The Spring All-School Dance Recital, held on April 30, featured about 125 skilled St. Margaret’s dancers from Preschool through grade 12. This year’s theme was “Extra! Extra!” The dancers’ repertoire drew inspiration from news stories from the past year, highlighting traditional and contemporary dances, many choreographed by St. Margaret’s students.
From the opening number, “The Typewriter” choreographed by Ms. Jamie McCann, to the music of the Boston Pops Orchestra, to the finale featuring the entire ensemble performing to the comical tribute “Linus & Lucy,” the variety of topics and styles covered …

As the capstone to a great year of team competition, students in the St. Margaret’s speech and debate team won the state qualifier tournament and competed at the state level last month. During the past few years, this team has grown in size and scope: In the 2007–2008 school year, there were only four members in the speech and debate club; the next year, it had had grown to 16 students. This year, grade 11 student Sam Malagon coaches the 19 team members, who competed in 12 tournaments during the …

The performing arts are thriving at St. Margaret’s across all divisions. The Spring concert season at St. Margaret’s included the Lower School Pipers performance, a Band concert, an Orchestra concert and a Vocal concert. Headmaster Marcus D. Hurlbut remarks, “In April, students from Lower to Upper School demonstrate their growth and commitment in a series of exceptional performances. Our school community benefits from the inspiration and talent our faculty and students share so enthusiastically.”
The Lower School Pipers were directed by Lower School Choir Director Diane Hawkins and Lower School Music …

Roland Allen, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School Director of College Counseling, recently spent four days in Washington, D.C., as a member of the Presidential Scholars Program 2010 Review Committee. The program, started by President John F. Kennedy, is funded annually by an act of Congress to recognize and honor our nation’s most distinguished graduating high school students. There are only 18 members on this national committee, and serving  on the Review Committee is considered an honor.
The role of the Review Committee, Mr. Allen explains, is to choose semifinalists from each state …

Students from Motegi Junior High School, in Motegi, Japan, visited St. Margaret’s last week. The 16 students spent a day paired with St. Margaret’s students enrolled in Japanese language class, practicing their English skills while helping St. Margaret’s students practice their Japanese language skills. At the end of their daylong visit, they performed a traditional dance for the St. Margaret’s community, afterward teaching origami and calligraphy.
The energetic folk dance performed by the colorfully-outfitted students symbolized the fishing tradition of North Central Japan. Language teacher Ron Lanning explained that “the song …

Even during Spring Break, St. Margaret’s Upper School students are focused on college: 18 St. Margaret’s sophomores and juniors are currently touring East Coast colleges, accompanied by Director of College Counseling Roland Allen. The tours will include meetings with admissions representatives at more than a dozen colleges including Georgetown University, George Washington University, University of Pennsylvania, Yale, Wesleyan, Trinity College, Tufts and Harvard.
This trip will allow students to begin to get a sense of the culture at each campus, Mr. Allen explains. He says, “My goal is for students …

“St. Margaret’s is known for its theatrical prowess” says reporter Peter Schelden from The Orange County Register in a feature story on the Upper School Spring Musical Production of Stephen Sondheim’s Into The Woods, in which more than 75 students made up the cast and crew of acting, vocal, orchestra, costume design, stage management and audio and visual technical roles.
In the article, Performing Arts Chair and Woods Director Darcy Rice described the show as a “very sophisticated piece of theater” and said he wanted to do something to challenge his …

St. Margaret’s Episcopal School has been recognized as a “Top School” for the state of California in the 2009 Johns Hopkins University Center for Talented Youth (CTY) Talent Search. CTY looks at the top schools by state to determine the number of student enrollments it receives into its annual Talent Search, and St. Margaret’s achieved this prestigious distinction.
Since 1979, CTY offers gifted students, and their families and schools as well, a wide range of programs and services to nurture their intellectual abilities, enhance personal development and foster better understanding …

St. Margaret’s victorious Battle of the Books (BOB) teams won first-place and fourth-place victories at the second annual Orange County Battle of the Books competition Tuesday. Our teams competed against 16 other teams from nine Orange County schools, in a Jeopardy-style competition hosted by St. John’s Lutheran School in Orange. Arriving home after their big win, the team members from grades 4, 5, and 6 were greeted by St. Margaret’s Librarians and students waiting at the front of the school, furiously waving pompoms at their approaching bus.
For the second year …

Last Saturday, the streets of historic downtown San Juan Capistrano were lined with thousands of families gathered to watch the 52nd annual Swallows’ Day Parade. St. Margaret’s has participated for more than 20 years in this celebration of the swallows, which is the nation’s largest non-motorized parade. St. Margaret’s has also been a proud supporter of the parade as a division sponsor for more than 10 years. This year, St. Margaret’s was the Parade Sponsor. Throughout the parade, St. Margaret’s Girl Scouts troupe member volunteers carried Division and other banners.
Headmaster …