By Jaye Adderton

Peter and I are Australian through and through. Born there, raised there, with every branch of our family still rooted in that country we love, and yet, for over two decades, home has been Newport Coast. It happened almost by accident. When Peter launched Boost Mobile in the United States in 2001, we imagined ourselves settling in Santa Monica. Then a spontaneous drive down to Orange County to visit a friend changed everything. I fell in love with the place immediately -- its warmth, its light, its rhythm. Within months, we had moved the business to Irvine. We rented in Newport Coast until 2003, bought our first home, and have never left.

We still have a home in Sydney and make the journey back at least twice a year. Distance, it turns out, is no match for a close family. Everyone comes to us, too and somehow, across oceans and time zones, we remain genuinely close.

THE GIRLS

We have four daughters, each of them extraordinary in her own way. Our eldest has settled back in Australia, married with two children of her own. Brooke just graduated from Pepperdine University and has come home, stepping into a role as head of social media and marketing for Mobile X. Siena is finishing her final year at TCU, she spent the last semester studying abroad and is home for the summer, completing a sports marketing internship with The Familie up in Beverly Hills. And then there's Avalon, our youngest, heading into seventh grade at St. Mary's, where dance, the Song Team, NCL, and a full social calendar keep her beautifully busy.

As a family, we make a point of sitting down to dinner together on weeknights. I love to cook, and that hour around the table is sacred, a daily ritual where everyone stops, breathes and catches up on life. Travel is almost always on the agenda. We are forever planning the next trip; it tends to be the liveliest topic of conversation.

A COMMUNITY LIKE FAMILY

We have been part of the St. Mary's community for many years now, and what strikes us most is how much it feels less like a school and more like an extended family. Some of our closest friendships — not just our daughters' — grew from this place. Even our older girls, long since graduated, take every opportunity to return to campus with Avalon. They love seeing their teachers, reconnecting with staff and wandering the halls where so much of who they are was formed.

St. Mary's has always felt like a true partnership: between families, teachers and students. Every child is genuinely known here. The school balances high expectations with real warmth, creating an environment where children feel safe enough to try, to question, and to lead. Academically, we've watched our daughters become more confident, more curious, more independent. Socially, they've built friendships grounded in kindness. And personally, this is what moves us most, they've developed integrity, compassion and resilience.

One moment that captures the spirit of the place is watching older students jump in and work alongside younger ones during school events and often just in the playground, offering encouragement, showing patience, modeling what it means to belong to something larger than yourself. House events in middle school have that same feeling. Teachers and students side by side, all of them invested in each other. There's a genuine sense that everyone here belongs, and everyone looks out for one another.

LASTING FOUNDATIONS

The parent community mirrors this ethos. It is welcoming, engaged and deeply supportive. The kind of community where parents care about all the children, not just their own. Whether it's the beloved Winter Markets, a grade-level social, or a school-wide gathering, the events always feel intentional and joyful. They build memories and deepen friendships in equal measure.

More than anything, we watch our daughters carry St. Mary's with them long after graduation. They lead with kindness. They work with purpose. They move through the world with integrity and empathy. That foundation, the confidence, the character, the faith, the compassion, was laid here. And for that, we will always be grateful.

To learn more about St Mary’s School, visit: https://www.smaa.org/