SMES News
Tartan Scholars Program Receives Large Gift
Posted November 7
THE HENRY T. NICHOLAS, III FOUNDATION GIVES $750,000 FOR SCHOLARSHIPS FOR LOW-INCOME, HIGH-ACHIEVING STUDENTS
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO, Calif., OCT. 26—St. Margaret’s Episcopal School announced today that the Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation has awarded a $750,000 grant to fund the Tartan Scholars program that provides full-tuition, four-year scholarships to high-achieving, low-income minority students to attend St. Margaret’s Upper School.
Nicholas, who is a parent of three St. Margaret’s students and a long-time supporter of the school said: “In the years our family has been involved with St. Margaret’s, we have come to respect the quality and commitment of the teachers and staff at every level. When I learned about Tartan Scholars, I knew it would give us the opportunity to give some of our community’s most promising young people a chance at a quality education in a nurturing and motivating environment. I immediately made the commitment to be involved. Our foundation’s goal is to give these students a much-deserved chance and to encourage others to support these exceptional students.”
The Tartan Scholars program was launched in 2003 through the generous support of an anonymous foundation that continues to support five seniors and five juniors through to graduation. The Nicholas Grant will fund five new freshman Tartan Scholars in the class of 2011 and three students in the Class of 2010. The program not only covers tuition but also funds many associated school fees including books and transportation.
Tartan Scholars Live Up to the Promise
The first class of Tartan Scholars graduated in June 2007. They are already demonstrating the merit and promise of the program. Tartan Scholar Marisa Yanez has just begun pre-med studies at Stanford University. Through her studies at St. Margaret’s, she was able to win the prestigious Gates Millennium Scholarship to fund her college tuition, housing and other expenses for up to 10 years of higher education. Other Tartan Scholars matriculated to Stanford University, University of California, Davis and University of California, Santa Barbara.
“The Tartan Scholars are highly valued members of the St. Margaret’s community bringing their enthusiasm for learning, academic dexterity and eagerness for community involvement,” said St. Margaret’s Headmaster Marcus D. Hurlbut. “This program is a model for other independent schools seeking to enrich their schools and reach out to the larger community. We are very grateful for this generous gift from Dr. Nicholas to sustain this important program.”
At St. Margaret’s, Tartan Scholars make vital contributions to the school community. Outside the classroom, Tartan Scholars are engaged in a broad range of activities including the Con Corazon club that recently built two houses in Mexico in one day, participation on the peer-elected Honor Committee, and costume-making for school theater productions. Many of the students play varsity sports including football, track and field, cross country, volleyball, soccer, basketball and wrestling; others participate in dance and choir. Last year a senior Tartan Scholar traveled to San Francisco to participate in the Harvard Model Congress conference, and another was voted to the Homecoming Court.
The Tartan Scholars program was created in 2003 with the support of an anonymous donor eager to reach out to the community, provide opportunities to high potential, underserved students and advance the school’s admission focus of ethnic, racial and socio-economic diversity. Initially, the program identified academically qualified students from Santa Ana, Calif., through A Better Chance, a national organization for identifying, recruiting and developing leaders among young people of color. St. Margaret’s will continue its relationship with A Better Chance and expand outreach in the local San Juan Capistrano community for future Tartan Scholars.
About the Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation:
The Henry T. Nicholas, III Foundation, established by the co-founder and former CEO of Broadcom Corporation, is committed to improving the quality of life through investments in education, youth sports, science, technology and the arts. In 2004 his family donated $10 million to St. Margaret’s. He has been a strong supporter of UC Irvine, the South Coast Repertory and the Orange County Performing Arts Center, and has made a number of other anonymous gifts.
About St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
Founded in 1979, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School is situated on a picturesque twenty-six acre campus in historic San Juan Capistrano, just three miles from the Pacific Ocean. St. Margaret’s is a co-educational independent day school serving 1,200 students in preschool through grade 12. The St. Margaret’s mission is to educate the hearts and minds of young people for lives of learning, leadership and service. In 2009, St. Margaret’s Episcopal School marks its 30th year as a vital member of the San Juan Capistrano community and educational landscape of Southern California.
Contact:
Anne Mack
St. Margaret's Episcopal School
949.661.0108 x 252
Anne.Mack@smes.org