Highlander Summer 2012

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s u m m e r 2 0 1 2

Learning in the 21st Century

22 Open Spaces: Student Poem and ArtworkShowcasing award-winning student writing

and visual arts talent

24 Faculty ProfilesAcquaint yourself with two of St. Margaret’s

exceptional and gifted faculty members

34 Class NotesLearn about the lives of your classmates

40 Looking BackHeadmaster Marcus D. Hurlbut addresses

the Upper School student body with his

retirement message

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v o l u m e 2 4 , n u m b e r 1 s u m m e r 2 0 1 2

f e a t u r e s > >

3 Guideposts Headmaster Marcus D. Hurlbut discusses

preparing St. Margaret’s students as 21st

century learners

4 News & NotesGet the scoop on what’s been happening at

St. Margaret’s lately

8 A Day in the Life Of . . .ICE LabSee the ICE Lab’s dynamic environment and

state-of-the-art technologies afforded to

students in all divisions

15 Side by SideStudent and teacher discuss the revolution

of the Middle School classroom: one iPad

at a time

21 By the NumbersA glimpse at the new Performing Arts Center

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St. Margaret’s Episcopal School Marcus D. Hurlbut, Headmaster

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

Editorial DirectorAnne Dahlem

Managing EditorNicole Peddy

Copy EditorJennifer Perez

Editorial Board Jeannine Clarke, Anne Dahlem, Jeneen Graham,Marcus D. Hurlbut, Nicole Peddy

ContributorsRoland Allen, Ingrid Andrews, David Boyle, JamieBunch, Charles Cox, Gavin Clarke, DallasClemmons, Anne Dahlem, Josh Friedman, GracieGordon, Natalie Hines, Marcus D. Hurlbut, Jack Li,Barbara McMurray, Emily Moore, Brett Nicholas, Dr. Todd Newman, Lynn Ozonian, Nicole Peddy,Jennifer Perez, Londa Posvistak, Blake Reemtsma, Dr. Jennifer Ross-Viola, Ian Tacquard, Dylan Wade

Please send comments, questions, letters and submissions for “Open Spaces” to:

Highlander magazineSt. Margaret’s Episcopal School 31641 La NoviaSan Juan Capistrano, CA 92675-2752(949) [email protected]; www.smes.org

Please include your name, address, e-mail addressand phone number with your letter or submission.Letters and “Open Spaces” may be edited for content and grammar.

St. Margaret’s publishes responsibly. Highlandermagazine is printed on Forest Stewardship Council certified paper that contains 25 percentpostconsumer recycled content, using soy-basedinks made from renewable resources such as natural pigments and vegetable oils.

Highlander, Volume 24, Number 1. Summer 2012.

O N T H E C O V E RMiddle School science teacher Dylan Wade helping students learn 21st century skills. Insidefront: Student enjoying the Preschool playground.Inside back: Middle School students performing in Seussical Jr.

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Keeping Classics in the Classroom: Why

Students Need Literature Instruction Now More Than Ever

English teachers demonstrate why classic

literature is still an important cornerstone to

critical thinking and communication skills

A Journey Home withMy Son: Tartan AlumnusMichael BoyleAssociate Headmaster David Boyle describes his

week aboard an active US Navy aircraft carrier

on a Tiger Cruise

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School does not discriminate on thebasis of gender, race, color, religion, sexual orientation ornational and ethnic origin in the administration of its educa-tional or hiring policies, admissions policies, financial aid, ath-letic or other school-administered programs.

Promoting Computer Scienceand STEM Learning ThroughRobotics Highlights of St. Margaret’s students’ learning experiences

with robotics and computer science in each division

31Thriving in College

Alumni from the Class of 2011 reflect on

their first year of college

As we prepare our students for living andlearning in an ever-changing world, we integrate technology into our curriculumthrough classes in robotics, engineering andcomputer programming across all grades.Our goal is to nurture students’ problem

solving, critical thinking, organization, collaboration and creativity and ignite their interests in science, technology,engineering and math (STEM). Through the use of a varietyof devices, in particular iPads, St. Margaret’s students engagein research, literacy instruction, science, math, world languagesand arts instruction in dynamic ways, right at their fingertips.

The articles in this publication illustrate the abundant opportunities available to our students, including a look at aday in the life of the ICE Lab, and how, throughout eachdivision of the school, we promote computer science andSTEM learning. Additionally, you will have the chance toread a teacher and student perspective about our MiddleSchool iPad program.

While we must help our students stay current with the development of technology in our society, we also remaincommitted to one of our core values of balance and breadthby encouraging our students to balance their education withthe fundamentals of humanities and arts. This publication’sarticle, “Keeping Classics in the Classroom: Why StudentsNeed Literature Instruction Now More Than Ever,” remindsus that classic literature is an important cornerstone to criticalthinking and communication skills.

This Highlander will also illustrate the talent and accomplishments of our students through our “News &Notes” section and highlight two of our exceptionally giftedfaculty members. In preparation for the official opening ofour new Performing Arts Center, which will be the focus ofthe next issue of the Highlander magazine, we offer an interesting perspective in this issue’s “By the Numbers.”

We share a strong sense of community pride in what westand for as a school and how we work together to make theSt. Margaret’s experience the very best it can be for all ourstudents. I have loved my years as a Tartan and look forwardwith great enthusiasms to the year ahead.

G U I D E P O S T S

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B y M a r c u s D . H u r l b u t , H e a d m a s t e r

“The articles in this publication illustrate the

abundant opportunities available to our

students, including a look at a day in the life

of the ICE Lab, and how, throughout each

division of the school, we promote computer

science and STEM learning.”


N E W S & N O T E S

Breakthrough students worked hard last summer taking a

daily 90-minute algebra class five days a week for six weeks.

As a result, seven out of the nine Breakthrough College

Bound students met the 80 percent minimum score on the

Capistrano Unified School District math exam that allows

them to bypass Algebra IB and enter straight into geometry

as freshman. Additionally Yesenia Garcia, a member of

Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano’s second class, was named

Capistrano Valley’s Youth of the Year by the Boys and Girls

Club in February. According to club leaders, she was chosen

for her commitment to community service.

More than 25 alumni returned to campus in January to

impart their wisdom on Upper School students during the

Alumni Career Forum. Alumni presented during two 30-

minute classroom sessions, which offered tips and suggestions

to help students navigate their paths after St. Margaret’s

through college and into a career field.

St. Margaret’s Alumni Return toConnect with Upper School Students

In October, five Tartan storytellers took the stage at the Eighth Annual Orange County Children’s

Book Festival at Orange Coast College, where more than 40,000 people attended. The Tartan

Tellers Club of Marek Magana, Izzy Morin, Jessica Pate, Noel Segerstrom and Shea Tomaselli took

the PBS Storyteller’s Stage with St. Margaret’s Artist-in-Residence Victoria Burnett’s guidance.

Talented Tartan Tellers Tell Tales at Orange CountyChildren’s Book Festival

After a few years in hiatus, the Tartan Tee-Off golf tournament

fundraiser benefiting financial aid returned in October.

Twenty-two teams competed at the Newport Beach Country

Club and raised more than $55,000. “Since its inception in

1995, the Tartan Tee-Off supports our financial aid program

and serves as a powerful reminder of our longstanding

commitment to make a St. Margaret’s education accessible

to qualified students regardless of financial resources,” said

Headmaster Marcus D. Hurlbut.

St. Margaret’s Tartan Tee-Off Raises $55,000

Breakthrough Students Excel

s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 5

In November, students in Headmaster Marcus D. Hurlbut’s

constitutional law classes and Krista Nava’s

social justice literature class visited

Chapman University to learn

the historical significance of

the landmark Orange

County civil rights case

Mendez v. Westminster. They

had the privilege to spend

the day with Mr. Gonzalo

Mendez, Jr., who, with his

two siblings, was a child

plaintiff in the case brought by

their parents after they were barred

from enrolling in the public “whites-only”

17th Street Elementary School in Westminster, Calif. They

won their case in the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court

of Appeals, which established California as the first state in

the nation to end segregation in public education.

One-hundred percent of St. Margaret's Class of 2012 will

matriculate to a four-year college or university this fall.

Students will attend 70 colleges and universities in 25 U.S.

states, the District of Columbia, France and Scotland. A

record number of graduating seniors, 84 percent, had already

received acceptance to a four-year college or university of

their choice as of February, the mid-point of the college

admission process. The early acceptances was 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.

Students Get Up-Close andPersonal with Landmark OCSchool Desegregation Case

San Juan Capistrano Mayor Larry Kramer presented St.

Margaret’s Lower School Green Team with a Certificate of

Recognition from the City of San Juan Capistrano in March,

commending St. Margaret’s for composting food waste. Grade

4 and 5 students make up The Green Team, which was

formed to further the goal of reducing the Lower School

imprint on the Earth.

Two teams in Mr. Eric Harrington’s Middle School science

class worked on an ocean science project that focused on

creating an environmentally-friendly surfboard. Students

discovered that when surfboards are shaped, they release

dangerous toxic fumes. After extensive research, the teams

found that instead of using polyurethane, they could use

polystyrene (EPS); also known as Styrofoam, which is not

usually recycled. They collected and recycled more than 100

pounds of Styrofoam that was donated to build several

eco-friendly surfboards.

From Styrofoam to Surfboards –Students Make a Difference One Board at a Time

To read more St. M

argaret’s news, visit Tartan Today

online at tartantoday.org.

Record Early College Acceptance for St. Margaret’s Class of 2012

San Juan Mayor Presents Certificate of Recognition toLower School for CompostingEfforts


N E W S & N O T E S (Continued)

More than 50 Middle and Upper School students displayed

their talents to three sold-out shows at the Ninth Annual

Coffee House Cabaret. The Coffee House Cabaret Band,

under the leadership of Band Director Chris Carbajal,

provided accompaniment to the vocal performers in pieces

arranged by St. Margaret’s students and Accompanist

Adam Bravo.

Performances of the fall Upper School drama, The Servant of Two Masters,

featured two casts and a full student technical crew. The shows required a

demanding Commedia Dell’Arte, which means stylized movement, specific

mask work and highly physical comedic bits called lazzi. With the help of a

commedia consultant and movement coach and Director Nathan Wheeler,

The Servant of Two Masters was an ambitious undertaking. The play captured

the 2012 CAPPIES Award for Best Play.

Upper School Presents The Servant of Two Masters

Coffee House Cabaret Showcased Three Sold-Out Shows

In February, St. Margaret’s hosted two Massachusetts Institute

of Technology (MIT) seniors who are part of the MIT

Women’s Initiative Program. The program seeks to increase

the number of women enrolled in engineering majors by

educating middle and high school girls nationwide. The

two young women participated in Upper School science

teacher Joe Ingalls’ introduction to engineering class, which

was followed by a presentation to the Upper School that

gave students an overview of the various engineering fields

available to high school students as they think about

future careers.

MIT Women’s Initiative Program Gets Students Excited About Engineering

In November, Middle School students exemplified leadership

and talent as they perfected their skills in Seussical Jr. Student

interest in the Middle School production was so great that it

was double cast, featuring 87 students and a full student

technical crew for six performances.

Middle Schoolers Make SeussicalJr. a Creative Tour de Force

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Senior Billy Gaudreau became the first Tartan runner to win the sweepstakes race and the boys’cross country team finished fifthat the Orange CountyChampionships in October. Hehad the fastest time of 14:26among all county runners whocompeted in the WoodbridgeCross Country Classic where St. Margaret’s ranked third among all county teams, and he was

named OC Varsity Cross Country Athlete of the Week twicein the fall. After finishing fifth in the West Regional qualifier, he finished December’s Footlocker Cross Country Nationals3.1 mile race in 34th place in a time of 16:07. In March, history was made again at the Irvine Track & Field Invitationwhere Billy had the standout performance of the day—completing the 3200 meter race in 9:07.62, the number one time in United States Outdoor Track and Field and thefastest high school two-mile runner in the nation.

Senior Billy Gaudreau Sets Unprecedented School Records

To read more St. M

argaret’s news, visit Tartan Today

online at tartantoday.org.

Junior Andrew Torok captured the Prep League Championshipand Tartan sophomores Trevor Jue and Jason Kim, seniorsArian Farji and Nic Toubia, and freshman Ryan O’Hare qualifiedfor CIF competition in February.

Wrestling Athlete Captures Prep League Championship

In November, the Tartan girls’ tennis team clinched its fourthstraight CIF Championship and maintained its four-year undefeated record. To celebrate, American tennis greatMichael Chang attended St. Margaret’s Upper and MiddleSchool pep rally to congratulate the girls’ exceptional achievement in a highly competitive CIF southern section field.

American Tennis Champ Michael Chang Congratulates SMES Girls Tennis

St. Margaret’s athletics received many accolades throughout

the year. In March, junior Regan Anderson was named one

of Orange County’s Top Multisport Athletes by OCVarsity.com

after helping St. Margaret’s girls’ soccer team win the CIF-SS

Division 6 title last season and the girls’ lacrosse team win the

U.S. Lacrosse Division 2 Southern Section title last spring.

Senior Katie Donahue was the CIF-SS Division 6 Player of

the Year and in March was named OCVarsity Girls Scholar-

Athlete of the Week after earning all-county honors in 2011.

From the Tartan Field

St. Margaret's new Performing Arts Center received widespread interest

from the local community and was featured in The Orange County Register’s

Year in Review earlier this year. To view the article, visit www.tartantoday.org.

The Performing Arts Center will officially open on the first day of the

2012-2013 school year.

Performing Arts Center Featured in OC Register Year In Review


Imagine. Create. Engineer. Since it opened in the beginning of the 2011-2012 school year, St. Margaret’sICE Lab has introduced Preschool – grade 12 studentsto a dynamic environment with state-of-the-art technologies and resources for a new science, technology,engineering and math (STEM) curriculum. Students are

equipped with endless possibilities for creative, cross-curricularprojects and work, including the ability to design and developinterdisciplinary projects using an abundance of technologyresources: design software, customizable workstations, PC andMac platforms and iPads.

Through collaborative planning, instruction and implementation,students in Kindergarten–grade 4 are learning to solve physicalchallenges with mathematic concepts, programming skills and machines. More specifically, Kindergarten and grade 1students exhibit the sequencing, strategizing and problem

solving techniques acquired through the use of Bee-Bots, aprogrammable floor robot. The simple design of the Bee-Botprovides students with the chance to begin their roboticjourney with very basic programming; using forward, backward,and left and right turn arrows. Students navigate the Bee Botaround mats designed specifically for the grade’s curriculumallowing students to visualize what is being taught.

After the mastery of basic robotics, students in grades 2-4move on to more advanced LEGO® Robotics. With the partnership of LEGO® and learning.com students receive stepby step build instructions in a platform that they are familiarwith, creating a seamless transition into new curriculum.Students begin with the basics learning about the benefits ofsuch machines as levers, pulleys, and wheels and axles.Aligning with the California state science standards, grade 5students work in the LEGO® Space pilot program. LEGO®

A D A Y I N T H E L I F E O F . . . I C E L A B

7:30 a.m. ICE Lab opens

8:45-9:45 a.m. Grade 5 Robotics. Through interaction with the International Space Station and curriculumprovided by LEGO®, students are able toexplore concepts such as force, equilibrium, mass, weight and more. > > 10:15-11:15 a.m.

Grades 2, 3 or 4 Robotics. Simple machines andmotorized mechanisms from LEGO® Educationenables children to work as young scientists,engineers and designers providing them with settings, tools and tasks that promote designtechnology, science and mathematics.

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and NASA have teamed up to develop an opportunity forstudents to explore space. Students build and complete activitiesand compare their results to that from the International Space Station. Moving into the 2012-13 school year, grade 3students will work with renewable energy and investigateenergy supply and data analysis. The grade 4 students willwork with motorized mechanisms, and students will completevarious tasks with machines that they build themselves.

“There is a new language in the ICE Lab,” said InstructionalTechnology Specialist Londa Posvistak. “Students are buildingrobots with several types and sizes of LEGO® pieces referredto as bricks. When students are predicting what size piece

they need for their creation, they refer to the size by thenumber of bumps on the top, the width and the length. Forexample, a student may ask for a 2x2, 2x4, etc. They mightalso add the word flat or brick, meaning skinny or standard.When I tell a student a 2x8 is not available, I ask them whatthey could use instead. The student will calculate the math,and request two 1x8’s, or maybe two 2x4’s. Through thisprocess, students don’t only practice math, but also learn topredict measurement. The evolution of this new language is amazing.”

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11:20 a.m.-12:10 p.m. Advanced Placement music theory prepares students for the AP examination in music. Thecourse emphasizes part writing, sight singing,scale and chord construction, and dictation ofplayed or recorded musical passages.

12:15-12:35 p.m. Lower School yearbook and Lower Schoolrobotics club participants have an option to workon their projects.

1:30-2:05 p.m. Mrs. Diane Hawkins’ grade 5 Christian life skillsclass works in groups utilizing a Web 2.0 application called Glogster to research worldreligions in preparation for an end of the schoolyear presentation.


The newest development in the Lower School robotics curriculum is the start of the St. Margaret’s chapter of theJunior FIRST® LEGO® League, a nationally recognizedorganization that is a sport of the mind. Using kids’ inherentdesire for exploration, students participate in competitionsbased on the current year’s “challenge,” for the betterment ofthe community. (See Promoting Computer Science and STEMLearning Through Robotics on page 11 for more information.)

Lower School students are provided further exploration intothe robotic world with afterschool clubs. The clubs allow students to explore, as well as construct and program theirown LEGO® creations with the use of Mindstorms, WeDo’sand Pico Crickets.

Middle and Upper School enrichment and elective coursesare also held in the ICE Lab including programming, roboticsand Advanced Placement music. In addition, the space isavailable to all teachers and classes who want to make use ofits resources. �

2:00-3:00 p.m.Grade 6 Technology. Students explore Web 2.0applications, including an assessment in atomiclearning, and Scratch, a programming languagedeveloped by MIT for education, to emphasizelogic and problem solving. 3:30- 4:30 p.m.

Either Lower School after school robotics clubsor the Jr. FIRST LEGO® League meet.

s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 11

Students are fascinated with robots. Since the advent of theJetsons, Wall-E, and of course Star Wars C-3PO and R2D2,the futuristic possibilities of robots and computers inspire andexcite the future generations of researchers, engineers andscientists. They are just cool and kids think so too. As a result,teaching robotics provides a way to bring topics in science,technology, engineering and math (STEM) together.Robotics is an excellent tool for stimulating imaginativethinking and providing real world meaning to otherwiseabstract concepts thru hands-on learning. Constructing andprogramming robots requires logical thinking, persistence andteamwork – and fosters the “I can do it!” spirit. The last issueof the Highlander talked about the Culture of Thinking – and how St. Margaret’s teachers emphasize the use of “expertthinking skills” such as problem solving, synthesis, evaluation,and self-reflection in its curriculum. The inclusion of roboticsand expanded computer science topics in St. Margaret’s curriculum is another pedagogical extension of developingthese skills to prepare students for leadership roles in the future.

Technology is all around us today – most of us use technologyin some aspect of our lives and many of the products we usetoday have some type of technology or robotics componentinvolved. However, not many of us really understand theprocesses involved in developing these technologies. Mostpeople simply do not understand the engineering process and what engineers do. Engineers and computer professionals are largely stereotyped as geeks, who love math, lack socialskills and wear pocket protectors. This is all spurred by misconceptions of popular culture and as a result is a contributing factor to why students pursue other career

choices. In reality, engineers and computer professionals havereally cool jobs – they are directly involved in the creation of new technologies and the design of solutions. The “E” inSTEM – engineering – involves the application of not onlymath, science and technology, but requires creativity andblends other subject areas such as art and storytelling – in thedevelopment of solutions to problems that face our society ornew technologies. The building, programming and testing ofrobots teaches computational thinking skills, collaborationwith other students, persistence, and provides students withthe ability to think creatively to solve problems through theapplication of the engineering process. This algorithmicmulti-step, iterative process consists of identifying the problem,brainstorming solutions, developing a prototype, testing, andimproving the design until satisfied with the end product.

Many universities and colleges are beginning to includecourses that embody computational thinking as part of theirgeneral education requirements. In this emerging highlytechnical society it is important to instill the desire to questiona process or procedure – to be curious and not only ask“why,” but “how” can it be done better or differently usingtechnology. “While the human mind is by far the most powerful problem solving tool we have, the ability to extendthe power of human thought with computers and other digital tools has become an essential part of our everydaylives and work.” (David Barr, John Harrison, and LeslieConery. “Computational Thinking: A Digital Age Skill forEveryone.” Learning & Leading with TechnologyMarch/April 2011: 20-23.)

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Promoting Computer Science and STEM LearningThrough Robotics

B y L y n n O z o n i a n , D i r e c t o r o f A c a d e m i c a n d I n f o r m a t i o n Te c h n o l o g y

ROBOTICS


Teaching robotics is a natural way to introduce computationalthinking and engage students. In St. Margaret’s Lower School, the curriculum uses LEGO® robotics focusing on the engineering process. In Middle School, the technology curriculum incorporates computer science concepts – programming LEGO® Mindstorm robots, using Scratch programming, and video game programming. And, in theUpper School, students are learning a programming languageto communicate with a robot. The following highlights St. Margaret’s students learning experiences with robotics and computer science in each division.

STEM in the Upper SchoolSTEM coursework and programs intensifies in the UpperSchool. Students are expected to hone their academic interests in college-prep and college-level coursework in avariety of core, honors, Advanced Placement and elective science, computer science and math.

The curriculum offers unique classes in computer programming for robotics, computer programming for Java,AP computer science, and software engineering in whichadvanced students can build their own applications and software.

The robotics course allows students to build, design, and program their own robots through NAO Robot AcademicEdition, fostering collaboration, teamwork and problem solving. Additionally, students gain an advanced understandingof computer language, operations and systems.

Director of St. Margaret’s Academic and InformationTechnology Lynn Ozonian, who also teaches Upper Schoolrobotics said, “We know that these skills and knowledge baseare in great demand in today’s marketplace, yet it’s trulyimpossible to imagine the vast possibilities and applicationsfor our students’ futures. It’s unlimited and robotics is anexciting and fun way to engage our students.”

NAO is a small humanoid robot equipped with a simple,visual programming tool that allows students to create and

program different robot behaviors. Robotics students developbehaviors for NAO combining gesture, movement, sound,music and speech. When programmed by students to do so,the 22-inch-tall robot can see, hear, speak, move, walk, dance,play soccer, recognize faces and objects, understand what issaid to him, localize sound, and speak seven languages.Recently, Upper School robotics students programmed NAOto present to more than 400 parents, faculty and guests at the St. Margaret’s 2012 Spring Gala.

Lara Ohanesian, rising grade 11 student, said, “We learned thebasics of computer programming. I really enjoyed NAO andlearning how to program him. It was cool to see what youprogrammed in real life. I enjoyed making games and playingthem. My favorite part was making NAO go through themaze. I learned the print statement the most. In the beginningit was difficult to learn some of the things like functions, but after needing to use it a lot, I figured it out.”

Lauren Golledge, rising grade 11 student, added, “We learnedmany different aspects of programming and the computerprogramming language Python. When the class first startedout, truly, I was not 100 percent excited to take the class, Idid not know what to expect from knowing absolutely nothing about robotics and computer programming. Butnow, looking back, I am so happy that I took this class. As my mother says, ‘Computer language is the language of thefuture.’ Even though I do not see myself doing computersoftware or robotics for my career, this class also taught meproblem solving skills, which you can apply to a large majorityof your classes and to almost anything in the future. I reallyfeel that I benefited from this class.”

STEM in the Middle SchoolIn the Middle School, grades 6-7 attend a quarter-long technology class which includes topics on Internet safety,computer science using Scratch programming, digital mediaWeb 2.0, and prescriptive review of technology skills relatedto document creation, spreadsheets and presentations. Grade 8 students are offered electives in video programming,introduction to robotics and digital media and animation.

By Anne Dahlem

By Nicole Peddy

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Developed by the Lifelong Kindergarten Group at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology Media Lab, with financial support from the National Science Foundation,Microsoft, Intel Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, Google,Iomega and MIT Media Lab research consortia, Scratch is avisual programming language that assists students in creatingtheir own interactive stories, animations, games, music and art so they can share their creations on the Web.

Utilizing one of three training mats, grade 8 students are first introduced to robotics through the exploration of basic programming maneuvers. Each training activity focuses onone of four main LEGO® sensors – light, ultrasonic, touchand sound – and enables students to explore and enhancetheir programming and sensor knowledge. After the trainingphase and students are able to show their mastery of roboticbuilding and programming skills, they are presented with the Green City Challenge. The challenge simulates real-life engineering problems and consists of a number of missionseach environmentally focused and conducted on the GreenCity Competition Mat.

As students complete each challenge mission, they are awardedan energy brick. When all of the missions are complete, students use their collected energy bricks to power the“Green City.”

“The class begins by introducing computation thinking and engineering skills by building and programming aMINDSTORM® robot by LEGO®,” said InstructionalTechnology Specialist Londa Posvistak. “As the class progressesthrough basic moves, the LEGO® Green City Challengeallows each student to appreciate the need for renewableenergy while experiencing real-life engineering problems.”

Each of the Green City Challenge missions are designed withthree skill levels in mind: basic, moderate and high givingteachers the ability to select an appropriate level for each student based on class progress or individual understanding of robotics.

“We worked on one mission where you had to put solarpanels on top of a house and you had to do different challenges to receive power bricks,” said rising grade 9 studentZach Shor. “At the end of the challenge, you need all sevenpower bricks to turn on the Green City. I enjoyed workingwith LEGOs® and computer programming. I would like todo more of it. I’m planning on helping out in the ICE Labthis coming school year.”

The curriculum allows students to learn about STEM conceptsand how each relates to the field of robotics while enhancingtheir teamwork and critical thinking skills, unlocking newand exciting experiences and showing them how robotics isused in real-world scenarios to solve modern-day problems.

“So much of what we do today has to do with computers. I think computer programming is a good skill to have,” saidZach. “It’s a lot of fun, and I like it being hands on instead of just sitting through a class and listening to a teacher talk.”

STEM in the Lower SchoolSTEM through robotics was added to St. Margaret’s LowerSchool curriculum at the start of the 2011-2012 school yearto introduce computer science concepts to promote criticalthinking skills, problem solving, and engineering habits ofmind including systems thinking, collaboration, creativity andpersistence. Beginning with Bee-Bots, students progress bygrade to LEGO® robots and Pico Crickets.

When asked what he likes most about robotics, EspenGarner, rising grade 4 student, said, “You don’t really have aspecific thing to build. You can experiment. If something goes wrong you can fix it. If you had a toy that was alreadyprogrammed, then you couldn’t program it. If I didn’t knowhow to program, I would have to stick with the program thatthe toy already had and it could not work and I wouldn’t be able to fix it. Robots can help you out so much. It’s goodto know robotics because then you can build something that can help you out at home.”

A highlight of the Lower School program is St. Margaret’schapter of the Junior FIRST® LEGO® League, which startedin January 2012.

Junior FIRST® LEGO® League is a nationally recognizedorganization designed to peak students’ interest in the wondersof science and engineering. Using kids’ inherent desire forexploration, students participate in competitions based on the current year’s challenge—a real-world scientific conceptfor the teams to explore through research, collaboration, construction and imagination. For competition, teams areguided by adult coaches and use LEGO® bricks to build amodel that moves. Additionally, each team develops a Show-Me poster to illustrate their journey.

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By Nicole Peddy


“We began by asking for students who were interested in thegroup to fill out an application,” said InstructionalTechnology Specialist and Junior FIRST® LEGO® LeagueCoach Londa Posvistak. “We received 39 applications for ateam of six.”

With the heightened interested in the group, Londa decidedto expand from one to two teams of six and add AssistantCoach Stefani Baker, ICE Lab instructional assistant. A totalof 22 grade 1-3 students were interviewed and seven wereselected for each team. Grade 5 student Declan Landeau, whohas been involved and won several competitions with theFIRST® LEGO® League, is serving as the mentor to bothteams. “His expertise and experience has proven invaluable tothe teams,” said Londa.

Led by Londa, the students started meeting every Mondayfrom 3-4 p.m. starting in February. “Junior FIRST® LEGO®

League provides an opportunity for students to learn real-world math and science while exploring challenges facingtoday’s scientists,” said Londa.

Londa, grade 3 teacher Tess Posvistak, along with Lower Schoolstudents Espen Garner, Alex Georgiades, Alexis Kieckhaferattended the 2012 International Society for Technology inEducation (ISTE) conference in June to demonstrate thebenefits of robotics in the classroom. Beginning with Bee-Bots,students showed the programming and strategizing techniquesof LEGO® robots and Pico Crickets.

In Kindergarten and grade 1, St. Margaret’s students exhibitthe sequencing, strategizing and problem solving techniquesacquired through the use of Bee-Bots. Bee-Bots lets teachersintroduce technology into math and reading standards whileallowing students to visualize what is being taught, and eventually work independently. After the mastery of basicrobotics students move on to more advanced Pico Crickets,and LEGO® robotics, including WeDos, simple machines,motorized mechanisms and MINDSTORMS®. Pico Cricketsshowcase artistic ability and programming skills while thevarious LEGO® robots display the advancement made fromnovice to budding engineer.

Rising grade 3 student Alex Georgiades, who has built aLEGO® structure with more than 4,000 pieces said, “If youhave enough [LEGOs®] you can basically build anything.”When asked what he enjoys most about robotics, Alex pointedto a robot in the back of the room and enthusiastically said, “MINDSTORMS®!”

LEGO® MINDSTORMS® allow students to build robotsand use software to plan, test and modify a series of instructions from a variety of real-life robotic behaviors.MINDSTORMS® gather and analyze data from sensors usingdata logging functionalities such as graph view.

“You can program a MINDSTORM® to do anything. Youprogram everything on the computer and then take a USBport to transfer the information to the robot’s brain,” saidAlex. He went on to say that MINDSTORMS® can connectto one another so you can have multiple brains. “At theLEGO® education booth at the ISTE conference they hadthis HUGE robot and it had 12 bricks on it, and like 35motors and so many sensors!”

Alex knows exactly what he wants to be when he grows up.He grabbed a magazine that was nearby, opened it and pointed to a picture of a LEGO® factory. “What I want to be when I grow up is a designer for LEGOs®. You don’t havejust a limited set of LEGOs® to work with; you get all theLEGO® pieces you want. If you’re a designer you get towork at the LEGO® factory…next to the LEGO® makingmachine! You get all the pieces, all the computers and all the motors you want!”

STEM in the PreschoolMany might think that STEM is merely a gardening term for preschoolers, but far from it—St. Margaret’s Preschoolcurriculum sets the foundation for learning in science, technology, engineering and math.

Science is discovering the world around us – plants, animals,air, water, earth. Children observe, discuss and ‘experience’earth, physical and life sciences. Students explore geology(sand, rocks, water), noticing properties and natural phenomenon such as how a puddle disappears; as well asastronomy (sky, wind, weather, day/night). Preschoolerseagerly investigate physics (creating ramps or droppingobjects) and chemistry concepts (observing chemical transformations with cooking experiences). Students watchthe life cycle of plants (botany) and insects (entomology) and take note of body parts including their own (physiology).They practice recycling (ecology) and caring for the earth by tending the garden and keeping their classroom and playground clean.

Three and four-year-olds are curious about how things aremade and how they work (engineering and technology) and ‘play at’ their inventions and investigations. Through thecycle of observation and inquiry, the students construct theirunderstanding of the scientific method that will stay withthem throughout their academic career.

Preschoolers naturally want to sort and count things in their environment, and math experiences from simple arithmetic to geometry and algebra are planned and happenspontaneously daily.

So when you think “preschool is all about play”—you’reright! But, it is purposeful play with academic goals and outcomes as much as it is fun! �

By Ingrid AndrewsDirector of Early Childhood Development Center and Wee Tartan Center

s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 15

S I D E B Y S I D E

In the late fall/early winter of 2009 I discovered the iPodTouch and was amazed at the versatility of somethingoriginally designed for music. I immediately saw thepotential for use of the device in the classroom and readabout schools and universities that had already startedusing the device. The only drawback that I could see

was the size. If only it were bigger!

Later that winter, as I prepared to approach Middle SchoolPrincipal Jeannine Clarke and Director of Academic andInformational Technology Lynn Ozonian about a potentialpilot program with the iPod Touch, rumors in the technologyworld started to swirl about Apple launching a tablet. I putthe meeting on hold and a few weeks later, in early spring of2010, iPad was unveiled. My wish had been granted.

The Parent Teacher Fellowship and the technology departmentapproved a grant to start a pilot program with the first

generation iPads in my classroom later that spring. There wasso much potential in iPad for use in the classroom, especiallyas a tool to gather information. If a student wanted to searchfor information on a volcano, not only could he/she accessthe Internet on an iPad, but he/she could also use theeReader application iBooks to read a book on volcanoes, orbetter yet, use the volcano application. But, what I was mostexcited about was the potential the iPad had for meeting theneeds of kinesthetic (hands-on) learners. Traditional keyboardcomputers cater mostly to the auditory and visual learners,making things more difficult for kinesthetic learners. With themulti-touch technology, iPad now allowed the kinestheticlearners (a high percentage of grade 6 students) a betterchance to grasp concepts and to think more critically byusing fingers and hands.

> >

B y D y l a n W a d e , M i d d l e S c h o o l S c i e n c e Te a c h e r

Revolutionizing the Classroom: One iPad at a Time


the Puzzling Plates application by Tasa Graphic Arts, Inc.During a free moment in class, any number of students willask to “play” on it. With the addition of the camera in theiPad 2, we were able to film a commercial for the toothpasteproject and take pictures of rocks for the rock project.Another hit is the application ToonTastic, which allowed students to make a cartoon about a rock going through therock cycle and later used it to describe the three types offaults that cause earthquakes. Recently, we looked up the epicenter to the 3.9 earthquake in Orange County, minutesafter we felt it, on the Quake Watch application. Every daymore and more dynamic applications used for education can be found on the Apple application store.

Finally, in the age of information, where content is availablein no time, anywhere, by anyone, those who are successfulwill be able to accurately analyze and use that information in a creative and meaningful way. iPads are wonderful tools that allow students to learn how to do just that. Interestingly,the potential for use in the classroom has not declined over the past two years. In fact, I feel it continues to grow exponentially. Just this past February, iBooks Author waslaunched allowing teachers to create their own interactivetextbooks catered to their classes, once again revolutionizinghow students learn. With iPads, students are learning 21stcentury skills that will help them flourish in an ever-changing environment. �

The first year of the pilot program, the iPads were a hitamong the students. Students could easily navigate andmanipulate the programs with their hands. I used the iPadsalongside the laptop computers, and it did not take long forstudents to ask to use the iPads more and the laptops less. In many ways the iPads exceeded my expectations. The applications were wonderful; most catered to the iPad’s multi-touch abilities and allowed students to manipulate and seethings in a much more intimate way. I found an interactiveEarth science textbook on iBooks, and not once did I haveto teach the students how to use it. In fact, the studentstaught me much more about the device than I taught them.To my delight, I was surprised at how mobile and accessiblethe iPads were. The battery life lasted 10 times that of theclass set of computers and did not need to be shut downbetween each use. I also found applications that helped reinforce learning and process information that students hadgathered. Best of all, we used applications that helped studentsuse the information they had gathered to create story books,comic strips, podcasts, and animations in a very kid friendlyway. Students became excited to use these applications toshare their understanding of the concepts covered in class. As a teacher, this device revolutionized my classroom.

This year my classroom iPads were upgraded to the secondgeneration iPad 2. There are hundreds of age appropriateapplications on any subject. Currently, a student favorite is

s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 17

All of my sixth grade career computers havebeen a daily tool. Get to school, get out acomputer, log on, write down homework,take a test, type an essay, shut down, putaway computer (times that by five classes),go home, get a computer, log on, finish

essay, and for the last time that day, shut down again. Just totell you if you weren’t counting, that is six times shuttingdown (properly, of course) and six times logging on which, intotal, is equal to about 14 minutes and 42 seconds per day.Multiply that by the number of days in the school year andyou spend about six school days (based on a seven-hourschool day), or about 42 hours just logging on and off.Imagine how much learning time you are missing. Nowindeed, there is a solution: iPads. It takes 0.85 seconds to logon (two seconds if you have a passcode), and 0.38 seconds toshut down. Now, that is a lot of learning time saved.

iPads are more effective in the classroom and they makelearning much more fun and interesting. Over the course ofthe year in Earth science class we have used the iPads onnumerous occasions; the most recent being making cartoonsabout the different kinds of faults and folds in the Earth andwhat they do. My activity partner and I made a story aboutan orange tree named Lil’ Timmy who had the worst luckwhen it came to earthquakes. He was always found on astrike-slip, normal, or reverse fault and always got sent to the

hospital because of it. When it came time to share our projectall we did was plug a tiny little cord into the iPad andBOOM! Our project was up on the screen, ready for thewhole class to watch. But, it gets even better when Mr. Wadesurprised us with an Apple TV device that can receive thesignal wirelessly, so now we don’t even have to plug in thattiny little cord and even more class time is being saved! Wecan play our movie wirelessly and share our work more efficiently. Isn’t that amazing?

iPads don’t just show a good project, they allow students tocommunicate in more ways than a computer ever could. One of the coolest applications to communicate with is calledE-clicker. E-clicker is an application made for questioningand answering. A teacher can type in a question, send it tothe class, students can answer it, see if they got it wrong, see if other people got it wrong, and see the percentages of theanswers people also chose. I usually get more out of learningwith the iPads because they are just plain fun. Instead of taking a quiz or test to enhance your learning, you can playthe games on the Puzzling Plate application. The very factthat I am sitting here on the couch with an iPad sending this very article to my teacher, with no cords and no hassle, is technology at its best. I can't wait to explore the iPad’s endless possibilities next year in each of my classes. �

Learning and Class Time SavedB y G a v i n C l a r k e , G r a d e 6

Classics18 h i g h l a n d e r

Why Students Need Literature Instruction Now More Than Ever

Every year I look forward to teaching Herman Melville’s epic American novel, Moby-dick, but even I begin to losemomentum around page 349 when our ever-curious narrator,Ishmael, interrupts the story once again, this time to describethe measurements of various whale skeletons. Reading alongwith my students, I can imagine their reactions: “What’s thepoint of reading a 19th century novel about whaling? Whocares how long the average gray whale is? How will knowingthis help me in the real world?” While I sympathize with mystudents’ frustration at such moments, as an English teacher I know better. I know that the close study of challengingtexts disciplines the mind, and that classics not only prepare students for their future academic and professional careers,they equip students for the challenges of the 21st century.

The Partnership for 21st Century Skills defines education as“the attempt to convey from one generation to the next” the skills and knowledge needed for a successful life. It arguesthat in order to accomplish this goal, 21st century schoolsmust focus on “rigorous content” and skills that have “realworld relevance.” Challenging classics more than qualify asrigorous content, of course, but they also underpin the realworld skills at the very heart of 21st century learning, such as critical thinking, self-direction and collaboration.

St. Margaret’s English department believes it is important notto view content and skills as separate, but rather as intimatelyintertwined. For example, in order for my students to criticallyanalyze Moby-dick they must engage with the content of thenovel, but they must also be given knowledge, in this case ahistorical framework of the 19th century, within which to

place that content. Content and critical thinking are not discreet categories; nor are they opposed to one another. Themore challenging the content, the stronger the degree ofthinking skills required to analyze and synthesize that content.

Thus, the study of challenging literature is, by its very nature,an activity that necessitates critical thinking. For instance,when assigning students a critical thinking quiz on severalchapters in Moby-dick, I am essentially asking the followingquestions: what does the text say? What is its meaning? What is its value? According to Sheridan Blau, in TheLiterature Workshop: Teaching Texts and Their Readers, “…while reading, interpretation, and criticism define the overt focus of instruction in the academic discipline of literature, theyalso analogously describe the sort of critical thinking that isrequired for responsible intellectual participation in mostcivic, economic, and moral transactions and in virtually everyacademic discipline and learned profession” (204). Blau illustrates how critical thinking skills practiced in Englishtransfer to other areas of one’s life, especially other professionsand disciplines. He argues that science teachers train theirstudents to ask and respond to similar questions to those usedby English teachers, such as: “What are the facts? What inferences may be drawn from them? And, of what value arethese findings? Or, how may we apply them?” (204). The skill set required in English and science is largely the same.

In addition, if my students can think critically about a text aschallenging as Moby-dick, they can certainly analyze a politicalspeech, an exposé of a media conglomerate or a companymemo. More importantly, they will be better equipped to

B y J a m i e B u n c h , U p p e r S c h o o l E n g l i s h Te a c h e r

KeepingClassics in the Classroom:

s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 19

understand notoriously complex types of writing theyencounter in their future academic and professional careers, such as a legal document full of confusing jargon, a dense philosophical treatise full of unfamiliar vocabulary or a scientific paper communicating new research. The criticalthinking skills St. Margaret’s students learn through the sustained study of challenging texts such as The Lion, theWitch and the Wardrobe (grade 6), Julius Caesar (grade 7), TheMerchant of Venice (grade 8), The Canterbury Tales (grade 9), The Odyssey (grade 10), Song of Solomon (grade 11) and To the Lighthouse (grade 12) transfer to many other kinds of reading experiences.

Besides critical thinking, self-direction is a 21st century skilldeeply valued by the St. Margaret’s English department. The English department is trained by its discipline to resistthe temptation students present when they ask for answers;instead, faculty teaches students to discover answers and posequestions that originate with themselves. It is the department’sgoal that students come to view questions as just as valuableas answers. Indeed, having questions about a challenging text often represents a greater understanding of that text. It isnot the student who reads several chapters of Moby-dick andcomes to class confused who worries me. It is the studentwho comes to class and claims she “got it” who worries me.To ensure that such a situation is less likely to arise, Englishteachers use a variety of strategies. In English III Honors, forexample, my students use their own questions and insights tolead the class in a series of discussions about Moby-dick. Thesestudent-generated, student-led discussions not only allow students self-direction, they allow students to practice otherinvaluable life skills such as taking responsibility and initiative,as well as being adaptable and flexible.

When it comes to developing students’ 21st century interpersonal skills, English departments shine. In class settings,students can be reluctant to offer opinions on complicatedsubjects, but the study of challenging literature encourageslively, open discussions where students grapple with difficultconcepts together. Such classroom discussions expose studentsto diverse views, pushing them to respond to and build uponthe ideas of others. One of the discussion strategies Englishteachers use in order to develop students’ collaborative skills is Socratic circles. While there are numerous variations, typically Socratic circles contain two components: a particularly complex text that students have read critically,and two concentric circles of students focused on differentportions of that text. After the first circle finishes discussingthe text, the second circle comments on the first circle’s discussion, asking additional questions, adding ideas, and noting areas of disagreement. The two circles then changeplaces and roles, and the process repeats itself. The point ofthis activity, as Matt Copeland explains in Socratic Circles:Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking in Middle and HighSchool, is to turn “the vast majority of the guidance of theconversation and the ownership of the material over to students. Because of this ownership students are more motivated and involved in the learning that takes place within the classroom…” (9). Because Socratic circles grantownership of the most confusing aspects of the text to

students, I find that my students listen intently to what theirpeers have to say, working collaboratively as a team to solveproblems and determine meaning.

Like my colleagues, I count myself lucky to teach at a schoolthat is fully committed to the future success of its students. In a time when many schools overwhelm their students withstandardized tests that demand “correct” answers and formulaic,simplistic responses, I am asked to challenge my students to,in Jago’s words, “look closely into what they read and expressclearly and powerfully what they find there” (1). Jago—a former National Council of Teachers of English president anda passionate proponent for keeping challenging literature inthe classroom—further argues in “Crash! The Currency Crisisin American Culture,” that “to thrive in the real world students need to be able to do more than Twitter. They needto be able to develop extended arguments that demonstrate a careful analysis of complex ideas. They need to be able to critique a brave new world in which reading is reduced toskimming and scanning websites, in which templates replacewriting, in which arts are extracurricular” (4-5). Thankfully, at St. Margaret’s arts are anything but extracurricular andhumanities are valued every bit as much as science and math.St. Margaret’s is committed to preparing students for the 21stcentury, and the humanities play a huge role in this endeavor,especially when it comes to developing independent criticalthinkers and skilled communicators and collaborators.

Wo r k s C i t e d

Blau, Sheridan D. The Literature Workshop: Teaching Texts and Their Readers.Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2003.

Copeland, Matt. Socratic Circles: Fostering Critical and Creative Thinking inMiddle and High School. Portland, ME: Stenhouse Publishers, 2005.

Jago, Carol. “Crash! The Currency Crisis in American Culture: APerspective from NCTE President-Elect Carol Jago.” A Report from theNCTE. Urbana, IL: NCTE, 2009.

Jago, Carol. Classics in the Classroom: Designing Accessible Literature Lessons.Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann, 2004.

“The Intellectual and Policy Foundations of the 21st Century SkillsFramework.” Partnership for 21st Century Skills. 2007. www.21stcenturyskills.org.

Jamie Bunch has taught English since2002. After teaching composition andrhetoric at the college level for five years,she joined the St. Margaret’s faculty in2007. She currently teaches English IIIHonors and is the junior-senior girls’dean starting the 2012-2013 school year.She holds a Master of Arts in Englishfrom California State University,Sacramento.


But I Don’t Like This BookBy Blake Reemtsma, English Department Chair and Upper SchoolEnglish Teacher

It is great to enjoy reading what you like on the beach, but in theclassroom it is different. It is more important to be challenged by difficult reading if, that is, you want to become a better, smarter reader. This sounds strange on the surface—as in, who doesn’t wantchildren and students to enjoy reading? Isn’t being a happy, willingreader what liking English is all about? Well, yes, and no. It is one thingto like reading, but it is another, very different thing to be a goodreader of what you don’t like, what you don’t understand or whatfrustrates you. Players play games against far better opponents; actorsact in roles completely opposite their personalities; travelersimmersed in a language learn it quickly out of necessity. Reading achallenging text is a similar kind of practice at being in somewhatover your head.

There is a strange irony that is essential to studying literature (or artor science or life, for that matter): we become better at finding ourway by getting lost—at times really lost—first. As Sheridan Blau mentions, “The texts most worth reading and teaching are those wedon’t understand precisely because they are the texts that have themost to teach us” (The Literature Workshop 209). Problems, of whichthere are more in challenging texts, are potential places for learning,and the better, smarter reader is more comfortable with these problems. Difficult texts force readers, for example, to risk uncertaininterpretations, confront important ambiguities, identify specific confusions and ask tough questions.

What do good readers of difficult texts do? Readers, for example,often read Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” a deceptively simplepoem, and quickly migrate toward the final lines of the poem wherethe speaker says, “I— / I took the road less travelled by/And that hasmade all the difference.” So obviously do something different withyour life. The road symbolizes life, of course. Case closed. Poemsolved. Gimme an “A.” Better readers, however, are skeptical, askquestions and go looking for trouble in the poem: But, wait a minute,aren’t the roads “worn . . . really about the same?” Doesn’t the speaker keep “the first [road] for another day?” And why does he—or she—hesitate? Is there more to the story of this poem? Of coursethere is, and the story’s much more complicated, and these complications show the difference of being a perceptive, questioningreader. “All the difference” in fact.

Our challenge as English teachers is to encourage this exact kind ofinterpretive mischief, and challenging texts allow for more of this kindof troublemaking. Challenging texts teach students most effectivelyhow to deal with the complications, misunderstandings and ambiguitiesthat life is full of.

Reading challenging texts is somewhat like hanging out with yoursuper-smart, super-creative, super-successful friends, hoping some ofit, or any of it will rub off on you. Except that reading well is moresmart practice than hope. Reading smartly is even, we think, practicefor living smartly: As Sheridan Blau writes, “The world is a difficulttext and we are reading it all the time” (The Literature Workshop 204-5). Our assumption is that smart reading of challenging textsprepares students for what they might not completely understandabout the difficulties of life. And, that a smart reader equals a smartperson more prepared for an uncertain world, a person who isready to rethink, clarify and question and to be genuinely thoughtfulwhen it really matters.

The JournalBy Dallas Clemmons, Upper School English Teacher

Probably the first thing that comes to mind when current and formerSt. Margaret’s students think of their English classes is “journal.” Thecornerstone of the St. Margaret’s Episcopal School English experience,the reading journal is the place where critical thinking begins. Studentsare asked to read their literature actively, underlining or highlightingpassages, and then to pause at regular intervals to record their opinions, ideas and questions. Although journals are not graded forgrammar, most students begin to imitate the diction, sentence forms,and paragraph development that we eventually want them toacquire: the more one writes, the more one learns to write clearly,and students write a lot in their journals. Since the students arewrestling with the complex and ambiguous language, plots, characters,themes, allusions, histories, and so forth that all difficult literature contains, these journal entries force them to think critically as theyanalyze what they’ve read. Frequently teachers will ask students towrite a “re-journal” too, which is basically a journal entry on theirown journal entries—a type of metacognitive activity where studentsreflect on their own reading and thought processes as they progressedthrough the text. The class discussions which follow the initial journaling thus begin from a position where much critical thinking has already taken place; as students share their thoughts and questions—sometimes reading aloud from their journals—they modify and deepen their ideas and understandings, leading them finally, often after a period of several weeks, to a formal essay topicfor further exploration.

As Sheridan Blau explains, “teacher-assigned topics for writing…invitestudents to see the activity of writing about literature as more of atest of whether they can produce what their teachers ask for than an occasion for engaging in any sort of independent exploration oftextual meaning or literary response” (123). The St. Margaret’s Englishdepartment recognizes the wisdom in this statement, and whereverpossible students are given complete freedom to choose their owntopics: the formal essays then highlight the student’s own criticalthinking, which has evolved from the earliest encounter with the literary text, through the journal and re-journal process, and culminatesin extended periods of class discussion with peers and the teacher.Now the student can focus on one particular question or idea and,over the space of multiple pages, and in language that must be correct, clear and concise, with strong backing evidence, produce adocument that demonstrates strong and effective communicationskills. Although some may feel that students read literature only forthe sake of learning to read literature, the St Margaret’s Englishdepartment—as much as we would love for all our students to continue to read literature skillfully all their lives—knows better. Thewriting skills that essays on complex literature require transfer to all classrooms and to all workplaces; our concentration on literarystudy is the best possible college and career preparation we couldoffer our students.

Starting the 2012-2013 school year, BlakeReemtsma will be St. Margaret’s newEnglish department chair. This is his 17thyear of teaching and his 12th at St.Margaret's. He earned a liberal artsdegrees from Columbia University and adegree in classics from the University of Texas.

Dallas Clemmons joined St. Margaret’s in 1997 and served as chair of theEnglish department from 1999-2009. He has taught English since 1986. He has degrees in English from Yale andColumbia and a Master of Arts inAmerican Studies from the University of Iowa.

s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 21

B Y T H E N U M B E R S

The doors of St. Margaret’s new Performing Arts Center will open bringing a plethora of newopportunities to our students, along with the deepening and continued growth of our robust arts programalready in existence. We take a look at this new building and its impact on our existing instrumentalmusic, choral music, dance and theater classes and programs…by the numbers.

square-foot facility45,00011 36 286 7

450128 80% 173027

sound-proof private practice rooms

Lower, Middle and Upper School performing arts classes

co-curricular performing arts activities

drama productions

music and dance productions

seat theatre/concert hall

seats in the black box theater

of demolished materials were recycled

large-screen televisions have live feed to the stage

make-up mirrors in dressing rooms

sound panels decorate the choir room


O P E N S P A C E S

Renee, Remember Us if You SurviveB y J a c k L i , G r a d e 7

Who are these people?In Block 12

Breathing tank exhausts and fearLips silenced,

Then – but not foreverHollow eyes look But cannot see

Well-worn ears warmed by years of whispers, confessions,even gossip – here and there

Renee, what was the last thing they heard?The stench cut through the silence

through the unbreathable airyou heard people suffocatingI hear you – as you were thenYoung, optimistic, starry-eyed

Radiating warmth over the old womanWho gave away her locket

and her tearsOnly asking: Renee, remember us if you survive

You tell of all kinds of thingsIn your unwavering voice you speak directly to meDon’t ever forget - I’m asking you – you’re still young

Please don’tWhen I listen

I hear you, ReneeWhen I writeothers will, too.

After listening to Holocaust survivor Renee Firestone’s testimony, Jack Li, grade 7, wrote this poem for the 13th Annual HolocaustArt and Writing Contest, presented by Chapman University and The “1939 Club,” one of the largest and most active Holocaust survivor organizations in the United States. The writing contest engages and mentors middle and high school students in studyingthe Holocaust and in grappling with its meaning and lessons.

s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 23

“ T e a r d r o p ” b y E m i l y M o o r e , G r a d e 1 2

“Teardrop” was juried into Color It Orange, Orange County's most extensive youth art exhibition, this year and was the work forwhich Emily won a full scholarship to Laguna College of Art + Design’s 10-week summer portfolio preparation course. This artwork

was also awarded a California State Gold Key in this year’s Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.


“I am an artist who teaches art.There is not a big distinctionfor me between art-making andlife. One flows into the other.”

Born in New England in 1970to parents who met in artschool, Upper and MiddleSchool visual arts teacher JoshFriedman was surrounded andenthralled by art and naturefrom a young age.

Josh’s father, who restored the 1805 Federal-style housewhere his family lived, worked for a time as a designer atDartmouth College’s Hopkins Center for the Arts. “We had alot of famous artists come through our house. I met theavant-garde dance troupe Pilobolus, Dust Bowl PhotographerWalker Evans and children’s book Author and IllustratorAshley Bryan.”

Later, the family moved to Pittsburgh, where his father wasan art director at the local PBS TV station for the iconic children’s show Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, among other projects. “I loved Fred Rogers – he taught me so much aboutempathy and caring for children,” notes Josh.

While in high school, Josh took pre-college art classes atCarnegie Mellon University. He was among the first men toattend the formerly all-women’s Goucher College in Towson,Maryland. He studied language and independent art at theSorbonne for a semester, graduated in 1993 with a Bachelorof Arts in studio arts with honors, and general honors.

While in college, Josh had an “aha” moment. He saw a pictureof the beautiful handmade coil ceramics of Japan’s NeolithicJomon period, and immediately knew: “I needed to find away to get to Japan to see these.”

While working at the Maryland Institute of Art, he leaped atan opportunity to participate in a teaching exchange inJapan. There, he taught English in junior high schools duringthe week, and on weekends, he toured the countryside, visiting the historically significant traditional ceramic villagesof Arita, Mashiko and Bizen, marveling at their ancient kilns.

F A C U L T Y P R O F I L E S

Josh Friedman

He spent three years in Japan, exploring objects of antiquityand working in his personal sculpture studio. His ceramicsculptures and drawings were in a group museum show, andhe had a one-man exhibition in Tokyo.

Josh returned to the U.S. and after two years of making andshowing art independently, he applied for and won a spot atMichigan’s prestigious Cranbrook Academy of Art, the onlyU.S. school that exclusively grants graduate degrees in art,design and architecture. Although Josh’s focus there was onceramics, he noted that Cranbrook taught him “art can takeform in many different materials. It is about exploring and learning.”

During and after graduate school, Josh taught at the universitylevel. He lectured on his work and critiqued the work ofgraduate students at colleges and universities. He met St.Margaret’s art teacher Barbara Nelson at a week-long trainingsession for teachers selected by the College Board to beAdvanced Placement readers, grading AP studio art portfolios.Five years after they met, she contacted him for a teachingposition at St. Margaret’s. In fall 2007, Josh was hired as aMiddle and Upper School art teacher. He now also teaches akindergarten art club and has Middle School yearbookresponsibilities. He revels in teaching all age groups, combiningMiddle School students in studio sessions with kindergartners.

“I don’t look at my students as being in a given grade. I see it as having a dialogue with a unique individual about art,” he said.

Barbara Nelson said of her colleague, “In Josh’s first year here,we essentially team-taught the clay hand-building class that Ihad been happily teaching for a number of years. Early on itbecame obvious that Josh was more than ready and qualifiedto take the class over. He then started teaching all of the 3-Dart courses in the Upper School, as well as in grade 8. Withthe support of the PTF and Arts Alliance, Josh was able to getprofessional-level equipment for the clay studio and two newlarge kilns. This allowed Josh to teach the students more about the engineering and the necessary structural integrityfor working large scale. With Josh here, the program continuedto grow. Intermediate and advanced clay classes were addedto the curriculum. Josh eventually also took over teaching the3-D portfolio for the AP classes.”

B y B a r b a r a M cMu r r a y

s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 25

Josh explained, “In my classroom, students learn about working in a group, using materials efficiently, managing one’stime. They gain an appreciation for the world around us,respect for multiple points of view and that there are manyways to solve a problem. They learn to be confident andindependent so they can articulate ideas. They learn to makemistakes. The most valuable learning opportunities occurwithin mishaps, failures – what I call happy accidents.”

“Mr. Friedman saves you from disaster,” said grade 9 studentDebbie Zamarripa. “He lets you take risks so you can learn.On a ceramic piece I was making, he said it was going to

collapse, but he encouraged me to take a risk. It turned outto be one of my best pieces – it won a Silver Key.” (TheSilver Key is an award given by the Scholastic Art & WritingAwards, a prestigious recognition program for creative teensin grades 7-12.)

Outside the classroom, Josh pursues his creative art practice,enjoys watching the parade of treasures on PBS’s AntiquesRoadshow and explores Los Angeles art galleries and localorganic farmer’s markets.

“I owe my excitement about my job to my students – theirwonderment, curiosity, willingness to explore and experiment.I love seeing them develop a discerning eye, think criticallyand ask questions. It’s marvelous to observe the increasingdepth and quality of their questions.”

For him, the most meaningful part of his job at St. Margaret’sis its mission of helping others. “Being an artist, you gain a sense of the commonality of the human experience,and it becomes clear that we each have a moral and ethical responsibility to each other. We must cross barriers of economics, generations, faith, race. We learn to be respectfuland appreciative. At St. Margaret’s, I value taking part in fostering these values in the next generation of good citizens.” �

Dr. Jennifer Ross-Voila, UpperSchool science teacher and St.Margaret’s science departmentchair always knew she wantedto teach – that it would be science, did not become clearto her until later in highschool. She delights in the factthat of the six students towhom she was an advisor untiltheir graduation last year, fivehave chosen to study science in

college. She can instantly name all of their college majors:“Forensic, pre-med, pre-vet, biology, math/engineering, andone business major.”

Karly Thomas, grade 11, said, “I was a lost soul in MiddleSchool. I hated science. I heard about how difficult physicswas, how horrible the concepts were. But I was assigned toDr. Viola’s class, and she was so calming. She presented thematerial in such a way that it wasn’t overwhelming.”

Dr. Jennifer Ross-Viola

Upper School Principal Tony Jordan commented, “Jen is astrong teacher who’s passionate about science and has an outstanding knowledge of all scientific areas - chemistry, biology, physics and environmental. She has advanced the science department with her leadership as department chair,expanding course offerings and increasing female enrollmentin physics, chemistry and engineering.”

She was promoted to science department chair four years ago,with a goal to offer more elective science classes so studentscould take science all four years, even if honors or AdvancedPlacement classes weren’t an option. Now, many students aredoubling up and taking more than one science class.

Marine science and introduction to engineering are also Ross-Viola innovations at St. Margaret’s. “Many students say theywant to go into engineering, but it’s not typically offered at thehigh school level,” she noted.

Of her teaching style, she said, “I want my students to be ableto analyze a topic, especially a controversial one, and make an

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informed decision by being able to articulate the pros andcons of each side of the issue. There are many hot topicsaround science these days that involve making choices in oureveryday lives. It is vital to be informed on all aspects of a topic.

“In whatever they read, regardless of its source, students mustbe able to pick out and be aware of any underlying agenda.This is an important skill given since there is so much emotion on both sides of science-related topics these days.”

Her inspiration? “My students are bright and interested inwhat’s going on. They ask about current events and studies. I feel compelled to keep my knowledge base fresh.

“I am so gratified when students realize that science is notscary. You use it daily – it’s not obscure, random facts and figures. Science explains how our world works.”

Academic and athletic excellence are part of Jen’s identity. She was a high school valedictorian. The daughter of a nurseand a banker, she grew up in tiny Newcastle (pop. 975) inCalifornia’s Gold Country, and is the youngest of four siblings who remain close. In her youth, she performed injazz, tap and acrobatic dance companies. She skied at LakeTahoe four days a week, and was a state-ranked downhillgiant slalom racer.

Leaving home for the University of San Diego, her confidencefaltered for a time.

“I had difficulty adjusting to USD – it was such a well-manicured place. High school friends went to Cal Poly SanLuis Obispo, which was much more casual. I considered atransfer, but I had an academic scholarship to think about, so I toughed it out and gave it one more semester.”

By the end of her second semester, she made long-term friends and felt more at ease. By senior year, she helped runfreshman orientation. She majored in biology and earned ateaching credential.

At USD, she met Michael Viola, an accounting major. Theymarried in August 2001 and she found work at private

Francis Parker School in San Diego as a science teacher. “Astudent I taught came back and told me that she is now abiology teacher because of the experience she had in mybiology class at Francis Parker,” she added. “It strikes me thatthis is one of the most gratifying things that can occur for a teacher.”

Jen also holds a Ph.D. in molecular biology from theUniversity of Notre Dame. Her doctoral work was in cellularand physiological dynamics focused on nutrition. She recallssleeping on an air mattress in the lab while conducting experiments that had to be tended every three hours.

“When I heard about the job opening at St. Margaret’s, Iknew nothing about the school. We packed up our 6-month-old son, drove down and checked it out. I met (Director ofthe Early Childhood Development Center and Wee TartanCenter) Ingrid Andrews. We talked about the school’s philosophy and the Wee Tartan Center. I didn’t reveal untilwell into the conversation that I was here to apply for a job.

“When I learned that this school had a daycare facility oncampus for the children of faculty and staff, I knew they mustreally value their employees. What better way to build a truecommunity than to welcome all family members?”

Jen is proud of balancing her duties as a teacher, departmentchair and mother. She is one of a handful of teachers who are also St. Margaret’s parents. Five-year-old Will startsKindergarten in the fall, and Ben, almost 3, has been a WeeTartan since he was 11 months old.

Additionally, noted Upper School Principal Tony Jordan, “Jen has contributed significantly to establishing a conservationand sustainability program school-wide with associated curriculum in the Lower School. She has been part of thedesign and execution team for the highly successful St.Margaret’s garden.”

The garden was the brainchild of Jen, along withCommunity Life Director Lora Allison and ECDC MotorDevelopment Specialist Shelley Harmon. Lora and Jen wrotethe Lower School ecology curriculum and organized theSEEDs project – Upper School students who go throughtraining at a retreat in Julian, Calif. and learn to facilitateLower School ecology classes.

In her precious free time, Jen is an artist, athlete, cook and gardener. She relaxes through jewelry-making and papercraftlike scrapbooking and making cards. Her passion for skiingremains strong – on both water and snow.

Off-campus, Jen enjoys the camaraderie of friends who areteachers and staffers at St. Margaret’s. She appreciates the close-knit family feeling she has discovered here.

“Since joining the faculty five years ago, I have seen the ‘community’ aspect of St. Margaret’s embrace its memberswhen they needed it most. It truly incorporates the sense ofcommunity. A lot of schools use that term, but St. Margaret’slives it.” �

s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 27

F/A-18 Hornet as it is catapulted off the deck of the carrierat speeds of 160 mph in less than a few seconds, or feel thenervousness as a E2- C Hawkeye attempts to snag a wireonly a few inches thick with a hook on a pitching runway not much wider than a few tennis courts.

This unique opportunity fell into our laps because of ourson, Lieutenant Michael Boyle, St. Margaret’s EpiscopalSchool lifer, Class of 2002, who is assigned to the USS JohnC. Stennis (CVN-74) aircraft carrier as a naval flight officer.

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Marilynn and I never dreamed we would spend a weekaboard an active United States Navy aircraft carrier on aTiger Cruise. It’s one of the most unusual family reunionsrelated to American military service: a long standing Navytradition that provides an opportunity for family and friendsto see and participate in daily shipboard routine aboard awarship on its last leg home.

When this rare chance presented itself, we considered it aonce-in-a-lifetime event. Unless you join the US Navy andfind yourself assigned to an aircraft carrier, the rest of theworld can only imagine what it's like to hear the roar of an

“We sleep soundly in our beds because rough men stand ready in the night tovisit violence on those who would do us harm.” ~ The words of Winston Churchill during World War II.

B y D a v i d B o y l e , A s s o c i a t e H e a d m a s t e r

A Journey Home with my Son: Tartan Alumnus Michael Boyle

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CVN-74


deck under our feet: our stateroom, the squadron’s readyroom, the officer’s ward room and the hanger deck. Uponseeing the carrier for the first time, we were amazed at thesheer number of F-18s sitting on the flight deck. It must havebeen odd for these sailors to be swamped by 1,100 civiliansafter being out at sea for so long, but we were greeted withgenuine warmth and an easy courtesy.

As the Stennis left its berth and inched out into PearlHarbor, hundreds of sailors in dress white uniforms lined theedge of the flight deck in a Navy tradition called “Manningthe Rails.” They stood at respectful attention for more thanan hour as the carrier slowly processed by the memorials tosunken battleships from World War II. Over the public addresssystem, an historian presented a detailed account of theJapanese attack on Pearl Harbor. From our vantage point highon the flight deck, we could see the silhouette of the USSArizona on the harbor’s bottom. As parents of a sailor, it wasan unsettling experience. We looked out to the open sea andwe wondered and worried about sea-sickness and what wehad gotten ourselves into.

That night we began to feel the rhythmic pulse of the PacificOcean through the decks we navigated. Luckily, neither of us succumbed to motion sickness although we were preparedfor the worst. As we transversed the lower deck in single file in search of the head or officer’s ward room we wereoften thrown into the walls of the passageway by the ship’s vigorous rocking. Later that night we were relieved to experience the rocking motion in our bunks as somethingactually comforting. I discovered my bunk was directly underthe tailhook wires, which during flight operations produce afrightful sound and fury. I could feel the tailhook wire snapback into place after each incredibly noisy aircraft’s landing.

A weeklong crossing of the Pacific to San Diego throughrough seas and stiff winds seemed like a long time for us andwe approached the experience with some uncertainty. After it was all over, we could only imagine what seven monthswas like for these sailors. We were warned that there wouldbe some downtime during a Tiger Cruise. There were timeswhere not much is going on above on the flight decks, butdown in the various lower decks there would be a buzz ofactivity as some of the Tigers would be going around withtheir sponsors and completing a educational packet known asa ‘Tiger Qualification Standard’ (TQS) where Tigers visit various parts of the ship and listen to crew members, pilotsand others discuss their role in keeping the massive building-sized ship operating. Of course, the highlight of Tiger Cruiseson aircraft carriers is the flight operations by the air wingthat is aboard, from the catapult launches to the tailhook trap landings. The USS John C. Stennis is more than 1,090feet long in size and 20 stories tall containing thousands ofNavy crewmen including the air wing. It’s powered by anuclear reactor and can carry more than 80 aircraft rangingfrom F/A-18 Super Hornet fighter jets to SH-60 Seahawk helicopters. Capable of displacing 100,000 tons of water, theStennis can travel at speeds over 30 knots (about 35mph) andhas four steam powered aircraft catapults on its 4.5 acres offlight deck. Just one of the 21-foot propellers, called screws,can weigh 24 thousand pounds!

In late February, Marilynn and I arrived in Oahu, Hawaii justas approximately 7,000 sailors pulled into Pearl Harbor forleave from the Stennis strike group following a more thanseven-month-deployment to the Middle East and WesternPacific. Our son’s ship, the 1,092-foot-long Stennis leftBremerton, Wash., on July 25 for a deployment that saw itlaunch fighter sorties in support of ground troops inAfghanistan. It also operated in the Persian Gulf. The nuclearaircraft carrier returned to United States waters after morethan seven months at sea, during which its aircraft flew thefinal Navy flight in the long war in Iraq, more than 1,000combat sorties over Afghanistan and high-seas counter-piracypatrols in the North Arabian Sea. The Stennis wrapped up its tour in the Middle East and the Arabian Sea and handedoff responsibility for providing air support in Afghanistan toanother carrier group, the USS Abraham Lincoln.

Nearly 1,100 civilian relatives waited for the sailors streamingoff the Stennis at a pier in Pearl Harbor for the few days of liberty or shore leave. We waited a long time for our sonto appear on the gangway off the ship since more than 4,000men and women serve on the Stennis. We met a young family anxiously waiting for their husband and father.“They’ve been gone a long time,” the mother said to us in away that conveyed her longing and hardship. We watchedtearful family reunions and the sense of a connection beingrestored. Mostly there was a quiet calm and scenes of parent-child reverie. Finally, we were reunited with our son.

A few days later, it was time for us to get onboard and checkin as honorary citizens of this military city. We were warnedto pack lightly for a variety of reasons and this good advicebecame immediately clear as we were shown our respectivestaterooms. We threaded in single file through a very long andbewildering path toward the bow of the ship. I was to share asmall stateroom with six Tigers and four officers. Althoughmany sailors were allowed to fly home early from Hawaii tomake room for the Tigers, we were still packed in tightly. Imemorized the confusing path to the head (restroom), whichI shared with dozens of officers. Marilynn’s stateroom was ona different deck but similar circumstances. As we orientedourselves to the layout of the ship we had to negotiate steepladders and many hatches called “knee-knockers.” In the daysahead we slowly learned to find our way to the four areaswhere we were allowed to be while dealing with the pitching

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s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 29

Depending on who describes it, a nuclear aircraft carrier canbe any number of things: an instrument of national will, anemesis to be threatened and watched, a fast-moving andwide-ranging city at sea. When you are aboard one, though, a carrier is an immense warren of spaces and passagewaysbetween bulkheads, each with a purpose. There are galleysand offices, stores and workshops, clinics and weight rooms, a barber shop, a recycling center, machine rooms, nuclearreactors and more. For the thousands of Navy sailors onboard, the Stennis is home for months on end, and more thanjust a ship; it's a small city to them. With everything from icecream machines, barber shop, and even a general store onboard,the Stennis provides everything the sailors will need on theirseven-month deployment. Another example of the sheer size of the carrier is that on a given day more than 15,000meals are served onboard of which more than 800 pounds of vegetables are consumed, 180 dozen eggs eaten, and about650 gallons of milk served.

While it takes a lot to keep this carrier going, what theStennis provides for the US Navy is beyond measure, beingable to multi task its operational purpose from a strikingforce to medical and supply relief during natural disasters.Most of the air wing is made up of Boeing F/A-18CHornets and the new E and F model Super Hornets. TheStennis' onboard air wing actually rivals many countriesentire Air Forces! Along with the Hornets, support aircraftincluding Electronic Warfare EA-6B Prowlers, C- 2AGreyhound transport and cargo aircraft, our son’s E-2CHawkeye Airborne Early Warning and Control aircraft, and ahost of Sikorsky SH-60 and MH-60 Seahawk helicopters.

Prior to Mike’s decision to go into the Navy’s OfficerCandidate School (OCS); we had very little interest orunderstanding about military life, its culture, and its uniquelanguage. As Mike successfully completed OCS in RhodeIsland, learned to fly in Pensacola, Florida and then learnedhis role on an E-2 in Norfolk, Virginia, we slowly learnedwhat was in store for him in the years ahead, usually overlong-distance phone lines or through short emails. While heis precise and patient with us, his jargon filled language requiredcareful listening. We often finished phone conversations withMike as confused and uncertain as before the call. One thingwas certain, his training was complex, demanding, and full of

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In the days aboard, we witnessed the daily operations of acarrier but were also treated to some very special events,which vary for each ship sponsoring Tigers. For us, the eventscontained everything from an air show at sea, to the firing ofthe deck cannons of our escorts to various night entertainment,ice cream socials and other food specials, and even an at searefueling demonstration.

During the air show, we stood on the flight deck as an F-18flew at supersonic speeds overhead at very low altitude. It wasone of the most startling experiences ever and it drove homethe meaning of “shock and awe.”

In addition to these huge events, we were treated to manysmaller educational presentations about the complex shipboardoperations. We viewed many catapult launches standing on anoutside balcony called Vulture’s Row. We huddled togetherunder the fantail for astonishing tailhook captures or landings.The men and women on the incoming aircraft performedthe task with unfathomable accuracy and at very high speeds.The sailors on the flight deck demonstrated remarkable precision in their jobs as well since each aircraft that landedwas immediately moved away from the landing area wheremoments later another aircraft hooked onto one of the fourwires stretched across the deck. Everyone’s safety was of paramount importance for all involved. Simply watching airoperations, we were required to wear two forms of ear protection, which made for some comical conversations.

Touring the bridge we got to sit in the admiral’s chair. Westudied the many navigational screens and computerizedequipment used to keep track of all the aircraft and the position of all the ships in the strike group. Another tourincluded the brig (a shipboard detention center) where a fewweeks earlier the Somali pirates who were captured by thestrike group had been guests. Where ever we went, youngsailors described their demanding roles to us with obviouspride; it was heartwarming. We learned that the USS John C. Stennis is a force to be reckoned with; capable ofstriking targets anywhere in the world.

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acronyms and initials and he loved it all. His training alsowinnowed out many uncommitted or less determined fellowofficers. The men and women we met on the Stennis wereoutstanding examples of high-functioning young adults. Theaverage age of the enlisted sailors was 19 years old.

It is difficult to understand what military life is like until yousee it firsthand. Nor do you understand what politeness andrespect are until you experience sailors in close quarters. Allof this proper decorum despite the sacrifices they make toserve their country in this manner is huge. Being away fromhome for so long weighs on all of them, but some more than others. We spent time with one of Mike’s fellow officerswho had a 4-month-old son at home whom he had not yetheld in his arms. Skype is a poor substitute for such an important relationship.

In the ready room and ward room Marilynn and I piecedtogether a more complete understanding of our son’s role on board during the carrier’s months in the Arabian Sea.Steaming in international waters over the horizon from thePersian Gulf, the Stennis spent nearly every day and the earlyhours of the night launching and recovering aircraft for itsmission — supporting ground troops in Afghanistan. Mike’sworkday would begin before dawn, when he woke and readied for a long sortie. At 5:30 a.m. he would gather for hispreflight briefing. Each pilot and weapons-systems officer,who flies in the rear seat of an F/A-18F, was assigned a missionsupporting a different ground unit. At 7:15 a.m., after donning torso harnesses and survival vests and collecting theirpistols, they would climb into their aircraft, which waited onthe flight deck. The carrier sailed into the wind in the NorthArabian Sea. Shortly before 8 a.m., after preflight checks,Mike’s E-2 Hawkeye would taxi to one of the ship’s four catapults, where sailors attached a hold-back bar to the jet’snose wheel. His pilot would push dual engines to full power.The engines would roar and the aircraft would shake. Thefive officers aboard would press the back of their helmetsagainst the seat and flex their muscles as they braced for therush. The bar would release and the steam-driven catapultwould slam forward. The E-2 would accelerate to 180 milesan hour in about 200 feet and would vault off the carrier’sbow. Perhaps three seconds would have passed. They had just

experienced 3.5 Gs, and they were flying, just above thewaves. Mike is in the CICO seat, Combat InformationControl Officer. Mike’s E-2 would soon be joined by eightjets. The nine aircrafts would then proceed over Pakistan in acarefully delineated corridor called The Boulevard, connectingthe Arabian Sea to the combat zones of Afghanistan. Thesesorties (air combat missions) were in support not just of USground troops, but all NATO troops. Mike’s role in the E-2involved helping each pilot with his/her situational awarenessas well as acting as a relay back to the Stennis. After manyhours, they would fly back to their ship and usually land afterdark. Mike’s E-2 would be the last aircraft to land.

Most of these missions provided what is called close air support, a maneuver that is a “show of presence”— a mid-altitude, nonlethal display intended to reassure ground troopsand signal to the Taliban that the soldiers were not alone. Itreflected a sharp shift in the application of American air power,deemphasizing overpowering violence in favor of sorties that often end without munitions being dropped. In fact, ofthe nearly 1,000 close-air support sorties by the 44 Hornetsaboard the Stennis, aircraft struck using munitions only 17times. They flew low- or mid-elevation passes 115 times.These days, striving for certitude in target selection and minimizing civilian casualties have become standard practice.Projecting power non-lethally is routine, dropping bombs is not. The shifts in missions and tactics partly reflect adaptationsby the Taliban but they are also guided by complex rules ofengagement and by doctrine emphasizing proportionality andrestraint. Marilynn and I were relieved to hear this.

As exciting as all of this sounds, our days and nights movedmuch more slowly. Occasionally the bridge was swept bywinds blowing across the bow at 46 knots. Some days theseas were gray and lumpy, and they surged with bright whitespray. The ship steamed on, beneath our feet, its bow crashingthrough the seas.

The carrier vibrated as its four screws cut through the darksea in the mid-Pacific. Through two nights we experiencedvery high seas, which pitched us around in our bunks. Wavescrashed over the enormously high bow and the whole shipcreaked as noises came from every direction.

Finally, we awoke one morning in San Diego. We got to seeour son’s reunion with his bride, Rebecca, at North Islandwhere the Stennis docked. He brought her a string of pearlsfrom Dubai as a deployment gift.

The eight days we spent with our son were a profoundlymoving introduction to what he does “at work,” and will bea help to us during his future deployments. It was an incredibleadventure that will be remembered for decades.

Our son is certainly living a life of learning, leadership andservice. �

After 32 years with St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, AssociateHeadmaster David Boyle retired at the end of the 2011-2012school year. Please look for an in-depth article about his legacy in thenext issue of the Highlander magazine.

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s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 31

I asked four alumni in the Class of 2011 to share their first year college experiences for this

article. These students represent the rich diversity of college choices that are typical for

St. Margaret’s alumni. Our philosophy of college counseling encourages students to research

colleges and universities that will fit their interests and personalities. Charles Cox, Gracie

Gordon, Natalie Hiles and Brett Nicholas exemplify the thoughtful college process of graduates

in the Class of 2011, who enrolled in 67 different colleges and universities. We know that St.

Margaret’s alumni are risk-takers and adventurers. It’s common for us to hear that St. Margaret’s

graduates are actively involved as leaders on their college campuses. I hope that you enjoy

hearing the first year stories of these four alumni whose college choices led them to colleges

and universities that circle North America – from Quebec Province in Canada; to Hanover,

New Hampshire; Davidson, North Carolina; and Palo Alto, California. > >

Class of 2011 Alumni Share Reflections on Their Freshman Year

Thriving in College

By Roland Allen, Director of College Counseling

Davidson College

Gracie Gordon, Davidson College in North Carolina

After spending 15 years of my life at St. Margaret’s, I cannotbelieve that I have already completed my first semester atDavidson College, a small liberal arts school in NorthCarolina. I was so excited to go to college for a change ofscenery that I failed to realize that I was going to be on myown until my mom drove away. The last time I had been thenew kid was when I was 3 years old, so I was very nervousabout making new friends. I really had nothing to fear; even3,000 miles away from home, the transition was easy.

The tight knit community of Davidson has been the perfectfit. All of my professors know my name, since my classes aresmall. They vary from 20 to 30 students, so everyone getspersonal attention. I am constantly meeting new people, butalways seeing familiar faces. It is common for me to see four or five friends on the three-minute walk from my dormto Chambers, the main academic building. The students are supportive of each other, as well. The basketball games inBelk Arena are always packed and the a capella groups alwayshave an audience. One very unique thing about Davidson is its honor code. While this allows for self-scheduled finalexams and take-home tests, the biggest perk is that studentscan leave out their belongings and not worry about thembeing stolen. Most students do not even lock their dormrooms. Another plus is Lula Bell, our laundry service.Students simply drop off their laundry and pick it up in a day or two, washed and folded.

My time at Davidson has been packed. I am currently on the Division I varsity track team and taking voice lessons. The time I am not spending running or singing, I am studying. Davidson’s academics are extremely rigorous. Moststudents were near the top of their class in high school andwe all work very hard to make the grade here. Everything at Davidson has intensity to it. I expected this from the trackprogram and academics, but I was surprised when my voiceteacher told me that I was supposed to practice for eightextra hours a week. Since I plan to major in biology, I havebeen thinking about getting involved in a lab. At mostschools this would be near impossible as a freshman, but aftercasually mentioning my interest in lab work, my biologyteacher offered to let me work in his herpetology lab.Davidson is ripe with opportunity; my biggest challenge hasbeen not getting involved in too much. I am truly enjoyingmy time at Davidson College.

McGill University

Natalie Hines, McGill University

I’m two months into my second semester of university anddoing really well! McGill University, located in the heart ofMontréal, has been a dream—although not withoutinevitable challenges. Montréal is the perfect blend of Frenchand North American culture, with great museums andincredible restaurants. I am currently enrolled in the facultyof science and I am working towards a Bachelor of Sciencein nursing.

“Parlez-vous français?” I hear this phrase often in reaction tothe blank expression I assume when locals speak French.Moving to a new country, a big city, and a province whereFrench is the dominant language has been quite the transitionfrom St. Margaret’s in San Juan Capistrano.

Since McGill is a large, program-specific school, it has beenchallenging to solely focus on math and science classes.Lectures filled with 750 students and final exams worth 80percent of a classes’ overall mark were initially overwhelming.Sometimes I think it would be easier to get a meeting withthe prime minister than with a student advisor.

However, McGill and especially Montréal is a great place tobe. My perspective on the world has changed so much sincemoving here. With so many people from all over the world,global borders and cultural barriers seem non-existent. I’vemade friends with people from places like South Africa,France and Syria. The social scene occurs mostly off campus,since much of the city is geared toward students and has greatenergy. There are endless options for things to do on anygiven day. The whole city is abuzz when the beloved Habs(the Montréal Canadians hockey team) are playing.

McGill is full of people who are passionate, full of ambition,skill and talent, and very involved in school politics, makingthe university an energetic and exciting place to be. Studentsat McGill are competitive, ambitious, and academically driven,which creates an intellectually stimulating environment.

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s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 33

Dartmouth College

Brett Nicholas, Dartmouth College

With less than two weeks remaining in my winter term hereat Dartmouth College, I cannot believe how fast time hasgone by. It seems that only yesterday I excitedly stepped offthe Dartmouth Coach after a three and a half hour journeyfrom Boston. Arriving in Hanover, the contrast between itand the environment in which I had grown up were immediately apparent. Hanover is a quaint New Englandtown nestled in the gorgeous granite hills of western NewHampshire. Upon looking out at the picturesque green,flanked on one side by the idyllic Connecticut River and onthe other by the massive colonial clock tower of BakerLibrary, I knew I had landed somewhere special.

While adapting to a completely foreign environment alwaysposes a challenge, the transition to college life was easy,thanks to the tight nature of the Dartmouth community.Because Dartmouth is a rural and relatively isolated environment, something I have learned to love, campus lifelargely revolves around on-campus groups, the Greek systemand the outdoors. While freshmen are not permitted to beinvolved in the Greek system, I wasted no time immersingmyself in the other two facets of Dartmouth campus life. Iam currently rowing on the varsity heavyweight crew team,working as a ski patroller at the local skiway, am involved invarious humanitarian groups like Dartmouth HumanitarianEngineering and Globe Med, as well as pursuing a major in engineering with a double minor in international studies and music.

What I find amazing about Dartmouth is that it has given me the opportunity to not only participate in all of thesethings, but that it has pushed me to fully immerse and commit myself to each one. While doing all of this keeps mebusier than I could have ever imagined, I would not trade my experience so far for anything. I feel that at many otherschools I would have to choose just one or two of thesethings to focus on, but at Dartmouth I can be defined by all of them.

Dartmouth is a rigorous and competitive environment thathas challenged me more than I ever could have known. But, it is my home and I love it; because when work andresponsibilities grow too daunting, I can just jump on theshuttle to the skiway after my morning classes. And the bestpart is, on the walk back to my dorm, I can look across thegreen and see five people with skis slung over their shoulders,most likely all familiar faces, who just did the same thing.

Stanford University

Charles Cox, Stanford University

TOUCHDOWN! With the team ranked in the top ten allseason and a quarterback headed to the NFL as the first pickin the draft, the football season this year was one of thedefining parts of my freshmen year at Stanford. Saturdays firstquarter were more or less entirely consumed by the watchingand discussing of football, along with the requisite bodypainting and football-related festivities. This left Sundays foreight, nine, and ten hour days at the library to stay on top of the week’s assignments and exams.

As a freshmen coming into college relatively unversed in therealities of student life, Stanford’s enthusiasm and engagementin athletics has been one of the most grounding facets of my time here. One of the most important things I’ve learnedis that the academic side is only one, albeit important, part of college. Those long hours at the library, countless exams(thanks to the quarter system) and weekly problem sets havebeen a huge and necessary piece of my time here, but they’refar from being the only component of day-to-day life.

Athletics has been one of those balancing factors that makesthe academic stress a whole lot easier to handle. Whether it’scheering for Stanford at varsity games, hitting the field withclub baseball, or just going for a run in the (usually) shiningCalifornia sun, sports here are woven into my life and that of the vast majority of the student body. Combined with theintellectual passion that virtually everyone shares in, and acommunity that’s surprisingly tight-knit for a school of justover 7,000 undergrads, this year so far has been an incrediblyrewarding time.

Jumping into my pursuit of a mechanical engineering degreehas also been very exciting. After taking so many years ofmath and science classes that often seemed to build uponthemselves with little apparent end or purpose, it’s incrediblyrefreshing to have the full picture and the end goal withinsight. Fortunately, some of my best friends here are also headed down the same path, and I’m looking forward tosharing the journey with them.

Freshmen year has been one filled with changes in almostevery way possible—a lot of them great, and others not somuch. Nevertheless, while trying at times, it’s been an over-whelmingly positive experience on the whole. Though I’mlooking forward to the coming summer, I know I’ll definitelylook back and miss so many of the good friends and goodtimes had in this place.

N O T A B L E


board-certified anesthesiologist and partner with NewportHarbor Anesthesia Consultants in Newport Beach. Erin is acardiac intensive care unit nurse at Mission Hospital, and wifeof a survivor of sudden cardiac arrest; her husband Chris narrowly survived an arrest in 2008.

With the support of Director of Athletics Susie Maga, HeadFootball Coach Rod Baltau, Headmaster Marcus D. Hurlbutand other school leaders, this unique program was madeavailable to Upper School students, parents and staff. Morethan 150 people took advantage of a screening programmodeled on an Italian procedure which has, for the last 20years, reduced the incidence of death in young athletes by 90percent. In conjunction with the non-profit organizationHeartfelt Cardiac Projects, the St. Margaret’s community wasable to receive a level of screening and prevention that haspreviously been reserved for professional or Olympic-levelathletes.

Every three days in the United States, a young athlete diesfrom Sudden Cardiac Arrest (SCA). Tragedy can be avoidedthrough preventive screenings for cardiac problems such ashypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a condition that claimed thelife of a 16-year-old Orange County student in 2008. One in500 Americans, according to the Mayo Clinic, is living withthis disorder without knowing it.

Class of 1987. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Kerry Parker BurnightKerry’s son Beau will start St. Margaret's Upper School in the fall.

Vaughan "Trip" MooreVaughan lives in Fairfax, Va. with Michele, his bride of 14years, and their five children, ages 1 to 13. Vaughan is afinancial planner with a specialty in helping families in themid- to late-stage of college planning. Michele keeps herhands full homeschooling the kids.

Class of 1988. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Ryan HanauRyan is back in the San Francisco Bay area after six and ahalf years in New York City and would love to catch up with any classmates in the area. He can be reached [email protected].

Class of 1991. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Todd NewmanOn August 29, 2011 St. Margaret’sheld its first, elective daylong eventto detect potential heart abnormalitiesin conjunction with the beginningof the fall sports season. The effortwas spearheaded by alumni siblingsDr. Todd Newman (Class of 1991)and Erin Newman Armstrong (Classof 1998). Todd has been the teamphysician for St. Margaret’s varsityfootball team for five years and is a

C L A S S N O T E S

s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 35

Class of 1995. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Kristin Helms-McDanielEvan, Kristin and big brotherJack welcomed Kate DeniseMcDaniel into their familyAugust 7, 2011. Kristin is teachingfirst grade at St. Margaret’s andher son Jack enrolled inPreschool. Kate is also at St.Margaret’s as a Wee Tartan.

Phaedra Nevitt WidneyPhaedra and her husband Shaunare pleased to announce thebirth of their second child, VanAtticus Widney, on June 14,2011. Van joins his sister, AthenaLark, who currently attendsPreschool at St. Margaret’s.Athena and Van’s step-brother,Austin, age 13, live in Oregon,but visit regularly.

Class of 1996. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Mahdis Hakimi BormandOn May, 16, 2011, Mahdis married Amir Bormand. They livein their happy home in the city of Aliso Viejo, Calif. Mahdisrecently graduated with her master’s degree in counseling andmarriage and family therapy. She works at a women’s sheltercounseling domestically violated and exploited women.

Lisa BevillLisa has taken on a new role as director of business development for a boutique consulting firm, PsicosoftInternational, based in Madrid, Spain. After earning herMasters in Business Administration at IE Business School inMadrid and spending seven years there, with her final rolebeing director of admissions, Lisa now calls Madrid home.Visitors welcome!

Cardiac arrest is caused when the heart’s electrical systemmalfunctions, according to the American Heart Association.There are many reasons this can occur, including problemswith the heart’s electrical circuits, an inherited condition or an inflammation. It is different from a heart attack, whereheart muscle dies because of lack of blood. While heartattacks are not always fatal, SCA victims have only an 8 percent survival rate.

As a result of the August screening, a total of 15 people werereferred to a physician for further evaluation, and two young,otherwise healthy students eventually underwent life-savingprocedures. These students have returned to their normallives, including athletics, without the fear of sudden cardiacarrest. These results motivated Todd, Erin and school leaders to repeat the screening, this time open to the entire St.Margaret’s community, on April 21, 2012. The turnout inApril was outstanding – more than 200 people participated,including students as young as 5 years old (the youngest recommended age for screening). As before, several individualswere identified for follow up evaluation and treatment.

Todd and Erin hope to incorporate screening into the annualphysical for Upper School student athletes, their families andparticularly for incoming students who might not have beenscreened previously. It is their hope that the importance ofcardiac prevention, screening and education can be embeddedinto the St. Margaret’s community over time.

“We wanted to find a way to give back to St. Margaret’s andimprove the health and safety of our community. Given theincreased focus on the health of young athletes and our ownfamily’s experience with cardiac arrest, we knew there wassomething that we could do. We felt that if we could bringHeartfelt Cardiac Projects to St. Margaret’s that we couldpotentially save lives and prevent a tragedy….and we mighthave done just that,” said Todd.

Class of 1993. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Susie Teitsworth ComisarSusie and her husband Peter welcomed a baby boy, BlakeRobert Comisar, in March 2011. Susie continues to live inPacific Palisades, Calif., and over the summer saw Greg Danzand Mike and Ryan Brown, and stayed with Jay Cecil and his family in Connecticut.


Megan Cayler Megan lives in San Francisco where she manages individualgiving at the Exploratorium, an interactive science and artmuseum. She serves on the Board of Directors of Spark, agroup dedicated to building a community of young, globalcitizens who are invested in changing patterns of inequalitythat impact women throughout the world. In April 2012,Megan traveled with the Spark board to Istanbul to visitpotential grantees, meet with local women leaders and participate in an international conference of young activistsworking to secure women’s human rights.

Class of 2004. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Shireen HeidariShireen recently moved backto Southern California inMay 2012 after finishingmedical school at BostonUniversity. She started herresidency at University ofCalifornia, San Diego in June

2012. Shireen received her undergraduate degree fromUniversity of California, Los Angeles in 2008 and her Doctorof Medicine from Boston University. She is thrilled to bemoving back home to pursue her calling closer to family and friends.

Meagan Brown KraszewskiOn April 2, 2011, the Brown and Kraszewski families cametogether to celebrate the marriage of Meagan Brown to KyleKraszewski at a ceremony held at Hotel Laguna in LagunaBeach, Calif. Meagan and Kyle are graduates of PurdueUniversity and both are employed by Bank of America. Theycurrently reside in Chicago, Illinois.

Class of 2002. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Michael BoyleLieutenant Michael Boyle completed aseven-month deployment to theMiddle East in February 2012 aboardthe USS John C. Stennis. As a NavalFlight Officer Michael helped to fly the E-2C Hawkeye, a surveillance and battle management aircraft. Michaelmet Rebecca Thornton in Virginia andthey were married June 18, 2011.

Katia Bucklin (Stanford)Katia married Tim Bucklin of Castro Valley, Calif. on June 18,2011 at the Bernardo Winery in San Diego. Her maid ofhonor was Kara Hayzer (Class of 2002) and her bridesmaidsincluded Taylore McClurg (Class of 2002) and KrystalleGlosser (Class of 2002). Joint masters of ceremony wereAaron Courdy (Class of 2002) and Adam Lupinacci (Class of 2002). Katia and Tim met in 2003 while they were bothundergrads at University of California, San Diego.

s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 37

Class of 2005. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .David ReeseDavid completed his Bachelor of Science in astronauticalengineering at the University of Southern California in2009. David and his former St. Margaret’s teacher, Mr.Robert Ause, are mentioned in the article, “Rocketeers ofTroy: Undergraduates set their sights on the thermosphere asthey prepare to launch the world’s first student-made rocketinto space,” in the spring 2012 Edition of USC’s TrojanFamily Magazine. You can read the article in its entirety athttp://tfm.usc.edu/spring-2012/rocketeers-of-troy/.

Class of 2008. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Jessica ZavalzaOn May 11, 2012 Jessica graduated from the University ofHouston with a Bachelor of Science in biology. For fouryears Jessica was a full-time student and member of thewomen’s soccer team. During her freshman year she wasselected as a member of the All-Conference USA squad andplayer of the week. During her senior year Jessica was listedas one of the top 10 best offensive players in the secondteam. Additionally, her team awarded her as most valuableoffensive player, gracing her with a plaque, recognition andgreat memories. As a member of a traveling team, academicscan be extremely difficult, but Jessica maintained great gradesand was awarded the Conference USA Commissioner’sHonor Roll.

Class of 2010. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Sim VirkIn the spring of 2011, when Sim Virk’s peers at WellesleyCollege were lining up their summer plans, Sim sought outthe St. Margaret’s Episcopal School Alumni Office to find anyalumni involved in her potential career fields. She was able to

get in contact with alumnaKelly Dooley who hired her asher only intern/marketingassistant for her start-up luxurylabel BodyRock Sport.

“I happily booked my flightsand set up housing in NewYork City, and set off for agreat experience in learningand understanding the behind-

the-scenes of marketing and branding for an up-and-comingfashion company. Kelly and I were able to bond through our shared Orange County and Tartan experiences, and I wasable to receive invaluable career advice and experience.”

This summer, Sim is in New York City again working as anequity research intern at an investment bank.

“I hope to still pursue experiences in marketing and fashion,and look forward to tapping into, and eventually contributingto the Tartan community.”

Class of 2011. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Tory DavidsonWhile attending Whitman College, Tory acted the part ofElma Duckworth in “Bus Stop” and was in the ensemble of“The Skin of Our Teeth,” achieving the 2012 OutstandingFreshman/Sophomore Actress Award for these main stageproductions. She is also a Whitman College tour guide andon the executive boards of the Drama Club and theGlobeMed Club. She is thoroughly enjoying college and having an active role in the Whitman community.

George KoGeorge is working on a new start-up company calledPolitoscape (www.politoscape.com) at the HarvardInnovation Lab.

A L U M N I U P D A T E S


Alumni Christmas PartyIn December, the Tartan Alumni Association hosted its secondannual Alumni Christmas Party at Marbella Country Club. Ifyou were unable to join us this year, we hope to see you atthe next alumni gathering.

Alumni Career Forum January marked a first for St. Margaret’s with more than 25alumni returning to campus to impart their wisdom on theentire Upper School student body during the Alumni CareerForum.

Alumni presented during two, small, 30-minute classroomsessions. They began each session talking about their pathfrom St. Margaret’s through college and onto their currentcareers. Students were able to connect with alumni from amultitude of backgrounds. Tips and suggestions were offeredto help students navigate their own paths after St. Margaret’sthrough college and into a career field. Each session endedwith more than ten minutes of questions and answers.

Any St. Margaret’s Episcopal School alumni interested inspeaking at next year’s Alumni Career Forum, please contactIan Tacquard in the Alumni Relations Office at949.661.0108, ext. 247.

Tartan Alumni Association President Todd Newman (Class of1991) welcomes four new members to the Alumni Council:Mark Risner (Class of 1986), John Glosser (Class of 1997),Rachael Stoddard (Class of 2002) and Umar Bajwa (Class of2005). Each council member is volunteering for a three-yearterm to help build and shape the Tartan Alumni Association.For more information please log on to www.smes.org/alumni.

Alumni Events 2011 Tartan Tee-OffMany St. Margaret’s alumni participated inthe 2011 Tartan Tee-Off golf Tournamentheld in October at Newport Beach CountryClub to raise money for St. Margaret’s financial aid programs. We hope more alumni golfers will join us for the 2012Tartan Tee-Off golf tournament on Monday,October 1, 2012. Sign-up online atwww.smes.org/teeoff.

Mark Risner John Glosser

Rachael Stoddard Umar Bajwa

s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 39

Thank you to the following Tartan Alumni for volunteeringtheir time to give back wisdom and experience to our UpperSchool students:

Kristin Ahmer (Class of 1998), Chris Allen (Class of 1989),Erin Newman Armstrong (Class of 1998), Jessica PakzadBennett (Class of 2002), Dr. Jeremy Blumberg (Class of1996), Dann Campaigne (Class of 1990), Megan Canright(Class of 1999), Kelly Dooley (Class of 2001), John Glosser(Class of 1997), Nicole Hughes (Class of 2005), Valerie Kileen(Class of 1997), Taylore McClurg (Class of 2002), Dr. ToddNewman (Class of 1991), Dr. Shannon Hilgers Nissen (Classof 1993), Justin Phan (Class of 2004), Scott Tranter (Class of 2002), Eric Westendorf (Class of 1988), Kim Westendorf(Class of 1991), Dr. Cory Yeh (Class of 1994), BrookeZiccardi (Class of 1996), Taylor Chase-Wagniere (Class of2005), Robert Little (Class of 1986), Mark Risner (Class of 1986), David Sire (Class of 1995), Andrew Wood (Class of 2003)

For a complete summary and speaker bios from the UpperSchool Alumni Career Forum visit,http://tartantoday.org/2012/02/03/smes-alumni-return-to-connect-with-upper-school-students/

Alumni Holiday ClassicsBoys Varsity Basketball

Boys Varsity Soccer

Parents of Alumni (PAL) EventsPAL CoffeeThe Parents of AlumniAssociation gathered at thehome of Lulu and ChrisHallenbeck for its secondPAL Coffee in November.

Spring MingleIn April, the Parents of Alumni Association and the TartanAlumni Association joined forces to host the Spring Mingle.Co-Chairs Vicki Sutro and Jacqueline Sutro (Class of 2003)created a wonderful evening for parents and alumni to gatherin the Fountain Courtyard to reconnect with St. Margaret’sfamilies. Guests enjoyed tray passed hors d’oeuvres, wine, beerand a signature punch. Afterwards, many guests chose toenjoy dinner at nearby restaurants with family and friends.


L O O K I N G B A C K

hour or so before I really needed to get up, just so I couldcherish the warmth and comfort of my bed and truly enjoythe last part of my sleep. So this is my plan, and I intend tostick to it!

“This notion of retirement is a tough concept and I havespent a significant amount of time weighing various optionsand thinking through the best course of action for my family,the school, and for me personally.

“In order to illustrate some of the points I want to maketoday, I have imported a few props from Boston over here onmy left - my daughter, Kate, and her family.

“As I say in my letter, I have always thought that the proverbialR-Word was a not-for-me concept, reserved for people farolder and grayer than I. And yet, the passage of time has alsoreemphasized to me that nothing lasts forever (seniors – Iknow you can relate), and that there are the inevitable rites ofpassage we all experience that signal the end of one phase inour lives and the beginning of another.

“I began my career at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School whenthe Class of 2012 was in the fourth grade and yesterday, inLower School Chapel, I asked the kids if they could offer

“Good Morning:

“The readings this morning in this Lenten season remind usthat this is a time for reflection and renewal and possibly evento do some things that are a little out of our comfort zone.

“I want to take a few minutes today to talk to you about achoice I have made and how this choice has caused me toreflect on the times we have spent together and the joy youhave brought to my life.

“By now you have probably read or heard about my letterannouncing my decision to retire at the end of next schoolyear in June 2013. The timing of this may seem a littlestrange to you as it seems far in the future, but this is the waygood schools that plan ahead make important decisions. OnMonday, I shared my decision with the faculty and staff and Imust confess, it was pretty emotional for me.

“Since then, I have begun to adopt a somewhat more balancedand hopefully mature approach as I have come to realize thatthe timing here affords me a priceless opportunity to savorthese next 15 months.

“I liken it a little to a practice I used to employ some yearsago when I would purposely set my alarm clock for a half

In March, Headmaster Marcus D. Hurlbut announced that he would retire as the third Headmaster of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School. In the St. Margaret’sChapel, Headmaster Hurlbut addressed the Upper School student body withthe speech below on March 22:

s u m m e r 2 0 1 2 41

personally and great honor to our school. There are so manylasting memories - it’s very difficult to even know where tobegin. Once again, some are more obvious than others:

“We have gone from competing for league championships tocapturing numerous and many consecutive CIF Championshipsand four State Championships in a relatively brief period oftime. We are a force to be reckoned with whenever we puton the Tartan uniform. And, just in case you didn’t know it –I love that!

“Within all those honors are many special memories for methat I will always cherish inducing:• The drama of a missed extra point in the rain in Pasadena.• A gut wrenching final girls’ doubles match to win it all a few years ago only to be capped off by an even more amazing singles match this past year.

• A human chain around the school as we sent our football team off to our first ever FOOTBALL State Championshipgame at the Home Depot Center.

• A storybook ending penalty kick a few weeks ago.• A boys’ volleyball team that went from 0-99 to a CIF Championship in a very short period of time.

“The growth in the Arts has been equally significant as ourlives have been immensely enriched by: • A growing number of student honors in the visual arts. • Superb choral, band and orchestra concerts (we once had just 10 in our band where today we have more than 100).

• The Middle School Marching Band• Stunning theater performances in our tired but beloved Sillers Hall:Les MisChildren of a Lesser GodChildren of EdenBeauty and the BeastGreaseAnnieCoffee House Cabarets

“Brilliant Commencement speeches by graduating seniors

“Ground breaking ceremonies and site blessings

“Awards ceremonies, memorable honors assemblies, all-schoolgatherings, closing ceremonies, Tartan Trots, welcome backbarbeques, Tartan Faires…

“Controversial speeches in the Campaigne Center–Maximum what?

> >

some ideas on what they thought the word retirement meant.Their definitions were helpful – sort of:

“It’s • when you have enough money so you can do nothing• when you stop doing something and you don’t go back to it

• when you’re tired• like you’re fired, but you’re really not. You kind of fire yourself!

“From these answers, I wasn’t entirely clear of the concept soI asked a group of first graders if they knew people whowere retired and if so, what these people did when theyreached this stage of having enough money to do nothing.

• “They cook and eat a lot.”• “They sleep and want to spend time with me.”• “They find a new job they like better.”• “They go to the grocery store in the morning and lay on the couch ALL day!”

“When we were walking out of Chapel, one of the secondgraders told me that he was pretty sure he knew what I wasgoing to do when I retired because I had given him a hint.

I did? ‘Yup! You said that at the end of next school year you weregoing to join the current fourth graders and leave the LowerSchool.’ Correct. ‘I knew it. You’re going to be the Middle School principalwhen you retire!’

“This decision to retire and be the Middle School principalwhen I have enough money to do nothing has caused me toreflect on my time here and the many events and experiencesthat have meant the most to me and will leave me with lasting memories. This is tough and with each passing day,more memories are made.

“There are of course the obvious:

“The campus has definitely changed: Pasternack Field HouseDeYoung Math and Science CenterUpper School CourtyardTartan FieldDemolition of Highland HallA beautiful garden on what once was an eroded hillsideA new Performing Arts Center soon to be opened

“Yes, we do look different than we did in 2003, but I deeplyhope that these changes have been made with a careful eyetoward maintaining continuity and a sense of history, and inthis case the traditional architecture that is so emblematic ofSt. Margaret’s. Change is inevitable in schools but preservingthe essence of the school is essential if these changes are toendure and be embraced by the school culture.

“Over the past nine years I have been afforded a truly wonderful vantage point from which to watch Tartans of allages go about their lives and bring unending joy to me


‘While there is much for me to learn about St. Margaret’s, Ican say with a high level of confidence that I have a prettygood idea of what the school is all about even now – and itis not from reading the mission statement (with which, bythe way, I completely agree), and it is not from reviewing the qualifications of our faculty (which are, by the way, veryimpressive), and it is not from assessing the many, manyaccomplishments of our students, or the college acceptancerecord of our seniors, or from learning of the school’s ambitious plans for the future, or hearing of the enormousgenerosity of members of our school community, witness the impressive.

‘All of these benchmarks matter – a lot – but in the shorttime that I have been here at St. Margaret’s I have learned,above all, that we are a school community with HEART.

‘I suspect that for some of you, perhaps many of you, thecheerful smiles and the ready “good mornings” are commonplace, but I can say with absolute certainty that for someonecoming new to a school community, one true measure of aschool’s character is the genuine caring with which new people, or as they say in my beloved State of Maine, people“from away” are welcomed.

‘From the littlest (I think you are the Class of 2019) to thebiggest (I know you are the Class of 2004), you have beentruly remarkable in making me feel at home in your school,my new school- the school of the Tartan and the Cross!

‘You have not erected walls of defense nor held your cards oryour agendas close. You have been open and honest, warmand friendly - you have in short, let me in and for that I ammore grateful than I could ever express here this morning.

‘There is much work that lies ahead and I look forward toworking, learning and playing with you as we move togetherinto our 25th year and this new chapter in the history of our school.’

“So here we are this morning approaching the 35th anniversaryof St. Margaret’s and while much has changed, from my perspective at least, much has stayed the same. The samewarmth and kindness that I felt so palpably nine years agofeels even more prominent today and it is my everlastinghope that this notion of letting new comers in will always be an essential part of the culture of our school.

“A long time ago when I was just 21 years old, I stood at the fork of the road and in the words of Robert Frost, lookeddown one as far as I could. In the spirit of that admonition to “make good choices,” I really can’t imagine making a better one. I made the choice to spend a lifetime teachingand being with young people and the joy this decision hasbrought me is impossible to quantify. I have had the honor of serving six schools each with its own special character andlasting memories, but there is utterly no doubt that I havesaved the best for last.

“Thank you all for the people you are, the way you care andthe gifts you have given me.” �

To view a video of Headmaster Marcus D. Hurlbut’s Chapel address, please

visit the “Headmaster” page on the school website under the “About” tab.

“Priceless personal moments:

• Time spent with my two predecessors Ern Sillers and Mark Campaigne and our joining together on St. Margaret’s Day.

• The mom in the Lower School parking lot who called outto her son as he was dashing away – “I love you - make good choices.”

• The kindergartener who some years ago stared relentlessly at me in Chapel one morning, eyes seemingly boring into the side of my head until at last I turned and she asked in no uncertain terms - Is your name really HurlBUT???? (My daughter had the answer – she got married and changed her name!).

• Many lively debates on a wide variety of topics in con law

“When I interviewed back in late 2002 and early 2003, I hadnoticed that St. Margaret’s had an alma mater and during theinterview I asked if the song was ever sung. There was a reason for this question as I had been part of several schoolswhere the alma mater was never sung and if it was, it waspretty pathetic.

“I received a very strong YES to my question and I recallthinking to myself – we’ll see!

“I realize that this is a seemingly insignificant topic but I feelit says so much about school pride, spirit and soul.

“And, oh yes, we sing the alma mater - sometimes a little differently than others, but we sing it and it matters. I havenever ceased to marvel at the discrepancy between thosebruised and battered boys who so passionately sing the chorusat the end of football games and the same, blue-blazered students who can’t muster much more than a mumble in Chapel.

“NO matter – they know it and they will always rememberthose moments when it mattered more than others and sowill I.

“We have even poked some fun at it from time to time, withthe drawn out sss’s in Cross and the somewhat irreverent version created by the Class of 2009:

SO, GIVE US THE SCHOOL WHERE THE MASCOTWEARS A SKIRT, BUT THE GIRLS ARE NOT ALLOWED TO

“For me, these are meaningful and tangible signs of the waythis school gets into the very marrow of our bones. We arestrong enough to withstand some good natured kidding fromwithin. This is what happens in solid, cohesive, healthy families.

“In the fall of 2003, when I was installed (that’s what it’scalled in Episcopal schools) as the third headmaster of St.Margaret’s Episcopal School, I made a few remarks, some ofwhich I would like to share with you today.

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School31641 La NoviaSan Juan Capistrano, CA 92675-2752

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Highlander Summer 2012

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Transcript of Highlander Summer 2012