The varsity and junior varsity programs picked up plenty of recognition at the US Spiritleaders Overnight Cheer Camp.

Be sure to check out Steve Breazeale's preview of St. Margaret's football in The Capistrano Dispatch, which previewed the team and the CIF reclassification.

Student-athletes will be closely monitored through increased technology.

This summer’s students had a unique link to past Breakthrough success stories.

As the Tartans gear up for the 2016 campaign, OCVarsty.com reporter Michael Huntley took some time to catch up with Head Coach Stephen Barbee, discussing returning players, the season outlook and a big change in the playoff picture.

Midfielder Jeremy Davis has committed to play Division I lacrosse at the University of Richmond, Virginia. Davis was a mainstay on the Tartan's offense during the 2016 season and looks to lead the team back to the Orange County Championships in 2017. The University of Richmond Spiders compete in the Southern Conference and reached the NCAA Division I National Tournament in 2014.

A group of Upper School students attended the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, the largest producing organization of theater outside New York City in the nation, in a two-day experiential-learning opportunity that bridged their English and theater arts learning.

St. Margaret's athletic department held its spring sports awards on Monday, May 23 and honored a group of talented student-athletes. The department announced the Athletes of the Year, John Balak Award recipients, CIF-SS Scholar Athlete nominees, Tri-Sport Award winners and a Football Scholarship Awardee.

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, Head of School William Moseley and Principal Jennifer Blount, along with the Lower School faculty, presented the Class of 2023 on June 2 in a formal Chapel ceremony recognizing the students successful completion of Lower School and upcoming transition to Middle School.

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, Head of School William Moseley and Principal Jeannine Clarke, along with the Middle School faculty, presented the Class of 2020 on June 2 in a formal Chapel ceremony recognizing the students’ successful completion of Middle School and promotion to Upper School.

The St. Margaret's boys' and girls' lacrosse programs had successful seasons, with All-American and All-County performances on both teams.

Students, faculty and administration joined together for the final time as a school community for the 2015-2016 school year on June 1 in a joyous All-School Closing Ceremony.

Students from Advanced Placement calculus and Advanced Placement statistics participated in a murder mystery scavenger hunt in Laguna Beach as a unique hands-on learning activity to apply their high-level math learning.

St. Margaret’s alumna Morgan Higgins, Class of 2015, will appear as “Texas Jane” in a three-part Nickelodeon television original movie, “Lost in the West.” The zany time-travel film will air Memorial Day weekend, this Saturday through Monday at 8 p.m. on the Nickelodeon channel.

Senior Cooper Zediker and junior Katherine Parrish were honored at the 13^th Annual Orange County CAPPIES Gala for significant achievement in play production. Cooper won for Best Stage Management in a Musical for superlative work in “The Secret Garden,” and Katherine won Best Female Vocalist for singing in the same musical.

May was full of enthusiastic Lower School participation in the arts, with the musical production of Magic Tree House: "The Knight at Dawn," and the first-ever combined Lower School Spring Music Concert.

In a unique end of year research project, seven juniors in Dr. Jen Ross-Viola’s Advanced Placement environmental science class dived into a class topic studied during the course of the year and examined it fully through book and hands-on exploration.

A school culture of intellectual vitality and true scholarship were honored and celebrated at the 2016 Upper School Awards Ceremony.

Boys' Head Coach Glen Miles has been named a member of the 2016 induction class for the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame by the U.S. Lacrosse Board of Directors. Miles will be officially inducted on Saturday, September 10, at the Grand Lodge in Hunt Valley, Md.

Junior Katherine Adelman will represent St. Margaret's Episcopal School this June at the KIN Global Summit in Miami, Fla. The Kellogg Innovation Network (KIN) Global Summit is an international gathering of senior business leaders, entrepreneurs and technologists from more than 20 countries spanning six continents.

Senior Derek Lindquist, a member of the boys' 400 relay team, helped set a school record in the event with a time of 44.79. Derek's academic pursuits at St. Margaret's include Advanced Placement English, math for financial markets, physics, military history and AP macroeconomics. Derek also competed for the Tartan soccer and volleyball programs and will attend the University of California, Irvine in the fall.

Ten St. Margaret’s grade 4 and 5 students competed against 36 other schools from throughout Orange County in this year’s Math Field Day competition on Saturday. The St. Margaret’s grade 4 team received first place in algebraic thinking.

The grade 6 and 7/8 Middle School Mountain Soccer teams had an outstanding spring season! For the second consecutive season the grade 6 team played amazing soccer and finished the season with an undefeated record of 7-0, scoring 34 goals and only allowing two the entire season!

More than 55 United States veterans received a special tribute from St. Margaret’s grade 8 students during a celebration last week culminating the end of a unique grade 8 history project. Starting in January, students worked in pairs to interview veterans of their choosing and honor them in a way that ensured their service to the nation will never be forgotten.

Juniors and introduction to engineering students Lucas Santora and Coen Zediker traveled to Lucerne Dry Lake in San Bernardino County with Upper School science teacher Steve Harless Saturday morning to launch self-made rockets.

St. Margaret's Episcopal School is pleased to announce that seven student-athletes from the Class of 2016 have committed to play intercollegiate athletics next year. Seniors Elizabeth Barbaresi, Jason Chin, Kevin Cox, Nick Kuljis, Zach Shor, Nicholas Totah and Alexandra Vollero will continue their academic pursuits, as well as play their respective sport at an impressive group of colleges and universities.

Carly Jordan, Class of 2015, was named University Athletic Association Women's Golf Rookie of the Year and earned second-team All-Association honors for her third-place finish at the UAA Championships. Jordan, a freshman at Carnegie Mellon University, completed the year with five top-10 finishes for the CMU Tartans.

St. Margaret's track and field programs had a fruitful and record-breaking showing at the CIF-SS Prelims at Carpinteria High School on Saturday, May 14. The boys' 4x100 team, girls' 4x400 team and pole vaulter Aidan Smith all qualified for next week's CIF-SS Division IV Finals with impressive results.

The Orange County CAPPIES have announced the 2016 nominees and commendees for the 2015-2016 theater season. St. Margaret's students received 13 nominations in performing, design and technical categories for their work on “The Secret Garden,” which is nominated for best musical, and “The Skin of Our Teeth.”

The St. Margaret’s swimming and diving teams completed a fantastic season in the pool and finished the season by breaking seven school records and one Academy League record.

A St. Margaret's team of seven freshman and sophomore chemistry honors students competed against more than 50 high schools in Orange County and 366 participants at last month’s First-Year American Chemical Society Exam. The exam is presented by the American Chemical Society, the largest scientific society in the world with more than 160,000 members globally.

Senior attackman Samuel Harnisch reached a milestone 300 career points while scoring 17 points over three games during St. Margaret's U.S. Lacrosse postseason run. Harnisch, a University of Denver commit, has 231 career goals and 72 assists through the Orange County Finals.

Twenty St. Margaret's track and field athletes qualified for the CIF Southern Section Championships as the boys' and girls' teams finished first and third, respectively, at the Academy League Finals on Thursday, May 5. The qualifying Tartans will compete in the CIF-SS Division IV Prelims at Carpinteria High School on Saturday, May 14.

St. Margaret's attackman Nick Shanks was named Boys Lacrosse Athlete of the Week by OCVarsity.com for his performance over three playoff appearances for the Tartans. Shanks has amassed 19 goals, five assists and 10 ground balls in the Tartan's postseason run.

The No. 3 Tartans, led by senior Nick Shanks' five goals defeated No 2. Foothill High School 11-8 Saturday night at Irvine High School. St. Margaret's, the reigning U.S. Lacrosse Southern Section Champions fended off a late Foothill rally to face No 1. seeded Corona Del Mar in the final. The Tartans and Sea Kings will clash on Wednesday, May 11, 7:15 p.m. at Trabuco Hills High School. Go Tartans!

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School’s entire faculty and staff dedicated their final professional development day of the school year to contributing significant resources and manpower to the missions and goals of 15 local charitable organizations in San Juan Capistrano, and surrounding Orange County communities.

The 35th Annual Parent Teacher Fellowship Library Luncheon “Tales of the South Pacific” captured the spirit and allure of the islands. The Pacific Ocean provided a breathtaking backdrop for the more than 300 guests who attended the event on the bluffs of The Montage Resort in Laguna Beach last Wednesday.

The 11-7 Tartans defeated San Clemente High School 17-7 to face Orange County No. 2 Foothill High School at Irvine High School on Saturday, May 7 at 7 p.m. in the U.S. Lacrosse Orange County Semi-Final game. St. Margaret's is aiming to repeat as Orange County and U.S. Lacrosse Southern-Section Champions.

Despite dropping the non-league contest to Saddleback Valley Christian 5-3, the Tartans relished the experience of playing in a major league environment - Angel Stadium in Anaheim.

Students in Mr. Simon Fellowes’ and Mr. Brian Carmer’s grade 9 world history classes have a better understanding of what it’s like to work on the assembly line during the British Industrial Revolution.

Cailin Young has been named OCVarsity Girls Lacrosse Athlete of the Week for her efforts in the Tartan's 18-7 victory over Aliso Niguel and 16-8 victory over Tesoro High School. Cailin will also be representing Orange County at the U.S. Lacrosse National Tournament in Bethlehem, Pa., May 28-29.

Both the Mountain “A” and Mountain “B” Middle School volleyball teams completed their league seasons last week with league championship titles.

All six St. Margaret's golfers turned in outstanding efforts at San Clemente Municipal Golf Course this past Friday to move on to the second round of play at the Academy League Championships. The low four golfers from the first and second rounds will qualify for the CIF-Southern Section Individuals at Skylinks Golf Course in Long Beach on Monday, May 9.

The Lower School welcomed grandparents and special friends to campus for breakfast, student performances and classroom visits last Friday, Earth Day. Guests arrived under the Gateway Arch and followed a path along the “heart of the campus” to Pasternack Field House. Student artwork inspired by the Earth Day theme was displayed throughout campus.

The Tartan golf, volleyball and girls’ lacrosse programs are wrapping up their regular seasons riding a wave of success over tough opponents. Boys’ golf defeated Whitney High School 196-225 as boys’ volleyball swept Brethren Christian High School in straight sets (25-9, 25-4 and 25-15). Girls’ lacrosse downed Aliso Niguel 18-17 on April 26.

More than 500 students in Preschool to Upper School took to the Performing Arts Center stage throughout the month of April to showcase their vocal, instrumental and dance talents during the spring concert series.

While studying algebraic concepts each year, grade 5 students learn about solving simple algebraic equations. Lower School Assistant Principal and STEM Fellow Heather Murray takes time to visit each classroom to teach students “Hands-on Equations.”

The Tartans defeated their second top-ranked opponent in two games, beating CIF-San Diego No. 3 ranked La Costa Canyon 10-8 Wednesday night on the road. St. Margaret's enters the playoffs the presumptive No. 3 seed in Orange County after also defeating San Diego No. 2 Poway 8-6 this past Saturday.

Two St. Margaret’s students, fourth grader Fiona Lee and sixth grader Simone Yang, placed in the top 3 for individual and team competition, respectively, at The All Girls Math Tournament hosted by Orange County Math Circle.

With the end of school just over the horizon the Middle School spring sport teams are heading into the home stretch of their seasons.

The Tartan defense held Poway High School scoreless for two consecutive quarters as senior midfielder Nick Shanks led with four goals and an assist as St. Margaret's downed the Poway Titans 8-6 in non-league action Saturday afternoon.

Grade 6 students received critical analysis on their original historical fiction writing projects from guest editors in Mrs. Otto’s world history class. The guest editors were parent volunteers invited by Mrs. Otto, and worked one-on-one with two students each, intentionally not their own children, providing new review and perspective on the students’ work.

Spring is the time when Upper School students plan for the next academic year through a thoughtful and comprehensive course selection process. In Upper School, nearly 150 classes are offered, including 26 Advanced Placement courses and post-AP, college-level courses.

In a celebratory ceremony recognizing academic excellence, St. Margaret’s inducted 12 juniors, 13 seniors and two faculty members into the Cum Laude Society, an international honors organization for which only a small percentage of high school juniors and seniors are qualified, during Thursday’s Upper School Chapel.

Each year, grade 7 students learn research, non-fiction reading, writing and public speaking skills through an extended unit centered around a debate topic. This year’s debate topic: The U.S. government should substantially increase legislation aimed at improving overall health of American citizens through the reduction of junk food consumption.

Kelly Smith took third out of 42 entrants in the individual women's shortboard final of the Scholastic Surf Series High School State Championships on Monday, April 18. Kelly battled through a four-stage bracket to the finals, advancing past 39 competitors to claim the third-place prize.

Student artwork filled the St. Margaret’s campus this week. From Lower to Upper School, photography to mixed media, more than 150 pieces of artwork were on display for the Annual K-12 Selected Works Art Exhibit and the Artists as Changemakers 2016 show.

More than 200 parents and children gathered on Chalmers Field Friday night for St. Margaret’s Annual Preschool Family Fun Night. Preschool faculty and current families welcomed newly admitted Preschool and Kindergarten families to an evening of fun on Chalmers Field with pizza, fruit, salad and gourmet ice cream sandwiches that were big, yummy and melty!

Junior Emily Van Duinen has been named among The Orange County Register Varsity Arts Artist of the Year Top 10, in the dance category. This year, 391 Orange County juniors and seniors in theater, dance, instrumental music, vocal music, visual arts and film were nominated for the accolade by their teachers.

Junior Anne Otterbein broke a Crean Lutheran Stadium record and moved to No.3 all-time in St. Margaret's history in the 300 hurdles with a 47.65 posted time. The relay team of juniors James Swanson and Nick Krantz, and seniors Derek Lindquist and Nick Shanks, set a school record of 44.79 to finish second in the 4x100m as the Tartans equated themselves well at the second Academy League meet of the year.

Integrating engineering, technology, math and service learning, grade 5 students participated in a month-long research study evaluating water consumption problems and brainstorming possible solutions.

Students from Preschool to Upper School have spent months making more than 150 ceramic bowls in the clay lab in support of the Empty Bowls Project, an international grassroots effort to raise both money and awareness in the fight to end hunger.

The Lower School Tartan Trot capped off a week of school-wide programs in health and wellness. Sustained by a week of nutrition education, inspirational speeches smoothies and meditation, hummus and Zumba, students finished strong with their performance on the field.

The Tartan duo of sophomores Peter Gottlieb and Jay Phansalkar will represent St. Margaret's at the storied Ojai Valley Tennis Tournament as girls' lacrosse knocked off No. 2 Foothill High School. Boys' golf and volleyball continue to roll through Academy League competition.

During Wednesday’s National Signing Day, St. Margaret's Taylor Freitas, a recent Orange County National Football Foundation Scholar-Athlete Award honoree, announced he will play football at NCAA Division III Lake Forest College in Lake Forest, Ill. Taylor is a member of the 2014 CIF Champion and CIF-State Runner-Up football teams at St. Margaret's. With a 36-6 varsity record and being named All-CIF in 2015 as a defensive back, Taylor is looking to make an impact for the Foresters this fall.

Upper School human physiology students were front and center to witness a remarkable kidney transplant operation from donor to recipient. Through a video conference, students saw the entire 1.5 hour simultaneous surgeries, which included removing a kidney from one patient and transplanting it into another.

Grade 7 life science students are getting their hands dirty in their current unit on microbiology. Largely skill based, according to Middle School science teacher Kevin Estipular, the unit teaches students proficiencies in streaking bacterial colonies, maintaining aseptic techniques to prevent contamination, and performing Kirby-Bauer Tests to find antibiotic resistance.

Freshman midfielder Niki Miles notched seven goals, seven ground balls, five draw controls, five forced turnovers and one assist over two games as the Tartans defeated Beckman High School 12-9 and San Juan Hills High School 12-11. St. Margaret's remains undefeated and will face Foothill High School on April 12.

Parent participation from preschool to grade 12 in the Annual Fund is up significantly for the 2015-2016 over last year at this same time. Currently, 70 percent of all St. Margaret’s families have supported the Annual Fund this year, up nearly 20 percent from this time last year.

Seven St. Margaret’s athletics teams ranked among the top five for academic achievement by the 30th Annual CIF Southern Section - Ford Academic Awards. The members of the boys' cross country, football, girls' golf, boys' soccer, boys' track & field, boys' volleyball and wrestling programs will all receive Academic Award certificates.

National diversity expert and thought leader Robert Greene of Jones Consulting spent time with parents, students and administrators during a day-long series of workshops intended to foster understanding around cultural competency.

This week, students celebrated Health and Wellness Week enjoying new and interesting activities, discussed nutrition education, and inspirational stories from Olympians to help foster growth in self awareness, internal motivation, balance, leadership and grit.

Twelve St. Margaret’s students had artwork selected for display at the 42^nd Annual Color It Orange Exhibition presented by Laguna College of Art & Design. The mission of Color it Orange is to encourage artistic expression among high school students and teachers throughout Orange County. Student artwork was on display March 21 through 26.

Grade 6 students in Amanda Hudson’s earth science class took to the outdoors to better understand the Earth’s atmosphere and solar heating. Students investigated the hidden spectrum in visible light and learned how it produces the colors we see around us every day. They then scattered among the warm concrete of the Maseeh Middle School Courtyard to experience solar energy themselves.

Senior lacrosse midfielder Erik Suh has been named OCVarsity.com's Scholar-Athlete of the week. Suh, who is headed to St. John's University in New York this fall, is the starting face off midfielder for the Tartans.

Sophomore Cailin Young and freshman Megan Vandenburg were selected to the U.S. Lacrosse Orange County Chapter National Tournament Team. Young and Vandenburg will attend the National Tournament in Bethlehem, Pa., May 28-29.

Upper School students in grades 9 through 11 were challenged to reflect on the power of computer science and its profound impact on the modern human experience. The special “Hour of Code” session presented a brief and compelling evolution of computer science starting with the father of computer science who invented a decryption computer.

Valuing the past to understand and contextualize the future is an important aspect of any history lesson and it rang true for a recent gathering of nine past presidents of the St. Margaret’s Board of Trustees with Head of School Will Moseley and Board of Trustees President Jason Weiss.

St. Margaret’s girls’ swimming and diving team, boasting a 2-0 record, remains the best in the Academy League while the boys’ team is eyeing improvement in the standings with the addition of two new divers.

The Easter Bunny paid a special visit to St. Margaret's this week hiding bushels of eggs throughout campus. Kindergarten students were treated to a mid-morning Easter egg hunt on Chalmers Field when two Upper School advisory groups hid eggs labeled with each student’s name. The field turned out to be the perfect place for an egg hunt!

The Arts at St Margaret’s presented the Upper School musical production of the childhood classic "The Secret Garden," based on the novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett. The performances were an unqualified success portraying the timeless message about the importance of family and the enduring power of love.

More than 150 parents and community members attended the final Parent Up Distinguished Speaker address by former Marine Special Ops Commander Jake Harriman. Mr. Harriman’s talk focused on the practical applications of service or in his words, how to “get our hands dirty.”

Last night’s Fifth Annual Lower School Family Science Night brought students and their families together for an evening of inspiration and hands-on science activities.

St. Margaret’s, led by senior captain Drew Gaarenstroom’s multiple birdie round of 37, defeated the Villa Park High School Spartans 198-214 at Green River Golf Club on Wednesday in a non-league contest.

Volleyball, baseball, lacrosse and football athletes combined to win their section of the 4x100m relay at the Trophy Invitational on Saturday at Laguna Beach High School. It was the first time the quartet had been on the track together, and the performance elevated the Tartans into contention as they look to take the top spot in the league.

Nearly 100 Tartans participated in the 58th Swallows Day Parade enthralling thousands of parade goers with a surprising and unique float that centered around a student-created replica of the school’s iconic Gateway Arch along with artistic and elegant flying swallows.

Grade 1 and 8 students worked collaboratively this week to show our service members how much they are appreciated. Students wrote thank you letters to those serving overseas in the Armed Forces. The cards will be used by Words of Comfort, Hope and Promise, a group which works to honor and support our soldiers.

The St. Margaret’s Battle of the Books (BOB) Team took first place at this year’s Orange County competition. More than 135 students competed from nine different schools by answering detailed questions about 20 selected BOB books. The intense competition tested students' reading comprehension, vocabulary knowledge and attention to detail.

St. Margaret’s Early Childhood Development Center is helping children learn and explore through technology. In an effort led by the Center’s Director Ingrid Andrews, this year the Preschool has integrated large touchscreen personal computers in every classroom. Students gather around the devices to interact with rich-media content, learning apps and games.

Senior midfielder Erik Suh has been named MaxLaxOC.com's Student-Athlete of the week. Suh, who is headed to St. John's University in New York this fall, had an assist and two ground balls in the Tartan's Tuesday night win against Santa Margarita Catholic High School.

Boys’ soccer senior defender Freddie Hudoff and girls’ soccer senior midfielder Elizabeth Barbaresi and senior forward Olivia Miller have earned All-CIF Southern Section honors for the 2015-2016 winter season. Honors are presented by the LA84 Foundation and identified and voted on by the section's league representatives.

St. Margaret’s students, faculty and staff came together for a celebration of culture, heritage and traditions during Language and Culture Day. Led by the school’s world language department and Department Chair Marta Austin, Middle and Upper School students participated in various activities supporting the inclusivity of the St. Margaret's community.

Seniors McKinley McQuaide and Nicholas Williams have earned national recognition in the 2016 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. This year, nearly 320,000 works of art and writing were submitted. Only the top one percent were recognized at the national level.

Seniors and varsity football players Taylor Freitas and Samuel Harnisch were honored at the Orange County chapter’s National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame’s 46th Annual Scholar-Athlete Awards Banquet on Monday.

Freshman Lauren Haller was awarded Varsity Hunters Under Saddle Champion, Varsity Working Hunters Champion and Varsity Hunter Individual Reserve High Point Champion at the 2015-2016 Interscholastic Equestrian League Awards Presentation.

Yee-haw! St. Margaret’s students, faculty and staff joined together today in their best western wear to honor The Festival of the Swallows in San Juan Capistrano and the Lower School celebration of San Juan Capistrano Day. See the photo gallery!

Boys' golf, volleyball and boys' and girls’ lacrosse all brought home victories this past week as senior Nick Shanks was named Offensive Player of the Week in lacrosse by MaxLaxOC.com.

Next week’s production of the Upper School musical “The Secret Garden” will be like no other production in St. Margaret’s history. Students have worked tirelessly since September to completely reimagine the musical, which will feature cutting-edge video production design to illustrate the set and scenery.