Student Life
Service Learning
Overview
St. Margaret’s mission calls us to educate the hearts and minds of young people for lives of service. An essential outcome of a St. Margaret’s education is that students and alumni feel the calling to serve others and be contributing citizens within their communities and the wider world.
The St. Margaret’s service learning program builds in our students a culturally competent awareness of issues that face our local, regional, and global communities, nurtures empathy, and instills the courage and responsibility to take thoughtful action to improve the lives of others through deeper human connections.
The St. Margaret’s service learning program builds in our students a culturally competent awareness of issues that face our local, regional, and global communities, nurtures empathy, and instills the courage and responsibility to take thoughtful action to improve the lives of others through deeper human connections.
Guiding Principles
Service learning at St. Margaret’s is guided by the following principles:
List of 5 items.
-
Representing
St. Margaret’s mission, Episcopal identity, and core values. -
Honoring
the dignity of every human being. -
Meeting
authentic needs of the community. -
Building
cultural competency. -
Learning
before, during, and after service.
Service Learning by Division
Each of our four divisions provide regular, relevant, and age-appropriate service learning experiences. The examples below provide snapshots of service learning in action at the division levels.
Early School
Children engage in experiences that connect them to themselves, their peers, and their community. Teachers provide highly intentional experiences, helping children construct knowledge. In the beginning of the school year, children create self-portraits by observing their reflection on a mirror, exploring colors and natural materials in their environment, and asking meaningful questions. These explorations connect learning to themselves and the natural world around them. Children also practice sharing, voting, and respecting one another—early lessons in fairness, compromise, kindness, and cooperation.
Lower School
Service learning is focused on teaching a basic understanding of fundamental needs and how global citizens can take action to recognize, acknowledge, and meet those needs. The Lower School anchors this learning in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (“Global Goals”). Each grade level has adopted a goal to guide their service learning and weave throughout their curricula.
Kindergarten: Goal #3, Good Health and Well-Being
Grade 1: Goal #12, Responsible Production and Consumption
Grade 2: Goal #13, Climate Action
Grade 3: Goal #2, Zero Hunger
Grade 4: Goal #11, Sustainable Cities and Communities
Grade 5: Goal #6, Clean Water and Sanitation
Middle School
The middle school service learning philosophy is rooted in the belief that education goes beyond textbooks and classrooms. It aims to foster personal growth, social responsibility, and a deeper understanding of our local community and the world around us.
For example, in November of each year, the entire Middle School learns about Head Start, an organization that provides education, health, nutrition, and family support services to families. Then, students use wish lists provided by the local Head Start sites to go shopping and contribute to a joyful holiday season.
Many Middle School students also engage in Venture to Serve projects (read more below).
Upper School
Service learning experiences in the Upper School are grounded in students identifying issues that face our communities and seeking a greater understanding of why these issues exist.
More recently, Upper School advisories have engaged in year-long partnerships with local organizations. As the school launches its SEA Term signature program, service learning will take the form of a “commitment to the common good,” with meaningful experiences embedded in these courses.
Many Upper School students also engage in Venture to Serve projects (read more below).
Early School
Children engage in experiences that connect them to themselves, their peers, and their community. Teachers provide highly intentional experiences, helping children construct knowledge. In the beginning of the school year, children create self-portraits by observing their reflection on a mirror, exploring colors and natural materials in their environment, and asking meaningful questions. These explorations connect learning to themselves and the natural world around them. Children also practice sharing, voting, and respecting one another—early lessons in fairness, compromise, kindness, and cooperation.
Lower School
Service learning is focused on teaching a basic understanding of fundamental needs and how global citizens can take action to recognize, acknowledge, and meet those needs. The Lower School anchors this learning in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (“Global Goals”). Each grade level has adopted a goal to guide their service learning and weave throughout their curricula.
Kindergarten: Goal #3, Good Health and Well-Being
Grade 1: Goal #12, Responsible Production and Consumption
Grade 2: Goal #13, Climate Action
Grade 3: Goal #2, Zero Hunger
Grade 4: Goal #11, Sustainable Cities and Communities
Grade 5: Goal #6, Clean Water and Sanitation
Middle School
The middle school service learning philosophy is rooted in the belief that education goes beyond textbooks and classrooms. It aims to foster personal growth, social responsibility, and a deeper understanding of our local community and the world around us.
For example, in November of each year, the entire Middle School learns about Head Start, an organization that provides education, health, nutrition, and family support services to families. Then, students use wish lists provided by the local Head Start sites to go shopping and contribute to a joyful holiday season.
Many Middle School students also engage in Venture to Serve projects (read more below).
Upper School
Service learning experiences in the Upper School are grounded in students identifying issues that face our communities and seeking a greater understanding of why these issues exist.
More recently, Upper School advisories have engaged in year-long partnerships with local organizations. As the school launches its SEA Term signature program, service learning will take the form of a “commitment to the common good,” with meaningful experiences embedded in these courses.
Many Upper School students also engage in Venture to Serve projects (read more below).
The William N. Moseley Venture to Serve
The Moseley Venture to Serve launched in the spring of 2023 to set in perpetuity St. Margaret’s commitment to service learning. The endowment fund was designed and approved by the Board of Trustees to honor St. Margaret’s Episcopal School’s fourth Head of School, William N. Moseley. Read more here about the spring 2023 roll-out to the St. Margaret’s community.
The Board of Trustees allocated money from the school’s endowment to be committed to the Moseley Venture to Serve. The annual yield funds two key components:
The Board of Trustees allocated money from the school’s endowment to be committed to the Moseley Venture to Serve. The annual yield funds two key components:
- The annual all-school service learning project: roughly one-third of annual yield per year to fully fund the project.
- Service venture fund: roughly two-thirds of annual yield per year spread out across a handful of service-oriented projects.
All School Service Learning Project
Each year at St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, the community engages in an all-school service learning project. The project is designed to more deeply meet the existing needs of a partner organization, provide cross-division opportunities for student learning, and rally the school community around a common purpose.
Below is a list of recent projects:
Below is a list of recent projects:
- 2024-2025: Special Camp (read more here)
- 2023-2024: Orange County Head Start (read more here)
- 2022-2023: Boys & Girls Clubs of Capistrano Valley (read more here and here)
- 2021-2022: Infant Pantry Project (read more here)
- 2020-2021: Nourishing Neighbors (read more here)
- 2018-2019: Shoes for Family Assistance Ministries
- 2017-2018: Hope Boxes for Family Assistance Ministries
Service Learning News
List of 6 news stories.
-
All-School Spring Service Brings Tartans Together for Joy and Reflection
The service also marked the conclusion of the All-School Service Learning Project, a partnership with Unidos South OC.Read More -
Tartans in the News: Upper School Students Spotlighted for Service
A few St. Margaret’s students have made the news recently, turning their passions into projects that have served the local community.Read More -
Tartan Community Joyfully Comes Together for All-School Spring Service
The service included prayers, readings, music and a culmination of the 2024-2025 All-School Service Learning Project.Read More -
Grade 3 Students Lead Tartan Participation in FAM Hunger Walk
A Tartan delegation of students, professional community members and parents participated in the annual fundraiser in San Clemente.Read More -
Grade 4 Students Serve Community at 9th Annual ‘Santa’s Scottie Village’ Learning Project
St. Margaret’s Fountain Courtyard turned into a shopping extravaganza with books, toys, clothes, pajamas and holiday cheer, the culmination of a service-learning project.Read More -
St. Margaret's Partners With Special Camp for Educational Touchpoints as Part of All-School Service Learning Project
This year’s partnership is with Special Camp, an organization hosted by St. Margaret’s which brings youth with disabilities together with counselors.Read More
Service Venture Fund
The service venture fund supports Tartan students, professional community members, and alumni who are passionate about serving the community, have a great idea for launching a service project, and need financial assistance to realize their vision. These Venture to Serve projects go beyond the scope of the day-to-day operations of the school and take service learning to another level.
Since 2023, over 100 projects have received over $100,000 in funding. Project titles have included the following:
Since 2023, over 100 projects have received over $100,000 in funding. Project titles have included the following:
- Art for Everyone (Special Camp)
- Backpacks for our Brave
- Baseball Beginnings
- eSTEMos Salud
- Healing Hues
- Kickin’ for a Cause
- Lemons to Lemonade
- PAIR: Girls Career Mentorship
- Project Read to Rise
- Tartan Community Theater
- United through Dance
- Voice Up: Empowering Young Leaders through Debate
- Waves of Connection: Building Ocean Stewardship
Service Learning Team
The Service Learning Team exists to lead and bring to life the school’s service learning program.
The team is comprised of:
- Early School Assistant Director/Pedagogista, Dr. Sonia Yoshizawa
- Lower School Director of Community Life, Tupper Spring
- Middle School Director of Community Life, Kylie Middlebrook
- Upper School Director of Community Life, Lora Allison
- Administrative Assistant to the Director of Equity & Inclusion and Director of Institutional Research, Justine Coppock
- Director of Equity & Inclusion, Victor Cota (lead)
St. Margaret’s Episcopal School
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