Highlander Fall 2022

FALL 2022

Building Tomorrow's Leaders

Get a Sneak Peek: The Student Commons

Innovation Strategy Update & 2022-2023 Goals

Commencement 2022 in Photos

Announcing the Next Head of School

CONTE N T S DEPARTMENTS

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TA R TA N S N APS H OTS Learn the latest news happening around St. Margaret’s, from Early Childhood School to Upper School.

FE AT U R E S

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Leadership is carefully developed and encouraged in a variety of ways at St. Margaret’s, helping students develop into active and responsible citizens in an ever-changing world.

14 FACULT Y P ROFILE Dan Pacheco’s love of the arts has taken him around the world. Now, he’s at home as St. Margaret’s new director of performing arts.

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Serving Young Families

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Innovation Strategy Update

18 P ER SP ECT IV E Patrick Bendzick, executive director of community health and athletics, discusses St. Margaret’s proactive health and well-being student programs and why they are so important.

UP DAT ES Learn the latest from your classmates, including travels, career changes, weddings and more!

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Learn more about the appointment of Dr. Jeneen Graham as St. Margaret’s next Head of School.

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On the Cover Class of 2022 student leader Leah Weiss speaks to the St. Margaret’s student body at the All-School Closing Ceremony in June.

Student Commons Update and Guide to Philanthropy

Breakthrough SJC’s Hometown Hero Tania Solano Cervantes, a Breakthrough SJC alumna, has returned as the program’s assistant director.

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

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St. Margaret’s next campus priority is the Student Commons, serving the wellness, learning and growth of all Tartans.

40 P R O FE SS ION AL COM M U N IT Y NOT E S Get the latest news from St. Margaret’s professional community, from awards to retirements to anniversaries.

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The school community partnered with St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church to expand the impact of the Infant Pantry program.

How St. Margaret’s professional community listens to the school community when identifying its strategic initiatives, and a look at the school-wide goals for 2022-2023.

34 CL A SS NOT ES AND ALU M N I

39 LO O KING F ORWARD

Building Tomorrow’s Leaders

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Commencement 2022 Relive the festivities for the Class of 2022, as well as important milestones for the the classes of 2026 and 2029.

St. Margaret’s Community Impact Report A look at all the ways St. Margaret’s endeavors to be a responsible community resource and partner in San Juan Capistrano and beyond.

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GUIDEPOSTS

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ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL HEAD OF SCHOOL Will Moseley EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Anne Dahlem

Message from the Head of School

MANAGING EDITOR Ryan Wood GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Kustera COPY EDITOR Jennifer Perez

Dear Friends, As I told our school community at the All-School Opening Ceremony in August, the start of each new school year provides us all with an opportunity to contribute to the future growth and success of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School.

The pages of this issue of the Highlander Magazine offer not only a look at how far St. Margaret’s has come, but through the careful guidance of our professional community, the generous love and support of our parent and alumni community, and the dedication and drive of our amazing and talented students, we can envision just how far St. Margaret’s can go.

Our cover story explores the intentional ways our students are encouraged to pursue leadership opportunities and leadership skills development at St. Margaret’s—from the Early Childhood School all the way to grade 12. We are inspired by the work our students do in leadership groups, through clubs, during cross-divisional connections and so much more. At St. Margaret’s, our students are able to demonstrate their vision of a better school and a better world—and work toward achieving it, as our mission guides.

Take time to meet our incredible new Director of Performing Arts, Dan Pacheco, and his outlook for the program in the coming years. Get an inside look at our exciting Student Commons campus master plan project next on the horizon, read an update on our Innovation Strategy and how it will impact this school year and years to come, and read the announcement about Dr. Jeneen Graham, who will serve as St. Margaret’s next Head of School beginning in 2023.

All of these stories give a glimpse into St. Margaret’s as it is today and as it will be tomorrow—with new leadership, new facilities, new and exciting strategic directions in the works, and a supportive community ready to seize the opportunity to contribute to the school’s success.

You will notice as you read this issue that the future of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School is here, and it is in great hands.

Sincerely,

EDITORIAL BOARD Jeannine Clarke, Victor Cota, Anne Dahlem, Ryan Dahlem, Jeneen Graham, Will Moseley, Jonathan Tufo, Ryan Wood CONTRIBUTORS Beth Adamany, Lora Allison, Patrick Bendzick, Jennifer Blount, Tania Solano Cervantes, Jeannine Clarke, Victor Cota, Ryan Dahlem, Lindsay Eres, Elizabeth Eusebio, Jeneen Graham, Stephanie Hoback, Cris Lozon, Mattingly Messina, Dan Pacheco, Michele Silverman, Jonathan Tufo Highlander Magazine is published biannually by the Communications Office as a St. Margaret’s Episcopal School community magazine.

St. Margaret’s publishes responsibly. Highlander Magazine is printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper, using soy-based inks, made from renewable resources such as natural pigments and vegetable oils.

St. Margaret's Episcopal School does not discriminate on the basis of gender, race, color, religion, sexual orientation or national and ethnic origin in the administration of its educational, admission, financial aid, hiring and athletic policies or in other school-administered programs.

Our mission at St. Margaret's Episcopal School is to educate the hearts and minds of young people for lives of learning, leadership and service.

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

Will Moseley, Head of School

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Tartan Snapshots Scan here to read more St. Margaret’s news and watch films at www.smes.org/tartantoday

26 Inducted Into International Cum Laude Society

Girls in STEAM Symposium Welcomes Students and Professionals for Exciting Day A talented and enthusiastic community of female professionals and students came together in March for the sixth annual Girls in STEAM Symposium. Sponsored and hosted by St. Margaret’s, Girls in STEAM exposes students who are traditionally underrepresented in these fields to the endless possibilities of STEAM—science, technology, engineering, arts and math—while celebrating the accomplishments, voices, experiences and power of girls and women.

St. Margaret’s inducted 13 seniors, 12 juniors and one professional community member into the Cum Laude Society, an international organization which recognizes and celebrates academic achievement. The inductees join 13 members of the Class of 2022 who were inducted in 2021 as juniors.

St. Margaret’s is one of just 382 chapters of the Cum Laude Society around the world and the only one in Orange County.

Each year, the symposium provides unique opportunities for girls and young women to connect with peers and role models in STEAM fields of interest to them, learn about academic coursework and professional paths, and experience fun, hands-on activities.

Lower School Team Performs Perfectly at Battle of the Books Tournament St. Margaret’s teams of grade 4 and grade 5 students had an extraordinary showing at the sixth annual South Orange County Battle of the Books Tournament. Battle of the Books, or BOB, is a competition featuring head-to-head matchups with teams answering questions regarding details from books on a 20-title reading list. The seven-student St. Margaret’s team dubbed “Becoming B-O-B” answered every question correctly throughout the entire tournament to take first place.

“A perfect day is a very hard achievement. They did an amazing job,” said Library teacher and BOB coach Darla Magana. “All of our teams had a great showing, and we are so proud of them and all the work they did in preparation for this tournament.”

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Native American Artifacts Exhibits Brings New Learning Opportunities to Tartans A collection of Native American artifacts was on display in the Performing Arts Center this spring, with the Upper School Tartan Inclusivity and Diversity Education (TIDE) leadership group leading tours of the exhibit with younger students.

The Native American Artifacts Exhibit is an effort to celebrate and honor Native American people and community. It is a joint collaboration between TIDE and the Windes family.

Lower School Students Use 3D-Modeling Program to Design Sustainable Housing

Early Childhood School Students Enjoy Hatching of Chicks in Classrooms St. Margaret’s Early Childhood School learners, with wonder and awe, watched as 17 eggs completed the 21-day incubation period and hatched as baby chicks in division classrooms.

The Early School partners with a farm annually to incubate eggs in the classroom, which opens a world of learning opportunities during the three weeks students eagerly anticipate the hatching. Students learn about the life cycle of the chicks and how they develop inside the egg, take on a responsibility to maintain the incubator, and learn what chicks need for healthy development once they’ve hatched.

Tartans Take On Challenge of Growing Crops Away From Earth A team of Middle School students and a team of Upper School students took part in a worldwide challenge to simulate the growing of crops away from Earth, and both teams received Best in Show recognition for their work.

The Upper School all-girls team for the “Plant Mars” challenge won Most Innovative Experiment for their work. The team conducted experiments in the student-run Upper School science club, combining Earth along with simulated Mars regolith. In addition, a Middle School team won Best Experimental Design for its work in testing different soil mixtures and watering amounts as part of the “Plant the Moon” challenge.

Using the popular 3D-modeling program Tinkercad, students in grade 4 and grade 5 applied their creativity in an exciting, innovative way­—designing a sustainable living space inspired by two of the United Nations Sustainable Goals for creating a better world.

The students learned about and designed numerous sustainable housing options, including prefabricated homes, dome houses, storage unit homes, earth-covered homes, bamboo homes and rammed-earth homes.

Middle School Students Engage in Art Project Exploring World Religions Grade 6 students let out their creativity in their most recent world history unit, applying their knowledge of the five major world religions toward an art project of their choosing. Students were encouraged to think outside the box with their art, which showcased something meaningful about Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam or Judaism.

“Our goal with this project was to learn the role religion plays in the lives of its followers and to expand our understanding of the similarities and differences in the five major world religions,” Middle School history teacher Rian Otto said.

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Tartan Snapshots St. Margaret’s Well-Represented at Spring CUE Conference

Grade 3 Students Put Entrepreneurial Skills to Work for Business Day

St. Margaret’s had 10 members of its professional community at the Spring CUE Conference in Palm Springs, where they pursued professionaldevelopment opportunities targeted to their division in subject areas like STEAM, history, and information and media literacy.

St. Margaret’s grade 3 students had an exciting introduction to entrepreneurship, as the annual Business Day brought out student creativity and showcased clever ideas and individual talents. Business Day happens twice a year in grade 3, a way for students to express their creativity and build skills in problem-solving, interpersonal communications, math and more.

The Spring CUE Conference is an annual gathering of educators with the goal of inspiring innovative learners in all disciplines through fostering community, personalizing learning, infusing technology, developing leadership and advocating educational opportunities for all.

Senior ISPs Provide Capstone Experience for Senior Class Members of the Class of 2022 spent much of their last weeks at St. Margaret’s engaged in their Independent Senior Project, a capstone experience for Upper School seniors that creates a meaningful transition from the structure of high school to the independence of college.

The traditional goal of the program is for students to apply their St. Margaret’s education to the real world. In 2022, seniors were able to choose ISPs that fit into one of five categories: internship or apprenticeship, service learning, creative project, academic inquiry or a part-time job.

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The business ideas were plentiful—paper airplanes, used books, homemade collars for stuffed animals, bracelets, school supplies, a raffle and more.

Early Childhood School Celebrates Student Work at WOW Night A showcase of student work, the Early Childhood School celebrated WOW, or Works of Wonder, at the school in April, showcasing student projects big and small and inviting families to campus.

“We showcase the children’s works of wonder to make visible the children’s learning and thinking, and to highlight what they are capable of doing if we give them the chance to show what they know and trust in their figuring out how the world works,” Early Childhood School Director Cris Lozon said. “The work in the Early School honors a young child’s independence and growth in learning."

Athletics THE ARTS

Students Recognized for Work in Upper School Productions St. Margaret’s performing arts students were recognized for their work in the Upper School play Our Town and the Upper School musical Mamma Mia in the local awards circuit this spring, as both the Orange County Cappies and The Spirit of the MACY Awards announced Tartans among their nominations.

A total of 10 St. Margaret’s students were nominated and/or commended as part of the Orange County Cappies awards. In addition, Maddie Bendzick was named a finalist in the annual Spirit of the MACY Awards for Best Performance by an Actor or Actress.

Student-Athletes Sign With Colleges St. Margaret’s had 19 student-athletes from the Class of 2022 commit to play intercollegiate athletics this fall, in sports like soccer, lacrosse, basketball, volleyball, tennis and rowing.

To see the full list, visit www.smes.org/athletic-commitments.

Boys Volleyball Wins CIF-SS Crown Spring Film Festival Showcases Student Work in Cinematic Arts Attendees at the annual Spring Film Festival watched more than 30 short films from all genres that were written, directed and edited by Upper School and Middle School cinematic arts students. Films ranged from less than a minute to more than five minutes in length.

The festival also featured an Audience Choice Awards, won by Eva Dandel (Upper School) and Ani Alyanakian (Middle School).

St. Margaret’s boys volleyball team was crowned CIF-SS Division IV champion in May after topping a tenacious Capistrano Valley Christian squad in a 3-0 (25-20, 25-23, 25-18) victory in Pasternack Field House. It was the program’s first CIF-SS title in 10 years, and third in program history.

Reed Wainwright picked up CIF-SS Div. IV Player of the Year honors after a tremendous season with 376 kills, 147 digs and 19 aces.

Shane Aitken and Russell Frye were named All-CIF, and coach Bob Yoder was named the Div. IV Coach of the Year.

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Building Tomorrow's

LEADERS Leadership is carefully developed and encouraged in a variety of ways at St. Margaret’s. Across all divisions, students embrace the many ways they can develop into active and responsible citizens interested in leading communities and an ever-changing world, now and into the future.

BY RYA N WO O D

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ate Cruse, last year’s Associated Student Body president, made her way to the lectern, brushed her hair back and smiled at her audience.

“Good morning!” she said. “My name is Kate, I am a senior, and I am honored to be this year’s ASB president.”

She seemed confident, ready for her moment at the All-School Opening Ceremony. Perhaps it’s because she was. Kate joined St. Margaret’s as a toddler in the Early Childhood School, growing academically, socially and emotionally through a long journey that culminated in throwing her cap in the air as part of the Class of 2022’s Commencement Ceremonies in June.

Through it all—initiatives and programs that started in the Early School, built through the Lower School and Middle School and reached their apex her final year as an Upper School student—Kate began to hone a valuable skill that will serve her well for the rest her life: leadership.

In her Opening Ceremony speech, she applied that skill as she spoke of building a community at St. Margaret’s one scholar at a time, urging the student body to take a step back and reflect on how self-improvement can create a ripple effect that improves the greater school community.

After the pandemic postponed, delayed and canceled many school community touchpoints for more than a year, Kate’s words resonated deeply.

"Imagine what the ocean looks like each time a new wave forms. Water pulls back, and as energy passes through it, a wave is created and crashes into the shore. The further the water pulls back, the bigger and stronger the next wave becomes," Kate said. "Now picture this process in terms of our greater school community. We experienced a great pullback and have had time to reflect and grow as individuals. Now it’s time to come back as a collective whole and create a stronger wave of a community."

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"Taking on a leadership role is a big responsibility ...

To lead well, hearts and minds need to be fully invested.”

t. Margaret’s prioritizes an atmosphere where students in all aspects of their school life are provided leadership opportunities and are able to initiate, explore and practice leadership skills. Kate is just one of many St. Margaret’s students stepping up and demonstrating leadership skills in front of the school community in a typical year. Students as young as grade 3 deliver readings and updates to their peers. Other ASB students organize and lead high-energy events like the Homecoming Pep Rally. As young as grade 6, Tartans take on leadership roles on athletic teams and in the arts.

“Encouraging and developing tomorrow’s leaders is a prominent part of St. Margaret’s Mission statement and an important educational priority here at the school,” Head of School Will Moseley said. “There are countless ways we encourage students to lead in a safe and encouraging environment. Through these efforts, students find their voice, discover their passions, and ultimately, work toward making the world a better place for everyone.”

Leadership education has long fascinated researchers. While some studies suggest that a percentage of leadership qualities may be inherent, there is even more evidence suggesting that leadership is a continuous process that can be learned through formal and informal experiences. Leaders are made, not born.

At St. Margaret’s, leadership is not a class with a textbook and a syllabus. Rather, the concept of building tomorrow’s leaders is baked into all

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aspects of student life. St. Margaret’s professional community opens doors for students to take on responsibility, communicate effectively, develop a vision, collaborate as a team, coordinate a positive work environment, show grit when things don’t go right, and reflect on experiences to learn and improve.

“Great leaders are resilient and stable, traits we work to cultivate in our social-emotional learning programming,” Upper School Principal Jeneen Graham said. “Great leaders recognize they can't go it alone and by definition need people who are inclined to support and follow. Taking on a leadership role is a big responsibility, and this is important to navigate as students determine what truly matters to them and why. To lead well, hearts and minds need to be fully invested.”

The list includes: •

Admission Ambassadors: a full-year leadership role in which students lead tours, host prospective students and participate in admission events.

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Associated Student Body (ASB): The Upper School’s student government discusses school issues, formulates recommendations to administration, and plans student activities.

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Honor Committee: Students assist the principals in assessing responsibility and consequences for policy and rules violations.

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Peer Counselors: Students who partner with younger Tartans to offer mentorship and support.

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Tartan Tutors: Students in grades 11-12 who offer no-cost tutoring services to students of all ages.

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Tartan Inclusivity and Diversity Education (TIDE): A group committed to diversity, equity and inclusion at St. Margaret’s, educating themselves on social justice topics and positively impacting the school community.

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Yearbook: A student-led project to create a yearbook that embodies the spirit of the school.

LE ADERSHIP GROUPS Kate and her student-government peers were part of the formal ASB leadership group, which meets regularly as part of the students’ block schedule. ASB plays a prominent role at the school, as one of seven formal Upper School student leadership groups.

Leadership groups are available to Upper School students at various grade levels and serve as an important opportunity for students to improve their school community, work collaboratively with peers and teachers, and hone their own leadership skills. A few of the groups have a long history at St. Margaret’s, while others are relatively new.

All told, nearly one-third of all Upper School students are involved in these groups, typically beginning in grade 10. The groups bring immeasurable academic, service learning and community benefits to students of all ages.

One example from last school year took place in the Middle School. During the end of a writing unit exploring personal narrative, English teacher Owen Beitner wanted to make sure his grade 6 students felt confident in the writing they were doing. He thought Upper School students could help.

Mr. Beitner tapped into the Tartan Tutors leadership group to find older student tutors specializing in writing and editing.

It was a win-win situation. Upper School students in the Tartan Tutor student leadership group were able to review student work, offer feedback and give encouragement. The grade 6 students were emboldened by the connection as well.

“By collaborating with Tartan Tutors and using our rubric as a metric, I found that my students gained the confidence they had in them all along,” Mr. Beitner said. “The fresh perspective of a new reader, especially an older Tartan, is both educational and special.”

C R O S S- D I V I S I O N A L L E A D E R S H I P OPPORTUNITIES Perhaps not coincidentally, those same grade 6 students just a few months later confidently shared their projects from a different class with younger students in the Lower School. In their health and well-being enrichment course, the students wrote and illustrated eBooks on a subject they learned about in class, with topics like empathy, kindness, staying safe online and managing stress. Once the books were done, they read them aloud to grade 4 students and answered questions about their health and wellbeing topic. Some even had related activities ready, with one grade 6 student sharing a stress-reducing breathing exercise with Lower School students after reading aloud an eBook about mindfulness.

Cross-grade connections are everywhere at St. Margaret’s, and it’s a differentiator of the Tartan student experience made possible by the school’s vibrant early childhood through grade 12 program. The positives of such touchpoints are endless—student connections, growing a sense of community, enhancing academic development and serving others.

But one of the most important benefits is the intentional opportunity for students to build leadership qualities—among them communication skills, active listening, vision, innovation and flexibility. As leadership

expert John C. Maxwell says: “A leader is one who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way.”

In the Upper School, more than 75 students annually sign up to be part of the Peer Counselor program, one of the school’s most cherished community connectors. The program, led by St. Margaret’s all-school counselors, involves the careful selection of Upper School students to serve as mentors in the Early Childhood School, Lower School and Middle School. The Upper School students are trained by the school counselors and outside experts to serve as active listeners capable of navigating different topics their younger pals may be interested in sharing when they meet once a week.

“For the older students, I think they truly are grateful for having the responsibility and rewards of caring for someone younger,” All-School Counselor Janice Avalone said. “It’s incredibly rewarding and fulfilling to both the younger and older students.”

The Peer Counselors program has expanded to include other initiatives. In 2021, about 10 Upper School students helped launch the “digital mentors” program, meeting with students grades 4-8 to help students learn more about responsible use of technology and navigating their digital lives online in positive ways.

St. Margaret’s professional community also takes the initiative to save classroom time for students to visit other divisions and share what they are learning to the younger students—a way for the older students to retain what they learned, lead younger students and help them academically.

In the past school year alone, Upper School astronomy students collaborated with grade 6 earth science students, pre-algebra students played fun math games with Early Childhood School students, and TIDE students guided younger Tartans through a Native American Artifacts Exhibit set up in the Performing Arts Center, among many examples.

Older students have the opportunity to contribute heavily to Lower School and Middle School performing arts productions, and Upper School student-athletes have been involved in Middle School athletics teams, even serving as assistant coaches. Feedback from student surveys shows that students of all ages cherish, appreciate and learn from crossdivisional interactions, prompting St. Margaret’s professional community to continue expanding such opportunities and all the benefits they bring.

Cross-divisional connections include (from top), Tartan Tutors in the Middle School, Peer Counselors serving as digital mentors, visits from Middle School classrooms to teach math concepts, and TIDE students guiding younger Tartans in the Native American Artifacts Exhibit.

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Leading and Serving : St. Margaret’s Students Serve at Special Camp for 31st Year

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ow in its 31st year serving the local community, Special Camp once again brought summertime joy to campers who attended one of three one-week sessions in July and August.

Special Camp is a St. Margaret’s summer camp program for children, teens and young adults with disabilities. It is a cherished part of the St. Margaret’s community, and volunteering with the organization is an important component to the Tartan experience for many Upper School students.

Each camper has a personal counselor for a 1-to-1 camper-to-counselor ratio which ensures undivided attention and a lasting bond. This year’s counselors include 55 St. Margaret’s students, and six more Tartans are serving as staff or support staff. Special Camp offers a chance for St. Margaret’s students to serve in a nurturing environment that explores the intricacies and needs of the disabled community through patience, maturity and empathy.

It is also a chance for students to build leadership skills, as they exhibit flexibility and problem-solving as authority figures working together to deliver an unforgettable camp experience for special-needs children and young adults from across Southern California.

More than anything, though, campers and counselors alike cherish the bonds that are formed from the intimate, personal, one-on-one relationships imperative to the Special Camp experience. Counselors often call their week at Special Camp the highlight of their summer, and campers offer similar feedback.

Among the many activities that Special Camp participants have enjoyed include bowling, trips to the beach, the zoo, Adventure City and Knott’s Berry Farm.

The St. Margaret’s Reverend Mike Wallens began Special Camp for Special Kids in 1992 with 15 campers and 20 counselors. Today, more than 200 campers and 200 counselors participate in the summer camp. Special Camp is led by executive director Lindsay Eres ’00, Nursing Director, Katie Rommelfanger RN BSN, and Camp Nurse Yamili Burgos RN BSN ’14.

To learn more about Special Camp and its work serving the local community, visit www.specialcamp.org.

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S T U D E N T- L E D A N D S T U D E N T- R U N In the Upper School, students are encouraged to seek leadership opportunities throughout the school day, whether on the athletic field as team captain, on stage, in service or to better the culture and climate of the school community.

And if the leadership opportunity hasn’t been carved out yet, many students will take the initiative to do the carving themselves. In recent years, Upper School students have set up voter-registration drives for 18-year-old Tartans, organized and run unique STEAM events like an all-girls math tournament, and taken leadership of optional affinity groups alongside other students with a shared, common identity.

Those groups meet informally during the Upper School’s clubs and activities block built into the school schedule—a block of activities and meetups dominated by student leadership.

More than 40 clubs meet during the activities block as well as during lunch. The Upper School clubs are 100 percent student-led and initiated and are divided into academic, advocacy and activity along with the affinity groups. Students apply to start a club, articulating both the club’s purpose and the intended activities. Club officers must also seek out a faculty member to serve as a sponsor, which can be anything from hands-off supervision to lending an area of expertise and guidance to the student-led club.

Student leadership opportunities include Upper School clubs (left), grade 5 students leading a Veterans Day ceremony (above) and students sharing details of the all-school service learning project (right).

Some clubs are established and passed down over the years, while others are new and reflect the leader’s passion and vision.

“Clubs provide a safe place to be led, and ultimately, to lead,” said Upper School Director of Community Life Lora Allison. “Most clubs in the Upper School are led by juniors and seniors, after they participate in clubs as freshmen and sophomores.

“Clubs really introduce self-motivation and responsibility among students. It’s not anyone saying, ‘This is what you should do.’ Clubs can be as big or as little as the leaders work to make them. If it happens, it’s because they made it happen.”

The approved clubs are showcased during an Upper School Clubs Fair in the fall, and students move about, exploring different tables, listening to presentations and asking questions.

Some of the student-led Upper School clubs last year included the Environmental Club, STEAM Club, Finance and Investing Club, Prose and Poetry Society, LGBTQ+ Club, and the Indigenous Peoples Club.

St. Margaret’s Middle School also has a robust, student-driven clubs program. Middle School students must find a faculty sponsor willing to provide supervision and a classroom for the club to meet. The students express the merits of their idea, and Middle School administrators, led by

Clubs really introduce self-motivation and responsibility among students...If it happens, it’s because they made it happen.”

Director of Community Life Kylie Middlebrook, review and approve each application. Middle School clubs last year ranged from academic in nature (Math Club and Greek Mythology Club) to artistic (Guitar Club and Creative Architects Club) to clubs dedicated to learning new activities (Speed Cubing Club, Chess Club).

Clubs are a cherished part of the Tartan experience for Upper and Middle School students, and an important way to begin building a life of leadership.

“We see the leadership qualities developed by clubs carry over into other school initiatives,” Mrs. Allison said. “Students embrace their role as leaders in clubs and go on to join more formal leadership groups, such as ASB, Honor Committee, Peer Counselors or to seek out other opportunities. It really is the basis of how many of our students first experience authentic leadership at St. Margaret’s.”

PL ANTING THE SEEDS OF LE ADERSHIP Go through a typical week in St. Margaret’s Lower School, and you will see videos in Chapel on Mondays, homilies with thought-provoking lessons, a highlighted division rule of the week, a robust system of rewards for good behavior in the classroom, and a variety of programs that promote positive contributions to the environment and service to others.

Behind them all is a group of grade 5 students working hard to make those initiatives a reality, demonstrating leadership and contributing to a positive school culture.

In 2020, the three traditional leadership groups in grade 5—Core Council, Green Team and PAWSITIVE Character Committee—were reimagined, as many students pursuing leadership roles often didn’t want to focus on just one area. Led by Lower School Director of Community Life Tupper Spring, the leadership committees were instead divided by homeroom, tasked with a broader set of responsibilities.

“Students had expressed their excitement to take on leadership roles in multiple areas,” Ms. Spring said. “The feedback has been very positive.”

The committees’ work reaches every corner of the Lower School. During the all-school service learning project this spring—a partnership with the Infant Pantry Project of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church (see page 16)—grade 5 students took on a sizeable role. In addition to student leaders announcing their division’s goal in front of the entire student body at the all-school spring service, the leadership committees oversaw the division’s efforts to collect Enfamil formula for distribution to families in need, created video updates of the drive that were played in Chapel as a way to increase support, and presented an additional Chapel homily about the importance and broader impact of engaging in service learning.

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For many of the students, it was far from the first chance to demonstrate leadership skills.

Through official programs such as the Lower School Buddy program, students as young as grade 3 are paired with younger Tartans in a program that promotes community, mentorship and responsibility.

The program matches grade 3 students with kindergarten students, grade 4 students with grade 1 students and grade 5 students with grade 2 students for a year full of activities and partnership including Chapels, lunches, classroom activities and more.

In addition, students grades 3-5 are selected to be acolytes for Lower School Chapels and all-school services. They volunteer to raise the American flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance each morning, represent St. Margaret’s to the greater San Juan Capistrano community at the Swallows Day Parade, serve as captains for the house league competition as part of the personal fitness and wellness curriculum, and mentor younger students in academic opportunities throughout the year. There is also an abundance of leadership opportunities in individual homerooms, and students are tasked with responsibilities through classroom jobs.

At St. Margaret’s, the seeds of leadership are planted even in the Early Childhood School.

There, the youngest Tartans learn citizenship and understand the importance of helping a friend or being fair. Through the division’s play-based curriculum, students are often given the agency of their own learning, which can lead to projects big and small that are led by students.

In one recent example, the building of a tricycle ramp in the division (as requested by 4- and 5-year-old students) consisted of young Tartans drawing sketches of their vision, polling fellow students on whether they would like a tricycle ramp, and even writing letters to Early Childhood School Director Cris Lozon and Buildings and Grounds Manager Edgar Barriga. The project was such a compelling demonstration of teaching leadership, teamwork and problem-solving at a young age that Dr. Lozon and other Early Childhood School teachers have been asked to present on the project at national conferences.

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LO O K I N G F O R WA R D School leaders continue to explore ways to introduce or build leadership skills among students of all ages—including new programming at school, partnerships with outside organizations, and other possibilities.

In a constantly changing world with new and old challenges to conquer, the need for strong leadership in all aspects of life is as high as ever.

And while an early school – grade 12 education is only the start of a lifetime of leadership and learning, one look at St. Margaret’s recent graduates shows that the roots of leadership in students are healthy and strong—and promising for the future.

During the Class of 2022’s final days of school, St. Margaret’s intentional program of building the next generation of leaders revealed its fruits one final time on campus. Several graduating seniors were tasked with wrapping up the 20212022 school year, including the presentation of the class gift (an ASB initiative), reflective speeches by valedictorian Aiden Momtaz (also a cross country team captain) and salutatorian Trey Kingsley (also a football team captain) and remarks by Leah Weiss, Sasha Kuljis and other students who have experienced the totality of a St. Margaret’s education.

Also giving a speech at Commencement Ceremonies was Kate Cruse, who brought to the podium a copy of Dr. Seuss’s magical book Oh, the Places You'll Go! In her final act as ASB president, Kate sent the 124-student Class of 2022 off to the world ready with a message of inspiration—as leaders often do.

“Our success should be measured in how we impact each and every person we cross paths with, whether for four minutes or four years,” Kate said. “Do your best to treat people with kindness and an open heart, and I am certain you will succeed anywhere.

“Wherever you go, may your next journey be filled with imperfections, failures and adversity.

May you find excitement in the uncertainty and thrive through whatever change tomorrow may bring. Congratulations to all my classmates on your many great accomplishments to date. I am so excited to see where this next journey will take you all, and I have no doubt Dr. Seuss was talking about our class when he said, 'Kid, you’ll move mountains!'”

The Parent Teacher Fellowship Leading St. Margaret’s Community

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eadership does not have one agreed-upon definition, but one common description is simply “influencing a group of people toward a common goal.”

At St. Margaret’s, leadership is perhaps best embodied within the school’s Parent Teacher Fellowship.

The PTF is an organization providing support and fundraising to St. Margaret’s Episcopal School. Membership consists of each parent of a child currently enrolled in the school, and every professional community member involved in the educational process of the school. Its mission is to offer cultural, physical, spiritual and educational enrichment to the students, teachers and families of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School through communitybuilding and fundraising.

The PTF is an all-volunteer organization full of community members supporting the school and its students by donating their time and talents. Its engine is the PTF board, made up of more than 50 parent volunteers with specific roles ranging from grade-level representatives to event chairs to Hot Lunch coordinators.

In short, the PTF is perhaps the most important connector of the Tartan community, and its leaders work tirelessly to bring parents, professional community and students together to support the Mission of St. Margaret’s.

“When we think about preparing our students for a life of leadership, we need to look no further than the PTF to see how it is done,” Head of School Will Moseley said. “The PTF never stops working to bring together the Tartan community. The dedicated volunteers

welcome in new families each year, rally around families facing a crisis through the Tartan Angels program, and introduce new events that bring parents together and create lifelong bonds and friendships.

Our school would not be where it is today without their leadership and dedication.”

The PTF has put together an ambitious calendar of events this school year. Many are traditional favorites, like grade-level parent coffee meetups in September, the PTF Forever Plaid all-school fundraiser in October, and the PTF Parent Up Speaker Series with a focus this year on “helping kids thrive.”

There are also new and reimagined events, including the PTF Tartan Fun Zone in September, a service project in November and a Parent Winter Coffee event in January to preview springtime events. “’The Power of Connection’ is a theme that we have woven throughout our PTF programming this year,” PTF President Jessica Klausner said. “We know that our community is stronger when we come together in support of our school and one another.”

Beyond a calendar of community-building events, however, the PTF listens to parent needs and implements programming accordingly.

In recent years, the PTF hosted informational meetings for parents who primarily speak Mandarin or Spanish. In response to Parent Up speakers suggesting outdoor activities for a mental-health boost, the PTF started educational workshops at The Ecology Center that proved popular and will continue this school year.

To learn more about the Parent Teacher Fellowship and its role in supporting the school community, visit www.smes.org/ptf.

HIGHLANDER

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Faculty Profile

N O W P R E S EN T I N G

DAN PACHECO

BY RYA N WO O D

Dan Pacheco’s love of performing arts has taken him around the world. Now? He feels that love has made him at home right here at St. Margaret’s, where he started his new role as Director of Performing Arts this summer.

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Mr. Pacheco, of course, is already known and loved in the St. Margaret’s community. He’s been a theater teacher at the school since 2018, demonstrating a growth mindset, a dedication to the student experience, and a love for teaching the arts to the next generation that has impacted the lives of many Tartans over the past four years.

When the job leading the performing arts department opened with the retirement of Darcy Rice after 22 years, school leaders conducted an exhaustive search, reviewing more than 75 candidates. In the end, they found the best fit was already here.

“Dan’s amazing professional experience combined with his experience leading theater programs for students of all ages made him a perfect fit for this job,” Upper School Principal Jeneen Graham said. “Adding to his repertoire of skills, he holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in theater and an MBA, which is exactly what we were seeking for a program of this scope.

“Perhaps most importantly, Dan loves the students at St. Margaret’s, and they love him. He is a trusted and admired colleague, and we couldn’t be happier to have him lead this incredible program.”

In his new role, Mr. Pacheco will oversee all aspects of performing arts—theater, choral music, band, orchestra and dance. He will continue to teach Upper School theater classes as well as direct Upper School plays and musicals.

“You can’t educate the hearts and minds of students without the arts”

His role leading the performing arts program at St. Margaret’s is one he takes seriously, in part because of his belief in how the arts can positively impact students of all ages.

“You can’t educate the hearts and minds of students without the arts,” Mr. Pacheco says. And, he says, he is proof of that.

Mr. Pacheco was born in Bolivia to a Peruvian father and an American mother. He moved to the United States soon after and settled in Maryland, where his love for performing arts developed.

He attended New York University and majored in theater at the prestigious Tisch School of the Arts. From there, he leveraged his training both as a performer and as an educator.

As a performer, Mr. Pacheco acted in theaters across the country, performed as a singer on cruise ships that traveled around the world, toured the country as part of the cast of Wicked, worked as a DJ for Radio Disney, starred in Aladdin at Disneyland’s California Adventure, and acted in commercials.

As an educator, he worked as a coordinator of educational theater for Kaiser Permanente, developing a program for at-risk students to use drama and music as tools for social-emotional learning. He was an adjunct educator for NYU, teaching ways to integrate arts into the public school curriculum.

He has served as Director of Creative Arts and Athletics, a summer program at the Convent of the Sacred Heart in New York. He has developed programming for The Dalton School, Dramatic Results and LeAp (Learning through Expanded Arts Programs). While working full-time, he earned his Masters of Business Administration from Cal-State Monterey Bay—perhaps an uncommon degree for an artist, but one inspired by his interest in leading arts education programs in nonprofit sectors.

As his resume continued to expand, he noticed his love for education was growing larger than his love for performing.

“While performing, I found myself wanting more,” Mr. Pacheco said. “As an educator, teaching students is a process, and watching them grow is very fulfilling.”

He heard about St. Margaret’s through Lower School music teacher Zach Hanna, a friend from their time in Wicked. Mr. Pacheco came to St. Margaret’s to interview for a theater teacher opening in 2018, still unsure whether it was the right direction for his career.

“Once I met people in the community and saw the state-of-the-art educational and performance facilities, I quickly realized that St. Margaret’s supports the arts and values the arts,” Mr. Pacheco said. “I was very excited to get started.”

His first four years teaching at St. Margaret’s have been anything but predictable. He directed acclaimed shows like Shrek Jr., Into the Woods and Seussical in his first couple of years. A pivotal moment came in 2020 when health and safety guidelines during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic put the performing arts in jeopardy.

Mr. Pacheco felt an underlying value of theater productions was in peril.

An obvious answer for productions for the 2020-2021 school year, like the

Middle School musical You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown, would be for students to record their parts separately and bring them together as a video presentation for audiences.

Mr. Pacheco, though, thought a crucial element of theater would be missing in such an arrangement.

“I wanted to preserve the live performance, and the rush that it brings and the bonds that are built,” Mr. Pacheco said. “So much of theater is the social aspect, the collaborative creative process, and the friendships that form. It is about the art, but it is also so much more.”

Determined to make a live performance work, he spent the entire summer of 2020 brainstorming, researching different technology options and developing a plan for doing a live production within health and safety guidelines. Several departments at the school chipped in to assist, and the results were stunning: a live performance of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown with 28 students stationed all around the Performing Arts Center in practice rooms (with some performing from home) while the arts department coordinated it all through a combination of Google Meet, Zoom and other software, sometimes using them simultaneously as work-arounds to video and audio delays.

A similar pivot was implemented for the Middle School play A Wrinkle in Time the following spring, which moved outdoors to the Nolet Amphitheater and was reimagined as less a science-fiction extravaganza and more a Greek theater production in front of a limited audience. Through the pivot, students ended up learning a new form of theater and participating in a memorable outdoor performance under a full moon.

Mr. Pacheco’s commitment was indicative of the performing arts department in general during the challenging stretch: The show CAN go on.

The students need it. They deserve it.

As he moves into his new role, Mr. Pacheco hopes to encourage even more participation in the arts school-wide. He envisions more cross-divisional opportunities in the performing arts, and he hopes to continue—like many of his performing arts faculty colleagues—to leverage his professional experience and expertise into creating an extraordinary experience for St. Margaret’s students in the years to come.

“I highly value and respect the incredible legacy Darcy is leaving for us,” Mr. Pacheco said. “I want to maintain what he’s worked so hard to build. I want to support this team of performing arts experts here at St. Margaret’s, as we ultimately work to increase and enhance the opportunities for students to discover themselves through performing arts.”

HIGHLANDER

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St. Margaret’s Community Comes Together to Serve Young Families The School Community Partnered with St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church to Expand the Impact of the New Infant Pantry Program.

BY A N N E DA H L E M & RYA N WO O D

W

hen determining the important community needs and a partner organization for St. Margaret’s Episcopal School’s annual spring all-school service learning project last school year, the service learning leadership did not need to look far.

The Infant Pantry program of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church was an ideal fit.

The Church’s newest outreach program was the result of a brainstorm between The Reverend Canon Rob Edwards and members of the Church vestry. Assessing the needs of families with infants—namely diapers of different sizes, formula for different ages, wipes, nursing pads, diaper cream and more— Church leaders quickly learned that a program helping with such essentials was an authentic community need.

In the first several months of monthly distributions, more than 250 families from Orange County and Camp Pendleton were served, and Church leaders were seeing an increase in demand as word started to spread about the service. That’s where school leaders felt St. Margaret’s could make a noticeable impact.

“Our Episcopal identity, mission and core values are deeply rooted in our partnership

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with St. Margaret’s Church,” said Assistant Head of School Ryan Dahlem, who oversees the school’s service-learning program. “We recognize and value the work they do serving our local community, specifically families with young children, and look for ways to elevate our partnership and continually support the efforts at the core of their work.

“The Church has rapidly grown the Infant Pantry program since last summer, expanding its operation month over month to meet these essential needs of local families. When Father Rob shared the growth and demand they are observing, we said, ‘Yes, we are all-in with you’ and made it the focus of our annual servicelearning project.”

The project was announced in March at the allschool spring chapel, and every division of the school quickly mobilized with donation drives, educational touchpoints and other initiatives.

The results were significant—more than 400 containers of formula, more than 500 baby food pouches, in addition to blankets, baby wipes, cereal and other items were collected and organized by the school community.

In addition to the donation drive targeting the Infant Pantry’s greatest needs, students embraced a creative element. More than 200 fleece blankets were made in Upper

School advisories that were included in distribution boxes. In addition, an Innovation Block mini-course taught by Jackie Swaidan introduced students to knitting, and students applied their new skill by creating stocking hats for infants that were passed out at the next distribution.

“The school’s response was amazing, and it couldn’t have come at a better time for the Infant Pantry as we saw a huge increase in requests,” Father Rob said. “It was impressive to see the entire school get involved and to see all the cross-division learning connections.”

Beyond serving, the annual all-school service learning project has an important educational component as well, as students of all ages learn more about authentic needs in their own community. Such learning creates a better understanding of societal issues and systemic causes, engenders empathy for others, builds life skills through experiential projects and nurtures deeper connections, engagement and responsibility to serve the community.

Students of all ages served the Infant Pantry program this spring, including Early Childhood School and Middle School students (above) and Upper School students (top right). The donation drive made a big impact during Infant Pantry distribution events (right).

For the Infant Pantry project, students from different divisions came together to understand the needs of new families and the high costs often associated with those needs.

The acclaimed children’s book “You Are New” was featured as an age-appropriate read that celebrates the joys of welcoming a new baby to a family. Middle School students read the book aloud in Early Childhood School classrooms.

In the Lower School, the book was read and a discussion of the book followed—the questions having been written by students in the grade 8 service-learning class.

Also in the Lower School, a homily written and presented by Upper School students explained the Infant Pantry and its importance to the local community. The presentation communicated the high costs for infant needs like diapers, wipes and formula, and made creative comparisons to food items relatable to Lower School students to illustrate the financial impact on families.

The partnership between St. Margaret’s Episcopal School and the Church had an immediate impact: at the first distribution event after the service-learning project concluded, the Church served 264 families with a total

of 374 infants at its April distribution—an all-time high.

The school’s work with the Infant Pantry will continue. Even before the all-school servicelearning project last school year, four Upper School advisories designated the Infant Pantry as their yearlong service partner, and the Middle School service-learning elective class worked closely with the Infant Pantry.

St. Margaret’s also encouraged donations during the Lessons and Carols event in December. Such partnerships will continue this school year, as the school finds more ways to partner with St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church and its important work serving the local community.

“We are extremely excited and grateful for the support of the St. Margaret’s students,” Father Rob said. "They have brought ingenuity, enthusiasm and creativity that has helped us grow this program and reach even more families."

To learn more or donate to the Infant Pantry project, visit www.stmarg.org/infant-pantry.

The Infant Pantry W H AT I S I T ?

A program at St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church committed to supporting the needs of individuals and families within our community who are raising infants.

WHOM DOES IT SERVE? Families come from around Orange County, in addition to many active-duty military families stationed at Camp Pendleton.

HOW OF TEN? The Infant Pantry distributes items once a month on a Saturday morning.

H O W C A N YO U G E T I N V O LV E D? Visit www.stmarg.org/infant-pantry to learn how to donate or help support operations.

HIGHLANDER

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Why Proactive Health and Well-Being Student Programs?

Because They Foster Healthy, Happy, Productive Tartans for Life

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or most students, thinking about their future health and well-being in relation to their current health decisions and lifestyle choices and habits, is an ambiguous exercise. One of the many eye-opening aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic, however, has been that young people witnessed how adverse health situations could immediately impact their own quality of life in tangible and sudden ways. They saw firsthand that consequences can be both acute and chronic, and it sparked in them a greater appreciation for physical and mental health.

This awareness is both positive and an important opportunity when you consider that during the pandemic, young people across the nation suffered social and emotional health issues at high rates. According to the American Academy of Pediatricians, children and adolescents have experienced “soaring rates” of mental health challenges over the course of the pandemic brought on by enormous adversity and disruption, which only exacerbated the situation that existed previously. In October 2021, the AAP along with the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Children’s Hospital Association declared a National State of Emergency in children’s mental health.

In December 2021, U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy followed, issuing a similar advisory about the urgent need to address the nation’s youth mental health crisis. “As the nation continues the work to protect the health and safety of America’s youth during this pandemic, the U.S. Surgeon General outlines the pandemic’s unprecedented impacts on the mental health of America’s youth and families, as well as the mental health challenges that existed long before the pandemic,” Dr. Murthy said.

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BY PATRICK BENDZICK Executive Director of Community Health, Well-Being and Athletics

St. Margaret’s takes a holistic approach to health and well-being to support students as they learn and grow in a school community, including physical, social, emotional, academic, psychological, neurological and spiritual health.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports that before the pandemic, mental health challenges were the leading cause of poor life outcomes in young people, with up to one in five children ages 3 to 17 in the U.S. having a mental, emotional, developmental or behavioral disorder.

While we need to continue to heed these serious trends, St. Margaret’s commitment to student health and well-being has long been a priority of the school. An abundance of proactive programs, systems and resources are already in place to nurture lifelong good health and well-being as well as to support life’s health challenges that our young people could face along the way.

Since the early days of the pandemic, St. Margaret’s was committed and made it possible to sustain many student programs, including having every student back on campus full time, connecting with peers and adults as early as the fall of 2020. This was a tremendously valuable achievement to student health and wellbeing while many young children around the nation and the globe learned in a remote setting for well over a year.

Additionally, St. Margaret’s was already well aligned with the national guidance for schools and youth programs issued in 2021, as a result of making health and well-being a strategic priority with the implementation of many innovative systems, approaches and programs we developed at St. Margaret’s over the last five years.

The national guidance included: •

Recognize that mental health is an essential part of overall health.

•

Support the mental health of children and youth in educational, community, and childcare settings.

•

Expand and support the early childhood and education workforce.

•

Empower youth to recognize, manage, and learn from difficult emotions.

•

Provide access to high-quality and culturally competent mental health care.

•

Support community-based systems of care that connect families in need of behavioral health services and supports for their child with evidence-based interventions in their home, community or school.

Our mission calls on us to focus on the “lives of” our students. We believe that student health and well-being is within the responsibility of the school in partnership with our families. Our students spend most of the waking hours with us during the school year, and what happens here every day is not just academic learning; it’s about the complete growth and development of young people. We know if they are well in mind, body and spirit, they can live up to their full potential.

Accordingly, St. Margaret’s takes a holistic approach to health and well-being to support students as they learn and grow in a school community, including physical, social, emotional, academic, psychological, neurological and

Perspective spiritual health. How this manifests itself is as unique as the individual, so approaching the issue from a variety of angles and utilizing many resources are essential.

This is where St. Margaret’s unique mission, values, strengths and differentiators enable us to care for the individual student. These include our school size, small classes, low studentto-teacher ratio, preschool through grade 12 school environment, boundless opportunities to engage, and family participation in the life of the school, paired with a dedicated, caring expert professional community that collectively strives to know and love every student in our community.

Additionally, we have designated professional roles across the school whose sole purpose is to safeguard the health and well-being of our community: school psychologists, counselors, registered nurses, physical fitness and conditioning educators, trainers and coaches, chaplains, and cognitive and behavioral experts. Representative leaders of this group regularly meet as a Student Support Team, consult each other and work together across the school to know the community and lead health and well-being programs. This creates an advantageous culture of health and well-being experts working together with a professional community to intentionally care and look out for young people.

Our school systems allow us to work closely with students and families, to get to know them and build trust over many years, learning their personal situations, health challenges and goals, as well as simply recognizing a change in them early that might signal something is going on that needs to be supported. This is an immeasurable benefit to the life of every student as we partner with parents to help children grow and thrive.

These professionals (see sidebar) oversee a proactively integrated host of student programs and systems that leverage successful strategies for nurturing health and well-being, including education, advisory, mentorship and counseling, character and purpose development, personal fitness, spiritual practice, community, inclusion and belonging.

St. Margaret’s is well poised to keep our strategic priority of student health and well-being at the forefront and moving forward in exciting and productive ways. This year we have restructured our counseling team to add a third full-time counselor, so that we have one counselor dedicated to each division—partnering with faculty and being the resident expert on the age groups.

In close collaboration with equity and inclusion initiatives, we are working to better understand how identity and cultural backgrounds intersect with matters of personal health to better know and support students.

The holistic approach to student health and well-being is implemented by weaving the content through the various experts of each division to meet individual student needs and create relevance.

CHALKBOARD-USER T E ACHERS: Create strong and trusting relationships in advisory, innovation blocks, coaching and tutoring.

BOOK-OPEN-READER

S T U D EN T S: Provide peer support in advisory, peer pals, friendship circle and affinity groups.

🗪 CO U N S ELO RS: Support our families in individual social-emotional learning, educational programming, crisis management and access to outside experts.

USER-EDIT ED U C AT I O N A L T HER A PI S T S: Provide support in the form of Student Study Team meetings, neuropsychological/psychoeducational assessments and Academic Support Plans.

We will also continue our practice of looking to other leading institutions and programs, typically at the collegiate level, to learn and tap leading practices to further innovate here. With the Student Commons facility planned for the future (see page 22), serving as a hub of student well-being, we will be able to better collaborate, resource, prioritize and expand these programs in the future.

This is a lifelong priority for St. Margaret’s. We will continue to learn from research and trends for our students to learn about, practice and develop proactive healthy habits across the spectrum of well-being along with a personal toolkit of skills for dealing with life’s challenges.

This will prepare them to go beyond St. Margaret’s and live healthy and fulfilling lives, connecting with others in trusting relationships, finding purpose and meaning, and contributing to others and community in positive, healthy and successful ways.

USER-NURSE N U RS E S: Support the physical welfare of students and help make connections to social-emotional services. ⛪ CH A PL A IN S: Provide spiritual growth, development and exploration. ⚖ EQ U I T Y T E A M: Create a sense of community and belonging for all students and provide cultural and language support when needed.

HAND-HOLDING-HEART

D IREC TO RS O F COMMU NI T Y LIFE: Provide character-and-purpose building engagement opportunities in service learning, leadership groups, retreats, and activities.

🛡 S ECU RI T Y S TA FF: Maintain a physical environment where students feel safe and cared for.

HIGHLANDER

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STRATEGIC PLAN UPDATE Listening to All Tartans to Innovate St. Margaret’s Around Strategic Priorities

BY A N N E DA H L E M

S

t. Margaret’s unique Innovation Strategy calls on every professional community member to put students and their needs at the center of all planning for new programs and initiatives, especially around the school’s highest priorities.

With good reason, the school’s pandemic response has been the highest strategic priority since March 2020, with the rapid iteration and successful application of myriad new academic, health, well-being and campus safety initiatives to support continued learning and growth for all students.

During the 2021-2022 school year, the professional community also revisited other designated strategic priorities, including those identified during the previous CAIS Accreditation Future Planning work through the lens of postpandemic student needs.

The professional community, once again, organized in self-selected teams around the priority areas and utilized the innovation strategy process rooted in Design Thinking to listen to student feedback and identify needs. This time around, though, St. Margaret’s expanded the focus to include the needs of school families and professional community members as well.

“Our Innovation Strategy is rooted in understanding and enhancing the experience of our ‘end users,’ who are primarily the students at the heart of our mission,” said Assistant Head of School Ryan Dahlem. “Yet, St. Margaret’s is having a profound impact on the lives of all its community members. We also recognize the vital importance of the professional community and school families as end users, and intentionally expanded this round of ethnographic research to better understand and design for their needs as well.”

Innovation Strategy teams sought to hear feedback and identify needs for which they will design solutions within seven priorities. They

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looked at them by division, and schoolwide, with different members focused on students, parents and colleagues: 1. Curriculum and Pedagogy 2. Professional Development 3. Diversity, Equity and Inclusion 4. Experiential and Service Learning 5. Health and Well-Being 6. Technology 7. Methods for Student Feedback Before embarking on ethnographic research, which is a highly interactive qualitative research method for collecting data and gleaning insights about community members’ lived experiences, St. Margaret’s dedicated a professional community in-service day for these teams to meet and discuss language used to describe each of the priorities and review the action steps identified for each priority before the pandemic.

Teams met first by division or offices, then came together in each priority area to provide an allschool overview.

During the following professional community in-service day, teams met again to design their ethnographic research approach, including a consistent bank of open-ended questions.

The truly inspiring and eye-opening work occurred in the spring when the entire professional community conducted, analyzed and documented insights and findings of more than 180 one-on-one ethnographic interviews with students, parents and colleagues across the school community. On average, these interview meetings take about 45 minutes of thoughtful listening and follow-up questions to learn more.

“A byproduct of this important work was the opportunity for reconnection that our community was craving after being distanced during the pandemic. Students, colleagues and families were seen, heard and valued through the enormous research efforts of our professional community,” said Mr. Dahlem.

Some Tartans dug even deeper and completed immersive observations in the school setting through student shadow experiences, which involved experiencing the school through the student perspective for an entire day.

The entire kindergarten faculty, for example, shadowed P4 Early Childhood School students to better understand and inform the design of the transition experience of rising kindergarten students.

Team leaders analyzed all the findings and collaborated to identify overarching themes in the qualitative research findings with an allschool perspective.

"Our innovation strategy is rooted in understanding and enhancing the experience of our ‘end users,’ who are primarily the students at the heart of our mission... We also recognize the vital importance of the professional community and school families as end users, and intentionally expanded this round of ethnographic research to better understand and design for their needs as well.”

P O S I T I V E FE E D B ACK on general strategic direction. Teams affirmed the work accomplished in priority areas, and interviews supported progress while identifying new needs to meet. Much of the discussion and feedback related to deepening commitments in these areas and updating language on how the school describes this work.

CH O I CE . This topic arose in many of the facilitator debrief sessions and was highlighted as an area the school is pursuing and should continue to explore. Examples ranged from the academic program to servicelearning opportunities to professional development. In each, the opportunity for choice is desired and adds meaning and motivation.

E X PA N S I O N . Several teams discussed expanded thinking regarding which end users these initiatives apply to. Examples included expanding health and wellbeing initiatives beyond students to the entire school community and expanding professional development beyond the teaching faculty.

H E A LT H A N D W E L L-B E I N G . The backdrop of the pandemic was evident across priority areas and heightened the need to understand life outside of school (homework and scheduled commitments for students; work-life balance for adults) and a commitment to DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion) and SEL (social and emotional learning) work that is so relevant to the health and wellbeing of community members.

CO N N EC T I O N . There is a strong desire for connection across the school community, including the return of family members to campus and connections across divisions and offices for students and the professional community.

2022-2023 Goals From the team findings, the academic leadership created three mission-oriented school year goals to guide and focus this work for the school year:

1

2

3

LE ARNING GOAL: RENEW OUR FOCUS ON LIVES OF LE ARNING •

Refine the Faculty Growth and Support Plan, including the Essential Beliefs and Teaching Philosophy, that underpins St. Margaret’s approach to teaching and learning and inspires continuous improvement and innovation.

•

Design learning experiences that are responsive to student input regarding choice, relevance and well-being.

•

Expand professional development to further the talents of all professional community members.

LE ADERSHIP GOAL: DEEPEN CONNEC TIONS TO OUR EPISCOPAL IDENTIT Y •

Pursue shared understanding of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Identity in relationship to the school’s Mission and Core Values.

•

Explore and advance the intersection of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Identity with health and well-being initiatives and diversity, equity and inclusion work.

•

Boldly affirm that Episcopal schools exist not merely to educate, but to demonstrate and proclaim the unique worth and beauty of all human beings.

SERVICE GOAL: NOURISH HUM AN CONNEC TIONS AT THE HE ART OF OUR COMMUNIT Y •

Increase opportunities for formal and informal gatherings on campus that enhance connections within the school community.

•

Deepen relationships with the local community through partnership, engagement, collaboration and service learning.

•

In all interactions, be guided by an authentic desire to connect and embody the spirit of “I see you.”

Over the course of several professional community in-service days this school year, the teams will revisit action steps generated during the CAIS Accreditation Future Planning process with new information and insights gathered from the community in the spring.

They will then engage in the prototype, testing and piloting phases of the design cycle by divisions and offices to generate new solutions and programs for students and the entire St. Margaret’s community, which will continue to advance St. Margaret’s, its mission and the nurturing, vibrant learning experience for all Tartans.

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A Center of Student Well-Being:

the student Commons St. Margaret’s Next Campus Priority: Featuring Dining Hall and Expanded Fitness Center

BY A N N E DA H L E M

I

n the coming school year, St. Margaret’s will relaunch its next major campus master plan project and capital campaign, which aligns with its ongoing school-wide priority on student health and well-being. Announced in the fall of 2019, the Student Commons, a state-of-the art, 30,000-square-foot, two-story building situated on the west side of the Highlands Quad and Chalmers Field, will serve the wellbeing, learning and growth of all Tartans.

A FR O M-S CR ATCH K I TCH EN will serve the entire student body, early childhood through grade 12, with on-site chefs preparing fresh, nutritious and student-friendly foods and meals throughout the day. A great hall with vaulted ceilings and an abundance of natural light will be a central location for student dining and other community gatherings. Centered between the Middle School and Upper School campuses, the Commons will open onto the Highlands Quad and feature outdoor seating areas.

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A M O D ER N , F U L LY EQ U I P P ED S T R EN G T H A N D P ER F O R M A N CE FI T N E S S CEN T ER , twice the size of the school’s current facilities, will support the expanding personal fitness and wellness program and the training of all Tartan athletes. “The Commons will be a transformational addition to the student experience of every Tartan, providing community gathering spaces and innovative resources for Tartans to come together for learning, personal wellness and friendship,” Board of Trustees President Paul Westhead and Head of School Will Moseley said in a joint message. “The Student Commons satisfies the greatest need in our campus planning, and the most significant investment we can make to advance our health and wellness initiatives for all Tartans and for generations to come.”

St. Margaret’s has expanded health and wellness initiatives for students over the past five years. The timing of this relaunch is also underscored by the physical and mental health challenges that were brought to the forefront of the nation by the pandemic, especially for young people.

“After the past two years we’ve experienced, we wish to emerge with a renewed commitment to the importance and value of health and wellbeing for students and our entire community. In line with our mission to educate the hearts and minds of students for their whole lives, we aim to nurture well-being, purpose and happiness in our students today and in the future. Through fitness, nutrition, a balanced daily schedule, healthy habits and life skills, these initiatives further supported and advanced by the Student Commons will fuel our students’ growth and learning today and carry into their adulthood, setting them up for successful and happy lives,” said Mr. Moseley.

Much of the foundational work for the Commons has already been accomplished behind the scenes. The first phase of facility needs assessment and planning, as well as architectural designs, have been achieved by the Board of Trustees and the administration with the input of members of the professional community who will directly use the facility for their student programs. Students were also engaged and will continue to be involved with providing input about their needs through ethnographic interviews and research, which are integral to St. Margaret’s Innovation Strategy process.

Initial kitchen and dining plans for food and meal preparation and service have been created with the input of third-party food service leaders, which the school will eventually contract to work on-site running dining operations for St. Margaret’s. These plans are currently being reviewed to incorporate new food service considerations learned over the course of the pandemic.

In the fall of 2019, St. Margaret’s acquired additional land and properties in the Ortega Village Center, a milestone development in the school’s long-term campus master planning that supports strategic priorities. The acquisition included three buildings immediately adjacent to campus— two buildings closest to campus next to St. Margaret’s Wallace Hall that also border the Upper School, and the center two-story office building that is directly across the parking lot from the Middle School. This added approximately five contiguous acres to the campus, providing the foundation for future development, including reallocating existing campus space where Wallace Hall sits today. Another step was accomplished in the summer of 2021, when administration offices that were located in Wallace Hall moved to offices in the newly renovated St. Margaret’s Ortega Village Center Office Building.

R AISING THE FUNDS

In relaunching the project, Mr. Westhead says, it is important to remind the community that these capital development projects are not funded with tuition dollars. “The school’s capital projects, like the Performing Arts Center completed in 2012, Maseeh Middle School completed in 2015, and Johnson Wallis Visual Arts Center completed in 2017, are funded through generous donations from community members. It is a testament to our school’s clear mission and the support and generosity of our community,” said Mr. Westhead.

A number of donors have already supported the quiet phase of the campaign with early leadership gifts. More information about these gifts and next steps will be announced at the 2022 Forever Plaid: All Hallows’ Evening on October 29 at A/V Irvine. All member of our community are invited and encouraged to attend. The first public gift to the project was announced in the spring of 2022: a $500,000 gift from the St. Margaret’s Parent Teacher Fellowship. With this early community excitement, and significant support from the Board of Trustees and lead donors, St. Margaret’s is able to now initiate a school-wide fundraising effort.

“We are deeply grateful for our leadership donors of the Student Commons project, as well as our entire community for your commitment and partnership as we continue to move St. Margaret’s forward,” Mr. Westhead said.

The school projects an 18-month construction timeline for the Student Commons that would move forward based on meeting capital fundraising parameters established by the Board of Trustees and construction permitting. The Board of Trustees and administration will provide more details and hold information sessions on the Student Commons and capital campaign fundraising for parents this fall.

Scan here to learn more about the Student Commons and see launch film with more renderings. To attend an information session or get involved in the Student Commons project, please contact Executive Director of Advancement Jonathan Tufo at jonathan.tufo@smes.org.

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BY S T EP H A N I E H O B AC K , D i r e c to r o f A n n u a l G i v i n g , & J O N AT H A N T U F O, E xe c u t i v e D i r e c to r o f A d v a n c e m e n t

PA R E N T T E A C H E R F E L L O W S H I P ( P T F )

phi·lan·thro·py: The effort to increase the well-being of humankind, as by charitable donations. From the Greek philanthrōpos meaning love of mankind.

I

t is hard to imagine a more powerful team than school and parents working together for the good of children. At St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, one of the many ways in which we work together is through philanthropy. Your gifts support the people and programs that make St. Margaret’s so special. You further our efforts to accomplish our strategic initiatives and remind us that fulfilling our mission and vision requires more than tuition alone. At St. Margaret’s, we have a responsibility to elevate the student experience, and your philanthropy is a testament to that responsibility. Together, we make a collective investment in each and every Tartan, who in turn make the world a better place.

There are many opportunities to philanthropically support our Tartan community. Here are some ways you can do so this year:

THE ANNUAL FUND The Annual Fund is the single most important annual fundraising opportunity. Gifts to the Annual Fund support every aspect of the student experience, from faculty excellence and technology to program enhancements. The Annual Fund directly impacts every aspect of the school and each student’s experience. It provides for the margin of excellence in all that we do. The school depends on the Annual Fund to contribute approximately 4% of the operating budget, which translates to $1.2 million this school year. The Annual Fund helps us to moderate tuition increases, which in turn promotes a diverse student body and maintains a tuition that is competitive with our peer schools. All gifts to the Annual Fund are tax-deductible.

The participation of our entire community is critical to the success of our work, regardless of the amount of the gift. Every student benefits from the Annual Fund. Community support for the Annual Fund reflects the strong culture of philanthropy at our school. Participation is a metric that is used nationally and most easily signifies confidence in the school.

Strong parent participation can be an indicator for foundations and other organizations that are considering a gift to St. Margaret’s. Our goal is to reach 100% every year.

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The mission of the PTF is to offer cultural, physical, spiritual and educational enrichment to the students, teachers and families of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School through community-building and fundraising. All PTF activities are conducted in accordance with policies and protocols adopted by St. Margaret’s Episcopal School.

PTF programming includes community-building events, appreciation gifts and program administration. Additional funds are raised through the following events:

1

Forever Plaid All-School Fundraiser – Bringing the entire St. Margaret’s community together, the Forever Plaid Fundraiser provides for an evening of fine dining and dancing to live music. Exciting live and silent auction items are also available. This is our primary fundraiser of the year and all proceeds benefit the school.

2

Online Auction – The PTF Online Auction consists primarily of priceless teacher/student experiences donated by our generous professional community. Student-centered items will be available for bidding by parents in every school division. All funds raised go directly to the PTF Grant Enrichment Program.

3

Library Luncheon – The Library Luncheon is the longest timehonored event sponsored by the PTF and is held every spring, celebrating our love for good books and good friends. Tables are decorated by parent hostesses and the PTF to perfection, and all guests enjoy an afternoon of camaraderie and fellowship. All proceeds benefit the library and the PTF Grant Enrichment Program.

C A P I TA L G I V I N G Capital gifts are larger, less frequently made gifts intended to have a significant impact on the school’s physical plant and facilities or endowment. The school will occasionally solicit these gifts for a specific building project or during a capital campaign. Multiyear pledges are commonly made as capital gifts.

Capital Construction Projects­— The next building project for St. Margaret’s is the Commons. It will serve as the home and physical manifestation of the health and wellbeing strategic initiatives underway.

Learn more about the Commons project on page 22.

T H E S T. M A R G A R E T ’ S E N D O W M E N T The St. Margaret’s Endowment is a pool of funds invested for the longterm, where the corpus of the funds are perpetually used to generate capital gains and interest income to support the annual operating budget and some specific initiatives. Endowment is essential to the school's health and sustainability. Many school fundraising initiatives contribute 20 percent of funds to the endowment.

TA R TA N A L U M N I L E G A C Y E N D O W M E N T ( TA L E ) A restricted endowment to support the school’s Financial Aid program.

Alumni and parents of alumni help to support and grow this fund annually.

TA R TA N O P E N Golf tournament to raise funds for need-based financial aid.

BRE AK THROUGH SAN JUAN CAPIS TR ANO Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano is breaking the cycle of poverty through the power of education by serving students from underrepresented backgrounds starting in middle school through college graduation.

Breakthrough supports students from middle school to college graduation through tuition-free, college access programming. Nearly all Breakthrough SJC students are from low-income backgrounds and will be the first in their families to graduate from college (read more on page 26).

SPECIAL C A MP Founded by Father Mike Wallens in 1992 to address the scarcity of resources for school-age children with disabilities in the community. With service, opportunity and love, we will continue to work toward inspiring future generations to eliminate the stigma associated with this beautiful community. (read more on page 10).

Through generous donors, we are able to support St. Margaret's in many ways, from enriching the daily academic environment to special programs like Breakthrough and Special Camp

2022-2023

A YEAR OF GIVING

Scan here to learn more about our fundraising initiatives and determine how you can support our community this year.

We are honored by your trust and look forward to engaging in a philanthropic partnership.

nov. 28

APR. 1

ANNUAL FUND KICKOFF

P TF 41 S T ANNUAL LIBR ARY LUNCHEON

Ongoing GIVING CAPITAL PROJEC TS ENDOWMENT BRE AK THROUGH

Oct. 29

Mar. 1

May 1

FORE VER PL AID: ALL HALLOWS ' E VENING

ONLINE AUC TION

TARTAN OPEN

SPECIAL CAMP

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Home town Hero Breakthrough SJC Alumna Tania Solano Cervantes Returns as Program’s Assistant Director

BY A N N E DA H L E M

B

reakthrough San Juan Capistrano this spring announced the appointment of Tania Solano Cervantes as Assistant Director of Middle School and Early High School programs, overseeing all elements of the academic enrichment program for its students in grades 7–10.

As a longtime Breakthrough SJC participant, Ms. Solano Cervantes brings unique skills, insights and experience to this role. Growing up in Dana Point, she attended Marco Forster Middle School and graduated from Dana Hills High School. Ms. Solano Cervantes is an alumna of Breakthrough SJC as a student and has served for the past four years in leadership and mentoring roles, as a tutor, summer volunteer coordinator, teaching fellow and dean of students.

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“Tania is a Breakthrough SJC success story in every way. She has quite literally walked in the very same path as our students and teaching fellows.

She brings extraordinary perspective, personal understanding of our local community and organizational culture, and possesses a profound passion for the power of education and importance of equal access,” said Breakthrough SJC Director Elizabeth Eusebio. “We are incredibly proud and excited to have Tania joining Breakthrough as a full-time member of the team helping to guide the program and further mentor our students with her deep knowledge and exceptional talent and skills.”

A tuition-free program supporting local motivated students whose backgrounds are underrepresented in higher education, Breakthrough provides academic programming and guidance from middle school

through college graduation for students primarily from lowincome households. Breakthrough is hosted and sponsored by St. Margaret’s and serves students in and around the San Juan Capistrano community.

“Breakthrough has had a tremendous impact on my educational journey—from my years as a middle school student of the summer program to now. I am the first in my family to graduate from college and breaking the cycle of poverty for my family. This is truly an indication of the impact that Breakthrough has on first-generation students like me,” she said. “I am honored that Breakthrough SJC has trusted me as the right person to assume the role of Assistant Director of Middle School and Early High School for Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano.”

Ms. Solano Cervantes was part of the graduating Class of 2022 from the University of California, Los Angeles, earning Bachelor of Arts in political science and a minor in labor studies, with academic honors.

Her relevant experience extends beyond Breakthrough, as well.

Since 2020, she has served as an AB540 project director at UCLA for IDEAS (Improving Dreams, Equity, Access, & Success), a support program for immigrant students. She also completed coursework in immigrant rights, labor and higher education. These experiences have further shaped her perspective, skills and expertise to support first-generation students and immigrant-based, workingclass communities.

St. Margaret’s Director of Equity and prior Breakthrough SJC director Victor Cota said, “One of my favorite things about St. Margaret’s is our commitment to the local community, especially through our outreach programs, Special Camp and Breakthrough SJC. Tania’s hiring is yet another incredible example of St. Margaret’s and Breakthrough’s missions in action. Seeing Tania grow in the program as a student into the amazing adult and educator she is today, is a full-circle moment for me and the work we do through Breakthrough.

As Tania takes over the programming for Breakthrough’s seventh through 10th graders, she will tap into her own lived experiences and guide these young people on their own paths to and through college as an authentic role model they can look up to. This is exactly what Breakthrough is all about!”

Ms. Solano Cervantes is passionate about Breakthrough’s purpose and impact on young people. “Coming from an immigrant, workingclass background, I have learned to overcome the systemic barriers that made my pursuit of higher education difficult. This achievement would not have been possible without the support of communities like Breakthrough, which have paved a pathway for my success.

The commitment that Breakthrough SJC demonstrated to me, and countless other students, has ultimately instilled in me the values and passion for achieving social justice and advocating for educational equity,” Ms. Solano Cervantes said.

“As the new Assistant Director, I will continue to ensure that underrepresented students are not left outside the pathway for higher education by addressing the barriers that except them, and making all students and their families feel valued and included. I look forward to working with staff, students and families as we continue serving and empowering the next generations of Breakthrough college graduates.”

359 Students Served

86% 94% 91% 89% 100% 88%

A RE T H E FIRS T IN THEIR FA M ILIE S TO AT TE ND COLLEGE IDE N T IFY A S A STUDENT OF COLOR QUA LIFY FOR F RE E OR RE DUC E D LUNC H E N G LIS H IS N OT THE P RIMARY L A N G UAG E AT HOME OF 2020 H IG H SC HOOL GRADUATES A RE AT T E N DING COLLEGE A DM IT T E D TO A F OUR-YEAR COLLEG E OR UNIVERSIT Y

Elizabeth Eusebio Completes First Year as Breakthrough SJC Director The appointment of Tania Solano Cervantes as Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano’s assistant director is just one significant change in the program’s leadership recently.

Elizabeth Eusebio just completed her first full year as Director of Breakthrough SJC. She, too, is a local success story—a firstgeneration college graduate from Santa Ana whose path to graduation is a source of inspiration for current Breakthrough students.

Ms. Eusebio often shares her story as the daughter of immigrants in a Spanish-speaking home who earned her bachelor’s degree at Cal State-Fullerton, followed by a masters degree from Chapman University. She joined Breakthrough after working as a behavioral therapist in the Garden Grove Unified School District and as an educator and inclusion specialist at a charter school in Riverside.

“We’re striving to make our programs stronger, more accelerated, more impactful,” Ms. Eusebio said. “I’m excited to see where we can take this.” > Scan here to read the Winter 2022 Highlander feature on Elizabeth Eusebio

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COMMENCEMENT 2022

Class of

2022

124 CLASS OF 2022 GRADUATES

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ARE AT TENDING

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

74

24

1

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN

STATES AND

COLLEGE ABROAD (SWITZERL AND)

19

6

PLAN TO COMPETE IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

PLAN TO MAJOR OR MINOR IN AN ARTS-RELATED DISCIPLINE

SCAN HERE for complete speeches and photo galleries from Commencement 2022.

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COMMENCEMENT 2022

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Class of 2022

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CLASS OF 2022 GRADUATES ARE ATTENDING THE FOLLOWING COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

Arizona State University

Franklin College of Switzerland

Saddleback College (3)

University of Michigan

Babson College

George Washington University

Santa Clara University

University of Oregon

Bard College

Georgetown University

Southern Methodist University (4)

University of Pennsylvania

Barnard College (2)

Harvey Mudd College

St. Olaf College

University of San Diego (5)

Bates College

Hofstra University

Syracuse University

University of Southern California (5)

Baylor University (3)

Johns Hopkins University

Texas Christian University (2)

University of Tennessee (2)

Bentley University

Loyola Marymount University (3)

The New School

University of Texas, Austin

Boston College

Loyola University Chicago

Trinity College

University of Utah (3)

Boston University

Michigan State University

Tulane University (3)

University of Washington

Bryant University

Monmouth University (2)

University of California, Berkeley

University of Wisconsin

Cal State Maritime

New York University (4)

University of California, Irvine (3)

Chapman University (6)

Northeastern University

Clemson University (2)

Northwestern University (2)

University of California, Los Angeles (3)

United States Military Academy at West Point

Colby College

Pennsylvania State University

College of the Holy Cross

Purdue University (2)

Dartmouth College

Reed College (2)

Denison University

Rhodes College

Drexel University

Rollins College

Emory University

Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology

Franklin & Marshall College

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Vanderbilt University

University of California, Riverside

Virginia Military Institute

University of California, San Diego (4)

Wellesley College (2)

University of California, Santa Barbara

Westmont College

University of Chicago (3)

Willamette University

University of Colorado, Boulder

William & Mary College (2)

University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Yale University

University of Miami (2)

Congratulations 2029

COMMENCEMENT 2022

CL ASS OF

Students in the Class of 2029 officially celebrated the completion of Lower School with a ceremonial tossing of their Lower School red sweaters. The students were led out to Chalmers Field by their parents and younger Lower School students, who clapped them out in a final farewell.

and

CL ASS OF

2026 Students in the Class of 2026 finished their years in the Middle School and were promoted to the Upper School during a ceremony on Chalmers Field in June. The ceremony featured remarks from Middle School Assistant Principal Mike Allison, a speech from Middle School student council president Jack Klausner, and a presentation of certificates to the 113 students in the grade 8 class.

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

Greetings from your first alma mater! As we begin a new school year and enjoy the special moments it traditionally brings­—from new classes, to new events, to new connections—I wanted to send along a note of appreciation to you all. It has been a remarkable few years for St. Margaret’s. We have been thrilled to reengage in meaningful ways, from our annual holiday party, to our career and ISP programming for our seniors, to our fundraising for the Tartan Alumni Legacy Endowment (TALE). Thank you for helping us lay the groundwork for another year of connection and support for St. Margaret's.

Most recently, you may have read about the appointment of Dr. Jeneen Graham as our next Head of School at the beginning of the 2023-24 school year. I can tell you from my firsthand experience with Dr. Graham that our alumni are going to continue to be in great hands and have opportunities to contribute to every facet of our school.

We are proud to welcome the Class of 2022 as the newest members of the Tartan Alumni Association and are here to guide and support the Class of 2023 as they begin their final year at St. Margaret's and prepare to be Tartan Alumni for the rest of their lives.

You will read about some updates from our fellow alumni in the following pages.

Please continue to share your accomplishments and updates with us so we can celebrate alongside you.

Tartans Forever,

Ways to get involved with the Tartan Alumni Association •

Join the Alumni Council.

•

Participate as a career mentor or ISP host for students.

•

Hire a Tartan!

•

Host a summer internship.

•

Support T.A.L.E. Give on Venmo @tartanalumni.

•

Recommend your family, friends, neighbors and colleagues to St. Margaret’s.

Upcoming Alumni Events For the most updated list of alumni events, reunions and more, visit www.smes.org/ alumni or email alumni@smes.org.

H O M ECO M I N G September 23, 2022 F O R E V ER P L A I D: A L L H A L LOW S ' E V EN I N G October 29, 2022 A LU M N I CH R I S T M A S PA R T Y December 15, 2022 TA R TA N O P EN May 1, 2023

Mattingly Messina ’13 President, Tartan Alumni Association Member, St. Margaret’s Board of Trustees

Connect With Us! Follow, like and post to enjoy the latest alumni and campus news, events and nostalgic flashbacks!

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  

@TartanAlumni

 

Make a Donation: @tartanalumni

Tartan Alumni Association St. Margaret's Tartan Alumni Association

@TartanAlumni

Class Notes

'02

20TH REU NI O N: Twenty years have flown by, and it’s time to celebrate and reconnect! The Class of ‘02 will be getting together the weekend of October 7-9 in San Juan Capistrano. Reach out to alumni@smes.org to learn more!

Tartan Weddings IN MEMORIAM

Nicole "Nikii" Sollberger '04

'05

William Jacobson recently published a book, Clinical Dentistry Daily Reference Guide, a one-stop resource for myriad oral health conditions. It is available on Amazon. He works as a dentist and an assistant professor at California Northstate University.

Sarah Greenberg

The Tartan family is saddened by the passing of St. Margaret’s alumna Nicole “Nikii” Sollberger on December 24, 2020. Nikii enrolled at St. Margaret’s in grade 6 and graduated in the Class of 2004. After high school, she went on to receive her bachelor’s degree in communication and music at the University of Southern California, followed by a law degree from the University of California, Los Angeles.

'07

Will Sammons works as a specialty lighting technician, and recently returned to St. Margaret’s to lend his expertise to several arts productions, including a Lower School musical, Middle School play and the spring dance concert.

'11

Sarah Greenberg married Scott Gardner earlier this year in Las Vegas.

One of her bridesmaids was fellow Class of ‘11 Tartan Shannon Kelly. Also in attendance was Keara Harrington.

Yasmeen Antone

'13

Yasmeen Antone married Michael Pinto on May 21, with many of her fellow Tartans present at the wedding. Yasmeen and Michael met at the University of California, Irvine School of Law, where they both graduated. Mattingly Messina started a new job as director of advancement at Bentley School, a K-12 independent school in Oakland.

Nikii was an accomplished entertainment lawyer, as well as an entrepreneur, having founded an astrological consulting business that provided strategic business advice to Fortune 500 companies. She also served as in-house counsel at DISH Network in Denver. In addition, Nikii was a public speaker, visual artist, published poet and journalist. She will be missed by all those who were blessed to have known and loved her, and our hearts go out to the entire Sollberger family.

Yasmeen Antone

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#TA R TA N T I D B I T S W I T H I A N T H O M A S ' 0 9 & L I A M M CG R EG O R ' 1 5

Ian Thomas and Liam McGregor were not classmates at St. Margaret’s, but they connected through the St. Margaret’s Alumni office and have since partnered in an ambitious Silicon Valley start-up. We recently caught up with Ian and Liam to see what they are up to.

Tell us a little bit more about your venture, and what you are hoping to accomplish in this space?

Liam: The Marriage Pact, Inc. has become a viral phenomenon at colleges over the last two years. It started with a simple premise: if you’re going to make that sort of backup plan, who’s the best person you could do it with?

Could someone on your campus be good enough? And could we find that person for you?

Here’s how it works: Over the course of a week, thousands of students fill out a questionnaire about 50 of their most deeply held values. We use a little linear algebra and a few cutting-edge algorithms from economics to evaluate all possible matches. Then, at the end of the week, everyone gets an email introducing them to their single best match on campus.

It started as a class project at Stanford in 2017. But in the last two years, it’s become an annual tradition at 75+ schools and we’ve matched 250,000+ students.

What is your history together? How did you meet, get to know each other and decide to partner in this venture?

Ian: We really got to know each other after our respective SMES graduations.

In 2017 I was looking for my next venture and trying to break into Silicon Valley; St. Margaret’s connected me with Liam McGregor and Austin Russell, who were in the process of building Luminar into the juggernaut it is today.

The three of us had lunch together and that was my introduction to Silicon Valley. I had worked at startups before but that day showed me the scale at which Silicon Valley does things, and I knew that I had to be a part of that, somehow. I felt so fortunate that SMES connected me with some of our amazing alumni during a critical juncture in my life.

After our first meeting in 2017, Liam and I had not chatted in a couple of years, but last September, Liam emailed me out of the blue, and asked if I would be interested in helping the Marriage Pact with their first series of apps. I joined Marriage Pact as their first app developer in June.

Before this venture, what have been some notable stops in each of your careers?

to write a final paper, but… I didn’t really want to do that. So I made the Marriage Pact instead.

Ian: For my independent senior project at SMES, I teamed up with my classmate Kristian Kiraly to start developing iPhone apps. This was back in 2009, at the time there were about three students who had iPhones in the school, including the two of us. As far as we know, we developed the first app made by SMES students.

During college, Kristian and I partnered with a Boston biotech company to develop an app that helped diagnose individuals with genetically high cholesterol and connect them with treatment options.

Since then, I’ve worked at a series of tech startups. Most notably, in 2019 I co-created the mindfulness app, WeCroak. The app was later profiled in the Atlantic Magazine and the New York Times.

How did St. Margaret’s prepare you for the work you are doing now?

Ian: I owe my career today to the Independent Senior Project program at SMES. The ISP program was a bit more rigid back in the day, so it was a stretch to let two students team up and collaborate for our “independent“ project. Furthermore, creating apps was such a novel and new thing, there was no one to teach us, so we learned everything ourselves. We owe a lot to Lora Allison for taking a chance on us and letting us team up.

Liam: During my freshman year at Stanford, Austin Russell messaged me one day and invited me to his birthday party. I mentioned I was in the market for internships, we got dinner a few times, and that summer, I had the opportunity to work with him on this “small startup” he’d founded, building self-driving cars.

Any advice for students/fellow alumni interested in technology or entrepreneurship?

I was asked to write the materials for our fundraiser, and that summer, we ended up raising $35M in venture capital.

Sow seeds early on, seek out the things that animate your imagination, and then put one foot in front of the other to make it so. You have the power to bend the arc of the world around you to head in the direction you want it to go. Spot what needs doing, and do it!

In fall of 2017 I went back to school full time. My first quarter back, I was taking an economics class called “market design,” and we were supposed

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Liam: Take initiative. Most things in my career weren’t going to happen anyway—they happened only because I sought someone out, took the extra step, or found some way to “make it so”.

Class Notes

'17

Nic Gitter, a graduate of Tufts University, was St. Margaret’s alumni speaker at the 2022 Cum Laude Society Ceremony. He is building a career as an independent music producer. Rebekah Olsen was named an Outstanding Honors Graduate by Brigham Young University and shared remarks at the school’s Honors Graduation exercises. She will begin teaching high school English while working on her master's in education at New York University.

'18

Gabriella Cinquini completed her degree from Lafayette College, double majoring in policy studies and environmental studies. Her senior honors thesis documented carbon emissions generated through Lafayette’s supply chain network, contributing data in support of the college’s climate action plan.

Gavin Clarke finished his human capital management and entrepreneurship degrees from Miami University of Ohio and is now working as a football video assistant for the Los Angeles Chargers. Ryan Cragun completed his degree at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, while garnering All-Ivy League honors as a wide receiver for the football team. He utilized his fifth year of eligibility and is playing football for the University of California, Los Angeles this fall. Daisy Sellas was recently featured in the Capistrano Dispatch for her return to San Juan Capistrano to sing at the Rancho Mission Viejo Rodeo. She lives in Nashville and works as a singer/songwriter.

Nic Gitter

via @uclafootball

Daisy Sellas

Gavin Clarke

N OTA B L E: S I L L ER S L EG AC Y S O C I E T Y

Named after our founder, the Ernest D. Sillers Legacy Society has been established to recognize those whose commitment to St. Margaret’s extends into the future. Members of the society have made provisions for the school in their estate planning.

Planned giving enables donors to make charitable gifts now or through one's estate later, while providing a host of financial benefits and safeguards for both the donor and their heirs. Unlike cash donations, these gifts are typically made from assets in an estate rather than from disposable income. We are very grateful to this special group of people for their commitment, vision and generosity.

If you have already arranged for a planned gift to St. Margaret’s, please notify us to include you in the Ernest D. Sillers Legacy Society.

If you are interested in learning more about this legacy society, or for sample bequest language, please contact: Jonathan Tufo in the Office of Advancement at (949) 661-0108, ext. 1318.

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'20

Robbie Healy, currently a cadet at the United States Military Academy in West Point, returned to St. Margaret’s last year and spoke to the Tartan football team about leadership during its run to the CIF championship game. He also spoke to Boy Scout Troop 757, which includes several St. Margaret’s students.

N OTA B L E: A LU M N I H O L I DAY PA R T Y

More than 75 Tartan alumni kicked off their break in December at St. Margaret’s, where the annual Alumni Holiday Party returned after a one-year hiatus! Tartans reconnected, had fun in the photo booth and enjoyed goodies under the stars outside of the Performing Arts Center.

SAVE THE DATE FOR THIS YEAR'S ALUMNI HOLIDAY PART Y ON DECEMBER 15, 2022!

'22

Congratulations to our newest alumni from the Class of 2022! Kate Cruse and Sasha Kuljis will serve as alumni class agents, partnering with the alumni relations office to ensure their classmates’ connection to St. Margaret’s.

Kate Cruse

Parents of Alumni!

Sasha Kuljis

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

If your Tartan Alumni are no longer maintaining an address at your home, please notify the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@smes.org of their new address. Thank you!

Looking Forward

Dr. Jeneen Graham Named St. Margaret’s Next Head of School

T

he St. Margaret’s Episcopal School Board of Trustees announced in June the unanimous appointment of Dr. Jeneen Graham as the next Head of School. She will start her new role on July 1, 2023. Dr. Graham was chosen after a six-month search process that spanned the globe.

“Conducting this robust search in a highly competitive market not only afforded us the opportunity to meet many dynamic educators and independent school leaders, it also served to benchmark our school against the deep talent and extensive experience of the marketplace,” Board of Trustees President Paul Westhead said. “By this standard, it was abundantly clear to our search committee, the Board of Trustees, as well as the many community members who participated in our finalists meetings, that we have something special at St. Margaret’s, including an exceptional leader in Jeneen who will help write the next chapter of our school’s history.”

Dr. Graham has been St. Margaret’s Upper School Principal since 2018, but her deep ties with the school go back nearly two decades.

She enrolled her two sons in the preschool while she was a doctoral student at the University of California, Irvine. She later became a member of St. Margaret’s Board of Trustees before being named Academic Dean of St. Margaret’s in 2012. As Academic Dean, her responsibilities included curriculum development and alignment for the school community, teacher professional development, database development and data analysis, and the pursuit of promising pedagogical practices and assessments. She also teaches AP psychology in the Upper School.

Mr. Westhead added, “Jeneen has drawn upon multiple lenses through which to view St. Margaret’s and consistently demonstrated her unique perspective to thoughtfully and expertly make connections between divisions and build community throughout the school. As a researcher, administrator, teacher and parent, Jeneen embodies the balance of our commitment to educating both hearts and minds.”

Dr. Graham said, “We are blessed with a large and beautiful campus, tremendous professional community members, a wise and highly effective Board of Trustees, incredibly supportive parents and alumni, and the best students for whom we could ever wish. We are a full and healthy school, and our future is incredibly bright with so

many exciting strategic goals on the horizon. I am both excited and eager to bring St. Margaret’s to its next level, in collaboration with so many of you."

In the coming year, Dr. Graham will continue her role as Upper School Principal, while working with Head of School Will Moseley and the Board of Trustees to ensure a smooth transition.

Dr. Graham will be the fifth Head of School in St. Margaret’s history, following Founder The Rev. Canon Ernest D. Sillers (19791986), Markham Campaigne (1986-2003), Marcus Hurlbut (20032013) and Mr. Moseley, who joined in 2013 and announced his planned departure in October 2021 at the conclusion of the 20222023 school year.

Jeneen and her husband, Andy, are the parents of two St. Margaret’s alumni who are now in college—Robbie ’19 and Reid ’22.

Prior to working at St. Margaret’s, Dr. Graham was on staff in the School of Education at the University of California, Irvine as a lecturer and a researcher. She was the Assistant Director and later the Acting Director of the Center for Research on Cognition and Learning.

Before joining UCI, Dr. Graham was the Assistant Director of Admission for St. Andrews School in Boca Raton, Fla. She began her career at Carney, Sandoe and Associates, a well-known educational consulting firm in Boston.

Dr. Graham holds a B.A. in anthropology and a minor in Spanish from Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H., and an Ed.D in educational leadership from a joint UCI/UCLA program.

Scan here to learn more about Dr. Graham’s background and the Head of School search process.

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PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY NOTES Professional Community Emeritus LY N N O Z O N I A N

Lynn Ozonian, a creator and mainstay of St. Margaret’s technology and computer science departments, retired at the conclusion of the 2021-2022 school year after 28 years at the school.

At the All-School Closing Ceremony in June, Head of School Will Moseley bestowed the status of Professional Community Emeritus to Mrs. Ozonian for her historic record of exceptional meritorious service to St. Margaret’s.

Mrs. Ozonian joined St. Margaret’s in 1994 to manage the first computer lab on the school’s campus.

The internet was in its infancy and mostly accessed by dial-up, and students saved their computer files on 3 ½” disks. The world has come a long way since then, and Mrs. Ozonian was instrumental in St. Margaret’s staying innovative and on top of all the ways technology enhances student learning.

Mrs. Ozonian led the creation of the computer science department and built the school’s professional IT team, keeping up with a growing campus infrastructure. She was behind the launch of the school’s website and led the development of the school’s maker spaces like the Edge Lab and the iLab. She taught many computer science courses over the years and was heavily involved in St. Margaret’s Girls in STEAM Symposium.

“Lynn’s passion for computer science made her a role model for all students, and particularly females who are now strongly represented in our most advanced computer sciences courses,” said Assistant Head of School Ryan Dahlem. “In fact, St. Margaret’s has been recognized by the College Board with the AP Computer Science Female Diversity Award, only given to a small percentage of schools in the nation and reflective of Lynn’s impact on our students and program.”

She also served as an Upper School advisor and as the junior varsity golf coach during her tenure. She is the mother of two St. Margaret’s graduates and is now a St. Margaret’s grandmother with two grandsons in the Early Childhood School.

Mrs. Ozonian received an emeritus certificate as well as the traditional college chair with the St. Margaret’s crest and engraved with her years of service. She was celebrated with a standing ovation on Tartan Field.

Retirements DAV ID B US H

St. Margaret’s chief financial & operating officer David Bush retired this summer after 18 years at the school.

Summing up Mr. Bush's long and productive tenure at St. Margaret’s, Head of School Will Moseley said, “I can’t think of another professional community member who has made such an impact on the school as David has.”

Mr. Bush’s day-to-day work consisted of overseeing campus facilities, security, maintenance, transportation, human resources and the business office. In addition, he developed financial forecasts and led the completion of the campus master plan for school construction that served as a blueprint for the expansion and enhancement of the St. Margaret’s campus.

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

In his time, the campus transformed dramatically with the addition of Pasternack Field House, the Upper School DeYoung Family Math and Science Center, the Performing Arts Center, the Maseeh Middle School, Chalmers Field, the Johnson Wallis Visual Arts Center, the Lower School Outdoor Classroom, and most recently the Maintenance, Security and Transportation Center and the Ortega Village Center offices, among many other upgrades.

Mr. Bush worked closely with the Board of Trustees—including the Finance Committee and the Facilities Committee—to manage all aspects of the school’s financials and campus improvements. With the significance of his impact, the Board of Trustees bestowed Mr. Bush with the title of Trustee Emeritus, just the fourth in school history.

In addition, Mr. Bush and his wife, Linda, founded the St. Margaret’s Arts Alliance, which thrives to this day. They also significantly supported Breakthrough SJC since its inception in 2006.

“So much of the progress St. Margaret’s made would not have been possible without David’s expertise, hard work, dedication and love for St. Margaret’s,” Mr. Moseley said.

DARCY RICE

Honors and Accolades

St. Margaret’s celebrated the career of Darcy Rice, longtime director of the arts, who retired in June after 22 years at the school.

D R . JA N I CE AVA LO N E RECEI V E S SUSAN A . REMSBERG AWARD

All-School Counselor Janice Avalone received the Susan A. Remsberg Award, given to a member of the St. Margaret’s professional community for outstanding contributions that have had a significant impact on the school community.

Mr. Rice was a St. Margaret’s parent who joined the faculty in 2000, and he quickly elevated The Arts at St. Margaret’s under his leadership. The current structure of the department is a testament to Mr. Rice’s work overseeing, integrating and coordinating performing arts, visual arts and technical arts, and enhancing the educational benefits of arts in the lives of students.

He directed 53 performing arts productions from Lower School to Upper School over the years, and taught theater classes for many years.

One of Mr. Rice’s many lasting legacies will be his instrumental contributions to the 45,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center, which opened in 2012. As a leading voice in the design of the building, Mr. Rice contributed his vision on acoustics, classroom specifications, technical arts enhancements, private practice rooms and more, working with chief financial & operating officer David Bush, the Board of Trustees’ facilities committee and former Head of School Marcus Hurlbut to bring the ambitious project to life.

Mr. Rice was a passionate advocate for the arts as an instrumental part of the educational experience, saying, “Just as the arts help build understanding of others, the arts are a crucial way that students come to understand themselves.”

2021-2022 Anniversaries 30 YEARS Mary Mayer, Arts 25 YEARS Dallas Clemmons, Upper School Liz Kelly, Upper School Janice Avalone, Counseling Eliseo Vargas, Custodial Martin Garcia, Maintenance 20 YEARS David Beshk, Lower School Jen Cuda, Lower School/Athletics Beth Clemmons, Upper School Beth Pitts, School Lunch Jesse Barker, IT 15 YEARS Stephanie Wernet, Wee Tartans Tammy Pipitone, Early School Laura Redman, Lower School Emma Johnson, Middle School Sherry Wagener, Middle School

Dr. Avalone was one of several nominations for the award, now in its third year. She was chosen by Head of School Will Moseley with input from the academic and administrative leadership teams.

The Susan A. Remsberg Award was created in 2019 upon the retirement of Mrs. Remsberg after 40 years of exemplary and loyal professional service to St. Margaret’s.

Tartan Transitions Jamie Bunch, Upper School Beth Adamany, PTF James Harris, Upper School Jen Ross-Viola, Upper School Dave Tomlinson, Upper School Aaron Kirkendoll, IT Anne Dahlem, Communications Francisco Nava, Custodial 10 YE ARS Jessica Banks, Lower School Jennifer Blount, Lower School Erica O’Neill, Lower School Kevin Estipular, Middle School Christie McMahon, Middle School Jeneen Graham, Upper School Rogelio Flores, Custodial Jony Barrios, Custodial 5 YEARS Melaney Balba, Early School Mara Balak, Lower School Maile Bellosi, Lower School

Maclay Coldren, Lower School Erin Moore, Lower School Clementine Saggiani, Lower School Dan Cheng, Middle School Eric Trumbauer, Upper School Kory Minor, Athletics Toby Dahlquist, Transportation Kirsten Harvey, Arts Gordon Richins, Arts Jesus Ramirez, Maintenance

PROFESSIONAL COMMUNIT Y EMERITUS Lynn Ozonian, Technology (28 years) RETIREMENTS Darcy Rice, Arts (22 years) David Bush, Business Office (18 years) FA R E W EL L S Jeremy Dailey, Counseling (23 years) Theresa Bouchard, Upper School (11 years) Sue Shin, Lunch Services (11 years) Brooke Nelson, Lower School (9 years) Courtney Beckwith, Lower School (6 years) Sam Geary, Breakthrough (4 years) Amanda Albanese, Arts (4 years) Tonia Kirby, Lower School (4 years) Jeanne McEntire, Nursing (4 years) Kelly McGovern, Early School (3 years) Alyssa Wheelock, Lower School (3 years) Jeff Vargas, Security (2 years) Diane Fletcher, Early School (2 years) Hailey Swanson, Substitutes (1 year)

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TARTAN S C E N E S

PTF Library Luncheon More than 450 attendees gathered to support St. Margaret’s and its students during the 2022 PTF Library Luncheon at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel. This year’s event, the 40th in its long history, was themed “HERstory” and celebrated the contributions of women in literature. Beautiful themed tables celebrated classic and modern literary works written by women—including several published authors in the St. Margaret’s community.

The event was organized by event chair Kai Kanatsiz and the Library Luncheon committee, which included Lisa Haskins, Zeina Collins, Jade Cao, Jennifer Yalamanchi and Jessica Springer.

2022 Tartan Open St. Margaret’s welcomed more than 100 golfers to El Niguel Country Club for the Tartan Open, a cherished annual fundraiser for the school’s needbased Financial Aid program.

Participants enjoyed 18 holes of golf, a 19th hole reception, BBQ dinner and raffles. In total, more than $70,000 was raised for financial aid, which helps make the opportunities of St. Margaret’s accessible to capable and talented students from all socioeconomic backgrounds.

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

2021-2022 PTF Parent Up Speaker Series The PTF Parent Up Speaker Series brings notable experts on campus each school year to present current topics to the school and surrounding community. The 2021-2022 year's theme was mental health and well-being, and a lineup of speakers discussed that topic from several different angles.

Dr. Drew Ramsey wrapped up the lineup with a science-backed presentation in March on the topic of nutritional psychiatry, which he defined as “The use of nutrition to optimize brain health and to treat and prevent mental health disorders.” His appearance followed presentations by Dr. Wendy Suzuki on managing anxiety, and Dr. Lisa Damour on helping teenagers with mental health.

PTF New Board Installation The PTF celebrated a successful year and looked ahead to the 2022-2023 school year during the New Board/Old Board recognition in May. Outgoing President Amy Ainsworth passed the torch to the 2022-2023 Board, including the swearing in of incoming PTF President Jessica Klausner.

The PTF also announced a $500,000 lead gift to the school’s Student Commons project, a state-of-the-art building that will align with schoolwide priorities of community, student health and wellness.

Swallows Day Parade St. Margaret’s community came together to celebrate the return of swallows and the beloved and greatly missed Swallows Day Parade after a two-year hiatus. Nearly 100 Tartans “Followed the Swallows” at the 62nd annual Swallows Day Parade celebrating the traditional return of the swallows to San Juan Capistrano. St. Margaret’s has sponsored and participated in the Swallows Day Parade for many years.

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By the Numbers

In Service to Community:

ST. MARGARET’S COMMUNITY IMPACT

BY A N N E DA H L E M

W

e are very proud to call historic San Juan Capistrano our home since 1979 and endeavor to be a responsible community resource and partner. At St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, we value and are grateful for our longstanding and productive partnerships and relationships with the City of San Juan Capistrano, the educational community, our neighbors and the greater Orange County community.

We take seriously our role in the community, especially as a conscientious, desirable and trusted: LEADING PK-12 INDEPENDENT COLLEGE-PREPAR ATORY SCHOOL IN THE NATION POSITIVE ECONOMIC ENGINE FUELING THE LOCAL ECONOMY CONSCIENTIOUS CORPOR ATE CITIZEN AND NEIGHBOR IN SERVICE TO COMMUNIT Y MAJOR EMPLOYER AT TR ACTING A HIGH-CALIBER FACULT Y AND ADMINISTR ATION TO THE REGION

St. Margaret’s has provided an exceptional education rooted in an Episcopal identity and values to more than 2,700 alumni and annually to 1,234 students who are enrolled in the school, early childhood to high school graduation.

We seek meaningful ways to be involved in the vibrant life of our community and to provide service and support to authentic needs. St. Margaret’s values the shared history and traditions of our local community and sponsors and participates in many community organizations and events.

Positive Economic Impact and Financial Contributions As one of the region’s largest nonprofit organizations and employers, St. Margaret’s contributes positively to the local economy and vibrant community landscape in a variety of ways.

$ 821,000 $43.6 M

$56 M $31 M

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

SPENT ANNUALLY IN OPER ATING EXPENDITURES, INCLUDING SAL ARIES AND BENEFITS FOR ITS 416 EMPLOYEES.

IN ADDITIONAL EXPENDITURES FOR CAPITAL IMPROVEMENTS SINCE 2013 ABOVE OPER ATING EXPENSES NOTED.

IN NEED-BASED FINANCIAL AID AWARDED SINCE 2014 &

LONGSTANDING REL ATIONSHIPS WITH MANY LOCAL BUSINESSES:

• Basanti • Ballpark Pizza

• Ortega Village Center Businesses

• Capistrano Lock & Safe

• Panage Florist

• Coastal Blue • Denault's Hardware

• Precision Wallcovering & Painting

• Devil Mountain Wholesale Nursery

• San Juan Hills Golf Club Bar and Grill

• The Ecology Center

• Sundried Tomato Bistro and Catering

• El Adobe de Capistrano

• Sapphire at School

• Ewin Irrigation and Landscape

• SiteOne Landscape Supply

• FKN Bread

• Tom Baker Photography

• Marbella Golf & Country Club • OC Printing

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IN DIRECT PAYMENTS TO CIT Y OF SAN JUAN CAPISTR ANO SINCE 2013, AN $82,000 ANNUAL AVER AGE PAYMENT, TO SUPPORT CIT Y INFR ASTRUCTURE AND SERVICES.

• Paper Annex

• Sapphire Catering

• United Rentals.

$4 M

AWARDED TO STUDENTS IN 2021-2022 SCHOOL YEAR.

PROUD SPONSOR OF MANY LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS AND EVENTS

~ $30,000 DONATED ANNUALLY TO CHARITABLE ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING:

• San Juan Capistrano Chamber of Commerce Annual Gold Sponsorship and Membership • SJC Fiesta Association and the Swallows Day Parade Presenting Sponsorship • San Juan Summer Nites Concert Series Sponsorship since its inception.

Many St. Margaret’s families MOVE TO THE AREA to be closer to the school. Every day, you will find our Tartans enjoying local restaurants and shops, grabbing coffee, grocery shopping in local markets, washing their cars and refueling their tanks.

Students, Families and Professional Community St. Margaret’s enrolls 1,234 students annually in preschool through grade 12. This size meets the school’s enrollment capacity as agreed upon with the City of San Juan Capistrano in 2010.

This size is ideal for the St. Margaret’s program, allowing the school to keep classes and studentteacher ratios small, for example. St. Margaret’s is committed to maintaining this enrollment capacity into the future.

21% 62% 150

of students and 23% of employees live in San Juan Capistrano.

58%

of students have at least one sibling attending the school.

of students live within Capistrano Unified School Districtserving communities. students ride the St. Margaret’s bus to campus from neighboring communities each day.

Community Service Partners A pillar of our St. Margaret’s mission is to educate students for lives of service. We believe that an essential element of a St. Margaret’s education is that students and graduates feel the responsibility, compassion and calling to serve others and be active and contributing citizens within their communities and the world. Our Service Learning program partners with trusted local service organizations that share their missions with our students to support authentic community needs.

Our valued partners include: • Age Well Senior Services

• Emeritus Senior Living of SJC

• The Ocean Institute

• Atria Senior Living

• Episcopal Relief and Development

• Operation Help a Hero

• Family Assistance Ministries

• Pacific Marine Mammal Center

• Capistrano Senior Living Center

• The Friendship Shelter

• Padres Unidos

• Human Options

• Casa de Amma

• Paws in Hands

• The Infant Pantry

• Children’s Hospital of Orange County

• Project Linus

• J.F. Shea Therapeutic Riding Center

• Second Harvest Food Bank

• City of SJC, DP and SC Creeks and Beaches

• Laura’s House Distribution Center and Thrift Stores

• Surfrider Foundation

• DoggieBonez • Drains to Ocean

• The Nature Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo

• St. Margaret's Episcopal Church

• The Ecology Center

• NEGU

• Welcome INN

• Boys & Girls Club of Capistrano Valley

• Orange County Head Start

• Silverado Memory Care Unit

PROGRAM FOUNDER, LEAD SPONSOR AND HOST FOR: SPECIAL CAMP AND BREAKTHROUGH SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO (read more about these programs on pages 10 and 26)

ST. MARGARET’S IS THE L ARGEST EMPLOYER IN SAN JUAN CAPISTR ANO.

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St. Margaret’s Campus Resources PROFESSIONAL COMMUNIT Y MEMBERS comprised of faculty,

coaches and administration recruited from across the nation and the world—bring their expertise, skills and talents to enrich our students and community.

$320,000

ANNUAL INVESTMENT

in employees for professional development, training and education to support their professional growth and to ensure the highestquality educational experience for our students, right here in San Juan Capistrano.

Whenever possible, St. Margaret’s makes its facilities available to the community, through student programs, arts performances and athletic contests, for community organization meetings, and parking resources for community events—St. Margaret’s has more than 400 PARKING SPACES on campus.

St. Margaret’s long-term campus master plan, which received full approval by the City Council in 2010, calls for the construction of an additional facility within the current campus footprint, a Student Commons, a wellness center and dining hall (See page 22).

St. Margaret’s offers an annual summer program of camps and academic enrichment and exploration that is open to the community. Annually, approximately 20%-25% OF PARTICIPANTS AT TEND LOCAL SCHOOLS other than St. Margaret’s.

St. Margaret’s is a designated Temporary Mass Care Site to serve the community in the event of natural disasters.

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NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE St. Margaret’s Episcopal School 31641 La Novia San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675-2752 Change Service Requested

U P CO M I N G E V EN T S

OC TOBER 1: Admission Application Available OC TOBER 24-25: Fall Break OC TOBER 29: PTF Forever Plaid All-School Fundraiser NOVEMBER 5: Upper School and Lower School Admission Open House NOVEMBER 14: Middle School Admission Open House NOVEMBER 16: St. Margaret’s Day NOVEMBER 23-25: Thanksgiving Break DECEMBER 7: Early Childhood School Admission Open House DECEMBER 19-30: Christmas Break JANUARY 4: School Resumes FEBRUARY 1: Admission Application Deadline

PAID

MISSION VIEJO, CA PERMIT No 15