Highlander Fall 2015

HIGHLANDER FA L L 2 0 1 5

Planting the Seeds of Service

Learning and Leading Through Service

Drama Teacher Exchange: Bridging the Pacific

Alumni Profile: Fighting for a Life of Dignity for Our Elders

Presenting the Class of 2015

> Guideposts

By William N. Moseley, Head of School

Dear Friends, At St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, we recite our mission often, and many among us know it by heart: to educate the hearts and mind of young people for lives of learning, leadership and service.

Since I first learned about St. Margaret’s, I have spent much time reflecting on our authors’ intent behind their words and ordering. “Hearts and minds,” alone, says so much about who we endeavor to be and what we want for our children. It states hearts before minds, intentionally I believe, to guide us that hearts are essential to accessing and educating our students’ minds in the ways and values of our Episcopal identity that we hold so close.

Further, our mission does not state that one deserves more time or attention than the other. Hearts and minds are offered as equal, intertwined priorities for the focus on our children. Then, how does St. Margaret’s educate the hearts and minds equally?

Our mission further guides us in seeking to educate our children for lives of learning, leadership and service.

In many ways, service is a connecting point for learning and leadership. It is through service to our community that we apply the learning in the classrooms and instill and test the leadership skills we know our children will need throughout their lives.

Please enjoy this issue of the Highlander magazine as we explore the rich St. Margaret’s service learning program and invaluable connections and growth it provides our students and community. Learn about student leadership positions, as well as our extraordinary faculty who are innovating and leading in the classroom to strengthen St. Margaret’s academic program each day. Finally, reconnect with Tartan alumni friends, including Dr. Kerry Burnight, Class of 1987, who are contributing immeasurably to the world through their lives of learning, leadership and service.

We hope this issue inspires you and your family to carry forth our mission in your everyday lives within the St. Margaret’s community and beyond.

Sincerely,

Features

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Learning and Leading Through Service

Learn about St. Margaret’s service learning program and see examples about how it is being realized and put in action by students in meaningful and long-lasting ways.

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Contents

William N. Moseley Head of School

20 Virtual Reality

The Maseeh Middle School becomes a reality for students, faculty and staff. See the state-of-the-art education center and technology-enriched classrooms outfitted to enhance instruction and learning.

Departments

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SMES Snapshots Get the scoop on what’s been happening at St. Margaret’s lately.

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Side by Side Told in their own words, find out what it was like for St. Margaret’s Nate Wheeler and Tara Mackie from St Andrew’s Anglican College in Australia to swap lives through a drama teacher exchange.

Highlander, Fall 2015

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School William N. Moseley, Head of School Highlander magazine is published by the Communications Office as a St. Margaret’s Episcopal School community magazine.

Editorial Director Anne Dahlem

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Faculty Profile Acquaint yourself with St. Margaret’s Lower School teacher Kristin McDaniel and English Department Chair Blake Reemtsma.

Copy Editor Debbie Durell, Jennifer Perez

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Class Notes and Alumni Updates Learn about the lives of your classmates and updates from the Tartan Alumni Association.

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Looking Back Longtime Lower School Administrative Assistant Denise Helms and Director of Human Resources Mary Mortimer retire from St. Margaret’s.

A test of learning, leadership and service, junior Tyler Genevay speaks at KIN Global 2015, and senior Katie Cleary and junior Rebekah Olsen hold coveted positions within the U.S. Senatorial Page Program.

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Student Leadership

Managing Editor Nicole Peddy

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Fighting for a Life of Dignity for Our Elders

Alumna Dr. Kerry Burnight works to protect at-risk older and disabled adults who are without families and caretakers, looking out for their best interest.

Editorial Board Jeannine Clarke, Anne Dahlem, Jeneen Graham, William N. Moseley, Nicole Peddy Contributors Jessie Akers, Lora Allison, Ingrid Andrews, Tyler Ashman, Jennifer Blount, Dr. Kerry Burnight, David Bush, Andrew Cameron, Victor Cota, Clayton Chalmers, Brendon Cheves, Catherine Cleary, Anne Dahlem, Ryan Dahlem, Vanessa D’Amour, Lindsay Eres, Amy Fabian, Tyler Genevay, Dr. Jeneen Graham, Jillian Gray, Steve Harless, Thomas Hughes, Priyanka Jhalani, Auston Locke, Ava Maas, Tara Mackie, Kim Maguire, Kristin McDaniel, Elika Miller, Makenna Mitchell, William N. Moseley, Heather Murray, Aide Najera, Michael Newman, Dr. Todd Newman, Rebekah Olsen, Lynn Ozonian, Nicole Peddy, Jennifer Perez, Blake Reemtsma, Holly Reilly, Darcy Rice, Samantha Stuart, Jennifer Ross-Viola, Nathan Wheeler, Nicholas Williams, Hydi Ybarra, Cailin Young, Coen Zediker 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 or hiring policies, admissions policies, financial aid, athletic or other school-administered programs.

Presenting the Class of 2015

See the Class of 2015 college sweatshirt photo and the list of diverse colleges and universities the 111 students are attending this fall.

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On the Cover St. Margaret’s Advanced Placement environmental science students participated in a three-day experiential, nature-based trip to the Central Coast to plant Monterey pine seedlings and help build a unique native plant garden.

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Academics

> Tartan Snapshots

Compiled by Jennifer Perez

St. Margaret’s Inducts 28 into Prestigious International Cum Laude Society Twenty-six students and two faculty members were inducted into the Cum Laude Society, an international honors organization for which only a small percentage of high school juniors and seniors are qualified. Celebrating 29 years as a Cum Laude school, St. Margaret’s has more than 300 inductees, is one of only 370 chapters throughout the world, and the only Cum Laude school in Orange County.

Tartan Debate Team Takes First Place at SMES-Hosted Tournament In its second year of competition, the Upper School Tartan Debate Team received top awards from the High School Public Debate Program Tournament hosted by St. Margaret’s: a first place school win, four speaker awards and three team awards.

The tournament hosted more than 60 teams.

Tartan Wins Top Prize at Statistical Research Competition Senior Daniel Freed won the Robert L. Newcomb Prize in a mathematics research competition sponsored by the Southern California and Orange County/Long Beach Chapters of the American Statistical Association. Daniel beat out more than 60 Advanced Placement statistics students from all over Southern California.

See the Video! SMES Family Science Night Budding scientists explored an array of hands-on activities at the Fourth Annual Lower School Family Science Night.

From plankton races to robot battles, a virtual rollercoaster, air launched rockets and exotic lizards and reptiles, students were able to explore the world of science through firsthand interactions. Take a video tour of the fun event at smes.org/tartan-today.

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Tartans Take Their Game to College

Engineering Team Wins First and Second in Division The Upper School Engineering Team received a first, second and sixth place win from the TEAMS annual competition, a one-day engineering competition for middle and high school students at University of Southern California. Students worked collaboratively to solve real-world engineering challenges, applying their math and science skills in practical, creative ways. The 2015 theme, “The Power of Engineering,” explored topics such as alternative fuels, solar power, nuclear power - plant safety, nuclear power - spent fuel, energy and the environment, hydropower and wind energy.

SMES Students Immerse in Engineering Research at UCI Six Upper School students spent their summer break immersed in engineering research at University of California, Irvine’s Samueli School of Engineering. The internship program, an exclusive UCI/St. Margaret’s partnership, now in its eleventh year, matches high-potential students with a faculty member and research area based on their interests.

Students Learn Government Fundamentals from Local Assemblyman Assembly Member William Brough, California Assembly District 73, gave grade 4 students an inside look at workings of our local and national government. The assemblyman’s visit coincided with the students’ classroom introduction to the first systems of government: federal, state and local.

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To read more St. Margaret’s news, visit Tartan Today online at smes.org/tartan-today.org.

Spring and fall national signing days celebrated 20 St. Margaret’s student-athletes of the Class of 2015 who committed to play intercollegiate athletics for their schools. They have matriculated to an impressive group of highly-selective colleges and universities where they will play their sport on the college stage.

Arts

> Tartan Snapshots St. Margaret’s Wins Four CAPPIES and Les Mis Receives Critical Acclaim at 45th MACY Awards Out of 51 high school musical productions adjudicated this year, St. Margaret’s Les Miserables was one of only 20 invited to perform at the 45th MACY Awards. At the 12th Annual CAPPIES, St. Margaret’s students received four awards for their work on Argonautika – The Voyage of Jason and the Argonauts and Les Miserables. Sixty theater productions performed by 31 high schools were eligible for this year’s awards.

Athletics Upper School Sports Highlights Boys lacrosse captured its second U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section Championship in three years and won the U.S. Lacrosse Orange County Championship where goaltender Payton Fales was named tournament MVP. The Tartans aquatic program broke 10 school records and three Academy League records after competing at the Academy League Championships.

St. Margaret’s equestrian team finished fourth in overall points out of more than 50 schools in the Orange County League, St. Margaret’s was also the Champion Junior Varsity School and sixth place Varsity School for the season.

Gerry Manning Inducted into Lacrosse Hall of Fame Lower School physical education teacher Gerry Manning was inducted into the Orange County Chapter of the U.S. Lacrosse Hall of Fame. As the first lacrosse head coach in St. Margaret’s history, Manning started the school’s lacrosse program in 2001, and served as its head coach through the 2012 season.

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ParentingOC Names SMES Educators Top Teachers

St. Margaret’s Distinctive Maker Spaces Featured by NAIS The National Association of Independent Schools featured St. Margaret’s in a gallery of independent school maker spaces as a part of the 2015 NAIS Annual Conference themed, “Design: The Revolution.” St. Margaret’s four maker spaces on campus were highlighted as inspiration for conference attendees: Upper School EDGE Innovation Lab, ICE (Imagine. Create. Engineer) Lab, ICE Maker Studio and Performing Arts Center Costume Studio, including how each space is used by teachers and students.

Summer Innovation Stage Featured in OC Register The Orange County Register Varsity Arts highlighted St. Margaret’s Innovation Stage with an article focused on the program, the student mentor volunteers and the Student Alumni Apprentice Program. In its second year, the summer theater camp hosted 60-80 Kindergarten through grade 8 students singing, dancing and acting in the Performing Arts Center.

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To read more St. Margaret’s news, visit Tartan Today online at smes.org/tartan-today.org.

Two St. Margaret’s educators, Director of Library Services Darla Magana and Upper School science teacher Steve Harless, were featured in ParentingOC Magazine’s Second Annual Top Teachers of Orange County issue. Mrs. Magana was selected for her leadership of the reimagined 21st-century Library, and Mr. Harless was selected for his leadership of a student team competition in the Global Space Balloon Challenge project.

Learning and Leading Through

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ommunity service programs have been an integral part of St. Margaret’s throughout its 36-year history, including a preset number of service hours for Upper School students as a graduation requirement.

St. Margaret’s students donate more than 10,000 service hours each year, making a significant impact on the local community.

In the Episcopal tradition, “service to others is both our responsibility and our blessing, for it is God who first served us.” With a mission of educating the hearts and minds of young people for lives of learning, leadership and service, St. Margaret’s students are tasked with better understanding the needs and realities of their immediate and extended community.

“At St. Margaret’s, service learning is the hands-on application of curriculum to meet the authentic needs of our local, regional and world communities. Students use aspects of all disciplines to develop a deeper understanding about issues facing our community, and create solutions that offer tangible contributions toward that cause,” said Upper School Director of Community Life Lora Allison.

For several years, St. Margaret’s has evolved its service program to focus beyond hours, and what service educators call “transactional service,” to engage in more meaningful and long-lasting experiences.

Today, community service at St. Margaret’s takes classroom learning and applies it to community needs that students help to identify and develop plans to address. This shift creates deeper understanding of community needs, opportunity to apply and develop real-world skills and, importantly, awareness and empathy for societal issues and the responsibility to take action. St. Margaret’s educators describe this as “service learning,” and it is inspiring our students to new levels of learning, leading, being involved and taking action in the community.

“It is our hope that this shift to service learning will take our compassionate, motivated thinkers and allow them to more deeply understand the issues that they will face as adults. This meaningful engagement through courses such as history, science, language, math or the arts will provide a more well-rounded approach to activism and civic engagement throughout their lifetime,” said Mrs. Allison. “They will be compelled to understand the problems—not just accept them. They will identify the interconnectedness of issues, like homelessness and literacy, or food accessibility and global climate change.”

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Modeling Service Learning

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Starting in the Preschool, curriculum connects with community service to enhance student personal growth and to affect the common good. One service learning model in Lower and Middle School aligns grade-level themes with human needs.

“Planting provides opportunities to learn about sustainability, as well as how we can be healthy by eating good food and getting exercise in the garden. Mrs. Valle’s class, for example, planted in self-watering pots made from gallon water bottles to recycle and conserve water at the same time.”

“Students learn about the grade-level themes, for example, food in grade 3, or environment in grade 6, and develop skills and behaviors they need to learn, design projects and perform service projects.

Through this work, our students start to understand their role as agents of change,” said Lower School Assistant Principal and STEM Fellow Heather Murray.

Middle School students recently spent time learning about the needs of others, leading preservation efforts and making a difference, while serving the community in which they live. Each grade traveled off campus to take on a variety of projects, including helping to preserve the environment, plant and harvest vegetables, fight hunger—and even welcome home Marines at Camp Pendleton.

With a focus on clean air, grade 2 students learn about the environmental impact of a car idling, for example. Passionate about environmental issues, junior Nicolas Gitter brought a worldwide awareness program, “Turn Off Your Car,” to St. Margaret’s.

Through this cross-divisional project, Nick led students to communicate the harmful effects of idling cars and increase awareness of drivers who wait in St. Margaret’s pick-up and drop-off lines.

Students in grade 6 ventured to Trestles Beach in San Clemente charged with collecting harmful debris to protect wildlife and preserve the natural habitat. The learning didn’t stop at the beach clean-up.

The students designed a 3D structure using only the trash collected and displayed it in the earth science laboratory to raise the community’s awareness of beach pollution.

To pair with their structure, students developed a creative writing piece in their advisory groups hypothesizing the journey the trash made to reach the beach, and what interventions could have been taken to prevent it.

“The second graders worked in groups to create posters that would inform drivers why idling is harmful to our environment,” said grade 2 teacher Vanessa D’Amour.

“Each week, grade 2 classes spread awareness by holding up the posters in the Lower School car pick-up area.”

Service learning provides students with opportunities to develop skills in deliberate ways. “Gathering litter is helpful for the earth, but it’s also a math and literacy learning in the Preschool classroom,” said Preschool Director Ingrid Andrews.

Grade 7 students set off to the Orange County Great Park to support Second Harvest Food Bank that serves to end hunger. To provide students with a context for their service project, grade 7 history teacher Katie Harris discussed hunger and poverty and asked questions to promote discussion and generate ideas on how to tackle hunger inequity. On the day of the service project, students worked hard to harvest 1,500 pounds of squash and plant more than 30,000 vegetable seedlings.

Grade 8 students worked alongside Operation Help a Hero volunteers and visited Camp Pendleton to prepare welcome home bags and banners for more than 600 Marines. Middle School teachers Mike Allison and Rob Lakeman wove patriotic themes into the grade 8 U.S. history course that reflect on the students’ Camp Pendleton

experience. Additionally, grade 8 students hosted a Veteran’s Day panel where veterans answered questions crafted by the students.

Middle School Director of Community Service and Activities Holly Reilly said, “The Middle School is excited to enhance existing partnerships with local community organizations. Strong partnerships are the foundation of rich service learning. Our goal is to integrate school curriculum with service learning to meet the needs of our evolving world. Student input and teacher contributions will drive this process as we consider future opportunities.”

The transition to service learning brings the experience back to the classroom for the students and enhances academic dialogue and student comprehension. “It’s not just about the hours put in, it’s about working on real problems that make academic learning relevant, while at the same time enhancing social skills, analytical ability, civic and ethical responsibility and a focus on lifelong learning,” said Mrs. Reilly.

In the following pages, read examples about how service learning is being realized and put into action by St. Margaret’s students in meaningful and long-lasting ways.

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Curiosity-based Learning Beyond the Classroom

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By Nicole Peddy

A three-day experiential, nature-based trip to the Central Coast gave St. Margaret’s Advanced Placement environmental science students a chance to apply their classroom learning. They focused on the devastation of the California drought through reforestation and preservation efforts needed in the area.

The native Monterey pine ecosystem is one of the rarest forest ecosystems in the world. Only a few thousand acres of the trees exist in four locations along the Central Coast, with the Monterey Peninsula having the largest number. These trees are being threatened by development, drought, non-native invasive species, pests and disease.

Led by The Reverend Andrew Barnett, the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles’ chair of environmental studies and food justice, the students, along with Upper School Director of Community Life Lora Allison, Upper School Principal Tony Jordan and Upper School Science Department Chair and teacher Dr. Jennifer Ross-Viola, checked in to Camp Ocean Pines in Cambria, Calif. to start their scientific adventure.

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The group planted Monterey pine seedlings and helped to build a unique native plant garden situated below a structure with an outdoor sink. The sink’s pipes were retrofitted to drain into the planter bed, thus repurposing the water. The plant garden will be used to teach future camp residents about water recycling and the native plants in this ecosystem.

“This trip was a life-learning opportunity for students to see the application of their science knowledge in a real-world context. It becomes much more tangible to understand the complex dynamics of an ecosystem when you stand in the midst of it,” said Dr. RossViola. “It was also a chance for us to act as good stewards for the earth by affecting the environment in a positive way.”

Prior to arriving at the camp, students explored the surrounding region to better understand the implications of the drought on native plants, and view various sources of water. Tide-pool exploration, squid dissection, and an up-close look at predatory raptors were also highlights of this service-learning experience.

“This trip was a life-learning opportunity for students to see the application of their science knowledge in a realworld context.”

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“During my trip, I was able to apply all of my knowledge that I learned from my environmental science class. Being able to observe a phenomenon or organism in the wild and understand what is happening and why, is one of the best feelings in the world,” said Hydi Ybarra, grade 12. “By the end of the three days, I am pretty sure we covered every topic we learned in Advanced Placement environmental science.”

A few months later, students, along with Mrs. Allison and Upper School science teacher Edmund Herlihy, took a follow-up three-day, service-learning trip to Lopez Lake, a county park in San Luis Obispo.

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The state’s drought has had a drastic effect on the park. In an effort to revitalize certain areas of the site, students planted drought-tolerant bushes, trees and shrubs native to the locale and climate. The native plant garden will help the park’s water conservation efforts.

“Students exceeded our expectations on both projects. They were fully invested in the effort and had a deep understanding of “why” they were doing both projects, which makes for much deeper connections with their learning and commitment to lifelong service,” said Mrs. Allison.

Transforming Service Learning as Easy as Building a Bike ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ......................

By Anne Dahlem

St. Margaret’s Upper School administrators set out to reinvent the grade 10 and 11 service retreat that kicks off the school year combining learning with real-world experiences to instill deeper student ownership and meaning.

“We asked ourselves: What if we gave our students the resources to serve the community, but we left them with the challenge to figure out the who, the how and the why?” said Ryan Dahlem, Upper School assistant principal.

on the first day of school and challenged them to build the bikes and find worthy local charities in which to donate them within a 48-hour time period.

“I liked the fact that it wasn’t only a service project, that it was an actual learning opportunity that benefited us as students, as well as benefited the community,” said Ava Maas, grade 11.

Lora Allison, Upper School director of community life added, “We each took a pause and it was as if multiple lightbulbs were lighting above our heads at the same time. At that moment, we knew we were on to something much bigger than a project with prescribed directions and outcomes.”

Teachers offered overarching guidance on how students might organize, and importantly encouraged them to reflect on their individual strengths and choose to work on a team where they would make the most impact. Though teachers served as advisors throughout the project, by design the students were not given much more information or direction. From there, they simply had to organize, plan and go to work.

In a one-of-a-kind, experiential service-learning project, the Upper School gave the 238 juniors and sophomores 100 boxes of bike parts

“We didn’t tell them how to build the bikes, how to safety check them, nor did we tell them which charities they should contact,

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or even the simple language of how to pick up the phone, make contacts and explain their project,” said Mr. Dahlem.

“Our students are creative, problem solvers, resourceful and driven.

We were confident that if we gave them the framework of leveraging their individual skills and interests, and stepped back as educators, they would figure it out and get the job done. Ultimately, we theorized that the learning and impact of this project would be that much more transformational and long-lasting as they grappled with the challenges than something we defined for them.”

Over the course of two days, the students worked in nine, selfdesignated teams to put this massive service project in action. The teams were: bike building, bike safety and public policy, logistics and operations, innovation, research and donations, accounting, communications, morale and celebration, and project management.

Cailin Young, grade 10 and a member of the logistics and operations team said, “We had the opportunity to work like we would in a real-life environment. We had to work together as a team in order to achieve our goals in time.”

“Through the bike build, students engaged in the design-thinking process, and gained invaluable real-world life experiences. This project has framed their school year together and their outlook on service and teamwork for the future. It truly encompassed the three tenets of the St. Margaret’s mission: learning, leadership and service,” said Mrs. Allison.

Students identified and coordinated with eight local charities to donate 100 bikes: n The Boys and Girls Club of Capistrano Valley: 20 bikes n The Friendship Shelter, an organization offering housing

and rehabilitation for homeless men and women: 15 bikes

n Family Assistance Ministries, a supplier of groceries,

housing and other assistance to families in need: 5 bikes

n United in Harmony, an organization that runs a summer

camp for children living below the poverty line: 20 bikes

n Hearts of Los Angeles, an organization that provides

inner-city children with free after-school activities: 24 bikes

n Great Opportunities, serving underserved children with

extracurricular activities: 10 bikes

n CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocates): 5 bikes n Special Camp for Special Kids: 1 specially modified bike

for accessibility designed by the student innovation team.

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Student Reflections Before and After Bike Build:

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“Even though we encountered several unforeseen obstacles as we tried to build the 100 bikes, we collaborated and found a way to get the job done in the 48 hours, leaving us with a rewarding feeling,” said Tyler Ashman, grade 11.

“The project was very productive and allowed us to learn how to problem solve without much guidance from teachers. I also like that we did something great in the process of learning, donating bikes to those who need them for their everyday lives,” said Clayton Chalmers, grade 10.

“It is nice to know that there are people who will be able to enjoy the bikes that we made. By knowing that, the entire process feels incredibly rewarding,” said Kim Maguire, grade 10.

“When I first heard we were going to be building bikes, I was pretty excited.

I thought it was going to be a fun and different learning project, and it was.

We had to work in teams with minimal guidance, which is similar to what we face in a real-life work space,” said Elika Miller, grade 11.

“At first, I was concerned about the lack of guidance provided during this project.

We had to work with 200 other kids to build bikes, deliver them, research charities to donate to, and plan most of the assignment. Ultimately though, I thought we learned a lot and grew as students,” said Makenna Mitchell, grade 11.

“I thought that this was definitely going to be a challenge. It was something that we’ve never really done before, and it gave us a whole different level of responsibility that we’ve never experienced before,” said Aide Najera, grade 11.

“At first, I questioned if we were going to be able to finish building the bikes. I was shocked how well we did the first day. It was a fun process and built great teamwork between everyone,” said Coen Zediker, grade 11.

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Engineering A Helping Hand

By Anne Dahlem

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St. Margaret’s Upper School students are giving children a helping hand through combining technologies and engineering skills in a life-changing service opportunity. Working through a non-profit organization, E-nabling The Future, students are building mechanical hands using 3D printing technology.

E-nabling the Future is comprised of a global network of volunteers who use 3D printers and engineering skills to create free 3D-printed prosthetic devices for children and adults.

The team of students, under the guidance of EDGE Lab Manager Ashley Ricart and Engineer and St. Margaret’s parent Brendon Cheves, built mechanical hands for seven-year-old Jazmyn and nine-year-old Logan. Members of the team: Tyler Cheves, Jong Seok (Jason) Kim, Andrew Klement, Branan Landau, Ashley Lee, John McGlinn, Nicholas Scheel, William Schwartz, Samantha Stuart and Cooper Zediker, had the opportunity to present the hands in person to both children.

“As soon as I saw this project, I was really inspired. It was something that was giving back to the community, which I know our school is very passionate about. Being able to transfer all of our creativity and all of the things

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we’ve been doing in this space [the EDGE Lab] to something that can really make a difference drove this project and made it the top of our priority to get done,” said Samantha.

Lynn Ozonian, director of technology and innovation, and computer science department chair added, “This project is an incredible learning experience for our students, marrying their study of technology and engineering with service learning allowing the human application and potential of technology to truly come alive for our students as they consider the real-world application of their learning that is

“It’s one thing printing key chains or little toys because they don’t have to be that accurate, but when you’re creating a hand that someone is going to use, the parts have to be accurate and they have to fit well together,” said Mr. Cheves.

Upon receiving her hand, Jazmyn joyfully reacted saying, “I love it. It’s the best thing I’ve ever saw in my life; the best thing I’ve ever had in my life, really.”

already sparking new discoveries and inventions. Imagine what they will do with this inspiration and perspective in the future.”

Jazmyn, who has no fingers on her right hand, needed a device to help grasp objects, while Logan, born with an underdeveloped hand and limited strength in his wrist, needed an intricate hand and forearm device that is powered by the elbow.

toss a tennis ball to hit it with his racquet hand, and ride a bike with two hands on the handlebars.

Visit www.smes.org/tartan-today to watch the video and learn about the students’ process to create Jazmyn’s mechanical hand and more about her heartwarming, inspiring story.

DeAnna Grand, Logan’s mother, said that last year they were working with a professional firm to explore a prosthetic device for Logan that would have cost more than $20,000. Yet, the prosthetic would not have had any mobility or functionality, it was primarily aesthetic.

“Logan can do 90 percent of what he needs to do with his one hand and while this [3D printed] hand won’t get it to 100 percent, it will get him much, much closer,” said Mrs. Grand.

After only three days with his new hand, Logan was able to do things he has never done before like drink from a cup, hold and

“This project has made a tremendous impact on our students and we hope to not only do it again, but to expand it to our other divisions. We’d like to have the original Upper School students lead the other students from our Lower and Middle School to build more hands, so this is really just the beginning,” said Mrs. Ozonian.

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10 Years Preparing San Juan Capistrano Students for College . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........................

By Anne Dahlem

Breakthrough SJC, the tuition-free enrichment summer and after-school program for highly motivated, underserved middle and high school students in the local community hosted by St. Margaret’s, hit a significant milestone this year completing its tenth consecutive summer program.

In 2006, Breakthrough SJC was created by St. Margaret’s to support local socioeconomically disadvantaged students with academic enrichment and guidance. The goal is to help prepare students to pursue a college track in high school and become the first in their families to go to college. With vital operational resources, including facilities and transportation, provided by St. Margaret’s, the program depends heavily on volunteer and community support.

The majority of volunteers are St. Margaret’s students and graduates who serve the program as after-school tutors and teaching fellows who gain invaluable life-changing service experiences.

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St. Margaret’s senior Priyanka Jhalani served as a Breakthrough SJC teaching fellow in the six-week intensive summer program for rising seventh and eighth graders. “It was my passion for social justice that brought me to the program, however, it was the kids who made my experience so valuable. They bring so much love, light and laughter into the profession—they made the long days worthwhile,” said Priyanka. “Teaching at Breakthrough challenged me to be an innovative thinker and take a fresh approach to education. I consider being a Breakthrough teaching fellow a privilege.”

In San Juan Capistrano, total population 35,000, the poverty rate is 10.7 percent, with 24.5 percent of children below the poverty level, according to City-Data. “Changing the life of one student has tremendous impact for their family and the entire community.

Investing in education not only reduces dependence on social programs; a college degree can end poverty in a family line forever,” said Breakthrough SJC Director Victor Cota.

Breakthrough SJC has served more than 260 students and 160 teaching fellows in its 10 years. It is one of the highest achieving Breakthrough sites in the nation. According to the 2015 Breakthrough Collaborative, the national parent organization, it is significantly outpacing its peer cohort in student reading and math academic gains in its summer program.

Breakthrough SJC’s high school seniors are prepared for college, as well. The Class of 2015 received college acceptance from 35 four-year colleges and universities, and 94 percent of the class matriculated to college.

The remaining six percent enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps.

The rapid success of the program achieving its long-term goal of sending its graduates to college is astounding. While roughly one in two high-income students in the United States graduate from college, only one in 10 of their low-income peers will do so according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In Orange County, only 30 percent of low-income students

graduate with the requirements to apply to public colleges in California.

“Breakthrough SJC is sending nearly all of its graduates to college and that speaks to the strength of our program and the commitment of our volunteers, our students and their families,” said Mr. Cota.

Breakthrough student Amy Fabian, who attends St. Margaret’s in grade 9, recently completed her third and final Breakthrough summer program. With the help of her Breakthrough mentors, she applied for and was awarded the prestigious Jack Kent Cooke Scholarship in 2013.

“I joined Breakthrough because I knew it was going to be a life-changing experience and it would help me reach my goal of attending college. The program gives me the resources and tools to be successful now and in the future,” said Amy. “I feel thankful for Breakthrough because I honestly don’t know how my life would be without it. Breakthrough has helped shape me into the person I am today.”

Breakthrough SJC 2015 Highlights

.................................................................

81 Marco Forster Middle School students in the summer program in 2015, 264 students served in the program over 10 years 20 teaching fellows, five junior

teachers, 166 teaching fellows in 10 years

95 high school students served by

College Bound program, serving five local high schools

94% of seniors matriculated to

college (six percent to armed services)

35 four-year colleges and universities accepted Breakthrough SJC seniors 94% of students are first in their

88% of students qualify for free or reduced price meals 85% of students, English is not the primary language spoken at home 94% of students identify as a person of color

$89,000 community,

corporate and foundation support

$49,000 individual donor

support

For more information, visit breakthroughsjc.org.

family to go to college

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Special Camp for Special Kids Senior Counselors Take on Leadership Role . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........................

By Nicole Peddy

This past summer marked the 24th anniversary of Special Camp for Special Kids, an exceptional and revolutionary educational, recreational, service-oriented summer camp program for children and teens with disabilities. From 21 high schools and nine colleges, 220 volunteer counselors worked one-to-one with 220 campers from Orange County, Los Angeles, Inland Empire, Coachella Valley, Bakersfield and Arizona.

At the core of the Special Camp for Special Kids program is the unique bond formed by campers and their counselors. Following several summers as volunteer counselors, grade 12 St. Margaret’s students Ginna Byun, Danielle Chade, Chase Haller, Derek Lindquist, Zachary Shor and Nicholas Williams served as senior counselors this year. The role of senior counselor offers a leadership opportunity for individuals to learn more about the program through increased involvement and responsibility. Each senior counselor must meet and learn about the individuals in every camper-counselor pair, as well as coordinate and manage activity centers and lead small groups on theme park days.

Senior counselor applicants go through a competitive application and interview process. Once selected, they are trained by camp staff and attend professional development seminars. “This year, we

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refined the senior counselor role by increasing the training requirements, expanding the expectations of the role and offering more professional development opportunities,” said Executive Director of Special Camp for Special Kids Lindsay Eres. “The senior counselors developed into stronger, more productive leaders as they guided the camper-counselor pairs throughout the four sessions of camp.”

During the camp sessions, senior counselors offer much needed guidance to the camper-counselor pairs, as well as support for the program staff.

“After three years of volunteering at Special Camp for Special Kids, I have learned so much and as a senior counselor, I gained new leadership skills this year,” said Nicholas. “In my role, I helped to lead more than 200 counselors, some of whom were older than me.

This allowed me the opportunity to really develop in leadership areas I had never experienced before. Through modeling proper behavior, I led the volunteer counselors and helped the campers through the program. The connections I have made throughout my time working at camp have been amazingly meaningful and truly ones that have impacted me—just as much as I hope to have positively impacted the kids.”

Special Camp for Special Kids 2015 Highlights ............................................................

24th Anniversary n 1:1 Camper/Counselor Ratio n 51% of Counselors are St. Margaret’s Students n 18 Senior Counselors (nine are St. Margaret’s students/alumni) n 11 Staff Members (three are St. Margaret’s alumni) n More than 25 percent of St. Margaret’s Upper School n

students participated in Special Camp this year

n Campers and counselors travel from as far as Northern California

and Arizona to participate

350 miles per week – visiting Knott’s Berry Farm, San Diego Zoo, Oceanside Harbor Beach and much more!

n Special Camp travels approximately

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Virtual Reality T he vision for a state-of-the-art, adaptable and dynamic Middle School campus was created nearly a decade ago. The worldclass Maseeh Middle School opened on the first day of the

2015-2016 school year turning this futuristic dream into reality

for students and teachers.

The 24,000-square-foot, two-story education center features 17 highly flexible, technology-enriched classrooms outfitted to enhance instruction and learning and student engagement. Dedicated outdoor classroom spaces, common areas, the Nolet Amphitheater, and three modern science laboratories for earth, life and physical science support experiential learning and campus life.

“I really like the interactive screens in the classrooms; they are very helpful for teaching lessons and are used a lot,” said Katherine Cruse, grade 6.

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“The technology in the new building is very efficient. I like the look and feel of the science room.

It’s open and it looks like a real lab,”

Design reflects curriculum and teaching advances that include leading research on learning styles and brain development, and development of 21st century cognitive skills. The design also represents the unlimited possibilities and applications provided by advancing technologies.

said Bryce Chan, grade 7.

The new makerspace fabrication lab integrates the arts with the development of science, technology, engineering and math skills and includes a laser cutter, milling machine, 3D printers and more.

“The architecture of the new building is incredible, especially the outdoor structured classrooms.

Learning comes at ease to students when working outdoors near nature,” said Shaudeh Farjami, grade 8.

“My favorite part of the Middle School building is the inclusivity that has been incorporated into the atmosphere of the building. The new space allows sixth, seventh and eighth graders to meet and learn together to create one cohesive group,” said Chloe Miller, grade 8.

All furniture is portable, on wheels, with the ability to arrange student desks in a multitude of configurations.

Each classroom has two 70-inch touch-screen monitors that have the ability to display each student’s work directly from his or her iPad, one 50-inch TV and a magnetic white board spanning one wall.

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S T U D E N T

L E A D E R S H I P

Grow for Good and Transition from Success to Significance

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Tyler Genevay Speaks at KIN Global 2015

By Nicole Peddy

At the age of 16, junior Tyler Genevay has added KIN Global speaker to his resume, joining a community of innovation and growth leaders from around the world. Tyler represented St. Margaret’s as he spoke in front of hundreds of business professionals, military leaders, policymakers and distinguished minds at the 2015 conference. The Kellogg Innovation Network summit, or KIN Global, is an annual conference that seeks to identify what prosperity means within various regions and contexts and how people work together to achieve it.

The summit, in its twelfth year, was themed “Growth for Good” and focused on the following questions: How can we innovate for growth and broad-based prosperity? How do established corporations and start-ups alike create growth, and what can ecosystem and policy makers do to enhance success? How do we together create sustainable, ethical, profitable growth? How do we grow for good?

“My speech focused on the idea of the interconnectedness of businesses. All businesses are built upon the concept of people working toward a common cause, and if we lose sight of the fact that businesses are simply people-driven collectives, we lose sight of the greatest, most-harnessable asset in all of business – greater than any market forecast, quarterly-prediction or CEO pay stub.

Moreover, when business harnesses this inherent interconnectedness, it becomes clear that any small change in business practices can have an exponential effect on employees,” said Tyler. “I worked a lot on crafting my speech, “Striking the Perfect Balance,” in a way to include humor, personal stories and original thinking on the subject.”

The scholarship to attend KIN Global 2015 was brought to St. Margaret’s by KIN Co-founder Peter Bryant, who is also a St. Margaret’s parent. Head of School William N. Moseley saw a greater and more important opportunity to establish a public/ private school partnership. He procured financing and invited San Juan Hills High School to open the scholarship opportunity to its students. The high school went through its own vetting process, separate from St. Margaret’s.

To apply, students submitted a 500-word essay on the topic, “What does it mean to ‘grow for good’ and to transition from ‘success to significance’?” Eight entrants moved on to the finalist round and

were challenged to give a five-minute, off-the-cuff presentation on the following topic: “Suppose you meet a Fortune 100 CEO at KIN who disagrees with your ideas about Growth for Good. Defend your ideas to the CEO, and explain why your view of success to significance is correct.” Students presented to Mr. Bryant, Upper School Principal Tony Jordan and Director of College Counseling Roland Allen. Two students were awarded KIN Global full scholarships, Tyler and San Juan Hills High School junior Sara Saeedvafa.

Upper School science teacher Steve Harless chaperoned the students to the conference. “Tyler gave an amazing speech at the conference; his opening sentence had thunderous applause and laughter. His speech was well prepared and Tyler needed no notes at the podium for delivery.”

Through speaking at KIN Global 2015, Tyler was able to obtain a summer internship from Gen Next, an invitation-only organization.

The national network of members are dedicated to learning about and becoming engaged with the most pressing challenges facing future generations. Tyler was recommended for the opportunity by fellow KIN Global attendee and former Deputy National Security Advisor to President George W. Bush, Juan Zarate.

“At Gen Next, I was able to meet a wide variety of people influencing change in the world, from former NBA star Jalen Rose to former CNN anchor and education activist Campbell Brown to Ohio Governor John Kasich. Moreover, while on vacation in Washington, D.C., my family and I travelled to New Hampshire to attend one of Brown’s presidential education summits with Republican presidential candidates such as Jeb Bush, Scott Walker, Chris Christie and others.

As politics is my main passion and interest, this trip, derived from my connections formed at KIN Global 2015, was simply incredible,” said Tyler.

Through his KIN connections, Tyler has already been booked for a speaking engagement at the Social Innovation Summit in Silicon Valley in November.

To view Tyler’s speech at KIN Global 2015, visit http://youtu.be/ PfbV5NU9J9Q.

The Kellogg Innovation Network (KIN) is a platform for on-going collaboration between Kellogg School of Management faculty, corporate innovation leaders, nonprofits and government. Founded in 2003, the KIN facilitates strategy and management dialogue to promote innovation led growth and build long-term value. KIN Global 2009 was a defining moment for Kellogg, bringing together delegates from academia, government, non-profits and a wide range of industries to workshop on ideas related to building global prosperity.

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Misses Cleary and Olsen Go to Washington ... . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....................

By Nicole Peddy

“I’ve always been interested in politics. This experience was life changing and one of the best of my life,” said Katie. “It was amazing to be a part of the congressional process. Being on the Senate floor and listening to speeches was truly inspiring. I was able to see so many impactful things, and became a vital part of taking something from A to B through delivering a piece of paper.”

Being away from St. Margaret’s during the school year didn’t mean Katie stopped studying. Pages who serve during the academic year are educated in the Senate Page School located in Webster Hall of the Daniel Webster Page Residence near the Hart Senate Office Building. The curriculum is geared toward college preparation with emphasis given to the unique learning opportunities available in Washington, D.C. Early morning classes are held prior to the convening of the Senate.

Katie Cleary (fourth from the left)

A test of learning, leadership and service, senior Catherine (Katie) Cleary and junior Rebekah Olsen each held coveted positions within the U.S. Senatorial Page Program in Washington, D.C. this past year.

Dating back to 1829, the Senate Page Program is a highly-competitive opportunity for high school juniors. Pages are appointed and sponsored

by Senators for one academic semester of the school year, or for a summer session. Katie and Rebekah were both sponsored by U.S. Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Academic standing is one of the most important criteria used in the selection of pages.

Katie spent six months of her junior year in the halls of the United States Congress. While Rebekah joined 46 other pages to tackle the demands of the summer program from July to August.

As members of the Senatorial Page Program, Katie and Rebekah competed against hundreds of students across the nation. A total of 30 pages were selected for the spring semester program, in which Katie participated from January to June.

Katie said there were some long days, yet the experience was equally invaluable. Since returning to school, Katie says she is more aware of the political process and the inner workings of the government.

She hopes to be more active in plans for the coming election.

Rebekah’s time on Capitol Hill was slightly different than Katie’s.

According to Rebekah, work hours were unpredictable. The workday started around 8:30 a.m. and ended sometime between 6 or 6:30 p.m., however some nights didn’t end until 11. Rebekah said the schedule was determined by the vote. There was a push to get a highway bill done, so the hours were long, but the hours were more typical while working on the revision to the No Child Left Behind bill, for example.

“Before I left for the program, I didn’t know a lot about politics.

It wasn’t a true passion for me, but the page program was a great leadership opportunity and an experience that would really help me grow,” said Rebekah. “After completing the program, I was able to reflect on what I want to do after high school; it inspired me to consider a career path that includes government and diplomacy.”

“This is a program that attracts the top students in the nation. I was able to meet and work alongside such diverse people with differing viewpoints that I never would have had the chance to if not for this opportunity,” said Rebekah.

Both stand outs in their groups, Katie and Rebekah were each voted by their peers to take on the head page role. Primarily serving as messengers, the pages carry documents between the House and Senate, members’ offices, committees and the Library of Congress.

They also prepare the Senate chamber for each day’s business by distributing the Congressional Record and other documents related to the day’s agenda, assist in the cloakrooms (gathering places for party members to discuss chamber business privately) and chambers; and when Congress is in session, they sit near the dais where they may be summoned by members for assistance.

Rebekah Olsen (third row, second from the right)

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> Side By Side

DRAMA TEACHER EXCHANGE:

T

wo drama teachers, literally oceans apart, swapped lives this spring in a unique teacher exchange opportunity. St. Margaret’s Nate Wheeler, and Tara Mackie from St Andrew’s Anglican College in Peregian Springs, Australia drove each other’s cars, lived in each other’s homes and most importantly, worked each other’s jobs. Told in their own words, find out what it was like to experience a different country, a different

school, different traditions and different versions of the same job.

Nate Wheeler:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........................

The real benefactors of this exchange experience were the students at St. Margaret’s and St Andrew’s. Exposure to different people and cultures opens our minds to new ideas and ways of doing things, and this inevitably results in learning. I returned to St. Margaret’s with a renewed sense of purpose and gratitude for our many blessings, especially for this unique opportunity. I’m so thankful for the tremendous backing of our community and parents, the groundwork laid by St. Margaret’s Global Education Task Force and for my colleagues who share their gifts daily to enrich the lives of our students through the arts at St. Margaret’s.

During my six-month stay, I learned to work at St Andrew’s within the strict parameters of a state-sanctioned drama curriculum. It was challenging, but I felt most helpful applying my professional background in theater introducing successful aspects of our robust drama programming at St. Margaret’s, such as: bi-monthly production meetings, student stage managers, formal rehearsal schedules, organized parental support, on site shows to reduce overhead and grow revenue, involvement of multiple departments in the conceptual design and build processes, choosing ensemble-

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based shows, etc. The highlight of my time at St Andrew’s was undoubtedly our high school theatrical production of A.R. Gurney’s very American play, The Dining Room. Nearly 30 student actors took to the stage and presented the first play ever produced on the St Andrew’s campus, complete with American accents!

I formed wonderful, lifelong friendships during the exchange.

These “mates” supported and helped guide me through the maze that was my first quarter at St Andrew’s. I look forward to returning the favor someday by hosting them here. I was also able to squeeze in some traveling on weekends. Highlights, from the south to the north, included: Melbourne (pronounced “Mel-bin”), Sydney, Uluru (formerly Ayers Rock, the great red rock in the center of the continent), the Gold Coast, Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, Fraser Island (the largest sand island in the world), Lady Elliot Island (the southernmost point on the Great Barrier Reef), the Whitsunday Islands, the tropical city of Cairns and finally, Daintree National Park!

B R I D G I N G T H E PAC I F I C Tara Mackie:

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It is quite the challenging task to put into words the incredible six-month journey of being on teacher exchange at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School.

It was at my most excited and enthusiastic self when introduced to the welcoming staff who quickly became lifelong friends and an amazing support network, answering my strange questions derived from a clash of cultures and a heavy Aussie accent. While the first lessons and interactions with students were filled with questions and comments like: “Do you have a pet koala?” “Do you have Netflix in Australia?” “Can you talk again in Australian?”

The students were quick to accept a crazy, enthusiastic “Ozzie,” eager to push them to succeed and go beyond their theatrical boundaries.

Focusing on Australian theater and plays by renown Australian playwrights was certainly a highlight, as was sharing the qualities and differences in writing style and language presented in texts with the sophomore and senior theater students. The conversations surrounding culture and the differences between classic American plays and those from the colonial days of Australian history, challenged the St. Margaret’s students to look beyond their own backyard for diverse and demanding theater works.

Directing the Middle School play Alice@Wonderland and working with such fantastic students was something I will never forget!

The space to rehearse and perform mimics a professional theater company; a building of similar standard will not exist at St Andrew’s until 2020. Having a professional space and the support of a range of staff certainly makes directing more than

the dream it already is. It was highly rewarding to demonstrate another directing avenue or variability to the students, enriching their experience and my own.

The support of the PTF Arts Alliance was a wonderful addition that I aim to start building in the coming year at St Andrew’s; passionate and inspired parents and friends, eager to support the arts and give it the voice it so richly deserves and needs in every school. It was brilliant to work with such an incredibly dynamic group of students and staff, taking on the challenge of a new curriculum in a diverse educational system. Coming from a strict program governed by an external body in Australia, to having more freedom and flexibility to teach to an educator’s strength and modifying units of work to really extend students, was exciting and engaging. The ability to teach units “freely,” and certainly to the strengths of the cohort, was exceptional and an aspect I certainly miss.

I know there are a number of qualities to both formats, which was indeed rewarding to experience first-hand on the exchange.

The structures and procedures in place for auditions, as well as the promotional aspects of productions at St. Margaret’s are aspects I have been able to bring back and integrate into St Andrew’s. I am grateful to the performing arts staff at St. Margaret’s for their wisdom and sharing valuable resources, and to members of the PTF Arts Alliance for welcoming me so warmly. I hope I have the opportunity to visit again in the near future and that further exchanges and cultural visits might be possible between our two schools. I will always treasure the experience of working at St. Margaret’s, not to mention the joy I have had in sharing my California dream with my own students back here at St Andrew’s – many of whom are eager to come over and visit! GO TARTANS!

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> Faculty Profile

Improving Reading and Spelling

By Nicole Peddy

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ower School teacher and St. Margaret’s alumna Kristin McDaniel, Class of 1995, is changing how students learn to read and spell in Kindergarten through grade 2 classrooms. Mrs. McDaniel developed a customized program utilizing Signs for Sounds™, a research-based systematic spelling program that builds proficiency in spelling

while reinforcing reading skills. The program helps to solidify a student’s understanding of repeated syllable word patterns and sound-symbol relationships in spelling.

Mrs. McDaniel created Words Sorts—learning activities that involve grouping words by patterns—to reinforce and review the spelling patterns taught in Signs for Sounds™ Level 1 lessons.

Students use “line-leader patterns” to create column lists of words with shared patterns. Students separate spell-out words and/or words that match one of the line leader patterns and place them in the “out-of-sort words” column.

She also said, “I see CVC words!” CVC means consonant, vowel, consonant—terminology the students learn in class.

When Quincy, a student in Mrs. McDaniel’s class, sorts words, she said she sees “vowels, spell outs and words that match.”

“The extended learning opportunities provided to students through Word Sorts is invaluable. Kristin has helped not only

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Word Sorts Level 1 was published by Read Naturally, Inc., an educational publishing company, as a free supplement to its program Signs for Sounds™. It is available to teachers across the country.

Brayden, grade 1, said, “It helps you look for line leaders.”

Shortly after graduation, Mrs. McDaniel joined the Lower School as a grade 1 instructional assistant and later became a grade 2 teacher. After teaching grade 2 for three years, she became a grade 1 teacher.

St. Margaret’s students, but students nationwide increase their spelling ability,” said Lower School Assistant Principal Heather Murray.

The Signs for Sounds™ program has been utilized in St. Margaret’s Kindergarten, first and second grade classrooms for the past five years. In the Kindergarten through grade 2 classrooms that have used this new method, each has seen increasedprogress. All three teams report improvements in word recognition and decoding in guided reading, and improvements in spelling while writing.

“The Word Sorts are a wonderful way to enhance the students’ understanding of the patterning of words,” said grade 1 teacher

“It helps us read and recognize words,” said Hudson, grade 1.

Jessie Akers. “They open students’ eyes to all the patterns within words, which increases their overall word base.”

The Word Sorts program has increased the value and connection to other aspects of the curriculum. “Through discussion in our department meetings, we realized we need to teach our students how to take apart a word and put it back together. We were essentially teaching our students to memorize words for spelling tests. Students knew the words to ace the spelling test, but did not always retain them long-term.

Once a student reached grades 3, 4 or 5, they did not have a clear understanding of spelling,” said Mrs. McDaniel.

“I’m preparing my students to be enthusiastic and successful readers and writers, and hopefully instilling a lifelong love for learning and literacy,” said Mrs. McDaniel.

“I want to bring life, energy and passion into learning. I’m very passionate about mindfulness and applying Carol Dweck’s growth mindset into my classroom whenever possible—the idea of embracing mistakes to grow our brains and to make them stronger.”

Junior Auston Locke, a past student of Mrs. McDaniel’s, who still visits her class often said, “Mrs. McDaniel has been the most influential person in my life. She has taught me more than any other person, both in the classroom and out. She helped me with a critical year of early learning development, and developing social skills as well.“

“All students benefit from understanding common word patterns. We see the need for differentiated group work among students, and continuity in giving all of our students the tools to understanding language,” said Mrs. McDaniel.

Read Naturally, Inc. is taking Mrs. McDaniel’s lead and will publish Signs for Sounds™ Level 2 Word Sorts for grade 2 students next.

A Devoted Tartan Mrs. McDaniel joined the St. Margaret’s community as a student when she was in grade 1. After graduating in 1995, she attended Whittier College where she received a Bachelor of Arts in child development. She knew she wanted to be a teacher and return to St. Margaret’s.

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> Faculty Profile

Strengthening the Learning Experience in the English Department

By Nicole Peddy

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nglish Department Chair Blake Reemtsma led a new department curriculum and teaching review process in the spring that brought educators from leading peer schools to offer critique and recommendations to validate and strengthen the learning experience for St. Margaret’s students.

The review process was a thorough and collaborative evaluation and cataloging of St. Margaret’s grade 4-12 English curriculum by the 13 St. Margaret’s English teachers. They created a curriculum master book which included a complete student reading list, writing assignments, student essays, reflections from teachers and questions for the visiting committee.

“The review process gave the English department confidence and affirmation that we are doing things right by teaching the processes of writing and close reading through challenging literature,” said Mr. Reemtsma.

Will Moseley, Academic Dean Jeneen Graham and Mr. Reemtsma invited teachers from The Bishop’s School, Campbell Hall School and Harvard-Westlake School to visit St. Margaret’s to critique the English department program.

Blake and his team of English teachers are assessing the feedback from the peer review, considering processes at other highlycompetitive schools, and starting conversations about positive curriculum changes. The department is discussing the possibility of adding more elective courses in the Upper School and increasing creative writing opportunities across divisions.

The visiting teachers gave St. Margaret’s feedback on what’s being done well and what could be better. They interviewed faculty and staff and observed classes.

“The English department was the first to participate in this new process that we look forward to conducting in other departments, next with the science department in spring 2016. Their [English

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teachers] attention to detail and thoughtfulness in analyzing the practices and curriculum within the department set the bar high for the subsequent reviews,” said Dr. Graham. “It was inspiring to partner with Blake as he worked tirelessly to prepare for the visiting committee.

It continues to be a pleasure to watch as he and his team reflect on the incredibly useful feedback and insights that were generated through the process.”

The Lifelong Student As a member of the St. Margaret’s faculty for the past 16 years and department chair for four years, Mr. Reemtsma considers himself a lifelong student. He holds a Master of Arts in Classics from University of Texas, Austin, a Master of Arts in English from Bread Loaf School of English, and a Bachelor of Arts in liberal arts from Columbia College. Mr. Reemtsma, who started his teaching career 21 years ago at Wasatch Academy in Mt. Pleasant, Utah, is enrolled in the Master of Fine Arts Program for Writers at Warren Wilson College.

Teaching English II Honors at St. Margaret’s, Mr. Reemtsma hopes that he is preparing his students to think carefully and creatively in ways that they can rely on throughout

life. “I want my students to be versatile readers who can tolerate uncertainty, ambiguity and frustration and then read on,” he noted.

Mr. Reemtsma credits his MFA program with elevating the craft of writing and rewriting in his curriculum and bringing the workshop model to his class. The workshop model is discussion-based rewriting: the class reads and discusses each student’s writing—usually, but not necessarily, creative—as a way of thinking about and, most of all, talking about next steps in the writing process.

Poetry Fridays and free writing exercises encourage students to be creative in their writing and enjoy it. “I want students to get away from the notion that poems have to be serious. It’s about losing yourself in your writing,” said Mr. Reemtsma. “Students are then able to think freely and put thoughts down on paper.”

“Mr. Blake’s class [English II Honors] was perhaps the most enjoyable learning experience I’ve had in an English class. We all remain engaged in his classes that often center around group work, journaling and class discussion. Mr. Blake’s unique teaching style places him less in the role of a lecturer, and more as a guide who leads

Mr. Reemtsma and his students participating in a poetry exercise on metaphor where each sticky note is a tenor or a vehicle used multiple times to give students language to build a poem from.

students in their own literary journeys,” said Andrew Cameron, grade 12. “His class taught me how to effectively transmit a free flow of ideas onto a page, and how to contribute to and learn from an academic discussion on literature.”

Mr. Reemtsma likens writing to a sport, or playing an instrument, and teaches that practice makes perfect. “It’s important to me that students learn to deal well with the unknown, the unusual and the surprising in a text and in a life that resists certainty and predictability. I hope that I’m preparing them to live better, more thoughtful, more poignant lives through how they read, think and write,” he said.

Although most of Mr. Reemtsma’s time outside of St. Margaret’s is spent writing poems and collaborating with professors and writers within his MFA program, you also will find him running the scoreboard at Tartan football games and chaperoning theater trips. A trained professional magician, he enjoys drawing, surfing, playing ice hockey, and, he says with a laugh, “attempting to play the ukulele.”

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> Alumni Profile

Fighting For a Life of Dignity for Our Elders “Loneliness and the feeling of being unwanted is the most terrible poverty.”

Mother Teresa

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

By Nicole Peddy

M

other Teresa’s quote is a favorite of Dr. Kerry Parker Burnight, who recently was named one of The Orange County Register’s “100 Most Influential People in Orange County.” A graduate of St. Margaret’s Class of 1987, Dr. Burnight has a passion for serving elders. Every day she works to protect at-risk older and disabled adults

who are without families and caretakers, looking out for their best interest.

“I’ve never seen greater beauty than to look into the eyes of an older adult who has seen so much,” Dr. Burnight told The Orange County Register. For the past 15 years, she has served as professor of geriatric medicine and gerontology at University of California, Irvine’s Center of Excellence on Elder Abuse and Neglect, which she helped establish. Dr. Burnight’s research focuses on the medical forensic aspects of elder abuse, neglect and exploitation, and on innovative approaches to addressing and preventing abuse.

While a student at St. Margaret’s, Dr. Burnight was influenced by founder The Reverend Canon Ernest D. Sillers. “Father Sillers encouraged us to not only recognize social injustice, but to believe we can play a role in fixing it. He taught us to think—if not me, then who? I know for sure that God plants the seeds of these beliefs within you if you’re quiet enough to hear them. I do attribute a lot of that to my time at St. Margaret’s,” she recalled.

Dr. Burnight is the founder and director of the nation’s first Elder Abuse Forensic

Center, which has served more than 1,100 older adults, the most of any organization of its kind in the country. Launched in 2003, The Elder Abuse Forensic Center has changed the way elder abuse cases are prosecuted through a unique collaborative process. Law enforcement officers, physicians, attorneys and social workers engage to better understand, identify and treat elder abuse. They also work to determine more efficient ways to successfully prosecute abusers and aid in awareness, education and prevention.

Leaders within the organization meet weekly and work in concert with the county’s Adult Protective Services.

“The Elder Abuse Forensic Center is a great step forward, however, elders still fall through the cracks,” Dr. Burnight explained.

“This very minute, there are millions of elders across our nation who are alone, impaired and suffering. In Orange County, we get 800 reports of abuse, neglect and exploitation each month and national studies reveal that for every case reported to us, 23 go unreported.”

In 2012, to tackle these unmet needs, Dr. Burnight launched the national charity, Ageless Alliance: United Against Elder Abuse. It is a nonprofit grassroots organization working to promote aging with dignity and eliminate elder abuse, neglect and exploitation through awareness, advocacy and action.

“We’re missing some very bad situations because we as a society haven’t had the courage to take a look at what’s all around us, in every socioeconomic status, in all kinds of families. Ninety percent of seniors live at home, and unfortunately the biggest perpetrators of abuse are family members,” said Dr. Burnight.

Dr. Burnight’s devotion to this cause is evident when she discusses elder abuse and the roots of the problem. “Ageism is a big part of the problem. There is a multimillion-dollar anti-aging industry telling us that it’s bad or ugly to get old. I think it is really damaging. It’s not just ageism to other people; it’s ageism toward ourselves, as well. In large part, we have come to believe the lie that it’s bad to get old.”

“I’ve never seen greater beauty than to look into the eyes of an older adult who has seen so much”

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On behalf of Ageless Alliance’s 4,000 members nationwide, Dr. Burnight traveled to The National Institute of Health in Maryland in October to meet with researchers, clinicians and other influencers to discuss the multiple approaches to addressing elder abuse. This is a follow-up to the White House Conference on Aging she attended in July where she met with 20 top government officials, researchers and clinicians to discuss elder justice.

Alumni Living a Life of Service

“Instead of saying that it’s a problem too big to address, we’re saying, let’s tackle it one by one by one. Ageless Alliance’s philosophy is that everybody serves. We find that reengaging individual purpose is the key to uniting many in an ‘everybody serves model,’” said Dr. Burnight.

Masy Bunnell ’94: President of the Board for Children Today (Long Beach)

Despite her tireless efforts, Dr. Burnight’s work is unfinished.

She is launching a new program, Ageless Senior Corps, which will provide a team of volunteer attorneys, fiduciaries and advocates to at-risk elders. The team will conduct an intensive investigation to determine the needs of the elders referred to the program and assist them for the remainder of his or her life.

“I recall a quote I first heard at St. Margaret’s: ‘Happiest are those who have sought, and found a way to serve.’ The seeking is a big part of it; this is when we let go and say, ‘I’m ready, God, - use me for your purpose.’ Anybody can live a life of service,” said Dr. Burnight.

..................................................

The following is a list of volunteer or community service activities our alumni are involved in: Erin Newman Armstrong ’98: Heartfelt Cardiac Projects (Orange County)

Dann Campaigne ’90: HUKi Lacrosse Organization (Texas) Sarah Greenberg ’11: Cornell Alumni Association Board and College Mentors for Kids Board (Cornell/New York) Kasey Jong ’10: Community of Faith Christian Fellowship and Haley House (Boston) Ryan Jong ’09: Bain Capital Community Partnership - City Year and Pan Mass Challenge (Boston) Samantha Larsen ’12: Brian Piccolo Cancer Research Fund (Wake Forest/North Carolina) Georgina Lean ’09: Firefighter Reserve in San Juan Capistrano (Orange County) Gabriela Leichnitz ’16: Music is Medicine (Princeton/New Jersey) Kathleen Macomber ’88: Homeless Shelter (Santa Monica) Michael Newman ’08: Hands On Bay Area and Big Brothers Big Sisters (San Francisco) Todd Newman ’91: Troopsdirect.org (Orange County) Megan Canright Rabonwitz ’99: RMD Women’s Charity Group (San Diego) Yohana Sandoval ’98: San Juan Capistrano Fiesta Association (Orange County) David Turley ’97: Human Rights Campaign, LGBT Civil Rights Movement, Latino and Women’s Rights Organizations (New York City)

Harry Cusack, a decorated veteran and a graduate of Stanford University, is a victim of elder abuse. He was financially exploited leaving him without any funds for his housing or medical care (malignant melanoma, Parkinson’s disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease). Dr. Burnight has worked with him for 11 months, and through Ageless Alliance connected him with a pro bono attorney, fiduciary and affordable care. He is using his calligraphy skills to create personalized invitations for Ageless Alliance’s forthcoming one-year anniversary celebration.

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

Nicole Hughes Rivera ’05: International Wildlife and Habitat Conservation (Orange County)

If you would like to get involved, please go to AgelessAlliance.org for information on how to devote your time or resources. Please note that you are a St. Margaret’s family.

Updates

> Alumni Updates Letter from the Tartan Alumni Association President Fellow Tartans:

Alumni Career Forum – A Reflection by Michael Newman, Class of 2008

I want to welcome our newest members to the Tartan Alumni Association, from the Class of 2015, and thank those alumni who have come back to join us in our alumni outreach efforts.

Your fellow alumni, supported by a dedicated council of volunteers, continue to have an impact: n The Tartan Alumni Association has launched the

Tartan Alumni Legacy Endowment – TALE, to provide need-based financial aid for future Tartans thanks to a generous six-figure gift from a devoted fellow Tartan.

n Reunions are on the horizon for “1’s” and “6’s.” Be sure to read

recaps in Class Notes of the 10th and 20th Reunion from the Classes of 1995 and 2005.

n Service remains an important part of the lives of alumni.

Check-out the alumni feature article that lists a number of our volunteering alumni. n The Alumni Career Forum and our All-Alumni Reunions continue to draw alumni back and foster connection to the school, its students and among fellow alumni.

I want to challenge all alumni to find out what is happening at St. Margaret’s, on campus and within the alumni network. Help us by: n Becoming a member of the Class Agent Network and distributing

these important updates to your classmates.

n Participating in local or regional events. n Considering to speak at the Alumni Career Forum or join us as we develop the Tartan Education, Advisory and Mentorship (TEAM) program to connect our expansive and talented network of alumni to each other and our current students.

I invite all alumni to re-connect through volunteerism, event and giving participation. So much is happening as dedicated alumni, parents and students work toward fulfilling St. Margaret’s mission to educate the hearts and minds of young people for lives of learning, leadership and service.

Find out more about these rewarding opportunities by emailing myself or Jillian Gray (jillian.gray@smes.org) in the Alumni Relations Office.

In Tartan spirit,

S. Todd Newman, M.D. ’91 President, Tartan Alumni Association (and proud St. Margaret’s parent) snewman25911@yahoo.com

Stepping onto campus again, whether it is after merely a week or a few too many years, can be a little eye opening. There are buildings where you may not have known land even existed, class sizes cannot be counted on your hands, and there is this new thing that is called, I believe, a dress code, though this concept was once considered but a myth. However, while the framework of our alma mater may be ever evolving, it only takes the ring of a bell, the footsteps of young Tartans, or the voice of a familiar faculty member to make our campus once again feel as comfortable as the hissing “s” we’ve sung time and time again.

January 30 marked our fourth annual Tartan Alumni Career Forum where nearly 40 alumni with backgrounds including finance, medicine, technology, performing arts, business, education, entertainment, non-profits and more, migrated back to campus to join the 450 students that now make up the Upper School, providing an opportunity for the students to learn about life outside their campus. Isn’t it amazing that with only 1,900 alumni there seems to be a Tartan representing every industry imaginable on each foot of this Earth? It seems that there is a Tartan mark being left everywhere, including the “valleys and the rivers.” Piper Miller, Class of 2007, served as the keynote speaker for the event and preached the importance of teamwork, of taking a breath in moments of adversity, and the importance of swimming one stroke at a time, because perseverance doesn’t tread water.

Next year will mark the fifth anniversary of the Tartan Alumni Career Forum. It will also see a new senior class on its way out and a freshman class nearing the end of their first year of high school – milestones we have all experienced. The St. Margaret’s community would love to make next year’s forum a milestone in itself. Remember what it was like to take a breath in moments of struggle, to swim another stroke when it seemed impossible, and to look for guidance and support when you needed it most.

What did you learn? What surprised you? What kept you going?

I hope that as you reflect back you feel inspired to return to campus to share your story, insight, and knowledge, and realize what it means to sing the words, “St. Margaret’s of Scotland forever.”

Career Forum Speakers > Alumni For a full listing of the 2015 Alumni Career Forum speakers

and their professions, visit www.smes.org/alumni.

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Class Notes Tartan Class Notes Compiled by Jillian Gray

1997

1986

In addition to his law practice, Mark Risner has accepted a position as an adjunct law professor at Whittier Law School teaching trial practice, settlement tactics and negotiation.

2000

Katie Massrey Downey and Ryan Downey ‘98 had son and future Tartan, Griffin Jack Schlegel Downey on June 9, 2014. They live in Dana Point and celebrated their second anniversary on June 28. Former Upper School Principal Tim Quinn officiated at their wedding.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

1990

After their 2005 wedding on St. Margaret’s campus, Dann Campaigne and his wife, Suzanne, celebrated 10 years of marriage in July. They live in Austin, TX with their three children, Jordan (6), Joseph (4) and Emily (2). In addition to his work with St. Jude Medical, Dann helps Suzanne run a lacrosse organization called HUKi that includes teams and apparel, and generates new chances for at-risk youth.

On Sunday, June 29, days after the Supreme Court’s historic decision in support of nationwide marriage equality, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo officiated the wedding of David Turley and his partner of four years, Peter Thiede. It was the first time Governor Cuomo had officiated a wedding.

....................................

Parents of Alumni Be sure to add the College Care Package Party on March 7 to your calendar!

If you are interested in collaborating on any activities, please contact the Alumni Relations Office at alumni@smes.org or 949.661.0108, ext. 1247.

. . . . . . . . . . . .........................

2002

Emily Parker started her own company, Ellesole, a patent protected solution to save shoes, specifically designer shoes, from appearing scuffed, marred and soiled.

Check out her creation at www.ellesole.com.

. . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .........................

1995 – 20th Reunion Recap

On May 17, more than 30 smiling faces could be seen parading across St. Margaret’s campus. The occasion? The Class of 1995’s 20th Reunion! Making the return to campus for this family-friendly affair (piñata and all) included Nirav Shaw, Lindsay Perry-Hartley, Tara Orr Harder, Bobby Chade, Nicole Mion, Shannon Bird Castellanos, Phaedra Nevitt Widney, David Tomlinson, Kristin Helms McDaniel, Tarryn Smith Seymour, Emily Hallenbeck Maxey and Chico Jones. The event included a tour of the Performing Arts Center, Library, the new Middle School and of course, the Lower School playground! Las Golondrinas made everyone feel right at home. Special thanks to chairs Kristin and Phaedra, friends since Lower School, who used the power

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of a dedicated Facebook group to connect with classmates from Lower, Middle and Upper School. Celebrating in spirit was Danielle Best in Texas and Trisha Benjamin Heppenstall. The group signed a baby book for Trisha who has since had a little boy!

Congrats and see you all on Facebook!

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

2005 – 10th Reunion Recap

What a night! Nearly 25 Tartans and their loved ones gathered in Newport Beach to celebrate their 10-year Reunion. Those in attendance included Amy Askin, Abby Carpenter, Shunsuke Fujii, Joey Kelly, Ursula Moran, Taylor Teague Palacio, Ashleigh Spellens, Allison Stevens, Leanne Tranter Victorine, Keeley Hillman, Cody Tucker, David Milburn and his wife Audrey who are expecting their first child this year, newlyweds Kelsey Leedom Nunziata, Sarah Moreland Baker, Savannah Braithwaite Gregori, Umar Bajwa, Nicole Hughes Rivera and Madlen Hulme Brauner, and our engaged Tartans Laura Canright, Derek Steffien and Briar

West. Special kudos to Cody who flew in from Washington, D.C., and Brooks who came from Seattle. Kevin Fathi, Angeli Tarsadia and Kimmy Crawford celebrated in spirit. Kimmy was attending a lavish wedding ceremony in New Dehli, India.

A huge thanks to Laura, Brooks, Nicole, Keeley, Kevin, Joey, Umar and Taylor for organizing a festive night by the beach with great food and unforgettable friends. See everyone at the 20th! Also, a big congrats to JP Sutro who was recently recognized as New York City’s “Top 30 Under 30” in The Commercial Observer. JP is a director for the New York Commercial Real Estate firm Lee & Associates and is making a huge mark on the New York City commercial real estate market!

2006

Kevin Maghami was a recent finalist in the Redbull international paper airplane competition held in Salzburg, Austria.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....................

2007

Parker Phillips just wrapped production on the short film The Mediator, which he co-wrote and directed with his brother Graham Phillips ‘12.

> Notable:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....................

Several members of the 2008 cast of Les Miserables returned to St. Margaret’s for a mini-reunion to support the 2015 cast of the same production. Rowley Rice ’09, Jessica Roe ’09, Georgina Lean ’09, Beatrice Stambuk ’10, Brett Nicholas ’11, Phillip Guichet ‘09, Spencer Keane ’10, Will Brynjolfsson ‘11 and others all enjoyed the Saturday evening performance of Les Miserables in the Hulburt Theater. A pre-show reception at Tannin’s with faculty and former Headmaster Marcus Hurlbut kicked off the night.

ALUMNI GIVING: Tartan Alumni Legacy Endowment - TALE Each year, alumni make a difference at their alma mater by supporting the school financially. In 2014, TALE was created to help make a St. Margaret’s education accessible to deserving students that need financial aid by growing the financial aid endowment for future Tartans.

Join your classmates and fellow alumni and make a gift to TALE. By doing so you are: n Helping secure the future of St. Margaret’s n Providing need-based financial aid to qualified students for years to come n Leveraging a match gift – for every dollar given, an anonymous Tartan will match it n Increasing alumni giving participation

Please make a gift today. www.smes.org/tale.

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2008

> Notable:

Andy de Burgh has been busy with his film directorial debut Just One Drink. Tain Lee, a four-time All-American college golfer, turned pro after graduating from Claremont McKenna in 2012. Since then, he has gone on to play in the Challenge Tour in Europe, and has progressed to the Web.com Tour, a training ground for the PGA Tour of America.

. . . . . . . . . . . .........................

Tartan Spirit Crossing the Generations

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2009

Colfax Selby won the North East Region of the San Pellegrino Almost Famous Chef Competition in New York. The competition asks culinary schools to nominate one student to compete. Congrats! Kira Cahill returned to campus to speak at the Class of 2015 Senior Banquet, which her younger brother, Brett Cahill ‘15 attended. Kira inspired the seniors with humor and great advice. She said, “Through the St. Margaret’s Alumni Network, no matter what kind of advice, internship or job opportunities you’re searching for, someone will be there to support you.”

....................................

2010

Melody Hernandez released her new album on Spotify and iTunes. She’s come a long way since playing the Baker’s wife in Into the Woods at St. Margaret’s! Rebecca Miller graduated from Yale University last year. She is now finishing up her Master of Public Administration in environmental science and policy at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs.

Jeff Tung is pursuing a career in professional choreography. Subscribe to his YouTube

Chrissie Massrey

channel, and make him the international choreographer he aspires to be! Patricia Kharazmi graduated in civil engineering from University of California, Irvine in June.

She has been accepted to the graduate program in environmental fluid mechanics and hydrology in civil engineering at Stanford University, for fall of 2015. Chrissie Massrey graduated from Tufts University in May 2014, where she played catcher all four years for the two-time national champions softball team! The Jumbos won back to back NCAA DIII World Series Championships in 2013 and 2014. Chrissie is doing a clinical internship at the Autism Center at Boston Medical Center and plans to go to medical school in 2016 to study developmental pediatrics. She is glad to hang with several of her fellow Tartan classmates in Boston: Brian Chang, Freddie Valencia and Kasey Jong. Julianna Coleman studied abroad in France this summer and is heavily involved in the University of Southern California Troy Camp.

Tartans from Coast to Coast!

We are so appreciative of our alumni volunteers who helped host regional alumni events in their respective cities this past year.

Boston Alumni: Ryan Jong ‘09, Nicho Mann ‘07, Kasey Jong ‘10 San Francisco Alumni: Michael Newman ’08, Ali Solon ’11, Rachael Stoddard ’02 .

Keeping Tartans connected wherever they may live is a huge priority for the TAA and we look to grow our regional program efforts for 2015-2016. Be sure to keep your address updated so you don’t miss out on upcoming regional events.

Melody Hernandez

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

Mia Maxey ’26, daughter of Emily Hallenbeck Maxey ’95 and Matt Maxey ’94, served as “Teacher for the Day” with her parents’ former classmate and friend, St. Margaret’s Lower School teacher Kristin Helms McDaniel ’95, a true example of Tartan spirit crossing the generations. The Maxey family won this opportunity for their daughter at the PTF Spring Fundraiser “Casino Royale.” Mia enjoyed a full day of teacher experiences alongside Mrs. McDaniel including planning and leading a guided reading group and a math lesson, and eating lunch in the teacher’s lounge.

Mia said it was the best day of her life and wants to be a teacher one day.

. . . . . . . . . . . .........................

City Host?

Alumni living in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, New York City or Washington, D.C. are invited to join a host committee to help organize a Tartan alumni event in your area. Please connect with the alumni relations office at alumni@smes.org.

. . . . . . . . . . . .........................

2011

Carlye Porrazzo was part of the SoCal Vocals at USC, an elite a capella group that won the 2015 International Championship of Collegiate A Cappella. Laura Whitney is living in Los Angeles working as a personal assistant for the show Total Divas on E!, at Bunim Murray Productions after graduating from University of California, Santa Cruz where she studied film and digital media.

Bryan Flores recently graduated from Loyola Marymount University. Tory Davidson graduated from Whitman College and was awarded a prestigious Watson Fellowship.

Her fellowship project centers on theatre and the refugee experience in Italy, Jordan, Burma and Australia. Tory says, “I think the only thing any person owns, what can’t be

taken away, is their story. I seek to explore storytelling through theatrical forms seen both in refugee camps and in countries to which refugees have been relocated. I will observe, study and create theatre with theatre companies that work with these populations and possess missions of healing, remembrance, peace-building and joy.”

Cameron Price has accepted a merchandise planning position at Abercrombie & Fitch’s corporate office in New Albany, Ohio. He graduated from Dartmouth College in June with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and a minor in computer science. At Dartmouth, he was a part of Christian Union, was a member of the local fraternity Beta Alpha Omega and also a member of the mens’ varsity swim team.

> Notable: All-Alumni Reunion

... . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Close to 100 alumni relished themselves with friends old and new alike at this year’s AllAlumni Reunion held on Friday, June 5 at Rancho Capistrano Winery. With live music, a great outdoor vibe and awesome Tartan company, alumni from the Classes of 1986 through 2014 had a chance to unwind and reconnect with their alma mater’s happenings and each other.

> Notable:

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .....................

Tartan Alumni at the University of St. Andrews

Kate Mayer ’14, Tara Rose Cassano ’12, Kian Shakerin ’14, Jack Danly ’14 and Lauren Golledge ’14 (not pictured) were treated to a special visit from Director of College Counseling Roland Allen. Mr. Allen shared, “Our alumni at the University of St. Andrews are happy, healthy, extremely wise, intellectually engaged and continuing to make us proud.”

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2013

Public Market Association this summer and trained and prepared for the 2015 fall soccer season. Andrew Victor just finished his first year at Johns Hopkins University majoring in biomedical engineering where he is playing intramural rugby and pledged Pi Kappa Psi Fraternity.

> Notable:

. . . . . . . . . . . .........................

In Memoriam – Melissa Nemeth ‘03

....................................

2015

A special congratulations to Sam Gellar, Emily Miller, Phoebe Miller, Connor Parks and Trent Sorenson for being nominated and volunteering to serve as class agents for the Class of 2015 through their 5th Reunion in 2020. This is an important volunteer leadership role that helps keep classmates connected to each other and St. Margaret’s. Be sure to like and follow the Tartan Alumni Association Facebook page for the latest alumni news and events.

Regan Anderson recently shot a photographic documentary of a day in the life of University of Michigan’s athletic director right before he bade farewell to the position. Mary McGraw has just secured an internship with CBS in the photography department.

Several north-eastern located Tartans turned out to support Harrison White as he played in the much anticipated Yale/ Harvard baseball game including Chrissy Massrey ‘10, Freddy Valencia ‘10 and Brian Chang ‘10. Harrison finished the season with the top batting average on the Yale baseball team in all of Ivy League conference play in 2015 with a .316. Anthony Cecere is studying at Pepperdine University and finished below-par for The Prestige, a tournament at PGA West in La Quinta, California. This was Anthony’s first time playing below par for a three-day tournament as a collegian. Matt Williams was accepted into the elite Glee ensemble at Notre Dame.

Rumor has it that there was only one spot, with more than 10 guys competing for it!

Stefanie Brunswick, who is studying at Tufts University, interned at the Boston

Upcoming Alumni Events & Activities Alumni Christmas Party December 18

................................

Alumni Career Forum January 22

................................

All-Alumni Reunion June 10

Parents of Alumni If your son or daughter no longer maintains an address at your home, please notify the Office of Alumni Relations at 949.661.0108, ext. 1247 or alumni@smes.org, of his or her new address. Thank you!

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

On April 21, 2015, we lost a member of our Tartan alumni family. Melissa Nemeth, Class of 2003. Melissa joined St. Margaret’s in 1997 as a seventh grader. She was involved in many aspects of our school community.

Melissa served as a student-mentor in the Upper School Writing Center and consistently achieved Headmaster’s Honors. She was involved in theater and choir, performing in many notable productions including Bye Bye Birdie and Oklahoma!, and served as captain for the Tartan cheer team. After St. Margaret’s, Melissa matriculated to the University of San Francisco where she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in psychology. She spent her career working in counseling and support services, most recently working with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) in Orange County where she created a teen mental health and wellness program. Melissa spent her life giving of herself to others and serving as an example to all of us of a life well lived! She will be greatly missed. Melissa’s sisters, Brittany ‘06 and Abby ’12 Nemeth are also alumni and her brother Craig, who attended St. Margaret’s in Middle School.

> Looking Back

Mother to the Lower School Retires After 34 Years Longtime Lower School Administrative Assistant Denise Helms joined the St. Margaret’s community in 1981 at the same time her daughter Kristin started first grade and her daughter Kimberly started Kindergarten. Denise volunteered often in both of their classrooms and became a familiar face on campus.

In 1986, Denise was hired as an instructional assistant in the third grade, and in 1988, Lower School Principal Barbara Deubert, and Headmaster Markham Campaigne asked Denise if she would leave the classroom to assist in the Lower School administrative office. From that moment, Denise became an integral part of the Lower School daily operations greeting families as they entered the office, carrying mail to and from with her signature basket and always looking after Lower School students and faculty.

“Denise has been the office mom for many years and it’s pretty amazing to think of all the students and families she has served.

I know this to be true simply by witnessing her desk fill up with cards and gifts for the first two weeks of every December,” said Lower School Principal Jennifer Blount, Class of 1987. “I can also tell she has touched lives when parents or grandparents visit and pop in to say hello. Many of them have children who graduated long ago, yet Denise forged a powerful bond and they can’t resist stepping in to say hello.

“Denise is a true gem who leaves an indelible mark on this great institution – one we will do our part to protect.

We love and thank you, Denise!”

Longtime Human Resources Director Retires Director of Human Resources Mary Mortimer started her career at St. Margaret’s in 1994 as executive assistant to then Headmaster Markham Campaigne. After supporting many aspects of hiring and employee benefits matters and completing her degree in human resources management, Mary took on the role of the school’s first human resources director in 2000.

“Mary leaves us with one of the best human resources programs among independent schools,” said Chief Financial Officer David Bush. “Mary, we thank you for being our protector, our advocate, our counselor, and above all our warm and caring friend.”

Mary has been a consummate Tartan for 21 years faithfully serving our mission and school community every day of her employ. All employees of the school have had their lives touched by Mary’s dedication to serve employees and improve our school recruiting, operations and practices. Mary’s deep faith, humility and devotion guided her work as she established new school employment policies and procedures and continued to proactively advance this work throughout her years.

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Presenting the Class of 2015 The 111 members of the Class of 2015 excelled in the classroom, in the arts, on the athletic field, in leadership roles and in service to the community, now they are headed to a diverse group of colleges and universities across the country for this next step in their lives. We look forward to their great work ahead and seeing their lives unfold with meaning and purpose. BEST WISHES TARTANS!

Leif A. Allmeroth Santa Clara University

Nicole M. Fava University of Mississippi

Margaret A. Kaplan-Paliwoda Meredith College

Julia N. Mouchawar Wake Forest University

William R. Schwartz Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Camila Anderson Comas San Diego State University

Samantha R. Geller University of Kentucky

Mario S. Karras Emory University

Brian M. Murphy Santa Clara University

Sabine E. Scott Pomona College

MacKenzie E. Andrich University of Washington

Hannah Ghavami University of Southern California

Olivia L. Keane Bennington College

Christopher J. Murphy Santa Clara University

Shiva L. Shabak University of California, Berkeley

Gabrielle M. Axelson Southern Methodist University

Kristin E. Godfrey Scripps College

Christopher J. Lanham Northwestern University

Matthew C. Nicholas Princeton University

Hannah S. Shin Tufts University

Madison L. Beach Southern Methodist University

Oscar D. Gomez, Jr. San Diego State University

Amanda S. Leasure University of Michigan

Brittany R. Nielsen University of Victoria

Nivin Singh University of Southern California

Charles D. Beall Stanford University

Mackenzie E. Greiner Columbia College Chicago

Katherine A. Leasure University of Wisconsin, Madison

Peter D. O’Donnell University of Miami

Courtney A. Smith Georgia Institute of Technology

Zachary J. Berens Colorado State University

Marc E. Haddad University of Southern California

Robert A. Levey Texas Christian University

Ryan M. O’Hare Kenyon College

Emma G. Smith Creighton University

Jake S. Bradley Willamette University

Alexandra E. Hanna Southern Methodist University

Lance S. Lew Johns Hopkins University

Trent R. Sorenson Middlebury College

Brent E. Cahill California Institute of Technology

Ryan J. Harnisch University of Denver

Lidia Lopez St. Olaf College

Harout J. Ohanesian California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Christian L. Carnahan Chapman University

Aubrey J. Hart The University of Arizona

Enrique A. Loya Trinity College

Sean Chang Stanford University

Zoey Hart University of Notre Dame

Crystal Lu University of Southern California

Cedric T. Cole Chapman University

Collin J. Haugan Michigan State University

John P. Connelly University of Southern California

Kyle E. Hermann University of Washington

Kimberly Manzo California State University, San Marcos

Jack T. Cowan University of California, San Diego

Alden E. Herrera University of Chicago

Dalan M. Cragun Washington University in St. Louis

Morgan B. Higgins New York University

Thomas M. Daniels Santa Clara University

Cameron M. Hill University of Washington

Skyler J. Dehesa San Francisco State University

Daniel J. Horgan, II The University of Arizona

Jassmin Del Rio Claremont McKenna College

Nicholas Iavarone, II Whittier College

Enrique Delgado California State University, Bakersfield

Braden P. Johnson Lewis & Clark College

Fernando A. Delgado Villanova University

Carly S. Jordan Carnegie Mellon University

Nathalie S. Eidt University of North Carolina School of the Arts

Gregory A. Justice University of Chicago

Preston L. Ellis American University Patrick T. Fallon Skidmore College

Isaac G. Kamgar University of Washington Ju Won Kang University of Chicago

Justin J. Marko California State University, Chico Jonathan A. Martin Dartmouth College Jack R. McCaffrey University of Michigan Michael J. McGraw, Jr. University of Southern California Liam J. McGregor Stanford University Peighton F. McRobie Colgate University Michael C. Messina Loyola Marymount University Emily M. Miller Brown University Phoebe D. Miller University of Utah Kierra R. Mitchell Scripps College Jennifer J. Morton Boston College

William C. Parks University of Notre Dame Brendan A. Peralez California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo Rolando I. Perez Pitzer College Taylor R. Perko University of Washington Mary D. Powell California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo

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

Samantha L. Stuart Gap Year Lisa N. Takada University of Southern California Quentin S. Talley Georgia Institute of Technology Zack S. Venable University of California, Los Angeles Benjamin Wang Yale University

Collin R. Price Harvard University

David C. Weaver University of California, Berkeley

Neema J. Rashtchi Babson College

Blake F. Williams University of California, Berkeley

Angelika L. Robertson Tulane University

Shuqi Yang School of Visual Arts

Jacob A. Robison Claremont McKenna College

Marissa L. Young Lafayette College

Zhongjun J. Rong University of California, Los Angeles

Debbie A. Zamarripa California State University, San Marcos

Emily C. Roy Texas Christian University Matthew T. Ryan Arizona State University Eshaan Sachdeva Southern Methodist University Alexis T. Salcido Texas Christian University

For more information about the Class of 2015, visit www.smes.org and search Commencement 2015.

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Elizabeth C. Stephens University of California, Los Angeles

Wenqing Zhu Barnard College

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Tartan Traditions…

Events > Upcoming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ...................................

December 18: Tartan Alumni Association Christmas Party December 21-January 4: Christmas Break January 13: State of the School Address January 15: Parent Up Distinguished Speaker Series – Bob Goff February 1: 2016-2017 Admission Application Deadline February 4: 2016-2017 Re-Enrollment Deadline February 15-19: Presidents’ Day and Winter Break February 27: All-School Fundraiser March 12: SJC Swallows Day Parade March 18: Parent Up Distinguished Speaker Series – Jake Harriman April 4-8: Spring Break April 14: PTF Library Luncheon April 22: Grandparents and Special Friends Day

The All-School Pep Rally commences the festivities for the annual Homecoming weekend. Tartans pack the stands of the Pasternack Field House to cheer on performances from the Tartan Marching Band and the St. Margaret’s cheerleaders, and see the presentation of the Homecoming Court.