Seventh grade is a time to thrive and improve. The teachers are amazing and the projects are so much fun! In Mr. [Eric] Harrington’s science class students are given the opportunity to create and present an ocean science project. The gyre, urban runoff and shark finning are only a few of the topics. Two particular teams decided to do their projects on creating an environmentally-friendly surfboard. When surfboards are being shaped they release toxic fumes that can cause diseases. Surfboard shapers can suffer from cancer, paralysis, and other harmful symptoms. This project made a huge impact not only at our school, but in our community.

These teams completed various projects. For one of their community service projects they collected more than 100 pounds of Styrofoam, and since it’s around 98 percent air, that’s a lot of foam. The packaging foam was then recycled and sent to Marko Foam. Marko Foam has a foundation called Waste to Waves. All of the foam that was collected was donated to them and they recycled it into several eco-friendly surfboards. Click here for a Care2 article about the students collecting Styrofoam for this project.

It takes about six pounds of polystyrene (EPS) foam to make a surfboard blank. This project was not only about the environment, but about the shapers and riders too. The toxic fumes are very dangerous, so the teams did lots of research until they found a solution. Instead of using polyurethane, they used EPS. Polystyrene is also known as Styrofoam. Styrofoam can be recycled over and over again; this is why it is the best environmentally friendly foam that you can buy.

The teams discovered through research that Styrofoam is not usually recycled and most recycling centers don’t even bother trying to collect it because it is so expensive to transport since it is primarily air. Taking this waste product and creating a surfboard from it made perfect sense to everyone. Epoxy resin is also very toxic. When it is glassed onto the board it releases toxic fumes (VOC’s) into the air. So, instead of using epoxy resin they use a pine tree sap resin. The community service projects that the teams completed have raised awareness and taught people that they can make a difference one board at a time.

The environmental solution was to create a cost efficient, environmentally-friendly surfboard. With the help of local shapers Timmy Patterson and Cole Simler, the two teams shaped surfboards from the recycled EPS foam. The teams are having their boards glassed with the bio-based pine sap resin from Entropy Resin and will be surfing them soon. The plan is to use these boards to bring awareness to the toxins and chemicals used in the surfboard manufacturing industry. Most often surfers are unaware of the chemicals right under their feet.

Collecting Styrofoam was not the only project the teams did. One of the teams went down to T-Street in San Clemente and interviewed surfers. They asked them if they knew what they were surfing on, how it effects the environment, and how they could make a difference. Turns out 99 percent of surfers don’t know what they are, what their board is made of or how it effects the environment. The other one percent is Mr. Harrington! They also created a poster with the advantages and disadvantages of balsa wood, polyurethane, polystyrene and enviro-foam. The other side of the poster revealed the chemicals in each of the blank boards. The posters were then put in surf shops and beaches in Dana Point and San Clemente. The teams also put together movies. You can watch them at www.IZecoboard.webs.com and www.shredthechemicals.com.

On Friday, February 8, St. Margaret’s hosted a special guest. Mr. Scarpitto, from Entropy Resin came and spoke to the Middle School about surfboards, surfboard chemistry and the best choices for the environment. The assembly was a mix of student presentations and information provided by Mr. Scarpitto. Entropy Resin is an eco-friendly company that uses pine sap along with soy products instead of toxic chemicals. This was also the solution for the two surfboard teams. Mr. Scarpitto spoke to the Middle School about where the sap comes from and why it is great for the environment. The two surfboard teams talked about foams and great alternatives that will keep our environment safe and clean.

Click here for photo gallery.

This project has changed the lives of many surfers and made a big impact on my surfing experience, as well. Before I started this project I knew very little about the effect surfboards have on the environment. This research project has changed my life. It has taught me that I can make a difference one board at a time.

This year, students are researching pro and con arguments for the following debate resolution: Among all energy sources, nuclear power is the best choice to meet future world energy consumption needs. Students will write outlines and essays on both sides of the issue. At the end of the unit, students will pick a side and engage in an academic debate on the topic.

What follows is a student perspective on a visit from con speaker Ms. Rochelle Becker, executive director for the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility. Earlier in the unit, students heard from a speaker on the pro side of the issue: Mr. Christopher Abel, spokesman for San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

By Ryan Penske, Grade 7

Every year grade 7 students are faced with a huge debate on a certain subject. This year, the debate covers nuclear energy and whether it is a good, reliable resource for our future energy needs.

Sillers Hall was filled with squeaking sneakers, as every seventh grade student entered to hear a well anticipated speaker, Ms. Rochelle Becker. Ms. Becker is a speaker from the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility in San Luis Obispo, Calif. As everyone filled the white chairs, Ms. Jeni Johnson, one of the seventh grade English teachers, quickly introduced our speaker and let her begin.

Before we met with Ms. Becker, we were taught how to write a formal business letter. Each of us then wrote to Ms. Becker with a question about nuclear energy. Ms. Becker expressed how thrilled she was to receive the letters. She also let us know that she wasn’t going to be startling or scaring us about nuclear energy.

As Ms. Becker started to present her slideshow, we could tell she had a very strong opinion, but she also was very calm about it. One thing that most students noticed was that she was concerned for our future community and how we would be living 50 years from now. As she spoke, I could tell that most kids around me were changing their minds on whether they were pro or con. For example, we learned that nuclear waste doesn’t have a specific spot in our world to be held. The world still hasn’t been able to find a solution for more than 30 years.

Listening to Ms. Becker helped grow our knowledge of nuclear power. Having her as a guest speaker really was a privilege for all of the seventh grade students at St. Margaret’s. I know that after listening to her for an hour, I have greatly changed my horizons for nuclear energy.

Click here to view a student perspective on a visit from pro speaker Mr. Christopher Abel, spokesman for San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station.

St. Margaret’s students who attended the National Association of Independent Schools Student Diversity Leadership Conference and faculty who attended the NAIS People of Color Conference conducted a workshop addressing diversity for St. Margaret’s Upper School faculty. Together, we worked to create a common language and began to construct a safe environment in which diverse topics and potentially sensitive subject matter of diversity can be discussed. Contrary to last year, we wanted to address the Upper School faculty about diversity matters rather than the students. Because students spend so much time with faculty—particularly teachers—it was obvious that by educating the faculty, they would be able to directly affect the student body, as well. We look upon our teachers as role models as examples of moral/ethical behavior.

To begin, those leading the workshop introduced and clearly defined what diversity is and the main ways in which an individual may identify him or herself. Defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, diversity is “the condition of having or being composed of differing elements,” and though it is more than that, this is a basic definition in a nutshell. There are many ways in which one may identify him or herself including experiences, ways of thinking, etc. The diversity workshop introduced The Big 8 Cultural Identifiers: socioeconomic, religion, sexual orientation, age, ability, race, ethnicity and gender. In addition, to create the safe space essential for discussions, the 12 community norms were introduced:

1. Be fully present

2. Speak from the “I” perspective

3. Be self-responsible and self-challenging

4. Listen, listen, listen and process

5. Lean into discomfort

6. Experiment with new behaviors in order to expand your range of response

7. Take risks, be raggedy, make some mistakes – then let go

8. Accept conflict and its resolution as a necessary catalyst for learning

9. Be comfortable with silence

10. Be crisp; say what’s core

11. Treat the candidness of others as a gift; honor confidentiality

12. Suspend judgment of yourself and of others

These norms are essential to the conversation because they allow the discussion to occur in an open, safe manner because otherwise a heated argument may occur.

After establishing the cultural identifiers and the community norms, the faculty was split into groups of seven to eight teachers and one to two PoCC/SDLC attendees. Each group received the opportunity to practice the use of the community norms by being asked a question about diversity matters. Soon enough, discussions began to arise in the room and teachers began to implement the community norms while establishing a safe space for discussion. The workshop concluded and faculty were given a laminated copy of the community norms and asked to post and use them in their classrooms.

The workshop ended, but the efforts of the PoCC and SDLC members did not. Over the course of the new semester, the goal is to follow up with another workshop in which we will examine our identities as we continue to live out our diversity mission statement in order to truly prepare students and adults in our community to be contributing members of a global society.

The MIT Women’s Initiative Program seeks to increase the number of women enrolled in engineering majors by educating middle and high school girls nationwide. In particular, the program aims to expose students to the field of engineering and challenge its common stereotypes. St. Margaret’s hosted two young women from the program who are seniors at MIT; one is studying mechanical engineering, and the other is studying electrical engineering. They participated in Upper School science teacher Joe Ingalls’ intro to engineering class and presented a project activity to the group. This was followed by an all Upper School presentation in the Chapel giving St. Margaret’s students an excellent overview of the various fields of engineering that are available to high school students as they think about future careers in college and beyond.

Click here for photo gallery.

Mr. Ingalls is a member of the SAMPE Foundation’s Kindergarten through grade 12 Education Committee. The SAMPE Foundation is, “a California non-profit corporation whose aim is to further the reach of the Society for the Advancement of Material and Process Engineering (SAMPE) in promoting the use, expansion and education of advanced materials and the processes involved in existing and new industries and applications.” SAMPE sponsored the visit of two women engineering students to tour throughout the Capistrano School District. St. Margaret’s applied and was accepted as one of 10 school sites to visit.

Grade 11 student Melisa Osborne summarized her experience with the two MIT women and what she learned that day:

It’s funny how the most unexpected things are what influence you the most. This is the conclusion I came to after further reflection upon the two MIT graduates who came to speak to St. Margaret’s. I remember standing in front of my engineering classroom, anxious to meet these two women. While this may sound virtuous, I must admit I had ulterior motives behind these thoughts. My mind flashed back to all the times I told my friends and family that I considered becoming an engineer. The looks of horror and amusement I received permeated my mind. I was anxious to meet these women because I was afraid that the typical stereotype of an engineer would come before me, and make an indelible mark on my brain. Would these women really be two prime examples of engineers who lock themselves in rooms, avoid sunlight, and remain forever gauche? I shuddered at the thought. I could not even remotely imagine myself living that kind of lifestyle. But, my love for science and engineering wrestled with my need for human companionship—and sunlight, for that matter. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw them approaching with Mr. Ingalls; and—what’s this? Are they… laughing? Are they really being social? A flood of relief came over me and I pushed away all those nagging voices telling me that this was too good to be true. They came to our classroom and quickly put us to work. The two women commanded the attention of the class with little effort, but kept a light air in the room. We were given our tools and our task: marshmallows and toothpicks, with which we were to construct the tallest tower. As we worked in groups, the two women came around stressing the importance of cooperation and group work in engineering today. As they walked around and gave us tips on how to improve our buildings, they stressed that the days of solitary engineering were over, and the complex machines and ideas being compiled today required total cooperation between, and effort from, all team members.

As if this weren’t enough to quell my fears, the presentation the women gave to the Upper School completely obliterated any doubts I had of becoming an engineer. In addition to noting that the number of women in engineering was increasing, they talked about the different types of engineering, and what each one entails. They introduced me to so many applications of engineering and made me realize that engineering has no limits. (And, despite what many may say, takes a whole lot of creativity!) Thanks so much to the women from MIT! Now I know I’m not crazy to go into engineering, and can’t wait until I have the tools to do so.

Click here for photo gallery.

By Caroline Walters

More than 240 students from 12 high schools from around the world gathered in San Francisco, Calif. January 13-16 for Harvard Model Congress. At Harvard Model Congress, high school students learn the ins and outs of American government the best way possible, through simulation and debate. The delegates ranged from local San Francisco high school students to high school students all the way from Amman, Jordan.

This diverse group of students served as presidential cabinet members, senators, representatives, National Security Council members, National Economic Council members, Supreme Court justices and members of The Press, dealing with contemporary issues and challenges members of the government face today. Students took on the roles of current members of the government, forcing them to learn about a new perspective of politics that is not necessarily their own.

This four-day conference covered an entire year of American politics, enabling the students to experience the entire spectrum of how the government works. The Senate and Congress worked closely together to pass bills, and debated numerous pieces of current legislation such as the controversial “Dream Act” and President Obama’s healthcare plan. Special programs committees like the National Security Council and the presidential cabinet dealt with crises throughout the weekend, including the middle of the night, where they dealt with real-life issues like nuclear power threats and terrorist attacks.

An exciting element to this year’s HMC was “The Race to the White House” where Harvard students became the current GOP presidential candidates, President Obama and Hillary Clinton. After a series of lively speeches and dynamic debates, the delegates thoughtfully voted in their roles, the GOP nominee and then the president. Beyond the endless learning that took place this weekend, friendships were created among the future leaders of the United States government and the world.

A total of 11 St. Margaret’s seniors attended this year’s HMCSF. More than half of the students received Best Delegate and Commendation Awards for their performance. When not working hard in committee, Upper School History Teacher and Model Congress Advisor Rocky Parker took the students around San Francisco to experience the many flavors the city has to offer.

By Ryan Gooding

Long before the sun rose on Friday, January 13, a group of 11 St. Margaret’s students convened at John Wayne Airport to embark on a weekend trip to San Francisco. For three days, we participated in the Harvard Model Congress—one of the nation’s premier governmental simulations for high school students.

“You are all America’s future leaders,” remarked Alison DiCiurcio, president of Harvard Model Congress, while addressing the more than 240 student delegates later Friday morning. “Over the next three days, you will be given the chance to act as legislators, advisors, justices and journalists, working to solve problems faced by our nation today.”

That we did.

Once the simulation started, we ceased being just St. Margaret’s students, and immersed ourselves completely in our roles. Together, the group of 11 students became senators, congressmen, Supreme Court justices, members of the National Security Council and National Economic Council and journalists for the press corps. For three days, we debated and passed legislation, averted national crises, proposed solutions to economic issues, and published nearly 20 articles and dozens of photographs.

Simply put, St. Margaret’s students performed above and beyond expectations. In the National Economic Council, for example, senior Mark Oliver proposed an effective plan to reform homeless benefits. In addition, St. Margaret’s students in the House and Senate co-authored and passed three successful bills. By the end of the simulation, St. Margaret’s students earned multiple honorable mentions and four Gavel Awards (given to the best delegates in each sub-committee).

Looking back on the experience, nearly all of the 11 students who participated gave the simulation a solid thumbs up:

“It was a really great experience that taught me a lot about taking the material we’ve learned in Advanced Placement government and putting it into action,” said senior Najet Fazai. During her time at Harvard Model Congress, she served on the Supreme Court – acting as both a justice and a trial lawyer, and earning a Gavel Award (with teammate Samantha Larsen) for Best Supreme Court team. “It really helps our studies to become a lot more relevant now that we understand what politicians go through every day in Washington,” she continued.

As for me, I served as a photojournalist for the HMCSF Press Corps. In three days, I published nine full-length articles and dozens of photographs to accompany them. Attending Harvard Model Congress was, without a doubt, one of the highlights of my senior year thus far. Not only was I able to apply what I’ve learned in AP government in a political situation, but I also learned more about what it takes to be a good journalist.

Click here for photo gallery.

“The night was filled with excitement and the kids’ enthusiasm for science shined,” said Lower School science teacher Morgan Young. “There was something there for everyone; whether you wanted to get messy making silly putty and chemical reactions, touch live marine animals at The Ocean Institute’s touch tanks, plant your own seed out of your handmade newspaper pot at The Ecology Center station, show off your engineering and building skills at the Build a Better Bridge station, or test your knowledge and make predictions at the Heavy and Light station. The night roared with the vital message that science is both important in our lives and fun!”

As a rising grade 7 student in 2007, Garcia joined Breakthrough SJC, an academic program that supports underserved students as they work towards their goal of being first-generation college students. Garcia has been highly involved with the program since 2007, serving both as a volunteer and a teaching assistant.

Garcia will now advance to the next round of the competition, where she will seek the title of Orange County Youth of the Year. This award is accompanied by a $1,000 college scholarship from Tupperware Brands Corporation, the recognition program’s national sponsor.

County winners will compete for the title of California Youth of the Year and a $10,000 scholarship from Tupperware Brands. In September, five regional winners will compete for the Boys and Girls Club of America’s National Youth of the Year award, which provides one student with a scholarship of up to $50,000 from The Rick and Susan Goings Foundation. The winner will be sent to Washington, D.C., where he or she will have the opportunity to meet with the president at the White House.

Garcia is currently a junior at San Juan Hills High School, where she maintains a GPA of 3.375.

An impressive and diverse group of colleges and universities from across the country, including Barnard College, Boston College, Brown University, George Washington University, Georgetown University, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins University, New York University, Santa Clara University, Southern Methodist University, Stanford University, Wake Forest University, University of Michigan, University of Pennsylvania and Yale University, have one thing in common. These highly selective schools have already accepted a member or members of the St. Margaret’s Class of 2012.

At the mid-point of the college admission process, 84 percent of St. Margaret’s seniors have already received acceptance to a four-year college or university of their choice—many Tartans have received multiple acceptance letters.

“We are very excited by the record early acceptance of the St. Margaret’s 2012 senior class, but not completely surprised. These results underscore the enduring quality of a St. Margaret’s graduate, and importantly, they show that our students and their families are thoughtfully researching and identifying colleges and universities that are a good fit for them,” said Roland Allen, St. Margaret’s director of college counseling.

A record number of early acceptances is due in part to a college admission process called early action where a student has the opportunity to apply in an early admission round in the fall before the standard January application deadline. Many St. Margaret’s seniors took this step with at least some of their college applications, however, these early decisions only represent 19 percent of all St. Margaret’s seniors’ college applications for 2012.

“The early application process enables colleges and universities to pace their admission season and make early decisions on students who standout as a great match for their school,” said Amy Warren, St. Margaret’s associate director of college counseling. “Opting for applying early is an individual decision and we work with our students and their parents to identify the right school choices and the right application process for each situation.”

Senior Ryan Gooding applied early decision in November to Haverford College, a premier liberal arts college outside of Philadelphia. He learned of Haverford first from St. Margaret’s classmate Gabriela Leichnitz who had visited the school last year and thought it would be perfect for him. Ryan says it was too early for him to be thinking of college, but when the time came and he began his research, Mr. Allen suggested Haverford too.

“Within three weeks of Mr. Allen’s suggestion, I had met a Haverford representative on St. Margaret’s campus and my mom and I flew to Philadelphia to visit. We both fell in love with it and thought it was perfect for me. I had originally envisioned Michigan because I’ve always had a strong connection because my dad is a Michigan alumnus,” said Ryan. “The last night we were at Haverford, my mom and I created a list of pros and cons. The only con we could come up with was the food. That’s not as much about Haverford as it is that my mom is a great cook and I’ve been accustomed to her amazing cooking every night for my entire life!

“Mr. Allen and the college counselors not only know so many colleges and universities, but they take the time to get to know the individual student. That was certainly the case with me. Mr. Allen knew my interests, what kind of school and environment I was looking for, and I was confident in his recommendations. Haverford quickly became my top choice school.”

Colleges and universities determine if they offer an early application process or not. Subsequently, there are various options available for a student to apply early to certain schools. The term early action refers to the process for a student to apply early, but retains the choice to apply to multiple schools. Early decision applications are binding. A student can choose to apply to one school, often their top choice school, and if they are accepted they are committing at the application step to enrolling in the fall.

Understandably, Ryan says receiving a deny from Haverford would have been a big disappointment. Regardless, he says he was confident in his list of school choices and that he would be attending a great college next year that he loved and was right for him. Ryan received early decision acceptance to Haverford on December 15.

St. Margaret’s has 14 seniors in the class of 2012 who were accepted by early decision. They are:

• Najet Fazai, Barnard College
• Tiffany Cheng, Bowdoin College
• Chelsie Churchill, Brown University
• Camille Sheets, George Washington University
• Nolan Lynch, Gettysburg College
• George Clemmons, Haverford College
• Ryan Gooding, Haverford College
• Cole Gennrich, Johns Hopkins University
• Brian Vail, Lehigh University
• Crystal Chin, New York University
• Katie Kontoulis, New York University
• Jennifer Tedori, University of Pennsylvania
• Natalie Barbaresi, Pomona College
• Samantha Larsen, Wake Forest University

With many students applying to multiple schools, there are still many decisions to come before the mid-April close to the admission season. Most schools require all accepted students to declare their intent by May 1 each year.

Click here, to see the complete list of colleges and universities that have early-accepted members of the St. Margaret’s Class of 2012. See the list of Class of 2012 Tartan athletes who have committed to a college or university for next year, click here.

Ryan Gooding will attend Haverford in the fall where he plans to immediately beginning running cross country. He boasts with school pride that Haverford has a “top cross country program.” Additionally, he is leaving his academic options open, but is interested in political science after taking a course studying the upcoming 2012 presidential election at a George Washington University summer program last year. Additionally, he’s excited about Haverford’s campus student art center and studio, and continuing his passion for photography as a hobby.

Riding in a white St. Margaret’s minibus on Thursday, January 19, seven students and two teachers made their way to Camp Stevens in Julian, Calif. For the next 32 hours, the group escaped the routine of high school life and embraced the outdoors and nature by learning about sustainable living.

The occasion for the trip was the second annual SEEDs Retreat. Jump-started by the addition of the St. Margaret’s Episcopal School Garden to the St. Margaret’s community, the project gained momentum though last year’s retreat to Camp Stevens. The SEEDs Project strives to educate students and families about how to lead sustainable, healthy and natural lives. The retreat trained Upper School students on how to teach Lower School students lessons using the garden. Director of Community Life Mrs. Lora Allison and Upper School Science Department Chair Dr. Jennifer Ross-Viola joined the seven students: freshmen Elizabeth Stevens and Mary Powell, juniors Tori Deckard, myself, Ashley Eichenauer and Alexandra Oscar-Rodriguez, and senior Nick Adams.

Click here for photo gallery.

Upon arrival at Camp Stevens, the group immediately dropped their bags off in the cabins and went straight to work. The activities varied from making a model wood-fired cob pizza oven to mixing compost with peat for ideal soil to simply sitting silently in nature or under the stars and taking time to reflect on what they learned. There were also sprinklings of fun activities such as acting out various animals found in the mountains and feeding the farm’s chickens.

Beneath all the lessons was the underlying theme of using the five senses to observe nature. The students became acute to the tiny details of the world when they were told to focus on one sense in particular. The afternoon hike, which took up the bulk of the first day, gave everyone the chance to strengthen these senses. Sight was exercised by being challenged to find a specimen from the forest to complete the color spectrum in the middle of what appeared to be a green and brown landscape. The sense of scent was strengthened when asked to identify various herbs and plants. When blindfolded in the middle of the hike and led to the peak of the mountain, the group was forced to pinpoint the audible factors in the forest and take in the whipping wind. Atop the mountain beneath the beating sun, the depravation of sight ignited a new appreciation for the surroundings. By digging with vigor through soil, the sense of touch added a new range of textures to its database. And even taste was utilized when a couple of the students went so far as to taste the soil when asked to describe it with detail. They truly embraced the retreat.

In addition to these fundamental lessons on how to observe, the group was armed with information on how to plant seeds, how seeds grow, how to make compost, how to utilize all parts of a plant, and how to live sustainably. However, unquestionably, the most valuable lessons were those focused on how to take the information we learned to go back and teach in our community. With fun games and practice, the students left the retreat with a strong sense of how to communicate the lessons learned using the St. Margaret’s Garden as a classroom.

One lesson that stood strong in everyone’s mind was a fact stated by one of the group leaders when teaching about soil. She stated that in one tablespoon of healthy, nutrient rich soil, there are more organisms than there are humans on earth. This not only was a staggering statement, but it really put into perspective how much bigger the natural world and its workings are. There are so many levels and procedures that go into gardening and the natural cycle of life that will never be truly understood. The understanding of all the tiny pieces that must come together in the soil to produce our food gives a deep appreciation for the small processes of the earth.

Alumni presented during two, small, 30-minute classroom sessions. They began each session talking about their path from St. Margaret’s through college and onto their current careers. Students were able to connect with alumni from a multitude of backgrounds. Tips and suggestions were offered to help students navigate their own paths after St. Margaret’s through college and into a career field. Each session ended with more than ten minutes of questions and answers.

Click here for photo gallery.

“For years we have envisioned a program that brings together our alumni and current students. The Alumni Career Forum was the perfect venue to accomplish two major goals: bringing alumni back to campus while connecting them to our mission, and demonstrating for students what it means to be a St. Margaret’s alum,” said Ian Tacquard (Class of 2002), alumni relations and special events manager. “I am proud of the Alumni Council’s hard work and dedication to make this possible for our students and look forward to seeing the program grow.”

Many students attended sessions in hopes of networking for a possible summer internship or finding a host for their Independent Senior Projects (ISP), while others tried to find a potential career field.

“The first Annual Alumni Career Forum was a huge success,” said Tony Jordan, Upper School principal. “High achieving students can become very focused on the college decision and not look far beyond. The opportunity to hear, first hand, from alumni who have experienced success in so many varied fields was a treat for our community. In my debriefing with many students, it is clear they heard the important messages: grades matter, but they are not everything; hard work is, indeed, very important; and, finding something you have a passion to do. I am very grateful to our alumni and looking forward to next year.”

Some students were inspired to look at new colleges, new possible careers and look past college and know there is much more beyond.

“Having a career forum, especially with alumni, helps the students learn about possible paths they can take through college and beyond,” said Taylore McClurg (Class of 2002), engineering systems architect for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems. “Seeing someone from St. Margaret’s having achieved a career or an education level similar to what the students also want to achieve gives them the confidence to use the tools St. Margaret’s has given them and achieve their goals. I would have loved to attend an event like this when I was in Upper School.”

Chris Allen (Class of 1989), head of leadership development for Disney ABC Television Group had this to say about the students that attended his presentation, “I hope students began to think now about what they want their future career to look like. But, most importantly, I hope they think about what their brand is – what makes them unique and will set them apart in the marketplace? I enjoyed presenting to the students and witnessing firsthand their curiosity and in-depth questions. It was truly refreshing.”

Mr. Tacquard and the Alumni Council are in the process of reviewing the surveys that the Upper School students took after the Alumni Career Forum to see how they can improve and start planning for next year’s event.

Below is a list of alumni speakers who attended the event:

Kristin Ahmer (Class of 1998) – Founder and CEO, The Sili Company

Chris Allen (Class of 1989) – Head of Leadership Development, Disney ABC Television Group

Erin Newman Armstrong (Class of 1998) – Critical Care Nurse, Mission Hospital

Jessica Pakzad Bennett (Class of 2002) – Owner, Jessica Bennett Interiors

Dr. Jeremy M. Blumberg (Class of 1996) – Urologist and Kidney Transplant Surgeon, UCLA Medical Center

Dann Campaigne (Class of 1990) – Market Development Manager, St. Jude Medical / Founder & CEO, Huki Lacrosse

Megan Canright (Class of 1999) – Senior Project Manager, Forensic Analytical

Kelly Dooley (Class of 2001) – Founder and Mastermind, BodyRock Sport

John Glosser (Class of 1997) – Independent Writer – Producer

Nicole Hughes (Class of 2005) – Owner, Nicole Marie Events and Showdown PR

Valerie Kileen (Class of 1997) – Design Director, Element Skateboards

Taylore McClurg (Class of 2002) – Engineering Systems Architect, Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems

Dr. Todd Newman (Class of 1991) – Anesthesiologist & Critical Care Physician, Hoag Hospital

Dr. Shannon Hilgers Nissen (Class of 1993) – Orthodontist, Hilgers, Nissen & Clark

Justin Phan (Class of 2004) – CEO & Founder, PlayMyAd, Inc.

Scott Tranter (Class of 2002) – Founder, aPolit and CEO, Vlytics

Eric Westendorf (Class of 1988) – Vice President, Nuveen Investments

Kim Westendorf (Class of 1991) – Operations Manager, West Coast Metals

Dr. Cory Yeh (Class of 1994) – Founder and Surgeon, Yeh Plastic Surgery

Brooke Ziccardi (Class of 1996) – Principal, Ziccardi Designs

Law Panel

Taylor Chase-Wagniere (Class of 2005) – JD Candidate, University of Southern California

Robert Little (Class of 1986) – Attorney, Law Office of Robert Little

Mark T. Risner (Class of 1986) – Owner, Law Office of Mark T. Risner

David Sire (Class of 1995) – Attorney, Law Offices of Edward C. Ip & Associates

Andrew Wood (Class of 2003) – Attorney at Law

Click here for a list of speaker bios.

If you are an alumni of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School and are interested in speaking at next year’s Alumni Career Forum, please contact the Alumni Relations Office at 949.661.0108, ext. 247.

“Which country is not located by the Mediterranean Sea: Italy, Greece or Poland?” the speakers echoed within the gym. My sweat-drenched hand gripped the microphone in an effort to recall every image, every map, every fact that I had ever come across. Was I really sitting here at the geography bee in front of the whole Middle School? The light glinting off the gym floor answered my question. My eyes looked into the laminate and saw the distorted image of the bleachers packed with students, each waiting intently for the outcome. The moments of the morning were all now shrouded by a fog.

I had left class early in order to make it to the gym on time. The bitter cold of the morning was already dissolving as the sun hurried me along. My stomach churned with excitement. Just a few weeks ago, I was sitting in history class taking the qualification test for the geography bee. I never would have envisioned myself being able to actually participate. As I stepped into the gym, I eyed my competitors. The top 30 students of the Middle School were definitely going to be a challenge. Even though it was still early, I was one of the last to arrive. I felt my legs shake as I sank into my seat. I gently placed my quivering fingers in my lap as the rules were explained to us. The whole Middle School could see you clearly from the bleachers. I tried to calm myself as students began to take their seats on the bleachers.

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My level of anticipation was over the top by the time we were ready to begin. The microphone was sent around for us to introduce ourselves, and even then, I was already nervous about what to say. The first question was asked, starting with the sixth graders. Correct. The second was asked. Correct. It seemed like an eternity until it was my turn. I was focusing all my might on answering the question as my opponents were so that I would keep myself from falling off my chair in eagerness. The question was asked. In a moment without giving much thought to it, I had answered it. The silence was unbearable. The seconds ticked by. Correct! I had let go of all of my anxiety. It already felt like the event was over. But the questions kept going. Each time more challenging, more obscure, less likely to just get lucky. My opponents, even though many of them were still left, also seemed to begin to feel the intensity of the questions rising. It felt as if everything was going great, until the moment in which I missed the question. I missed it and it felt like the journey was over for me until another round of questions was called. I couldn’t believe it. I had one more chance to make it to the top 10.

My eyes were back scanning the floor. I was searching for the answer. My hand still clenched the microphone harder and the end of it was bobbing up and down in time with my anxiety. Bits of scattered information rushed through my mind in a flurry. Maps and names ran through my thoughts. I still hadn’t reached the right information. I concentrated further. The second in time, seemed to stretch through space endlessly, letting me sort through what I knew. In the last bit of hope, I asked myself the question again. Immediately, the answer rose to the surface. “Poland,” my voice spoke with regained confidence into the microphone only a second after the question was posed. “That is correct!” I heard in the distance. I let myself go back into the fog and relax until the next round.

After the top five were named, we resumed the geography bee on Monday. The questions were so difficult that I really couldn’t believe that I had made it this far. This round was particularly nerve racking because we knew that only one of us was going to become the winner. In the end, I was awarded third place and a really great time because of the opportunity to participate in the geography bee. Jack Wolcott, grade 7, placed first and Anika Grover, grade 7 placed second.

The amount of girls that are being bullied, or the amount that are bullying others, is greatly increasing. Every day you hear story after story about girls who have been bullied whether it results in a broken heart or in even more serious cases. On Friday, January 27, girls from grades 6-12 gathered in the Chapel for a special presentation by two young adults named Lauren and Molly.

Lauren and Molly have put together a nonprofit organization to help put a stop to girl bullying. They have traveled across America to different schools to spread the word. Lauren and Molly visited St. Margaret’s and told their life stories and why they were working together to do this. It seems that both of them went through what all girls go through, bullying. Lauren and Molly know that if nothing is done to stop this, then the so called “girl world” will always be a miserable place.

During the presentation, Lauren and Molly were very open about their own middle and high school experiences. I was very intrigued with their purpose and really listened to everything they had to say. The presentation was absolutely phenomenal and I am very glad that I had the opportunity to sit through it. Most of the students I talked to before the assembly were a bit skeptical walking through the doors of the Chapel, but I hope that everyone left with a bit more knowledge of what is going on in the world.

Towards the end of the assembly, Lauren and Molly passed three pieces of hot pink paper out to every student. These three pieces of paper had three different meanings on them. One was labeled the “Kind Pledge,” the second was the “Kind Card,” and the last was the “Kind Apology.” We had to fill out each of the three pieces of paper. I don’t know about the other students in the assembly, but I know that I sat there thinking for a while. Wanting to make this special, I knew I had to think of the right things to say. It felt really good to let some of those cluttered feelings go. I kept my papers to myself, but some of the other students read their papers out loud, and I thought that it was sweet of them to do that.

As we all left the assembly, I remember walking with one of my friends and telling her that I thought it was funny that we need little hot pink pieces of paper to say sorry to some of our old friends, or to tell others that we appreciate them. One message that I got while leaving the assembly is that you should stop and realize what you are going to say before actually saying it. I know that sounds so cliché and my mom has told me that so many times, but it is so true. It may not affect you if someone says mean words to you, but other girls can be more sensitive than you. I now understand that message, and I cannot stop thanking everyone for the opportunity to experience such an amazing assembly. Life is too short to be spent judging others. A quote that my friend recited to me was said by Bob Marley and I really appreciate the message, “Who are you to judge the life I live? I know I’m not perfect -and I don’t live to be- but before you start pointing fingers… make sure your hands are clean!” So, the next time you want to say something judgmental, make sure you’re flawless before you pick on someone else.

Tuesday evening, St. Margaret’s Upper School students Winston Robinson, Sabine Scott and Brandon Torres participated in the Student Voices event at Crossroads High School in Santa Monica. This is an annual opportunity for students who attended the National Student Diversity Leadership Conference to share the impact the conference had on their personal lives and how they will work to implement what they’ve learned into their school communities.

After an introduction about the work the students did at the conference, including their increased awareness of the cultural identifiers: ability, age, ethnicity, gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, body image, educational background, family make-up, geographic/regional background, language and learning style, the students focused their Tuesday evening conversations primarily on sexism and gender stereotypes. The St. Margaret’s students discussed personal experiences with gender stereotypes in their own lives, and why they believe it’s important to make discussions about gender roles/stereotypes more common in the high school classroom.

Some poignant quotes from the evening:

“Gender stereotypes need to be talked about more because not everyone knows how to deal with them.”

“Conflict and resolution are necessary catalysts for learning.”

“Gender roles shouldn’t determine the types of people we become, nor should we feel pressured to take a path that has been set forth by society and our peers.”

The students represented St. Margaret’s as articulate, thoughtful, open-minded young adults who have gained an acute awareness of the current climate regarding issues of diversity in their school and their community. For more information regarding the Student Diversity Leadership Conference and the People of Color Conference please visit http://pocc.nais.org.

After the meeting, the student’s returned to class and began crafting a plan of action to propose new San Clemente curb stencils, including a possible art contest. Additionally, the students are coming up with a robotic system to filter out oil in the ocean from oil spills.

Click here to read The Orange County Register article.

Click here for the 2012 program.

The program had a variety of plays ranging from Shakespearean fare to IRS-related humor. Playwrights were provided two prompts on Friday evening and the instructions that one of the prompts must be incorporated into their script. Darcy Rice, director of the arts, and Nathan Wheeler, Upper School drama teacher, mixed and matched the names of students who had signed up to be either a playwright, a director, a stage manager or actors. Playwrights knew the number and gender of their actors, but did not learn who they were writing for until Saturday morning when all of the participants met in Sillers Hall.

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Throughout the day on Saturday, the casts rehearsed in spaces around campus. They were assigned 20 minutes for costuming with Costume Designer Melinda Keane and 20 minutes for tech rehearsal under the direction of Bryan Dauterive, the technical director and resident designer. The casts rehearsed and got ready for their performances in front of a full house Saturday evening.

Click here to view the embedded video.

This year, students are researching pro and con arguments for the following debate resolution: Among all energy sources, nuclear power is the best choice to meet future world energy consumption needs. Students will write outlines and essays on both sides of the issue. At the end of the unit, students will pick a side and engage in an academic debate on the topic.

What follows is a student perspective on a visit from pro speaker Mr. Christopher Abel, spokesman for San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station. Later in the unit, students also heard from a speaker on the con side of the issue: Ms. Rochelle Becker, executive director for the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility.

By Ariana Stillman, Grade 7

Ding-dong-ding. The bell signaled that it was time for all of the seventh graders at St. Margaret’s to head over to Siller’s Hall. There, a man from SONGS (San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station) waited to give us a presentation on the plant and inform us on how it works. With our debate research binders in hand, we all piled through the small doorway leading into Siller’s Hall. Everyone rushed to the white folding chairs, trying to get good seats next to their friends. In front of us stood a tall man dressed in a green SONGS t-shirt and long green pants. The screen next to him showed a PowerPoint presentation with a picture of the plant.

Mrs. Lori Donchak, a grade 7 English teacher, took the stage and introduced our speaker. His name was Mr. Christopher Abel. As Mrs. Donchak took her seat, we were all excited to get this started. We were poised with a sheet of paper ready and pencil in hand, waiting to hear all the information Mr. Abel had to offer. Click. The first slide popped up. Our pencils moved rapidly as Mr. Abel told us loads of information. All this information would help for our upcoming debate in the spring.

The debate is done every year in the seventh grade, covering a different subject each year. This year, the subject is whether nuclear power is the best choice to meet future world energy consumption needs. We’ve already began to research the subject using different articles, but thanks to the collaborative work of the seventh grade English teachers, Ms. Jeni Johnson and Mrs. Lori Donchak, along with Library Director Mrs. Darla Magaña, we’ve had the privilege to have special guest speakers come to St. Margaret’s to teach us about nuclear energy.

After learning about how the plants make energy, how it is environmentally friendly, and other useful information, Mr. Abel offered to answer any question we had. Questions like how the nuclear reactors affect marine life, and what would happen if radiation leaked out of the plant were some of the many questions the seventh graders asked. Mr. Abel answered these questions with intelligent answers that helped persuade many seventh graders to go pro on the nuclear energy debate.

After an hour of listening and taking notes, we left with at least one page full of valuable information. We also left having learned new things that were unbeknownst to us before. Meagan Cole, a seventh grader, remarked, “I enjoyed learning about how nuclear energy is safe and reliable for our society.”

We are excited to have one more speaker that will come talk to us about the cons of nuclear power, and look forward to discovering new and beneficial information on this fascinating subject.

Click here to view a student perspective on a visit from con speaker Ms. Rochelle Becker, executive director for the Alliance for Nuclear Responsibility.

Ever since the Kindergarten students and teachers read the book Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud, we has been having an ongoing conversation in the classroom about filling people’s buckets with kind words and actions.

We have all been on the lookout for an opportunity to commit a random act of kindness. Our big chance happened on the Thursday morning before Christmas break. The Upper School students had finals that week and of course were under a bit of stress. Kindergarten to the rescue!

After Chapel, we walked over to the Upper School quad and handed out 400 candy canes to the Upper School students. We learned that the book is right. If you fill someone’s bucket, your bucket fills also!

Our little ones were so excited and proud to wish good luck and Merry Christmas to their fellow St. Margaret’s students. The look of surprise and genuine joy on the faces of the older students is something that will never be forgotten.

We over heard a few comments: “How cute is this?” “I can’t believe they are doing this.” “They are so cute!” “This is the greatest thing I’ve ever seen at school.”

Some Upper School faculty were observed with tears of joy in their eyes. We are going to continue to look for ways to fill buckets and we encourage everyone to do the same!

Click here to read the OCVarsity.com article.

Additionally, St. Margaret’s boys’ cross country team finished its season unbeaten and Billy Guadreau posted a course record time of 15:27 in the state finals.

Billy and the Tartans earned their second straight CIF State titles at Woodward Park in Fresno earlier this month. St. Margaret’s has been ranked No. 1 in the state in Division 5 all season and won their second straight CIF-SS team title.

Click here to read The Capistrano Dispatch article.

“It is so heartwarming to see the kids put so much work and thought into expressing appreciation for our military,” organizer Denise Goodson of Rancho Santa Margarita said.

Click here to read The Orange County Register article.

Last week, in the spirit of giving, the Lower School, with their buddies, stuffed 300 Christmas stockings for the families at Father Serra’s Pantry. The stockings were filled with small toiletries such as toothbrushes and toothpaste, shampoo and conditioner, shaving cream and razors, lotion, soaps and toilet paper. We also filled them with water bottles and knee-high socks. Father Serra’s Pantry gives the donated toiletries to families who need them the most. St. Margaret’s has been helping and donating the stockings to the pantry for many years.

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I really enjoyed stuffing the stockings with my buddy and I hope that the rest of the Lower School did too. When I was stuffing my stocking with my buddy I felt pleased and happy with what I was doing. I felt like I was helping other people and making them feel cheerful. I pray that the people who are getting the stockings no longer need to rely on Father Serra’s Pantry for necessities and can get back on their feet next year.

“Space, the final frontier” was Star Trek author Gene Rodenberry’s famous tagline. On October 28, 23 of St. Margaret’s students enrolled in the two Upper School engineering classes traveled at sub-light speed on a big yellow bus to the city of Hawthorne to visit the company headquarters and manufacturing site of Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX.

In short, SpaceX builds rockets. This facility represents the next generation of space exploration and travel. Established in 2002 by Elon Musk, founder of PayPal and the Zip2 Corporation, SpaceX has already developed two brand-new launch vehicles, established an impressive launch schedule, and been awarded Commercial Orbit Transportation Services (COTS) funding by NASA to demonstrate delivery and return of cargo to the International Space Station. Supported by this order book and Mr. Musk’s substantial resources, SpaceX is on extremely sound financial footing as it moves toward volume commercial launches.

St. Margaret’s introduction to engineering course is geared toward introducing students to the concepts and targeted areas of engineering. During the first quarter, the engineering classes studied aeronautical engineering. Because the course is predominantly project-based, the students were charged with designing and building an operation rocket. The visit gave the students an invaluable view of the real thing and the technology needed to build and launch massive payloads into space.

http://www.spacex.com/company.php

Below are some comments from individual students on the visit.

Senior Paul Brenneman:

The fieldtrip to SpaceX was a very rewarding experience for me. I have always been interested in different engineering projects such as bridges, skyscrapers and other feats of modern engineering. SpaceX played directly to those interests.

I am also interested in aspects of business and learning about what sort of business plans work the best. SpaceX’s business plan was centralized around providing the best-caliber products at the lowest possible cost to the customer. This plan makes a lot of sense because when a company charges so much less for services than the competition while at the same time meeting or surpassing the industry standard, the company virtually sells itself. The level of quality SpaceX is able to provide at such a comparatively low cost amazed me.

Beyond the business side, I am also a big fan of the team-oriented strategy SpaceX is built on. They explained during the tour that everyone checks everyone else, and as a community they can then provide the highest level of service to their clients.

The production side of the tour really interested me as well; I found the particle-adding manufacturing process to be mind-blowing. I’m familiar with CNC machines and had previously thought of them as the best way to custom-machine various parts. But there are several drawbacks to using a CNC; you have to start with a massive block of material that the machine shaves down, which is much more material and therefore less cost-efficient than the particle –adding system. Furthermore, you can only shave away from the exterior, while with SpaceX’s system you are building layer by layer. Because of this, you can construct parts with internal structures not accessible from the outside. This whole process I found to be very interesting, I am eager to see what uses engineers in the future will find for it. I can imagine you would be able to build parts weighing much less than solid-material versions from a CNC because you could simply hollow out the interior of the part.

I also found the layout of the warehouse to be interesting: the whole building had to be carefully laid out so that the massive components that were being built could eventually be rolled out of the building. There was an enormous truss system on the ceiling that could suspend large components as well as a network of tracks on the floor on which large pallets could travel. I also noticed that the beams on the ceiling had a load-bearing limit that is comparatively low in relation to the weight of some components of a rocket. Because of the limitation the engineers would have to be careful not to build anything too heavy in the warehouse or they wouldn’t be able to lift it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the class trip to SpaceX and look forward to watching the company grow and become more successful. At one time I was fearful of allowing space exploration to be left in the hands of private corporations, though after touring the SpaceX facility I feel much more confident in our future in space.

Senior Gabrielle Carpenter:

Visiting SpaceX on Friday, October 28 was a great way for the students in the introduction to engineering course to become excited about their rocket projects. After hours spent in the classroom designing, testing, and ordering rocket parts the students were finally able to see a real-world application of what their work would look like at a commercial level. Personally, I had absolutely no prior experience with aeronautical engineering, and building a rocket had no importance in the beginning simply because I didn’t understand what practical uses these could have. As the project progressed, I became more fascinated with the design and visiting SpaceX allowed me to see what an aeronautical engineer would do in the work force. SpaceX is very focused on the future of space travel becoming like airplane travel. This means that rockets would be used multiple times and would be accessible to average citizens at a much more affordable cost than what is available now.

SpaceX’s perspective on the use of rockets as both a means of travel and scientific exploration made the study of aeronautical engineering, and specifically rocket design, much more intriguing and conventional for me. As we strayed away from the business aspects of the company, we were given a tour through the manufacturing floor. There we were able to see firsthand how their concepts and designs were coming to life. SpaceX builds and designs all of their rockets in Hawthorne, then transports them to various locations for launch. Because of this we were able to observe all the rockets that were currently in progress. Additionally, we happened to be there on a day when the control room was up and running as a launch at one of their sites was taking place. The manufacturing floor was full of different rocket components that were in the process of being built, such as a new member of the Falcon family. On the manufacturing floor we saw various parts of the Falcon 9 rocket being prepared to launch at the end of this year. This rocket is designed to show that it can deliver supplies and other cargo to the space station for NASA.

Rounding off the tour we were able to see the wheel of cheese that SpaceX CEO Elon Musk sent into space as a “secret payload.” We learned that this cheese was placed in the section of the rocket that would be designed for people. Because SpaceX is focused on providing a means of travel for citizens into space, all of its rockets are designed with human travel in mind, and even cheese. Overall, the intro to engineering classes saw how their rocket product could be applied at a commercial level and as a future means of space travel.

Junior Narumi Takagi

Early in the morning on October 28, the intro to engineering class went on a field trip to SpaceX. This trip was an extremely fun experience and nothing like I expected in to be. When we first arrived on our bus I saw the large white building and thought that it would be like any other boring office. But the moment you walked inside you knew this was no ordinary office. I was in awe of all the extremely modern looking interior of the building – white floors and a huge projection of recent and past projects they have done. After the introductory presentation, we received our official visitor’s tags, and our tour began. We saw everything from 3D printers to a wheel of cheese that was launched into orbit, plus a wide variety of equipment SpaceX used to build their rockets.

SpaceX engineers make a huge effort to make space travel both environmentally friendly and affordable. They are in the process of trying to make a rocket that can launch and land in a condition that can be used again. This helps to decrease the price of producing rockets and is a greener alternative to the traditional rockets being used at the moment. SpaceX is also very dedicated to trying to produce many of its part in-house rather than outsourcing like most rocket building companies. I was surprised by how orderly everything was. No one was just wandering around doing nothing – everyone was working together to complete whatever task they we assigned.

In our engineering classes we are currently doing a rocket project where we build our own rocket from scratch, selecting everything from motors to fins to try to create rockets that will successfully launch. Seeing how carefully and thoroughly everyone was working at SpaceX showed me how important is was to be exact and precise in producing a product. One error in the engine of the rocket could throw off everything when it’s time to launch. The rockets we are building are much, MUCH smaller than the SpaceX rockets but the same principles still apply. When it comes time for us to build our rockets – or anything we build – how exact and careful we are in the process of building it will affect us greatly. SpaceX was an informative experience that made me consider going into some field of engineering.

Senior Colin Johnson:

When I heard that we were taking a field trip to SpaceX I was very excited, but didn’t really know what to expect. I was exposed to rocketry at a young age, have toured NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory at Caltech and witnessed the Cassini-Huygens mission launch in 1997. However, I also knew that these operations are often very exclusive and I wasn’t sure how much we would be permitted to see. So when we arrived at SpaceX and were given a full-length tour of the inside of the factory, I was very excited and impressed. It was incredible to be able to have the opportunity to see inside their operation as a high schooler. You really get an idea of the magnitude of the rockets when you see the massive parts in person. Seeing the rockets on a computer/television screen is completely different than when you are there watching massive pieces of steel being welded together.

My favorite part of the tour was seeing the new technology that they were developing and utilizing. It was very interesting how they went about problem solving when issues come up. For example, I was intrigued by the way that they were welding the parts without the use of flame to prevent the lithium from leaving the compound. I would have never thought that you can weld without the use of flame, yet their engineers there are very innovative, and need to be, in order to overcome the unique problems that they encounter in their boundary-pushing research and work.

In my opinion, the very coolest part of the tour was seeing how they could use a machine to make parts out of iridium at an atomic level. They were able to become very efficient with the amount of material they consume, and also very accurate in dimensions, as they are essentially building the parts one atom at a time. I am still just absolutely blown away at how SpaceX engineers are able to make very complex parts as one piece.

The people at SpaceX were very friendly and willing to explain things and answer our questions. It was neat to have our tour guide speak to us as if we were potential candidates for future employment at SpaceX. We were treated like the next generation of innovators, which was very cool. Just having the idea thrust upon us that we could possibly have the opportunity to work in a place like SpaceX was encouraging. It definitely made our possibilities seem limitless and I am very glad I was able to be a part of the SpaceX experience!

By Isabella Carracino, grade 12 and Olivia Santora, grade 11

On Tuesday, November 8 the marine science class went to Upper Newport Bay and the Back Bay Science Center (BBSC). This was a field trip where we learned all about our local estuary.

When we first arrived, we learned that the Upper Newport Back Bay Estuary Reserve is an ecological reserve that has 752 acres of marine wetlands and is the largest of its kind in Southern California. Several different habitats make up this marine wetland: 244 acres of salt marsh habitat, 220 acres of mudflat habitat (at low tide), 160 acres of bluff buffer zone (made up of coastal sage scrub, riparian, N. slope chaparral, grass habitat), and 288 acres of miscellaneous marine habitat.

The Upper Newport Bay is an estuary, meaning both freshwater and salt water comes into it. We also learned about some of the endangered species in the local area and ways they are trying to preserve the plants and animals as much as possible. One of the endangered plants is eel grass, and there are four birds that are also endangered. We also learned about invasive and alien species and the difference between the two that can often be confused.

Click here for photo gallery.

After we learned many important facts about the estuary we went outside and conducted a water quality test at the surface of the water and about a meter down using pH, turbidity, salinity and temperature sensors, as well as a secchi disk. With a sample of the surface water, our group discovered that the temperature was 17.8 degrees Celsius, the pH was 7.89, the salinity was 25.5 parts per thousand and the turbidity was 10.2 NTU. After we did this, we observed the types of birds that were around us, including black skimmers, pelicans, godwits and an osprey.

After observing what was around us, we conducted a mud grab. We took a tool that the BBSC had for us to use and put it at the bottom of the water and picked up mud. After we collected mud, we sifted through it then looked at these organisms under microscopes and classified what some of them were. Five of the organisms that we discovered were the twisted murex (a snail), a polychaete worm, a few California horn snails, two Pacific littleneck clams and bryozoans. During some down time we were able to look at organism that they kept in a couple touch tanks, including many shells both occupied and not, as well as some sea stars. This was a great opportunity to learn about the estuarian habitat outside of the classroom. It was nice to be able to see, in person, what we have been learning about in marine science class.

Mothander was a three-sport athlete at Phillips Exeter Academy and the starting quarterback his senior year at St. Margaret’s.

Click here to read The Boston Globe article.

Clifford the Big Red Dog was on hand to give hugs and high-fives!

Click here for photo gallery.

The Library Christmas book collection was “unwrapped” and those holiday books are now ready for check-out. An overall success, it is always special when families come together to celebrate books and reading.

Read The Orange County Register feature article and view the photo gallery here.

The 2010-2011 school year has been a memorable year of achievement and progress for St. Margaret’s Episcopal School.

The most visible signs of this wonderful year are the 103 graduating seniors who donned their college sweatshirts today, the last official day of school, proudly displaying the diverse group of colleges and universities across the country they will attend this fall. The Class of 2011 joined together one last time with the entire St. Margaret’s student body for the all-school closing ceremony that concluded with a “topping out” ceremony of the Performing Arts Center marking the highest point on the new building and symbolizing the significant progress we have made on our campus master plan this year.

We are pleased to report that the Performing Arts Center construction is on time and on budget with a grand opening set for June 2012. The Building on the Promise capital campaign has also continued to raise considerable funds for the master campus plan. Currently, we have raised $19.4 million of the $28 million needed to complete the master plan—nearly $3 million since September 2010. We are very grateful for the generous support of those who have stepped forward to make leadership gifts to this effort.

While the temporary Middle School has worked very well for us this year, we remain focused on raising the additional funds within our school community and finalizing tenant relocations to allow us to begin construction of the permanent Middle School in the near future. We will be sure to keep you apprised of our progress.

In May, 435 parents responded to a parent satisfaction survey created by the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS). Over the course of the summer we will review and analyze the data and report our findings in the fall. Initially we can report that 90 percent of our parents are overall “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the St. Margaret’s education for their children. We are very mindful that there is always room for improvement, but pleased that this initial outlook indicates a strong alignment of our school community with our mission.

Several strategic initiatives advanced this year as well. Led by our Academic Dean and Lower School Principal, Dr. Regina McDuffie, we addressed student and teacher assessment and feedback tools across all divisions of the school in an effort to measure student growth over time toward specific learning goals. Data gathered from this initiative has also been used to increase opportunities for faculty professional development, including credentialing and advanced degrees. The information gathered from these assessment tools provides data needed to implement best practices for the 21st century learner.

In addition, the Board of Trustees Finance Committee embarked on long-term financial sustainability analysis and planning for the school that will position St. Margaret’s for continued financial strength through the next two decades.

Our school’s success is a product of the shared understanding, dedication, vision and hard work of countless individuals—our students, faculty, parents and administration, led by our Headmaster of eight years, Mr. Marcus D. Hurlbut. We have tremendous confidence in him and I am pleased to announce that Marc has committed to the Board of Trustees his leadership of the school through the 2012-2013 school year.

We will also welcome new trustees to the board next year. St. Margaret’s parents Mrs. Flora Ko and Mr. Paul Westhead, Tartan Alumni Association President and parent Dr. Todd Newman and 2011-2012 Parent Teacher Fellowship President Mrs. Karen Carnahan, join the Board on July 1, 2011. Longtime Trustees Ms. Stacey Nicholas and Mr. Chris Anderson, 2010-2011 PTF President Mrs. Tricia Raymund and outgoing Tartan Alumni Association President Mrs. Ashlea Scott Meggers will leave the Board at the end of June. We offer our sincere gratitude for their exemplary leadership and dedicated service to the school.

Finally, we are slated for continued full enrollment of the school for the 2011-2012 school year and eagerly anticipate the completion of the Performing Arts Center this time next year. Thank you for your continued support and involvement in our St. Margaret’s community and we look forward to coming together once again at the end of August for the 2011-2012 school year.

Have a wonderful summer.

Sincerely,

Michael J. Berchtold

President, Board of Trustees

The ceremony was a culmination of the school year, a send off for the Class of 2011, who, seated together wore the sweatshirts from the colleges they will attend in the fall, and a time to acknowledge the members of St. Margaret’s who celebrate significant anniversaries. Headmaster Marcus D. Hurlbut presented the people listed below with a gift and congratulated them on their years of service to the school.

The closing ceremony ended with the singing of the alma mater and the Tartan Marching Band leading the entire student body, faculty, staff and administration from Pasternack Field House to Gateway Field to celebrate the “topping out” of the Performing Arts Center construction. The enthusiastic crowd viewed the two final beams being placed on the new Performing Arts Center construction building, signaling the highest point that the building will reach. Throughout the week, students, faculty and staff took time to sign the two beams prior to them being placed at the top of the building.

During the All-School Closing Ceremony, Mr. Hurlbut said:

“By all measure, this has been an outstanding year at St. Margaret’s. So many of you have brought honor to the school through your talent, dedication and hard work in the classroom, in the science labs, on, behind and above the stage, in the art studio, in Chapel, on the fields, courts and tracks, in the pool, on the golf course, in the equestrian ring, and in dedicated service to a wide variety of groups and organizations on and off campus.

“We have all witnessed the beginning of another long-awaited and exciting chapter in the history of St. Margaret’s as the Performing Arts Center has risen out of the ground and begun to take shape.

“Those of you in the Middle School moved into a temporary new home and very quickly made it your own.

“When we return in the fall, the Performing Arts Center will look different than it does today but it will be far from finished. It is my every hope that next year at this time we will have opened this extraordinary new facility.”

• Demolition, grading and building permits have been issued by the City of San Juan Capistrano.
• Our general contractor, Del Amo Construction (DAC), has moved their full-time project management team into offices in Building I in the Ortega Business Center, adjacent to the construction site.
• St. Margaret’s administration and DAC have established best practice procedures for DAC employees as they interact on campus.
• The entire construction zone has been enclosed with fencing to secure and protect the project site.
• Demolition of Highland Hall and Building H has been completed.
• All materials are being properly handled and removed with highest safety and sustainability standards.
• Approximately 81 percent of demolition materials are being salvaged and reclaimed. Wood, studs, beams and other construction materials are reused as building materials. Concrete products are taken to be crushed and reused as road base.

December continues to be a heavy month for DAC to work out the preconstruction activities.

• Demolition and all material removal will be completed.
• Construction materials will be submitted to the City for approval.
• Grading, excavation and undeground utility work will begin.

To view the live webcam of the construction site click here.

This project is being overseen by St. Margaret’s Director of Finance and Operations David Bush and Project Director Dick Jonovich. We will continue to provide you with updates on construction activity periodically through the year.

For information about the Building on the Promise capital campaign, please contact Steve Harrington at 949-661-0108 ext. 318, or visit www.smes.org.

For your personal safety and for the ongoing smooth operations of construction, please adhere to the construction site safety procedures communicated to the community last week. To view that message, click here.

Since my message to the St. Margaret’s community in June, our school leadership has made meaningful progress on the campus construction plans regarding the Performing Arts Center and Middle School. As stated in my prior letter, the school’s recent focus has been on the initial pre-construction activity, the construction bidding process, tenant relocations and capital campaign fundraising. Detailed below is an update on the progress to date and an outline of our next steps going forward.

Progress Since June
Over the summer, the temporary Middle School was erected and fully operational by the start of the school year. The early feedback from the students, parents and faculty has been extremely positive, and the new facility, named “Crimson Corner” by the Middle School students, represents an upgrade over the older facilities they replaced.

Also, over the last few months, we completed a comprehensive construction bid process for the Performing Arts Center and Middle School. Seven well-qualified general contractors participated in the bidding process. Negotiations have not been finalized, but we are pleased with the preliminary results. Based on current bids, the anticipated cost for the Performing Arts Center and Middle School project is approximately $28 million—substantially less than what the cost would have been two to three years ago when construction costs were significantly higher.

Our campus master plan, which was unanimously approved in March by the San Juan Capistrano City Council after several years of work, specifies the precise location for each contemplated new building. The new Middle School is scheduled to be built in the area where two Ortega Business Center buildings now stand. When the school purchased these properties, we inherited certain long-term lease contracts. Therefore, it has been necessary to initiate relocation discussions with tenants because the buildings must first be vacated and demolished before construction of the Middle School can begin. At this time, we have successfully reached tenant relocation agreements with all tenants but one. The timing for the construction of the Middle School could, therefore, be delayed. We remain firmly committed, however, to the building of the new Middle School as soon as feasible.

In terms of fundraising, there has been considerable enthusiasm for the Building on the Promise capital campaign since the launch of the public campaign earlier this year. We have received more than $5 million in commitments since the beginning of the 2009-2010 school year. This brings the total funds raised to nearly $17 million. Relative to the anticipated cost of the total project, approximately $11 million still needs to be raised.

Next Steps
Based on the progress to date, the Board of Trustees recently reaffirmed the decision to move forward with the next phase of our campus master plan. We plan to finalize the fixed-price construction contract by early November and break ground on the Performing Arts Center shortly thereafter on St. Margaret’s Day, November 16 (details to come on the groundbreaking ceremony). Given that there remain tenant relocation matters and funds to be raised, we will not start construction of the Performing Arts Center and Middle School simultaneously. However, once these issues are resolved, we will be in a position to construct the Middle School on a relatively short timetable.

We are extremely excited about the plans taking shape at St. Margaret’s. We are also grateful for the tremendous community support that is making these plans a reality. It is a great time to be a Tartan!

Sincerely,

Michael J. Berchtold
President, Board of Trustees

• New grade 7 and 8 classrooms are complete. Teachers will begin preparing their rooms tomorrow to be ready the first day of school and we expect a formal Certificate of Occupancy this week.
• The installation of Middle School lockers, picnic tables and landscaping is in progress.
• Utility infrastructure work on campus to install power lines, transformers, water lines, storm drains and communication cables, in preparation for construction of the Performing Arts Center, is complete.
• The new Wee Tartan Childcare Center is complete, and we expect licensing agency approval to occupy by the start of school.
• Redevelopment of the Middle School parking lot and the new access road is ongoing and will be completed by the start of school.

This is an update on the construction taking place that we told you about at the end of the school year. It’s half-way through summer and already so much has happened as you will see in this photo gallery [click here] or when you come to campus. Here’s an overview of what has been taking place:

• The portable classrooms behind Highland Hall have been demolished and removed.
• The Highland Hall parking lot has been excavated and graded to make way for the new access road to campus.
• We are in the process of installing new underground electrical wiring, transformers, communications cables, storm drains and water lines in the Ortega Business Center, on the Gateway Field and in the Highland Hall parking lot, to prepare for new buildings.
• On a portion of the Gateway Field, foundations have been poured for what will bethe new temporary home of 7th and 8th grades.
• The pre-fabricated modular classrooms have started to arrive and will soon beinstalled on their foundations.
• We’ve upgraded the fire alarm systems in the Wallace Hall building and arepreparing for the relocation of the Wee Tartan Center to this building.
• A new home for the ceramic firing kilns is under construction close to the Middle School art room.

As you can see, much work is being done. This master campus development project is being overseen by our Director of Finance and Operations David Bush. We will continue to provide you with updates on construction activity. New traffic flow and parking policies will be sent in August.

For information about the Building on the Promise capital campaign, please contact Steve Harrington at 949-661-0108 ext. 318, or steve.harrington@smes.org, or visit www.smes.org.

For your personal safety and for the ongoing smooth operations of our various construction projects, please respect the construction fencing, caution tape, cones and signage when you are on campus.

We look forward to seeing you on campus soon,

Marcus D. Hurlbut

Three years ago, St. Margaret’s welcomed our family with open arms, and since then, we continue to be amazed and grateful with all of the opportunities St. Margaret’s offers our children. We both believe strongly in the mission of our school and feel the need to support the school both financially and with our time by volunteering. As a result, when asked, we were honored and thrilled to be the new co-chairs of the Building on the Promise capital campaign and to be taking over the reins from a very dedicated Stacey Nicholas, who will continue to be involved as a member of the Campaign Cabinet.

This year we have made great progress raising funds for this important project. With $5 million raised since September 2009, we now have over $16.4 million toward our $30 million goal. The Board of Trustees is confident that the momentum is on our side and now is the time to move forward with planning for construction. The goal is to move ahead with the building of the Middle School and Performing Arts Center simultaneously. This will enable the fastest construction completion timeline and allow us to leverage significant cost savings.

1. The actual cost of construction is 20-25 percent lower than levels in 2008 when we originally bid the project.

2. We will realize an approximate $1 million in savings by building both buildings at the same time.

One important factor is raising additional funds to support simultaneous construction. Many families have already extended their generous support, and we are eager to broaden the base of those who believe in this important endeavor and are willing to lend a hand. During the summer and fall, we will continue to work aggressively toward this goal by reaching out to the St. Margaret’s community asking for support.

If you have any questions, or would like to arrange a meeting to discuss the campaign, please feel free to contact us or Steve Harrington, Executive Director of Advancement, 661-0108 x312.

Let’s all join together and capture this moment of growth, finishing our campus and strengthening the educational opportunities for our children. It promises to be an exciting and fruitful experience for all of us.

With warmest regards to you and your family for a wonderful and restful summer,

Trace and Lauren Chalmers

The past week has brought some very exciting news to St. Margaret’s. Last Saturday evening at Club 30, our 30th Anniversary Gala and Spring Fundraiser, we announced significant progress toward our campus master plan and the Building on the Promise capital campaign.

Over the past eight years, we have worked diligently to refine our campus master facilities plan which includes a new Middle School and Performing Arts Center, and other important facilities and resources for our school. On Tuesday evening, the San Juan Capistrano City Council unanimously approved our master plan for campus development. This is a tremendous achievement that has been years in the making. While some formalities associated with City Ordinances remain, this approval allows us to move forward with our building plans.

In addition, we have been engaged in a multi-year, “quiet phase” fundraising campaign to acquire the funds to make this master plan a reality. To date, we have raised more than $16 million! Thanks to early support from generous lead donors combined with the funds raised at the Club 30 gala, we are well on our way to our goal of $30 million.

The campus master plan and capital campaign are critical to our mission and essential elements of our strategic plan. The Board of Trustees and school administration are 100 percent committed to this project.

On Saturday, we debuted the following film that illustrates our plans and provides a virtual look at the new buildings.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

We are thrilled to launch the Building on the Promise public capital campaign. We have now reached important milestones and we are confident that we have the momentum to raise a significant portion of the remaining funds by the end of the school year paving the way for ground breaking in early fall.

To learn more, please visit the Building on the Promise website or contact Executive Director of Advancement Steve Harrington, 949.661.0108, ext. 318, stephen.harrington@smes.org.

Thank you for your continued dedication and support as we work to advance St. Margaret’s Episcopal School for the future.

“We are elated. The unanimous support and praise from our City Council was more than we expected. These plans are very important to the future of our school and pave the way for us to begin construction as soon as complete funding is in place,” said St. Margaret’s Headmaster Marcus D. Hurlbut. “At the same time, we have worked very hard to ensure our plans are responsible within the larger community and that we are conscientious and contributing citizens to the City of San Juan Capistrano. The positive remarks about St. Margaret’s from the Council members mean a great deal to us.”

“We sincerely thank the Council members and the City staff for working with us throughout this process in good faith and with thoughtful consideration of our plans and for the best interest of the San Juan community,” said Mr. Hurlbut.

In order to proceed with the campus master plan which includes constructing a new Middle School and Performing Arts Center, the school needed to receive approval from various city planning commissions and ultimately from City Council. This process has spanned several years and included City required environmental and fiscal impact studies to ensure no adverse community impact from the plan. The school’s construction plans for new buildings fall within City planning guidelines, including a 35-feet height limit on all buildings, and greatly improves traffic flow around campus.

Saturday at the school’s 30th anniversary gala, St. Margaret’s publicly announced the launch of its Building on the Promise capital campaign to raise the $30 million needed to complete the campus master development plan. The school has raised $16 million toward the goal and plans to break ground on construction this fall.

To read The Orange County Register story about the City Council approval, click here: http://www.ocregister.com/news/school-237225-san-juan.html