate with a degree in Psychology. In May, he released his debut album “What’s Fair,” a collection of music that unapologetically displays his perception of love and hope. Packed with foot-stomping blues, emotionally stimulating storytelling and gritty vocals, “What’s Fair” marks the beginning of a lifelong career in music for Marco. Find the album “What’s Fair” on Apple and Spotify.

Class Of 2019

Minka Martinez Congratulations to Minka Martinez, Class of 2019, for being recognized as All-CIF and All-Orange County honoree in Girls Lacrosse this spring. Minka graduated from St. Margaret’s Episcopal School and is currently a freshman at Penn State University, where she continues her passion for playing Lacrosse.

Alumni Holiday Falcon Ball Party December 21 at 4PM

We are excited to host a different type of Alumni Holiday Party this year! You’re invited to a Falcon Ball Alumni vs Faculty game, with a holiday party in the Green Family Commons to follow.

Food and drinks will be served. We hope to see many of you there to celebrate the holidays with your favorite faculty and staff from St. Mary’s.

Help From Alumni for Advisory As part of this year’s Middle School Advisory program, Dr. Anderson is looking for alums willing to submit a two-minute video on various topics affecting Middle School students. Examples so far have included stressors, coping with stress, balance, social media and maintaining a positive digital footprint. Our current students are always excited to hear from former St. Mary’s students. A special thank you to Jake Blazona ‘17, Sabrina Cormie ‘17 and Kylie Foerster ’21 for participating in the program. If you’re interested in participating, please get in touch with Dr. Anderson at carmen.anderson@smaa.org.

Falcons in the World: St. Mary’s Alumni

Grace Elizabeth Friedl

CLASS

Notes

Grace Elizabeth Friedl, from the Class of 2019, has been playing and writing music since Grade 7 and, in August 2023, released her first single.

Performing as Grace Elizabeth, the song is entitled 2121 Miles and is available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube Music and all streaming platforms. She is a recent JSerra Catholic High School graduate and is now in her first year at Cal State San Marcos majoring in Psychology.

Class Of 2020

Model United Nations St. Mary’s sent a delegation of 22 students to the Santa Margarita Catholic High School (SMCHS) Model United Nations Conferences on Saturday, September 23. They discussed global issues with over 1,500 California middle and high school students. One of the day’s highlights was seeing many former St. Mary’s School MUN students, now attending area high schools, remain MUN leaders. St. Mary’s alumnus Marcus Vlok (a senior at Crean Lutheran) served as a student advisor and provided guidance and direction to the students throughout the day. Alumnae Carolina McNamee, now a senior at SMCHS, chaired one of the committees our students attended and shared how much she misses St. Mary’s.

Gabriella Eifrig Gabriella Eifrig is a St. Margaret’s Episcopal School senior who graduated from St. Mary’s in 2020. She is excited to announce she has verbally committed to play Division 1 Golf at Georgetown University next year. She is looking forward to playing for the Bulldogs. Congratulations Gabriella!

Charlotte Memoly Charlotte Memoly is a senior at Santa Margarita Catholic High School and a 2020 graduate of St. Mary’s. Charlotte has committed to San Jose State University for soccer.

Charlotte is a three-year member of the Santa Margarita varsity soccer team after she was named the Defensive MVP of the junior varsity as a freshman. She received second-team All-Trinity League honors the past two seasons as a left-side defender. Last year, her efforts helped the Eagles win Trinity League, CIF Southern Section Division I and state Division I regional championships. During the ECNL club season, she plays for Slammers HB Koge after previously competing for SoCal Blues ECNL. Charlotte is a three-year scholar-athlete who has maintained a 3.9 grade point average.

Alumni Help at Summer Resort A big Falcon thank you to those alums who worked at our Summer Resort. We love seeing our alumni back on campus! Mason Bowles, Sabrina Cormie, Kellen Cox, Maggie Cox, Luke Friedl, Blake Herman, Mandy Taylor and Emily Zimmerman significantly impacted the success of Summer Resort.

Pictured are the five alums who lead the charge for our exciting 2023 Summer Resort Program. Thank you for giving back to your alma mater.

5-Year Class Reunion!

This summer, we held the 5-Year Class Reunion for the Class of 2018. Students joined faculty and staff for lunch at Stadium Brewery in Aliso Viejo. The joy of reconnecting and seeing old friends and faculty was seen on everyone’s faces. Next summer, we will hold the 5-Year Class Reunion for the Class of 2019 in July!

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Isaac Abraham Aseel Al-Ali Kaevon Alemzadeh Omar Ali Gavin Barnes Hannah Bigdeli Brooks Buckley Christian Burns Brooklyn Burton Nadia Camargo Gavin Caya Keira Choi Makena Corris Leona de Geeter Margaux DeAllen Alexander DeGregori Lacey DiNicola Lake Duplanty Delyla Eiserman Juliette Eitel Nola Empringham Rocket Fischer Bridget Flanagan Gianni Floriani Jack Forwood Makayla Gambetta David Georgianna Maddie Gharatappeh Frankie Goffman Roya Golshani Carson Good Taylor Gurney Brookie Hahne Gianna Hansen Jeremy Haworth Mays Hoppe Nick Houfley Zack Hubbard

Pacifica Christian High School Sage Hill School Santa Margarita Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School Corona Del Mar High School Mater Dei High School JSerra Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School Mater Dei High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School Mater Dei High School Togethership Academy Capistrano Valley Christian School JSerra Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School Orange County School of the Arts Tarbut V’Torah Community Day School Pacifica Christian High School Highland Park High School JSerra Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School Newport Harbor High School Capistrano Valley High School Corona Del Mar High School JSerra Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School St. Margaret’s Episcopal School Corona Del Mar High School Corona Del Mar High School Newport Harbor High School Sage Hill School San Juan Hills High School JSerra Catholic High School Sage Hill School

Maddie Isaly Katelyn Johnstone Leah Kaplan Megan Keena Lana Khouri Holden Knuff Kayden Kral Noah Lau Brady Lawton Evan Leddy Luke Lehman Logan McGann Jonathan Miao Brooklyn Miller Michael Mulroy Reese Murphy Layla Myers Gianna Nadruz Maria Nassar Kayla Pana Owen Pangborn Kayla Pedigo Colin Quinn Brendan Rief Brooke Rifkin Mia Rodrigues Keagan Rollo Davin Sharifi Meredith Stellar Jack Straub Sophia Tabrizi Emily Volk Robbie Watson Payton Westcott Jack White Emma Withycombe Khloe Young Eric Zhang

Santa Margarita Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School Crean Lutheran High School Capistrano Valley Christian School Santa Margarita Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School Sage Hill School JSerra Catholic High School Corona Del Mar High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School Crean Lutheran High School Newport Harbor High School Capistrano Valley High School Mater Dei High School Santa Margarita Catholic High School Laguna Hills High School JSerra Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School Sage Hill School JSerra Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School JSerra Catholic High School Sage Hill School

On June 6, 2023, St. Mary’s held its 29th Grade 8 Commencement

St.Mary’s

Ceremony. Students, families, alumni, faculty and staff gathered at Coast Hills Church to celebrate the Class of 2023. Class Valedictorian Logan McGann delivered an inspirational address to his classmates.

CLASS OF

Attendees also heard from IB Scholar and ASB President Nadia

2023

Camargo, Legacy Award winner Lacey DiNicola and Salutatorian Davin Sharifi. Each graduate received the traditional class blanket, officially welcoming our graduates to the St. Mary’s Alumni Association. We wish the entire class success and look forward to their future campus visits. Here is where our alumni are enrolled in high school this year:

WHERE ARE THEY ATTENDING? HIGH SCHOOLS

PRIVATE OR INDEPENDENT

PUBLIC

83%

17%

35.5% OTHER SCHOOLS

21%

30.5%

8%

SANTA MARGARITA

5% M AT E R DEI

TOP PRIVATE SCHOOLS ATTENDING

St.Mary’s

2019

CLASS OF

COLLEGE FALCONS

When our students graduate and soar from the St. Mary’s nest, we continue to support them from afar. We are proud of the St. Mary’s Class of 2019 and wish them much success and happiness on their college journey.

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University of Colorado, Boulder Danielle Almas University of Notre Dame Nick Augustini Pepperdine University Nick Bryant Claremont McKenna College Jack Bryant Louisiana State University Nora Cannon Saddleback College Shea Carter Grand Canyon University Grace Chapman University of Alabama Dylan Duplanty Colorado School of Mines Jackson Ecker University of Oregon Sebastian Faller University of Southern California Parker Firestone California State University, San Marcos Grace Friedl University of Pennsylvania Linqian Fu International Soccer Academy, Germany Reagan Heslin University of California, Los Angeles Shawn Jahangiri Colorado State University Kendall Kaese Grand Canyon University Matthew Kechejian Saddleback College - OC Fire Academy Julien Kechejian Emerson College Haley Kirchhoff Purdue University Matthew Krugh University of Southern California Katrina Lattin University of California, Davis Vincent Lorenzi University of Southern California Darius Mahjoob Gonzaga University Marina Martinez The Pennsylvania State University Minka Martinez University of Washington Audrey Masson Colorado College Kendall Memoly James Madison University Arman Mobayen Indiana University Sophia Moran University of Colorado Angelina Moschetti University of Southern California Ryan Namdar Pomona College (Claremont College) Keyon Namdar Boston University (Questrom School of Business) Brooks Orradre California State University, San Marcos Jackson Riley University of California, Irvine Michael Simonian University of Oregon Max Starr Northeastern University Kennedy Stewart University of California, Berkley Austin Strohmeier University of California, Santa Barbara Carrie Teichrow Stanford University Gabriel Tsai Gianna VandenBosch University of California, Berkley Indiana University Aidan Verde Westmont College Emma White

HOW TO GIVE ONLINE:

To make your one-time donation by credit or debit card, visit www.smaa.org/give.

PLEDGE: Pledge online at www.smaa.org/pledge. Pledges may be paid in installments by check or credit card and are due by May 31.

MAIL:

ST. MARY’S

FUND

Make checks payable to St. Mary’s School and mail to St. Mary’s School, Attn: Development Office, 7 Pursuit, Aliso Viejo, CA 92656.

As a 501(c)(3) corporation, your gifts to St. Mary’s are tax-deductible to the fullest extent allowable by law; tax identification number 33–0771131.

For further information, please contact Christine Downie, Director of Development at (949) 448-9027 x324 or christine.downie@smaa.org.

THANKS FOR MAKING A DIFFERENCE

Non-Profit U.S. Postage PAID Laguna Niguel, CA Permit No. 1091

7 Pursuit Aliso Viejo CA 92656

www.smaa.org

ST. MARY’S

2023

FALL/WINTER MAGAZINE

© Copyright 2023. St. Mary’s School, Aliso Viejo. Facilities #304270042