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| | | | Dear Friends,
At this time of the year, I find myself slightly out of breath as we work our way rapidly toward the conclusion of another school year. While the pace of life in May offers little time to reflect, the end-of-year ceremonies provide meaningful opportunities to express our heartfelt gratitude and say a fond farewell to a variety of people who have made a difference in the life of the school.
On June 9, we will bid farewell to the members of the Class of 2007 as they bring their St. Margaret’s career to a conclusion at the 21st commencement exercises. On so many levels this has been a great class and their leadership has impacted virtually every aspect of school life. Those of us who have had the privilege of knowing them will long remember their many contributions in the classroom, the arts and athletics, and in their multidimensional leadership roles. This year’s commencement will also bring to a glorious conclusion the careers of our first class of Tartan Scholars, five young women who have truly distinguished themselves in their four years at St. Margaret’s. We wish them and the entire class the very best as they move on to the exciting new experiences that await them.
The end of every year always brings with it the inevitable departure of members of our faculty and staff who have given tirelessly of themselves throughout their careers at St. Margaret’s. Of special significance this year is the retirement of kindergarten teacher Margaret Thornton, who brings her St. Margaret’s career to a conclusion after 25 years of faithful service. All of us, along with the many students she has had an effect on over her extraordinary career, wish Mrs. Thornton the very best as she moves on to the next chapter in her life. She will be missed!
As the year comes to a conclusion, I will also acknowledge the changing of the guard in two highly critical leadership positions in the school. For the past three years, the St. Margaret’s Board of Trustees has flourished under the exceptionally strong leadership of Jeffry Stoddard, who brings his seven-year career on our board to a conclusion in June. Among other things, Jeff has been central to the continued growth and expansion of the school campus, and his leadership will long be remembered as a pivotal time in the history of St. Margaret’s when the school and the board took significant steps forward.
Also stepping down from her leadership position is PTF President, Margarita Solazzo. As most of you know, the PTF occupies a prominent position in the life of the school and Margarita has given tirelessly to the PTF and to all of us throughout this current school year. Her thoughtful, caring approach and her boundless energy and enthusiasm have enriched the PTF and improved the quality of the St. Margaret’s experience for all of us. We are deeply grateful.
Best wishes to you and your families for a happy, healthy, and rejuvenating summer.
Warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
As we move into the second half of the school year, our thoughts naturally turn towards planning for the future. One important aspect of this planning is the admission process for new students and families led this year by our new team of Ryan Dahlem and Diane Seltzer. Recently, we have had opportunity to meet with prospective families during the open house and other gatherings designed to provide meaningful information about St. Margaret's and what we stand for as a school. This is important and enlightening work, as it provides an opportunity for all of us to think more deeply on the meaning of our time together as a school community.
The exercise of examining what a school stands for is complex and often goes beyond the mission statement or specific aspects of the curriculum and other programs. The topic might even be approached from a different angle by asking what it means for each of is to be a member of the St. Margaret's Episcopal School community. We know that those who join us have high expectations, and we hope that we share a common set of values and aspirations as we go through our time together.
On several occasions, I have found myself describing St. Margaret's as being somewhat “countercultural” to the larger community of which we are apart. This is of course a term more commonly used to describe life in the 60’s when the connotation meant something quite different than it does today. Nevertheless, I often feel that we are swimming upstream or running against the tide on a variety of issues that are prevalent in our society today. The topics here vary, but for me they begin with a basic commitment on our part to celebrate the lives of children, and to create for them an environment that is joyful, supportive, and provides a structure that protects their innocence and gives promise for a meaningful and productive adult life.
Some years ago, David Elkind wrote a very thoughtful book entitled The Hurried Child. While he explores many important issues in this book, the primary focus is clear. He believes that we as a society are on a headlong rush to move our children rapidly into adulthood, seemingly oblivious to the cost of this accelerated process. Even though this book was written some time ago, his basic premise still holds true from my perspective, and it strengthens our commitment to preserve for our children the very best of their childhood.
Clearly, we live in a different world today than when many of us grew up. Gone for most is the “classroom” of the neighborhood where many life lessons, good and not so good, were learned. Our concern for the safety of our children is far more acute than ever, and our desire for our children to succeed has, I believe, risen to new and at times unhealthy levels. There are of course other factors that figure quite prominently in the lives of children, not the least of which is an ever-increasing obsession by the world around us with conspicuous displays of consumption and for lack of any other term, an “over-the-top-ism” that is more and more prevalent. I am not sure where all of this will end or even what the consequences for our children will be, but I do worry that if left unchecked we will leave preciously little for our children to do as an encore.
And this is where the “countercultural” part of St. Margaret's comes in. We don’t presume to tell people how to lead their lives or how to bring up their children, but we can suggest how we can work together to provide our children with a wholesome and joyful educational experience. These suggestions range from acknowledging “the blessings of a skinned knee” to giving careful thought to how we celebrate things as simple as birthdays. Hard as it is on us, our children really do need to fall down from time to time and learn the lessons disappointment can bring. At the same time we need to think carefully about the opportunities we provide and what the birthday celebration will look like next year.
As we begin a new calendar year, it is my sincere hope that we will continue to work together as a community to create a healthy, wholesome, and relatively simple environment for “our” children. In the end, each of us will do what is right and reasonable within our own families, but my hope would be that we would arrive at these decisions after carefully thinking through their implications and how they resonate with life at school and the life-long lessons we are teaching our children. This is a very important conversation that needs to be kept alive as we join together in this truly joyous experience we share.
With warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Parents,
As we approach the Christmas and holiday season, I would like once again to share with you some important thoughts on the sensitive topic of gift-giving and expressions of appreciation that are so much a part of this time of year. I raise this issue not in criticism, but out of respect for our school’s collective commitment to balance, good judgment, and service to the larger community.
Throughout my career I have had the pleasure of witnessing many meaningful gestures from parents and students wishing to demonstrate their gratitude for dedicated and caring teaching. This is a wonderfully affirming part of the profession and in virtually all such cases the cards and gifts have been richly deserved. Yet, somewhere along the way, the gifts of homemade cookies and handwritten, heart-felt cards have been replaced by an ever-increasing level of extravagance, a phenomenon that in the end has the potential to create the opposite effect for which it was intended.
On many occasions I have watched students and parents bring arm loads of gifts for their teachers at Christmas-time. My initial appreciation for these well meaning and genuine displays of gratitude and affection has unfortunately been countered by the powerful realization that many families are not able to keep pace with the continually escalating expense of gift giving. Unfortunately, but unequivocally, this generous and heartfelt custom has put mounting pressure on parents, embarrassed certain children whose families cannot afford to give, and in some cases created awkward moments for teachers.
Beginning this year, I would like to suggest that we take a different approach, one that is far more consistent with our mission and identity as an Episcopal school. Consider directing our generosity, in honor of that special teacher or staff member, toward one of the many worthwhile programs and charitable organizations supported by our school community. As we witnessed last year in the aftermath of the terrible devastation inflicted by hurricane Katrina, we have the ability to come together as a community in powerful and meaningful ways to make a deep and lasting difference in the world around us. The list of possibilities is broad and deep and includes our own school-connected programs such as Special Camp for Special Kids, Corazon Housebuild, and Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano as well as larger community efforts such as Head Start, Habitat for Humanity and Project Dignity, to name a few. In the end, of course, this is your choice, but I encourage you to give this serious thought and if appropriate to speak directly with specific members of our faculty and staff and gain some insight into the organizations and programs that matter to them.
I realize full well that this is a sensitive and delicate issue and I very much appreciate your thoughtful consideration of these suggestions. On a related note, please know how grateful we are for the presence of your children and the wonderful spirit and enthusiasm that have permeated the school this fall. Best wishes to you and your families a joyous Christmas and holiday season.
Fondly,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
One of the truly wonderful aspects of my life in schools has been spending time in the parking lot each morning as children are dropped off for another day. I'm not entirely sure when this experience became so important to me (I suspect it has a lot to do with September 11th), but for years now I've tried as hard as I could to be in the parking lot each morning.
While I very much enjoy greeting people as they arrive at school, the most important part of the parking lot experience for me is observing the interaction between parents and their children as they say their fond goodbyes. Beginning in Preschool when parents are asked to walk their children hand-in-hand into the building, this daily ritual signals an important evolution in the growth of each family. I realize that while I am enjoying myself while observing the comings and goings in the parking lot, the experience for some is not always joyful. Dropping children off at school is the beginning of an important separation, the time in the life of the family when the healthy process of letting go begins. Much has been written about the challenge we face as parents in striking a balance between protecting the well-being of our children while at the same time allowing them the latitude to begin to develop their sense of self. This is not easy work but it is critically important if our children are to become mature, autonomous adults.
Of course, the process becomes significantly different as children move up the ladder at St. Margaret's. Eventually, the separation takes an entirely different perspective as some of these “children” acquire their driver's licenses and end up driving themselves into the parking lot each day. Over the course of this evolution much takes place in the domain of childhood development and most of it is a joy to watch. Everyday without fail as I walk through the parking lot I overhear exchanges between parents and children which in the vast majority of cases nearly always ends with an “I love you” or code words to that effect. Some are hurried and some are said over the shoulder, but all remind me in the clearest of terms of the trust and the faith that each family places in us each day. Some years ago, Joni Mitchell wrote a song about paving paradise. There's no doubt that our world has many more parking lots than anyone of us would like, but the good news here is that we have at least created an environment central to the healthy and normal development of families, and I for one, enjoy being part of it.
The parking lot has many important symbolic aspects of our lives together at St. Margaret's not the least of which is that it is something of a laboratory for the manner in which we carry out our Episcopal tradition. Central to this philosophy is a commitment to treat members of our school community with decency and respect and to acknowledge that we are all valued members of the St. Margaret's family. Unfortunately, due to the demands of our schedules and our busy lives, occasionally this commitment to a high standard of behavior is overlooked. Instead of those wonderfully joyous moments of genuine displays of affection that I see most every morning, there emerge the occasional unpleasant exchanges where feelings get hurt and in a small way our lives together are diminished.
As we move forward with the current school year, it would be my hope that we would all see these communal gatherings each day as an opportunity to demonstrate our love for our children and our commitment to each other in a way that deepens and strengthens our relationships. From the drop offs in the morning to the inevitable conversations that take place about any number of issues, I would hope that we would all work to make this parking lot experience as positive and productive as possible. As is often the case, our children are our best examples. Smiling, happy and optimistic, they help us see the future through the eager eyes of youth. What joyful inspiration!
Warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
I hope this first Tartan of the 2006-2007 school year finds you and your family basking in the warm glow of a wonderful summer experience. Given the pace of life from September to June, these precious summer months are a welcome respite for those of us fortunate enough to be able to take a little time off to recharge our batteries and to prepare for the coming year.
As you have been away from school this summer, there have been many on our faculty and staff who have remained here on campus and who deserve our deep and abiding respect and appreciation for their many efforts to ready the school for another year. In addition to summer school, summer camp, our first-ever summer of Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano, Special Camp for Special Kids, and numerous other programs, the summer has also seen the on-going challenge of simultaneously managing various construction and renovation projects. Led by the tireless and extraordinarily capable team of David Bush, Nancy Jones, Alvaro Barriga, and Lynn Ozonian, a phenomenal amount of work has been done to our physical plant in the past two months. The Pasternack Field House and the DeYoung Family Math and Science Center are nearing completion, our Upper School building has undergone a major refurbishing, the La Novia parking lot has been completely redesigned, a new space has been created for our Learning Center (the second floor of Campaigne Center), the Middle School science labs have been relocated to the second floor of the Gateway Building, classrooms have been painted, floors have been refinished, fields have been reseeded, books have been ordered, and on and on it goes. We are truly blessed to have so many dedicated and talented members of our staff who understand the need to devote endless hours during the “downtime” of the year to set the stage for the main event – the start of another school year.
And speaking of being blessed, September and the start of a new school year affords us all with the golden opportunity to begin anew, to initiate new ideas and projects, and to rethink our goals and aspirations. Recently, I was part of a conversation that explored the difference between success and significance. While this discussion might invite a lot of semantic jousting, I have always felt that schools should move in the direction of striving to make a difference in the lives of those we serve. Of course there are always the benchmarks of “success” by which schools are measured. I am frequently asked: Just exactly how do you know if you are being successful as a school? Are college acceptances, standardized test scores, games won, honors received, money raised, buildings built, etc. the measure? There is of course nothing wrong with striving to do well in everything we do, but in the end, I believe that great schools have always been more about striving for significance than for success, more for making a difference than for achieving measurable accomplishments.
The challenge of course is to define what this “significance” actually looks like. For me, it is imbedded in the hidden curriculum of schools, a curriculum that emphasizes fairness and honor, respect and integrity, and charts its way through the establishment of clear and morally sound priorities. There is so much pressure today to define success by what is quantifiable, and yet, it is my sense that when all is said and done, schools that are truly successful are those that make a genuine difference in the lives of those they serve.
As we begin this new and exciting school year, my sincere hope is that the experiences that lie ahead will be truly significant for you and your family. We will be ready to join with you in this wonderful work when the cycle begins again on September 5. See you soon.
Warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
Here we are again at the end of another productive and eventful year. As we bring the 2005-2006 year to a conclusion, I am very pleased to report that we recently received word from the California Association of Independent Schools that we have passed our reaccreditation process with the highest marks possible thereby officially certifying St. Margaret’s for another six years. Many thanks to all of you who participated in the process and special thanks to Associate Headmaster David Boyle and his Steering Committee who so ably led us through this rigorous and demanding process.
This year has also seen significant changes in the physical appearance of St. Margaret’s. The groundbreaking, and now near completion of the Pasternack Field House and DeYoung Family Math and Science Center (on schedule for a September opening), provide powerful and graphic illustration that we are moving forward with the implementation of our campus master plan. While this is clearly a very exciting development for our Upper School, these projects will also create a very positive ripple effect throughout the entire school as virtually every student will benefit in meaningful and tangible ways once these new facilities are up and going. More expansive athletic facilities will provide numerous opportunities for our physical education and interscholastic athletic programs. Consolidation of Upper School classrooms especially in the sciences will enable our Middle School science classes to occupy the superb labs in the Gateway Building. Less cramped space across the campus will afford opportunities to broaden our commitment to music (especially for strings and Lower School music) and provide a home for our newly established Learning Center.
While we are still finalizing the details, it now appears that for a variety of reasons the groundbreaking for our new Performing Arts Center and Middle School is at least a year away. Part of the delay relates to permitting issues with the City of San Juan Capistrano, but the primary challenge remains with the need to acquire more funding before we can break ground on these much needed projects. The initial phases of the Legacy Campaign experienced phenomenal success as several key families stepped up to assume leadership positions and infuse an air of optimism and excitement throughout the school community. Now it is time for others to come forward and join in the effort to bring these plans to reality. Recently, I was afforded the extraordinary privilege to be a part of the Lower School musical production of “Annie, Jr.” Aside from experiencing first hand the magic of Darcy Rice and the truly awesome talent of so many Lower School students, it was once again abundantly obvious that our program has far eclipsed the facility in which it takes place. And if that weren’t enough, this year’s Spring Instrumental and Choral Music Concert provided further evidence that our commitment to the performing arts is broad, deep, and sincere. We can and will do even better in the coming years, but just think what we could do if we had the space that our students and faculty truly deserve! I deeply hope that over the summer each and every one of you will give serious thought to how you can join in this very worthwhile effort.
Finally, the end of another school year signals a time to celebrate certain members of our faculty and staff and especially, our senior class who are bringing their careers at St. Margaret’s to a conclusion. Barbara Deubert and Judy Haidinger have faithfully served our school for a combined total of 30 years and we look forward to honoring their years of service on Thursday, June 1 at 6:00 pm. And then on June 10 at 5:00 pm we will bid a fond farewell to the Class of 2006. This is a talented class whose members have contributed mightily to the life of St. Margaret’s. We will miss them deeply as they move on to the next exciting chapter in their lives.
Best wishes to you and your families for a happy, healthy, and rejuvenating summer. The next issue of the Tartan will be out in mid-August.
Fond regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
Headmaster
| | | | | Dear Friends,
When I was a boy growing up in New England, my perspective on the arrival of spring was slightly different than it is today living in southern California. While I truly loved winter back then with “nor’easters,” days off from school, and sledding on the local hill, there was something very special about the arrival of April when the days lengthened, the snow gradually disappeared (except for those monstrous piles at the end of our driveway), and the crocuses and forsythia came into bloom. These were the signs that we had, once again, survived another winter.
Unfortunately, those fragile notices of spring in early April were often tantalizing and nearly always deceptive for no sooner had they appeared than we were hit with another blizzard from out of nowhere. For a brief but seemingly endless moment in time we were forced to endure one last gasp of winter’s grip and keep those shorts and tee shirts squirreled away for at least a few more weeks. It was so discouraging!
As this cycle repeated itself again and again, I came to realize that T.S. Eliot had it right when he said in his poem The Waste Land that “April is the cruelest month.” Of course, the arrival of spring has taken on a wonderful new look for me now and April appears far less hostile than it did the northeast, except for two relentless phenomena – the tax deadline of April 15th and the ever escalating intensity of the college admission process.Taxes aside, April is without doubt the month of highest anxiety for high school seniors. While I once focused on melting snow and emerging flowers, my concern has now shifted to those many seniors all across the country who stand anxiously by the mail box waiting for their fate to be delivered by the U.S Postal Service. April has struck again!
As a college preparatory school, we spend a great deal of time and energy dealing with the process of college counseling and admission. By all measure, our college counseling office does a phenomenal job managing this extraordinarily difficult process. Endless hours are spent meeting with students and families, researching various options, developing lists of the reasonable and the reach, and in the end, always emphasizing that it’s the fit that matters, not the name. But, in the end, no matter how good the counseling or how prestigious the secondary school, there are always those bitter disappointments and seemingly life altering rejections. After all, it is April!
I wish I knew how we got here and why this process has become so intense and frequently so painful. Regardless, the reality today is that many schools, students and parents define themselves by the colleges they or their children/students attend. I recall years ago an intense discussion at another school about a student’s application to a certain prestigious college and how his admission there would strengthen our school’s image. Sadly, there didn’t seem to be a lot of concern about what was best for him. Ironically, in this time of the most intense pressure ever felt by students to attend the “right” college, I feel very good about our efforts to define what is “right” not by what looks good or promotes our image, but rather by what best fits the needs and interests of each individual student. Of course, there are those who want to define the worth of a St. Margaret’s education by the colleges our students attend, but I submit that the real measure of our success is how our students ultimately fare wherever they end up. After all, in the end, this is not about us.
When my daughter was a senior in high school in New Hampshire, she literally refused to apply to the University of New Hampshire because it was, in her opinion, where all the “losers” went. Eventually, she enrolled in a very fine liberal arts college in Connecticut only to learn early on in her freshman year that she and the college were not a great fit. Sometime around March (or maybe it was April!) of that first year she declared somewhat reluctantly that she wanted to transfer to of all places, the University of New Hampshire! Of course, she was quick to add that this would be just a short term stay as she planned to apply to another highly selective, name brand New England college for her junior year. As it turned out, however, she found herself truly happy at UNH and three years later she graduated and went off to teach math at a superb independent day school where she still is today. It wasn’t the perfect script but it worked for her.
For me, April may well still be the “cruelest” month but not because the snow lingers too long or the buds on the trees are slow in appearing. Rather, the cruelty comes in the messages that are communicated and the hopes that for some are seemingly dashed. Yet, April is indeed the beginning of spring when despite the disappointments of the unexpected blizzards and the thin envelopes of rejection, the days do in fact lengthen and the sun does indeed become warmer and even the darkest of futures become brighter.
Enjoy the spring and the promise it holds for us all.
Best regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
One of the many challenges of being part of a school that is constantly engaged in the process of betterment and refinement is keeping members of the school community accurately informed on what is taking place. In our quest to be “better not bigger,” we have embarked on many important initiatives that need continual review, evaluation, and communication. It is a joy to be part of a school that realizes the need to move forward but at the same time, it is also essential that we do all we can to keep members of our school community as informed as possible. With this in mind, here are some important updates:
Re-Accreditation Visit – St. Margaret’s is accredited by the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Recently, we completed a very intensive process culminating in a three and half day visit by a group of educators representing these associations. While it will be several months before we receive the final report, the visit proved beneficial on many levels. We are grateful to all of you who in one way or another participated in this important process of review and renewal.
Legacy Campaign – As we have communicated in numerous publications and meetings, there is still much to do to reach the stated goals of our ambitious Legacy Campaign. Most important, we have yet to raise the funds needed to begin the construction of the Performing Arts Center and the new Middle School. The need for these two new facilities has long been established, and their inclusion in our plans for the future is essential. In my experience, great schools celebrate the arts by providing students with the facilities for talent to emerge and for programs to grow. We have designed an extraordinary facility for the performing arts to flourish at St. Margaret’s. The Performing Arts Center is far more than just a theater; it is a multi-dimensional facility specifically designed as a powerful and comprehensive teaching space for virtually every aspect of the performing arts.
Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano – We are very pleased to announce that St. Margaret’s has joined hands with more than thirty of the finest independent schools in the country in participating in the national Breakthrough Collaborative. This program is one of the few successful educational initiatives designed to bring public and private education together. In serving public school students from disadvantaged backgrounds during a 6-week summer program, we will embark on a highly important aspect of our mission and reach out in meaningful ways to better the larger community. For more on this extraordinary program, please connect to Breakthroughcollaborative.org.
Recent Appointments - Finally, I am very pleased to announce the appointment of two extraordinary people who will join our administrative team effective July 1, 2006
Regina McDuffie, PhD. - Academic Dean. Dr. McDuffie is currently the Social Studies coordinator in the Bedford, New York public school system. She holds a Ph.D. from Fordham University in Language, Literacy and Learning, a M.A in history from the City University of New York, and a B.A. in history from Fordham. Dr. McDuffie has extensive background and experience in faculty and staff development, technology implementation, and curriculum coordination and mapping. An Adjunct Professor at Iona College in New York, Dr. McDuffie is certified in reading and social studies instruction and currently holds memberships in the International Reading Association, Kappa Delta Pi, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the American Education Research Association, and the National Council for Social Studies. She currently teaches two sections of tenth-grade Global History.
Ryan Dahlem - Director of Admission and Financial Aid. Mr. Dahlem is currently associate director of admission at Stanford University. He holds an Ed.M. from Harvard University in teaching and curriculum and an A.B. from Stanford in psychology. A member of the Stanford admission staff since 2002, Mr. Dahlem is responsible for evaluating and recommending decisions on 1,500 applications per year. In addition, he serves as the sole manager of the athletics admissions process for Stanford’s 35 varsity sports, co-manager of the transfer admission process, and liaison to the mathematics faculty for identifying applicants with extraordinary talent in mathematics.
Prior to joining the admission staff at Stanford, Mr. Dahlem was a fulltime teacher of mathematics at University High School in Irvine where he also served as the head varsity wrestling coach of several championship teams. He holds numerous memberships in college admission associations and he has traveled and spoken extensively on the college admission process. He is also a musician, a triathlete, and a highly experienced technical mountain climber.
These are exciting times at St. Margaret’s.
Warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
As most of you are aware, our recently published Strategic Plan highlights a variety of critical issues that will guide our efforts over the course of the next three to five years. One of the important components of this plan is the creation of a Learning Center, a specific program designed to support students across the four divisions of the school with learning “differences” or in some cases learning disabilities. The decision to move in this direction has been driven by a philosophical commitment stated in our core values to, “guide and nurture our students as they discover and cultivate their unique gifts and talents, challenging each individual to achieve his or her full potential,” as well as a determination to sustain, “high academic standards, family continuity and ethnic, racial and socio-economic diversity.” In short, we believe that our mission is better fulfilled by creating a specific program to support learning and teaching strategies for students with learning differences.
Having said this, we recognize the potential for misunderstanding the goals of this program, and it is the objective of this article and of other presentations in the future to bring clarity to what this program is and what it is not. Beyond the fact that many of the finest educational institutions in the country have similar programs, two primary factors have led to our decision to create this Learning Center – the realization that not all students learn in the same way and the acknowledgment that we are and intend to continue to be a family school. Given that many of our students enter St. Margaret’s in Preschool and given that we have made the commitment to give preference in the admission process to qualified siblings (when space allows), the likelihood for learning issues to surface over the course of a student’s career is high. While we believe that our plans for a Learning Center are an important step in strengthening our ability to better serve our students, we also recognize the regrettable but unavoidable fact that, in the end, some students may not have the ability to meet the demands of our rigorous program. We are in agreement, however, that up to this point we must do all we can to support each and every one of our students.
With this in mind, the Learning Center will be initiated on a pilot basis for the second semester of the 2005-06 school year during which time we will implement, refine, and evaluate best practices with the intention to provide a permanent program in September 2006. The goals of the program are to:
- identify learning differences and disabilities
at an early age
- recommend and provide early intervention strategies
- help students better understand their learning
challenges and strengths
- develop and provide teaching strategies consistent with
school standards to support students with learning
differences/disabilities
- coordinate all educational therapy and
tutoring sessions (on and off campus)
- nurture a partnership between home and school where
opencommunication and thoughtful planning is focused
on the individual needs of the student
- provide workshops for teachers and parents on
learning differences
- maintain a database of students in all divisions
receiving learning support
In the course of the next several months, we will be developing a comprehensive description of the program which we will make available to you directly and on the school web page. In the meantime, a few important comments are worthy of note. We are not in any way altering the school’s mission to provide a rigorous and demanding program designed to prepare our students for entrance into the most selective of colleges. Further, we are not moving in a direction where we can now serve students with serious learning disabilities. In fact, the more we refine the processes associated with the Learning Center, the better able we will be to identify learning issues early on and to know, in a more thorough and comprehensive manner, which students we can serve and which ones we can not.
Finally, we are fortunate to be able to coordinate these initial efforts in consultation with clinical psychologists, Dr. Shirin Ansari and Dr. Greg Koch, each of whom has extensive background in supporting students with learning differences. We are confident that with their help we will strengthen further the learning environment that has been at the heart of the St. Margaret’s experience for the past twenty-seven years.
Warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
The beginning of a new calendar year is time for many of us to think about the future and make the requisite resolutions to address a variety of issues that lie before us. Schools are much like people in this regard as we, too, look ahead with thoughts and plans for the coming year and beyond. Recently, you received a pamphlet outlining our Strategic Plan for the next three to five years, and the various initiatives we plan to undertake to continue the growth and development of St. Margaret’s. While it is not my intention to repeat the full contents of this important publication, I do feel that a few areas of focus are worthy of attention at this time.
First and foremost in our plans for the future is our focus on Curriculum and Programs. As a pre-school through grade-12 school, we appreciate and value the need to construct our various curricula, across the four divisions of the school, to serve our students in the very best manner possible and to be sure that our efforts are well coordinated and developmentally appropriate. It is not uncommon in multi-division schools like ours for each division to go its own way, and it is our every intention to make sure that this does not happen. In short, we believe that one hand does need to know what the other is doing.
Central to this important effort is the position of Academic Dean, a key administrative slot recently created and specifically designed to address these cross divisional concerns. Over the past year and a half, under the leadership of our very first Academic Dean, Dr. Deborah Natoli, we have made great strides. Our focus has increasingly been an “all-school” approach as our specific academic disciplines have carefully examined their curricula and developed “enduring understandings” to guide the construction of departmental philosophies and individual course syllabi. It has been a lively and rigorous process and we are clearly a stronger school for it.
Recently, we have been presented with a new challenge, as Dr. Natoli has decided to apply her many talents to the world of higher education and has moved on from St. Margaret’s to take a position at the University of Southern California. This is a wonderful opportunity for her and a major challenge for us as we work to sustain her many meaningful initiatives. While it remains to be seen exactly how and by whom this position will be filled, there is no confusion on our part as to the need for the continuation of this important work. As we move forward, we do so with a strong determination to sustain our commitment to curriculum coordination, faculty support and evaluation, collaborative programs with other educational institutions e.g. UCI Intern Program, and the development of a Learning Center to support students with learning differences. These, among others, are clearly established institutional needs and we determined to stay the course.
Finally, our Strategic Plan calls for us to continue to develop and improve our physical plant in a manner that serves our overall program. We have been blessed with very generous initial support and we are energized each day as we watch the Pasternack Field House and the DeYoung Upper School Classroom Wing take shape. These projects, however, are only the first of several critical efforts that comprise our campus master plan. Just as our plans for the development of curricula and programs are multi-faceted, so too are our plans for the development of our campus, and we look forward to gathering the support needed to make the new Performing Arts Center and new Middle School a reality. These projects are central to our mission and represent the tools for our teachers and students to broaden and deepen their many talents. In the meantime, however, our entire community has much work to do during the next ninety days to raise the needed $15 million in gifts and pledges to begin construction of these projects this summer.
Best wishes for a healthy and happy new year and a successful outcome for all our resolutions.
Warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
Over the weekend of November 5, as our football team was playing brilliantly against Sage Hill, my family gathered in Boston to join in celebration and remembrance of my father who passed away on September 1, at the ripe old age of 99. My father was a teacher, a professor of mineralogy at Harvard University for 44 years. He was a remarkable man. I mention this not because I am eager for sympathy or special attention, but because his life represented what I believe we should be about today as parents and educators. As it so happens, my father was, among other things, a poet who wrote many of his own poems and who also had his favorites, one of which was The Bridge Builder.
The Bridge Builder
An old man, going a lone highway,
Came, at the evening, cold and gray,
To a chasm, vast, and deep, and wide,
Through which was flowing a sullen tide.
The old man crossed in the twilight dim;
But he turned, when safe on the other side,
And built a bridge to span the tide.
"Old man," said a fellow pilgrim, near,
"You are wasting your time with building here;
Your journey will end with the closing day;
You never again will pass this way;
You have crossed the chasm, deep and wide.
Why build you the bridge at the even tide?"
The builder lifted his old gray head.
"Good friend, in the path I have come," he said,
there followeth after me today
A youth, whose feet must pass this way.
This stream that has been naught to me.
To the fair-headed youth might a pitfall be.
He, too, must cross in the twilight dim;
Good friend, I am building the bridge for him."
by Will Allen Dromgoole
This is a simple poem with a clear message. As we walk through the journeys of our lives, many of us will breathe a sigh of relief once we have successfully navigated troubled waters and look ahead to the far horizon for the next challenge. Others, however, will pause and look over their shoulders to those who come behind, taking care that the path is safe and the way is clear. This is not the natural inclination for everyone, but it is what great teachers do. They build bridges and they care about those who follow.
I am honored to have been part of my father’s life, and I am equally honored to be part of such a noble profession. As your families gather for Thanksgiving, please know how much we care about you and your children and how committed we are to build for them the strongest and safest bridges possible to span the changing tides of their lives.
Warmest regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
For as far back as I can remember, this time of year has been filled with joy and happiness and also, at times, confusing if not conflicting emotions. I remember, vaguely, my confusion about “Old Saint Nick” and his miraculous but seemingly impossible journey on Christmas Eve. I remember, clearly, waiting at the top of the stairs on Christmas morning so excited I could barely contain myself while downstairs, my father checked to see if Santa had departed, and upstairs, my very cool, teenage brother moaned about having to get up so early (I was sure he did this intentionally just to torture my sister and me). How could anyone possibly sleep in on this morning? And I remember, vividly, in the midst of all the excitement, the constant reminder from my parents, and many others, that it is more blessed to give than to receive. I definitely understood the concept, but when at last I descended those stairs on Christmas morning, grumbling brother and all, I always felt the balance had tipped far to the receiving side, and despite the message to the contrary, I felt very blessed.
Early in my life I remember, too, the painful struggle of trying to reconcile the joy of the holidays with the unrelenting sadness I felt after my mother passed away when I was nine. There was such happiness all around me, a happiness that I knew well and deeply loved. Yet, for a while at least, the luster of the season for me had been significantly dulled, and much as I tried to convince myself otherwise, I didn’t feel so blessed anymore. Even as my sense of loss subsided in subsequent years, it always seemed to re-emerge in December, making me acutely aware of my own vulnerability and the profound importance of taking nothing for granted.
As our family plans to gather for Christmas this year, the contrasting emotions of both the season and our lives converge once again. While much of what we will do together remains the same, there will also be powerful evidence of the inevitable changes that remind us of the passage of time and the importance of appreciating these special moments. Our family is different this year, as I suspect is true of some of yours. We are excited about being with our kids and very eager to spend time with happy and squirmy little grandchildren who are just beginning to know the magic of Christmas. What fun this will be! There will be the traditional phone calls to friends and relatives in various parts of the world, and time together simply enjoying each other’s company. And yet, for the first time since that Christmas long ago, I and the rest of my family will struggle with the powerful sense of loss associated with the passing of my father and the realization that, once again, our family has changed.
As you and your families gather during this special time of year and share precious moments together in whatever way your faith and your heritage guide you, we, the Hurlbuts, wish you the very best for a Merry Christmas and a peaceful, healthy and happy holiday season. In this time of often confusing and even conflicting emotions, we come together as one community in the love of our families and the importance of time spent together. There is, for me, nothing confusing about this.
Fondly,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
As most of you know, this year we are engaged in an important reaccreditation process through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) and the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS). At the heart of this process is a comprehensive analysis of our effectiveness in carrying out our mission, first by our school community and then by a team of educators visiting in March of 2006. While there is much work to be done as we prepare for this important visit, this process always brings valuable insights and helpful suggestions, and I am very confident that this year’s experience will be a highly beneficial and valuable experience for all of us.
The mission of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School is to educate the hearts and minds of our students for lives of learning, leadership, and service. It may perhaps seem obvious for us, as a school, to include learning as one of the essential components of our mission, but given the increasing pressures on our students today, I believe it is critical to place explicit emphasis on learning as being at the heart of our mission. A recent publication by the National Association of Independent Schools has made mention of a growing distinction between students as consumers and students as learners. This distinction is rooted in a concern that students today are increasingly bombarded with a variety of consumerist choices in order to prepare and market themselves for the all important college admission process. While many of these choices undoubtedly have value, I continue to worry that one of the casualties of this ever present phenomenon is that learning for learning’s sake is at times compromised or even worse, no longer valued. In short, if it’s not going to be on the test, does it matter? Well, I believe it does.
Recently, Nancy Linaweaver, chair of our Physical Education Department and mother of SMES preschooler, four-year old Luke, was interviewed for an article soon to appear in the Los Angeles Times. When asked about her reasons for choosing a Pre-12 school for her son, she commented that she wanted a safe and loving environment where Luke would feel comfortable and be happy. Nancy and her husband, Walt, definitely want their son to go to college, and believe that this will be a logical by-product of an educational process that places a high priority on guiding Luke to be a life-long learner.
“Do I believe that the Preschool will get him into college? No. It is more our responsibility to be sure he respects the learning process so he eventually learns what he needs to get into a college 14 or 15 years down the road. We feel the love of learning he gets in preschool will begin to instill in him the thirst for knowledge, and therefore, allow him to eventually develop the proper study habits to succeed in classes, and later in college.”
It is refreshing to hear that our mission begins early, where it should, in our Preschool. Our challenge, of course, is to make sure that this essential component of our mission endures throughout the entire experience of each and every one of our students. The distractions are many, but in the end, our deep and abiding hope is that in the journey from preschool to graduation, our students will come to realize that the power and value of learning extends far beyond the most immediate test or acceptance to the college of choice. If we do our job right and educate both the minds and the hearts of our students, St. Margaret’s graduates will be prepared to move beyond our doors and make meaningful and lasting contributions to humankind. All of what they learn may well not be on the test, but at some point in time, it will matter.
Warm Regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
Headmaster | | | | |
Dear Friends,
As each of us is only too well aware, the 2005-2006 school year has begun at a time when our country has recently experienced the most devastating natural disaster in its history. To say that this event has caused us to be even more grateful for our good fortune is something of an understatement, and I know I speak for all members of the St. Margaret’s community when I say that we are ready and eager, on many levels, to lend a hand to those in need.
Through last year’s tsunami tragedy in South Asia, and now with Hurricane Katrina, we continue our support and relief efforts through Episcopal Relief Development (ERD), an efficient and no nonsense organization that has a strong history of providing relief quickly and directly to the people and the areas in most need. We encourage you to join in the effort, in whatever way works best for you and your family, both at school and at home. A variety of events are planned to generate funds across the four divisions of the school including the student-faculty Talent Show on Thursday evening, September 29. At St. Margaret’s athletic events, donations will be requested with 100 percent of the funds raised earmarked for ERD.
Some of you have asked about ways to help individual families, and while I do not want in any way to dilute our commitment to ERD, I do have a personal stake in the support of one family that my wife, Pat, has identified through her experience these past ten days working in a shelter outside of New Orleans. As some of you know, Pat is a Registered Nurse and when the call came out in the wake of Katrina for volunteers to go to the Gulf Coast area, she readily volunteered. Her journey took her first to Baton Rouge and then south to Hahnville, Louisiana where she and other volunteers worked to prepare a shelter for evacuees from New Orleans. Within a very short period of time, the victims of the hurricane began to arrive – exhausted, destitute, and demoralized. While there are so many families in need of our help and support, one family emerged demonstrating a strong determination to pick up the pieces and move forward even in the face of staggering obstacles.
Carolyn Giouvstoover is a single, African-American parent of two boys, Ashton (18) and Dorian (13). She did have an older son but last year he was murdered while trying to prevent the theft of his bicycle. This tragic occurrence severely impacted the family, especially Carolyn, and this past year was extremely challenging for her, as both mother and sole bread winner. Nevertheless, with one small step at a time, she regained her determination, commitment, and composure - only to run headlong into Hurricane Katrina! Several weeks ago she owned a very modest home in New Orleans. Unfortunately, her home was built along a canal in close proximity to one of the major levees that ultimately gave way as the waters rose in and around the city. Today, her home is gone, and so, too, is the place where she once worked. With nothing but the clothes on her back and two boys in tow, she was forced to flee the city and she landed, eventually, at the Red Cross shelter in the little town of Hahnville.
Pat describes Carolyn Giouvstoover as loving, responsible, intelligent, and determined. Her oldest son was to attend a local community college this fall. The college, like so many other organizations in New Orleans, is now under water and out of commission. Her youngest son is enrolled in a school close to the shelter, not his school in New Orleans, but school nevertheless. One small step at a time, this family is working to get back on its feet but they have little to build on and they need our help. Of course, there are thousands of families in a similar situation. This particular family stood out in Pat’s eyes and we have decided to work as hard as we can to gather support for Carolyn Giouvstoover and her two boys.
If you would like to join in this specific effort, please check with Pat for wiring instructions at Pat.Hurlbut@smes.org or even better, send a check made out to Carolyn Gioustover directly to First American Bank, 13919 Rover Road. Suite 100; P.O.Box 27, Luling, LA 70070-0027, Attention Kendra Baird, Customer Service Representative.
Of course, we encourage you to join in the Katrina relief effort in whatever way works best for you and your family. Clearly, we have all heard the call to action and I know that in the way that is so emblematic of our school community, St. Margaret’s will make a difference in support of those in such dire need.
With gratitude and respect,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
Headmaster
| | | | | Dear Friends,
I hope this newsletter finds you and your families enjoying the final days of a healthy, happy, and productive summer. The beginning of another school year is fast approaching. Schools are such cyclical cultures, with distinct openings and closings and beginnings and endings. Every September brings with it a sense of anticipation and excitement as the cycle begins anew, affording each of us multiple opportunities to build on past successes, set new goals, and join together in our very special relationship as a school community. I have had the distinct privilege of being part of school communities my entire life, and I very much look forward to the energy and excitement of September, and the many accomplishments and activities the 2005-2006 school year will bring.
As you plan for the coming year, you will note that our monthly Tartan newsletter has a new format. We are working to make this monthly communication easier to read and more helpful in providing important information to the members of the St. Margaret’s community. As in the past, we will use the newsletter and our school web page as our primary means of communication.
A new school year also brings with it new faces. This year we welcome 29 new members to our faculty and staff, 194 new students, and 130 new families to our school community. The complete list of all students and parents will be included in our Parent-Student Handbook and Directory which you will receive by the first week of school. Some familiar faces will be in new places, with the most prominent being our new Director of the Early Childhood Development Center, Ingrid Andrews, who
succeeds Jody Prichard. Ms. Andrews has a wealth of experience in early childhood education and with her familiarity of our very special program, she will excel in this important leadership position. We also offer an enthusiastic welcome to Donna Garrett, the new President of the PTF as she fills the highly capable shoes of last year’s President, Peggy Day.
Construction will be prominent on our agenda as we watch with excitement the building of the Pasternack Field House and the DeYoung Family Upper School Classroom Wing. Through the generous support of many members of our school community, we have been afforded a truly wonderful opportunity to make some major physical improvements to our campus. This first project, expected to be completed by next summer, will provide much needed classroom and athletic space and will position us to move forward with the implementation of our campus master plan. It is my sincere hope that this initial effort will be a warm-up, as we challenge our SMES community to gather the funding to begin construction on a new Middle School and a Performing Arts Center the following year. We will continue to keep you posted on our progress, but suffice to say, there is work to be done on a variety of levels tomake all our dreams come true.
Of course, these projects will also present us with certain challenges and occasional frustrations, not the least of which will be navigating a large construction site and coping with the inevitable issues that this presents. Parking, dropping off, and picking up will be even more complicated this year, and I thank you in advance for your patience and faithful adherence to the guidelines as we work together in this year of transition.
Finally, during the coming school year we will engage in another important cyclical effort when we are evaluated for reaccreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). An essential requirement for being in good standing with the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) and WASC is a thorough review every six years of our mission and the principles and practices we employ to fulfill that mission. This requires a comprehensive self-study and a subsequent four-day visit by a team of outside evaluators from California independent schools. This is a demanding but very important and helpful process, and we look forward to the completion of our self-study and the eventual visit in early March by the Visiting Committee.
We have much to do as the new year approaches, and we look forward to working with all of you make 2005-2006 the best school year ever!
Warm Regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut | | | | | Dear Friends,
Hard as it is to believe, this will be the last Tartan newsletter of the 2004-05 school year. Our next issue will be sent to you in August prior to the beginning of what promises to be an exciting and eventful year. In the meantime, there is much to be done as we bring this current year to a conclusion.
The months of May and June are always busy times in the life of schools and this year will be no exception. There is something of a bitter-sweet nature to this time of year as we both look to the future and say the heartfelt good-byes to many people who have left their mark on the St. Margaret’s community. On June 11th we will celebrate the Class of 2005 as they bring to a conclusion their highly successful years at St. Margaret’s. This is truly a wonderful class -- talented, involved, caring and best of all, a joy to be around. They will definitely be missed!
In addition, the end of this school year signals the retirement of three legendary members of our faculty who will bid their final farewell to a school community that they have served collectively for more than 70 years. On the evening of May 18th, we will officially say goodbye to Jody Prichard, Lisa Merryman and Margy Risner, three extraordinary women who have left an indelible mark on our school community. We are fortunate to be part of a school that honors and respects distinguished service, and this evening will be a highly important opportunity to pay tribute to these three teachers who have made such a profound difference in our lives.
Of course, the end of another school year also signals the beginning of summer, a time of year that carries weighty importance for a variety of reasons. For me, summer has nearly always been a time for family, an opportunity to step back from the frenetic pace of life and spend uninterrupted time reconnecting and recharging. In a world of ever-increasing pressures and demands, summer has been something of an antidote to the dynamics of the rest of the year when the expectations to do more and do better never seem to relent.
Unfortunately, we are now at a time when even this last refuge for quality family time is under serious siege. Recently, I came across an article in The Wall Street Journal entitled “For High Schoolers, Summer is Time to Polish Résumés.” The gist of the article is that in a time when even the best grades, test scores, extracurricular accomplishments and letters of recommendations still won’t get thousands of seniors into our country’s elite colleges and universities, summer remains a somewhat untapped opportunity to put an eye-catching spin on college résumés. Not surprisingly, a whole host of consulting firms have surfaced who are more than willing to create a once-in-a-lifetime summer opportunity for young people from ages 12 to 18 who are looking for the “hook,” the perfect attention grabber, that just might carry the day in this era of extreme competition for admission to our best colleges.
As with so many aspects of our lives today, this dynamic is a double edged sword. Clearly, many students have and will continue to benefit from adventures, challenges and unforgettable moments that many of us never have nor ever will have the opportunity of experiencing. Summer trekking in Mongolia, bicycling in the Alps, bridge building in Tanzania or teaching English in Vietnam are unforgettable, eye-catching and costly résumé-builders for those students fortunate enough to have the resources and the family support to make it all happen. As was mentioned in the article, it used to be that people entered the Peace Corps after graduating from college. Today, the tables are turned.
At the risk of sounding slightly old-fashioned, I am somewhat troubled and very saddened by this latest foray into what used to be, for many, sacred territory. I am troubled because this seems yet again another entrepreneurial exploitation of a college admission process that has already reached dizzying heights. I am saddened because there is in this dynamic a powerful force that challenges innocence, threatens sincerity, alters responsibility and most importantly, impacts families. It is old news that our culture asks our kids to grow up too fast. This is yet again another pressure, and it’s a pressure that isn’t necessarily rooted in a sincere interest. It may well be a little simplistic, but I also think that summer is a time for certain-aged kids to actually hold down a fulltime job and know the value of accountability and a real paycheck! I used to think that everyone should work in a factory for at least one summer of their high school or college career. I realize now that this is a little harsh (if not totalitarian), but the basic concept still works for me. What better way to understand, appreciate and respect how much of our world lives and the extraordinary opportunities we have been afforded?
Finally, for all of us there comes a time when our family dynamics change and our children stretch their wings and fly from the nest. These are times of genuine happiness, intense excitement and deep emotion, and for many of us, they happen all too soon. But for now, summer is fast approaching and in a few short weeks, we will bid a fond farewell to our little charges and return them affectionately to you for what I sincerely hope will be a summer filled with happy times and precious memories.
All the best,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
As you are well aware, we are in the midst of a very ambitious capital campaign to raise significant funds for a variety of improvements to make St. Margaret’s “better, not bigger.” In a short period of time, we will break ground on the first building project of the campaign and in so doing, we will set in motion the next critical stage in the history of our school.
Of course, this campaign is not all about buildings. While every one of the construction projects on the horizon will have a transformational impact on the school, there are also other essential components of the campaign that will enrich and strengthen the school and improve the quality of education we are able to offer our students. One of those efforts is already in place and unequivocally making a difference in our lives.
Two years ago, thanks to the passionate commitment and generous support of an SMES parent who recognized and believed in a critical aspect of our mission, the Tartan Scholars program was created. The essence of this program is deeply rooted in what we stand for as a school and the role we can and should play in the larger world. In short, from those to whom much has been given, much is expected and this applies to schools as well. We are privileged at St. Margaret’s to be blessed with so many opportunities and advantages, and it is incumbent on us to reach out and make those gifts available to a wide spectrum of able and talented students.
The Tartan Scholars program has at its heart the belief that great schools make serious commitments to broaden their demographic base and enable students from a variety of backgrounds to enrich and be enriched by the school experience. One of the basic tenets of our strategic plan is to strive to create a school community that more closely resembles the demographics of our surrounding area. To this end, we have determined to broaden our commitment to worthy and qualified students who demonstrate financial need. The primary effort to meet this need comes through our financial aid budget and growing endowment, and the Tartan Scholars program is a major component of this important effort.
At present, we have ten Tartan Scholars at St. Margaret’s; five in the 9th grade and five in the 10th. Next year another five students will be admitted into our 9th grade and in the following year the program will reach its goal of having 20 Tartan Scholars in our Upper School. From that point on, thanks to the extraordinarily generous support we have received, it is our intention to carry forward this program in perpetuity meaning that 20 Tartan Scholars will always be present at St. Margaret’s and their tuition will be fully funded by an endowment specifically earmarked for this purpose.
While these are the details surrounding the support of this program, at the heart of this effort is the quality of the students who fill these spots. We have just finished the process of selecting the next group of five who will enter our 9th grade in September, and I am very confident that this new group will live up to the very high standards established by their ten predecessors. By all measure, we have been blessed with the presence of ten truly outstanding young people, all of whom have contributed broadly and deeply to the school and their peers. As the program develops, it will be our hope to identify students from our local schools in San Juan Capistrano, but for now at least, through the efforts of Judy Haidinger and Walt Linaweaver in our Admissions Office, we have established a superb relationship with Villa Fundamental School in Santa Ana. It would be difficult to imagine a better school and a better group of students to lead this important effort.
We are fortunate on so many levels at St. Margaret’s to be able to envision how our school can and should best serve young people and then receive the generous support to make it happen. We have many wonderful students in our midst, and the Tartan Scholars program has enabled an additional group of outstanding young people to join our community. We are and will continue to be the better school for their presence. I am deeply proud of this program and honored to be part of a school values this kind of commitment.
Warm Regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
As I write this letter, we are deep in the middle of the reenrollment and admission season at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School. For some, this is the time to plan for the coming year and take stock of the manner in which the school has fulfilled your expectations. For others, this is a time of high anxiety as admission decisions for new students are pondered and then communicated. On whatever side of the fence you sit, this is an important time for all of us as we look forward to the remainder of the current school year and the promise of September.
After 25 years of growth and progress, we are very pleased to acknowledge that our admission picture is healthy and robust. For a variety of reasons, we find ourselves in a strong position with high interest and activity across all four divisions of the school. Of course, this situation is not without the inevitable difficult decisions as we work to strengthen a school community that values and honors learning, responsibility, integrity, and family. While we wrestle with the challenges that this “first class problem” presents, we do so with a deep respect for what St. Margaret’s is and has been these past 25 years and a clear sense of humility as we know that some will unavoidably be disappointed with our choices.
As we move forward, we know also that “from those to whom much has been given, much is expected.” We have had an extraordinary year on a variety of levels and we realize that the support we have received carries with it the responsibility and commitment to strive to be even better at what we do. As we look ahead our plans call for an increased emphasis on curriculum development and coordination as we work to ensure that all aspects of a St. Margaret’s education connect and relate to each other. Inextricably entwined in this process is of course a heightened focus on the actual teaching techniques and methodologies that our faculty members employ to deliver their curricula. Strong, confident schools are willing to look carefully and thoughtfully at themselves and honestly review both their strengths and their weaknesses. In addition to the work we will do on our own next year, we also will be completing our periodic reaccredidation through the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). This is a thorough and rigorous process that requires careful examination of all aspects of our program to ensure that everything we do is consistent with our mission. While time consuming and challenging, this is a very healthy and important effort which will, in the end, make us even stronger.
Of course, next year will also see the beginning of long awaited construction on our campus as we move forward with the Pasternack Field House and the Upper School classroom wing. We fully expect that this is just the beginning of a series of building projects as we work toward the completion of our campus master plan. We anticipate this first project will be completed in 12-14 months, allowing us to move into these new facilities as the 2006-07 school year begins. Looming next on the horizon are plans to renovate and expand our church classroom and office space and construct a new performing arts center and middle school. These are ambitious but carefully thought out plans, all of which point to some very exciting times at St. Margaret’s in the coming years.
Finally, I want to offer my heartfelt thanks to all of you who took time out of your busy schedules to attend the Plaid Ball a week or so ago. This was a wonderful celebration of 25 years of St. Margaret’s, and it was a true honor for Pat and me to be part of this joyous occasion. Now it’s on to the next 25 years!
Warm regards
Marcus D. Hurlbut
Headmaster
| | | | | Dear Friends,
One of the more challenging aspects of my life as a teacher and headmaster has been to provide helpful and pertinent information and respectful advice to parents as we – school and home – work our way through the critical periods of our children’s development. These are clearly not easy times to raise children although my guess is that not too many parents in history have ever truly felt that their “job” was easy. What I do feel is common to the experience for all of us as parents is our sincere determination to do the very best we can “under the circumstances.”
I think my father, alive and well at 98, would probably agree that his role as a parent played out far differently than mine, for better or for worse. My life as a kid was remarkably unsupervised by my parents. We walked to school (as I recall, it was at least twenty miles through the snow!), we played games in the neighborhood, we made up our own rules, we did our own negotiating, and we generally managed to survive and learn from the inevitable scrapes and bruises.
My life as a parent has been somewhat different. I was in the delivery room when both my kids were born, without question the most memorable events of my life. From those moments forward, I was determined to play a more active role in my children’s lives than my father. Why this was so has been the subject of much reflection, conversation and thought these past thirty years, but analysis aside, I did everything I could to be involved – at home, at school, and out in the world. My children are now adults, married and both proud parents of little boys, and thus far at least, they appear to have survived their “parenting.” The proverbial ball is now in their court!
Clearly, the times are different from when I grew up in suburban Boston or when my kids grew up in Manchester, New Hampshire. And while much has been written about the special issues associated with living and raising children in the O.C., I believe that there are some universal concerns that educators are expressing today that have relevance to our school and our lives together. I have attended several national school head conferences lately and at each one, concerns about parenting were at the top of the agenda. This is not to suggest that we are in some sort of crisis mode, but rather that, once again, educators are looking for helpful information to pass along to parents about this important partnership.
Much has been written of late about parenting and schools (The Blessing of a Skinned Knee by Wendy Mogul, The Essential Conversation by Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot, and Family Matters by Robert Evans are but a few that speak to parenting in independent schools). Recently, a powerful article appeared in Psychology Today by Hara Estroff Marano entitled “A Nation of Wimps.” Clearly, the thoughts expressed here are matters of opinion (and some research), but overall, this article raises thoughts worth pondering for all of us in the important work that brings us together. Below are some of the concepts discussed.
The summary of the article is that “Parents are going to ludicrous lengths to take the bumps out of life for their children. However, parental hyperconcern has the net effect of making kids more fragile; that may be why they're breaking down in record numbers.”
Behold the wholly sanitized childhood, without skinned knees or the occasional C in history.
• Messing up, however, even in the playground, is wildly out of style. Although error and experimentation are the true mothers of success, parents are taking pains to remove failure from the equation.
• No one doubts that there are significant economic forces pushing parents to invest so heavily in their children's outcome from an early age. But taking all the discomfort, disappointment and even the play out of development, especially while increasing pressure for success, turns out to be misguided by just about 180 degrees.
• With few challenges all their own, kids are unable to forge their creative adaptations to the normal vicissitudes of life. That not only makes them risk-averse, it makes them psychologically fragile, riddled with anxiety. In the process they're robbed of identity, meaning and a sense of accomplishment, to say nothing of a shot at real happiness.
• I wish my parents had some hobby other than me.
• In the hothouse that child raising has become, play is all but dead. And what play there is has been corrupted. The organized sports many kids participate in are managed by adults; difficulties that arise are not worked out by kids but adjudicated by adult referees.
• They've been told by their coaches where on the field to stand, told by their parents what color socks to wear, told by the referees who's won and what's fair. Kids are losing leadership skills.
• Contrary to the widely held belief that only intellectual activities build a sharp brain, it's in play that cognitive agility really develops. It fosters decision-making, memory and thinking, speed of mental processing.
• It's bad enough that today's children are raised in a psychological hothouse where they are over-monitored and over-sheltered. But that hothouse no longer has geographical or temporal boundaries. For that you can thank the cell phone.
• Think of the cell phone as the eternal umbilicus. One of the ways we grow up is by internalizing an image of Mom and Dad and the values and advice they imparted over the early years. Then, whenever we find ourselves faced with uncertainty or difficulty, we call on that internalized image. We become, in a way, all the wise adults we've had the privilege to know. But cell phones keep kids from figuring out what to do. They've never internalized any images; all they've internalized is “call Mom or Dad.”
• There is in these studies a lesson for all parents. Those who allow their kids to find a way to deal with life's day-to-day stresses by themselves are helping them develop resilience and coping strategies.
• Children need to be gently encouraged to take risks and learn that nothing terrible happens.
• Being examined all the time makes children extremely self-conscious. If every drawing is going to end up on your parents' refrigerator, you're not free to fool around, to goof up or make mistakes.
• Parents are always so concerned about children having high self-esteem. But when you cheat on their behalf to get them ahead of other children--by pursuing accommodations and recommendations--you just completely corrode their sense of self. They feel 'I couldn't do this on my own.' It robs them of their own sense of efficacy." A child comes to think, "if I need every advantage I can get, then perhaps there is really something wrong with me.”
• The end result of cheating childhood is to extend it forever. Despite all the parental pressure, and probably because of it, kids are pushing back--in their own way. They're taking longer to grow up.
• The goal of parenting is to raise an independent human being.
• I don't mean we should abandon them but give them more credit for figuring things out.
Clearly this is heady stuff and should be the topic for future conversations both in and out of school. Please know that these concerns are emphatically not only parental issues. Here at school we, too, need to take a long hard look at some of these issues (cell phones come readily to mind) and continue the “essential conversations” about what is best for our children.
Warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
It has often been my custom at this time to write of resolutions and promises for the New Year and to offer thoughts and ideas about where we are headed as a school. While this is still very much a valid exercise, I find myself thinking somewhat differently in this particular January. My resolutions, or perhaps better stated, my hopes and dreams for myself, the school and our world are clearly different and profoundly affected by recent events in South Asia. For reasons still somewhat unclear to me, this Christmas and Holiday season was more graphic than I can ever remember in providing real focus and direction for what truly matters as we go through our lives together.
Much of my Christmas vacation was spent with members of my family ranging from my 6-month old grandson to my 98 year-old father and lots of other children, in-laws and siblings in between. There was a time, not all that long ago I am reluctant to add, when my primary focus during the Christmas season was on the gifts and other “stuff” that migrated from under the tree to my private and secure corner of the living room. Of course, all of this took place in a family context and I suspect that in some subliminal way a higher and more spiritual attitude began to seep its way into my soul. Perhaps it is because my family now resides in various places across the North American continent or perhaps it is because the inevitable march of time has created a more thoughtful and less self-centered view of the season, but for whatever reason, this year the material aspect of Christmas almost vanished from my pleasure meter and the importance of “each other’ took prominence.
And then came the terrible news from South Asia and for me at least, the juxtaposition of the joy of Christmas and the excruciating pain felt by so many innocent people brought a certain clarity to the season and “resolutions” for the coming year. As I watched news story after news story and saw the enormous devastation caused by the earthquake and subsequent tsunamis, I found myself haunted by images of an on- rushing sea, terrified people clinging to whatever they could to keep from being swept away, buildings, buses and trains being tossed around like some of my grandkids’ new toys, and people, so many people, floating face down, lifeless in the swirling ocean. The extent of the destruction caused by the forces of nature seemed to have no boundaries and inevitably the questions of why this occurred and what this means began to occupy much of my thinking.
I would not pretend to offer any rational or spiritual explanation for this enormous tragedy, but thoughts about what we might learn from this cataclysmic event have begun to gather some clarity. Just as I have begun to feel increasingly at Christmas time that being with each other (for most of us this means being with family) is indeed the greatest gift I could ever receive, so too do I see that the terrible death and destruction in South Asia has now produced a truly phenomenal outpouring of aid and support from all corners of the world. Yes, many lives have been lost, homes destroyed and cities shattered, but through it all the images of people reaching out to each other shine through and remind us in the most poignant of ways that when all is said and done, we are indeed our brother’s keeper.
Earlier this week in the Los Angeles Times, Jonathan Sacks, chief rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations of the Commonwealth, offered some very powerful thoughts on the tsunamis and their meaning. He writes that God at the time of another great flood made his first covenant with mankind when He asked Noah to counter a world filled with violence by instituting a social order that would honor human life as the image of God. Sacks goes on to say, “Not as an explanation of suffering but as a response to it, I will pray that in our collective grief we renew the covenant of human solidarity. Having seen how small and vulnerable humanity is in the face of nature, might we not also see how small are the things that divide us, and how tragic to add grief to grief?”
Amen.
Fondly,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
As I watched our recent Homecoming football game from my crowded perch at the top of the bleachers, I was struck by a variety of emotions, some of which had to do with football but most of which related to community and family. For those of us who were inclined or able to focus on the play on the field, the game itself came to a painful conclusion as our undefeated football team went down to defeat in a rare overtime game. Ours is a highly talented team that has dazzled us throughout the season with an explosive offense and a very stingy defense, but unfortunately, on this fall evening, the victory belonged to our worthy opponents.
As I attempted to descend from the bleachers to stand in front of our guys as they knelt to sing the Alma Mater, I was deeply disappointed for the team but very grateful to be part of this special school community. Football is a tough sport and the “agony of defeat” is especially painful when it occurs at our own Homecoming, in front of a huge (by our standards) crowd, against our cross town rivals, in overtime. Everything was set up for a great evening, except the final score! But in so many ways, it was indeed a great evening.
Several years ago I happened to read H.G. Bissinger’s Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team and a Dream (now a very successful motion picture) and found myself moved by his assessment of the community-building nature of high school football, especially on Friday nights. Of course, San Juan Capistrano is not exactly Odessa, Texas and many of the issues described in his book don’t apply to us, but the family feeling and wholesome good fun that permeate these events at St. Margaret’s bear some resemblance to Bissinger’s portrayal. In a world that seems to want more and more glitz and less and less substance, the sense of belonging that accompanies Friday nights is heartening and reassuring. I am continually moved by the number of families with no direct connection to the football team that show up on Friday nights to be part of the fun. With all due respect to Coach Brady Lock and his team, I am not even sure that the growing numbers of spectators really care about the intricacies of football or know the win-loss record of our team. Rather, many are there, I believe, to be part of a community and to join a group gathering that speaks to roots, belonging and neighborhood—precious commodities in our world today.
The relevance of all of this is more and more apparent as we head into late November and anticipate the arrival of Thanksgiving, one of my very favorite holidays. Of course, each of us has our own thoughts on what this day means to us, but for me, Thanksgiving has always been about family, community, tradition, and a welcome absence of commercialism. That my family has actually played football (touch, that is) on Thanksgiving is merely incidental (I also recall as a young boy playing Canasta or some other strange card game with my grandparents). What has mattered is the strong sense of belonging and love that has permeated this special day, and for this I will always be deeply grateful.
As we prepare for Thanksgiving and the joyous holidays to follow, we thank you in advance for your respect of and adherence to our school calendar. Given the intensity of our schedules and the demands on our time, the importance of our time together as a school community is even more precious as we work together to serve all of “our” children.
Best wishes to you and your families for a restful, healthy, and safe Thanksgiving.
Warmest regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
At Back-To-School Nights this fall, Lyons Brown (Legacy Campaign Chair) and I spoke of the “transformational” period in which we have now found ourselves at St. Margaret’s. At the heart of this concept are two critical realities—we have reached maximum enrollment (1200 students) and we are in the midst of the most ambitious capital effort in the school’s history. These two phenomena create an exciting and unprecedented dynamic as we chart the course of the school for the foreseeable future. We know we can’t and won’t be bigger but we can and must be better. Better not bigger! Just exactly what does this mean?
The first 25 years of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School represent a powerful statement of what dedicated, thoughtful, and caring people can do with a clear vision and strong leadership. Inspired by the vision of Father Ernest Sillers, SMES came quickly out of the starting blocks and in a very short period of time was established as a superb educational institution. In those critical formative years, certain key principles were built into the fabric of the school. These principles have now stood the test of time and remain today at the heart of our mission.
As we begin our second quarter century, we do so with a strong sense of obligation to our founders and a determination to remain true to their vision. Of primary importance is an unequivocal commitment to our Episcopal identity. We are profoundly blessed to have a spiritual focus at the core of our being as a school, and the future holds absolutely no possibility for change in this area. We don’t anticipate any wholesale changes in the academic, athletic or artistic aspects of our program either. Rather, we view this important period in the history of St. Margaret’s as a time of refinement, of sharpening our focus, of building on the superb work of the past to serve our children even better. Our curriculum can be more carefully and intentionally constructed, our health and wellness programs can be more fully developed, our music programs can be deeper and more sophisticated, our technology can be further refined, and our facilities can be better suited to meet the needs of all of the above (to name but a few). We can and should improve our commitment to our faculty and staff by providing increasingly better salaries and benefits and meaningful opportunities for professional growth and development. Our commitment to the larger community can be further strengthened through building on our existing community service programs and making a St. Margaret’s education accessible to a wide range of talented students in our local area. Such are the areas of focus for great schools and the time is now for St. Margaret’s to move into this new and exiting phase in our history.
Importantly, while we look to build new buildings and grow our endowment, we do so with a commensurate commitment to sustain those critical aspects of a St. Margaret’s education that have been so central to the school’s history. Primarily, we must always retain our determination to serve our children to the very best of our abilities. Recently, the Board of Trustees approved the following mission statement: “Our mission at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School is to educate the hearts and minds of young people for lives of learning, leadership and service.” While the words are new, the thoughts behind these words are much the same as have guided our school these past 25 years. Our focus has been and will continue to be on our students—their minds, their spirit, their character and their values. As we move forward in our efforts to be “better, not bigger,” we do so with enormous respect for the family tradition of our school and the love and dedication of so many who have given so much to help us be where we are today.
This is clearly an exciting time to be at St. Margaret’s. There is much to do and much to honor. I look forward to making this journey together.
Warmest regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
The 2004-05 school year is now off and running and we are very pleased to welcome 196 new students and 126 new families to the St. Margaret’s Episcopal School community. In addition, on behalf of our Chairman, Bishop Jon Bruno, and President, Jeff Stoddard, we are pleased to welcome to our Board of Trustees six new members who bring valuable experiences to their role of presiding over the mission of the school. As we look forward to the work ahead and the wisdom these new members bring, we also offer heartfelt thanks and appreciation to departing members of the Board. Barbara Massrey, Peter Waller, Simon Whitmey, Peter Spenuzza, and Beth Adamany have given exceptional service to the school during an important transitional time in our history. We are deeply grateful for their faithful dedication and support and we look forward to building on their many contributions.
Our six new trustees bring varied backgrounds and valuable experience to their new positions at St. Margaret’s. The following brief biographies illustrate the depth of talent this new group brings to our Board.
Lyons Brown III, his wife Zooey, and their three SMES children live in
Laguna Beach. Lyons holds a BA and MBA from the University of Virginia, and he most recently served as Senior Vice President, Director of Sales for Brown-Forman Spirits America. A member of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, Lyons is currently an Adjunct Professor of Marketing at Pepperdine University, and he serves on various boards, including the A.B. Freeman School of Business at Tulane University. Lyons also has graciously assumed the leadership role of our Legacy Campaign.
Kenneth W. Colbaugh, his wife Robin, and their two SMES children live in Newport Beach. Ken holds a BS in Business Administration from San Jose State University and is currently Managing Director of Colbaugh & Heinsheimer Consulting, Inc, an aerospace and defense consulting firm. Ken is also a former COO and Board Member for SM&A Corporation and the former Director of Business Management & Development for Lockheed Corporation.
Peggy Day lives in San Juan Capistrano with her husband, Kip Knight, and their two sons, Chris, who is currently a senior at SMES, and Tom, SMES ’03. Peggy holds a BS from Miami University of Ohio and an MBA from Xavier University. She is President of the Parent Teacher Fellowship at St. Margaret’s for the 2004-05 school year.
Mary J. George and her husband, Thomas, live in San Juan Capistrano. They have two sons, the youngest of which, James, graduated from SMES in 1998. Mary holds a BA in English Language and Literature from University College Kerala in India and a MBA in Finance and Marketing from The Institute of Management at Xavier College in India. Mary is currently Co-Chair of Bell Sports, a position she has held since 2000. Mary spent her early years in her native country of India, and she brings more than thirty years of experience in building companies (Orville Redenbacher’s Gourmet Popcorn, among others). Samuel C. Wolgemuth and his wife, Mary Gayle, live in Coto de Caza and have four grown children. Sam holds a BA in Philosophy from Taylor University, is currently a limited partner of Tri-Artisan Partners, and is the former President and CEO of Freedom Communications, Inc. He currently sits on a variety of boards, including the World Relief Corporation, Youth for Christ International, Orange County’s Pacific Symphony, and the Annenberg School of Communication at USC. Sam is active inSt. Margaret’s Episcopal Church.
Johnelle Zarutskie, her husband, Paul, and their two SMES children live in Laguna Niguel. Johnelle holds a BS and MS in Nursing and is a certified Reproductive Endocrinology Nurse Specialist. She is also a member of the Society for ReproductiveEndocrinology/Infertility, the Pacific Coast Reproductive Society, and the Professional Nurses of Reproductive Medicine. Johnelle and Paul co-chaired last year’s record breaking Annual Fund campaign and both are members of St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church.
As we begin this new year, we are very pleased to welcome this talented group and all our new families to the St. Margaret’s community. We are also very excited and energized by the continued support we have received for our Legacy Campaign. The recent announcement of another major gift to our school places us in very special company in the world of independent school education. Our challenge now is to gather the entire school community to work together to bring St. Margaret’s to new heights. What a wonderful opportunity for all of us.
Warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends:
This week, St. Margaret’s took a short period of time out of an always-busy schedule to make a powerful statement about tradition, school spirit, and community. The event was the installation of the school’s third headmaster.
It is of course a little awkward for me to comment on my own installation, but given that I had little to do with the creation or the planning of this event, I do have a certain objectivity that allows me to offer a few thoughts on how this occasion fits into the life of the school. From the time I was a little boy, tradition has occupied an important place in my life. I suspect much of this feeling was derived from my family, but I do know that somewhere along the line I developed a strong feeling that tradition, especially in schools, provides meaning and a depth of feeling that brings lasting value to a student’s experience.
What makes this recent event so noteworthy for me is the manner in which the St. Margaret’s students respected and honored the process. It was a very special occasion involving students of all ages as acolytes, bell ringers, musicians, singers, and readers. The tone was serious but cheerful and everyone involved from the Bishop to the littlest preschooler seemed to understand that this was indeed a very important day in the history of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School.
Tradition and history have always been vitally important for me and I have felt a certain obligation to do all I can to celebrate this history and honor those important moments or ceremonies that comprise the backbone of the school experience. In some places where I have been, this was a tall order but not here at St. Margaret’s. I was deeply impressed and more than just a little moved by the maturity and dignity with which our students went about participating in this recent event. They did not have to be told that this day was important. They clearly knew it. What a resounding tribute it was to those many teachers who have worked so tirelessly to instill in their students this very special sense of history and tradition at St. Margaret’s.
The event was meaningful to me on many levels not the least of which is that it involved the entire school community from the littlest to the biggest. This was the first time I have seen all of us together and I am already looking forward to bringing this group together again in the not so distant future. While each division of the school has its special and separate areas of focus and identity, we are all part of the same venerable institution called St. Margaret’s, and those values so lovingly and carefully cultivated in our preschool program are intentionally and skillfully carried through to our older students and serve as powerful reminders of what we are all about.
I was deeply honored to be part of such a meaningful and historic event and very proud to be a member of the St. Margaret’s community. I also extend my deep thanks and appreciation to all our parents—you should be very, very proud of your children and your school.
Marcus D. Hurlbut
Headmaster
| | | | | Dear Friends,
With the Christmas and Holiday season now in full swing, I want to share with you an experience and a few thoughts on our lives together at St. Margaret’s that might provide some perspective in this very busy time of year. Throughout the fall, I have had the pleasure of observing the Lower School tradition of birthday acknowledgments in Chapel. Just prior to Thanksgiving, the Lower School students caught me completely by surprise when they honored, of all things, my birthday. Now, I have always loved birthday celebrations but in recent years I have decided that I have probably celebrated more than enough of my own. Of course, the Lower School students were unaware of my self-proclaimed moratorium and they charged ahead with their customary and heartfelt enthusiasm to bestow on me many touching cards, creative drawings, class pictures complete with overlays of white mustaches, and even a little homemade pumpkin bread. When Chapel came to an end that day, I was deeply moved both by the love and affection I felt and the appreciation, once again, of the meaning and power of simple gifts.
I mention this not so you can mark down on your calendars that the new headmaster’s birthday is close to Thanksgiving, but rather to offer a reminder that at this time of year especially, we and our children might be better served by doing all we can to slow down the pace and simplify our lives. While I was initially self-conscious and somewhat embarrassed (but very moved) by all the fanfare last month, I soon realized that this experience was clearly not about me. Rather, it was an opportunity skillfully seized by our Lower School faculty to teach our students important lessons on the power of gift-giving. What they gave me that day was simple and from the heart, and I felt it.
Recently, I came across Katrina Kenison’s book, Mitten Strings for God: Reflections for Mothers in a Hurry. Her message, in part, is that “in simplicity there is freedom – freedom to do less and to enjoy more,” and she offers suggestions “for seeing the sacred in the ordinary…for turning our homes into havens where peace and creativity can flourish, and where we feed not only our children’s bodies and intellects but their souls as well.” What a wonderful message in this season of ever-increasing extravagance and commercialism.
My hope for all of us throughout this joyous time of year is that we can somehow learn to slow down the pace and make time in our lives for what Kenison, among others, describes as truly meaningful. “When I stop speeding through life, I find the joy in each day's doings, in a life that cannot be bought, but only discovered, created, cherished, and lived.” This, of course, is no small challenge. We are clearly a fast-paced culture of “multi-taskers” and many of us, myself included, see this ability as one of our great strengths. Yet, as my Lower School Chapel experience illustrates, it is usually in those moments of simplicity and innocence (“the sacred in the ordinary”) that we reconnect, recenter and “feed our souls.”
As we bring 2003 to an end, Pat and I offer our prayers for peace throughout the world and extend our good wishes to you and your families for a joyous Christmas and Holiday season and a healthy and happy New Year.
Warmest regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
It is with genuine enthusiasm and a sense of great things to come that I write this initial letter to all members of the St. Margaret’s community welcoming you back to the 2004-05 school year. While it is always difficult to say good-bye to summer (just where did the time go?), this year promises to be exciting and meaningful in a variety of ways, not the least of which will be the celebration of the school’s 25th Anniversary. There will be more information to follow, but suffice it to say that we will have many opportunities to acknowledge and pay much deserved tribute to St. Margaret’s and the many people who have contributed so meaningfully to its remarkable success these past twenty-five years.
The 2004-05 school year will also be one of growth and challenge. As most of you know, an important aspect of the celebration of our 25th Anniversary is the launching of an ambitious building program, the initial phase of which will be the construction of a new gymnasium and Upper School classroom wing known collectively as the Events and Education Center. Our plans are currently being reviewed by the City of San Juan Capistrano, and we fully expect to begin construction later this fall. This project will be the first critical step in the completion of a campus master plan which eventually calls for the construction of a Performing Arts Center; a new Middle School; renovations to the Upper School, Lower School, and Campaigne Center; and the expansion and renovation of the Church and related classroom spaces. The plan is both ambitious and exciting, and I look forward to sharing the specifics with you at various gatherings this fall.
While these plans constitute a truly historic period in the expansion of the school’s physical plant, we also have the related challenge of making all of this come true. Last year we were the beneficiaries of generous support from virtually all of our school families. Record levels were established for the Annual Fund, with nearly 90 percent of our families participating. We also received two extraordinary gifts at levels rarely seen in the world of independent schools. While we can and should feel exhilarated by our success and good fortune, the fact is that our work is just beginning and the on-going support of the entire school community will be critical to the eventual realization of our goals. We have been given a truly outstanding start. Now we need to build on that success and make it all happen!
Finally, great schools are built on the talents and strengths of great people. The success of St. Margaret’s these past 25 years is without question attributable to the faithful service and dedication of many members of our faculty and staff who have essentially made a career of SMES. As is often the case, talented people attract others with similar attributes and this year we welcome a very strong contingent of new administrators, teachers, and staff members to our school community. Our continued development as a respected and distinguished independent school will be even further advanced by the presence of this talented group.
This year we also welcome 194 new students from 138 new families. Best wishes to you and all members of our school community for a successful and fulfilling school year.
Warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
Headmaster
| | | | | Dear Friends,
As we bring the 2004-05 school year to a conclusion, I want to offer my sincere and heartfelt thanks to all of you for making my first year at St. Margaret’s so enjoyable and fulfilling. It is always challenging to come new to a school community and begin the process of learning “the culture” and understanding the various intricacies that comprise life in a specific school community. No two schools are alike, and while there are certainly similarities and the inevitable cross-references, it is no small challenge to understand the specific qualities that make a school unique. Pat and I are deeply grateful to so many of you who took the time to make our lives so rewarding and fulfilling this year. We feel deeply blessed to be part of such a wonderfully supportive and caring community.
St. Margaret’s is truly a special place, made so in part by the extraordinarily large number of you who have given of your time and talent on so many levels to enrich the lives of us all. Since the beginning of school in September, I have been witness to parental support and contribution that is truly unique in my career in independent schools. Every school extols the virtues of its volunteers, but you are in a class by yourselves. From the hot lunch program to the annual fund to last week’s Library Luncheon, you have been there, eager to lend a hand and enrich the lives of our students. For all of your support and obvious love and affection for your children, I extend my deepest thanks.
Special thanks also to those parents of the Class of 2004 who will be moving on to another chapter in their lives. I vividly recall the graduation of my youngest and the very powerful emotions that accompanied that rite of passage in the life of our family as we came to the realization that our focus would move beyond the school that had been such a vital part of our lives together. Fortunately, there is another world out there, but for many, the transition period is clearly challenging. And this is the good news for the emotional tug tells us that we have truly and meaningfully invested.
And finally, a very special thanks to those members of the faculty and staff who will be moving on to new challenges next year. For such a young school, St. Margaret’s has gathered in a very short period of time an extraordinarily talented group of dedicated teachers who, like so many of you, have given of themselves to serve our students. We offer our heartfelt thanks for their many contributions and our best wishes for continued good fortune in the future.
When we gather again in September, we will be the same school with a different set of players and exciting times ahead. The imminent construction of a new gym and classroom building will begin a new phase in the life of St. Margaret’s. In the meantime, however, all the best to you and your families for a successful conclusion to the year and a relaxing and rejuvenating summer with family and friends.
Warmest regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Parents,
It is with great excitement and a genuine sense of privilege that I write this initial letter for our monthly Tartan newsletter. This publication has served the St. Margaret's Episcopal School community for many years, and I am honored now to be a part of a process that has and will continue to celebrate the many accomplishments of members of our school community. I am also eager to use this newsletter to share some thoughts with you as I work my way through my first year at St. Margaret's. The process of educating children in a preschool through grade twelve setting is complex and challenging and the better we know each other, the better able we all will be to serve our students. I hope that in the course of your busy schedules you will save a few moments to read the Tartan, to acknowledge the many talents of our students and faculty members, to post the enclosed monthly calendars on your refrigerators, and if the spirit moves you, to respond to my letter and share your thoughts.
My journey to St. Margaret's has come by way of an enormously rewarding and fulfilling career in independent schools. Most recently I served for nine years as headmaster of Friends Academy, a Quaker school on the north shore of Long Island. My experience at Friends has prepared me in a variety of ways for this new and exciting chapter in my life, perhaps most significantly in deepening my appreciation for the role that schools with a religious foundation ( or faith-based schools) play in the educational process. As we all know, our world today is filled with many uncertainties and challenges, and the responsibility of raising and educating the children in the 21st century is increasingly daunting as we work to navigate difficult and often uncharted waters. Through my experience, I have developed a deep respect and appreciation for the importance of schools with a strong moral and spiritual foundation. It was clear to me early on that St. Margaret's was such a school.
Recently, I came across the following description from the National Association of Episcopal Schools: "Episcopal schools are clear, yet graceful, about how they articulate and express their basic identities, especially in their religious curricula and traditions. They invite all who attend and work in them - Episcopalians and non-Episcopalians, Christiana and non-Christians, people of no faith tradition - both to seek clarity about their own beliefs and religions and to honor those traditions more fully and faithfully in their own lives. Above all, Episcopal schools exist not merely to educate, but to demonstrate and proclaim the unique worth and beauty of all human beings as creations of a loving, empowering God."
I find this statement remarkably similar to words commonly used to describe the purpose and mission of Quaker schools, and consequently, to describe what I feel is the special calling of faith-based schools. These independent schools, rooted in a long and glorious tradition of nurturing and celebrating the intellectual, physical and spiritual growth of each member of their communities, are indeed special places with noble purposes. I am truly blessed at this point in my life to have had the privilege of serving two such schools, and I come to St. Margaret's with an abiding respect for those who have gone before and a genuine enthusiasm for the work that lies ahead. The Reverend Canon Ernest Sillers and Mark Campaigne have cast long shadows through their dedication and devotion to the people of St. Margaret's. I am honored to follow in their footsteps and eager to work with all of you in the exciting and important times that await us.
Please feel free to call or stop by as the new year begins. In the meantime, my wife, Pat, and I extend our very best to you and your families for a fulfilling, meaningful and joyous school year.
Marcus D. Hurlbut
Headmaster
| | | | | Dear Friends,
At this time in the school year, my thoughts often turn to thinking through how best to manage the apparent craziness of May and early June and bring the year to a successful but not too chaotic conclusion. So many events dot the calendar providing numerous opportunities for members of the school community to gather, share their thoughts, offer words of praise and congratulations, and say the necessary good-byes.
As we head into the final stages of this particular school year, I am reminded in the most powerful of ways of the notion that from those to whom much has been given, much is expected. What a truly extraordinary year this has been for St. Margaret’s! The back-to-back announcements of two extraordinary gifts from two of our school families constitute a truly historic moment in the life of our school. As a newcomer to SMES, I am deeply humbled by the trust and faith that has been placed in our laps and even more appreciative of the remarkable success story that St. Margaret’s represents. Perhaps even more importantly, this support has made even clearer to me what a special school we are and how increasingly important it is to stay the course and remain true to our mission. I say this not because our mission is in any way compromised by the gifts we have received, but rather because it might be easy and possibly even expected that we would see this support as an opportunity to send the school in new directions. Rest assured that such is not the case.
I have had the good fortune to be part of school communities that have been generously supported by their various members. In the process, what has become increasingly apparent to me is that people give to schools because they believe in what the school represents, and they trust that the integrity of this purpose is solid and resolute. St. Margaret’s is where it is today because a small handful of people had a dream and then took a risk some 25 years ago to found a school that has now distinguished itself in ways reserved for the most venerable and prestigious of independent schools in the United States. What has brought St Margaret’s to this lofty level in such a brief period of time is difficult to determine, but I would submit that the reason lies primarily in those members of the faculty and staff who have given so long and so faithfully to SMES. Their faithful and loyal dedication has made it abundantly clear that the school has a purpose, a distinct focus and direction, and integrity.
Recently, I discovered that more than 30 members of our faculty and staff have served the school for 15 years or more. On the surface, this may not seem significant, but given that this time period constitutes more than 3/5ths of our history, it is clear that a significant number of people have made a career of the Tartan and the Cross. Starting in 1979 with Susan Remsberg, Lisa Merryman, David and Marilynn Boyle, and Jody Prichard, who were, in essence, “present at the creation” in those temporary trailers, St. Margaret’s has inspired a loyalty and commitment that has served our students and families in very special ways. It is not surprising then that another hallmark of St. Margaret’s history is that this solid foundation of faculty and staff has created a climate where many students “go the distance” from preschool to graduation. The loyalty and dedication of many individual families who have been vital members of the school community over time and entrusted us with their most precious possessions is yet again another testament to the depth and strength of our school.
We are now set to embark on a very exciting and important period of time in the history of St. Margaret’s. Somewhere in my life someone said to me that it is important to “work with the given” and build on your strengths and successes. We have indeed been given much and, therefore, much is now expected, from all of us, as we move forward to sustain our mission and continue to build the strongest school possible. I very much look forward to joining with you in the great work that lies ahead.
Warmest regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
As most of us know, successful organizations devote significant amounts of time analyzing their long term goals and aspirations and developing plans to make those dreams come true. This past weekend a similar effort was undertaken at St. Margaret’s when representatives from all the school’s constituencies gathered to work with John Bird of Educator’s Collaborative to share thoughts on what we would like to see the school look like in ten years and what steps we will need to take to get there. This is clearly a work in progress but I do want to keep you informed on where we are and the issues we are discussing and considering.
It is safe to say that no radical changes in the overall mission and philosophy of St. Margaret’s are being suggested. The school is on very solid footing making it even more appealing and fulfilling to develop meaningful and comprehensive plans to move the school forward and build on the great work of the past 24 years. Areas for analysis and discussion this past weekend included such topics as the ideal size of the school (enrollment and demographic configuration), the purposes and objectives of our many programs, our commitment and involvement in the larger community, the financial efforts necessary to support these initiatives and ensure the long term stability of the school, and an assessment of the facility improvements needed to deliver our programs.
While there is still much work to be done to finalize a report of our work, I think you might find it interesting to hear some of our thoughts thus far. Overall, there was solid consensus on our determination to bring St. Margaret’s forward to the point where we are recognized as one of, if not the, premier independent schools in California and our school is acknowledged and respected across the country. To do this we are determined to maintain and strengthen, where needed, the rigor of our academic programs while sustaining our commitment to families and continuing to place major emphasis on spiritual and character development informed and guided by our Episcopal tradition. Strong consensus also emerged that 1200 students is the ideal enrollment for St. Margaret’s and that increased efforts be made to move our demographic configuration in a direction that more closely resembles the composition of the surrounding Orange County community. We also acknowledged that accomplishing these objectives requires an even greater commitment to making a St Margaret’s education accessible to a broad range of families through continued growth of our financial aid program.
The critical underpinning of all these objectives is the complete agreement that great schools with effective and meaningful programs and a genuine commitment to serve their students and communities must attract, support and retain a talented and dedicated faculty and maintain a solid financial foundation. We are currently blessed with the presence of an excellent teaching faculty and every effort must be made to ensure that this will always be the case. St. Margaret’s is on very solid financial ground (healthy annual operating budget and a very successful annual fund) but we know that the long term future of the school depends on the development of a first rate physical plant that supports all our programs, and the growth of a meaningful endowment to sustain these programs well into the future. Developing a strategic plan to strengthen the school in all of these areas will be the focus of the work that lies ahead and we look forward to the support and participation of the entire school community to make all of this a reality.
While completion of this plan will take several months and will ultimately require formal approval by our Board of Trustees, I welcome your thoughts and comments at any time in the process and look forward to sharing the results as we move closer to completion.
Warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
For the past few days, I have received gentle nudges from a dutiful colleague to finish my article for the Tartan. This is something of a ritual that has developed and I nearly always feel that the article couldn’t possibly be due yet. After all, I just wrote one!
March is admissions season at St. Margaret’s and at other independent schools across the country. There are difficult decisions to be made, challenging phone calls to make, replies to await, and wait lists to be constructed. There are siblings to consider, financial aid awards to offer, budgets to be balanced and re-enrollment agreements to be collected.
March is also the time for planning for the coming year. There are important conferences to conduct, annual reviews to be considered, interviews to be arranged, offers to be made, searches to be managed and a team for the coming year to be built.
Pressure! We all feel it, one way or another. It comes in many forms and it is an equal opportunity afflicter. At some levels, pressure creates energy and a sense of urgency that gets things done. At other levels, pressure is debilitating and causes virtual paralysis. However we look at it, for most of us pressure is real and needs to be managed, but how?
Episcopal schools have at least a partial answer to pressure alleviation. Our regular Chapel services provide opportunity for those elusive periods of prayer, introspection, music and occasional silence and quiet reflection. Chapel has a somewhat different character across the four divisions of the school, but this important time does bring us together and strengthen our sense of faith and community. Chapel does not solve all problems nor does it always relieve the pressure that so many of us feel, but it is a start. While there are a variety of points of view on the chapel experience, for me, this important time together is not unlike that valve on the top of my mother’s pressure cooker. It definitely takes the edge off.
Several years ago, I was participating in a session for students and parents when a parent asked a group of students what advice they might offer to today’s parents. Many meaningful suggestions were made, but one in particular stands out. Parents were encouraged to help their children discover and then pursue their passions and to avoid imposing their own passions on their children. Simple advice but very difficult to follow, especially today when there is so much pressure to take the right courses, to construct the diverse portfolio, to do well on the SAT’s, and of course, to attend the right college.
Recently some of you had the pleasure of attending a workshop with widely published author Michael Thompson, an extraordinarily perceptive analyst of adolescent development. In one of his many articles, Dr. Thompson made the following comment about a particular student with whom he was working. “The central lesson of his junior and senior year is that school is a college-entrance test and nothing more. He may have learned to be dutiful, bored and joyless. These may appear to be subtle losses, but I think not. It seems to me that what schools want to produce are students who are excited about intellectual issues, about the give-and-take with a teacher, about the excitement of learning from friends and participating on teams. Too much pressure, whether it is exerted by parents or by the schools themselves, is going to mean that the memories children will have of their school years will be about responding to that pressure, period. What a loss for kids.”
Schools (and parents) face an enormous challenge today. We want so much for our children to bring home good grades, solid test scores and leads in the play, but we also know that St. Margaret’s and college beyond are but way stations in a life time of challenges and opportunities. My hope for our students is that we will help them achieve balance and perspective in their lives and protect them from being what has been described as over-fed and undernourished. Of course, there will always be deadlines to meet and pressures to feel, but the interests and passions our students are encouraged to develop now will in so many ways provide nourishment for a lifetime of happiness and fulfillment and a counterbalance to the inevitable pressures. And best of all, these passions will be there, waiting, when the proverbial article is done!
The very best to you and your families for a Happy Easter and a relaxing and enjoyable spring vacation.
Warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
As we move into the “doldrums” of winter (I am still trying to determine if this word has any application in southern California), some important developments are in the works that I would like to share with you. While some of these issues have greater relevance to certain divisions in the school, most will be of interest to families across all four divisions as we move forward with our plans for the coming school year.
At a recent forum for Middle and Upper School parents, several important personnel issues were discussed.
I am very pleased to announce that Mr. Roland Allen, currently the Director of College Counseling at Sidwell Friends School in Washington, D.C. will be joining our college counseling staff in July. Mr. Allen brings many years of experience to this important position as both a college admission officer (Westmont College, Colby College, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Stanford University) and a secondary school college counselor (Branson School in addition to Sidwell). He is widely known and respected in the college world, and I am very confident that his years of service in this important area will bring great benefit to our students and our school.
In addition, we have made the decision to create the new position of Academic Dean for the coming year. While I am highly committed to establishing lean and efficient administrative structures,
I do feel that this additional position will afford us a welcome opportunity to coordinate the curriculum across all four divisions of the school and bring genuine clarity to issues of curricular scope and sequence and consistency of expectations and programs. I have been fortunate to have created such a position in my prior school and the results were very positive. We have currently begun a formal search process for this important position and I look forward to sharing our results with you.
The topic of the Safe Homes program also was raised at this recent parent evening and many shared my concerns that much more needs to be done in the critical area of drug and alcohol education for both our students and our parents. While a detailed explanation of the Safe Homes program is better reserved for another time, it is clear to many of us that we are not currently of one mind in our school community on how best to deal with this challenging issue. I am pleased to say that many parents share an eagerness to develop a more comprehensive program of drug and alcohol awareness throughout the school and we look forward to providing updates as we work with the PTF on this important topic.
Finally, we spent some time talking about the yearly calendar and the changes we will be implementing for the 2004-05 school year (see the enclosed”Save the Date”). The key component in this particular issue is the development of a calendar that best supports our educational mission. In this regard, we have done some fine-tuning to create a more balanced flow for the coming school year. The semester break has been slightly shortened and repositioned and the presence of Easter in the latter part of March enables us to create a better-placed spring vacation. In addition, we are highly sensitive to the disruption caused by numerous “minimum days,” and we have made a serious effort to reduce these to a bare (and necessary) minimum. As discussed in a prior letter, we also are mindful of the importance of preserving the integrity of the calendar and we ask that each family be respectful of the published dates and do the very best to schedule vacations and other family commitments around this calendar. In turn, we fully understand and accept our responsibility to conduct meaningful and substantive classes on days prior to and after vacations.
It is clear to me that parent meetings similar to this recent gathering have meaning and value, and I look forward to future opportunities to come together and share thoughts about our school and our children.
Warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
| | | | | Dear Friends,
On Tuesday, September 9, I somewhat innocently and naively made my way to the PTF Welcome Back Coffee in Sillers Hall. I am not sure what I had expected, but I was truly impressed and more than pleasantly surprised at what I found. What a great event! Congratulations and many, many thanks to Beth Stolrow and Heather Lasting for their extraordinary work.
It was a wonderful start to the year and it reinforced in so many ways why the St. Margaret’s community is such a supportive and special place.
At the coffee I made the decision to open the floor for a few questions. Not surprisingly, the very first question asked about my plans and goals for the school. Nothing like getting to the heart of the matter! I do think that this is a more than fair question to ask, and over time, this particular topic deserves as informed an answer as I can provide.
Even with a scant three months under my belt as Headmaster of St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, I have developed many thoughts concerning the future direction of the school and how we can all get there together. Some of these thoughts are on a major scale and deal with the growth and expansion of school facilities, the development of a meaningful endowment for faculty salaries and financial aid, the continued commitment to attract and retain the very best faculty and staff, and an on going effort to examine, review and refine our various curricula to provide the finest education possible for our students. Others are less obvious and slightly more abstract, but all are rooted in the mission of the school and how we as a school community can work together to further this mission.
An increasingly important aspect of our mission has been of particular interest and concern for me lately. Two years ago our country and our world were forever changed with the unspeakably tragic events of September 11. I happened to be 25 miles from Ground Zero on that fateful day and my then school community was affected in ways far too difficult to describe here. Since that day, however, I have carried forward a far deeper and more powerful understanding of the critical role that schools like St. Margaret’s play, not only in the lives of our students but also in the lives of our school families. Each day when school is in session, we are entrusted with your most precious possessions, your children. This is an enormous responsibility, one that has taken on even greater significance in the past two years. Our commitment to “guide and nurture our students” has always been important, but today, this particular aspect of our mission is very much at the top of my list.
From the ashes of Ground Zero and the overwhelming sense of despair this event represents, we in the school world have an obligation to move forward and do all we can to make our school communities nurturing and hopeful places where our students and our families feel valued, connected, and loved. When you drop off your children in the parking lot each morning, I want you to know that we will do all we can to be there for them (and for you). This doesn’t mean that we won’t have our moments of disagreement and tension (what meaningful relationship doesn’t?), but we, like you, have as our highest priority the nurturing and care of “our” children.
I hope the year is off to a great start for you and your families. Thank you so much for your warm and heartfelt welcome.
Marcus D. Hurlbut
Headmaster
| | | | | Dear Friends,
We are often reminded of our good fortune when tragic events happen to other people. The recent fires here in California and the related hardships that have befallen our neighbors have been powerful reminders to me of how fortunate I am to be part of such a supportive and caring school community. It is, of course, always challenging to come new to an area, and my friends and family on the East Coast have found gentle ways to point out some of the challenging aspects of living in California during this current fall season. Mountain lions, intriguing politics, and raging fires are but a few of the occurrences that have punctuated this new adventure for us. Fortunately, these events are overshadowed by the very special school community we have joined and the support we have received in these potentially difficult times of adjustment and change.
Most every school has its own unique culture and demonstrates in its own way how the school community comes together to remind us that we are all part of one large family. In the middle of October, I was treated to a very special St. Margaret’s event, the Tartan Faire and Homecoming. Clearly, this event was the product of an enormous amount of planning and organization led by a large number of faithful PTF volunteers. To all who were involved in making this event such a huge success, I extend my heartfelt thanks for your hard work and dedication. As the weekend unfolded, it was increasingly apparent to me how important and meaningful it is for members of our school community (children of all ages) to gather for an afternoon and evening of good fun and uncomplicated togetherness. From the face painting and cotton candy of the early afternoon to the enthusiastic and spirited support for our football team later that evening (well done, cheerleaders!), the St. Margaret’s community was joyfully united, and it felt very good to be a part of the fun.
The Faire is something of a precursor to the other events of the school year as we usher in “the holiday season.” As the fall season comes to a conclusion, we pause at the end of the month for a much-deserved break to gather with friends and loved ones for Thanksgiving. With a focus on family and a minimum of glitz or political implication, Thanksgiving represents to me one of the very best times of the year. As you gather with your families this year, please know how much we value your friendship and support and how thankful we are for these important and rewarding times we spend together.
During the upcoming holiday season, we also ask that you do your very best to plan your vacation times around our school calendar. While it is tempting to add a day or two here and there, the cumulative effect of these decisions across the four divisions is very unsettling to the flow of life within the school. I thank you in advance for your sensitivity to this concern, and I wish you and your families the very best for a joyful and safe Thanksgiving.
Warm regards,
Marcus D. Hurlbut
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