By Alexandra Zalewski, Grade 8
“Which country is not located by the Mediterranean Sea: Italy, Greece or Poland?” the speakers echoed within the gym. My sweat-drenched hand gripped the microphone in an effort to recall every image, every map, every fact that I had ever come across. Was I really sitting here at the geography bee in front of the whole Middle School? The light glinting off the gym floor answered my question. My eyes looked into the laminate and saw the distorted image of the bleachers packed with students, each …

By Ayda Rashtchi, Grade 8
The amount of girls that are being bullied, or the amount that are bullying others, is greatly increasing. Every day you hear story after story about girls who have been bullied whether it results in a broken heart or in even more serious cases. On Friday, January 27, girls from grades 6-12 gathered in the Chapel for a special presentation by two young adults named Lauren and Molly.
Lauren and Molly have put together a nonprofit organization to help put a stop to girl bullying. They have …

By Elizabeth Bauer, Grade 1 Teacher
Tuesday evening, St. Margaret’s Upper School students Winston Robinson, Sabine Scott and Brandon Torres participated in the Student Voices event at Crossroads High School in Santa Monica. This is an annual opportunity for students who attended the National Student Diversity Leadership Conference to share the impact the conference had on their personal lives and how they will work to implement what they’ve learned into their school communities.
After an introduction about the work the students did at the conference, including their increased awareness of the cultural …

The fourth annual 24-Hour Playwriting Festival kicked off Friday, January 20 and ended approximately 24 hours later with performances of 10 plays in front of a packed house in Sillers Hall. The plays, all written Friday evening, were rehearsed and performed within 24 hours. Eighty-five Upper School students were involved, as well as eight adults and one seven year old.
Click here for the 2012 program.
The program had a variety of plays ranging from Shakespearean fare to IRS-related humor. Playwrights were provided two prompts on Friday evening and the instructions that …

Every year, seventh grade students complete an intensive research unit centered on a debate topic. During this unit, students access, process, and evaluate ten resources covering the pros and cons of the issues. Including guest speakers in the unit allows students to connect with adults who have dedicated their lives to studying and communicating about the issue at hand.
This year, students are researching pro and con arguments for the following debate resolution: Among all energy sources, nuclear power is the best choice to meet future world energy …

Twelve Middle School students participated in St. Margaret’s Math Counts competition in the Campaigne Center on January 6. Sponsored by the Math Counts Program, this was the first round of the school-level competition.
Middle School math teacher Stephanie Windes presented Karen with the official trophy and prize: a $50 iTunes gift certificate. Second place winner, grade 7 student Jack Li was awarded a $25 gift certificate, and, third place winner, grade 8 student Noah Choi, was awarded a $15 gift certificate.
Click here for photo gallery.
Math Counts is a national enrichment, coaching …

By Ingrid Andrews, Director of the Early Childhood Development Center and Wee Tartan Center
Every other year St. Margaret’s creates a winter wonderland on the Preschool playground. With straw bales and 10 tons of snow, we create a space for sliding, digging, snowman making and snowball throwing (not at each other, of course!). Some children head up the hill and throw themselves down for a speedy trip down on their bottoms. Others like to watch from the sidelines before joining in. Novel activities create problem solving opportunities for young children. There …

American tennis great Michael Chang visited St. Margaret’s before the Christmas break to congratulate the Tartan girls’ tennis team for its fourth straight CIF Championship. He attended an Upper and Middle School pep rally to celebrate the girls’ unprecedented achievement in a highly competitive CIF southern section field. To read about the team’s success, click here.
During the celebration, San Juan Capistrano Mayor Larry Kramer attended, with SJC Mayor Pro Tem John Taylor, and offered his congratulations to the team. St. Margaret’s Athletics Director Susie Maga recapped the team’s season and …

Throughout the month of December, St. Margaret’s campus has been brightened with the spirit of the holiday season celebrated in dance and musical performances by all divisions.
The Lower School presented its annual Advent and Christmas Service of Lessons and Carols. This was the 33rd annual gathering of our longest-standing St. Margaret’s tradition. The Middle School and Upper School celebrated the holidays by showcasing their musical and instrumental talents, the Preschool performed the annual Christmas Pageant and students from all divisions performed in the All-School Dance Recital.
One hundred three-, four-, and …

On Friday, December 9, the Middle School’s top spellers competed for a chance to move on to the Orange County Spelling Bee. Students qualified to participate in the event based on a qualification quiz administered in English classes during the month of November.
The competition began with an oral round in which students were given words such as “schooner” and “parody.” As the competition ensued, the words became progressively more difficult, and a collective groan was heard from the audience when a competitor was given the word “numismatics.”
Click here for …