Highlander Winter 2017

WINTER 2017

Building a Culture of Innovation

A Case for Play-Based Learning

The Vibrant Visual Arts

The High-Tech Athletic Department

Academic Rigor vs.

Academic Vigor

CONT E N T S DEPARTMENTS

2 TA R TA N SNA P SH OTS Learn the latest news happening around St. Margaret’s.

17 P E R SP ECT IVE

FE AT U R E S

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Creating a Culture of Innovation How are St. Margaret’s leaders pursuing the future of the school? Go behind the scenes to see how innovation takes center stage in the implementation of the Strategic Plan.

Head of School Will Moseley speaks to how St. Margaret's strives for vigorous vs. rigorous academics.

18 BY T HE NUMB ERS A closer look at the everyday of Lower School students.

22 LO O KING FO R WARD What colleges and universities look for— in their own words.

24 A LUMNI P R O FILE Justin Phan ’04 is a successful entrepreneur, yet he sees paying it forward to St. Margaret’s next wave of innovators as a high priority.

26 C L A SS NOT ES AN D ALU M NI UP DAT E S Learn the latest from your classmates and updates from the Tartan Alumni Association, including welcoming our newest class of alumni: The Class of 2016.

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36 TA R TA N SCENES

The High-Tech Athletic Department

Get to know St. Margaret’s Director of Athletics Patrick Bendzick and his innovative vision for Tartan athletics.

37 LO O KING B ACK A history of St. Margaret’s crest.

Through the generosity of a PTF grant, St. Margaret’s acquired HTC VIVE virtual reality systems, and students from Lower to Upper School have been testing virtual reality as a potential learning tool.

Under the leadership of Cris Lozon, St. Margaret’s Early Childhood Development Center stresses learning through play as a bedrock for student growth.

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

On the cover

A Case for Play

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The Vibrant Visual Arts

From preschool all the way up to Advanced Placement courses, visual arts at St. Margaret’s help students find their personal passion, better understand their world and learn habits that will benefit them the rest of their lives.

Artwork by Danielle Drislane (Grade 11)

GUIDEPOSTS

WINTER 2017

Message from the Head of School

ST. MARGARET’S EPISCOPAL SCHOOL William N. Moseley, Head of School EDITORIAL DIRECTOR Anne Dahlem MANAGING EDITOR Ryan Wood GRAPHIC DESIGN Sarah Kustera COPY EDITOR Jennifer Perez EDITORIAL BOARD Jeannine Clarke, Anne Dahlem, Ryan Dahlem, Jeneen Graham, William N. Moseley, Ryan Wood

Dear Friends, It is my pleasure to introduce this newest issue of the Highlander Magazine. We have been focusing this school year on building a culture of innovation among our professional learning community of educators, as well as infusing new initiatives and resources into the academic program to inspire our students along innovation paths.

In our cover story, we take you behind the scenes of the invigorating work of our ambitious Strategic Plan utilizing the design thinking methodology. You will visit the Preschool to meet our new director, Dr. Cris Lozon, and learn the research and thinking behind the play-based early childhood approach to teaching and learning for our youngest Tartans. Go inside the training room of Tartan athletics with Director of Athletics and Physical Education Patrick Bendzick to discover the latest technologies and systems optimizing and safeguarding our hard-working scholar-athletes. Immerse in the resource-rich everyday of a Lower School student, and visit the energetic start-up of a Tartan alumnus who is committed to bringing his entrepreneurship know-how to St. Margaret’s students.

CONTRIBUTORS Roland Allen, Patrick Bendzick, Daniel Berman, Jennifer Blount, Anne Dahlem, Ryan Dahlem, Jeneen Graham, Jillian Gray, Sarah Kustera, Cris Lozon, Mary Mayer-Grubb, William N. Moseley, Jennifer Perez, Justin Phan, Lillian Sauceda-Whitney, Jesse Standlea, Jonathan Tufo, Ryan Wood

Highlander magazine is published by the Communications Office as a St. Margaret’s Episcopal School community magazine.

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

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

These exciting stories come together to illustrate the vibrant learning experience for St. Margaret’s students every day that underpins our focus on a vigorous academic setting.

There is a lot happening at St. Margaret’s, and our future is bright! This energy and enthusiasm stems from a shared commitment to our mission, values and our students. Happy New Year, Tartans!

Sincerely,

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

Will Moseley, Head of School

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Tartan Snapshots ACADEMICS

St. Margaret’s Head of School William N. Moseley was named to the Governing Board of the National Association of Episcopal Schools. Mr. Moseley was elected to the board in April and will serve a three-year term that began on July 1 and will conclude on June 30, 2019.

Tartans Immerse in Engineering Research at UC Irvine this Summer Whether it was investigating the impact of fuel variability in natural gas on emissions, searching for ways to improve the corrosion resistance of gas turbine engines, or conceptualizing an affordable flight simulator chair, nine St. Margaret’s seniors spent their summer in the lab at the University of California, Irvine’s Samueli School of Engineering, gaining priceless research experience in fields that interest them. The St. Margaret’s-Samueli School internship program is in its 12th year matching engineering and science students with a UC Irvine faculty member in a research area that aligns with their interests. In addition to the experience and knowledge gained working alongside college engineering professors, the students also received college credit for their work.

GRADE 8 HISTORY PROJECT HONORS VETERANS More than 55 United States veterans received a special tribute from St. Margaret’s grade 8 students during a celebration culminating the end of a unique grade 8 history project.

Students worked in pairs to interview veterans of their choosing and honor them in a way that ensured their service to the nation will never be forgotten.

The project was developed as a service learning component to the grade 8 U.S. history curriculum. “It was a natural fit to take the concepts we’ve talked about all year: courage, hope, faith, honor and love, just to name a few, and link them to this veterans project,” said Middle School Assistant Principal and history teacher Mike Allison.

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UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS MAKE AND DONATE

3,000

LUNCHES FOR PEOPLE IN ORANGE COUNTY A blend of experiential learning, teamwork and community service culminated in an inspiring service-learning retreat that started the 20162017 school year for students in grades 10 and 11.

With only 48 hours to complete it, the project was arranged in conjunction with #HashtagLunchbag, a nonprofit with the goal “to bring awareness to hunger and other issues facing humanity, while building communities of people who are willing to proactively be kind.”

The task was to put together lunches, as many as they would determine possible, to be donated to people in need. The students were divided into 11 self-selected groups, each with their own specific role toward achieving the project. The 250 students achieved their goal, making 3,000 lunches that were donated to 14 different organizations throughout Orange County.

UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS EXPERIENCE SHAKESPEARE

Lower School Students Build NonCognitive Skills in a Fun Team Setting Grades 1, 2 and 3 took part in 30-minute design challenges of building shapes, towers and sturdy bridges. Students were given a goal and had to figure out how to achieve it with little direction. The structure of the challenges required extensive teamwork.

Practicing important creative and non-cognitive skills like problem-solving, persistence and teamwork in a stimulating environment was the purpose of the workshops. Rather than finding the path to the solution, students needed to create a path to the solution.

CELEBRATING 25 YEARS OF SPECIAL CAMP

The groundbreaking recreational and service-oriented summer camp for children and teens with disabilities celebrated its 25th birthday this summer. The St. Margaret’s Reverend Mike Wallens began Special Camp for Special Kids in 1992 with 15 campers and 20 counselors. This summer, 220 campers and 220 counselors participated and took part in activities that included trips to the San Diego Zoo, Knott’s Berry Farm and the beach at Oceanside Harbor. More than half of the counselors were St. Margaret’s students.

“Special Camp is truly unique because of its one-to-one camper-to-counselor ratio. Our participants travel from all over Southern California and beyond to be a part of Special Camp,” said Lindsay Eres, executive director of Special Camp for Special Kids. “As we celebrate 25 years, Special Camp strives to continue its role in the community for years to come.”

A group of Upper School students attended the Oregon Shakespeare Festival in a two-day experiential-learning opportunity that bridged their English and theater arts learning. The students attended the festival with their teacher-chaperones, English teacher Jamie Bunch and theater teacher Nate Wheeler, who developed the trip.

Ms. Bunch said, “When students begin to draw connections between disciplinary knowledge, they become more enthusiastic and invested in their learning.

In this case, students had an opportunity to study Shakespeare’s ‘Twelfth Night,’ in English and then see a production of it set in 1930’s Hollywood at the Oregon Shakespeare Festival. Conversely, they saw an adaptation of Great Expectations, by Charles Dickens. For many students this is their first exposure to Dickens and, should they study his novels in the future, they will forever link this experience to their later experiences of Dickens.

Sometimes English feeds theater and sometimes theater feeds English.”

HIST ORY DE PA RTM E N T AT T E N D S STA N FOR D WOR K SHOP ON INQU IRY-B A SE D T E ACHING St. Margaret’s history teachers attended a professional-development workshop by the Stanford History Education Group, picking up skills and tips related to inquiry-based history instruction—a method of teaching that revolves around asking essential questions, analyzing documents, studying sources and formulating conclusions. St. Margaret’s history department has moved toward inquiry-based instruction over the last several years, making this professional-development opportunity particularly relevant.

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Tartan Snapshots

LOWER SCHOOL STUDENTS EXCEL IN MATH COMPETITIONS St. Margaret’s grades 4 and 5 students competed against 36 schools from Orange County in the Math Field Day competition. The St. Margaret’s grade 4 team received first place in algebraic thinking, second place finishes in geometry and data analysis, fourth place in numbers and operations and fifth place in measurement.

At the All Girls Math Tournament hosted by Orange County Math Circle, two St. Margaret’s students, Fiona Lee and Simone Yang, placed in the top three for the individual and team competitions, respectively.

DR . CRIS LOZON AND THE PRESCHOOL'S PLAY-BASED LEARNING HIGHLIGHTED Dr. Cris Lozon, St. Margaret’s director of the Early Childhood Development Center, lent her expertise to the “Crib to College” education section published by The Capistrano Dispatch, San Clemente Times and Dana Point Times.

In the story, Dr. Lozon explains the value of play-based learning, a bedrock of St. Margaret’s ECDC curriculum. The article details how play is incorporated as a critical learning tool at the ECDC, and why play-based learning prepares students for academic and social success. Learn more about Dr. Lozon and play-based learning at St. Margaret's in "A Case for Play" on pg.12.

27 Students Inducted Into Prestigious International Cum Laude Society In a celebratory ceremony recognizing academic excellence this April, St. Margaret’s inducted 12 juniors, 13 seniors and two faculty members into the Cum Laude Society, an international honors organization for which only a small percentage of high school juniors and seniors qualify.

These students joined the members of the Class of 2016 who were inducted in 2015 as part of a longstanding tradition of academic honors that includes more than 350 St. Margaret’s inductees. Celebrating 30 years as a Cum Laude school, St. Margaret’s is one of only 382 chapters throughout the world, and the only Cum Laude member school in Orange County.

FACULTY AND STAFF SPEND A DAY SERVING LOCAL OC ORGANIZATIONS St. Margaret’s entire faculty and staff dedicated their final professional development day of the 2015-2016 school year to contributing significant resources and manpower to the missions and goals of 15 local charitable organizations in San Juan Capistrano and surrounding Orange County communities. Separated into service teams, the faculty and staff contributed more than 810 combined community service hours and performed much-needed community service projects for these local groups and in turn took away greater meaning, connection and commitment to the school’s mission and focus on service.

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Charitable organizations SMES supported include: • • • •

Laura’s House The Ecology Center The Incredible Edible Farm Special Camp for Special Kids • Family Assistance Ministries • San Juan Elementary’s Native Garden Project • San Juan Elementary

• Kinoshita Elementary • The Reserve at Rancho Mission Viejo • Operation Help a Hero • Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano • Welcome Inn • The Friendship Shelter • International Sanctuary

Athletics THE ARTS

COACH GLEN MILE S INDUCTED IN TO NATIONA L L ACROS SE H A LL OF FA ME

Senior Emily Van Duinen was named among The Orange County Register Varsity Arts Artist of the Year Top 10, in the dance category. Dance teacher and Emily’s nominator, Jamie Leneau, said, “Emily is an extremely talented, technical dancer, but the thing that really sets her apart is her ability to connect emotionally to the movement she is performing.” Showcasing her academic distinction, Emily was also inducted as a junior into the Cum Laude Society, an international honors organization.

St. Margaret’s boys’ lacrosse coach Glen Miles was inducted into the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame, class of 2016, by the U.S. Lacrosse Board of Directors at an official ceremony in Maryland. Coach Miles was a three-time All-American at the United States Naval Academy and was named United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association’s national Midfielder of the Year in 1986. He ranks 13th on the Midshipmen’s all-time scoring list with 140 points and was a member of the 1990 world champion U.S. Men’s National Team. At St. Margaret’s, Miles led the Tartans to two U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section Championships as head coach in 2013 and 2015.

SMES RECEIVES 13 CAPPIES NOMINATIONS, INCLUDING BEST MUSICAL

SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS The St. Margaret’s baseball team played a non-league contest against Saddleback Valley Christian in a big-league environment—Angel Stadium in Anaheim. Evan Clary had two hits and pitched six solid innings, while Alex Smith (pictured) had two hits and two RBIs. St. Margaret’s students received 13 nominations at the Orange County CAPPIES in performing, design and technical categories for their work during the 2015-2016 theater season on “The Skin of Our Teeth” and “The Secret Garden,” which also won the award for best musical. Cooper Zediker and Katherine Parrish (pictured) were honored at the CAPPIES Gala for significant achievement in play production. Cooper won for Best Stage Management and Katherine won Best Female Vocalist. After winning Best Vocal Female at the 2016 MACY Awards over the summer, Parrish also received a Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition from California’s 49th District Representative, Darrell Issa.

• The Tartans track and field team qualified 20 athletes for the CIF Southern Section Championships, with the boys 4x100, girls 4x400 and pole vaulter Aidan Smith qualifying for the CIF-SS Division IV finals. The two relays set school records in the process.

• Kelly Smith took third out of 42 entrants in the individual women’s shortboard final of the Scholastic Surf Series High School State Championships. Kelly battled through a four-stage bracket to the finals, advancing past 39 competitors to claim the third-place prize.

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

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C R E AT I N G A C U LT U R E O F

INNOvaTION : Building the Future of St. Margaret’s

By Anne Dahlem and Ryan Wood

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in • no • vate

/'in vāt/ verb ' e

To make changes in something established, especially by introducing new methods, ideas, or products.

W

hen newly appointed Assistant Head of School for Strategic Initiatives Ryan Dahlem received the Strategic Plan from Head of School Will Moseley, he was fully aware that it wasn’t just any plan. As Mr. Moseley had explained to the community upon its launch in early 2016, it is a visionary process that focuses on the school’s collective aspirations for the future, a stark contrast to the operational nature of standard strategic plans. Mr. Dahlem knew the implementation could not be standard either.

The two leaders imagined how the implementation might look. The Board of Trustees had already reviewed the state of the school, from the academic and student programs to financial health and sustainability, and found that it was incredibly strong, putting St. Margaret’s in a unique position to look forward and be bold and innovative in pursuing the future. They set important parameters. In best practice, the process should engage and leverage the expertise of all employees, faculty and staff alike. It would examine convention and take new approaches to imagining the student learning experience.

Most importantly, it must focus on the students, drawing from their input.

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Creative Confidence: Unleashing the Creative Potential Within Us All by Tom Kelley and David Kelley.

In August, Mr. Dahlem announced that the school would use the design thinking methodology to implement the strategic plan. Created by Stanford University’s d.School (Institute of Design), design thinking draws inspiration from the fields of engineering, design and social science as well as insights from the business world to tackle complex problems and to ultimately innovate to find new solutions.

The approach has led to countless innovations at creative hotbeds like IDEO, where design leaders like David Kelley passionately explore and define the needs and challenges of end users with few constraints. Design thinking is often associated with technology and product-design fields, yet it has been successfully applied by creative teams in many arenas where innovation is a critical goal. Design thinking itself is identified in the strategic plan as a skill to build in our students related to STEM curriculum.

Mr. Dahlem determined there was no better application of design thinking than at St. Margaret’s, an educational institution with a new vision and its sights set on innovation.

“This is a perfect approach for implementing our unique, aspirational strategic plan that the Board of Trustees entrusted to the faculty and staff. This work also aligns with Mr. Moseley’s school-wide goal of fostering a culture of innovation that he announced at the beginning of the school year. It is a bold plan, and we want to continue to approach this work with an eye toward innovation," he said.

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The design thinking process that St. Margaret’s committed to involves five important steps, with each playing an essential role in innovation.

1 2 3 4 5

E M PAT H I Z E . Establish empathy and understanding for the end user through ethnographic interviewing.

D E F I N E . Identify and define the end user’s need or problem.

I D E AT E . Work in fast-paced, time-constrained sessions to brainstorm and generate possible solutions, with few limits or constraints.

P R O TO T Y P E . Develop and build viable ideas.

T E S T. Meet with the end user to review and test prototypes for feedback and further refinement.

Mr. Dahlem’s inspiration to connect this design and engineering method with education was its focus on empathy. “One of the main themes of the design thinking process is to ‘fall in love with the end user.’ This clearly resonates with our commitment to knowing and loving every student and provides opportunities to deepen our connection with them and clarify our understanding of their needs.

“Design thinking is also a powerful tool in the hands of our exceptional faculty and staff. They are leveraging their professional expertise to affect creative change in our program as we realize the vision set forth by the Board,” said Mr. Dahlem.

STEP 1: LE ARNING DESIGN THINKING Once the process was identified, the entire faculty and staff had to learn the ins and outs of design thinking. Mr. Dahlem partnered with Academic Dean Jeneen Graham to devote professional-development resources to support this work.

Before the start of the school year in August, all faculty and staff engaged in a day-long, high-energy professional-development workshop dedicated to learning the methodology.

They partnered with a team of innovators from Lime Design to facilitate the workshop. Led by founder Maureen Carroll, Ph.D. lecturer at Stanford’s d.school and the Stanford University Graduate School of Education, Lime Design is a Bay Area firm with deep experience and understanding of design thinking and a creative approach to teaching the process to others.

In the workshop, St. Margaret’s faculty and staff were divided into small innovation teams that engaged in a needs-based design challenge that allowed them to learn and follow the five steps of the design thinking process.

The workshop provided an experiential opportunity for faculty and staff to immerse themselves in the methodology.

Participants were engaged and energized in the work, laying the framework and preparation for the next step of strategic planning.

The teams discussed their specific goal, defined their end user—in most cases students, but also including alumni, parents and other faculty—and strategized on how to best conduct their research.

Ethnographic interviewing, which faculty and staff learned during the August workshop, is a type of qualitative research that combines immersive observation and directed one-on-one interviews. Each team member then set out on their own to conduct at least two ethnographic interviews within the community.

According to Mr. Dahlem, “Ethnographic research is an incredible opportunity for adults on campus to deepen their understanding of our students through interviews about their perspective and shadow days, where we experience St. Margaret’s from their vantage point.”

Faculty and staff conducted interviews collecting insightful data about their specific strategic plan goal over the next several weeks. A few academic administrators also spent time shadowing students to fully immerse in a typical day at school. Mr. Dahlem shadowed a preschooler one day and an Upper School student on another, while Mr. Moseley spent a day shadowing a Middle School student.

"Ethnographic research is an incredible opportunity for adults on campus to deepen their understanding of our students through interviews about their perspective and shadow days where we experience St. Margaret’s from their vantage point.”

S T E P 2 : G AT H E R I N G E M P AT H Y T H R O U G H ETHNOGR APHIC INTERVIEWS AND SHADOWING The strategic plan is organized into 16 actionable goals across five priorities: high expectations, character, community, balance and breadth, and institutional sustainability. In September, the faculty and staff reconvened and divided into 16 teams, each tackling one goal within the plan.

Importantly, Mr. Dahlem asked every employee to self-select a goal team based on their passion, expertise and interest. Rather than appoint teams, this unconventional approach created diverse groups of employees from across the school who had shared energy and enthusiasm for the goal at hand and created an environment ripe for innovation.

“My shadow day in Middle School was an amazing experience to get to know the everyday of our students more personally,” Mr. Moseley said. “To walk in their footsteps and to experience their challenging course material and full schedules, with the balance of community in the courtyards with their classmates and in reflection in Chapel seated within advisory groups. There was so much to learn and take away from the day spent as a student, and the empathy derived from these experiences will be invaluable.”

The overall process also allowed for leadership among the faculty and staff by identifying two team leaders for each of the 16 goals. Those leaders worked with Mr. Dahlem and Dr. Carroll in small-group training sessions to further develop their skills to lead the design thinking process within their teams.

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S T E P 3 : D E F I N E , I D E AT E , P R OTOT Y P E A N D T E S T !

The entire October in-service day was dedicated to defining user needs and the high-energy work of ideating, prototyping and testing solutions with end users. Dr. Carroll and the Lime Design team returned to support the 16 teams. Employees eagerly reassembled in their teams with their qualitative data in hand to share findings.

“As the teams dug into the data from their field research, they identified common themes and ‘friction points’ that are often helpful in finding areas where innovation is most needed,” said Mr. Dahlem. “There was so much energy in every classroom as our employees discovered shared findings and new realizations that led to authentic lightbulb moments. It was very exciting to witness innovation at work.”

The teams created “user need statements” to further define the need or problem that needed a solution. In the ideate phase, the teams engaged in spirited, no-holds-barred, yet timelimited brainstorm sessions where they called out potential ideas, jotted them on Post-it Notes and slapped them on the walls. “Start school later!” “Create interdisciplinary courses!”

“Global exchange experiences!” “Social media curriculum!” “A mindfulness course!” “A bridge over Rancho Viejo Road!” These were some of the many ideas shouted out across the 16 teams.

Ideate sessions are intentionally condensed and active, proven to elicit original and unique ideas that often lead to even better, more robust solutions and innovations.

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Teams then selected several of their most promising ideas, even combining elements of multiple ideas, to take to the next step of prototyping—using physical materials to build an actual embodiment of their solution, bringing their concept to life. The prototypes included new daily schedules and courses, creative service learning and peer mentorship programs, virtual reality cultural exchanges, facilities designs, a choose-your-own-adventure course-selection process, and a St. Margaret’s credit card to benefit the endowment, among many others.

“The opportunity for faculty and staff to self-select their areas of interests in the strategic plan was really powerful. We were very invested in the process, and we generated so many innovative ideas, it was inspiring,” said Lower School teacher Rebecca Tufo. “In the design thinking process, I connected most with empathizing with our end users, our students, and found their feedback and insights invaluable. As teachers, I took away that we should more frequently ask our students for feedback to use in our ongoing planning and teaching.”

More than 50 St. Margaret’s students and parents came to campus and joined teams to have prototypes presented. They provided immediate feedback on the ideas that was then noted and incorporated into the concepts. This early testing phase with the actual end user of each goal allowed for direct input and reinforced empathy, and is a critical component of the design thinking process.

“We cannot underestimate the intrinsic value of training our employees and utilizing the design thinking process...

The future possibilities and ripples from this new skill base are endless. That is the essence of creating a culture of innovation."

- Will Moseley

St. Margaret’s parent Andrea Reeves, who served as a prototype tester along with her son Jake, grade 6, said, “I enjoyed seeing the exciting new ideas and the possible future plans for the school. What I liked best about the testing of the prototypes is the manner in which the school engages the student body in the process. Not only does it make the students feel like their voices matter and that they are an integral part of the team, but knowing that they were part of the process will make them even more excited for the changes that are ultimately implemented.”

Grade 8 student Liam Ghahreman said, “I enjoyed how honest everyone was and how we could communicate not as teacher and student, but as designer and tester.”

Mr. Dahlem noted, “Again, empathy is at the heart of this process. That was clearly evident at the beginning of the day as faculty and staff shared input from their interviews and at the end of the day when feedback on new ideas was received in person from students, parents and employees. Getting that immediate input from students and others was powerful and improved our ideas.

“We are excited about the next step of moving forward the most promising ideas and soon testing them in real applications on campus, and continuing to refine them through ongoing feedback and iteration.”

Mr. Moseley offered a broader perspective on this work.

“The next steps of taking this work to implementation are critical to the progress of our strategic plan, yet we cannot underestimate the intrinsic value of training our employees and utilizing the design thinking process for this important work at St. Margaret’s. The future possibilities and ripples from this new skill base, in the classroom and across all our business functions, are endless. That is the essence of creating a culture of innovation.”

ST. MARGARET’S INNOVATION PILOT PROGRAMS VIRTUAL RE ALIT Y St. Margaret’s leaders are continuing to explore new ways for students to learn.

This year through the generosity of a PTF Grant, educators are closely studying virtual reality as a potential learning tool at St. Margaret’s.

The school recently acquired two HTC VIVE virtual reality systems, including immersive headsets, that students from Lower to Upper School have been testing. An Upper School club has been established of students who dedicate time to testing the equipment, generating content and demonstrating the technology for others. In addition, outside virtual and augmented reality systems creators like zSpace have visited campus and let students engage in VR and AR educational content.

“This exploration is in line with our Strategic Plan that calls us to keep pace with technological advances and consider their application in deepening the learning experiences of our students. Already we’ve seen incredible excitement and engagement with VR technology and will continue exploring its potential as a powerful learning tool across multiple content areas,” said Ryan Dahlem, assistant head of school for strategic initiatives.

ENTREPRENEURIAL S TUDIES St. Margaret’s 2016 Strategic Plan calls for a focus on innovation and expanded entrepreneurship and experiential education programs for students. Mr. Dahlem and Upper School Principal Tony Jordan attended The Educator’s Workshop for Entrepreneurial Studies last summer, leading to exciting conversations about the future of entrepreneurial studies at St. Margaret’s. Pilot units in entrepreneurial studies have recently launched in the Upper School’s math for financial markets course, co-taught by Mr. Dahlem and math teacher Andrew Hammond. The students are working with the Irvine start-up company VYRL, co-founded by St. Margaret’s alumnus Jason Goldberg ’13. The class is researching VYRL’s business model and the market to create proposals on how to use $1 million in funding and then pitch their ideas to Mr. Goldberg and his partners.

Next semester, the same students will apply Lean LaunchPad, an innovative entrepreneurship methodology that Mr. Dahlem and Mr. Jordan learned at the workshop, to create their own start-up companies culminating with a pitch to potential investors.

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INTERDISCIPLINARY LE ARNING In the Upper School, the math and science departments collaborated on a 100-page workbook that blends the teachings of grade 9 math and science to help students connect the concepts of each. The “Mathematical Methods of Science” workbook, written by the St. Margaret’s math department led by chair Elizabeth O’Shea, was created to help students learn math concepts that will be used in Physics 9, as well as allowing them to stay refreshed in algebra skills in a year in which many students take geometry.

“We are always looking for ways to coordinate and identify synergies in our curricula across departments because we know that interdisciplinary learning provides deeper connection in all subjects for our students,” said Jeneen Graham, St. Margaret’s academic dean. “This collaboration between the math and science departments is an outstanding example of how we approach curriculum development and seek ways to bridge disciplines and advance their mutual relevance for our students.”

SERVICE LE ARNING PROGR AM As a new graduation requirement that will potentially replace the 70-servicehours model, every St. Margaret’s Upper School student would participate in an ongoing service learning team. Students will first conduct a personalstrengths assessment, then self-select on a service team based on passion and impact. Each service team will partner with a local organization, conduct a needs analysis, create solutions to those needs and consistently serve throughout the year during dedicated school time. The year will close with a personal reflection component. A small group of Upper School students is piloting the model this spring.

C U LT U R A L C O M P E T E N C Y SCHOL AR IN RESIDENCE In March 2017, national thought leader and educator on cultural competency Rosetta Lee will spend a week at St. Margaret’s as scholar in residence. With deep experience teaching and leading in independent schools, Ms. Lee will immerse in the St. Margaret’s communityleading workshops and conversations with all constituencies from students to the Board of Trustees about building inclusive communities, developing individual cultural competency skills, understanding of identity and exploration of larger topics of equity and justice.

O U T D O O R E D U C AT I O N L E A D E R S H I P E X P E R I E N C E S This spring, Upper School rising seniors and juniors will have the opportunity to engage in an outdoor leadership experience taking them out of their comfort zones, nurturing independence, self-reliance, leadership, nature immersion, teamwork, grit and perseverance. As part of the Independent Seniors Project program, graduating seniors will have the option to engage in a challenging experience that prepares them for the transition to life after St. Margaret’s and readiness for adulthood. They will navigate outdoor activities with increasing technical challenges, taking turns leading their teams and developing outdoor skills.

Read the Strategic Plan including updates and timeline of activities at W W W. S M E S . O R G / S T R AT E G I C P L A N

Read the Strategic Plan, including updates and timeline of activities at W W W. S M E S . O R G / S T R AT E G I C P L A N

PILOT PROGRAMS

Take a look.

innovation

St. Margaret’s already has several new pilot programs underway that support goals of the 2016 Strategic Plan.

A CASE FOR

play At St. Margaret’s Early Childhood Development Center, learning through play is a bedrock that gives young children the skills needed to excel.

By Ryan Wood

In St. Margaret’s Early Childhood Development Center, play is never far away. Learning through play has long been emphasized as a crucial educational tool at St. Margaret’s. Furthermore, it is a passion of Cris Lozon Ed.D., the new director of the ECDC. It is a leading methodology that gives earlychildhood students the freedom to explore their surroundings and learn how it all works.

Or, as Dr. Lozon says, “Play allows children to practice their world.”

In educational research, there are parameters that qualify an activity as play-based learning: • It is voluntary.

• It is intrinsically motivated.

• It is enjoyable.

• It emphasizes the process over the product. “You can make as many mistakes as you want. There are no right or wrong answers in play,” says Dr. Lozon.

There are volumes of studies dating back decades that confirm the benefits of play-based learning. There are researchers who have devoted their careers advocating for more of it, and books written about its necessity in people of all ages. Fortune 500 companies have made it a point to incorporate play into their businesses, recognizing its value even for adults.

But it’s with children where play is the most abundant—and most important. “Play is and always has been a critical element of learning,” says Jeneen Graham, St. Margaret’s academic dean. “It is the part of learning that makes it irresistible, something you would do even if you didn’t have to. It unlocks creativity and provides untold psychological benefits.”

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It also follows St. Margaret’s students throughout their educational experience. Assistant Head of School for Strategic Initiatives Ryan Dahlem recently spent time shadowing a preschool student and an Upper School student as part of the research process for implementing the Strategic Plan. He noticed striking similarities between the two students—for example, a 3-year-old preschool student building with large hollow blocks, and across campus an 18-year-old senior working with blocks in class using technology to measure force and friction.

At St. Margaret’s, a pillar of early-childhood education is “play with a purpose.” By placing parameters around play, St. Margaret’s early-childhood teachers are able to make play a fulfilling and fun time for children while also preparing them to excel academically, socially and emotionally in the Lower School, Middle School, Upper School and beyond.

Play at St. Margaret’s ECDC is structured in a way that lets children decide their activity, says Dr. Lozon, while ensuring the activity chosen works on the skills emphasized that day. Before the children arrive at school, teachers will set up their classrooms to emphasize certain skills that are planned for that day.

On certain days, for example, it’s fine-motor skills—which are critical to building coordination and working with instruments, like pencils for writing.

“So we’re going to choose things that really work on fine-motor skills.

We’re going to put out clay. We’re going to put out writing utensils, tracing materials, things you have to cut or hole-punch or paint,” Dr. Lozon said. “When the children come in, they’re making those voluntary choices with what’s already set out.”

On other days, Dr. Lozon sees how blocks can open up a world of learning. Through simply building with blocks, children learn math and science, part-to-whole and whole-to-part concepts, as well as fractions, balance and gravity as they manipulate blocks that are divided into fractions of a whole block.

Research shows that when young children get to choose their own activity, even among a set number of choices, they are more engaged and stay on task longer than when doing what’s specifically instructed by a teacher. According to researchers at the University of South Florida, a sense of excitement and novelty in the classroom generates dopamine, a neurotransmitter that creates a feeling of well-being. Emotions drive attention, and attention drives learning.

“Play is and always has been a critical element of learning. It is the part of learning that makes it irresistible, something you would do even if you didn’t have to.”

- Jeneen Graham “Children learn most favorably in positive, stimulating learning environments, where they are able to make the decision about their own thinking and learning,” said Stephen Rushton, who led the study. “Being allowed to choose a topic of inquiry has immediate ‘buy in’ from the child.”

Dr. Lozon has been a passionate advocate of learning through play during a long career in early childhood education that has taken her around the world. She has a Doctor of Education from NOVA Southeastern University, and has spent more than 20 years teaching at international schools in the Philippines, Japan, Italy and South Korea. She was most recently at the Chadwick School in Palos Verdes, Calif., before joining St. Margaret’s this year. She has presented on learning through play at large conferences, including the National Association for the Education of Young Children, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and the International Play Association.

Upon first arriving at St. Margaret’s, Dr. Lozon remembers her eyes lighting up when visiting the campus. “They have play here!” she remembers thinking.

It’s evident everywhere you look within the ECDC, particularly within the nationally-recognized Ingrid Andrews Outdoor Classroom where earlychildhood students spend roughly half of their day. There are blocks and crates set out for constructive play, a stage and costumes for dramatic play, an outdoor science lab with live chickens, a butterfly garden, an artist’s studio, a library, a theater and a gym. It has been identified as a model for other schools by the California Outdoor Classroom Product, and it supports the learning-through-play methodology that St. Margaret’s educators know is critical for a life of learning.

“I didn’t have to convince anyone here,” Dr. Lozon says. “Play is a bedrock.

Now, we’re taking that bedrock here in the ECDC and building skyscrapers on top of it.”

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Faculty Profile

The Innovative Athletic Department Patrick Bendzick took notice of how innovation, technology and data had turned St. Margaret’s classrooms into advanced hubs of learning. It only made sense that the athletic department do the same.

“Athletics at St. Margaret’s does not operate in a silo,” says Mr. Bendzick, St. Margaret’s director of athletics and physical education. “We believe that participating in a sport is an integral component of the overall experience, and it’s our responsibility to promote the mission of the school. An innovative athletic program aligns with the cutting-edge work that is being done in the classroom.”

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A Revamped Tartan Field The new playing surface on the Tartan Field was one of the most noticeable facility upgrades heading into the 2016-2017 school year.

Above: St. Margaret’s weight room is equipped with seven iPads that students use to access their individual workouts and input data that can be analyzed by the coaching staff.

“The athletic department coaches determined the ideal playing surface,” St. Margaret’s Athletic Director Patrick Bendzick said. "We considered a lot of factors. How does a soccer ball roll on these surfaces?

What does changing the color of the rubber pellets do to surface temperature?

I am very appreciative for the collaborative process and the thoughtful input from all of our coaches. It was very important.”

Since taking charge of the athletic department in 2015, Mr. Bendzick has further embraced innovation and technology as not only a pillar for athletic performance, but as a tool necessary for delivering an all-encompassing and consistent school experience for students.

Mr. Bendzick also acknowledged the foresight of the school to put funds aside after the initial installation of artificial turf on the Tartan Field in 2007. Knowing artificial surfaces need replacing every eight to 10 years, St. Margaret’s put funds in a reserve account each month to provide for the replacement when it would be needed.

The technological innovations just in the past year are numerous. With Mr. Bendzick’s direction, individual coaches are exploring high-tech tools for better training and increased safety. This year, St. Margaret’s football players started wearing Riddell helmets with the InSite Impact Response System, which consist of sensors inside the helmet to detect when a hit has exceeded a safe amount of force to the head, whether or not the player is showing any concussion symptoms. Meanwhile, surfing coach Peter Soderin is exploring the use of Trace, a device mounted on surfboards that can provide quantifiable data such as number of waves, speed and cutback statistics.

The end result is a cutting-edge, multi-purpose playing surface that can be used for a variety of sports, events and activities.

The soft rubber pellets of the artificial surface, typically black, are instead coated with a green polymer for a more natural look that also keeps the surface temperature of the field cooler in the heat. In addition, the blades of grass are a combination of traditional blades and extruded blades to look aesthetically pleasing while also allowing for a more natural surface ideal for multiple uses.

In St. Margaret’s always-busy weight room, the department mounted iPads onto the walls next to equipment stations and set up BridgeAthletic, an innovative platform that leverages technology to help coaches create, deliver and track athlete training and progress. Student-athletes can look up their profile on any of the iPads, or on their own mobile devices, to see the workout prescribed to them by the St. Margaret’s coaching staff.

They then log the repetitions and weight they complete, and Strength Coach Daniel Berman analyzes that data and adjusts the training plans accordingly for added efficiency. That efficiency is important for Upper School students who are busy scholars and often multi-sport athletes who need every minute maximized.

Tartan Field is always busy, with the football, soccer, lacrosse and baseball teams practicing and competing there, in addition to physical education classes, summer programs and community events.

“Everybody needs something different from the field,” Mr. Bendzick said. “It ended up being a fantastic all-purpose field for all of our needs.”

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T H E M U LT I -S P O R T AT H L E T E In an age of youth sports specialization in which many athletes are encouraged to find one sport and exclusively stick with it, St. Margaret’s has a different take. The Tartan athletic department encourages its students to participate in multiple sports, even within one season, and coaches and administrators work with athletes to make it a manageable and successful part of the overall student experience. There are studies showing positive correlation between multi-sport participation and injury prevention, and data from the 2016 NFL Draft shows that 85 percent of those picked played multiple sports in high school.

“We’re okay with bucking the trend of specialization,” Mr. Bendzick said.

“We encourage the multiple-sport athletes. We’re even okay with kids playing two sports at one time. We have the resources and the coachto-athlete ratio to do that.”

cross country and track and field squads. A lifelong athlete himself, he ran collegiately at California State University, Long Beach and stays in shape by frequently participating in cross country workouts with his team in the fall. He led both the boys and girls squads to the CIF-Southern Section finals this fall, one of only 16 schools to advance both teams.

After practice, he takes a shower, puts his suit back on and finishes his work day by conducting parent meetings, attending St. Margaret’s sporting events and catching up on calls and emails.

“Patrick’s complex job duties rarely make for a typical day,” Upper School Principal Tony Jordan said, “He’s always on the go, checking in with student-athletes, reaching out to coaches, working alongside administrators. He works hard for this school and its student-athletes, and it shows every single day.”

“Our mission at St. Margaret’s is to educate the hearts and minds of young people for lives of learning, leadership and service. We truly believe in our contribution to that mission and take particular pride in the ‘hearts’ portion.”

Such a philosophy takes unanimous support from St. Margaret’s coaches and really the entire school community. Mr. Bendzick cites hiring the right coaches who embrace the school’s mission as one of his most important duties. He’s proud that St. Margaret’s coaches are willing to elevate their leadership on the athletic field in a positive way that goes beyond wins and losses.

It makes for a full schedule, but Mr. Bendzick thrives on the demands.

He never stops aiming for a better athletic department at St. Margaret’s, aspiring for Tartan athletics to be a “big fish in a big pond,” even if the student body is often smaller than other local schools. That’s why technology, innovation and an unwavering dedication among his team to work with students for their growth and success is so important.

“Can we hire the same caliber of people that we bring into the classroom?” Mr. Bendzick says. “Yes. That’s our benchmark.”

A D AY I N T H E L I F E

Competitiveness and on-field success is always a motivator on the playing field, but the ultimate goal of athletics at St. Margaret’s is never far from Mr. Bendzick’s mind—developing students and preparing them for the rest of their lives.

The life of an athletic director is a busy one. After dropping off his two daughters, both St. Margaret’s students, Mr. Bendzick starts the day in a full suit and tie, attending meetings, going over contracts, communicating with CIF officials, overseeing general athletic business, checking in with coaches and meeting with student-athletes.

“Athletics is a reflection of the real world,” Mr. Bendzick said. “This is what competing for a job is going to look like. Here’s what disappointments are going to look like. We give our kids so many life lessons. We give them the ability to work with adults and work with each other and have that social interaction.

When 3 p.m. hits, “this place really livens up,” he says from his office overlooking Pasternack Field House. Mr. Bendzick will change into his athletic gear and get ready for his other passion as head coach of the

“Our mission at St. Margaret’s is to educate the hearts and minds of young people for lives of learning, leadership and service. We truly believe in our contribution to that mission and take particular pride in the ‘hearts’ portion.”

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Perspective

Academic Vigor, Not Rigor, Is Best For Our Children

By Head of School, Will Moseley

Providing every St. Margaret’s student a broad and deep field of study guided by expert and loving faculty, and an energetic, engaged peer group is ideal for nurturing their full potential.

We don’t, however, expect every student to do all things and try to notch advanced course after advanced course in a never-ending race toward achievement.

Again, from the American Heritage Dictionary, vigor is defined as 1. Physical or mental strength, energy, or force; 2. The capacity for natural growth and survival; 3. Strong feeling; enthusiasm or intensity.

We are often asked the question, “How academically rigorous is St. Margaret’s?” Many schools and even outside ranking methods attempt to show the “rigor” of an academic program through number of high-level courses, APs and even post-AP courses. This seems to fuel an increasing demand and appetite for students to accelerate and work to strenuous levels to rack up an impressive transcript of these courses across the curriculum.

Academic rigor is something that many fine independent schools like St. Margaret’s tout as a highlight of their institution’s quality, and there is no doubt that St. Margaret’s certainly shows very well against this popular description. Yet, I believe, we at St. Margaret’s stand counter to the notion of academic rigor.

Several years ago, I read an article in Independent School Magazine by fellow educator Amy Purcell Vorenberg of The Philadelphia School that has stayed with me.

She explained that she too struggled with the notion of academic rigor and offered the American Heritage Dictionary definition of rigor: 1. Strictness or severity, as in

temperament, action or judgement; 2. A harsh or trying circumstance; hardship; 3. A harsh or cruel act.

Is this what we want for our children? I agree with Ms. Vorenberg that this is not the kind of experience parents and educators actually want for children. Rather than academic rigor, we believe academic vigor more accurately conveys the type of learning environment and scaffolding we want for our St. Margaret’s students.

As St. Margaret’s educators, we are ever focused on providing our students, as young as 3 and all the way up to 18 years old, a rich, developmentally appropriate, yet challenging academic curriculum that ignites a love of learning in each and every one of them. We know the pathway to a love of learning is often not going to be exactly the same thing for every child. Some students get excited at a young age in computer programming through robotics, while others delve into a universe of stories and experiences through reading literature and writing their own narratives. Others come alive through the study of music, and yet others immerse themselves in world history and even the study of culture and languages.

Ms. Vorenberg says, “Is it not our goal to engage students as active, energetic learners? To empower students to think boldly and intensely about math concepts or scientific inquiries?

Isn’t it our greatest satisfaction when students apply their intellectual and creative energy to problem solving in ways that inspire and extend our own understanding as teachers?”

We describe our St. Margaret’s community as one with shared purpose and energy, where students, faculty, administrators and parents are eager and enthusiastic to be here, to be together, to grow and learn. Classrooms are alive with examination and debate, and students have unlimited opportunities to discover new passions and interests. We nurture and celebrate not test scores and GPA’s as the goal, rather the byproduct of a true love of scholarship and intellectual vitality.

Academic vigor seems a far more apt description of the St. Margaret’s learning environment that we want for our children to grow and thrive, and what is truly present here each and every day.

HIGHLANDER

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By The Numbers

The everyday of a

Lower School Tartan

By Anne Dahlem The everyday of a St. Margaret’s Lower School student is unmatched in quality of instruction, faculty expertise and bountiful resources from which to learn and grow. A St. Margaret’s education invests in the significant and subtle, the tangible and intangible, thoughtfully-designed elements nurturing the hearts and minds that come together to create the exceptional learning experience for every St. Margaret’s student.

The Academic Setting: QUALIT Y INSTRUCTION:

I N S P I R I N G , T E C H N O L O G Y- R I C H E N V I R O N M E N T:

specially-designed Classrooms with movable desks accommodate all kinds of learning settings and configurations, with ample space for class meetings, presentations and group activities.

19-23 Students per class

2

Professional Educators

1 lead classroom teacher + 1 instructional assistant Every teacher and instructional assistant at St. Margaret’s holds a bachelor's degree and is a California credentialed teacher.

Many hold advanced degrees.

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Instructional Assistants

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Special Subject Teachers

Lower School Principal Assistant Principal Community Life DirectOr REading SPecialist

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(Makerspace, Robotics, and Engineering)

Visual Arts Studio Science Lab

Multiple Playgrounds

Lower School Library

2 natural turf athletic fields (Including Chalmers Field)

Campaigne Center Gymnasium

All-Steinway Performing Arts Education Center

4

Dedicated Staff

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I.C.E. Lab WISTERIA-COVERED LUNCH AREA

Classroom Teachers

Microsoft Surface tablets and Laptops

L O W E R S C H O O L C A M P U S FA C I L I T I E S :

PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES:

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one-to-one

Promethean Smartboards and document cameras

allows teachers to know every student and to differentiate instruction so each child is met at their place and can grow at their own pace.

The Curriculum: Developmentally-appropriate curriculum focuses on the age and development of the whole child at each grade level. The academic leadership team continually designs and assesses the robust curriculum that incorporates research-based strategies and materials. Professional faculty teach with fidelity to ensure consistency and accuracy of teaching and learning for every student.

Each student is assessed and their needs are determined and met through both whole and small group instruction.

Benchmarked and researched using national standards like the ERB, the curriculum surpasses leading K-12 independent school national data year-over-year.

The Lower School is committed to shaping the entire young person through character and spirituality education, artistic, social and physical experiences woven into the fabric of every day.

Chapel and the Good Shepherd Program nurture character, grace, community, fellowship and spiritual wellness. The Character Counts! Program develops traits that guide good decision making.

O U R E V E R Y D AY: C H A L L E N G I N G T H E M I N D, S H A P I N G T H E H E A R T

morning Chapel: 4x /week

Led by St. Margaret’s Chaplains, a time for proclamation, celebration, solace and reflection of God’s goodness and unconditional love for every person.

Mathematics: 80 “Everyday Mathematics”

MINS/DAY

by the University of Chicago

8 special subject classes:

3x /week - Science, Choir/orchestra/band (grades 4-5), and p.e.

WEekly - I.C.e./Stem LaB, MUSic (Grades k-3), Library, Visual Arts, Spanish Language and Culture, and Good shepHErd program

leadeRshIP:

lanGuage aRts:

“Readers and Writers PrOject”

by Columbia University Teachers College

45

minutes writing

+ 60

minutes reading

Student Council Green Team, Positive Character COmmittee Arts COmmission.

Tartan Traditions:

HOUSE LEAGUES: Belmont

oxford

CarlTon

york

Mascot

Scottie Dog

Lower school Uniform Red Sweaters and Tartan Plaid symbolize the Lower School years for all Tartans.

Treasured Moments:

Grades K-5 Buddy PrOgram Tartan Trot • Crazy Hair Day Pajama DaY • Halloween Parade Grandparents & Special Friends’ Day Santa's Scottie WOrkshop HIGHLANDER

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The VibrantVisual Arts At St. Margaret’s, visual arts is linked from Preschool through the Upper School as a way to build creative thinking skills and discover an outlet for self-expression.

By Ryan Wood Consistent with the preschool’s play-based learning philosophy, visiting the art studio is completely student-driven. Mrs. Whitney draws a crowd most days, with clay set out, paint and brushes next to easels and tables with supplies that consistently tempt the young Tartans. At this age, art works fine-motor, problem-solving and creative skills, and Mrs. Whitney allows for self-teaching and independence by allowing the students to control their own projects.

“I let them use materials the way they want to,” Mrs. Whitney said. “There is no right and no wrong. It is the pleasure of creating.”

As students advance into the Lower School, the faculty begins incorporating elements of visual literacy, and students learn about various art elements and principles. Lower School art teacher Mary Mayer-Grubb begins to introduce art analysis to students around grade 3, by looking at works of famous artists and discussing what they think the art is trying to portray.

T

he journey starts inside the art studio of the Early Childhood Development Center’s outdoor classroom, where paint, clay, crayon rocks, scissors and paste are the tools that unlock imaginations and build fine-motor skills among the youngest Tartans on campus.

their personal passion, better understand and appreciate the world they live in, connect to other cultures and learn an array of mental habits like visual-spatial abilities, reflection, self-criticism, experimentation and an aspiration for excellence through practice, patience and persistence.

By the end of the road, visual arts students in St. Margaret’s Upper School can create stunning sculptures, learn the intricacies of digital photography or create a painting so powerful it’s a strong contender at one of many art competitions in which St. Margaret’s students traditionally thrive.

During free time on an otherwise busy Tuesday, sophomore Michael (Lewis) Smith ventured into the classroom of Jesse Standlea, teacher and chair of the visual arts department, to work on his ceramics project.

Under the watchful eyes of faculty members who cast a wide net of expertise, visual arts students at St. Margaret’s show that the creative nature of their work makes for a more complete educational experience.

The numerous paths visual arts students can take at St. Margaret’s help them find and develop

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“I like coming in here,” he said as he looked over his work. “I get to focus on something that’s coming from me.”

Lewis sees the self-expression of visual arts as a vital part of his day, and he’s not alone, evident all the way down to St. Margaret’s preschoolers.

ECDC art teacher Lillian Sauceda-Whitney slides open the floor-to-ceiling glass doors of the art studio each day, inviting students inside.

Those discussions touch on art history, criticalthinking skills and the virtue of “not taking things at face value.”

“It’s all right to interpret art any way you want,” Mrs. Mayer explains, “It’s valuable for young children to have confidence in their own ideas.”

Those discussions can unleash a new wave of creative spirit as students begin to expand their potential. Mrs. Mayer sees her role as “cultivating a love of art” in the Lower School, which often means choosing projects carefully. For example, students don't practice drawing until grade 3 to avoid frustration from a skill that’s difficult at a younger age. But, by grade 5, students are adept at sketching, practicing abstract art and even learning art history.

Students are offered even more visual arts options once they enter the Middle School.

From an Honors Creative Studio for students in grades 6 and 7 to a variety of electives in grade 8 featuring digital media, portrait drawing and 2D art and 3D design held in the cutting-edge

"The numerous paths visual arts students can take at St. Margaret’s help them find and develop their personal passion, better understand and appreciate the world they live in, connect to other cultures, and learn an array of mental habits." design and fabrication lab, a high-tech classroom that integrates art with STEM initiatives using technologies such as laser cutters and 3D printers.

The opportunities expand further in the Upper School. Beginning with foundation classes in studio art, clay hand building, photography and digital media, students have the option to progress in one specialty all the way up to the Advanced Placement level. There, they can challenge themselves in AP courses like 3D design, photography, art history, drawing and studio art.

In the AP drawing and 2D design classes, students work with a graphite, vine and compressed charcoal, watercolor, ink, acrylic paint, digital photographs and mixed media to produce a variety of work including still lifes, portraits, figures, landscapes and abstract artworks.

Visual arts students at St. Margaret’s are creating work under the direction of experts in their specialty. Both Mr. Standlea and Phillip Griswold are professional artists who frequently exhibit their work. Middle School teacher Ashley Ricart, head of the design and fabrication lab, is a talented 3D artist with an animation background who recently designed masks for the Middle School musical The Lion King Jr. to high acclaim.

Karen Poffenberger and Nicki Yokota bring years of photography and digital-media experience to the classroom, and it shows.

“When you’re figuring out all these processes for yourself, it’s like a continuous professional development,” Mr. Standlea said. “We’re constantly learning and discovering new things, and we’re excited to share them with our students.”

As a department, the teachers visit other schools to view facilities and pick up ideas. The department then brainstorms collectively, with Mr. Standlea noting that “it’s really strengthened the conversations we’ve had in the department.”

Student Artwork by (left to right): Danielle Drislane (Grade 11), Evette Chung (Grade 11), Tyler Francis (Grade 11), Isabella Blount (Grade 10), Campbell Healy (Grade 3), Charlie Toney (Grade 12), Alison Meany (Grade 11)

Every new idea implemented must stay consistent with the visual arts department’s goal: to offer experiences that allow students to be fully involved in the process of art and all the value it brings, whatever the media and whatever the method.

HIGHLANDER

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What Colleges Look For— In Their Words This fall, more than 150 representatives of colleges and universities across the nation visited St. Margaret’s campus to meet with Upper School students as they prepare to make college choices.

These visits have many benefits to students, explains Roland Allen, St. Margaret’s director of college counseling who arranges these visits with his team of two additional full-time college counselors. ”Our students are able to meet in small groups with college reps and learn what individual colleges value in the application. At other college fair venues they’d be competing with hundreds of students for the attention of college reps, where here it is very personal and one-on-one. They can ask specific questions about the college, its majors and programs.

"Another benefit is that our college counselors are able to encourage students to visit with representatives at colleges that the student may not know very well. There could be a potential match with a college that a student hasn’t previously considered.”

During their visits, several representatives took time to offer their advice on the process, from essays to applications to tips for parents and younger students about college:

Q: Why is it important for you to visit St. Margaret’s and meet face-to-face with students?

“The philosophy at our school is to meet students where they are. Not everyone can make it out to our campus, so we want to try to bring that experience to the students.”

– Sam Joustra, Vanderbilt University “For so many students, the visits are the only face-to-face interaction they have with the institution. I like to put a human face to the institution. A lot of students may not have the chance to visit the campus. This is intimate and personal. You get to answer specific questions about the school in a personal setting.”

– Finn Vigeland, Columbia University “It’s better to get to know each other like this—it makes the application process much more personal. This choice is all about finding that right fit, and having a more personal relationship during the process will lead to a more well-informed decision.”

– Emily Wright, University of Oregon “Getting to talk to students, getting to interact with them. Something Dartmouth stresses is who would be a good fit, who would be a good community member, who could Dartmouth give back to? That’s something you can at least get a taste of when you meet with students.”

– Jennifer Gargano, Dartmouth College

Q: What makes for a good applicant to your school?

“Every student that we see apply has a strong academic profile. That’s not the differential.

What really sets students apart are those who demonstrate a passion, specifically for math and science, and can collaborate with peers and have shown that in high school. We see a lot of bright students who are clearly brilliant in their area, but they don’t work on socializing and connecting with their peers because that’s not cultivated at their high schools. Students coming out of St. Margaret’s, we can be confident that there’s so much more interworking with students.”

– Jarrid Whitney, Caltech

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Looking Forward

“We have a really big focus on balance.

Students that are not only engaged intellectually and challenge themselves, but also who are going to be participating members of our community. So we like to see applicants that participate in their community. No matter what their academic interests are, they’re expected to participate in our community on campus, so we like to see that they have that balance as well.”

– Sam Joustra, Vanderbilt University “We look at everything, a holistic approach. We’re looking at strong scores, but we’re looking at a really interesting essay, and a Syracuse student is really interdisciplinary and has a lot of interests outside of school as well.

We’re looking for students who fit that profile.”

– Camille Crites, Syracuse University “We are looking for all-around students.

We want students with strengths in all parts of the application.”

– Finn Vigeland, Columbia University “We take a holistic approach to the process. We look at every part of the application that’s submitted. We have a required essay, but we also have an optional essay and optional letters of recommendation. Everything that is submitted is taken into account.”

– Emily Wright, University of Oregon “One thing we look at is intellectual nimbleness. Students who are willing to engage with all these different subjects. We need to make sure they can succeed in the Dartmouth classroom. Also, we’re the smallest of the Ivy League schools, so potentially who we’re placing in every single dorm room is important. So we look for good community members, kind friends, good neighbors.”

– Jennifer Gargano, Dartmouth College

Q: What advice would you give to parents during the application process?

“Let students own the journey, and support them as they go through it. I would also say to not just focus on rankings, and instead consider what may be the best fit for each individual.”

– Kayte Hager, Boston College

“It’s important to let students guide the process, and to be there along the way to support them. But it’s also important to have reasonable conversations with the student about college choices—if there are financial limitations, how far away the school is, things like that.

Those are great topics to discuss.”

– Emily Wright, University of Oregon “Every family is different, so it depends.

But I think you should let your kids dream a little bit. Encourage your kids. Be realistic, but encourage them.”

– Camille Crites, Syracuse University “Don’t get caught up in the rankings of colleges. There are a lot of great schools, and I think too often people like to focus on the top 20 schools. There are so many other great options out there. Fortunately, St. Margaret’s has a great college counseling team that knows how to advise students appropriately for a range of great college options out there. I always tell parents, 'You’ve got full right at this stage to nag your child about meeting deadlines.' Deadlines are incredibly important. But as far as research about college, that really has to fall on the students.

They have to do their homework, they have to be the one asking questions. I honestly prefer when a student calls me rather than the parent. It should be the student making that call.”

– Jarrid Whitney, Caltech

Q: What advice would you give to high school freshmen who may be looking ahead to college?

“I think for all students, they should focus on trying to enjoy high school. The best thing they can do is to take upper-level classes to challenge themselves and to stay involved in their communities.”

– Sam Joustra, Vanderbilt University “It’s great that they’re thinking about it.

It’s important to have college in the back of their head. But for now, focus on doing well in class, and hopefully advance to higher-level classes they can take in an area they have interest in. Find activities that you have an interest in.

Then when it comes time to really start thinking

about college, they can find a school that really speaks to who they are.”

– Finn Vigeland, Columbia University “I advise ninth graders to not get too focused on individual schools. If you want to go to a broad base of schools that are known and are selective in nature, you should start thinking about your curriculum by ninth grade. In high school there is a certain level of math and science you need to take to keep on a path to get to the more advanced level courses. At Caltech, you can’t decide you want to do math or science your senior year of high school. With the great counselors at St. Margaret’s, I’m not worried about students getting good advice along the way.”

– Jarrid Whitney, Caltech

Q: What advice would you give to students who are filling out applications and writing college essays?

“Proofread! It’s important to make sure you catch all those little mistakes before you submit the application. It makes a difference.”

– Emily Wright, University of Oregon “The essay needs to be about them. The point is for us to get to know them better.

Students have to learn to brag about themselves a little. I often find out about a cool thing that a student is doing through their college counselor.

They didn’t put it anywhere in their application.

We are brought up to be humble, but I tell students, 'This is your chance to sell yourself. This is your job interview.'”

– Camille Crites, Syracuse University “I think too often students are trying to figure out exactly what we’re looking for.

They should focus more on telling their story, and telling it honestly and genuinely. Maybe it’s a good fit, maybe it’s not a good fit, but at least we know it’s their voice. A lot of students get so much help, and it may be well-written, but it really loses their voice.”

– Jarrid Whitney, Caltech

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Justin Phan ‘04

Remembering His Tartan Roots Justin Phan is a busy entrepreneur overseeing two Irvine companies— yet he sees paying it forward to St. Margaret’s next wave of innovators as a high priority.

By Ryan Wood

Justin Phan '04, an entrepreneur by blood who is “passionate about solving global problems,” was just 20 years old and only two years removed from his days at St. Margaret’s when a lightbulb came on.

While studying at California State University, Fullerton and working for PumpTop TV, a business that installs television screens and provides content at gas stations, he noticed an inefficiency in the process.

“It was really difficult for companies to advertise on those screens, because the market was so fragmented,” he said.

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

Alumni Profile

"The habits that St. Margaret’s ingrains in all the students are really great. It’s a challenging academic environment that demands a lot from students.

Once you go to college, you’re really well-prepared.”

Mr. Phan broke away from PumpTop TV in January 2007 and started PlayMyAd, a start-up that provides businesses a platform to help find advertising options and purchase them. The business grew slowly, but eventually signed around 5,000 advertisers and represents more than 24,000 television screens. With the business model proven, the Irvinebased PlayMyAd raised $2.65 million in venture-capital funding in 2012 to help it grow.

A true innovator, even in the midst of overseeing a successful business, Mr. Phan saw another opportunity. “We noticed we had very little control over the advertising inventory itself. We were reselling other partners’ ad space,” Mr. Phan said. “That affected our ability to control the quality and viewing experience. So we decided to create another company.”

Personalize TV launched in October 2015 as a television service for businesses, allowing them to access entertaining content in-house and also cross-advertise with other non-competitive businesses. For example, a restaurant could advertise in a nail salon within the same shopping mall to target customers with pinpoint proximity.

Meanwhile, he was continuing his studies at St. Margaret’s, where he picked up further skills to set him up for a successful life.

“The habits that St. Margaret’s ingrains in all the students are really great,” said Mr. Phan, who attended St. Margaret’s from grade 3 to graduation. “It’s a challenging academic environment that demands a lot from students.

Once you go to college, you’re really well-prepared.”

After Mr. Phan started finding success as an entrepreneur, he thought about the next wave of St. Margaret’s students. How helpful would it be for them to learn from entrepreneurs who have already had successes and failures in the business world?

“Any business that subscribes to Personalize TV has access to the entire network and can advertise wherever they want,” said Mr. Phan, citing restaurants, urgent-care centers, dentist offices and auto-service waiting areas as some of Personalize TV’s clients.

With that in mind, Mr. Phan has consistently offered his help to the St. Margaret’s community. When Middle School teacher Eric Harrington had his first “Tartan Tank” competition for entrepreneurial studies projects in physical science in 2015, Mr. Phan served as a judge.

Recently, he has helped to arrange speakers for Mr. Harrington’s Tartan Tank speaker series, which welcomes successful entrepreneurs to speak to his grade 8 students about innovation and ideation as they work on their science projects. He has also been a speaker at St. Margaret’s annual Alumni Career Forum.

Even more innovative is that each television Personalize TV installs in a business is equipped with a webcam, which can track the amount of people looking at particular advertisements and content and adjust the offerings accordingly.

“When alumni like Justin reengage with the school, it’s very meaningful to our students,” said Jonathan Tufo, St. Margaret’s executive director of advancement. “He provides valuable, real-world insight on innovation and entrepreneurship, and we certainly appreciate all he does.”

Mr. Phan’s entrepreneurial spirit was honed from a young age. While a student at St. Margaret’s, he spent ample time working in tech businesses started by his parents. He built computers and security systems and dabbled in other parts of his family’s businesses. These real-world experiences helped him understand the challenges businesses face.

It adds more to Mr. Phan’s already full plate, but paying it forward is something he’s happy to do to help keep St. Margaret’s on the cutting edge of innovative studies.

“I was really fortunate,” Mr. Phan said. “I was able to get an idea of corporate work life, and gain experience in most of the departments of the companies I worked with.”

“St. Margaret’s students have great potential, and if they know a lot of the things entrepreneurs go through, they can do amazing things and influence the world in amazing ways,” Mr. Phan said. “That’s why I wanted to become more involved and share with them as much as possible all the things entrepreneurs go through…so they can improve on them and increase their chances of success.”

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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

Dear Tartan Alumni,

Support for T.A.L.E

After helping found the Tartan Alumni Association (TAA) and serving five years as its President, I am proud to announce that Mark Risner ‘86 will be taking over the helm as our new President starting in the fall of 2017. As I hurdle through this final year of my second term, I am struck by the gains we have made and hope to build on them throughout this year.

The TAA is committed to improving the connections and outreach to our more than 2,100 alumni and continue to focus on growth and expansion of several unique programs. We aim to grow our endowment and to further strengthen the bonds between alumni, current students, parents, faculty and staff. Please join us and help spread the word to our entire Tartan family about all the happenings at our alma mater.

Tartan Exchange. It’s time to tap into the Tartan network and help support each other no matter our life stage. If you have a company that’s hiring, post your jobs and consider hiring a Tartan. If you are looking for an internship or job, post what you’re searching for and let’s network! Students will be asking us about colleges, majors and grad schools and we need to all check the Tartan Exchange app regularly so we can support them and answer questions. Download the Tartan Exchange app today and start connecting and making connections for Tartans!

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to our many alumni who made a gift to St. Margaret’s during Tartans Giving Week!

Your participation is helping set the stage as we aim to raise alumni giving participation to 30 percent by 2020. Together, we can take small steps to achieve this lofty goal for TALE and future generations of Tartans!

H O W C A N YO U PA R T I C I PAT E ?

Some of the things to look for this coming year are: Tartan Alumni Legacy Endowment. One of our signature contributions remains the creation of the Tartan Alumni Legacy Endowment (TALE). TALE was created in 2014 with the idea making a difference in the lives of future Tartans forever. A generous donation of $100,000 from a loyal anonymous Tartan was contributed and then matched by our alumni. This prompted that same Tartan to “double down” with another $100,000 in matching funds.

You, the alumni, are now working to meet that match. Your efforts to fund this endowment will one day help students needing financial aid attend St. Margaret’s. We want to reiterate our thanks to Dean Kim ’94 for his generous and inspiring gift and we hope that all of you will find a way to make a contribution to this amazing effort.

T H A N K YO U

Alumni Career Forum. This year we will hold our sixth annual alumni career forum. Each year our alumni return to campus and provide current students with unique insight into their careers and what life has been like since they graduated from St. Margaret’s, whether it was one year ago or 20. If you would like to come back and be part of this program on February 10, 2017, please contact Jillian Gray at jillian.gray@smes.org.

As always please remember we need YOUR help!

Our school continues to mature, with the children of alumni returning to attend, and even graduate, from St. Margaret’s. Our reputation as an exceptional academic institution continues to grow and alumni are finding more and more professional success and are willing to share that insight with students. This is a critical time to get involved and help us continue to make a difference. We cannot do this without you, but with you, we can take the TAA to new heights.

Every gift matters to continue growing TALE. Show your Tartan loyalty with a participatory gift year in and year out. Your gift, be it big, little or in between will be doubled thanks to a generous Tartan donor – your loyalty will directly impact the hearts and minds of future Tartan generations.

L E A R N M O R E A N D D O N AT E

www.smes.org/tale

UPCOMING ALUMNI EVENTS

February 10 Alumni Career Forum

June 10 All-Alumni Reunion

Summer/Fall 2017 Class Reunions (‘2s & ‘7s)

CONNECT WITH US!

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

 facebook.com/tartanalumni  @tartanalumni  St. Margaret's Tartan Alumni Association

Class Notes Compiled by Jillian Gray N OTA B L E: 3 0 T H R EU N I O N R EC A P

'86

The Newport Yacht Club was the perfect venue for the Class of 1986 to celebrate their milestone 30-year reunion. As St. Margaret’s first graduating class, the ‘86s have a rich legacy connected to their alma mater and the event, held on Friday, June 3, was no exception. A very special guest, Mrs. Dixie Durham, flew in from Hawaii to reminisce and share stories with Caroline Domshy Brahney, Deanna Ruck Emsley, Eugenio Caldenty, Heather Bellin, Sara Tuckerman Cluff, Shannon Balzer Palmer, David Westendorf and Mishelle Fisher, Mark Risner and Jennifer Ramsey Risner ’87 and Stephanie Cordoza Harvey ’86 and Bud Harvey. Wonderful memories were made including a special toast by David, the senior class president. Special kudos to Eugenio who flew all the way from South America to attend. Finally, condolences go out to Sara from St. Margaret’s and the entire class on the recent passing of her father.

'87

3 0 T H R E U N I O N Get ready to

celebrate this amazing milestone ‘87s! Plans are underway for an August 2017 summer celebration at Joe Kennedy’s home, along with additional weekend activities.

Please stay tuned for more details and be sure to update your email and address with St. Margaret’s by contacting: alumni@smes.org.

'90

Jeff Hilgers has been spending more time in the U.S. for work which has afforded him the opportunity to participate as a committee member for the 2016 Tartan Tee-Off. Jeff’s sister Shannon Hilgers Nissen ’93 and fellow alumnus Scott McEwan ’02 and Ryan Dunlop ‘03 were also on the committee. Jeff shared that volunteering and reconnecting with St. Margaret’s has really been a rewarding experience and he encourages alumni from the late ‘80s and early ‘90s to consider getting involved with the school or attending events from great lectures in the Parent Speaker Series to the Alumni Christmas Party and reunions.

'91

As Todd Newman and his family speed through the 2016 school year, here are some of the highlights he shared: “Watching my daughter (Class of '23) compete with her middle school cross country team and take third place at the Mt. SAC invitational.

Sharing St. Margaret’s football games with my son (Class of '25) as I enter my ninth year as the team physician and he helps as the ball boy. Watching my best friends’ (Ryan Westendorf and Kim Maxey Westendorf) children enjoy high school and watching one cheerlead and one play varsity volleyball. Helping to grow our charity Troopsdirect.org that donates more than 93 cents of every dollar to provide logistical support to the men and women who serve in our armed forces. Spending my sixth year with the devoted members of the Tartan Alumni

Association as we continue to grow, expand and provide new opportunities to our over 2,000 alumni and lastly a fabulous family trip to Hawaii with my kids who served as acolytes with their uncle, The Reverend Ryan Newman ’94 who shares his weekly sermons on his podcast, Preaching from Paradise.

'92

2 5 T H R E U N I O N It's hard to

imagine that 25 years have passed since we threw our mortarboards into the air. Let’s make an effort to celebrate in 2017! If you are interested in helping to organize a gathering please contact the Alumni Relations Office at alumni@smes.org.

'95

Way to go Emily Hallenback Maxey who came in first place for women in the Tartan Tee-Off’s recent Closest to the Pin contest at 14 feet, 7 inches. Emily’s foursome who composed of herself and fellow Tartan parents, Michelle Cox, Joyce Lee, and Kelly Parker also came in first place overall in the women’s division.

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IN MEMORIAM

'96

Dina Shaban Moatazedi, Mike Heydenrych, Lisa Bevill, Renee Bond and Adam Pratt along with Lisa’s husband, Carlos Saldana and Dina’s husband, David Moatazedi ’95 gathered for drinks in Laguna Beach recently. It was a great night as several of them had not seen each other in nearly 10 years. Lisa and Carlos were visiting from Spain and were happy to be able to join in on the mini-reunion.

'97

2 0 T H R E U N I O N It’s true! Our

20-year reunion milestone is just around the corner. Prepare for a night of nostalgia and Tartan fun. Our committee is just forming, so please contact the Alumni Relations Office at alumni@smes.org to get involved. Help make this a memorable event for all!

'00 Brian Sternberg ’99 The Tartan alumni family was deeply saddened by the sudden and unexpected passing of alumnus Brian Sternberg, a member of the Class of 1999, on April 18, 2016. While at St. Margaret’s Brian was very active in Tartan athletics. He was a member of the varsity football, basketball and track and field teams. He was also selected as league MVP for track and field and was first team All-League. His fellow classmates dubbed him as a Sean Penn lookalike in their senior yearbook.

As an alumnus, Brian worked in business development and sales, and had a strong passion for music. While we will never know why he was chosen so early, we are all lucky to have had him in our lives and will always remember Brian as one of the kindest, gentlest people we have known. He will be greatly missed by his loving family, fiancée Kelly and newborn son, B. Jackson Wolf, who was born on May 20, 2016 at 8:18 a.m. He will remain in our hearts forever.

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Bundles of joy all around!

Congratulations to Sarah Campaigne Zell and her husband Jordan, on the birth of their son Jordan Michael Zell Jr., born on Sarah's birthday, August 6, 2016 in Santa Cruz, California. He arrived a healthy baby boy weighing eight pounds. The Zells are overwhelmed with gratitude and joy.

Congratulations are also in order for Aynsley Andrews Clements and husband Mikey Clements who welcomed their first baby boy, James Michael, to the world on October 26, 2016.

Michael's big sisters - Harper (age 5) and Maggie (age 3) are delighted.

'01

Tartan sweethearts, Jenny Zuidema McGraw and Matt McGraw, are the proud parents of Henry Hayes born on October 26, 2016 at 19.5 inches and 7.4 pounds. Big brothers Niall (age 3) and Conor (age 2) are so excited to have a baby brother. According to Matt, “It has certainly been a change to our already chaotic lives, now that we are officially outnumbered, but we could not be more proud of our growing family."

'02

On August 20, 2016, Rachael Stoddard married Nick Gilly at her family's home in McCall, Idaho. Fellow Tartans Zack Stoddard ‘11 (Man of Honor), Brittany Hunsaker '02, Nicole Sollberger '04 and Kent Iizuka '12 joined in the celebration.

Class Notes Marcella Anwandter and husband Tyler Bewley welcomed the arrival of daughter Tala AnwandterBewley born on February 22, 2016.

They are both working as middle school teachers and living in San Francisco.

1 5 T H R E U N I O N Let’s make plans for our 15-year reunion and find out what the rest of our class has been doing. One suggestion was to have a combined reunion with the classes above/below us. We would love your help. Contact the Alumni Relations Office to volunteer your services at alumni@smes.org.

N OTA B L E: A L L A LU M N I R EU N I O N

Alumni from all decades gathered at Hennessey’s Tavern on Friday, June 10 on the outdoor patio for the perfect summer night. Laughter and reconnections ensued as more than 100 alumni enjoyed drinks and eats in the heart of San Juan Capistrano. Highlights included a visit from Head of School Will Moseley and the presence of many from the Class of 2015 home for the summer after completing their first year of college.

'05

Laura Canright married David Western in Fort Worth, Texas, on November 5, 2016. David and Laura met playing volleyball at a local Fort Worth sand volleyball court. Both are 2009 graduates of Texas Christian University. Laura is a nurse and David works in digital advertising. Tartans Shay Trette Nothman ’96 and Jean Freeman Raih ’96 attended, along with Tartan families, Don and Vicki Sutro, Chris and Lulu Hallenbeck, Chris and Monica Furman, Jan Connon, Martha Freeman, Gary and Linda Mason, K.C Redmond, Barb Massrey, and Susan Purel.

'07

Alison Bailey received her Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the University of California, Davis School of Veterinary Medicine in 2016 and is pursuing a career in

equine sports medicine. She is the recipient of the Boyd and Dory Harrold Memorial Scholarship in recognition of

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N OTA B L E: B AY A R E A A LU M N I E V EN T

Tartan networking was in full swing at the June 10 San Francisco Tartan alumni event near Union Square. The Golden State Warriors game provided just the right amount of background noise as alumni from the last two decades mixed and mingled over wine and hors d’ouevres. Special thanks to Rachael Stoddard ’02 and Mattingly Messina ’13 for their leadership in organizing the event and to Polly Bendush Erickson ’03 for inspiring the philanthropic spirit of attendees and encouraging them to support TALE. Stay tuned for a spring issue recap of the December 8, 2016 Bay Area event.

students with outstanding skills in animal handling, nursing and animal care. Alison received her certification in veterinary medical acupuncture (cVMA) in 2015 and is the co-founder and past president of the UC Davis Veterinary Radiology Club.

Alison was a St. Margaret’s lifer and a nine-year member of the SMES equestrian team. She earned her bachelor’s degree in biology from Santa Clara University in 2012. She recently accepted a position as a junior associate at Virginia Equine Imaging in Middleburg, Virginia, a practice specializing in sport horse injuries and treatment. Corey Fava is living in Orange County and working as a Business Development Consultant at vWise. 10TH REUNION What are other ‘07s up to? Let’s get together in 2017 to celebrate our 10-year reunion and find out! Want to help with the planning? Please contact the Alumni Relations Office at alumni@smes.org.

'08

Congrats to Chelsea Connon who married her longtime boyfriend, Sam Steward. The couple met while completing their undergraduate degrees at Bowdoin College. They were married in a beautiful oceanside ceremony in Del Mar surrounded by their families and closest friends.

After a honeymoon in Hawaii, they returned to their home in Boulder, Colorado where they both immediately began graduate programs at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Chelsea is studying integrative physiology and has two ongoing research projects. Paige Selby is living in the Bay Area and is working at Google in its management training program.

N OTA B L E: S U P P O R T I N G T H E ZI K A C R I S I S

Elizabeth Simon ’08 is serving on the United States Zika Pregnancy Registry team with the CDC Zika Emergency Response Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The Zika Pregnancy Registry reports Zika virus in pregnant women within the United States. Elizabeth is responsible for collecting data on pregnant women throughout their pregnancies and their infants once they are born. She reports on pregnancy outcomes, birth defects and other variables associated with Zika virus infection. Elizabeth completed her Masters in Public Health while working as a Behavioral Therapist for children with Pediatric Feeding Disorders after completing her Bachelor’s degree at Emory University.

She lives in Atlanta with her boyfriend, Peter, and dog, Phil.

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Class Notes

'09

Ian Thomas returned to campus recently for the Alumni Homecoming watch party as he has moved back to Orange County from the East Coast. Following the sale of his app education company, he is heading to the Silicon Valley area and is looking for networking/open positions in the region. William Brynjolfsson was also at the Homecoming event. He is back living in Orange County but is based in New York City as an airline pilot for Endeavor Air, a subsidiary of Delta Airlines.

If you’re flying a CRJ200, check to see if William is your pilot! Chris Guichet is living in the Bay Area and working at Apple as a mechanical design engineer. Colfax Selby is a culinary software engineer at Hestan Smart Cooking Inc., the makers of intelligent cookware.

'11

On October 24, 2015, Emma Rice married Shannon Perry at St. Edward’s Church in Dana Point, followed by a celebration at the home of Tartans Rob and Kelly Collier, parents of Kristen Collier ’06, Lauren Collier ’08 and Blakely Collier. Other Tartans in attendance included Rowley Rice ’09, Carlye Porrazzo (Maid of Honor), Doug Davis, Shannon Kelly, Shirin Sadri, Shayna Kerry, Zack Stoddard, Hanna Hess, Saba Saghafi ’12, Sahar Bayat ’10, Kira Cahill ’09, Jessica Roe ’09, Spencer Keane ’10, Laura Whitney, Colfax Selby ’09, Karly Thomas ’13 and Cameron Petersen ’06. Emma and Shannon met their freshman year at Georgetown University. Erin Thomas is a first-year law student at Harvard Law School in Cambridge and loving life back East. Andrew Balcof is producing and directing a film currently in development, entitled Angels of Mercy. It is one of few films written, produced and starring someone with spinal muscular atrophy, Owen Kent. Owen and Andrew met while at UC Berkeley and since have started a commercial and film production company, Club Xanadu. Angels of Mercy is set to be their first feature film and will be a significant one, especially for the disabled community.

'12

Chris Brunswick graduated from Brown University in May and is now based in Los Angeles as a staffer for U.S. Senator Dianne Feinstein. Jake Carpenter’s photo from his climbing trip to Yosemite with John Williams was so breathtaking that it was recently reposted by outdoor recreation company REI on its own Instagram feed.

'13

Karly Thomas, a senior at the University of Michigan, can now add playwright to her resume. The play, “Women of Williams County” was recently shown at the Midtown International Theatre Festival with the Hedgepig ensemble and is according to the New York Theater Guide, “[A] glorious riff on the female characters in three of Tennessee Williams’ plays.” This past spring Karly represented the University of Michigan as part of the Kennedy Center American College Theater Festival and was honored with The KCACTF National Undergraduate Playwriting Award for her play, “Fair.”

N OTA B L E: J U S T YO U R TA R TA N A LU M N I E V E RY DAY…

'16

Special recognition and congratulations go out to David Larsen, Natalia Ohanesian and Ayda Rashtchi for being selected and agreeing to volunteer as Class Agents for the Class of 2016 through their 5-year reunion in 2021. This volunteer leadership role is aimed at keeping classmates connected and involved in the life of their alma mater and with each other. All ‘16s are encouraged to follow the Tartan Alumni Association Facebook page and Instagram accounts for the latest alumni news, events and nostalgic flashbacks.

Several St. Margaret’s alumni have recently had first-hand interactions (or photo ops) with both the President of the United States and the First Lady. Matt Duenes '11 shook hands with President Barack Obama as he crossed the stage during his graduation ceremony from the US Air Force Academy. Matt was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. and his brother, Captain Michael Duenes '07, a fellow USAFA alumnus, was on hand to swear him in. Matt started medical school at NYU this fall. Our second Presidential connection comes from Mary Ahearn ’12 who following her graduation from Georgetown with a Bachelor’s degree in Art History and Italian Studies, interned for the U.S. Department of State and the U.S. Embassy in Milan, Italy. While in Milan, Mary met First Lady Michelle Obama at the World Expo along with other staffers. Mary was a public relations intern who worked with the Italian press, translated documents, created press releases and organized cultural events in Milan. This fall, Mary moved to England to begin studying for her Master’s in Art Business at Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London.

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N OTA B L E: W H EN I N ED I N B U R G H . . .

Welcome Home Tartans!

Two alumni trips to Europe this spring/summer had one unique stop in common—St. Margaret’s Chapel at Edinburgh Castle.

A group of recently graduated members of the Class of 2016, including some lifers, along with their parents had the chapel to themselves for a few moments, and unfurled the Tartans banner and sang the alma mater! Erin Fitzpatrick ‘16, Shelby Nicholas, Megan Phansalkar, Lexi Vollero, Jenni Wechsler, Jordan Chun, David Larsen, Jonathan Nagel, Gabriel Ong, Grant Russell, Andrew Cameron (in spirit) all saved this as the capstone experience on their graduation adventure.

Megan Canright Rabinowitz ’99 also stopped by the Chapel this past May while visiting Scotland to speak at the British Occupational Hygiene Society (BOHS) annual scientific conference. Megan also made time while at the chapel to sing the alma mater and take some photos. All the Tartans described the experience as very special, and the perfect stop while on a European trip!

St. Margaret’s is excited to welcome home the latest “class” of alumni who have returned to teach/work/coach at their alma mater.

Joining the campus ranks for the 2016-2017 school year include: Josiah Edwards ‘09, Carlye Porrazzo ‘11, Johnny Quinn ‘06, Kristina Taylor ‘05 and Harmony Thomas ’00. Staying connected to St. Margaret’s and your contacts here is always a good thing – you never know when it just might help you land your next job.

Want to learn more about openings on campus? Visit www.smes.org/employment.

Are you headed to Scotland and want to show your Tartan pride? Contact the Alumni Relations Office and we’ll send you a Tartan felt pennant to unfurl for yourself!

Looking for a job or internship elsewhere? Download the new Tartan Exchange app to network with all Tartans!

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

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Class Notes

W ELCO M I N G O U R N E W E S T TA R TA N A LU M N I

THE CLASS OF 2016 The 108 members of the Class of 2016 excelled academically, athletically, in the arts, leadership roles, and service to the community.

Now they are attending colleges and universities across the country for the next step in their lives. We look forward seeing their journeys unfold with meaning and purpose.

Matene C. Alikhani University of Chicago

Payton Fales Colby College

Jacob M. Krutcik University of San Diego

Jonathan P. Nagel University of California, Berkeley

Owen R. Smith New York University

Luis F. Almanza St. Olaf College

Erin N. Fitzpatrick Northwestern University

Nicholas J. Kuljis University of Colorado at Boulder

Andrew I. Nallathambi University of Southern California

Michelle E. Amber University of Southern California

Daniel L. Freed University of Chicago

Shelby V. Nicholas Brown University

Rostin Amirani San Diego State University

Taylor A. Freitas Lake Forest College

Veronika R. Laird University of Illinois at UrbanaChampaign

Erik J. Suh St. John’s University – Queens Campus

Dunay M. Bach Barnard College

Hailey S. Frost Chapman University

Elizabeth H. Barbaresi Washington University in St. Louis

Drew M. Gaarenstroom University of Washington

Michael W. Bauer University of Southern California

Denise Garcia University of Southern California

Gabrielle T. Benck Colgate University

Priscilla M. Garcia University of San Diego

Ginna Byun University of California, Berkeley

Sarah E. Gencarella Wheaton College

Andrew C. Cameron University of Notre Dame

Leah Ghavami University of Southern California

Danielle N. Chade University of Southern California

Eduardo I. Gomez Postgraduate Year

Grace E. Chalmers Trinity College

Sydney R. Gordon Pennsylvania State University

Tyler A. Cheves University of San Diego

Chase K. Haller Southern Methodist University

Jason G. Chin California State University, Fullerton

Samuel J. Harnisch University of Denver

Noah J. Choi Carleton College

Mckenna M. Hines New York University

Jordan J. Chun University of Southern California

Frederick M. Hudoff Duke University

Catherine E. Clarey University of Notre Dame

Rachel L. Ignat Texas Christian University

Evan S. Clary University of South Carolina

Priyanka Jhalani University of California, San Diego

Kevin M. Cox United States Air Force Academy

Matthew A. Johnson Claremont McKenna College

Ethan M. Crnic University of Southern California

Logan G. Jones University of Colorado at Boulder

Ariana P. Delgado Texas Christian University

Alain H. Kassarjian University of California, Santa Cruz

Charlotte B. Duran Amherst College Sarah G. Engel Pomona College

Andrew D. Klement University of California, Riverside James W. Knape San Diego State University

David A. Larsen Georgetown University Ashley S. Lee Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology Francelia I. Lievanos Pitzer College Daniel R. Lind Amherst College Derek K. Lindquist University of California, Irvine Bradley A. Lynds University of Southern California Alyssa M. Maita Emory University Alexander M. Marcu Concordia University – Irvine Anastasia T. Matty Pepperdine University Jacob D. McFarland University of San Diego John S. McGlinn IV Kenyon College McKinley C. McQuaide Stanford University Michael A. Miller University of Arizona Olivia A. Miller Middlebury College Ryan C. Miller University of San Diego William M. Miyamoto Stanford University Leila M. Modjtahedi University of California, Los Angeles Maxwell H. Morin Santa Clara University Noelani Murayama University of California, Berkeley

Heather R. Nielsen Muhlenberg College Chloe M. Norris Humboldt State University Natalia L. Ohanesian University of San Diego Gabriel Z. Ong New York University Allison Park College of the Holy Cross Blake S. Pasternack Gap Year Megan P. Phansalkar University of Pennsylvania Ayda E. Rashtchi Boston University Sarah L. Reeves Cornell University Kendall A. Robison Haverford College Collin J. Rogers University of Southern California John Rubenacker University of California, Berkeley Grant M. Russell Stanford University Ramtin Sahafi University of California, Riverside Sofia M. Sewell University of Southern California

Delaney G. Thomas Saddleback College Hanalani K. Thomas Loyola Marymount University Nicholas S. Totah Chapman University Stewart A. Toubia University of Southern California Emily F. Ursini Boston College Alexa C. Vandenburg Southern Methodist University Brianna R. Vandenburg Southern Methodist University Nathan M. Victor University of Colorado at Boulder Alexandra M. Vollero Northwestern University Katherine E. Weaver University of California, Davis Jennifer Wechsler Loyola Marymount University Nicholas R. Williams Tufts University Hydi M. Ybarra University of California, San Diego Sasha Yousefi University of California, Berkeley Cooper R. Zediker Santa Clara University

Nicholas T. Shanks Tufts University Zachary L. Shor University of California, Berkeley Christopher H. Shrikian DePaul University Aidan C. Smith Seattle University Laurel J. Smith Rice University

HIGHLANDER

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Class of 2016 HIGHLANDER

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TARTAN S C E N E S

T H E P T F W E L C O M E B A C K C O F F E E event hosted over 170

P T F T A R T A N F A M I L Y B B Q & T A I L G A T E More than 750 Tartans attended

parents at Sillers Hall this September. Parents had a chance to reconnect with friends, meet new families and mix and mingle with PTF event chairs, division coordinators and school administration.

the PTF Tartan Family BBQ & Tailgate at St. Margaret’s before the Sept. 30 football game against Whittier Christian. The participants enjoyed delicious food, games, live music from the George Fryer Band, friendship and community.

T H E TA R TA N T E E- O F F

presented by the Kao Family Foundation welcomed more than 120 members of the St. Margaret’s community to El Niguel Country Club to participate in activities including a meet & greet BBQ, 18 holes of golf, and a 19th hole networking reception. Over $200,000 was raised in support of student financial aid.

PTF NEW BOARD/OLD BOARD BRUNCH

Members of the Parent Teacher Fellowship Board gathered to celebrate a year of milestones under outgoing PTF President Lynda Collier, who officially swore in incoming PTF President Pam Cruse during a brunch at the Performing Arts Center in June. Mrs. Cruse is leading the PTF Executive Board which also includes Ms. Collier, Marina Goffredo, Janet Mitchell, Marianne Payne, Rose-Karen Swanson, Gretchen Scott, Tenicka Kingsley, Kathy Victor, Denise Eidt, Pauline Frye, Jennifer Arundale, Greg Collins, Megan Lavender, Danielle Fox, Catherine Kennett, Vicki Hanna, Margo Gunderson, Kasia Mays and Katherine C de Baca.

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S AV E T H E DAT E

S A T U R D A Y, M A R C H 1 8 , 2 0 1 7 AV I R V I N E , O C ’ S P R E M I E R E V E N T C E N T E R J O I N U S F O R A N I G H T O F D I N N E R , DA N C I N G A N D E XC I T I N G L I V E & S I L E N T AU C T I O N S

Looking Back

A History of the St. Margaret's Crest

By Ryan Wood

1979 – 1985

1986 – 1991

What's in a crest? The St. Margaret’s crest serves as the official mark of the school and can be found in a number of places including on official school documents, on the graduation diplomas, on the steps of the Performing Arts Center and its most prominent locale on the school's iconic entrance archway. The current crest, implemented in 1997, has undergone several changes since the founding of the school in 1979, and has a regal history.

The real history of the crest dates back hundreds of years. Beginning as early as the 11th century, traditional "coat of arms" were a way to identify distinguished knights in battle, hence the title “coat,” and later evolved to symbolize nobility, rank, authority and ownership.

The crest was derived from the coat of arms of our school namesake, Queen Margaret of Scotland. Her coat of arms, represented as a cross with four birds, was combined with King Malcolm III of Scotland’s arms­around 1070 when the two were married, as was Scottish custom. That turned Margaret’s arms into a diamond, called a lozenge, with her and Malcolm’s arms—the lion rampant­—side by side.

1991 – 1996

1997- Present

That’s what you see on our school’s crest today—but it hasn’t always been there.

With the opening of the school in 1979, a crest was designed consisting mainly of a crown. This represents Margaret’s nobility ranking as Queen of Scotland and is still used on the crest today. Beneath the crown is the cross with the Greek words Theos (God), Agape (Christian love), Paides (the way children learn) and Auxesis (growth).

The crest underwent a significant change in 1986 and closely resembles today’s crest in a number of ways. Most notably was the addition of Queen Margaret’s coat of arms including the four birds. The birds are known as martlets, an English heraldic form representing a swallow, a fitting tribute to the town of San Juan Capistrano.

There was also Gaelic wording across the bottom of the crest reading “St. Margaret Queen of Scotland” and the first mention of the school’s opening year in 1979.

The crest was simplified and refined several times in the 1990s. The Gaelic wording was removed and later with the addition of “Episcopal” to the school name the ribbons were altered to better resemble a frame to complete the crest.

By 1997, the crest you see today was in use, and celebrates its 20th anniversary this year.

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Tartan Traditions…

UPCOMING EVENTS

January 13: Parent Up Distinguished Speaker Series: Jessica Jackley January 25: State of the School Address February 1: 2017-2018 Admission Application Deadline February 9: 2017-2018 Re-Enrollment Deadline February 20-24: President’s Day and Winter Break March 18: All-School Fundraiser March 25: SJC Swallows Day March 31: Parent Up Distinguished Speaker Series: Denis Hayes April 3-7: Spring Break April 21: Grandparents and Special Friends Day April 28: PTF Library Luncheon May 31: Last Day of Classes June 3: 32nd Commencement Exercises June 5: Summer at St. Margaret’s Begins June 10: All-Alumni Reunion

The Middle School musical production of The Lion King Jr. in November on the Hurlbut Theater stage was a triumph of acting, complex musical harmonies, costume design including 3D-printed masks, set construction and choreography. More than 60 Middle School students were featured in four sold-out shows.