Campus Upgrades Enhance Spaces for 2022-2023 School Year

Students returning to St. Margaret’s for their first day of school this week probably noticed a few changes across campus.

 

Like most summers, St. Margaret’s 25-acre campus was beautified, enhanced and upgraded, as spaces were reimagined and needs were observed and implemented ahead of the 2022-2023 school year.

 

Here are a few of the highlights from a busy summer:

 

One of the largest projects this summer was renovating and reimagining space within the Campaigne Center.

 

While the Campaigne Center gymnasium remains unchanged, the personal fitness and wellness offices inside the building were upgraded and the area will also house an extended day classroom/meeting area which will also be used by the Lower School, and offices for Breakthrough San Juan Capistrano. It will also be the new home of the Copy Center, replacing the longtime location in Wallace Hall. 

 

 

Upper School students driving to school this week surely noticed a red asphalt coating in their designated parking lot. The red epoxy coating has numerous purposes: it differentiates the parking spaces from the public spots in the Ortega Village Center, it offers added protection to the asphalt, and it features a reflective additive that will make the parking lot 10 degrees cooler.

 

Workers also applied new asphalt to the parking area behind the Performing Arts Center as well, and plans are in the works to install solar-powered lighting in the sophomore parking lot this school year. In addition, a bus drop-off connection was created for a more seamless process for school buses during drop-off and pick-up.

 

A new patio with umbrellas and picnic tables was created outside of the Stoddard Humanities building adjacent to Tartan Field, which will serve as a social gathering spot for Upper School students and classes.

 

The most noticeable upgrade in the Lower School is the addition of a concrete patio adjacent to the Lower School playground, which is set up with tables and umbrellas for Lower School students to socialize during their recess time.

 

A new, permanent shade canopy is being installed in the Church fountain courtyard. It will serve as a shaded gathering area for St. Margaret’s Episcopal Church, while also being used by the school during the week for classroom gatherings, the PTF and more.

 

One noticeable change in the Library was made possible by a PTF Grant. A 6-by-8 foot living wall has been installed in the Commons area, made of living plants and part of a pilot for biophilic design, bringing natures indoors. Studies show that this can have a positive effect on health and well-being.