Once again, students in Mrs. Stephanie Windes’ algebra class took part in a unit on statistics where they learned how data can be manipulated to prove whatever they want it to prove. Students examined data from different perspectives before using their newly-developed, graph-making skills to sell products that they created.

Building and designing carousels, a Rubik’s Cube© challenge and a mental math challenge…these were just a few of the Math Field Day events that three St. Margaret’s math teams competed in last Saturday at Capistrano Valley High School.
Sponsored by the Orange County Math Council, Math Field Day is a math competition for students in Grades 4, 5 and 6. The day long competition is an opportunity for Orange County elementary schools to join together in promoting excellence in mathematics, team work, achieving goals and exhibiting school spirit. A school can …

St. Margaret’s Middle and Upper School concert band performed the national anthem for Emeritus at San Juan Capistrano, a senior living community, last Friday in celebration of National Nursing Home Week.
From May 13 – 19, Emeritus at San Juan Capistrano planned many events to honor the residents that the center cares for and invited the San Juan Capistrano community to celebrate with them.
“Journey with Emeritus at San Juan Capistrano” included current and former residents, along with their families, volunteers and community members, as well as the Honorable Mayor Pro Tem …

Each year, St. Margaret’s grade 8 students are required to create a project and participate in St. Margaret’s Science Fair in early February. The students are guided by mentors who provide advice and expertise in the project’s area of focus. Some mentors are St. Margaret’s science teachers, as well as other faculty members across all divisions.
The top 25 students are selected and awarded through the judging and interview process. The top 25 awardees then qualify to enter the Orange County Science and Engineer Fair (OCSEF). Ten out of these 25 …

By Natalie Bosu, Grade 7
This year, the grade 7 English students participated in a very memorable unit: Research and Debate. This wasn’t a simple debate topic like “should St. Margaret’s use red sweaters for the Lower School?” No, it was much bigger than that. The debate was about nuclear energy, and whether our world should use it. We debated the following resolution: Resolved: Nuclear energy is the best energy choice to meet future energy consumption needs.
After you read that, you might be having thoughts like: What? Or: They were debating …

Five grade 8 students took home awards at this year’s Orange County Science and Engineering Fair. According to The Orange County Register, more than 450 students in grades 6 through 12 submitted projects for the fair, which held judging last week at the Orange County fairgrounds in Costa Mesa.
Three St. Margaret’s students: Kevin Cox, Derek Lindquist and Jake McFarland, were named nominees in the Broadcom Masters division, meaning they are now eligible for the national contest, in which 300 semifinalists and, eventually, 30 finalists will be selected. Kevin and Jake …

Two St. Margaret’s Middle School teams presented to a panel of professors and environmentalists at University of Southern California’s campus last month for the QuikSCience Challenge. This year, USC selected five teams out of 78 to present; both of St. Margaret’s teams were selected. Each team will learn the results of the competition at the QuikSCience Challenge Award Ceremony on April 5 at the Quiksilver, Inc. headquarters in Huntington Beach.
Sponsored by the USC College Wrigley Institute for Environmental Studies in partnership with Quiksilver Inc., the QuikSCience Challenge is a competition …

By Amanda Hudson, Middle School Director of Student Activities and Community Service
On Friday, March 9, the Middle School turned out in full force for an afternoon of service. Students in grade 8 went to Camp Pendleton to assist Operation Help a Hero. They had a tour of an area of camp, visited a memorial and ate lunch in the Chow Hall. Students then made kitchen kits, entertainment packs and goody bags for the more than 600 men of the 2nd Battalion 4th Marines coming home from Afghanistan. The supplies will …

Last week the French 1 class visited the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena where we were privileged enough to tour the museum before it even opened.

When Mr. Allison realized that the grade 2 students were learning about the branches of government and how a bill becomes a law, he asked two of his students if they would be interested in creating, planning and implementing a lesson for the second graders. Budding teachers Alyssa Maita and Martha Sheets took the opportunity and ran with it.