Strategic Plan Update: How St. Margaret’s is Approaching the AI Revolution

Much like the Internet itself decades earlier, the rise of artificial intelligence in the 2020s was quickly recognized as a seismic breakthrough that will take the Information Age in new directions and change the way humans create, produce and learn.

 

“AI represents a paradigm shift—a new way of thinking, learning and leading that calls us to align innovation with our school’s enduring mission and values, just as we have with every major advancement in education throughout our school’s history,” said Angela Mackenzie, St. Margaret’s director of educational technology and library.

 

The impact of artificial intelligence on education was a major discussion point during St. Margaret’s yearlong strategic planning process. Consequently, one of the six pillars of St. Margaret’s 2025 Strategic Plan calls on the school to “prepare students, parents and educators to lead in a rapidly evolving world through thoughtful, ethical technology integration.”

 

AI is a key focus of that initiative, yet the work is not new at St. Margaret’s. Mrs. Mackenzie began developing the foundation for an AI education framework here in 2022, and the Strategic Plan clarified the school community’s stance on thoughtfully implementing this emerging technology into school and academic programming in age-appropriate, healthy and human-centered ways.

 

“The question isn’t whether to engage with AI, but how to guide students in the age of AI—to think critically, question responsibly, and use these tools with purpose,” Mrs. Mackenzie said. “And as we do those things, we must ensure AI strengthens—and never replaces—the human connections at the heart of learning.”

 

In collaboration with school and technology leaders, Mrs. Mackenzie has developed several key guidelines to inform the decisions, philosophy and teaching around AI. That includes:

 

With these guideposts, St. Margaret’s is building a foundation for “AI literacy and fluency” across its student body and professional community, framed around four core dimensions known as the 4Cs:

Conscientious: Students understand AI’s uses, limits and ethical implications.

Collaborative: Students learn to use AI as a partner for support and personalized learning.

Critical: Students analyze AI outputs, asking ‘Is this accurate? Is this fair?’

Creative: Students use AI to make something new—demonstrating persistence and imagination.

 

“These four pillars map beautifully into our Core Values—from Character to High Expectations,” Mrs. Mackenzie said. “In short, we’re not just teaching students to use AI; we’re teaching them to think with it, question it, and create responsibly.”

 

At St. Margaret’s, students are a central piece of this work—and their perspectives have been instrumental. Mrs. Mackenzie oversees the seven-student Upper School Digital Leadership Committee to bring student voice to this topic, and a student-led Upper School club explores AI use for learning, creativity and well-being. After a panel last year where students provided insight on AI to faculty and staff, multiple student panels are planned this year to ensure that students and teachers continue to connect around this topic. In addition, this year’s iteration of the AI Task Force will involve department chairs learning subject-specific AI literacy in English, math, science, world languages, the arts and more.

 

“AI is rapidly becoming part of how people learn, create and communicate, and it’s important we understand its impact on the world today and in the future,” St. Margaret’s Head of School Dr. Jeneen Graham said. “I’m thrilled that our students and professional community are collaborating in this important strategic initiative, and I’m grateful for the leadership and expertise that Angela Mackenzie has demonstrated in this work. The framework in place emphasizes both skills and values, and recognizes the importance of AI while still staying true to the mission and core values that guide us as a school.”

 

Mrs. Mackenzie’s work in the topic of AI integration in schools has captured attention from afar. She was part of the AI Task Force for ATLIS (Association for Technology Leaders in Independent Schools), helping create resources for independent schools around AI integration. She is also involved with the California Association of Independent Schools (CAIS) AI Working Group, which is developing guidelines for the use of AI as part of the accreditation process. Over the past three years, Mrs. Mackenzie has presented and taken part in panels on AI in education at conferences across the country.

 

Through the framework in place, and the 4Cs to guide how St. Margaret’s teaches, learns and leads with AI, Mrs. Mackenzie hopes that St. Margaret’s is at the forefront of helping students, as she puts it, “not only use AI effectively, but also strengthen the human skills that matter most—character, curiosity, empathy, discernment and imagination.”