St. Mary's 2021 Spring Magazine

ALUMNI UPDATES

DESIGN FOR FUTURE

2021 SPRING MAGAZINE

i can. i am. i will.

DISCOVER THE ST. MARY’S SCHOOL

ART JOURNEY

I.B. IN ACTION

hello!

Dear St. Mary’s Community, I hope this letter finds you all well and healthy. St. Mary’s is so blessed to provide our students with the opportunity to learn in person, on campus, every day since August 24, 2020. This is an extraordinary effort we are proud of and grateful to all our faculty, staff, students and community. It has taken a village to keep our campus safe and open. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your support.

This beautiful spring magazine’s theme is I Can. I Am. I Will. These simple statements articulate our approach to learning throughout these pages. I Can. We challenge our students to ask “what” and “why” so they understand their essential role in the “how.” Carrie Zulanas’ article walks us through the role an IB education plays to help students take action. I Am is colorfully brought to life in Maria Diaz’s article where she walks us through a St. Mary’s student’s Visual Arts experience. Through the Visual Arts Program, we prepare and inspire students to become caring, empathetic and enlightened leaders of tomorrow.

Our alumni stories showcase I Will. We have nearly 1,700 St. Mary’s alumni in the world making a difference right now. We are so proud of the paths they are blazing and feel hopeful when we learn of how they’re making an impact in their communities.

It’s truly an exciting time to be a Falcon. Our campus is healthier and safer than ever. Our admission pool is so strong, and we have many grades at capacity.

The St. Mary’s Fund is raising record breaking funds, and more families than ever are participating. We are preparing for a capital campaign and are in the brainstorming and design phases. It’s inspiring to see the campus around us and dream of what could be...

Please enjoy this spring edition, and we hope to see you all on campus soon!

Sincerely,

Sharon Taylor Head of School

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ST. MARY’S

2021

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SPRING

IB In Action

MAGAZINE Managing Editor:

Heather Wilkins Contributors:

Important Dates to Remember 2021-2022 July 26-30

Summer Break

Sept. 6

Labor Day Holiday

Sept. 7

Start of Middle School

Sept. 8

Start of Lower School

Sept. 9

Start of School for EEP

Oct. 8

Professional Development

Oct. 29-Nov. 1

Parent Conferences

Nov. 22-26

Thanksgiving Break

Dec. 17

Last Day Before Christmas Break

Dec. 20-Dec. 31

Christmas Break

Jan. 3

Professional Development

Jan. 17

Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday

Feb. 21-25

Winter Break

March 10-11

EEP & LS Family Conferences

May 27

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8 12 Legacy Award

Royalty-free photos courtesy of Unsplash.com

No School for Students / Extended Care Open

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13 Board Update

Intersession 2021

No School for Students / Extended Care Open

Minimum Day for All Students / No Afternoon Extended Care

No School for Students / Extended Care Open

No School for EEP & LS / MS Regular School Day / Extended Care Open

April 11-18

Virtue Byrd Jim Cox Maria Diaz Dan Kearney Doug Patterson Lindsay Winn Carrie Zulanas

Art Journey

Easter Spring Break Professional Development Day No School for Students / Extended Care Open

May 30

Memorial Day Holiday

June 8

Last Day of School for Students Minimum Day for All Students / No Afternoon Extended Care

i can. i am. i will.

16 ISA Recap

18 Design For Future

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Alumni Update

Safety & Security

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by Carrie Zulanas

i can. i am. i will.

Six small but powerful words that summarize who we are. A place where students understand and are empowered to make the world a better and more peaceful place. A community that models service as action. A school that recognizes our time to make an impact on the world is right now.

From our own campus to the global community, the whole world is at our fingertips.

At St. Mary’s School, we look deeply and decide for ourselves what actions we can take.

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central component of the St. Mary’s IB Programme is action. Action defined as participation, advocacy, social justice, life-style choices and entrepreneurship - links the classroom experience to the real world. It allows students to better understand the “why” behind their classroom experiences and gives them a purpose for their learning.

Starting in the Early Education Program, (EEP), St. Mary’s students are taught that small actions can have a big impact on the world. From recognizing the importance of making healthy choices around nutrition and exercise to exploring how our actions can have an impact on the Earth, our youngest students learn how their personal choices and participation can have a positive effect on themselves and others. “Action in the EEP is crucial to developing students with the skills and knowledge to create a more peaceful world.

When we expose them as young learners to the power of using their voices and making good choices, authentic action and student agency naturally emerge. “It is our job as IB educators to introduce them to organizations and ways to get involved in making a difference, big or small,” explains Primary Years Program Coordinator Lauren Sterner.

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This desire to make a difference in the world continues in the Lower School. In Grade 1, students dive into a unit of inquiry centered around action. As they explore the idea that people take action to make positive change, the students learn how to identify a need, create an action plan and develop an achievable solution. Identified needs were varied this year and included artwork for the Lower School hallways, water coolers for the field and additional materials or activities during recess. For example, some students believed designated outdoor book bins were needed to enhance

the recess experience. “Some kids want to practice their reading during recess,” Henry Glicksman, Grade 1 student explained.

After crafting a persuasive piece, Henry shared his idea with Mrs. Yogaratnam, Director of Information Services, and volunteered to help select the books, clean the materials and communicate the idea at Community. “I was inspired when I received the letter from Henry advocating for an outdoor reading area for those who don’t want to play traditional recess,” explained Mrs. Yogaratnam. “I can’t wait to help Henry achieve his goal!”

Building in opportunities to take action in authentic and meaningful ways continues throughout the entire Lower School program. In Grade 4, students used design thinking to create innovative solutions to real-world problems. For Alexander Vlok, Neelam Mowlavi and Jayden Brechner, nighttime pet safety was a concern. “When it is dark, it can be hard to walk your dog because cars don’t always see them,” Alexander explained. This concern led to the design of the Galactic Collar, a colorful, illuminated dog collar.

Using LED technology, the group created four collars that were sold through an on-line school platform. Wanting to give back, the boys donated 25 percent of their profits to New Beginnings for Animals in Aliso Viejo. New Beginnings is a local organization dedicated to saving abandoned dogs and cats in overcrowded shelters throughout California. Although Alexander participates in charitable actions each year with his family, this was the first time he led his own campaign.

“It felt good to give back. I learned a lot about

myself and the importance of taking care of others,” he stated.

A final opportunity to take action at St. Mary’s is the Community Project. The Community Project, a student-initiated and directed learning experience, gives Grade 8 students an opportunity to develop awareness of needs in various communities and to address those needs through service learning.

At the beginning of this learning experience, students were asked to consider local and global issues that were of personal concern. For Maibre Edwards and Ellis Adams, the decision to focus on ocean pollution was personal. Both students are deeply connected to the ocean, and it is an important aspect of their lives. They have seen the negative impact of plastic pollution first hand and were committed to making a difference.

After researching ocean pollution, Maibre and Ellis decided to focus on plastics, one of the most common forms of pollution.

Although knowledge is important, they wanted to raise more than just awareness of the problem. They wanted to provide Continued on next page.

i can. i am. i will.

everyday solutions that would empower all people to take action. “Sometimes when you just share data around a problem, it is easy to hide behind the numbers,” explained Ellis. “The information can feel overwhelming and separate from us. We wanted to create an action piece that was personal and would help to spread our passion and emotion for this cause.”

“Without this connection,” Maibre added, “it is hard for people to move forward.”

The action piece, a podcast titled “Our Ocean Observations,” is deeply personal.

Now in their eighth episode, Maibre and Ellis have tackled a variety of topics from the implications of plastic straws to finding and contacting your representative. They have also interviewed local conservationists and activists. With such a large goal of helping to stop ocean pollution, it could be hard to measure success, but not for these students. Maibre explains, “By putting our ideas out there, we are already successful. We have enjoyed the process and love working toward the greater good.”

Action is not limited to students. As a part of the Characteristics of Professional Excellence, a document created by the faculty to guide their work and inform their journey of professional and personal growth, teachers “model service as action and cultivate a desire in students to serve within their communities and beyond.”

This service can take many forms from community outreach to student advocacy.

Consistently striving to ensure our students have a strong and engaging program is at the heart of these characteristics, and it is this commitment to the students that led Mrs. Hartigan, Lower School Science Lab teacher, to create AstroDay.

A highlight for all students in Grade 5 is AstroCamp, a three-day science adventure held in the mountains of Idyllwild. As the culmination of a unit of inquiry focused on how space exploration has impacted our world, students have the opportunity to become astronauts and NASA engineers as they dive into hands-on experiences that are both fun and informative. Not wanting the students to miss this experience, Ms. Hartigan took action and designed AstroDay. “In a year that has been filled with a lot of ‘no’s,’” she explained, “I wanted to give them a ‘yes!’”

AstroDay began as a surprise. Students entered the Grade 5 building through a decorated “space hallway,” which led to a command center where they learned about the day’s challenges. Taking some of the best activities from AstroCamp, which included the launching of bottle rockets, building cosmic landers, participating in the space olympics and experimenting with an electronic musical instrument to make space sounds was enjoyed by both teachers and students. “The day was super fun and a once-in-a-lifetime experience.

I felt like I understood everything so much more because of all of the hands-on activities. I feel really blessed to have had this day,” explained Grade 5 student Isabelle Engelbrecht.

From our own campus to the global community, the whole world is at our fingertips. At St. Mary’s School, we look deeply and decide for ourselves what actions we can take. Big or small, each of these actions helps to make our world a better and more peaceful place.

Ms. Hartigan took action and designed AstroDay. “In a year that has been filled with a lot of ‘no’s,’” she explained, “I wanted to give them a ‘yes!’”

In Grade 4, students used design thinking to create innovative solutions to real-world problems.

GOOD THINGS ARE AHEAD

THIS SUMMER AT ST. MARY’S!

A STUDENT’S VISUAL

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he Visual Arts are an integral part of the St. Mary’s IB program as they permeate all levels of human creativity, expression, communication and understanding. The very nature of Visual Arts stimulates students’ imaginations, challenges perceptions and develops creative, practical and critical thinking skills.

HOW WE EXPRESS OURSELVES Butterfly and Caterpillar Murals Watercolor

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SHARING THE PLANET Me, Frida Kahlo, and the Rainforest Wax-resist

by Maria Diaz

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Through the Visual Arts Program at St. Mary’s, we prepare and inspire students to become caring, empathetic and enlightened leaders of tomorrow. We provide students with opportunities to discover their own individual creativity and develop a strong foundation for lifelong learning and global citizenship.

We celebrate the Visual Arts not only by the way we create images and objects, but also in the way we appreciate, enjoy, respect and respond to the practices of art making by others from around the world.

WHO WE ARE The African Mask

Mixed Media

This journey begins in Kindergarten with the Primary Years Program (PYP). In Kindergarten through Grade 2 there is a particular emphasis on the relationship of great works of children’s literature with art, and children often create works of art inspired by these books. Most projects in Kindergarten through Grade 5 are interdisciplinary endeavors that are inspired by the IB curriculum and corresponding units of inquiry. The works of great masters such as Van Gogh, Matisse, O’Keeffe, Picasso, Rousseau, Jasper Johns and Frida Kahlo are introduced and provide inspiration to our young artists as they explore a variety of themes. The K-5 Visual Arts program is designed to provide students with opportunities to creatively use their personal experiences and knowledge as well as utilizing a variety of materials and techniques, all while keeping in mind that art is the universal means of communication. Exposure to diverse media throughout students’ IB visual arts experiences encourages the development of critical thinking skills and promotes individual self-expression.

As students transition into the Middle Years Program (MYP), Visual Arts encourages students to actively explore the visual arts within and across a variety of local, regional, national, international and intercultural contexts. Through inquiry, investigation, reflection and creative application, Visual Arts students develop an appreciation for the expressive and aesthetic diversity in the world around them, becoming critically informed makers and consumers of visual culture. The Visual Arts Program in the MYP encourages students to challenge their own creative and cultural expectations and boundaries. Students develop problem-solving and divergent thinking while working towards technical proficiency and confidence as art makers. In addition to exploring and comparing visual arts from different perspectives and in different contexts, students are expected to engage in, experiment with and critically reflect upon a wide range of contemporary practices, media and forms of visual language.

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WHERE WE ARE IN PLACE AND TIME The American Flag Mixed Media

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HOW WE EXPRESS OURSELVES Abstract Cats Mixed Media

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A STUDENT’S VISUAL

ART JOURNEY

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SHARING THE PLANET 3-D Animal Masks Mixed Media

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PERSONAL & CULTURAL EXPRESSION Self-Portrait 2D - Photoshop & Mixed Media

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PERSONAL & CULTURAL EXPRESSION Dragon Eye Oil Pastel

IDENTITIES & RELATIONSHIPS A Picture is Worth 1,000 Words Watercolor, Mixed Media

WE WILL.

St. Mary’s Board of Trustees Expands Welcome Jennifer Farr, Gordon McNeil and Kelly Zeigler

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S Maibre Edwards

2021 Recipient of Father Ernest D. Sillers Legacy Award

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very year, St. Mary’s School presents the Legacy Leadership Award to honor a Grade 8 student who demonstrates superior leadership skills, evidence of service and civic responsibility. This is the culmination of the St. Mary’s Leadership Program. The competition focuses on four main principles called the “Four A.C.E.S. of Leadership,” which form the cornerstones of a strong community: Attitude, Commitment, Engagement and Service. Each applicant writes two timed essays. Then a judging committee narrows the semi-finalists to 12 finalists. The finalists undergo an individual interview conducted by a panel of judges representing our local community and business leaders.

This year, an incredible group of 12 finalists were named for this prestigious award including: Ellis Adams, Daana Al-Ali, Alma Bayat, Miles Burton, Grant Conroy, Cameron Craycraft, Maibre Edwards, Leo Francis, Anna Gabriel, Jesse Lew, Ryan Wagner and Kerry Wang.

On Friday, March 19, at the virtual St. Mary’s Leadership Assembly, Maibre Edwards was named the 2021 recipient of the Father Ernest D. Sillers Legacy Award. Maibre is an extraordinary student and active member in the community.

She has participated in Maths Quest (an international math competition), Battle of the Books, our school musical, multiple sports teams, Mock Trial and more. In her free time she enjoys long distance ocean swimming, playing the French horn and scuba diving.

Maibre learned a lot from the Legacy Award process. “I learned to stay calm under pressure. The timed essays were nerve wracking because we had such a short time. It’s challenging to put down an answer I am proud of in just one hour. The interview was also pretty intimidating because there were five judges asking me questions and judging my answers. Overall, I had to be able to stay cool and collected under pressure, and I was able to do so.”

Congratulations to the finalists and Maibre.

t. Mary’s Board of Trustees is the governing body of our school.

Individual members serve as lead advocates of St. Mary’s mission and guardians of its well-being. The Board’s main purposes are to ensure the financial security of the institution; to protect St. Mary’s legacy and mission; to support the strategic vision and policy positions; and to hire and support the Head of School.

Kelly Zeigler The Zeigler family is entering their second year at St. Mary’s. Kelly and her husband Aaron have one daughter (Zoe) who is currently in Grade 1. Overall, being a mom and wife are the two most important roles in Kelly’s life.

Professionally, Kelly is the Vice President of Global Consumer Data and Insights for Vans, a VF corporation. Prior to this role, she held executive positions at Disney, Mattel, Belkin, DIRECTV and AT&T. Kelly is a proud two time Stanford alum where she is currently an executive coach at the d.school (Design School) for executive education.

In her spare time, Kelly is a passionate advocate for gender and racial equity, serving as a think tank member for Chief and World 50. Kelly is on the advisory board for Insights in Color, an organization focused on increased diverse representation in data analytic and market intelligence. Even still, Zoe is Kelly’s real boss.

Jennifer Farr Jennifer Farr and her daughter Heartley (Grade 5) have enjoyed St. Mary’s since EEP and are looking forward to entering Middle School next year. Jennifer is a current member of the St. Mary’s Finance Committee and is excited to expand her involvement by joining the Board of Trustees.

Board composition reflects the strategic expertise, resources and perspectives — past, present, future — needed to achieve our mission and strategic objectives of the school. The trustees are volunteers from diverse backgrounds within and outside the St. Mary’s parent community.

Individual members serve three-year terms and participate in ongoing trustee education, evaluation and board leadership succession planning.

The Board works to ensure all members are actively involved in the work of the Board and its committees. Standing Board Committees include Development, Finance, Governance, Facilities and Strategic Planning. To continually meet the high expectations of parents, our trustees work in partnership with our Head of School to provide for enhanced programs and talented people who make an IB World School education at St. Mary’s. Individual trustees believe in the institution and make it a top priority for their philanthropic giving.

Our Board of Trustees is honored to welcome Jennifer Farr, Gordon McNeil and Kelly Zeigler.

Jennifer is a founding partner of the CPA firm Davis Farr LLP. With offices in California and Washington, the firm specializes in providing audit and accounting services to nonprofit and government organizations. She is an active speaker, author and advocate on accounting matters and is the Chair of the United Way of Orange County’s Financial Review Committee and the Chair of the Cal CPA Government Accounting and Auditing Committee.

When she isn’t playing with numbers, Jennifer and Heartley spend their free time at the barn with their horse Rio.

Gordon McNeil The McNeil family has now been part of the St. Mary’s community for nine years.

During that time, the McNeil’s have had three graduates of St. Mary’s (Gordon Jr. – Georgetown, Grace – Fusion Academy, Gabe – Sage Hill), and they currently have two children enrolled (Gavin – Grade 7 and Mallory – K). Both Gavin and Mallory are enjoying their time at St. Mary’s, and they are grateful for the opportunity to be in school despite the global pandemic.

Gordon has served on the Development Committee at St. Mary’s for the last several years and has helped with strategy for the St. Mary’s Fund, Gala and Imagine More I capital campaign. His wife, Anne Marie, has been a lead sponsor of our annual Gala through her business, Newport Beach Dermatology and Plastic Surgery. In September 2020, Gordon took on a new role as the President and CEO of the TGR Foundation, a Tiger Woods Charity. Prior to this move, Gordon was at Sage Hill School from 2001-2020 and served as the Head of School from 2008-2014 and the President from 2014-2020. In addition to helping serve on the St. Mary’s Board, Gordon also sits on the Giving it Back to Kids (Vietnam) Board and the Carol Kimmelman Academic and Athletic Campus Board.

The McNeil Family has a deep passion for St. Mary’s and has been especially grateful for how the school has served all five of their children.

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INTERSESSION 2021.

From Hollywood to Ancient Egypt.

2021 Intersession Takes St. Mary’s Students On A Trip They Won’t Forget.

by Dan Kearney

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ntersession 2020 was a Tale of What Might Have Been. In its inaugural year at St. Mary’s as our new experiential learning program, last year’s Intersession featuring service learning trips outside the state, experiences around the area (from animal care to surfing) and unique learning opportunities on campus (photography and more) became one of the many victims of the COVID-19 pandemic.

It was clear this school year that Intersession 2021 could not simply be a resumption of spring 2020 plans.

Within the current guidelines, we designed Intersession 2021 to be an intensive, two-day program of presentations from a variety of experts in different fields from around the world.

On March 31 and April 1, St. Mary’s Middle School students forewent traditional academic classes and had the opportunity to hear the perspective and ideas from many experts. Intersession kicked off with a presentation about the life of cattle ranchers and ended with some sage words of advice about writing from a movie critic. In between there were many other incredible moments. Highlights include:

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Tales from a Hollywood effects artist. Zhe Chong from Ingenuity Studios in Los Angeles took the students through movie magic and how his visual effects team creates the world of films, commercials and music videos. This was particularly exciting because Zhe and his team use many of the same digital tools our students use, such as Adobe Premiere Pro. Watching Zhe demonstrate how he uses visual digital effects to create a car explosion in an action movie or snowfall in a Shawn Mendes video was not just mind blowing, but also inspiring for future computer artists.

A thoracic surgeon takes us inside his work. It’s not every day you get a medical doctor to talk you through the robotic surgeries he’s performed on hearts and lungs, but that’s exactly what Grades 7 and 8 students got when they met Dr. John Young. A fellow at Boston’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Dr. Young talked to the students about his career and the schooling required to get there, before sharing intense videos of surgeries he’s performed.

Uncovering life in ancient Egypt. By now we’ve all heard plenty of tales of the pharaohs of ancient Egypt, but what was life like for ordinary people during that time? Taking on that question was Dr. Leslie Warden, a professor at Roanoke College and an archaeologist who leads an excavation in northern Egypt. In a presentation that ranged from conceptual to artifact specific, Dr. Warden provided the students a window into how we understand the lives of those who lived so long ago.

We’re proud of our 2021 Intersession and excited about the connections we made with talented and inspiring professionals.

We’re also eager to get back to the original design of the program next year, when we hope to send students far and wide and bring experiences close to home, all in the name of growing their world-sized hearts and world-class minds. Look out for Intersession 2022 next school year.

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MATHEMATICS

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ISA RECAP.

2018-2020 ACHIEVEMENT GROWTH CLASS OF 2023

CLASS OF 2022

CLASS OF 2021

CLASS OF 2020

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St. Mary’s Soars Year Over Year.

Students in Grades 3-8 Shine in Annual International Schools’ Assessment.

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t. Mary’s is committed to academic excellence. We consistently evaluate our programs to ensure students in EEP-Grade 8 are engaged in meaningful learning experiences designed to support and inspire learning. This careful reflection extends to our assessment policy.

Annually, students in Grades 3-8 participate in a yearly standardized assessment that clearly reflects who we are and what we value. The International Schools’ Assessment (ISA) measures mathematical literacy, reading and writing.

Developed by the Australian Council for Educational Research in 2001, the ISA is based on internationally endorsed mathematical and reading frameworks.

The questions in the assessment are intentionally designed to assess a student’s ability to think both critically and creatively in a variety of contexts.

The ISA consists of four components: a reading test, a mathematical literacy test and two writing tests. Students in Grades 7 and 8 also take a scientific literacy assessment. The ISA reflects the authentic classroom experiences students at St. Mary’s participate in on a daily basis.

In contrast to a simple multiple choice test, the ISA asks students to apply their knowledge and justify their answers through open-ended tasks. The “why” behind the solution is just as important as the answer. The ISA provides useful data for the school and families, sharing descriptive information about what students know and can do. The results are equated from year to year, so changes can be tracked over time at both the individual and school levels.

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2018-2020 ACHIEVEMENT GROWTH CLASS OF 2023

CLASS OF 2022

CLASS OF 2021

CLASS OF 2020

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International Schools’ Assessment NARRATIVE WRITING

2019-20 Participating Schools Normally, Over 90 000 students from more than 400 schools participate in the ISA each year. However, due to the impact of COVID-19, a number of schools were forced to cancel or defer their testing in February 2020. The following 322 schools have given their permission for their name to be published by ACER on this list.

Grade 8 Student Results

ASIA Compared To International Schools CAMBODIA

East-West International School International School of Phnom Penh Northbridge International School Cambodia Peppercorns Home School

CHINA

BIBS (Beanstalk International Bilingual School) - UES Campus Changwai Bilingual School Hangzhou Shanghai World Foreign Language Primary School Jurong Country Garden School Qingdao Amerasia International School Shanghai Shangde Experimental School - Primary Shanghai United International School - Hongqiao Campus Shanghai United International School - Pudong Campus Shanghai United International School - WanYuan Campus Shanghai United International School - Wuxi Campus Shanghai World Foreign Language Primary School The International Montessori School - Beijing Tsinghua International School Xi’an Liangjiatan International School

HONG KONG

INDIA

INDONESIA

Beacon Hill School Bradbury School Clearwater Bay School Discovery College Glenealy School Kennedy School Kingston International School Kowloon Junior School Norwegian International School Peak School Quarry Bay School Renaissance College Hong Kong Sha Tin Junior School The Harbour School Ascend International School Good Shepherd International School Indus International School, Bangalore Lancers International School Neev Academy Oberoi International School - JVLR Campus Oberoi International School - OGC Campus Pathways School, Noida RBK International Academy Trivandrum International School True Line Public School Victorious Kidss Educares ACG School Jakarta Bali Island School BINUS School Simprug Canggu Community School Green School Bali Intercultural School of Bogor

International School of the Sacred Heart K. International School Tokyo KAIS Elementary & Middle School Kyoto International School Makuhari International School Nagoya International School New International School of Japan Nishimachi International School Ritsumeikan Uji Junior and Senior High School Shinagawa International School St. Michael’s International School Tamagawa Academy IB Programmes The Montessori School of Tokyo Tohoku International School Tokyo West International School Tsukuba International School Yokohama International School KYRGYZSTAN

Miras International School - Almaty ESCA - Bishkek International School

LAO PDR

Vientiane International School

MALAYSIA

Australian International School Malaysia IGB International School International School of Kuala Lumpur Tenby International School Setia EcoHill Tenby International School Tropicana Aman Tenby International School Penang Tenby Schools Ipoh Tenby Schools Setia Eco Gardens Tenby Schools Setia Eco Park

MYANMAR

Ayeyarwaddy International School

NEW ZEALAND

Selwyn House School

PHILIPPINES

Cebu International School Singapore School Manila The Beacon Academy

SINGAPORE

GEMS World Academy (Singapore) German European School Singapore Hillside World Academy Invictus International School ISS International School Singapore Middleton International School Nexus International School Singapore NPS International School One World International School United World College of South East Asia - Dover United World College of South East Asia - East

SOUTH KOREA

BIA (British International Academy) Dwight School Seoul International School of Koje Seoul International School Taejon Christian International School

SRI LANKA

Overseas School of Colombo

TAIWAN

Taipei Kuei Shan School

2018-2020 ACHIEVEMENT GROWTH CLASS OF 2023

CLASS OF 2022

CLASS OF 2021

CLASS OF 2020

94

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EXPOSITORY WRITING 2018-2020 ACHIEVEMENT GROWTH CLASS OF 2023

CLASS OF 2022

CLASS OF 2021

CLASS OF 2020

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St. Mary’s Community Contributes to Designing Our Future.

Keeping World-Sized Hearts and World-Class Minds Safe. Every Day.

by Doug Patterson

by Jim Cox

The following trends emerged from the brainstorming sessions: Environmentally Conscious and Sustainable Our constituents were clear that a new building needs to consider the environment.

The project should be mindful about creating a minimal carbon footprint. Students, parents and faculty were all in alignment on the importance of reconnecting with nature. Outdoor learning environments will be crucial and blur the line of indoor and outdoor spaces. A rooftop garden was echoed in all three groups.

Interdisciplinary Collaboration This building will allow exploratory classes such as art, music, science and technology to come together to create cross-curricular learning experiences and foster design thinking. The space and experiences promote opportunities for students to build bridges between industry and academia. The spaces will need to be equipped for self-contained learning, large and small group collaboration and individual work.

Tech Enabled The space needs to allow for seamless home-school connectivity. Students and faculty will need to have digital interaction in all spaces. Our students want opportunities to work with cutting edge technologies such as AI, VR, holograms, recording and sound boards, in addition to low tech opportunities for building and creating with their hands. This space needs to be designed to further student creativity and not consumption. Our students and families have a good understanding of what can be learned on a screen and what cannot. There is a need for visceral in-person experiences.

Hyper-Flexible The environment will need to be able to expand and contract to accommodate more or fewer people including walls and furniture. There was a clear desire for collaborative work space, in addition to private work areas. We want to create an environment where the learning process is visible; this can be accomplished by utilizing flexible wall space as writing and thinking spaces.

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Mission Minded This needs to be a space for all learners, who are focused on both mental and physical wellness. The space needs to touch both the head and heart of our faculty and students. Instead of designing one experience for all students, this building needs to allow for multiple experiences and meet the needs of all learners.

Research Shows Students Can Only Learn When They Feel Safe.

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e are coming out of a season of remote learning and forced curricular improvisation. We are sitting on the precipice of educational reform, the likes of which have not happened in the last century. Everything about education has been disrupted. What remains and what stands out, as we look ahead, are that emotional connections matters. Teachers and administrators across the globe understand, more than ever, that to facilitate learning we first need to foster connection with our students. The world’s experiment with remote learning has taught us that technology cannot replace what schools and teachers provide for students. We have an opportunity in front of us to learn from this experience, capitalize on this momentum and design what a school in the future should look like.

Our school is using design thinking to help us cultivate our creative capacity. By first identifying the needs of the students and faculty who will be using this new building, we can develop empathy and re-frame the design goals in more human-centric ways. Once we understand the needs of the users, we can ideate, prototype and test our ideas and solutions. To gain this crucial understanding, we conducted brainstorming sessions with parents, students and faculty. The data gathered and insights learned through this process are invaluable as we plan for future spaces and buildings.

References 1. Schoolhouse Rocked: Sam Scott, Stanford Alumni Magazine 2. Reconnect: Design strategies for a post-covid world, Gensler Design Forecast, 2021

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he safety and security of our students, faculty and staff is paramount at St. Mary’s. Given the current climate of school violence in our country, no safety measure is too big or too small. Safety is at the forefront of our decision making and planning is the foundation of operations from daily campus life to large community events.

Every day we follow and further refine our established protocols and procedures in an effort to mitigate risk and ensure we are prepared for any situation.

Safety begins before anyone steps foot onto our campus. Established in 2018, the SeneGence Security Booth and Gate provides a single location for access to our school where all visitors must check in with a valid form of identification. Each visitor’s information is run through a background check to identify potential security threats.

All approved visitors are announced and badged for the duration of their visit.

Over the past 15 years, St. Mary’s has had an extensive video surveillance system. In January, we upgraded and implemented the Verkada Surveillance System with 30 state-of-the-art video cameras with cloud based storage. The cameras are equipped with facial and license plate recognition and HD zoom features. Our security team strategically placed cameras throughout our grounds to achieve maximum coverage. The Verkada system is app-based, which allows our team to check cameras 24 hours a day remotely. We also share access to the app with our partners at the Orange County Sheriff ’s Department (OCSD).

OCSD can access our cameras in the case of an emergency, so they have footage of a developing situation or for investigation purposes. This quickly and efficiently helps the police to identify and plan for an incident all before even reaching campus.

Our partnership with OCSD includes its training program with SWAT and School Mobile Assessment and Resource Team (SMART) leaders. SMART is utilized in school situations and incidents related to violence, threats, possession and/or use of weapons, unstable behaviors and suicidal actions or tendencies. The goal of SMART is to evaluate and assess each incident individually, to effectively resolve the matter through the least intrusive means available (while still maintaining safety and security to the school) and, ultimately, return the staff and students to their daily routines.

“We are so proud and honored that our campus is going to be a training site for active intruder trainings through SWAT and SMART,” said Jim Cox, Director of Operations. “The Orange County Sheriff ’s Department wants to showcase St. Mary’s as an exemplary school for the county because of our excellent safety procedures, protocols and systems we have in place.”

Preparation is key, especially in a school setting, to ensuring the health and safety of our community. While we have full-time campus security on staff, we believe we all play a role and are responsible for the safety of others. Because of this, St. Mary’s regularly conducts scenario based

trainings, hosts monthly emergency drills, and our faculty and staff are required to complete online training modules.

St. Mary’s prides itself on the beauty of our campus from landscaping to the buildings.

We are intentional in the use of certain landscaping along our perimeter fencing.

We are in the process of “farming pups” from our large Century Agaves located along the fencing on Pursuit. The Century Agave is known for its sharp, swordlike leaves, which provide an incredible barrier for anyone trying to access the fence. By farming the pups, we are able to add to the fenceline at no additional cost while keeping with the aesthetics of the landscaping plan.

Remember, we all play a role in keeping our community safe.

“Safety and security don’t just happen, they are the result of collective consensus and public investment. We owe our children, the most vulnerable citizens in our society, a life free of violence and fear.” Nelson Mandela

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where falcons fly.

St. Mary’s Alumni Updates

When our students graduate and leave the nest, we continue to stay in touch and support them. We are proud to share how our graduates continue to demonstrate their world-sized hearts and world-class minds.

Casey Mims ’07 graduated from JSerra Catholic

High School in 2011 and received a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from the University of California, Berkeley in 2015. She is currently attending the University of Virginia Darden School of Business and will earn an MBA in 2022.

Morgan Horvath ‘17 is a senior at JSerra Catholic

High School and created with a fellow student a nonprofit called MaskingOC. Since the start of the pandemic, the two students have made more than 1,400 free protective masks for the Naval Hospital at Camp Pendleton, Brestlink, Sun Mar Nursing Center, Orange County Rescue Mission and other local organizations. Please keep sharing your world-sized hearts to help keep our community safe.

i will Kaylin Martin ‘14

20

graduated from St. Mary’s in 2014 and is a recipient of the Father Ernest D. Sillers Legacy Award. She was involved in many sports at St. Mary’s and also played soccer on the Blues Club team. Kaylin attends USC and plays soccer for the Trojans. Last year as a freshman she played in 21 games for the Trojans, starting 16 on the defensive back line to help the team to an NCAA quarterfinals appearance. Kaylin earned Top Drawer Soccer Freshman Best XI second team honors. She was also named to the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team. She helped anchor a defense that posted nine shutouts and 1.15 goals against average.

Wilson Cunningham ‘17

is a senior at JSerra Catholic High School and recently signed with the University of Chicago to play baseball. Wilson is excited to play baseball for the Maroons.

Alison Calentino ‘10

graduated from Santa Margarita Catholic High School in 2014 and from The University of Chicago in 2018, where she doublemajored in Comparative Human Development and Psychology. She has been working as a research coordinator in the Families, Affective Neuroscience and Mood Disorders Lab at the University of Illinois at Chicago. She manages research studies that investigate the intergenerational transmission of depression between mothers and their children. Alison has also volunteered as a Crisis Counselor with Crisis Text Line, an SMS-based suicide hotline. She recently accepted an offer to begin the Clinical Psychology Ph.D. program at Stony Brook University, and will be joining Dr. Dan Klein’s Developmental Psychopathology Lab. Her research will focus on the relationship between adversity and mental health outcomes across development, and how experiences of depression and anxiety in childhood and adolescence influence functioning in adulthood.

Lauren Memoly ‘17

recently signed with Texas Christian University to play soccer.

Lauren attends Santa Margarita Catholic High School and has participated in US Soccer’s Development Academy for the last three years, which precluded her from being able to play for the Eagles’ soccer team until this season. Lauren is a center forward and plays club soccer for So Cal Blues ECNL. Lauren was a top-five scorer nationally last season in the Development Academy for the Blues, helping lead her team to an undefeated season and No. 1 national ranking.

Lauren is a dual sport athlete. She was one of the leaders of the Eagles’ 2019 Trinity League and CIF Champion Track and Field team. She holds the school record in the 400m and long jump. Lauren was also a CIF Champion in the 400m and 4x100m relay and finished the season with All-State accolades with her 6th place finish at the California State Championships.

Off the field, Lauren enjoys volunteering at Mercy Warehouse and maintains a 4.2 GPA.

Vaughn Vogel ‘18

is currently a junior at Sage Hill School. He recently launched a virtual children’s book club at Sage Hill with the hope of spreading the joy of reading throughout Orange County. The book club is for Grades 3-5 students. The program is hosted by Grades 11-12 Sage Hill students every month during the 20202021 school year. The high schoolers provide younger students with books, crafts, worksheets and engaging conversations about literature to help develop a deep love of reading and development of invaluable writing skills. The goal is to make this virtual book club as wide spread and accessible as possible to budding, young bookworms. To make it accessible to everyone, the books are provided free to students through a pick-up program.

Evita Kaldowski ‘18

relocated to Switzerland with her family two and a half years ago at the beginning of Evita’s high school experience. For her freshman and sophomore years, Evita attended a local IB high school, but this past year switched to a virtual high school program in the U.S. Evita is now enrolled at the George Washington Online High School in Washington, DC, and loves it.

When she is not studying, Evita enjoys hanging out in local coffee shops drinking Swiss hot chocolate, especially in the snow. She has been busy traveling to historical sites throughout Europe, just short train rides away. This is one of the many benefits of living in the center of Europe. She was unable to return to Southern California this past summer because of the pandemic but looks forward to future visits to reconnect with her St. Mary’s friends.

Leo Woods ’20 moved to Idaho in August 2020.

He attends Rocky Mountain High School where he plays lacrosse for the school. He still enjoys skateboarding and playing the drums and looks forward to a visit back to Southern California.

Eleni Engelbrecht ‘19

is a sophomore at Sage Hill School and was recently highlighted in the LA Times for her service work. Eleni helped form a partnership with Orange County nonprofit Bracken’s Kitchen, which specializes in food recovery and makes and delivers meals to low-income and underserved people in the community.

Eleni organized a two-month food drive in October and November. Bracken’s Kitchen gave the teenagers five recipes, which they stapled on grocery bags for easy donation. In the end, they donated 300 pounds of pasta, 31 gallons of chicken broth and 20 gallons of olive oil to Bracken’s Kitchen in December. The other items included 40 pounds of salt and pepper, 24 pounds of granulated garlic and 95 pounds of other ingredients.

“I was really surprised,” Eleni said. “Every single neighbor I gave [an empty bag] to, they all put in something and were really eager to donate to our cause. Their generosity was just amazing. Everybody’s in the crisis, right? Everybody knows how it feels to be struggling. But it kind of empowers people to feel like they can do something to make the situation better, rather than just stand on the sidelines and watch people suffer.”

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