Highlander Fall 2023

FALL 2023

The Experience of Education

Meet Head of School Dr. Jeneen Graham

Tartans Thrive: Campaign for a Common Purpose

Tartans Excelling as College Student-Athletes

Q&A With New Board of Trustees President

CONT E N T S DEPARTMENTS

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

20 P ER SP ECT IVE Dr. Cris Lozon explains how experiential learning is embedded in everything Early School students do during the school day.

32 A LUMNI P R O FILE Tartan alumni are contributing to college sports programs big and small, while continuing to excel academically.

34 CL A SS NOT E S AN D ALU M NI UP DAT ES Learn the latest from your classmates, including travels, career changes, weddings and more!

38 P R O FE SSIO NAL 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.

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

42 LO O KING FO RWARD A Q&A with new Board of Trustees President Dana Sullivan and her vision for the future of St. Margaret’s. .

On the Cover A grade 1 student harvests strawberries on a field trip to The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano.

FE AT U R E S

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Meet Head of School Jeneen Graham Dr. Jeneen Graham has been part of the Tartan community for more than two decades. A look at her journey to becoming St. Margaret’s fifth Head of School.

Education at 10 Experiential St. Margaret’s In valuing and prioritizing experiential education, St. Margaret’s students are applying their learning outside of the classroom.

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12 C H ANG I NG TH E WO RLD, O NE E X P E RI E NC E AT A TI M E St. Margaret’s Lower School uses the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as guideposts for meaningful experiential and service learning throughout the school year.

16 TARTANS G O TO WASH I NG TO N, D.C .

As a capstone Middle School experience, students in grade 8 visit Washington, D.C., to immerse in United States history and civics.

18 ¡ Q U É E X P E RI E NC I A! An Upper School student shares insights and experiences as a St. Margaret’s Spanish III class studied abroad in Spain this summer.

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Thrive 22 Tartans An inside look at the St. Margaret’s Commons, a transformational campus project to boost the health and wellness of all Tartans.

Tartans for College, 24 Preparing One Block at a Time The Upper School carved time out of the school day for important education around the college admissions process.

2023 26 Commencement The festivities for the Class of 2023, as well as milestones for the classes of 2027 and 2030, captured in photographs.

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Roll of Donors 44 Honor Recognizing the generous St. Margaret’s community and its support of a variety of philanthropical initiatives.

GUIDEPOSTS

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S T. M A R G A RE T’ S E PI SCO PAL SC HO O L H E A D O F SC HO O L Dr. Jeneen D. Graham

Message from the Head of School Dear Friends, I am so very honored and excited to be your Head of School. I have loved St. Margaret’s from the moment I arrived on campus in the fall of 2003 when seeking a school for my eldest son who was almost 3 years old. It is hard to believe that 20 years have come and gone. My two Tartan sons are now young adults, whose hearts and minds have been shaped by the mission and core values of this amazing school community.

My very first day in my new position, I was thrilled to join members of the school’s first five graduating classes for their reunion here in San Juan Capistrano. It was a privilege to be alongside them. They shared wonderful stories about their time at St. Margaret’s, and I was able to answer many questions about the St. Margaret’s of today. During those conversations, it became clear that while much has changed, much has stayed the same. The school’s footprint has expanded, and the facilities have certainly improved, yet, most importantly, the love of the Tartan community has remained the same. Our family found a home at St. Margaret’s two decades ago, and it is still the place we call home.

I wholeheartedly believe that the sign of a healthy institution is an ability to balance the history and traditions we cherish with the innovation and growth we need. The stories in this Highlander Magazine capture the essence of that balance, exploring where we’ve been, where we are and where we are going. We show how experiential learning takes place at St. Margaret’s, in every division, both on campus and far away. We celebrate the graduates of the Class of 2023 as they finished their time at St. Margaret’s and embarked on the next step of their journeys. And we catch up with several Tartan alumni who are excelling as student-athletes at colleges and universities around the country.

This issue also takes a closer look at the planned St. Margaret’s Commons, an essential project that will elevate the student experience in so many meaningful ways. You will hear more about the Commons and the entire Tartans Thrive campaign throughout the school year, but for now we invite you to review the plans that have come together and learn more about how this transformational space will help our entire community flourish and thrive.

E D I TO R I A L D I REC TO R Ryan Wood G R A P H I C D E SI GN Sarah Kustera CO P Y E D I TO R Jennifer Perez E D I TO R I A L BOARD Jeannine Clarke, Victor Cota, Jeneen Graham, Jonathan Tufo, Ryan Wood CO N TR I B U TO RS Beth Adamany, Patrick Bendzick, Jennifer Blount, Chris Carbajal, Lynda Collier, Vivian Li, Cris Lozon, Mattingly Messina, Rian Otto, Elise Rodriguez, Dana Sullivan, Jonathan Tufo, Kaylynn Yang Highlander Magazine is published biannually by the Communications Office as a St. Margaret’s Episcopal School community magazine.

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

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.

S T. M A R G A RE T’ S E PI SCO PAL SC HO O L 31641 La Novia San Juan Capistrano, CA 92675 949.661.0108 www.smes.org

We have an exciting year ahead and much to accomplish together. I want to thank you for your friendship, partnership and support. It means more to me than you could ever know.

In gratitude,

Jeneen Graham Ed. D., 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

Grade 8 Students Interview U.S. Veterans and Preserve Their Stories Grade 8 students interviewed United States veterans for a project designed to preserve and honor their personal stories, a U.S. history unit taught

by Mike Allison and Rob Lakeman.

All-School Service Learning Project

The unit culminated with a special presentation during which many of the interviewed veterans came to St. Margaret’s to receive a gift and a copy of the transcript the grade 8 students put together. More than 50 veterans or family members of veterans were interviewed, which for the grade 8 students brought a more personal understanding of U.S. history as well as built skills in interviewing, research and documentation.

St. Margaret’s concluded its annual All-School Service Learning Project in March, a partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley and its mission to inspire and enable youth to reach their full potential.

The All-School Service Learning Project was a month full of educational touchpoints, cross-divisional connections, and opportunities to serve.

Representatives from the Boys & Girls Clubs visited St. Margaret’s to kick off the project, Tartans met with peers in different divisions for activities, a group of students visited the Boys & Girl Clubs’ San Juan Capistrano location, and each division led a donation drive to meet authentic needs of the organization.

‘A Revolutionary Experience’ Brings Colonial Times to Grade 5 Classrooms Dressed in costumes reminiscent of colonial times, St. Margaret’s grade 5 students took part in “A Revolutionary Experience” with activities and games that more closely brought students to the time period around the United States’ founding.

The unit was created by grade 5 teachers Todd Clarke, Erika Higgins and Rachel Stephens as a way to bring history to life and for students to experience what life was like during the American Revolution.

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Upper School Astronomy Students Create Children’s Books With Grade 3 St. Margaret’s Upper School astronomy students collaborated with grade 3 students in the creation of children’s books that explore the science of stars.

The Upper School students interviewed grade 3 students on what they liked to see in books, from covers to illustrations to subject matter. They used that insight to create books on topics like black holes, nebulae, binary stars and more, returning to the Lower School to read their books aloud to the grade 3 students.

Marine Science Students Visit Dana Point Tidepools for Enriching Field Study

STEAM Expo Brings Students of All Ages to St. Margaret’s St. Margaret’s was transformed into a STEAM utopia in April, as students of all ages came to campus to take part in the St. Margaret’s STEAM Expo, a celebration of all things science, technology, engineering, art and math.

The daylong event featured a STEAM playground in the morning, geared toward younger STEAM enthusiasts. The afternoon was an opportunity for Middle School and Upper School-aged students to learn more about STEAM fields, network with STEAM leaders, engage in STEAM workshops and more.

Early School WOW Night Celebrates Student Learning The Early School’s annual WOW Night was an inspiring and magical showcase of student learning where student work and student-led projects are spotlighted in classrooms, the atelier (art studio), the Demonstration Lab and the Outdoor Classroom. “WOW Night is a culmination of weeks and months of hard work and dedication by our children and educators,” Early School Director Dr. Cris Lozon said. “It is an event designed to provide an opportunity for the children to share their learning in a fun and interactive way. Through the exhibit, the children demonstrate their knowledge of stories, scientific observations, transportation, mapping and more.”

Upper School students in Dr. Jennifer RossViola’s marine science class took advantage of a mid-day low tide to conduct a field study at the Dana Point tidepools, observing the abundance of life lurking within them.

The students took field guides and tools for conducting tests on the seawater in the intertidal zone. While there, they conducted experiments evaluating changes in the water’s temperature and salinity over time, and searched for life among the rocky tidepools.

Grade 7 Students Use Biomimicry to Design Footwear Students in grade 7 life sciences participated in a design sprint where they researched, designed and built footwear prototypes inspired by—and made for—the natural world.

The entrepreneurial unit, developed and taught by Middle School science teacher Eric Harrington, called for students to create a footwear prototype designed for one of the world’s biomes, such as tundra, desert or forest.

The students identified specific abiotic factors and then researched the flora and fauna characteristics of the chosen biome, understanding why plants and animals adapted the way they did.

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Tartan Snapshots THE ARTS

Senior Charlotte Quintanar’s Documentary Film Showcased at Cannes Upper School senior Charlotte Quintanar’s documentary film Bee the Solution was screened at the Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival.

Her film was one of 10 films in the high school showcase category.

Charlotte traveled to France to attend the Cannes Film Festival in May, participating in workshops, attending screenings and networking with other filmmakers.

Upper School Musical Mary Poppins Takes Flight The Upper School musical Mary Poppins thrilled audience members over four performances in March, as a number of special effects captivated the crowd.

With help from a flight director and tech crew members backstage, four characters, including Mary Poppins, took flight at times during the performance. It was one of several magical elements implemented to enhance the production.

Tartan Seniors Pursuing the Arts in College St. Margaret’s Class of 2023 included seven students who plan to pursue an arts discipline at the college level. The list includes Tartan graduates studying filmmaking, industrial design, arts innovation and special effects in makeup.

To learn more, visit www.smes.org/arts-commitments

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Technical Arts Students Create Magical ‘Hundred Acre Wood’ St. Margaret’s technical arts students in Middle School and Upper School transformed McGregor Family Theater into ‘Hundred Acre Wood’ ahead of the Lower School musical Winnie the Pooh Kids in February. The class, taught by Gordon Richins, had eight Middle School students and two Upper School students constructing, painting and installing a set, which was revealed to the Lower School students to great excitement ahead of the productions.

TA R TA N AT H L E T I C S

Dan O’Shea Named Head Football Coach, Athletic Director at St. Margaret’s St. Margaret’s announced the hiring of Dan O’Shea as athletic director and head football coach.

O’Shea joins St. Margaret’s after a successful eight-year tenure at Corona del Mar, where he guided the Sea Kings to an 80-18 record including a CIF state 1A championship.

Girls Basketball Wins CIF Championship St. Margaret’s girls basketball team won the first CIF championship in program history in February, defeating Gahr, 44-33, to win the Division 5AA title at Edison High School.

The Tartans finished the season with a 27-7 record, and received numerous postseason accolades. Sophomore Harper Gideons was named the CIF-SS Div. 5AA player of the year, while head coach Josh Markum was named coach of the year. In addition, freshmen Taylor Francois (first team) and Lila Wohlgemuth (second team) each earned All-CIF honors.

Mr. O’Shea has 26 years of teaching and coaching experience, including time at St. Anthony High School, St. John Bosco, Long Beach Wilson and Trabuco Hills. While at Trabuco Hills, he also served as the athletic director, overseeing a student population of 3,000 and 21 sports.

St. Margaret’s Introduces Performance-Tracking Technology to Varsity Sports Teams St. Margaret’s is implementing Catapult One into its varsity sports programs, a cuttingedge tool that collects data to maximize student-athlete performance, manage workloads and reduce injuries. The tracking system was made possible by a PTF grant.

Tartan Student-Athletes Commit to Play College Sports St. Margaret’s Class of 2023 had 19 students commit to study and play intercollegiate athletics, in sports like lacrosse, baseball, soccer, football, basketball, volleyball, tennis and golf.

Tartan athletics piloted Catapult One with its boys lacrosse team this spring, and will expand its usage to football, girls soccer, boys soccer and girls lacrosse in 2023-2024.

Read more about their college choices at www.smes.org/athletic-commitments

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There's No Place like

Home

Dr. Jeneen Graham brings a passion for education, a commitment to student success and a decades-long love of the Tartan community into her new role as St. Margaret’s fifth Head of School.

BY RYA N WO O D

The year was 2003, and Jeneen Graham was a young mother looking for a preschool for her son, Robbie.

To be sure, she knew a thing or two about education. She was working on her doctorate in educational leadership at the time, and had experience at both an educational consulting firm and at an independent school.

Education was her passion.

She was new to Southern California, though. So, like any parent seeking out the best opportunities for their children, she began researching options and visiting schools.

One of her visits took her to St. Margaret’s Episcopal School. While there, she watched as the teachers engaged with young students in the Early School. She read the materials detailing the curriculum. She soaked in the campus. She learned more about the Tartan community.

It seemed to be just a routine visit between a parent and a school, but for both Dr. Graham and St. Margaret’s? Nothing would ever be the same again.

“I’ll never forget it,” Dr. Graham says now, “I just remember thinking, ‘I am home.’”

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ver the next two decades, Dr. Graham became an essential piece behind St. Margaret’s upward trajectory. She has been a member of the Board of Trustees, worked on an interim basis in the admissions office, taught AP psychology, spent six years as St. Margaret’s academic dean, and for five years served as Upper School principal.

there with a degree in anthropology and Spanish.

After a year working at educational consulting firm Carney Sandoe, her Spanish-language skill opened a door at St. Andrew School in Boca Raton, Fla., where she served as a Spanish-speaking assistant director of admission who often traveled outside of the United States.

She is now settling into her new, most impactful role yet—as St. Margaret’s fifth Head of School.

After completing her Ed.D. in 2010 and officially becoming Dr. Graham, she began her role as assistant director of the Center for Research on Cognition and Learning at UC-Irvine, in addition to lecturing at UCI’s School of Education.

It is a role she is well prepared for. Dr. Graham earned unanimous approval from the Board of Trustees following a nationwide search with an abundance of strong candidates.

She separated herself from the field in more ways than one, and it became clear to the Board that the best choice in a highly competitive field was right here—at home.

“Jeneen excelled in all the essential leadership qualities our community values in a Head of School,” said Board of Trustees President Dana Sullivan, who co-chaired the Head of School Search Committee alongside Cathy Stahl. “Her vision for the school went well beyond her insight as an insider and reflected her expertise as a researcher, educator and innovator in the field.

“We were impressed by Jeneen's deep commitment to seeing every student reach their full potential and grow in both heart and mind, so that they thrive not just while they're here but into adulthood as they lead lives of purpose and fulfillment.

As a Board, we had complete confidence that she could balance a steadfast commitment to the school's mission, values and Episcopal identity while driving it forward.”

A PA S S I O N F O R E D U C AT I O N Jeneen Graham became a St. Margaret’s parent soon after that visit in 2003, enrolling Robbie—and later her younger son, Reid—in the Early School.

She was working on her Ed.D. in educational leadership and administration during that time, enrolled in a joint program between the University of California, Irvine, and the University of California, Los Angeles. It was an opportunity for her to further develop her love of education and further explore her desire to understand how students thrive.

Her dissertation, in fact, was titled “Elements of human effectiveness, intelligence, traits and abilities that lead to success and fulfillment in life.”

Her career in education was still in its infancy at that point, but it had already taken her around the world. Growing up in a loving Italian American family in Massachusetts, she graduated top of her class at a small public high school, competing in tennis and enjoying singing. Her dream was to attend Dartmouth College, and she graduated from

At UCI, she leaned into her interest in how students learn, in particular in subjects like math. Part of her research studied the gamification of math, dissecting how students absorb math skills and become more self-confident in the subject.

It was in this role where Dr. Graham deepened her love of the pursuit of answers through the analyzing of data—a love that continues to this day.

“I love data. It answers hard questions that make a difference in people’s lives,” Dr. Graham said. “It requires discipline, but so often people want to know, how can I make this change? What difference does it make? Is it impacting lives?

We can answer those questions if we’re thoughtful about the questions we ask.”

During her time on UCI’s staff—she eventually was named acting director of the Center for Research on Cognition and Learning—Dr. Graham was also serving on St. Margaret’s Board of Trustees. She spent two years on the Board, helping the school with quantitative analysis.

In April of 2012, St. Margaret’s was searching for a new academic dean, and then-Head of School Marcus Hurlbut and Dr. Graham had conversations about the position. In a bit of foreshadowing, it became clear that the best choice for St. Margaret’s was right here—at home. Dr. Graham began her work as academic dean in August 2012.

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“From the minute I stepped onto this campus 20 years ago, I knew that this place was different. I started as a parent. I was asked to join the Board of Trustees. I became the academic dean, and the Upper School principal, and now it is my great privilege and honor to be the Head of School."

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n her six years as academic dean, Dr. Graham touched all corners of the school in developing academic curriculum, professional development, database development and data analysis. She worked closely with principals, department chairs and administrators, and continued her presence in the classroom by teaching AP psychology in the Upper School.

“I loved it,” she says now. “I was utilizing the skill set that I love at the one school that I was already in love with.”

Her work further advanced St. Margaret’s culture of innovation, as she closely studied data, comparing it to similar independent schools around the country, and collaborating with other school leaders to make academic programming decisions with what they knew.

Some of the decisions may have seemed bold at first, yet Dr. Graham says a disciplined adherence to interrogating data and a willingness to follow its conclusions can turn seemingly bold answers into crystal-clear ones.

“I never worry about what the data show,” Dr. Graham said. “I always feel like the data always point us in the direction of getting better. It’s an opportunity.”

St. Margaret’s implementation of data goes beyond standardized testing and other academic-specific measuring tools and into mission-centered data analysis, which include measuring culture, belonging and connection, and enabling the school to ask questions about essential institutional promises made in its mission and core values. That includes tracking how well students seek growth opportunities, engage with their communities and feel a sense of belonging.

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C LO S E R T O S T U D E N T S After six years as St. Margaret’s academic dean, another opportunity presented itself. St. Margaret’s was in search of a new Upper School principal, and Dr. Graham was intrigued by the opportunity.

She was named to the role in 2018, leading a community of students and 75 professional community members while continuing her duties analyzing data for the entire school.

“What was compelling to me is that I could see the results of our work through our students in the Upper School,” Dr. Graham said. “To be so much more involved in the school experience and work closer with our amazing students and professional community was an opportunity I was eager to pursue.”

She led the Upper School through a transformational time, as the school continued excelling academically, athletically and in the arts. The division also continued innovating, adding groundbreaking new courses that tapped into the expertise of Upper School teachers, and bringing new learning opportunities to students such as Innovation Block, interdisciplinary units and more.

In five years in the Upper School, 573 Tartans received their diplomas—each with a path to that Commencement stage that Dr. Graham cherished and appreciated.

“From a developmental perspective, students arrive in early adolescence and leave as young adults. There is so much that occurs in that four-year span

of time and it has been an absolute privilege to be a part of that unique journey,” Dr. Graham said. “The relationships that form and the experiences that take place will never be forgotten, and I have always taken that very seriously.

“As I watch our Tartans cross the threshold into their college journey, I feel so grateful to have been a part of who they have become. I always feel such incredible pride in them and know they are going out into the world, living a life that will serve humanity.”

LO O K I N G F O R WA R D Dr. Graham has settled into her new office across campus at the Gateway Building, as she embraces the additional responsibilities and opportunities that come with her new role as St. Margaret’s fifth Head of School. Once a preschool parent of two who instantly sensed that St. Margaret’s was a special place, she is now the parent of two alumni—Robbie graduated in 2019, Reid in 2022—and has the gift of hindsight to see that her first impression was correct all those years ago.

Dr. Graham gave a data-centric presentation, sharing past assessments and current trends and tying it together to present a vision for the future of the school. As her presentation concluded, she offered six key directions for St. Margaret’s future:

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Continue to honor and pursue our mission, core values and Episcopal identity.

Develop academic programming that is increasingly experiential, interdisciplinary, connected and global.

Cultivate creativity, character and high expectations through arts and athletics.

Collect the personal narrative of our alumni, who are engaged in lives of learning, leading and serving across the globe.

Increase capacity and excellence through institutional research, data collection and analysis.

Nurture the health and well-being of our entire community.

“From the minute I stepped onto this campus 20 years ago, I knew that this place was different. I started as a parent. I was asked to join the Board of Trustees. I became the academic dean, and the Upper School principal, and now it is my great privilege and honor to be the Head of School.

The six points collectively tap into St. Margaret’s celebrated past, recognize the school’s strong present, and envision a future in which students thrive and take their talents into a world that needs strong, smart, empathetic and selfless voices.

“All of those lenses have told me the same story: that this place is extraordinary. I have seen it from just about every lens, including now as an alumni parent. St. Margaret’s is a unique and extraordinary place.”

In Dr. Graham’s eyes, it all starts here—at home.

In January, Dr. Graham was Head of School-Elect and presented at the 2023 State of the School address in a full Hurlbut Theater. She is certainly not a stranger at St. Margaret’s, yet the State of the School was her first chance to address the entire school community since the Board of Trustees unanimously chose her as the next Head of School the previous summer.

“I am so excited to see what all we are able to accomplish as a school and a community in the years to come,” Dr. Graham says. “If we maintain our focus on our mission and core values and Episcopal identity, and continue to focus on what is best for our students, there is nothing we can’t achieve.

“I truly believe we are just beginning to see all we can do together.”

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COV E R S TO RY:

the experience of Education Every day at St. Margaret’s, students step away from their desks and embrace the entire world as a classroom of joyful learning and reflection.

Whether in service to their community, outside in nature, on campus or far away, experiential education is an essential piece of the school experience that inspires joy and purpose for all of St. Margaret’s learners.

Through experiential education, students apply their learning in real-life situations and settings, immersing themselves into the work and taking time to reflect on the process and learning that takes place. Under the watchful eye of expert teachers who proactively seek out such opportunities, students find increased interest, relevance and retention when they learn by doing.

The following pages spotlight just a few of the many examples of how experiential education transforms Tartans into active learners who experience the magic that comes from learning at St. Margaret’s.

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C O V E R S T O R Y | T H E E X P E R I E N C E O F E D U C AT I O N

LOW E R S C H O O L:

Changing the World, one Experience at a time St. Margaret’s Lower School is implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as guideposts for meaningful experiential education, as students learn more about the challenges facing the world they inhabit—and their solutions.

BY RYA N WO O D

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t was a messy lesson in responsible consumption and production—but for St. Margaret’s grade 1 students, that’s what made it fun.

On an overcast April morning, the entire grade 1 was at The Ecology Center in San Juan Capistrano for an important lesson on local farming. The students pulled weeds, harvested strawberries and worked with The Ecology Center to create “seedballs” – a mixture of clay, compost, cover crop seeds and water.

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The students rolled the slimy mixture of ingredients into a ball, which are thrown in areas that need nutrient replenishment to prepare the soil for the next round of crops.

Cover cropping is an important method of regenerative agriculture, and in a fun way, the grade 1 students were helping turn a 28-acre parcel of San Juan Capistrano into thriving, bountiful farmland.

It’s what school leaders had in mind when they turned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals as guideposts for

experiential education and service learning in the Lower School.

In 2015, all United Nations member states adopted the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, a shared blueprint for tackling some of the biggest problems facing the citizens of the world today. At the heart of this agreement were 17 Sustainable Development Goals, which provided action steps by all countries, whether developed or developing, as part of a global partnership.

St. Margaret’s has leaned into these goals, taking steps to promote and educate students and the broader community. The Lower School initially worked off of Maslow’s hierarchy of needs before evolving their programming to be centered around the U.N. goals. Each grade level focuses on one goal, and the Lower School professional community builds curriculum around the grade-level theme.

“In the Lower School, we find that students learn best when they repeatedly see, hear and do,” Lower School Principal Jennifer Blount said. “We see experiential education as essential to students not only to learn, but also apply what they’ve learned. By implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the hope is that our students leave each grade level with age-appropriate knowledge about at least one goal, as we join the global partnership in this shared blueprint for making the world a better place.”

It launched a year of meaningful learning opportunities designed to help young students understand the challenges facing their fellow global citizens. The visit to The Ecology Center was just one of several educational touchpoints in grade 1 revolving around United Nations Sustainable Development Goal No. 12, responsible consumption and production. And such opportunities were seen in all grade levels, as they took on meaningful learning aligned with their specific goals.

KINDERGARTEN

GRADE 1

GRADE 2

GRADE 4

GRADE 5

In grade 4, students embraced the study of sustainable cities (UN Sustainable Goal No. 11) in a variety of experiences. In one project, led by Lower School computer science teacher Laura Redman, students explored different popular types of sustainable housing, including earth-covered homes, bamboo homes and dome houses. They then designed their own using TinkerCad, a web-based computer-aided design app that builds foundational skills in 3D design. They also visited a modern San Juan Capistrano housing development under construction, learning more about examples of sustainable practices in action.

GRADE 3

BY G R A D E L E V E L

The Lower School has devoted significant time in developing lessons that are experiential in nature and tie to a U.N. Sustainable Development Goal, including devoting an inservice day last school year toward enhancing experiential learning. “Each grade was asked to design a set of lessons that was experiential, tied into the U.N. Sustainable Development

Goal assigned to each grade, had a service component, and offered a chance for reflection with the students,” Mrs. Blount said.

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"We see experiential education as essential to students not only to learn, but also apply what they’ve learned. By implementing the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, the hope is that our students leave each grade level with age-appropriate knowledge about at least one goal, as we join the global partnership in this shared blueprint for making the world a better place.”

- J E N N I F E R B LO U N T, LO W E R S C H O O L P R I N C I PA L

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In grade 3, the global goal of zero hunger (UN Sustainable Goal No. 2) led to meaningful lessons on food scarcity and the needs of those who are hungry both around the world and in our local community. Grade 3 students championed the Family Assistance Ministries’ annual Hunger Walk, spreading word about the fundraiser and encouraging participation and donations to support FAM’s mission of assisting Orange County residents in need. They also organized donation drives to benefit local families around Thanksgiving, all along learning how they can harness their power to be part of positive change in the world.

And in grade 5, the goal of clean water and sanitation (UN Sustainable Goal No. 6) has led to meaningful scientific study of water cleanliness and usage. In their science block, taught by Lower School science teacher David Beshk, students performed different science experiments testing how different types of paper dissolve in water. They also did an insightful “home water consumption project” where each student learned more about the challenge of water scarcity in California, before looking into their own home for possible solutions. Students calculated how many gallons of water were used in their house over the course of three days, based on a gallonsper-minute calculation in the faucet, showers and toilets. They then took the data and turned it into a spreadsheet with various pie graphs and bar graphs, and reflected on the data compiled.

The last part of the project was a visit to a water treatment facility, where they learned how waste water is cleaned up before it is returned to the ocean.

“Through this unit and the trip to the water treatment facility, our students had a better understanding that as global citizens, we need to make sure we are doing our part to not only be mindful of water usage, but to also make sure we are keeping our oceans healthy, as they touch all corners of the planet,” Mr. Beshk said.

The U.N. Sustainable Goals are implemented in science lessons, iLab classes, service-learning projects, social studies units and more. They are also a key part of the Library curriculum, taught by Melissa Fisher, where students are introduced to not only their grade-level goals, but all of the United Nations’ sustainable goals in age-appropriate ways. Mrs. Fisher conducts read-alouds and introduces students to notable authors, activists and other important figures and how they tie into each U.N. goal.

The Lower School’s work with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals has captured the attention of students and teachers in other divisions, who have been eager to further the understanding and investment in the goals. Earlier this year, the science department partnered with the Lower School to identify overlaps within existing curriculum, and look ahead to how to promote the concepts in the Middle and Upper School science courses.

It has led to valuable cross-divisional collaborations. The Upper School studentrun environmental club put together a presentation to grade 4 students about sustainability. They discussed problems with pollution and depletion of natural resources, and talked to the younger Tartans about how sustainable buildings increase efficiency while using less energy, water and other resources.

Meanwhile, the Upper School’s AP environmental science class, taught by science department chair Edmund Herlihy, dedicated an entire unit toward furthering the learning around the Lower School’s grade-level goals.

“AP environmental science is a class with many areas of crossover, as it teaches students to understand the complexities and interconnectedness of the natural world,” Mr. Herlihy said The Upper School students spent a unit studying the goals and preparing a lesson plan to be taught in each Lower School classroom. The students discussed possibilities with the Lower School homeroom teachers, created a lesson plan to bring a fresh angle to their grade-level goal, and visited the Lower School in May to teach their lesson to the younger students.

The lessons were inspiring, fun—and experiential. There was a farm-to-table baking demonstration in grade 1, a lesson

about the carbon cycle and planting of bonsai trees with grade 2 and their goal of climate action (UN Sustainable Goal No. 13), a cityplanning exercise using Legos that focused on efficient mass transit with grade 4, and a science experiment testing different water filters with grade 5 students.

Cross-divisional connections like these are a priority at St. Margaret’s, as they leverage the school’s unique Early School-grade 12 campus to bring students of different ages together for joyful learning, connection and fun. Combined with the priority of experiential education and the focus on the United Nations Sustainable Goals, the unit was a perfect match with value for all the students involved.

“There are aspects from these lessons the Upper School students developed that will be utilized year after year here in the Lower School,” Mrs. Blount said. “We are so appreciative for all the hard work that made this possible.”

The plan is to further immerse the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals into all aspects of experiential education in the Lower School, as students learn more about the challenges that face the human race and the place they call home.

“It is our intent to expand to each of the other academic areas going forward,” Mrs. Blount said. “We feel strongly that in order to develop global citizens who strive to make the world a better place, they must first understand the world’s needs and the ability we all have to work toward solving them. Then, they can use their innovative skills to make a difference.”

SC AN THE QR CODE to learn more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

The Lower School will continue to lean heavily into this curriculum, with full support from the St. Margaret’s community. This spring, a PTF grant was awarded to the Lower School to bring a United Nations Sustainable Goals library to each Lower School homeroom, so students can conduct relevant research during their reading and writing workshop time.

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C O V E R S T O R Y | T H E E X P E R I E N C E O F E D U C AT I O N

M I D D LE SC H OO L:

tartans go to WASHINGTON, D.C. P H OTO S BY C H R I S C A R B A JA L A N D R I A N OT TO

St. Margaret’s grade 8 students embarked on an unforgettable experiential learning trip in May, as the class spent one of their final weeks of the school year together in Washington, D.C. Students were immersed in United States history and civics while visiting American landmarks, monuments and museums. Many of the sites visited by the students explored topics studied in their grade 8 U.S. history class.

The Tartans had a full schedule in Washington.

Among the many places St. Margaret’s students visited were the United States Capitol, Arlington National Cemetery where they observed the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the World War II Memorial, the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial, the Washington National Cathedral, Mount Vernon, the Lincoln Memorial, the Marine Corps War Memorial, Ford’s Theatre, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the National Museum of Natural History.

In an effort to make personal connections, students researched a fallen service member engraved on the famous black granite wall of the Vietnam Memorial before the trip, and came prepared to place an item next to that person’s name to honor them for their service and sacrifice. The school also placed a wreath at the wall to honor all those who are named.

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C O V E R S T O R Y | T H E E X P E R I E N C E O F E D U C AT I O N

U PPE R SC H OO L:

¡QuÉ experiencia!

This summer, 27 Spanish III students in the Upper School took part in an unforgettable study-abroad experience in and around Salamanca, Spain. There was Spanish-language immersion, cultural experiences ranging from paella cooking to flamenco dancing to visiting historic sites, as well as valuable classroom time with Spanish teachers Bryan Sullivan, Patricia Mejia and Meredith Vazquez. The students and professional community spent more than three weeks in Salamanca for an unforgettable summer of experiential education.

Upper School student Vivian Li kept a journal of her time in Salamanca, providing insight on the learning, the moments to remember and the memories she will never forget. Below are a few excerpts from her writings:

June 24— La Aventura Empieza We finally arrived after 11 long hours of airplane flights to Toronto and then Madrid. The fresh summer air of Spain gave us the boost we needed after a tiring day of flying. Upon arriving at the hotel, we quickly changed into our bathing suits and headed to the pool. The crisp and refreshing water soothed the overwhelming heat. On the second day, we woke up and began our tour of Madrid. We first arrived at El Palacio Real De Madrid where we saw the unique Spanish architecture and the magnificent buildings that house the royal family. Shortly after, we made our way to El Museo del Prado where we marveled at the paintings of many influential artists: El Greco, Velazquez, and Goya. Many of their artworks remarked the Renaissance and the royal families. After the tour, we went to a local restaurant where we enjoyed the tapas unique to Spain. Indulging in different chorizo, octopus, and potato dishes, we were filled enough to continue the journey in the afternoon.

June 26— La Reunión Today is the day we meet our host families, and anxious and hopeful feelings swarmed the bus as we headed to Salamanca. A few hours later, our bus journey ended, but that only marked the beginning of our Spanish immersion. We quickly exited the bus and started looking for our host families. We waited impatiently, hoping to finally be introduced. After our names were called, we rushed over to greet our host mom, Inés. We were welcomed with kisses on our cheeks and a warm smile. She led us to her home and gave us a quick tour. In just a few minutes, I was introduced to my temporary house.

The house is warm and cozy, exactly what we needed after the long trip. After we all settled down, we headed to the dining room to enjoy a great meal cooked by Inés. It was pasta with some chorizo, which reminded me of the pasta I would eat at home mixed in with a new culture. As lunch went on, we started to make conversation with Inés. We shared some of our American lifestyles as she told us about her life in Spain. Soon enough, we found comfort in the home under the kindness and care of our mom.

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july 3— Un Día Normal It is officially our second week in Spain. We have swiftly adjusted to the lifestyle in Salamanca with a similar daily routine. As the sun comes out, we are woken up by a soft breeze while our host mom prepares breakfast. On our way to school, we walk under a tunnel full of expressive and vibrant street art, which is common in the streets of Salamanca. After class finishes, we head to the nearby supermarket to grab some snacks for the day. As soon as we get home, the incredible aroma of the dishes made for lunch floods the whole house, ready to fill our stomachs.

Lunch is the most important meal of the day in Spain, so we are fed plate after plate until our hunger has ceased to exist. After lunch, we begin preparation for the siesta. Later in the afternoon, it is time for cultural activities. We are assigned a special event for each day where we can go on tours, watch movies, bond with our peers… These activities are unique as we get to experience and learn about the cultural differences here in Salamanca all while learning the language.

July 10— El Ambiente de Clase We start the day with a breakfast made by our host mom, and are all ready for school. It takes us around 20 minutes to get to school, so we make sure to leave the house by 8:40.

On our way to school, we walk past streets full of cafes and shops. Finally, we arrive at the Plaza Mayor where the school is located. In class, we play review games to prepare us for the daily quizzes, and we are given sufficient time to practice and learn the new information taught to us. After taking some notes, break proceeds. Right across the school is a cafe with tapas and drinks to fill you up, and also a convenience store for ice cream to cool you down in the hot Spain weather. Although a lot of information is being taught to us, the teachers make sure we are following the pace and not getting behind. They are always available for extra help if needed since we are all near each other. As class ends, we have a quick snack break in the plaza and head home for lunch.

July 13 — La ¡nmersión Everyone says that the best way to learn a language is to speak it in the country it is used, and I truly experienced that firsthand in Spain. From simple greetings to full conversations, my language skill has immensely improved. Our host mom does not speak any other language, so the only way to communicate with her is to use pure Spanish. This created a sense of familiarity with the language, making us practice and use what we’ve learned in class in real life. In our free time, we gather at the plaza where there are tons of shops and restaurants to spend time. By talking to people, we are practicing our conversation skills and getting better as we go. Soon enough, you’ll notice yourself speaking Spanish without a second thought.

You even start to speak with your friends in Spanish because of how natural it feels.

July 21 — La Salida The day we say goodbye has come. This three-week trip has brought an entire group of students closer and formed an unbreakable bond. On the trip, we were like one big family. Everyone supported each other whenever possible, and we shared unforgettable memories as a group. The teachers became our mentors who we could always rely on, and our host families have become our second parents in a foreign country. Although I am excited to finally put an end to my homesickness, I am already reminiscing on the adventures in Spain and how incredible the trip was. We make sure to make the most out of our last day as we browse around the plaza one last time, grabbing all the snacks and foods we loved here. We have habitually started speaking Spanish whenever possible and connecting with the culture. As some friends depart, we cried tears of joy while rejoicing how far we’ve come. We packed up all the things we brought as well as the memories we made in Spain.

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In the Early School, Every Day Reveals the Magic of Experiential Learning

F

or the youngest Tartans in St. Margaret’s Early School, experiential learning is their everyday. It is embedded in their interactions with peers and teachers, their cooking of the carrots gathered from the school garden, their feeding of the school chickens, or even the hunt for a skunk on campus.

Experiential education is about learning through doing. When you have only been on the earth for a mere three to five years, almost everything is a new experience to learn and grow from. In the Early School, children experience their learning through play.

Walk around the Ingrid S. Andrews Outdoor Classroom in the Early School and one can find a child on the ground observing the path of a snail as it creates a slime trail, another trying to kick their legs as high as they can to make the swing go faster and higher, and still another splashing through a child-made river in the sandbox. Young children are wired to learn, explore, and take action in their own learning.

For young Tartans, educators follow children’s leads that one day become large-scale projects because Early School educators know that interdisciplinary skills are developed when children take interest in a topic or a concept.

Take one of our projects from this school year, called the skunk project.

It all started when the children came to school and found that their pizza garden of oregano, basil, and tomato plants was disheveled. The children asked why there was a big mess in their pizza garden. Dr. Jennifer Hardison pointed out that there were security cameras nearby and suggested they ask security if they could watch the footage that may have captured the situation in their pizza garden.

To the children’s delight, the security team shared the footage of a striped skunk that came through at 2 a.m. to look for grubs in the garden.

After tidying up the pizza garden planter, we thought the children would leave it at that.

Yet, in their trying to understand the skunk, we watched them build outdoor garden planters during their block play and noticed that they also built small structures to capture the skunk. Teachers put out little skunk figurines to add to their structure and play out what they saw in the security videos.

The next day, Dr. Jeneen Graham reported that there was a skunk sighting in the Upper School trash cans. And that same morning another child saw a skunk run into the storm drain when she drove into the

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BY DR. CRIS LOZON Early School Director

school parking lot with her mother. Now, the children had even more questions about the skunk. The children went to ask security for more footage, inquired Upper School teachers for the photos that were taken on the Upper School campus, and looked in drains and holes that might have a skunk living in them. The children started marking maps the teachers gave them on where the skunk had been sighted. In seeing them play out the search for the skunk with their block building, Dr. Hardison provided large sheets of paper for the children to create their own maps. She also captured their questions and comments as they drew their own maps of the skunk trail.

“I wonder if the skunk has a family.”

“I’m seeing how far the skunk has to go to get food. A predator might catch him so he has to turn, turn, turn so he stays safe.”

“See on this map. This is what he’s eating. He’s eating bushes. And tomatoes. His house is at the end.”

Perspective

The children had their own theory about the skunk because they noticed that the skunk had patterns in its approach to coming out in the middle of the night and only disturbing certain trash cans or raised beds. The children commented, “This must be the same skunk because it keeps going to the same place and messing up the same things.” They decided that the skunk they kept seeing was a mom or dad skunk because it had to feed its family and was looking for food for them. They developed a theory that the skunk and its family must live in the drains because that’s where a friend saw the skunk run.

Children construct knowledge as they play and question things they have noticed or seen. Their experiences guide their learning and educators help extend their interests through activities and productive questioning.

The skunk project was not limited to just mapping, which entails directionality, spatial awareness, and visualizing data. The children learned about patterns and habits of nocturnal animals and the systems that needed to take place for the skunk to keep safe, such as only coming out at night or finding holes where larger animals or people couldn’t get them, or how they needed their spray to keep others far away from them.

The project also led children to write notes and letters to security and administration to ask where skunks are located on campus. It led to research through nonfiction and picture books, it led children to seek experts on campus, and children learned new vocabulary and more about the life science of another animal. The children learned to write for a purpose and read for pleasure and knowledge.

The children also engaged in observational drawings of the skunk which led to clay figurines that reflected the color of the skunk. In one of the black-and-white clay figurines, a green protrusion came from the back of the skunk. When asked about the color, the child replied, “The green part is when the skunk sprays that smell that comes from skunks.” The children engaged in the skunk project because it was organic and came from children’s interests as a result of a shared experience. The best part of the whole project is it allowed them to document and reflect on their own learning through pictures and videos and later share their learning to the professional community and their families at the Works of Wonder (WOW) Night in May. In the Early School, we base teaching and learning on constructivist philosophy. Children construct knowledge as they play and question things they have noticed or seen. Their experiences guide their learning and educators help extend their interests through activities and productive questioning. Teachers have listened to children through the years in the Early School and projects like the bike ramp creation, kite building through engineering, and the skunk project have come to fruition in children’s learning.

Early School students engaging in learning through drawing maps, conducting research and creating pictures and sculptures of the skunk.

Children are great learners and when children learn to read by reading and write by writing, they do so in play. Experiential learning happens all day long with young learners. Children can connect their own theories and knowledge when they engage in these hands-on experiences and reflect on what they have seen in the real world.

Experiential learning happens when we listen to children and help them find answers to their real-world questions. For our very young Tartans, playing and learning is all experiential!

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Project Timeline St. Margaret’s is dedicated to seeing its students thrive, and recognizes that such growth is cultivated through community, connection, and thoughtful, intentional environments dedicated to their health and well-being.

With that, St. Margaret’s proudly introduces Tartans Thrive: A Campaign for a Common Purpose. Tartans Thrive is meant to energize the school community to engage with elements of human thriving: healthy bodies, minds and spirits, and meaningful connection.

The centerpiece of the Tartans Thrive campaign is the St. Margaret’s Commons, a 30,000-square-foot, two-story building that will serve all Tartans in their nutrition, fitness and well-being. The Commons will be a gathering space for students of all ages and provide myriad benefits for the entire school community. It is a critical next step in the development of the St. Margaret’s campus, and will benefit students’ health and wellness for years to come.

“There’s no greater need for our community than intentional spaces that are geared toward healthy living and positive social engagement,” Head of School Jeneen Graham said. “There is so much this transformational project provides our community, and we are excited for this opportunity to continue moving St. Margaret’s forward.”

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JUNE 2024 FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN FOR THE COMMONS TO BE PLEDGED OUT

J U LY 2 0 2 4 GROUNDBREAKING FOR ST. MARGARET’S COMMONS

J U LY 2 0 2 6 CONSTRUCTION COMPLETE AND COMMONS BUILDING OPENS

First Floor

Second Floor

Beverage Food Station

Food Station Open to Lower Dining

O U T D O O R P AT I O

GRE AT HALL/ D IN IN G

Food Station

Food Station

M EZZANINE D INING

SP ORTS M E D ICIN E

C A R DI O STUDI O

Elevator

TARTAN S TO-GO

R E COVE RY STUDI O

TARTAN STUD ENT LOFT

LOBBY/ E NTRY

KITCHE N & SE RV E RY

Elevator

Food Station

PE R FO R MA N CE STUDI O

ATHLETIC LEAD ERS HIP CENTER

SP ORTS P E RFORMANCE CE NTER

BOARDROOM

FI LM LA B

PAV ILION OUTD OOR DYN AMIC TRAIN ING

So…what’s inside?

This is the first look at the early floor plans for the St. Margaret’s Commons, which details the use of the space as a centralized hub for student health, well-being, fitness and more. Among the highlights: •

THE GRE AT HALL /DINING ARE A for students which includes an interior hall, a mezzanine gathering space and outdoor patio spaces.

•

A KITCHEN AND SERVERY, which will serve all students, from Early School through Upper School, each day with traditional meal service and grab-and-go items prepared in-house.

•

THE SPORT S PERFORM ANCE CENTER, a 5,000-square-foot space for strength and fitness training, which includes an indoor weights area, a sports medicine/physical therapy space and an outdoor pavilion perfect for dynamic training for Tartan athletics and personal fitness and wellness classes.

•

S TUDIO SPACES featuring a Cardio Studio designed for cycling and treadmill and other cardio activities; Performance Studio for golf training and other biomechanical analysis; and Recovery Studio designed for physical and mental recovery post-workout.

•

FILM L AB, a multimedia space for film sessions and presentations.

•

THE TARTAN S TUDENT LOF T, a lounge space for students and BOARDROOM , a prominent meeting space with expansive views of the campus.

•

ATHLE TIC LE ADERSHIP CENTER , housing offices and conference spaces for athletics administration and student athletic leadership.

Stay tuned, as there will be much more outreach, events and opportunities to learn about the St. Margaret’s Commons and how you can be part of this transformational step in the history of the school.

PLE ASE SCAN THE QR CODE to learn more about the Tartans Thrive campaign. For more information on how you can get involved, contact Executive Director of Advancement Jonathan Tufo at jonathan.tufo@smes.org.

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Preparing Tartans for College, One Block at A TimE The expanded College Counseling Office’s comprehensive curriculum for Upper School students was enhanced even further with the introduction of the College Group Meeting block during the school day.

BY RYA N WO O D

T

he Class of 2023 tossed their caps high in the air at St. Margaret’s 38th Commencement Exercises in June, as streamers showered Chalmers Field in celebration. It was the 113 graduates’ last step at St. Margaret’s, as they headed off to 71 colleges and universities across the country and around the world (see page 30 for the full list).

their senior year. As the workshops concluded, the college-admissions process was already bountiful for St. Margaret’s seniors. By January of their senior year, more than 85 percent of the Class of 2023 had an acceptance letter in hand, and many already had been admitted as binding early-decision applicants to schools across the country.

This year’s class was well-prepared for the big decision that awaited them. St. Margaret’s College Counseling Office has always provided a comprehensive, individualized collegecounseling curriculum for each student throughout their Upper School years, yet the office expanded its touchpoints even more beginning with the Class of 2023. It’s the result of a reimagining of the Upper School block schedule to carve time out in the school day for college-admissions education.

Those touchpoints will continue for future classes, and were enhanced beginning with the Class of 2024 this spring. The meet-ups were rebranded as the College Group Meeting (CGM) block, and are designed to provide meaningful opportunities for the College Counseling Office to gather with students in small groups in addition to the one-on-one meeting times already in place throughout their Upper School years.

The Class of 2023 had five such workshops during community time blocks in the spring of their junior year, and even more during the fall of 24

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“Students naturally have different levels of understanding about the college-admissions process as they prepare to begin the journey.

It was important for our team to meet with

Upper School students in small groups to review important aspects of college admissions collectively,” St. Margaret’s Director of College Counseling Elise Rodriguez said. “This provides an opportunity to normalize the information all students are receiving prior to the college-application period getting underway. By the start of their senior year, students will have a better understanding of college admissions and feel more confident navigating the process.”

Before their junior year even begins, each student already has been assigned to one of St. Margaret’s college counselors, who will introduce students to the process and answer any questions at the end of their sophomore year. The College Counseling Office expanded to four counselors this year, as Ms. Rodriguez, senior associate director Amy Warren and associate director Erica Huerta were joined by associate director Ben Lah, allowing for even more individual time for students to receive guidance from St. Margaret’s in-house experts.

The process then intensifies during a student’s junior year. The College Counseling Office organizes a Junior Class College Kick-Off event in December, where the College Counseling team brings in admissions experts who share advice on the application process, discuss news and trends in the college admissions world, and touch on other topics relevant to students and their families.

writing workshops her junior year, she worked closely with Mr. Reemtsma on her application essay in the fall of her senior year.

As the Class of 2024 kicks off their senior year, they do so with approximately seven CGM blocks planned in addition to many one-on-one visits with their designated college counselor. In the fall, CGM is a chance to review timelines and deadlines with seniors, inform them of the many college admissions representatives that will visit St. Margaret’s throughout the fall for small-group and one-on-one meetings, and schedule time with the college-writing specialists to help finetune their college essays.

During the spring of their junior year, CGM provides an opportunity for students to collectively learn more about the process, from basics such as “What does a college application look like?” to a more in-depth understanding of how applications are evaluated by admissions teams at colleges and universities.

There will also be programming for families of the senior class, such as informational sessions touching on topics like financial aid.

By Nov. 1, most St. Margaret’s seniors apply to at least one college or university ahead of the early-decision and early-action deadlines, and some students receive acceptance letters as early as December. Acceptances continue to roll in through the winter and spring, with Tartan seniors making their college choices official by May 1.

It is also when students are introduced to their designated college writing specialist. Upper School English teachers Blake Reemtsma and Dallas Clemmons provide additional support and perspective as students work on the writing portion of the college application.

Students participate in a CGM writing workshop, where they do writing exercises around their personal statement as well as initial brainstorming sessions on their college essay. The writing specialists also encourage students to keep an observation notebook that could come in handy when they start writing their essays.

When the fall of their senior year begins, students have a better idea of the direction their college application essay could go. As they begin to craft them, Mr. Reemtsma and Mr. Clemmons are available to help students understand their personal and authentic voice, as well as offer feedback on grammar and structure.

Luciana Varkevisser ’23 was appreciative of the additional support, and after participating in the

“Mr. Blake always made sure that the work highlighted my writing voice, and he never tried to throw out my ideas or rewrite the essay for me,” Luciana said. “He helped bring out the best in what was already written.”

Through enhanced programming like CGM, students will make that important choice with added clarity and confidence—as they leave St. Margaret’s prepared and ready to continue their educational journeys at a school that fits their unique talents and interests.

The Class of 2024’s spring CGM block wrapped up in May with a trip organized by the College Counseling Office to San Diego, where the students spent two days exploring three college campuses—the University of San Diego, San Diego State University, and the University of California, San Diego. They met with admissions representatives, toured campuses and experienced an authentic taste of college life as they start considering what they want their college experience to be and what kind of school may be the best fit.

“Our students are in great hands with the amazing guidance they receive from St. Margaret’s College Counseling Office,” Head of School Jeneen Graham said. “As we expand the College Counseling team to four full-time counselors this school year and enhance programming like CGM, we are confident that our students will be in the best possible position to make an informed decision and matriculate to colleges and universities where they have the opportunity to thrive.”

MEET THE COUNSELORS

ELISE RODRIGUEZ

AMY WARREN

ERIC A HUERTA

BEN L AH

Director of College Counseling

Senior Associate Director of College Counseling

Associate Director of College Counseling

Associate Director of College Counseling

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COMMENCEMENT 2023

THE CLASS OF

2023

113 CLASS OF 2023 GRADUATES ARE AT TENDING...

71 COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN

23 STATES AND

1 COLLEGE ABROAD (SCOTL AND)

19 PLAN TO COMPETE IN INTERCOLLEGIATE ATHLETICS

7 PLAN TO PURSUE AN ARTS-RELATED DISCIPLINE

Scan QR code for recaps and photo galleries from Commencement 2023.

COMMENCEMENT 2023

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C L ASS OF 2 0 2 3 HIGHLANDER

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CLASS OF 2023 GRADUATES ARE ATTENDING THE FOLLOWING COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES

Auburn University

Hofstra University

Rhode Island School of Design

Baylor University (2)

Holy Cross College

Saddleback College

Biola University

Indiana University (2)

Santa Clara University

Boston College

Johns Hopkins University (2)

San Diego State University (3)

Brigham Young University

Lafayette College

San Francisco State University

Brown University

Lehigh University

Stanford University (3)

California Institute of Technology

Loyola Marymount University

Swarthmore College

California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (2)

Massachusetts Institute of Technology (2)

Texas A&M University

California State University, Fullerton (3)

McDaniel College

Carnegie Mellon University (2) Chapman University Colgate University College of William and Mary Dartmouth College Dickinson College Duke University Emerson College Emory University

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Michigan State University New York University (2) Northeastern University (2) Pennsylvania State University (2) Pitzer College Pomona College

Texas Christian University (2) Tufts University (2) Tulane University Union College University of Alabama University of California, Berkeley (2) University of California, Irvine (4)

Princeton University

University of California, Los Angeles (5)

Purdue University

University of California, Riverside (4)

Queens University of Charlotte

University of California, San Diego

University of California, Santa Barbara (3) University of Chicago University of Georgia University of Iowa University of Miami University of Michigan University of Notre Dame University of Pennsylvania University of Rhode Island University of St. Andrews University of Southern California (4) University of Utah (3) University of Washington (2) Virginia Tech Washington University in St. Louis (2) Williams College Yale University (2)

COMMENCEMENT 2023

Congratulations 2030 CL ASS OF

Grade 5 students in the Class of 2030 bid farewell to the Lower School by tossing their red sweaters in the air after their final time wearing them. The students were led out to Chalmers Field for the ceremony by their parents and were cheered on by the rest of the Lower School, as they watched one of the division’s favorite traditions.

CL ASS OF

2027 The Class of 2027 officially finished their years in the Middle School and looked ahead to the Upper School during the annual Grade 8 Promotion ceremony in June.

The ceremony featured a speech

by Middle School student council president Caden Choi and a presentation of certificates to the 112 students in the grade 8 class.

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Koa Todd Ryan Cragun

Niki Miles

Alex Smith

Students AND Athletes: How Tartan Alumni Are Thriving in College Tartan alumni are contributing to college sports programs big and small across the nation, while continuing to excel academically.

BY RYA N WO O D

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Cailin Young

Calvin Capelle

Ethan Hill

Maddie Barkate

Maddie Barkate ’19 made a timely cut in front of the goal, took a pass from her Harvard University women’s lacrosse teammate, collected, and unleashed a nifty behind-the-back shot that sailed over the goaltender’s right shoulder and into the net.

It gave Harvard a 10-4 lead over Stonehill, and on the stat sheet was one of 18 goals Barkate would score for the Crimson in 2023. Yet this goal stood out from the rest, and sports media giant ESPN took notice. On the network’s famed “Top 10 Plays” segment on SportsCenter that night, Barkate’s dazzling goal was No. 6 on the countdown.

Alumni Profile “I watched SportsCenter all the time growing up,” Barkate said, “so it was a definitely a dream come true.”

Just a couple of weeks prior, Barkate squared off against former St. Margaret’s teammate Niki Miles ‘19, who was making headlines of her own at the University of Pennsylvania. Miles scored four goals against Harvard in the matchup between friends, part of a historic season in which Miles scored a schoolrecord 63 goals and earned All-Ivy League honors in 2023.

Back at St. Margaret’s, the school community has watched with pride as Barkate, Miles, and dozens of other student-athletes in a variety of sports found success at colleges and universities big and small.

St. Margaret’s has outpaced national averages in what percentage of its students commits to play sports at the next level. The NCAA reports that about 7 percent of high school studentathletes go on to play college sports. At St. Margaret’s, the Class of 2023 had 17 percent of the entire graduating class commit to play intercollegiate athletics, and the Class of 2022 had better than 15 percent.

As a result, St. Margaret’s graduates are contributing at college sports programs across the nation. Tartan alumni are currently playing at major Division-I schools with headline-grabbing athletic programs, like the University of California, Los Angeles (Ryan Cragun ’18, football), the University of Utah (Koa Todd ’19, men’s lacrosse) and Clemson University (Caroline Sele ’22, women’s volleyball). Tartan alumni are playing at liberal arts colleges like Bates College (Calvin Capelle ’21, track and field; Charlotte Jones ’20, women’s soccer) and Union College (Audrey Larson ’20, women’s lacrosse). Tartan alumni are also competing at service academies, like Navy (Alex Smith ’19, baseball) and West Point (Jack Hanna ’22, men’s tennis).

And many Tartan alumni are playing intercollegiate athletics while juggling a rigorous academic program at top schools like Stanford University (Ethan Hill ’19, men’s volleyball), Johns Hopkins University (Campbell Case ’20, women’s lacrosse), Cornell University (Will Kenner ’20, football), the University of Pennsylvania (Emerson Flornes ’20, women’s volleyball), The University of Chicago (Celeste Taylor ’22, track and field), Bryant University (Kevin Groeninger ’19 and Matt Groeninger ’22, men’s lacrosse), New York University (Bryce Chan ’21, women’s soccer) and many more.

It's no coincidence. St. Margaret’s has long viewed athletics as an important piece of a larger overall student experience, and Tartan coaches have recognized and worked with student schedules that often include academic demands, arts commitments and other cocurricular activities—including, sometimes, other sports within the same season. The willingness to work with a diverse range of interests while still excelling in competition is a feature of Tartan athletics that provides value to student-athletes long after they graduate.

“The St. Margaret’s experience makes our alumni better prepared for life as a college athlete, and life after college athletics,”

said Patrick Bendzick, St. Margaret’s assistant head of school for health and well-being. “Tartans know how to manage commitments between academics and athletics. Playing multiple sports in high school makes them better teammates and more well-rounded and durable athletes who are able to manage the workload that college sports demands.

“When we see our alumni join college athletics programs and not only contribute on the playing field but continue to excel academically, it shows us that our program and philosophy is preparing student-athletes to thrive in many ways after they leave St. Margaret’s. We couldn’t be more proud of their success.”

Cailin Young ‘18 is one example. A standout lacrosse and soccer player at St. Margaret’s, Young continued her academic and lacrosse career at San Diego State University. As a midfielder and team captain, she scored 34 goals and added 13 assists in five seasons with the Aztecs. She shined just as bright in the classroom, graduating summa cum laude from SDSU this spring with a degree in sustainability and urban studies.

She was honored numerous times for her academic prowess, including an Academic All-District honor from the College Sports Communicators.

Young is continuing her education at the University of Michigan, where she will pursue a Master of Science in environment and sustainability. She aspires to be a leader in finding new ways to build and rebuild sustainable cities, and innovating ways in which people grow, distribute and consume food in urban spaces.

“St. Margaret's definitely does an excellent job preparing students for college,” Young said. “I felt like I had an upper hand compared to the rest of my freshman class when it came to staying organized and communicating with professors, which helped me succeed in the long run.”

Barkate agrees. She started at St. Margaret’s in preschool and was introduced to lacrosse as part of St. Margaret’s personal fitness and wellness curriculum in Middle School. By Upper School, she was juggling a vigorous academic schedule while playing three sports—lacrosse, basketball and cross country.

She fit the mold of a Tartan multisport student-athlete well, and she feels it set her up for success as a student-athlete at Harvard.

“Being a student-athlete is difficult no matter where you go.

It’s a lot of time in practice, a lot of time in class. Sometimes it feels like 24 hours in a day isn’t enough,” Barkate said.

“St. Margaret’s prepared me really well for it. The school holds its students to a high academic standard, but it also helps students manage their schedules. My teachers helped with time management and study skills and worked with us on our commitments outside of class.

“College is definitely a step up from high school, but it was a transition I was able to handle because of my time at St. Margaret’s.”

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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!

For many reasons, it feels like this school year is the beginning of a new era at St. Margaret’s. The Tartan Alumni Association continues to grow, and in partnership with our new Head of School, Dr. Jeneen Graham, we plan on celebrating the multigeneration Tartan community that’s continuing to form on campus.

This year, we have more than 50 students whose parents attended St. Margaret’s — more than ever before. The last six graduating classes have had at least one student with a parent who also graduated from St. Margaret’s. Parents of alumni are now becoming grandparents of alumni. Many Tartans who traveled the world for college and their early careers are now returning to Orange County to enroll their own children at St. Margaret’s. An independent school could not ask for more.

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 October 13, 2023

Later this year, we will host events for both parents and grandparents of alumni to update them on the school’s tremendous progress, share our vision for the future, and make sure they know that—like all of us—they are Tartans for life. We also hope to make St. Margaret’s Homecoming weekend a special time for alumni to reunite. Stay tuned for more details soon.

F O R E V ER P L A I D November 4, 2023

We are thrilled to welcome the Class of 2023 as the newest members of the Tartan Alumni Association. Congratulations to the Class of 2024 on beginning your senior year. It may be your last year at school, but it’s the beginning of a lifetime of being a Tartan.

TA R TA N O P EN April 8, 2024

A LU M N I CH R I S T M A S PA R T Y December 15, 2023

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.

Connect With Us!

Tartans Forever,

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

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



@TartanAlumni



Tartan Alumni Association



St. Margaret's Tartan Alumni Association Make a Donation: @tartanalumni

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Class Notes

'92

It was so nice to have Charles Vogl, an adviser, speaker and author, at St. Margaret’s to give a moving presentation to St. Margaret’s faculty and staff in August on the power of community. Thank you, Charles, for sharing your wisdom and insight!

N OTA B L E: FI R S T FI V E R EU N I O N

St. Margaret’s celebrated the graduating classes of 1986-1990 in July, as the “First Five” reunion brought alumni together at the McGraw residence in San Juan Capistrano. The evening was organized by Kristy Khachigian ‘89 and the McGraw family, and included appearances by former Head of School Markham Campaigne and current Head of School Jeneen Graham. We are so glad to be able to reconnect with our first group of graduates and plan to continue the fun for many more years!

'97

David Turley lives in New York City with his family, including husband Peter and three children. He is the director of tourism for the Empire State Development.

'02

20TH REU NI O N: The ‘02s celebrated their 20th reunion last October in San Juan Capistrano, reconnecting, reminiscing and catching up on news from their classmates! Michael Boyle earned his Master in Public Policy from Princeton University and is currently working at the Pentagon.

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'09

Clara Karger was named press secretary to Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass in May. She previously spent four years at the Central City Association of Los Angeles, most recently as vice president of public affairs.

'12

10TH REU NI O N: The class of 2012 gathered in Juan Capistrano to catch up and share stories. It was great seeing everyone there!

'16

David Larsen returned to St. Margaret’s in May and gave an amazing speech at the Senior Banquet for the Class of 2023. Thank you for sharing your inspiring words, David! Emily Ursini finished her graduate studies at Boston College’s Connell School of Nursing and is working as a nurse practitioner.

David Larsen

school year. Parker Ryan, a class agent for the Class of 2018, is living in Marina del Rey and works as a digital design and analysis engineer at Boeing. Gordon Larson is living and working in Minneapolis. In his free time, he has continued playing on several ultimate frisbee teams and travels throughout the Midwest!

Jaden Cloobeck & Ian Thomas

'17 '14

Maddie Ursini graduated from Boston College Law School and is now practicing law in Boston.

'15

Morgan Higgins graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts and recently made her Broadway debut as Marie in Andrew Lloyd Webber’s musical Bad Cinderella.

Katie Schwartz graduated from Chapman University and is now a grade 3 teacher in Israel, noting, “I have wanted to be a teacher since Lower School. I was inspired by the amazing educators in my life at St. Margaret’s!”

'18

Jaden Cloobeck graduated from the University of Pennsylvania and now works as a researcher at the Milken Center for Advancing the American Dream in Washington, D.C. He joined Ian Thomas ‘09 on an alumni panel discussing college experiences and career paths with current St. Margaret’s students last

N O TA B L E : I N T R O D U C I N G LY N D A C O L L I E R , D I R EC TO R O F A LU M N I R EL AT I O N S

By Kaylynn Yang '24 Please join us in welcoming Lynda Collier as St. Margaret’s new Director of Alumni Relations! As a mother of two Tartan alumnae, Mary ‘20 and Kat ‘21, Mrs. Collier has a deeply rooted history with St. Margaret’s. She became a St. Margaret’s parent in 2005 and started volunteering with the Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF) soon after, serving as PTF president during the 2015-2016 school year. Following her daughters’ graduations, she began teaching in St. Margaret’s Lower School.

Lynda was a co-teacher in grade 3 for two years before moving into the alumni relations office this summer. We are delighted to have Lynda be a continued part of the St. Margaret’s professional community!

Mrs. Collier lives in Laguna Niguel with her husband, Rob, and labradoodle, Heidi. She enjoys an active Southern California lifestyle, often seen playing tennis and pickleball or hiking and running.

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Gordon Larson

Class Notes

'19

Chris Chan was the recipient of the ROTC All-American Student of the Year Scholarship, which was presented to him during the Military Bowl football game in December.

The scholarship honors 3 ROTC seniors across the United States who embody the pillars of the ROTC program: leadership, military excellence, scholarship and service. Chris attends Villanova University and is part of the NROTC program.

Paul Boranian co-founded the company Golf Daddy and found success when its top product, Divot Daddy, went viral on TikTok. Golf Daddy has more than 250 million views on TikTok and now has products in hundreds of retail stores around the country. He graduated from Pepperdine University in December

Events for Parents of Alumni Parents of Alumni! We invite you to take part in our many events throughout the school year! Here are a few to mark on your calendars: S EP T E M B ER 26 PTF Community Workshop: walking tour Los Rios and lunch

Chris Chan

'22

Several ‘22s were spotted by St. Margaret’s students and professional community during a May visit to the campus of three San Diego universities by the junior class! It was so good seeing John Culley, Owen Muhlon, Aiden Momtaz and Chloe Lias, in addition to Sarah Pence ‘21! Elsewhere, Xitlalic Rojas returned to St. Margaret’s this spring to speak to grade 8 students during the All-School Service Learning Project, which this year was a partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley. Xitlalic spoke about her experiences at the Boys & Girls Clubs, which included being named the BGCCV Youth of the Year in 2022.

S EP T E M B ER 2 9 PTF Parent Up Speaker: Sam Kass O C TO B ER 1 1 PAL Event N OV E M B ER 1 5 PTF Community Service Workshop Second Harvest D ECE M B ER 3 Annual Christmas Tree Lighting FEB R UA RY 2 PTF Parent Up Speaker Shawn Achor FEB R UA RY 6 PTF Community DIY Workshop at The Ecology Center

Paul Boranian

APRIL 8 Tartan Open at El Niguel CC A P R I L 26 PTF Library Luncheon at Ritz-Carlton

'23

Our alumni base just grew by 113 Tartans—congratulations to the Class of 2023! Devin Thomas and Charlotte Quintanar will serve as alumni class agents, partnering with the alumni relations office to ensure the Class of 2023’s connection to St. Margaret’s remains strong.

For more information, please scan here:

New Address?

Alumni, if you have updated contact information or a new mailing address, please notify the Office of Alumni Relations at alumni@smes.org.

Thank you!

Xitlalic Rojas

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PROFESSIONAL COMMUNITY NOTES Will Moseley Presented With ‘I See You’ Artwork Created by Students in Every Division In his final school day at St. Margaret’s, outgoing Head of School Will Moseley was presented with a touching farewell gift at the All-School Closing Ceremony.

One of Mr. Moseley’s most celebrated and beloved sayings—“I See You”—was turned into a beautiful piece of art overseen by six Upper School students as an all-school collaboration. The art piece was worked on throughout the spring, as students from every division of the school came by the Johnson Wallis Visual Arts Center to add their touches.

It was one of several tributes to Mr. Moseley as he finished his 10th and final school year at St. Margaret’s. Earlier in the spring, the Board of Trustees announced the launch of the William N. Moseley Venture to Serve, which will have two annual components: the continuation of the All-School Service Learning Project, as well as the launch of a service venture fund which will support students, alumni and members of the professional community who are looking for new and innovative ways to serve the community.

The first recipient of a Moseley Venture to Serve grant was Upper School student Dania Arteaga, who runs a pop-up clinic that provides healthcare services for underserved, uninsured residents of South Orange County.

Professional Community Emeritus L I Z K E L LY

Longtime College Counseling assistant Liz Kelly was named Professional Community Emeritus —the highest honor St. Margaret’s bestows on a member of the professional community—for her 26 years of service to St. Margaret’s.

Mrs. Kelly is the 20th professional community member to be named Professional Community Emeritus, which is awarded to members of the professional community for a historic record of exceptional, meritorious service to the school.

Honors and Accolades LISA MERS RECEIVE S SUSAN A . REMSBERG AWARD

Early School administrative assistant Lisa Mers received the Susan A. Remsberg Award, given annually to a member of the professional community for outstanding contributions and impact on the school community, exemplifying a profound commitment to St. Margaret’s mission and core values.

Mrs. Mers was presented with the award by Mrs. Remsberg herself at the All-School Closing Ceremony in May. The Susan A. Remsberg Award was created upon Mrs. Remsberg’s retirement in 2019. Past recipients include Middle School Principal Jeannine Clarke, Lower School Director of Community Life Tupper Spring, and All-School Counselor Dr. Janice Avalone.

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Dr. Stephanie Capen Named Director of Institutional Research Upper School science teacher Stephanie Capen moved into a newly created administrative role this summer, as she became St. Margaret’s first Director of Institutional Research.

The position was conceptualized by Head of School Jeneen Graham, a longtime proponent and practitioner of data-driven decision-making in education, and the ability of research to unearth answers to a school’s most overarching questions—namely, “How do we know we’ve been successful?”

“This is a very innovative role. Only a handful of independent schools have dedicated resources to a position like this,” Dr. Graham said. “We are so excited to have Stephanie take on this important work. She asks great questions, she has a strong capacity for analysis, and she has an ability to take complicated data and turn it into a digestible narrative. Her work will impact all corners of the school, and will empower our professional community to utilize data for the benefit of our students.”

Dr. Capen will select and design assessments that are tailored to St. Margaret’s mission and core values, design assessment and data collection tools, analyze data collected in the classroom and across a range of school programs, and work closely with St. Margaret’s professional community to support and enhance the learning experience, among other duties.

Dr. Capen has been a science teacher at St. Margaret’s since 2020, teaching Upper School astronomy as well as Upper School and Middle School physics.

She has worked in research-driven capacities for many years, including teaching at the University Laboratory School in Honolulu, an education architect for the Janus Group, the academic dean at Maryknoll High School and a university lecturer at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Prior to her arrival at St. Margaret’s, Dr. Capen was the director of curriculum development and outreach at the Island Pacific Academy, an independent school in Hawaii.

2022-2023 Anniversaries 30 YEARS Mike Allison, Middle School Jorge Barriga, Buildings and Grounds 25 YEARS Edgar Barriga, Buildings and Grounds Jill Fincher, Upper School Lisa Mers, Early School Rosario Valdez, Business Office 20 YEARS Chris Carbajal, Arts John Mellard, Business Office 15 YEARS Lindsay Eres, Upper School Katie Harris, Middle School Eva Kammerer, After School Jennifer Perez, Communications & Marketing 10 YE ARS Jessie Akers, Lower School Simon Fellowes, Upper School

Tartan Transitions Melissa Fisher, Library Erika Higgins, Lower School Carilan Hill, Middle School Kimberly Kim, Upper School Will Moseley, Head of School Tupper Spring, Lower School Jesse Standlea, Arts Karen Tomlinson, Business Office 5 YEARS Karen Bennett, Arts Lisa Botts, Middle School Jennifer Hardison, Early School Lauren Johnson, Lower School Collin Layana, Upper School Joanne Livingston, Wee Tartans Patricia Mejia, Upper School Dan Pacheco, Arts Eleury Sanchez, Technology Delphi Sech, Lower School Edgar Vazquez, Middle School Ricky Villagomez, Building and Grounds Bob Veague, Transportation

PROFESSIONAL COMMUNIT Y EMERITUS Liz Kelly, Upper School (26 Years) FA R E W EL L S Ryan Dahlem, Assistant Head of School (17 years) Beatriz Jacobson, Middle School (11 years) Will Moseley, Head of School (10 years) Phillip Griswold, The Arts (7 years) Kory Minor, Athletics (6 years) Collin Layana, Upper School (5 years) Kelli Mahmud, Lower School (3 years) Jackie Swaidan, Upper School (3 years) Mother Vienna McCarthy, Chaplain (2 years) Regina Stehney, The Arts (1 year) Trisha Marzolo, Lower School (1 year) Jennifer Klein, Lower School (1 year)

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TARTAN SCENES

PTF Library Luncheon St. Margaret’s Parent Teacher Fellowship continued one of its longest-held and most cherished traditions, as the 41st Library Luncheon brought more than 420 Tartans together for friendship, generosity and celebration at the Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel.

The event was themed “Kaleidoscope: Reflections of a Vibrant World,” which honored the diverse St. Margaret’s community. The event was organized by event chair Jade Cao and the Library Luncheon committee, which included Erin Shapiro, Lauren Sumner, Julie Weidner, Nicole Townend, Kristie Caggiano and Stephanie Hoback.

2023 Tartan Open The annual Tartan Open brought more than 120 golfers to El Niguel Country Club for a day of fun and fellowship in support of St. Margaret’s.

The tournament raised more than $80,000 for St. Margaret’s need-based Financial Aid program, which helps make the opportunities of St. Margaret’s accessible to capable and talented students from all socioeconomic backgrounds.

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PTF New Board Installation Brunch

Grandparents and Special Friends Day

St. Margaret’s Parent Teacher Fellowship reflected on another successful school year and looked ahead to next year during the organization’s annual New Board/Old Board Brunch, an event that recognizes the work of the many parent volunteers and installs the incoming 2023-2024 board.

St. Margaret’s welcomed more than 400 loved ones to campus in May, as students performed songs, shared their Tartan experience and spent quality time with special people during the Lower School’s annual Grandparents and Special Friends Day.

The event celebrated the work of the PTF in 2022-2023 under president Jessica Klausner, before swearing in new PTF president Crista Martin and the 2023-2024 PTF Executive Board.

The day serves as an opportunity for loved ones to see the Lower School firsthand and for students to provide a glimpse of their everyday at St. Margaret’s.

Swallows Day Parade St. Margaret’s student leaders, championship student-athletes and professional community members marched proudly alongside Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano and Special Camp as the community welcomed the return of the swallows at the 63rd annual Swallows Day Parade. St. Margaret’s has been a proud sponsor and participant in the Swallows Day Parade for many years.

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Q&A with St. Margaret’s Board of Trustees President Dana Sullivan

BY J O N AT H A N T U F O

D

ana Sullivan began her role as President of St. Margaret’s Board of Trustees in July of 2023, after having served on the Board in numerous roles over the past four years. Among her duties as a trustee, Mrs. Sullivan was co-chair of the Head of School Search Committee, overseeing the thorough process that led to the appointment of Dr. Jeneen Graham as Head of School earlier this year.

Before her time with the Board, she was heavily involved with St. Margaret’s Parent Teacher Fellowship, including serving as PTF President during the 2019-2020 school year.

Professionally, Mrs. Sullivan works as a market researcher and strategist, collaborating with brands big and small including the University of Southern California’s Marshall School of Business. Mrs. Sullivan and her husband, Bryan, are the parents of two St. Margaret’s students— Brennan '25 and Kate '28.

As she begins her tenure as President of the Board of Trustees, Mrs. Sullivan was kind enough to share more about her deep ties to St. Margaret’s, her vision for her tenure as President, and the bright future of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School:

Q: How did your relationship with St. Margaret’s begin?

A: When it came time to find a preschool for our son Brennan, we considered St. Margaret’s because we had some family friends who absolutely loved the experience their children were having in the Lower School. At the same time, my husband, Bryan, was very impressed by a recent college graduate and St. Margaret’s alum who worked in his office.

We were intent on finding a school for our children that would develop critical thinkers and problem solvers, and St. Margaret’s seemed ahead

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of the curve at that time in incorporating 21st Century Learning Skills and STEAM into the curriculum. We were impressed by the boundless opportunities for students here, the exceptional faculty, the beautiful campus, the character development rooted in an Episcopal identity and the active and engaged parent community. Ultimately, it was the whole child approach that really sold us—to know that our kids would be nurtured, known and loved and grow in character and purpose—that’s the ultimate gift we can give them.

Q: What’s similar about your industry and schools?

What’s different?

A: I’ve enjoyed working for the USC Marshall School of Business the last few years and it’s given me a window into some of the overarching educational trends that are common to all institutions. And while it may be a time of disruptive change in the field of education, it’s also an exciting time for innovation. Change can also help us focus and reaffirm what’s most essential. For example, I believe the emergence of technology like AI underscores the importance of leaning into what St. Margaret’s does so well in terms of developing creative problem solvers and ethical decision makers.

As a market researcher and strategist, I work in a world of using research to set the context for decision making, creating KPI’s before implementing a program and then setting up systems to track that program’s performance.

So, I very much appreciate St. Margaret’s data-driven approach, previously led by Dr. Jeneen Graham and now by Dr. Stephanie Capen, that underpins the school’s decision making and importantly creates accountability for success. When St. Margaret’s makes a curriculum or program change, it’s because they know it works, and they closely track and monitor its impact.

Looking Forward Q: Why do you choose to spend your volunteer time with

St. Margaret’s?

A: I think it is very important to model the school’s mission to lead lives of learning, leadership and service. I think our kids watch us more carefully than we sometimes think—even our teens—and we can have a lot of impact when we are able to teach them through our actions, not just our words.

Being involved in your community is important—whether that means helping out with youth sports, a community service organization, the church or the school. Luckily all these opportunities are readily available to us right here at St. Margaret’s, and we are so fortunate that so many of our parents and alumni generously volunteer their time to support the school and the church in this way. For me, it really is a pleasure to give back to the community that has given so much to our children and our family.

Q: What do you want the St. Margaret’s community to know about the work of the Board of Trustees?

A: Jeneen and I have had the pleasure of meeting with each trustee before the start of the school year, and I’d like the community to know that each trustee appreciates the importance of their role in preserving the school’s mission, values and Episcopal identity. Decision making at the board level is always made through that lens.

We have a very healthy board culture that entrusts the Head of School to run the day-to-day operations of the school. This allows the Board to place its focus where it should be—governance and long-range strategic planning.

I can’t underscore enough what a tremendous gift this is to the school to have a Board that can function at this high level.

Lastly, it is not lost on me, nor anyone on the Board, the sacrifice that parents make financially to send their students to a private independent school like St. Margaret’s. So I will carry the torch handed to me from my predecessor, Paul Westhead, and say that continuing to grow the Endowment is absolutely critical to managing the rate of tuition increases and the overall long-term financial health of the school. At the same time, we will continue to bolster financial aid so that the Tartan experience can be more accessible to more students.

Q: You led the PTF as the president. Can you share the thread between that work and your time on the Board?

A: What quickly comes to mind is how impressed I am by the people here, both the PTF parent volunteers and our trustees who are also volunteers.

It’s not just the time and energy they are willing to devote to the school, but how thoughtfully and intentionally they approach their work. No matter what position a volunteer holds here, you get the sense that they value making the student experience the best it can be, appreciate how special the school is, and see St. Margaret’s as something so much greater than a place where kids learn reading, writing and arithmetic.

Q: What do you think may be the most overlooked thing about St. Margaret’s?

A: It may not be well known just how comprehensive the school’s wellness programs are. Well before some of the alarming statistics emerged on the state of children’s mental health, St. Margaret’s was creating a holistic approach to student wellness. This approach combines significant staffing resources from counselors, educational therapists, nurses and chaplains

with student peer counseling, intentional community building, a balanced daily schedule and innovative physical fitness programs. We live in a harddriving societal culture, so I think sometimes people tend to think these types of activities are distractions that will impede achievement. But Dr. Graham’s research has shown quite the opposite – that wellness is a key component of student success.

Q: What do you think is the most impactful opportunity still ahead for St. Margaret’s?

A: Without a doubt, the St. Margaret’s Commons building (see page 22) is going to have a transformational impact on the Tartan student experience day-to-day. It will touch the lives of every student from the Early School to the Upper School. It will assemble the building blocks of wellness, nutrition, physical fitness and social connection into one space and place wellness at the heart of the campus. Students will be able to hang out, bond with friends and interact with students from other divisions, which we know is a powerful part of the St. Margaret’s experience.

While a pause was properly placed on fundraising during the early stages of the pandemic, the time is now for this project to move forward and become a reality. I’d like to thank all of our early donors, including the PTF, for their generous support and leadership as capital projects such as this are not funded with tuition dollars but rather from the donations of our community members. For potential donors yet to get involved, this an incredible opportunity to have a major impact and transform the Tartan student experience for generations to come.

Q: You played a key role in the process to find the school’s fifth Head of School. Could you share any reflections about that process and about Dr. Graham with the community?

A: I am very grateful for my co-chair, Cathy Stahl, and the Search Committee members who gave considerable time to what was a very thorough process. I’m also very thankful for our students, parents, alumni and professional community members who participated in two rounds of surveys that informed the position specification, which then became our tool for recruitment and candidate evaluation. Some might question why we needed such an extensive process, but there was only one way to present a candidate to the board and ultimately the school community with absolute confidence, and it was essential to explore the entire field of candidates for this important role.

In Jeneen, we have an inspirational leader who appreciates how to preserve the best of St. Margaret’s traditions while infusing the school with fresh thinking and the expertise to drive it forward. Jeneen’s own research in tying health and wellness to academic achievement was a perfect match for what has been and will continue to be a focus for the school.

St. Margaret’s touches the lives of so many people beyond the students we serve today. So it was essential that we found a leader who understands how to create meaningful connections between students, parents, alumni, professional community, church members, local organizations like Special Camp and Breakthrough, the residents in San Juan Capistrano and our broader communities. Given her range of experiences here, Jeneen appreciates St. Margaret’s impact and I’m confident she will continue to forge a shared sense of place for all who feel joined together by their experiences here. I am very grateful for her partnership with the Board and can’t wait to see the next chapter of the school unfold under her leadership.

HIGHLANDER

43

By the Numbers

2022-2023

HONOR ROLL OF DONOR S The following pages recognize the incredible generosity and support of our Tartan community during the 2022-2023 school year. With many important philanthropic initiatives underway to sustain and enhance our ability to further our mission of learning, leading and serving, it is humbling to see both the number of benefactors on this list as well as how many are supporting multiple programs and projects in concert with one another. This concept of total giving is a healthy marker of our community’s ability to and willingness to support the school where it is meaningful to each donor.

We thank you for your generous gifts and for your love and support.

- J O N AT H A N T U FO, Executive Director of Advancement

G I V I N G L EG EN D: Annual Giving Capital Giving, Building & Endowment PTF Events Tartan Open Community Giving, Breakthrough & Special Camp *Gifts for the period July 1, 2022 through June 30, 2023.

I N D I V I D UA L S Anonymous • • • • •

Odette & Bruce Bailey • • •

Rosalyn & Michael Botuchis • • •

Devon Carr & Daniel Ivascyn • • •

Noha & Sam Abboushi •

Azin Moghaddam-Baird & Randolph Baird • • •

Madyson & Russell Boyd • • •

Bella Carracino '12 • •

Choo Choo & Dennis Boyer • • •

Brandyn & Brad Cashion • • •

Danielle & Raj Aceves-Dalal • Beth & Hank Adamany • Amy & Christopher Ainsworth • • • Maureen & Chris Aitken • • Jessie Akers • • Roland Allen • • Maala & David Allen • • •

Jennifer & Peter Balint • • • Wendy & Tim Ballard • • • Natalie Barbaresi '12 • • Ashleigh Barker '02 • • Shannon Barnard & Kelly Champ • • • Katherine & Robert Barnes • •

Lora & Michael Allison • •

Danielle & Gill Barnett • • •

Aline Fagundes & Arthur Almeida • •

Morgan Barrows & Anthony Pichardo • • •

Armine & Kurken Alyanakian • • • Neda Amanat & Alireza Fategh • • • Cynthia & Nelson Amaral • • • Milind Ambe • • Joan & William Ames • • Lily Lin & Montgomery An • • Lea & Tom Anderson • • • Kim & Michael Anderson • • • Ingrid & Rick Andrews • • • Stephanie & Jason Angelos • • • • Anonymous • • • • • Aneliya & Javaid Ansari • • • • Patricia & Chris Appel • • • Stacy Shi & Foster Arata • • • Kelley & John Arena • • • Jennifer & Scott Arundale • • • Carla & George Arzente • • • • Mozhgan Ashtari & Kenneth Waite • • • Ana Astorga & Julio Guimaraes • • • Kelsey & Darren Audagnotti '01 • • LeeAnn Austin • • • Monica & Mark Awadalla • • • Mercedes Adrian & Antonio Baena • • Tiffany Bai & Shifu Deng • • • Stellar Xu & Stone Bai • •

44

Christina Batiz & Ari Canelos • • • Semira Bayati & Peter DeCarlo • • • Mary Robin & Mark Baziak • • • Brandy & Tommy Beadel • • • Atousa Givi & Emad Behbahani • • • Sandi & Dino Bekis • • • Andrea & Patrick Bendzick • • • Karen Bennett • • Peg & James Berens • • • • Michelle Bernier • • Jennifer & Brad Bertoglio • • • Carol & Mike Bertolino • • • • Colleen & David Beshk • • Sarah & Shad Besikof • • • Jamie Bewernitz & Jelle Brons • • • Rebekah & Vineer Bhansali • • • Jason Bi • • Christine & Kurtis Binder • • • Jennifer & Eric Blau • • • Reshma & Ryan Block • • • Jennifer '87 & Lance Blount • • • Carol & Pierre Boldt • • • Brooke Ziccardi Boman & Chris Boman • • •

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

Janie Yap-Bredall & Scott Bredall • • •

Maria Castellanos • • •

Belinda & Kevin Brent • • •

Heather & Timothy Causee • •

Tala Brinderson '02 • •

Angelina Del Cid & Jose Ceballos • •

Lauren & Matthew Brinker • • •

Kelly Park & James Cha • •

Francesca & Matt Brisbois • • •

Jillian Chade • • •

Diana & Robert Brookes • • •

Micayla Chade '13 • • •

Anna '99 & Tyler Brower • •

Gauri Kanwar & Paroon Chadha • • •

Kathryn Brown • •

Patty Cyr & Jason Chambers • • •

Susan & Jeffrey Brown • • •

Amber & Michael Chang • • •

Stephanie & George Bullock • • •

Ping Liu & Gary Chang • • •

Masy & James Bunnell • • •

Cheryl Liu & Howard Chang • • •

Melody & Fred Burbank • • •

Kristina & Mark Chatow • • • •

Julie & Robert Burch • • •

Maggie Che & Justin Tan • •

Elmira Burke • • •

Elizabeth Chen '12 & Matt Miyamoto • •

Kelly Burke • • •

Jing Xu & Long Chen • • •

Joe Busch • • •

Ivy Chen & Cody He • •

Linda & David Bush • • •

Tina Liu & Hao Chen • • •

Kristen & James Caggiano • • •

Donna & Brian Chen • • •

Qinmin Wang & Dong Cai • • •

Carina Chen & Roger Lo • • •

Alanna & David Cajthaml • • •

Jing Wang & Zhen Chen • • •

Camille Caldera • • •

Lisa Chen & Ping Gong • • •

Sara Mattos & Felipe Camargo Diaz • •

Celine Song & Peter Chen • • •

Robert Canchola • •

Connie Chen & John Shen • • •

Susan Canchola • • •

Yuan Wang & Yang Chen • • •

Patty Canright • •

Cici Chen & Johnny Yeung • •

Jade & Sean Cao • • • •

Ying Chen & James Sun • • •

Amabel & Michael Capelle • • • •

Michelle & Tom Chen • • •

Ryan Carlson • • •

Claudia Chen & Damon Liang • • •

Karen & Scott Carnahan • • •

Celine Chen & Alexander Chan • • •

Wyndy & Clinton Carnell • • • •

Jinhong Tian & Huairong Chen • • •

Kristine Thagard & Kenneth Carpenter • •

Dan Cheng & Xiu Zhang • • •

Brenda & Christopher Carr • • •

Jessica Zhou & Mike Chen • • • • Rodney Cheng • • •

Annie & Phillip Chin • • •

Paul DeVincenzi • • •

Claire & Daniel Frahm • •

Jiseon & Hyonmyong Cho • • •

Kari & Michael DeVries • • •

James Frahm '14 • • •

Hilary & Jim Guerinot • • • Laura & Sam Guevara • • •

Lisa Cho & Wonjae Yoon • • •

Lori & David Djavaherian • • •

Staci & Ben Francois • • •

Monica & Joe Guillena • • •

Doris & Jason Choi • •

Natalie & Peter Dolukhanov • • •

Sandy & Dana Frankfort • •

Margo & Matthew Gunderson • • •

Annette Han & Ryan Choi • • •

Yuna Liu & Steve Dong • • •

Meagan Franks • • •

Ge & Congba Guo • • •

Jae & Hoon Choi • • •

Deborah & David Doomey • • •

Channing & James Freeman '99 • • • •

Xing Guo & Guang Wang • • •

Stephanie & Daveen Chopra • • •

Marcella & Chris Dornin • • •

Michelle & Kent French • • •

Jia Guo & Gongxun Tang • • •

Ran Li & Robert Chou • • •

Katharine '00 & Ryan Downey '98 • • •

Shuang & Rich Frick • •

Helena & Mathi Gurusamy • • •

Laurel & Debashis Chowdhury • • • •

Sarah Draper • • •

Ciaoli Jin & George Chu • • •

Wa Xu & Bin Du • • •

Catherine Gopaulsingh & Scott Friedman • • •

Charity Hall • • •

Emma Chu & Frank Chen • • •

Sherry Ding & Raymond Du • • •

Minyao Chen & Kevin Clampitt '89 • • •

Qiao Chen & Min Duan • •

Sarah & Peter Clark • • •

Heather & Terry Dubrow • • •

Jeannine '87 & Todd Clarke • • •

Traci Cole & Keith Dunnell • • •

Jaden Cloobeck '18 • •

Allie Dupont '02 • •

Lyn & Paul Clute • • •

Jen & Joe Duran • • •

Ashley Coleman • • •

Krishma Dutia & Mahesh Guruswamy • •

Helen & Philip Collen • • •

Tara & Stephen Eastman • • •

Clark & Greg Collins • • •

Sara & Hugh Eaton • • •

Casey & Andrew Comeau • •

Caren & Vernon Edler • • •

Scott Connella • • •

Josiah Edwards '09 • •

Pam & James Conti • •

Leah & Glenn Eggert • •

Christine & Gary Cook • • •

Flavia & Charles Eifrig • • •

Saxon & Chris Copps • • •

Johan Ekvall • •

Sandra Corliss & Ryan Wyld • • Cherise & Victor Cota • • • Iovanna & Stephen Couig • • • Rosanna & Tracy Coveyou • • • Norma Cowles • • Elizabeth Crampton • • • Pam & Ken Cruse • • • Jennifer & Joshua Cuda • • • Meredith & Glen Curran • • • Jaymie & Rory Cutaia • • Allan Dahle • • • Anne & Ryan Dahlem • • • Li Dai & Bo Zhou • • Maggie Zhang & Charles Dai • • • • Cheery Song & Richard Dai • • • Anne Dalfiume • • • Sonia Patel & Danny Dalton • • • Susan & Joshua D'Amaro • • • Catherine & Dave Dandel • • • Sandy & Gregory Danz '93 • • • Shannon & Bret Davis • • • Peggy Day & Kip Knight • • Valerie Chen & Leo Day • • •

Kimberly Fross • • • Pauline & Chris Frye • • • Huifeng Fu & Raymond Wang • • • Cindy Fu & Gary Zhang • • • Angie Gao & Thomas Fu • • •

Tram & Tim Gustin • • • Olivia Hall • • • Sarah & Erik '01 Hallenbeck • • Amy Han & Fei Li • • • Elizabeth Hanauer & Paul Pohoresky • • •

Kara Fuentes '02 • •

Sarah & Aaron Hancock • • • •

Monica & Chris Furman • •

Heather & Bryan Harney • • •

Marisa & Mike Gallegos • • •

Anne & Mark Harrison • • •

Nancy & Robert Ganem • • •

Amy & Chet Harrison • • • •

Ying Gao & Yi Zhang • • •

Nadia Hart '06 • •

Bin Gao & Wenjiang Yang • • •

Kirsten & Daniel Harvey • • •

Chang & Chao Gao • •

Stephanie '86 & Geoff Harvey • • •

Saffie Shang & Tom Gao • •

Nancy & Fred Hasani • • •

Michelle & Rico Garcia • • •

Lisa & Kevin Haskins • • •

Suad Elias-Atala & Francisco Romo-Pardo • • •

Karen & Scott Garner • • •

Billy Hattan • • •

Jake Garrett '12 • •

Kathleen Hayes • • •

Kelly & Gardner Ellner • • •

Christopher Gaudreau '03 • • •

Juan He & Fei Zhou • •

Deanna & Colin Emsley '86 • •

Lisa & Michael Gazzaniga • • •

Ying Zhang & Alan He • • •

Lindsay '00 & Rob Eres • • • • •

Lauren Gensicke • • •

Yihong He • • •

Jina Espinosa • • •

Anoosheh & Afshin Gerayli • • •

Selene He & Dennis Liu • • •

Susan & Mike Etchandy • • •

Sarah Mathias & Bobby Ghandehari • • •

Michelle He & Joey Wang • • •

Jill & Matt Fales • • •

The Rev. Earl Gibson • • •

Beth & Rob Healy • • •

Shara Famili '17 • •

Valli & Chris Gideons • •

Diane Hecht • • • Denise & Paul Helms • •

Tamara & Darren Fancher '89 • • •

Melinda & John Glowacki • • • •

Rema Farhat & James Farhat • •

Suzi & Bryan Godber • • • •

Lisa & Peter Helton • • •

Boriana & Nelson Farias • • •

Jessica & Ryan Goerig • • •

Rahsaan Henderson '02 • •

Setareh & Farshad Farjami • • •

Marina Goffredo & William Carson • • •

Anita & Ira Hermann • • •

Taiana & Frank Fasel • • •

Jill & Richard Golubow • • •

Megan & Nathan Hicks • • •

Lori & Mark Fava • •

Rebecca Gomez • • •

Melissa & Dave Hill • • •

Lina Tang & Jonathan Fei • • •

Dario Gomez • • •

Kristin & Sean Hinze • • •

Lina Jia & Qinghua Feng • • •

Nicole & Xiaobin Gong • •

Stephanie & Mike Hoback • • •

Sherry Feng & Alvin Tan • • •

Susan & Casimiro Gonzalez • • •

Lule & Zen Hoda • • •

Iris Liu & Daniel Feng • • •

Dee & Galen Gornowicz • • •

Jamie & Jake Hoffnagle • • •

Elizabeth & Michael Ferrari • • •

Tracy & Michael Gottlieb • • •

Jeni & Alex Hoggan • •

David Field '12 • •

Beverly Thompson-Gracia & Gabriel Gracia • • •

Alexa & Derek Horn • • •

Noreen Filippi • • • Daniel Finch • • •

Lorena Villarreal De La Fuente & Darian De La Fuente • •

Amber & Kevin Fink • • • •

Cynthia & James DeBoard • •

Melissa & Jordan Fisher • • •

Nicole & Joe deBuzna • • •

Robin Fitzwilson & Jon Guerra • • •

Gina & Philip deCarion • • •

Justin Stykemain & Alan Flatt • • •

Clary Delano '02 • •

Tori & Colter Fleming '02 • •

Leilani & William Fisher • • •

Ryan DeLucia • • •

Natalia & John Fluman • • •

Betsy & Charles Denham • • •

Lisa Culligan-Foley & Adrian Foley • •

Rosemary & Antonio DeSa • • •

Robert Forman • • •

Stephane Deutsch • • •

Danielle & Chris Fox • • •

Jeneen & Andy Graham • • • • • Sunny Han & Andrew Greek • • Patrick Green • • • Rory & Derek Greer • • • Kristin Griffin • • • Amy & Liam Griffin • • • Tracy & Scott Grove • • • • Anouk & Atul Grover • • • Geeta & Sanjiv Grover • • •

Lara & Daniel Horgan • • Kimberly Horner • • • J Horton • • • Patsy Howard • • Gefang Hu & Zhiyun Zhang • • • Xi Liu & Thomas Hu • • • Lian Chen & Jay Huang • • Vivian Huang & Eason Sun • • • Jennifer & David Huang • • •

Nina & Sanjay Grover • • •

Mrs. Peiqian Li & Mr. Weiqiang Huang • • •

Jennifer & Robert Grumet • • •

Heather Hughes '12 • •

HIGHLANDER

45

Lan Hung & James Lo • •

Lin & Kevin Kenny • •

Janet & Jimmy Lee • • •

Yuan Lu & Hong Liu • • •

Laura Hunt Newman • • •

Gloria Kepiro • • •

Betsy Lee • • •

Joanne & Rev. James Livingston • • •

Timothy Hunt-Higgins • • •

Renee & Stuart Kerr • • •

Joanne & Jimmy Lee • •

Joy & Robert Locke • • •

Meaghan Hurr '12 • •

Huseina & Irfan Khan • • •

Thuy & Jay Lee • • •

Lara & Lorenzo Longo • •

Crystal & Robert Hutter • • •

Fatima & Ahad Khan • • •

Joyce & Andy Lee • • •

Gabriela & Paul Lopez • • •

Michelle Ligao & Leon Huynh • • •

Lia & James Kieckhafer • • •

Annaka & Jefferson Lee • • •

Sara & Tyler Louie • • •

Georgeann & John Iavarone • • •

Angelica Botero & Roger Killer • • •

Jin Lee & Jun Lee • • •

Ania & David Lowenthal • • •

Muhamed Ibrahim • • •

Kimberly Kim • •

Gabriela Leichnitz '12 • •

Cris Lozon • • •

Jill & Jarod Ikeda • •

Kristen & Jay Kim • • •

Grace & James Leigh • • •

Patty & Raymond Lu • • •

Abigail & Jeremy Illenberger • • •

Debbie Kim & Simon Lee • • •

Tami & Ryan Leshaw • • •

Kristina & Gleb Lvovich • •

Nikki Imai • • •

Yi Feng & Soyoung Kim • • •

Jaclyn & Stefan Lessard • • •

Adriana & John Lyons • • •

Denice & Barry Inciong • • •

Linda Chung & Moses Kim • • •

Kimberly & Robert Lewis • • •

Fiona Wang & Leo Ma • •

Lisa & Richard Isola • • •

Seungyun Ha & Jay Kim • • •

Zhaoxia Wu & Jieming Li • •

Sissy Ma & Will Zhu • •

Mary & Kambiz Izadi • • •

Julie & Anthony Kim • • •

Miya Li & Eddie Peng • •

Jenny Zhao & James Ma • •

Georgina Jacobson & Kevin Clare • • •

Amanda & Brian Kim • • •

Lilian Li & Johnny Qu • • •

Xiaolin Wei & Feiyu Ma • •

Madison Jahn '12 • •

Katie & Jae Kim • • •

Yanchun & Xiangyang Li • •

Tessa & Dan Maas • • • • Aleeza & Pat Maciariello • • •

Tricia & Frank Jaksch • • •

Soyeon Park & Jae Woo Kim • • •

Qirui Song & Davis Li • • •

Maria & Frank Jaksch • • •

Florence & Ed Kim • • •

Fiona Li & Hao Zhao • • •

Angela & Lester Mackenzie • • •

Melissa & Stephen James • •

Randa & Dean Kim '94 • • •

Jing Zhang & Shaohui Li • • •

Darla & Andrew Magana • • • Mojgan Mahdiani & Mohammad Sheikholeslami • • •

Scott Janczyk '02 • •

Tenicka & Jay Kingsley • • •

Qingna Sun & Jun Li • • •

Elizabeth & Paul Janczyk '04 • • •

Genevieve & Neal Kistler • •

Winnie Wen & Benson Li • • •

Rosie Jarvis • • •

Kimberli & Jordan Kitaen • • •

Annie Li & Yingjie Sun • • •

Susan Brodecky & Christopher Jenkins • • •

Jess & Rob Klausner • • • •

Jiaying Miao & Zhongqun Li • • •

Lauren Jeong • • •

Afshan & Brian Kleinhanzl • • •

Aileen Zhang & Qiang Li • • •

'Matthew Kloss '12 • •

Mingzhen Li & Yuan Shao • • •

Ted Ko '12 • •

Mengping Wang & Michael Liang • • •

Amy Sun & Bing Ji • • • Emma Jia & Ya Zhou • • Lijun Zhang & Changsong Jia • • • Yongdie Jiang & Bin Xu • • Ting Hu & Feng Jiang • • • Lin Yuan & Kai Jiang • • • Serina Jiang & Jack Wang • • • Yi Jin & Jianwen Yao • • • Serena Jin & Tianyi Zha • • • Monica & Thomas Johnson • • • Elizabeth & Don Johnson • • • Robert Johnson • • • Veronica Johns-Richardson • • • Arlene & James Joyce • • • Taylor & Devon Junkin • • • Katie & Rick Kalvoda • • • Kai & Sinan Kanatsiz • • • Wiliam & Tina Huang • • • Dawn & Michael Karahalios • • • Denise & Keith Karlsen • • Anna & Christos Karmis • • • Eileen Kawas • • Ni Wen & Songping Ke • • • • Kristine & Andy Ke • • • 'Matilda Keane '12 • • Deborah Keating & Scott Herfindahl • • • Denine Kelly • • • Elizabeth Kelly • •

Annual Giving

46

Kimberley & Ryan Korinke • • •

Judith Jing & Peter Liang • • •

Ayaka & Amit Kothari • • •

Stephanie Liang & Matthew Xu • • •

Joan & Harold Kraft • •

May Liang & George Yan • • •

Ivy & Ben Krysiak • • • •

Merielle & Joe Liao • • •

Sara & Stephen Kuljis • • •

Qiming & Chen Liao • • •

Jaclyn & Brian Kurzawa • • •

'Francelia Lievanos '16 • •

Wendy & Kenneth Kushner • • •

Liza & Michael Lim • • •

Sarah & Mark Kustera • •

Jennifer & Michael Limb • • •

Joanne Liao Kuy & Devin Kuy • • •

Allison Lin & Yiyan Tang • • •

Jane Park & Eric Kweon • • • •

Linda Zhao & Gavin Lin • • •

Krissy & Virgil Kyle • • •

Keith Lind • •

Jennifer LaCaze • • •

Cristine & Tim Lindenfelser • •

Wendy LaFrano • • •

Justin Lippert '07 • • •

Robert Lakeman • •

Marie & Scott Lipsky • •

Lan & Duke Lam • • •

Helena & Kevin Liu • • •

Hugh Lander • • •

Kate Yang & Tony Liu • •

Amanda Salter & Carl Langfeldt • • •

Carol Liu & David Tang • • •

Mia Souiyah & Sam Laraki • • •

Yuanyuan Liu & David Zhao • • •

Alondra Lares • • •

Linda Liu & Vincent Wu • • •

'Sam Larsen '12 • •

Jingwen Zhang & Jeffrey Liu • •

David Larsen '16 • •

Mary Ma & Clark Liu • • •

Maxine Laube '03 • • •

Lei Zhao & Mingwei Liu • • •

Elisabeth Laurence Brow • • •

Shiyao Peng & Robin Liu • • •

Megan & Reginald Lavender • • • •

Shan Tian & Sarvy Liu • • •

Helen Laviano • • •

Lucy Liu & Robin Wei • • •

Cathie & Michael Lawler • • •

Elise Lu & Michael Liu • • •

Christine & Tobias Lawry • • •

Lihui Sang & Baotong Liu • • •

Capital Giving, Building & Endowment

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

PTF Events

Tartan Open

Cecilia & Ralph Mai • • Sridevi & Sudhakar Mallela • • • Carla Mandili • • • Nicholas Mann '07 • • Alison & Randy Mann • • • Ying Wang & Xiang Mao • • Yajuan Chen & Kevin Mao • • • Priscilla & Scott Margason • • Elin & Kevin Markarian • • • • Ghanim Marouf '00 • • • Brooke & Abe Marouf '01 • • • • Anna & Eddie Marquez '02 • • • Jessica Martin • • • Crista & Chad Martin • • • • Kristine & David Martinez • • • Shawn Haydel & Luis Martinez • • • Pearl & Nick Mashour • • • Kimberly & Farzad Massoudi • • • Barbara Massrey • • • Penny & Ryan Mateer • • Kristin Kennedy & David Matthew • • • Kimberly & Colby Matthews • • • Emily '95 & Matthew Maxey '94 • • • Diana & Craig McCallister • • Andrea & Benn McCallister • • • • Annette & Sean McCarthy • • • Taylore McClurg '02 • • Karen McCollum • • Jennifer & Gerard McCusker • • • Megan & Kyle McDaniel • • • Jennifer & Timothy McElfish • • • • Lauren & Scott McEwan '02 • • •

Community Giving, Breakthrough & Special Camp

Lisa & John McFarland • • •

Tara & Brian Norton • • •

Archana & Venkatesh Reddy • • •

Jennifer Sele • • •

Hiroka & Jeff McGuane • • •

Heather & Marlo Nykolaychuk • • •

Erica & Paul Reder • • •

Figen & Bernard Sen • • •

Kate & Mike McKenna • • •

Robert O Hill • • •

Andrea & Jeff Reeves • • •

Adriana Sender • • •

Kristy McKnight • • •

Michelle & Patrick O'Brien • • •

Cynthia & Ryan Reich • • •

Jennifer & Theodore Serentelos • • • Madi Severson • • •

Chase McLaughlin '96 • • •

Dominique & Brendan O'Donnell • • •

Andrea & David Reinkensmeyer • • •

Julie & Jens Meggers • • •

Megan & Brendan O'Farrell • • •

Alisa Reising • • •

Rajeshree & Nirav Shah '95 • • •

Shabnam & Steven Mehr '94 • • •

Tina & Bryan Oh • • •

Sonia & Jim Remick • • •

Julie & Rob Shanahan • • • •

Katie Melkonian • • •

Connie & David Oh • • •

Dante Renzulli • •

Lydia & Thomas Shapiro • • •

Dana & John Melsom • • •

Ryan O'Kane • • •

Angela & George Reynolds • • •

Erin & Steven Shapiro • • •

Betty Mercer '12 • •

Kathryn & Spencer Olsen • • •

Fari Rezai • •

Paddi & Alex Sharifian • • •

Erin & Eric Mertlbauer • • •

Lisa & Terry O'Neil • • •

Natalie Rezai • •

Catherine & Kenneth Shaw • • •

Mattingly Messina '13 • • •

Liz & Dan O'Shea • • • •

Teri & Darcy Rice • • • •

David Shelly '12 • •

Adrienne & Karl Metz • • •

Vicki & Tom Otterbein • • •

Alena Riggs '12 & Cameron Gamble • •

Debbie Duan & Steven Shen • •

Kristen & Brian Miazga • • •

James Oung '93 • •

Jennifer '87 & Mark '86 Risner • • • •

Qiong Niu & Tianwei Shen • • •

Kylie & Mike Middlebrook • •

Lynn & Steve Ozonian • • •

Mashid & Stephen Rizzone • • •

Seiko Takizawa & Steven Shi • • •

Shannon & Jeffrey Miehe • • •

Dan Pacheco • • •

Tania & Michael Robertson • • •

Blanca & Benjamin Shidla • • • • Loren Shook • •

Ruth & Glen Miles • •

Susan & Toby Page • •

Tracy & Ryan Robertson • • •

Craig Miller • •

Jennifer & Buck Page • •

Alexandria Robinson '12 • •

Christine Shook • •

Lane & William Minton • • •

Eleni Pappas • •

Brooks Robinson '14 • • •

Bahareh & Homey Shorooghi • • •

David Mintzer • • •

Michelle & Andy Park • • •

Holly & Glyn Robinson • •

Nicole & Ryan Slaughter • • •

Indrani Gill & Harry Mirchandaney • • •

Linda & Erik Pasin • • •

Jacob Robison '15 • •

Carsen Smith • • •

Jeff Mitchell • • •

Katie & Israel Passwater • • •

Kendall Robison '16 • • •

Wendy & Jeffrey Smith • • •

Janet Mitchell • • •

McCaully Patch • •

Katie & Mikel Rodin • • •

Aubrie & Jeff Smith • • •

Mark Mitchell • • •

Hasina Patel • •

Elina Rodina & Garrick Updegraph • • •

Xi Chen & Jerry Song • •

Amanda Miyawaki • •

Amisha & Haresh Patel • • •

Marisa Arpels & Ignacio Rodriguez • • •

Tanya & Timothy Spangler • • •

Jeanne & Stefan Mohler • • •

Swati & Ajesh Patel • • •

Mikail Roling • • •

Thomas Spellmire • •

Julia Monge • •

Leah & Patrick Patterson • •

Connie & Peter Spenuzza • • •

Ali & Lindsay Monge • • •

Ashley & Darren Pavel • • •

Wendy Romagnino-Perry & Johnnie Perry • • •

Erin & Michael Moore • •

Natasha & Torin Pavia • • •

Tom & Natalie Moran • • •

Sam Pavoni • • •

Shawna & Justin Morasch • • •

Rosaria & William Peffer • • •

Bethanie & Brian Moriarty • • • •

Evangelina & Jose Pelayo • •

Laurie Moroch • • •

Qiao Peng & Xihui Wei • • •

Carol & Dan Morris • •

Jennifer Perez • •

Mark Morris • • • •

Amy Perez • • •

Judy Morton • • •

Paulette Perkins & Thomas Hext • •

Jenny & Will Moseley • • •

Emma '11 & Shannon Perry • • •

Cathy & Matt Moses • • •

Sandra & Ryan Pertz • • •

Britta & Pedro Mota • • •

Jessica Peterson '12 • •

Karen & James Murphy • • •

Sherry Phelan • • •

Emily Murry '02 • •

Marlett Phillips • • •

Rachel Mykkanen & Daniel Matlock • • •

Susan & Larry Phillips • • •

Heather Neale '02 • •

Symone Pinedo '13 • •

Laurel & John Nelligan • • •

Cindy & Jeff Pintar • • • •

Abigail Nemeth '12 • •

Cheri Platte • • •

Todd Newman '91 • •

Leslie & Evan Pohaski • • •

Jennifer & Todd Newton • • •

Debby & Daniel Policicchio • • •

Grace Ni & Faqiang Sheng • • •

Lydia Chiu & Lee Pooler • • •

Jennifer & Brian Niccol • • •

Shail & Shawn Powers • • • •

Mark Nicoletti • • •

Paul Preziotti • • •

Sarah Liu & Zilong Nie • • • • Wenxi Gao & Meng Niu • • • Jin Wang & Kunlun Niu • • • Rachel Xin & Li Niu • • • Tracy & Doug Nock • • Julie Noll • • • Katharine & Martin Nonna • • •

Veltria & Juan Roman • • • Katie & Ron Rommelfanger • • • Jessie Xu & Charlie Rong • • • Izabella & Alex Rooney • • • Alison Rosenbaum & Benjamin Siegel • • Brittany Rovell & Ryan Rovell • • • Erin & Jaritt Ruff • • • Pimonsiri & Pieter Ruig • • • • Chelsea & Tyler Runge • • • Josephine & Freddy Rusli • • • Nazli Azimi & Kevin Sadati • • • Nazanin & Siamak Saidi • • • Lesley & Ernesto Salazar • • • Emily Mehr Salehi & Mohsen Salehi • • • Julie & Nader Salib • • •

Loreal & Jay-Paul Spenuzza '03 • • • • Lindsey & David Spindle • • • Anza Spinelli • • Jessica & Robert Springer • • • Neeti Nanda & Sharran Srivatsaa • • • Bonni & Dave Stachowiak • • Cathy & Rick Stahl • • • Masami Stahr • • Wanwimon & Jesse Standlea • • • Jessica & Nathan Stanley • • • Heidi & Cameron Steele • • • Anastassia & Brendan Steele • • • Rachel Stephens • • • Jennifer & John Stephens • • • • Yuliya Lyubovnaya & Andrew Stolper • • •

Mimi & Joseph Samluk • • •

Timothy Strader • • •

Michelle & Matthew Sant • • •

Scott Striegel • • •

Olivia Santora '13 • •

Kimberly Striegl • • •

Cheri & Peter Santora • • • •

Chase Stueber '12 • •

May & Steven Sapra • • • •

Vicki Stump • • •

Amanda & Michael Saunders • • •

Kayla & Sean Su • • •

Joan Savitt • • •

Michelle & Scott Sukut • • •

Catherine Mariani-Pupil & Martin Pupil • • • •

Shawna & Chris Schaffner • • •

Dana & Bryan Sullivan • • • •

Lisa Byer-Scheel & Norman Scheel • • •

Carol & Bob Summers • • •

Betsy & Michael Purpura • • •

Janet Keller & Bernard Schneider • •

Lauren & George Sumner • • • •

Olivia Qiao & Chengri Tan • •

Stephanie Schriver • • •

Jiong Fei & Ed Sun • • •

Carrie & John Quintanar • • •

Meredith & Stephen Schumacher • •

Debbie & Paul Sun • • •

Alexander Ramadan '12 • •

Sheri & Werhner Scott • • •

Wendy Sun & Sam Wang • •

Deepthi & Vishnu Reddy • • •

Aaron Sele • •

Akiko & Glen Sutton • • •

HIGHLANDER

47

Jacqueline Swaidan • •

Lili Wang & Wei Zhang • •

Man Huang & Hao Yang • • •

Asada Cantina • • • Aston Martin Newport Beach • • •

Teresa & Ray Taccolini • • •

Chole Wei & Lu Wang • • •

Annie & Roger Yang • • • •

Deborah Taft • • •

Daphne Wang & Stan Yang • • •

Jessie Zhu & Jack Yao • • •

Atomic Creamery • • •

Heather Lee-Tam & Jack Tam • • •

Lin Zhang & Yibo Wang • • •

Jennifer Lee & Grant Yasui • • • •

Aviator Nation Laguna Beach • • •

Sarah Tan • • •

Sophia Wang & Haifeng Wu • • •

Mona & Amir Yazdanshenas • • •

Avonlea Charitable Foundation • •

Ryan Tanaka '12 • •

Vivian Zang & Ligo Wang • • •

Julie & Frank Ye • • •

Ayco Charitable Foundation • • •

Jason Tapie • • •

Tingting & Yi Wang • • •

Shirley Xu & Jimmy Ye • • •

Balboa Bay Resort • • •

The Right Reverend John Harvey Taylor & Kathleen O'Connor • • •

Amy Zhang & Ken Wang • • •

Yiyen & Mark Yen • • •

Bank of America Charitable Gift Fund • •

Rui Wang & Futao Yue • • •

Mark Yin • • •

Barclay Butera Inc. • • •

Kristi & Thomas Taylor • • • Jennifer Tedori '12 • • Nancy & Paul Thede • • • Kelly Warren-Thiel & Fred Thiel • • • Gail & Brian Thomas • • • Megan & Mark Thomas • • • Ian Thomas '09 • • • Lisa & Billy Thompson • • • Vanessa & Clint Thompson • • • Michelle & Matthew Tingler • • Melody & Aaron Titus • • • Grace & Jonathan Todd • • • Lori & John Tomlinson • • • Alana Torgelson • • • Andrew Torok '13 • • • Jessica & Elisha Torrance • • • Laura & Eric Toubin • • • Nicole & Tosh Townend • • • Peter Townend • • • Kevin Tranbarger • • • Irma & Tony Trikas • • • Rebecca & Jonathan Tufo • • • Gloria & Matthew Turnbull • • • • Jinhy Yoon & John Tze • • • Beth & Scott Ullem • • • • Georgia & George Valaskantjis • • • • Rosario Valdez • • •

Jack Wang • •

Erin & Dan Yoder • • •

Barnoa Wine Company • • •

Liangjie Zhang & Ruiyuan Wang • •

Jen & Jamie Yoshida • • •

Basanti Indian Cuisine • • •

Balinda Zhang & Alan Wang • •

Abbey & Timothy Young • • •

Beach Hut Deli • • •

Judy Chen & Liyong Wang • • •

Mia & Sam Yu • • • •

Bear Coast Coffee • • • Becky Criqui Wardrobe Styling and Design • • •

Hongyu Ji & Huanjie Wang • • •

Nazy & Ray Zadjmool • • •

Tina Wang & Leo Yang • •

Tingting Zhang & Xushen Zhai • • •

Luling & Yao Wang • • •

Mandy Tang & Mingxiang Zhang • • •

Amy Warren & Patricia Merz • •

Zhen Xu & Qingxin Zhang • • • Yinghui & Yong Zhang • • •

Megan & Jeremy Webb • • •

Leah Zhang & Qi Chen • • •

Alexandra & Kent Weed • • •

Dan Yang & Jing Zhang • • •

Julie & James Weidner • • • •

Xiao Xing & Zhejia Zhang • • •

Breakthrough Collaborative • • •

Joanna & Liam Weiner • • •

Kathy Liu & Bryan Zhang • •

Jennifer & Karl Weingarten • • •

Ying & Rongkun Zhang • • •

Brethren Community Foundation, Inc. • • •

Joanna & Jason Weiss • • •

Ning Wu & Jinlong Zhang • •

Lauri & Glenn Welling • • •

Donghua Huang & Yong Zhao • •

Haley Welsome • • •

Jue Zhao • • •

John Welsome • • •

Katherine Zheng • • •

Rong Wang & Wenbiao Weng • • •

Jenny Ye & Dean Zheng • • •

Jan & John West • • •

Stacy & Xinghan Zhou • •

Kristi & William West • • •

Yolanda Gu & CJ Zhou • • •

Eric Westendorf '88 • •

Jiarui Yu & Xiaolin Zhu • • •

Kia & Paul Westhead • • • •

Jenna Zusman '12 • •

Shelley & Rick White • • • Heather & Mark Whitehead • • • Manuela Vazquez & John Whitledge • • •

Jennifer Van Weelde • • •

Michelle & John Williams • • • Staciana Winfield • •

Briana & James Vartanian • •

Lynsey & Matt Winters • • •

BUSINESSES & ORG ANIZ ATIONS ABT William J.Gillespie School • • • Adorable Pet Grooming & Nutrition • • • Advanced Eyecare Optometric Center • • •

Socorro & Ernesto Vasquez • • •

John Wise • • •

Alchemy 43 • • •

Suzanne & Winston Verdult • • •

Dana & Jay Wohlgemuth • • •

Alderson Family Foundation • •

Annie Wang & Michael Villa • • •

Amy & Stephen Wolcott • • •

Ricardo Villagomez • • •

Andrew Wood '03 • •

Alexander McQueen South Coast Plaza • • •

Galina & Vitaly Vishnevski • • •

Xueni Wu • • •

Alexandra & Kostas Vitakis • • • •

Wendy Wu & Julien Zhang • •

Tobi & Conan Vitale • • • •

Lily Yu & Jeff Xie • •

Kirstie & William Wagner • •

Cynthia Xie • •

American Endowment Foundation • •

Christina & Andrew Wainwright • • •

Yijin Zhang & Wei Xie • • •

American Online Giving Foundation, Inc. • • •

Alexander Wang • • •

Kristin & Michael Walseth • • •

Yanli & Jian Xu • •

Yali Liu & Mike Wang • • •

May Xue & David Zheng • • •

Yan Zhang & Gaolong Wang • • •

Jack Yahner • • •

Yulong Wang • • •

Jennifer & Naveen Yalamanchi • • • •

Shuang He & Nick Wang • • •

Brittaney & Harish Yalamanchili • • •

48

Bottega Angelina • • •

Mary & Marty Wattenberg • • •

Neeta & Jeff Vargo • • •

Annual Giving

Bloomingdales South Coast Plaza • • • BoomBase Basketball • • •

Capital Giving, Building & Endowment

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

PTF Events

Along Came A Spider LLC • • • Alpine Baby Co. • • •

Angels Baseball • • • April Money Photography • • • Aquarium of the Pacific • • • Argaux • • • Aris • • •

Tartan Open

Boxhaus Newport Beach • • • Bravos California Fresh • • •

Broadcom Foundation • • Burch Family Foundation • • Buy My Bikes • • • Bvlgari Macau • • • Camellia Boutique • • • Camp Opie • • • Canale-Martinez Salon • • • Cantor's Driving School • • • Capital Group Cos. Charitable Foundation • • • Caterina's Gelato • • • Celestial Skin Care Studio • • • Chang'an Tustin • • • Charitable Ventures of Orange County, Inc. • • • Charities Aid Foundation of America • • • Chatow Law • • • Citation Capital Partners, Inc • • • Clare V. • • • Coastal Beauty Bar • • • Coastal Bounce Company • • • Coastal Kitchen • • • Comprehensive College Prep • • • Coutts & Clark Western Foundation, Inc. • • • Cristophe Salon Newport Beach • • • Cynthia Rowley • • • Dana Point Dermatology • • • Daniel Michael Salon • • • Deloitte • • •

Community Giving, Breakthrough & Special Camp

Dennis Uniform • • •

JSX • • •

PNC Bank • • •

The Ecology Center • • •

Domenico's on the Lake • • • Duff's Cakemix • • •

K1 Speed • • •

Poppy Lea Photography • • •

The Escape Game Irvine • • •

Kendra Scott Jewelers • • •

Populaire Modern Bistro • • •

The Kartzinel Foundation • • •

DuMOL Winery • • •

Kidcreate Studio - Dana Point • • •

Quattro Caffe • • •

Edwards Lifesciences Foundation Employee MG Program • •

Killer Beauty • • •

Rancho Capistrano Winery • • •

The Marion W. Minton & Walter J. Minton Foundation, Inc. • •

LA Galaxy • • •

Resort at Pelican Hill • • •

Landers Liquor Bar • • •

Ricardo's Place • • •

LBA Realty • • •

Robin Bliss Clark Skin Care • • •

Lele Sadoughi • • •

Rockin' Jump Trampoline Park • • •

Ekam Yoga and Pilates • • • Elevate Fitness • • • Elyse Walker • • • Emerald Financial • • • Etoile on 17th • • • Exclusive Resorts • • • F45 Training Rancho Mission Viejo • • • Fable & Spirit • • • Feast and Fare Personalized Meal Service • • • Ferruzzo & Ferruzzo LLP • • • Fidelity Foundation Matching Gifts to Education Program • • • Figueroa Auto Detail • • • Fisherman's Restaurant and Bar • • • Five Crowns - Sidedoor • • • Fleming's Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar • • • Four Seasons Resort and Residences Napa Valley • • •

Li and Sun Private Foundation • •

Rococo Boutique • • •

Lightning Fit • • •

Roger Dunn Golf Hawaii • • •

Lil Pinkies Up LLC • • •

Roger's Gardens • • •

Lil' Kickers South OC • • •

Roos Studios • • •

Liliblue Interior Design, LLC. • • •

Sam Samm Cakes • • •

Lilly Pulitzer • • •

Samueli Foundation • •

LiveUrPurpose • • •

San Juan Taekwondo • • •

Los Angeles Turf Club • • •

Scarlet Kitchen and Lounge • • •

Lounge Group, The Country Club • • •

Schneider Law • •

Love Shack Fancy • • •

Schwab Charitable Fund • • •

Lugano Diamonds & Jewelry, Inc. • • •

Scratch Bakery Cafe • • •

Maison Sun Gallery • • •

Seaside Skin Care • • •

Malibu Beach Inn Hotel & Spa • • •

Segerstrom Center for the Arts • • •

Malibu Farm • • •

Skoll Foundation • •

Mallard Lake Detox Center • • •

Sky Zone Trampoline Park • • •

The Nicholas Endowment • • The Paintball Park • • • The PIMCO Foundation • • • The Ranch at Laguna Beach • • • The Relayer Group • • • The Ritz-Carlton Laguna Niguel • • • The Robison Family Foundation • • • The Shirt Cannery • • • The Water Brewery • • • The Webster South Coast Plaza • • • The Wilford Foundation • • • The Wonder Seed • • • Titan's Pho Asian Bistro • • • Tom's 27 • • • Tom's Chino • • • Tory Burch • • • Trevor's at the Tracks • • • True Food Kitchen • • • Tutu School Corona del Mar • • • Untamed Floral Designs • • •

Marbella Golf and Country Club • • •

Snooze Restaurant • • •

Four Seasons Resort Los Cabos at Costa Palmas • • •

Marriott Marquis San Diego Marina • • •

Social Grazing • • •

Maxine • • •

Sol Agave • • •

FrontStream SPV LLC • •

Meesh Boutique • • •

South Coast Plaza • • •

Gail Jewelers • • •

Merrill Lynch • •

South Coast Repertory • • •

Vanguard • •

Gang Lin • • •

Minnow Swim • • •

Garys • • •

Mirror and Co. • • •

Spenuzza-Velastegui Family Foundation • •

Vanguard Charitable Endowment Program • • •

Goldman Sachs Gives • •

Monarch Real Estate • • •

Goldman, Sachs & Co. Matching Gift Program • •

Moncler • • •

Starbucks • • •

Goods and Goats Market • • •

Monique Lhuillier South Coast Plaza • • •

Strategic Hotels and Resorts • • •

Graves Construction • • •

Montage International • • •

StretchLab Laguna Niguel • • •

Stafford Prime • • • Steadman Charitable Lead Trust • •

Vaca • • • Valentino • • • Van Cleef & Arpels • • •

Vision Electric Boat Rental • • • Vista Hermosa Chiropratic • • • Water Grill South Coast Plaza • • • Wear Iris Jewelry • • • Wellness & Prevention Center • • •

Gravity Medical Spa • • •

MOYNAT South Coast Plaza • • •

Sugar Paper Los Angeles • • •

Wells Fargo Community Support • •

Hai-Lite Sports • • •

Muse Sushi House • • •

Sugared • • •

Handel's Ice Cream • • •

Neiman Marcus • • •

Sun Family Foundation • •

Wells Fargo Foundation Educational Matching Gifts Program • •

Hatch • • •

Nick Company Hospitality Group • • •

Sunstone Hotel Investors, Inc. • • •

Helton Skin & Laser Institute • •

North Lake Funding, Inc. • •

Sur la Table • • •

Honey Bear Events • • •

Northern Trust Charitable Giving Program • •

Surf and Sand Resort • • •

Hong Metals and Chemicals • • Hyatt Regency Indian Wells • • • Inn at the Mission • • •

OC PACE • • • Okta, Inc. • • •

Innovative Integrated Health • • •

Once Upon an Island • • •

J. Stanley & Mary W. Johnson Family Foundation • • •

Orange County Community Foundation • • •

Jay's Catering • • • JE Beaute' Inc. • • •

Orange County's United Way • • • P.F. Chang's • • •

Sweat Sanctuary • • • Tannins Restaurant and Wine Bar • • • Terry Dubrow, M.D. • • • Thagard Foundation • • The Andi Collins Foundation • • • The Anne and Henry Zarrow Foundation • • The Bauble Collective • • •

Jenni Kayne Newport • • •

Pacific Pearl Catering Co. • • •

Jewish Community Foundation San Diego • •

Paradise Dynasty Restaurant • • • Parent Teacher Fellowship • • •

The Bone Adventure • • •

Jimmy Choo South Coast Plaza • • •

Park Hyatt Aviara • • •

The Capital Grille • • •

JLE Industries • • •

Phitz Coffee • • •

The Cliff Restaurant • • •

Jo Malone • • •

PILECO, Inc. • •

The Crean Foundation • • •

Joey Newport Beach • • •

Pinnacle Tutoring • • •

The Drake Restaurant • • •

The Benevity Community Impact Fund • •

Wendi's Donuts • • • Zachari Dunes Hilton • • • Zinc Cafe & Market • • •

** Earnest effort has been made to recognize donors as they have indicated, however errors can occur. If your name has been mistakenly omitted, misspelled or listed incorrectly, please accept our sincere apologies and contact the Advancement Office.

HIGHLANDER

49

NON-PROFIT ORG. U.S. POSTAGE

PAID

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

MISSION VIEJO, CA PERMIT No 15

Change Service Requested

Tartan Traditions…

UPCOMING EVENTS

OCT. 1: Admission Application Available OCT. 13: Homecoming OCT. 23-24: Fall Break NOV. 4: Upper School Admission Open House NOV. 4: PTF Forever Plaid All-School Fundraiser NOV. 7: Kindergarten Admission Open House NOV. 14: Middle School Admission Open House NOV. 16: St. Margaret's Day NOV. 22-24: Thanksgiving Break NOV. 28: Early School Admission Open House DEC. 18-29: Christmas Break JAN. 3: School Resumes FEB. 1: Admission Application Deadline

St. Margaret’s Spring Dance Concert in Hurlbut Theater was a triumph in student expression, creativity and leadership. Among the performers was Ella Jia, whose self-choreographed Chinese cultural dance to “Theme Song of Red Sorghum” captivated the audience. Ella’s performance was one of nine Spring Dance Concert performances choreographed by students in the Upper School’s advanced dance and honors composition class.