For

immediate release

Contact: Torrey Olins Sage Hill School (949) 219-1346

SAGE HILL SCHOOL BRINGS PUBLIC PURPOSE TO ANNUAL MULTICULTURAL FAIR

April 16, 2012 (Newport Coast, CA) Sage Hill School welcomes the community to its 11th Annual Multicultural Fair on Saturday, April 28, 2012 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. The Newport Coast campus will be transformed into a festival extraordinaire as an expected 1,000 visitors enjoy authentic international food booths, lively cultural entertainment, an ethnic bazaar, and hands-on childrens activities. The Multicultural Fair honors the diversity of our vibrant community, said Gordon McNeill, Sage Hills Head of School. This year, weve extended Sage Hills deep commitment to public purpose by adding a global community service component to the Multicultural Fair. McNeill noted the ethnic bazaar has been expanded to include five booths selling items to benefit international charities, such as Vision Village, which provides eyeglasses to disadvantaged youth; and Krochet Kids International, which sells hats made in Uganda and Peru to help women escape poverty. * Around The World Without Leaving Orange County A visit to the Multicultural Fair is like traveling the world without leaving Orange County. Organized by Sage Hill parents, the event features freshly prepared ethnic delicacies at some 20 international food booths. This years fair introduces the cuisines of Argentina, Africa, and New Zealand, in addition to perennial favorites Korea, Persia, India, and many more. Endless entertainment will celebrate music and movement from around the globe as well as Americas own cultural heritage. Members of the extended community will join student and faculty performers. The entertainment line-up includes: Chinese Lion Dance Mariachis Los Palmeros Butler-Fearon-OConnor Studio Irish Dancers Bharatanatyam Dancers* British rock, American folk, Motown, and Italian aria singers (more)

Kids of all ages will keep busy with crafts organized by the student club Sage Advocates for Multiculturalism for Everyone (SAME). Activities will include beading, coloring flags, face painting, writing names in different languages and henna tattoos. Admission to the fair is $7 at the door with children 5 and under admitted free. Food tickets, sold on site, are $1. A portion of the proceeds benefits Sage Hills Financial Aid Endowment Fund. Sage Hill School 20402 Newport Coast Drive Newport Coast, CA 92657 mcf.sagehillschool.org About Sage Hill School Sage Hill School is Orange Countys only independent, non-profit, non-sectarian coed college preparatory high school, located on thirty acres in Newport Coast, CA. Founded in 2000, the school provides a premier education for its 440-plus students through small class sizes that average 15 students per teacher, world-class educators, an outstanding program of curricular and co-curricular offerings, highly personalized college counseling, and a public purpose. Sage Hill aims to transform the lives of its students by inspiring a love of knowledge and the ability to use that knowledge creatively, compassionately and courageously throughout their lives. # # # * See fact sheet below

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Contact: Torrey Olins Sage Hill School (949) 219-1346

Public Purpose Marketplace Adds New Dimension to 11th Multicultural Fair

Sage Hill Schools Multicultural Fair on April 28 will for the first time feature an expanded global marketplace with student-run public purpose booths benefiting charities, both locally and around the world. The brainchild of event co-chairs Wendy Bollman and Dianna Boulos, the public purpose marketplace reflects an integral part of Sage Hills mission. Sage Hill is so centered around giving back and finding a true purpose within every one of its students and how they can fit in, not only within their small community but also the world, Bollman said. I wanted to create an opportunity at the fair to showcase that. The school administration embraced the idea. From the beginning, service learning has been a cornerstone of Sage Hill School, said Jason Gregory, Director of Community Life and Public Purpose. The Multicultural Fair has always represented our communitys diversity, and now it is also reflects our commitment to partnerships with people, schools and non-profit organizations around the world. Bollman said it seemed natural to add student public purpose booths to the fairs ethnic bazaar, where visitors can buy treasures and trinkets from around the world. Now proceeds from many of the items sold at the fair will benefit charities. The five student-run booths will include: Krochet Kids, selling colorful hats and other items handmade by women in Uganda and Peru. Proceeds help the women escape poverty. Vision Village, which provides eyeglasses to disadvantaged youth. A $20 donation promotes 20/20 vision. Donors will receive Vision Village keepsake items. (more)

Operation Smile, providing free surgeries to repair cleft palate and other facial deformities in children. Students will sell fresh baked goods to collect funds. International Princess Project, selling Punjammies, beautiful pajamas made by Indian women. The proceeds help them avoid prostitution. Junior Pearls, selling baked goods to benefit Beckstrand Cancer Foundations Pediatric Oncology program. Proceeds will provide financial aid and care packages to teens with cancer. The public purpose marketplace will be open from 11:00-4:00 p.m. Beyond Community Service All Sage Hill students participate in a school-wide Service Learning program. Ninth and tenth graders mentor students at Killybrook and Wilson Elementary Schools in Costa Mesa and El Sol Academy in Santa Ana. Freshmen help teach science concepts through laboratory-based experiments, while sophomores teach language arts through storytelling and creative writing. Juniors and seniors identify a community need and create a yearlong service project to address that need. Students are required to set goals, assess their impact, and connect their projects with their academic and personal experiences at Sage Hill. Five such projects will be represented in the public purpose marketplace at the Multicultural Fair. All students present their yearlong projects on April 18 at Two Way Street, Sage Hill Schools service learning expo. The expo begins at 6:00 p.m. on the Sage Hill campus. # # #

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Contact: Torrey Olins Sage Hill School (949) 219-1346

Bharatanatyam: A classical Indian tradition

When Sage Hill freshman Alisha Sarakki takes the stage at the Multicultural Fair on April 28, she will represent more than 3000 years of Indian dance tradition. Together with the Arpana Dance Company of Irvine, Alisha will perform Bharatanatyam, the most ancient form of Indian classical dance. Described as a complex synthesis of the arts, literature, poetry, sculpture and music, Bharatanatyam involves facial expressions, codified gestures, and symbolic body poses. Complex footwork performed with bells on the ankles produces distinctive sounds with every step. Wearing colorful traditional attire and a fan affixed to their legs, the dancers will provide a performance that is historic, idiomatic, artistic, and simply entertaining. The American-born daughter of Indian parents, Alisha has been dancing since she was just four. A student in the Arpana School of Dance, she will be accompanied on stage by members of the Company. Alisha is working towards her arangetram, or debut, after which she can join the Company. This high level of achievement typically requires seven to 10 years of rigorous practice and a two-hour performance. While more contemporary Indian dance styles, such as Bollywood, have been performed at previous Multicultural Fairs, this is the first time Bharatanatyam dancers will take the stage. I really wanted to share my culture with everybody, Alisha said. Its such a rich and beautiful culture, and I really like the dance that I do because its so pretty and unusual. # # #

Contact: Torrey Olins Sage Hill School (949) 219-1346

Artist Profile: Natascha King 14

The 2012 Sage Hill School Multicultural Fair artwork not only reflects the fairs celebration of diversity; the artist, sophomore Natascha King, personifies the very essence of the fair. Born to a Malaysian mother and an English father, Natascha lived in Singapore until the age of 12, when the family moved to Corona del Mar. While living in Asia they traveled extensively, exposing Natascha to different cultures. Natascha attended United World College, an international school in Singapore, where her classmates hailed from all over the globe. The Multicultural Fair is actually my favorite event of the year at Sage, Natascha says. I think being aware of all the different cultures is really important, and Im just really glad that my poster gets to represent it. Nataschas artistic talent is exceptional despite the fact that she had no formal training until taking Art I at Sage Hill this year. She found inspiration for her illustration in photographs of Japanese, Chinese, African and American masks. The background tapestry represents Indonesian ikat, a dyeing technique used to pattern textiles. Once the drawing was complete, Natascha painted with colors inspired by Japanese textiles. The vibrant poster reflects diverse cultural influences, making it a fitting choice to represent the 2012 Multicultural Fair. # # #