Tartan Snapshots: Spring 2023
16 Upper School Students Conduct College-Level Research Through Partnership With UC-Irvine
Sixteen Upper School students with an interest in STEAM fields had a valuable first-hand look at a college research environment, as they worked with top minds in engineering, computer science, chemistry, robotics and more at the University of California, Irvine.
The partnership between St. Margaret’s and UCI Samueli School of Engineering is now in its 18th year, and the 16 participating students this summer was the highest number ever.
Lower School Starts ‘Scottie Snack Cart’ With Nutritious Food Options
St. Margaret’s unveiled its new health and well-being program, as Lower School students were able to snack on nutritious fruits and vegetables during recess from the “Scottie Snack Cart.”
The cart was made possible by a PTF grant in partnership with Upper School student Chase Springer and several professional community members. The fruits and vegetables were grown nearby at The Ecology Center, an educational partner of St. Margaret’s.
Holocaust Survivor Visits With Upper School Students to Share Remarkable Life Story
In a powerful and inspiring telling of a remarkable life story, students in the Upper School’s Holocaust and contemporary genocide course listened to a first-hand account of devastation, unthinkable loss and survival from the Nazi regime during World War II from a very special guest: St. Margaret’s grandparent Ruth Hermann.
Mrs. Hermann is the grandmother of Upper School student Carly Hermann. She was born in Stuttgart, Germany, in 1927, and at the age of 11 fled Nazi Germany as part of the Kindertransport program.
Grade 6 Students Explore Their Heritage and Enjoy a Feast
St. Margaret’s grade 6 students enjoyed a multicultural feast like never before, the culmination of a unit that explored each student’s family traditions and histories.
The Heritage Cookbook project was an interdisciplinary unit between grade 6 world history, taught by Rian Otto, and grade 6 writing, taught by Owen Beitner. The feast was just one of many activities students did to not only learn more about where they came from, but also to celebrate and experience a part of everyone’s unique story.
Large Tartan Delegation Attends NAIS People of Color Conference
St. Margaret’s had a delegation of 23 students and professional community members attend the 2022 National Association of Independent Schools’ People of Color Conference and the adjacent NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference in San Antonio, Texas.
The Tartan delegation consisted of six Upper School students and 17 adults. They participated in workshops and attended events over four days, advancing St. Margaret’s ongoing strategic work around fostering an inclusive school community and developing cultural competency skills to effectively engage across cultures, perspectives and backgrounds.
St. Margaret’s Expands ‘Digital Mentor’ Program for Middle School Technology-Use Education
St. Margaret’s Middle School students are learning valuable lessons in digital citizenship and responsibly navigating technology from those who perhaps best understand the world they are experiencing—fellow Tartans.
This year, St. Margaret’s expanded its “digital mentors” program, where Upper School Peer Counselors lead digital health and well-being lessons designed for Middle School students. This year, the program has expanded with 27 Upper School students—one for each Middle School advisory—leading lessons created by The Social Institute, St. Margaret’s partner in technology-use education.
Upper School Students Recreate Henry David Thoreau’s Famous Desk
As part of an interdisciplinary unit studying Henry David Thoreau and his American Transcendentalist philosophy, English and engineering students came together to build replicas of Thoreau’s 19th-century writing desk using only a set of antique hand tools.
The unit was conceptualized by Upper School English teacher Jamie Bunch and engineering teacher Eric Trumbauer as a way to better experience Thoreau’s self-reliant philosophy and how he lived it, while also offering students a new perspective on engineering and design as it used to be done.
Early Childhood School Teachers Present at NAEYC Conference
St. Margaret’s was well represented at the National Association for the Education of Young Children’s annual conference in Washington, D.C., as Assistant Director and Pedagogista Sonia Yoshizawa presented while Early School teachers Jennifer Hardison and Sharon Benedetto also attended and participated in presentations and forums.
Dr. Yoshizawa’s presentation was titled “Inquiring Minds: Investigating STEM with Infants and Toddlers” which describes a new model for how infants and toddlers engage in inquiry learning and provides educators with ideas for exploring STEAM learning opportunities to support inquiry for the youngest learners.
24 Upper School Students Recognized by National Merit Scholarship Program
St. Margaret’s celebrated 24 Upper School who were recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program, based on their performance in the PSAT taken as juniors. St. Margaret’s had seven students named National Merit Semifinalists, and another 17 students received commendation.
There are 1.5 million National Merit Scholarship entrants nationwide, with the top 3 percent receiving commendation, and the top 1 percent being named semifinalists.
Arts
St. Margaret’s Performing Arts Center Named in Honor of Darcy Rice
St. Margaret’s announced hat the Performing Arts Center has been named the Darcy Rice Center for the Arts, in honor of the school’s longtime director of the arts who retired in June after a 22-year career at the helm.
Naming the building after Mr. Rice had been in the works for a long time. The Nicholas family provided the foundational gift to St. Margaret’s to build the state-of-the-art Performing Arts Center, which was completed in 2012. As part of that gift, the Nicholas family retained naming rights for the building.
“From the very beginning, our family believed that Darcy Rice was the only person worthy of having his name on the Performing Arts Center,” said Stacey Nicholas, a St. Margaret’s Trustee Emeritus and parent of three alumni who were all involved in the arts. “We thought that when he retired, it would be the perfect time to make that happen.”
Tartan Writers and Artists Honored With Regional Scholastic Awards
St. Margaret’s talented writers and artists in the Upper School and Middle School were recognized in the 2023 Regional Scholastic Art & Writing Awards. Tartans won 73 art awards and 28 writing awards in the West Coast Regional At-Large Divisions. That total includes 23 gold key winners, which will be forwarded for judging in the national competition.
Tartan Dance Launches New Buddy Program to Bring Students of All Ages Together
St. Margaret’s dance program spans all divisions and all grades of the school, with more than 140 dancers participating this school year. This year, Tartan Dance launched the buddy program, a cross-divisional touchpoint matching a Lower School dancer with either a Middle School or Upper School dancer for a year of connection, mentorship and learning.
Student-Athletes Commit to Top Colleges During Signing Periods
The Class of 2023 has had 19 student-athletes commit to continue their academic careers and play intercollegiate sports in college. The list includes nine student-athletes during the winter period, five from the fall period and five from the spring period.