Perspectives Magazine Winter 2012 by Ashley Hall

The magazine of

ASHLEY HALL

PERSPECTIVES Winter 2012

Wo r l d l y Compassionate Collaborative

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2011-2012

President – Malcolm M. Rhodes Vice President – Joseph (Jerry) G. Reves Secretary – Kaycee C. Poston Treasurer – Hugh C. Lane, Jr. MEMBERS-AT-LARGE Mary Gordon Baker ‘77 Angie Hewitt Chakeris ‘89 Sheppard (Shep) H. C. Davis Jr. Ann W. Dibble ‘70 Terry Becker Fisher Randolph (Randy) J.Friedman Brett Hildebrand Philip L. Horn, Jr. Elizabeth Rivers Lewine ’54 Elizabeth P. Lindh ‘67 Janet (Jan) Pearlstine Lipov Kevin W. Mooney W. Scott Parker Karen Jenkins Phillips ‘79 Anne Tamsberg Pope Heidi Ward Ravenel ‘74 Emily Molony Swanson TRUSTEES EMERITI Mary Agnes Burnham Hood Martha Rivers Ingram ‘53 Patricia T. Kirkland J. Conrad Zimmerman, Jr. HEAD OF SCHOOL Jill Swisher Muti

172 Rutledge Avenue

Charleston, SC 29403

www.ashleyhall.org

Perspectives

Table of Contents 3

Headlines Jill Muti

The Consequence of Community

Dana Van Hook Director of the Ross EEC

Margaret Legerton ’12 Growing a Greener Community

The magazine of Ashley Hall

The Community Issue EDITOR Catherine Newman GRAPHIC DESIGN Julie Frye Design, LLC CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Nick Bozanic Kerri Collins Stephanie Tecklenburg PHOTOGRAPHY Anna Murray PHOTO ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Dr. Nick Bozanic ASSISTANT HEAD OF SCHOOL/ DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT Cindy Hay Johnson

Foreign Language Instruction

Kids Helping Kids Ronald McDonald House

Isabelle Luzuriaga ’12 Connecting the Global Community

Loyalty Fund Community Comes Together

Dr. Jerry Reves Supporting Ashley Hall

Alumnae Information and Class Notes

ASSISTANT TO THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Elizabeth Gordon EXECUTIVE ASSISTANT TO THE HEAD OF SCHOOL Amy Thompson CHIEF FINANCE OFFICER Audrey Tamekazu

Global Waterway Girls 6th Graders Take the Plunge

4 Ways to Build Community Today Madeleine McGee ’79

DIRECTOR, GRADES PRE-PRIMARY-K Dana Van Hook | Ross EEC DIRECTOR, GRADES 1-6 Lois Ruggiero | Lane and Pardue Hall ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, GRADES 5-6 Catherine Neel | Lane Hall DIRECTOR, GRADES 7-12 Mary Schweers | Jenkins Hall DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION Carolyn Newton DIRECTOR OF ATHLETICS Frances Slay DIRECTOR OF FACILITIES Fred Reinhard DIRECTOR OF FINE ARTS Judith Yarbrough DIRECTOR OF LIBRARY Cynthia Haviland DIRECTOR OF TECHNOLOGY Kevin Bourque ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF INSTITUTIONAL ADVANCEMENT / DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING Catherine Newman

* In the article Prepared to Meet Challenges, in the Summer 2011 Perspectives, Ashley Hall’s Rivers Library and Mercedes Erixon and F. Adelbert Hoshall M. D. Science and Math Center are incorrectly referred to as Rivers Library and Science and Math Center. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.

HEADLINES Dear Ashley Hall Family,

The beneﬁts gained from being an active and involved participant

Ashley Hall, by its very nature, size, and uniﬁed campus, encourages a sense of family and community among students and teachers at every grade level. The openness of this community to all religions, all races, and all backgrounds builds in our students an understanding of and commitment to social justice.

in one’s community are numerous and demonstrable. In his highlyregarded sociological study, Bowling Alone, The Collapse and Revival of American Community, (2000) Robert Putnam wrote, “An impressive and growing body of research suggests that civic connection helps make us healthy, wealthy and wise. Living without social capital is not easy, whether one is a villager in southern Italy or a poor person in the American inner city or a well-heeled entrepreneur in a hightech industrial district.” Nevertheless, in the last half century we have seen a rapid and unsettling decline in community involvement in the United States. Putnam argues that some forces behind this include the advent of television, women’s integration into a full-time work force, the increasing emphasis on the importance of wealth acquisition as a measure of success, suburban sprawl, and the corporate takeover of local business. While the reasons for this decline are complicated, the benefits of increased communal activity demand that we address these causes and where possible find ways to resist their contribution to the erosion of civil society. Putnam cites numerous studies indicating community involvement’s positive effects on resolving collective problems, promoting societal growth, heightening awareness of the interconnectedness of our fates, stimulating achievement, and even contributing to improved physical and mental health. Ashley Hall’s founding mission “to produce women who are ethically responsible and prepared to meet the challenges of society with confidence” assumes that our graduates will be active, aware, and contributing members in their communities. Therefore, at every level

D of the Ashley Hall learning spiral our students find ways to engage with the wider world. They learn not only of the challenges facing their communities, but also how collaborative, purposeful action can change those circumstances. While community service is an important aspect of this lesson, the students’ community involvement goes much deeper. Community involvement is embedded in the curriculum from the earliest units of study in the Ross Early Education Center and extends into the community action component required for students’ Senior Projects. Curricula which take shape in the wider world encourage students to understand the real application of the knowledge they gain, which in turn renders classroom work more tangibly meaningful and relevant. In the Ross EEC, students have cultivated a community garden using organic compost from the Ashley Hall worm farm that they tend. Those herbs, vegetables, and flowers are served to their fellow students in the Dining Commons, made into soaps and salves, and sold to the wider AH community at their ‘farmers market’. Girls in Pardue Hall use the Charleston Aquarium as a laboratory for their scientific experiments, create bird and butterfly habitats on campus, and are involved in the rescue, rehabilitation, and release of sea turtles. Lane Hall students are active in cleaning our waterways while teaching family, friends, neighbors, and EEC students best practices for keeping our waterways free of plastics and other environmental

ISCERNING

pollutants. Jenkins Hall girls are promoting sustainable agriculture, clean energy, community health, and many other initiatives to make the world we live in a better place for their generation and the ones that follow. Ashley Hall, by its very nature, size, and unified campus, encourages a sense of family and community among students and teachers at every grade level. The openness of this community to all religions, all races, and all backgrounds builds in our students an understanding of and commitment to social justice. That every member of the Ashley Hall community shares in the communal purpose of fulfilling our founding mission strengthens the intentions which govern the life of our school. In this, The Community Issue of Perspectives, some examples of our purposeful internal and external community building are presented. In the end, I hope you will see how the students of Ashley Hall have fully embraced their roles as agents for beneficial change within their wider communities. Today I feel, more than ever before, Ashley Hall girls are involved, active, and responsible citizens and that they will continue to be throughout their lives, reaping the rewards that attend upon working with others for the good of all. Sincerely,

Jill Muti

URPOSEFUL

Community A PURPOSEFUL

Attracting as it does students from socially and economically diverse quarters of the greater Charleston area, Ashley Hall functions as a forum for community-wide conversations and collaborative enterprises which might not otherwise have occasion to occur. In this setting, where a significant proportion of our students spend many of their most formative years, girls learn to work together in and out of class, on and off campus, thereby establishing long-lasting friendships that unite not only their individual affinities but also their collective concern for the greater good. This commitment to a common cause is encouraged and cultivated by curricula and programs which are designedly conducive to collaborative, communal, and consensusbuilding activities. From the student-led Harkness Table discussions in Humanities classes to STEAM project teams in Lane, from the group study rooms in Rivers Library to the family-style lunches served in the new Dining Commons, Ashley Hall students work and socialize together in both casual and structured settings. This allows them to continually practice social skills which will enable them to achieve mutually beneficial results – skills essential to creating a lasting sense of community and communal purpose.

Collaborative | Purposeful | Compassionate |

It all starts, in fact, in the Ross Early Education Center, where our youngest students gather for ‘circle time’ – a time for them to engage with each other so as to promote conﬁdence in speaking and listening as a prerequisite for any successful collaborative undertaking. As Dana Van Hook, Director of the Ross EEC, explains, “Teachers demonstrate by example how successful interactions work. We communicate with our students in positive ways and actively look for opportunities to help them learn this skill. For example, instead of allowing a student to react negatively if another student comes and takes something she is working with, the teacher will encourage her to rephrase her reaction in more positive terms, perhaps saying ‘I prefer to play with my blocks alone today, please.’” Recognizing that language is at once a social construct and the instrument most essential to constructing civil society, Ashley Hall’s early education specialists focus on this crucial component of students’ intellectual and emotional development. Such skills can only be acquired through direct interaction with other people, face-to-face, and not via on-line social networks. “While the internet and social networking sites such as Facebook are useful for disseminating raw information and for maintaining superﬁcial contact with other people, true community building requires immediate personal involvement,” says Dean of Faculty Nick Bozanic. “Moreover, there

is mounting evidence that prolonged exposure to social media actually inhibits acquisition of those habits of attention which allow us to read subtleties of body language, facial expressions, and verbal nuances which constitute such a large part of all interpersonal relationships. Participation in a real community means encountering conflicts and tensions which can only be resolved through sustained and candid dialogue – what Thich Nhat Hahn calls ‘deep listening.’ This just is not going to happen online.” Participating in thoughtfully designed, collaborative programs provides opportunites for students of all ages to learn and practice negotiation skills and find solutions that are best for the whole, solutions which often require personal sacrifices. “When you share real ideas respectfully, and you come to understand someone else’s opinion or point-of-view, you are able to take from that and build consensus. For girls, this is a very important lesson to learn, whatever they are doing or whatever they choose to do in the future,” adds Head of School Jill Muti.

This collaborative learning nurtures the girls’ innate capacity to work together and strengthens their ability to work with others when they leave.

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Additionally, built in to the curricula is often a wider community component. EEC students learn math and science lessons by visiting the Raptor Center. Students in Pardue Hall share their art and book reviews with the families of the Ronald McDonald House. Intermediate School students learn lessons on oceanography and the water cycle by renourishing oyster beds and partnering with the Department of Natural Resources to clean up the waterways. Jenkins Hall students do research at the Addlestone Library, visit labs at MUSC and study art at the Gibbes Museum. The fact that these experiences happen in the community gives meaning and purpose to what the girls are learning. No longer do students wonder, “Why do I need to know this?” Their lessons become actionable when they are learned and take shape in their surrounding community, and the real-world applications of these lessons builds a sense of responsibility to and engagement in the wider world. At a very early age the students learn the real application of their knowledge and understand that individuals in communities are what make a difference in the greater world, for local action cannot be undertaken without an awareness of the global implications. “The girls live up to the old environmentalist exhortation to

think globally and act locally,” states Bozanic. “Sixth grade students help clean up the local waterways while discussing the interconnectedness of all life. Jenkins Hall girls may serve at Crisis Ministries but are simultaneously discussing the national and global economic forces at play. It is not feasible for them to be ignorant of the causality. These engagements make students aware of the larger processes that necessitate local action.” This giving of themselves that is built intentionally into Ashley Hall’s curriculum draws on the power of experience and helps to change the hearts and mind of its students. The community beneﬁts as well from these interactions with students. By having Ashley Hall students as part of their constituency with access to their resources, fellow non-proﬁts in the Charleston community raise their own awareness in the community. Bozanic adds, “By supporting and participating in the activities provided by our local partners we help to raise the collective consciousness of the resources available in our community. Take, for example, the school’s partnership with Rosebank Farms which grew from a strategic discussion with community members on the best choices for the dining menus. The partners involved in these discussions continue to

Collaborative | Purposeful | Compassionate |

“When you share real ideas respectfully, and you come to understand someone else’s opinion or point of view, you are able to take from that and build consensus. For the girls, this is a very important lesson to learn, whatever they are doing.” -Jill Muti, Head of School

participate in the life of the school and benefit from that relationship. The farm share program that Rosebank Farms provides now has access to our community and campus as a drop point. It has been embraced by students like Margaret Legerton ’12, who worked to triple participation in the program, benefitting not only the Ashley Hall community by giving them access to local, seasonal produce, but also Rosebank Farms by extending its program into our community and increasing their buyers. ” Purposefully tearing down barriers to communication across grades, divisions and departments within the school has also been undertaken to build community internally. Faculty office suites, cross-divisional departments, committees and programs, and a higher awareness of the developmental sequence have all supported this initiative and nurtured the academic community on campus. Faculty are now meeting across divisions to discuss the work that they are doing within their own field of study, leading to a deeper understanding by all faculty of the relevance of their work in the communal purpose. Academic communities depend on serious, sustained conversation, and the changes implemented to bring the faculty together across divisions have expanded the scope of these conversations. These conversations are now much more inclusive, and one consequence of this has been more collaborative and innovative programming at Ashley Hall. This conversation creates an awareness of what is happening across the learning spiral and fosters a sense of mutuality.

8 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL

Purposefully tearing down barriers to communication across grades, divisions and departments within the school has also been undertaken to build community internally.

As Ashley Hall continues to strengthen its internal community and build its ties with the external communities, as it continues to open doors and provide opportunities for students to be full participants in the community and the world, it fulďŹ lls its mission to produce educated women are who independent, ethically responsible and prepared to meet the challenges of society with conďŹ dence. Ashley Hall graduates are conscious of what is happening locally and globally. They understand their place in a community and their role in its success and are equipped with the skills needed to initiate beneďŹ cial change. They come to accept that it is incumbent upon them to make the world a better place for all its citizens.

At a very early age the students learn the real application of their knowledge and understand that individuals in communities are what make a difference in the greater world, for local action cannot be undertaken without an awareness of the global implications.

Collaborative | Purposeful | Compassionate

hen you ďŹ rst

meet Dana you are immediately struck by her infectious enthusiasm and her devotion to her work in the Ross Early Education Center. What you learn later is that those same attributes have allowed her to build some of Ashley Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s most unifying community action projects.

O M PA S S I O N AT E

Dana Van Hook Director of the Ross Early Education Center

A fter graduating from Mt. Holyoke, an all women’s college in Massachusetts, and then receiving her Master’s in Education at the College of Charleston, Dana began her 17 year career at Ashley Hall as a 7th and 8th grade teacher. Her heart had been in early childhood education since the outset of her education training, and once at Ashley Hall she pursued the directorship of the Ross EEC. After ten years on the faculty she got her wish and has since transformed Ashley Hall’s early education program into the dynamic, Reggio Emilia inspired program it is today. Additionally, she spearheads the Chicora holiday giving project which brings together the entire Ashley Hall community, and she is developing curriculum for Water Missions International, a local nonproﬁt with longtime ties to the Ashley Hall community. “I love this place!” Dana shares as she gestures out her window to the wider campus. “It is an amazing, beautiful place, a great place for children to grow up. I am not only referring

to the physical beauty of our campus, but also to this incredibly supportive community that surrounds the children. The whole school community models respect for the students, opens doors for them, and makes it OK to take risks and try new things, to be brave in their learning. It encourages them to ask for help when they need it and to also help when asked. What else could you ask for in an academic community?” Dana speaks from her personal experiences. The introduction of Reggio Emilia into the Ross EEC curriculum has been transformative. It has allowed students, from a very early age, to participate in the collaborative, investigational learning methodologies that they will continue to experience throughout the learning spiral at Ashley Hall. Ross EEC students study what they are interested in, and through this natural curiosity the core curricula is taught. Language development, collaboration, and communication and social skills are practiced during circle time. The scientific method is explored through experiments they perform. Dana explains, “It all starts with a provocation. A student will bring something to class or tell a story about a recent event, and it will pique his or her classmates’ interest. The teacher will then create consensus around the provocation, that it is indeed something the entire class wants to learn more about, and a unit is begun. All the required and appropriate standards for that class at that time are taught through this lens, this unit of study. This gives their lessons real-world connections and starts conversations among the students about what they are learning. You don’t get that out of a workbook! What is there to talk about when you have finished measuring the lines in workbook? But if you are measuring the wingspan or eggs of the bird whose call you just heard, that you created habitat for, and that just flew over you on the playground there is a lot to talk about! And this conversation fosters a community of engaged learners.” (See page 12)

Compassionate | Collaborative | Purposeful

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small sparrow landing on the bird feeder outside the window of Becky Grantham’s Pre-Kindergarten classroom was provocation enough for her curious students to launch a study of birds. “The students were fascinated by the little bird sitting right outside their window and immediately started asking questions about him. What kind was he? What seeds did he like? How do his feathers work? This engagement and authentic curiosity are the exact responses we look for when a provocation is presented and our study of birds was born out of their shared interest in learning more,” shares Grantham. The Reggio-Emilia inspired curriculum of the Ross Early Education Center teaches the appropriate standards for each age through units based on the students’ natural curiosity. Lessons on measuring and graphing, ﬁne and gross motor skill exercises, language acquisition, etc. all become interesting to the students and connect them to their wider world when taught through a unit of study that the students are excited about. The study that Becky Grantham’s PreK class did on birds is a perfect example of this methodology in action. For example, her students: s 0RACTICED LISTENING SKILLS BY HEARING RECORDED BIRD CALLS AND identifying the bird that made them after they heard a morning dove on the playground and wondered what bird made that noise. s 5SED THEIR TIME IN THE LIBRARY TO RESEARCH BIRDS AND FEATHERS AND to learn which birds lived around them. s ,EARNED ABOUT TEMPERATURES AND TIME WHEN they donned down ﬁlled jackets and entered the school’s walk-in-freezer after questioning how feathers keep birds warm. s %XPLORED COLORS AFTER DISCUSSING WHY A MALE cardinal looks different than a female. s 0RACTICED COLLABORATION AND LEADERSHIP BY working together with the Primary class to make birdbaths after deciding to expand the bird habitat at Ashley Hall. s 3TRENGTHENED THEIR lNE MOTOR SKILLS AND creativity by painting watercolors of birds that they read about and then made and painted models of their eggs.

6 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL

s 'REW THEIR GRAPHING AND MEASURING SKILLS BY lNDING THE longest feathers and biggest eggs after classifying the parent birds as song birds, birds of prey, or water birds. s %NHANCED THEIR GROSS MOTOR SKILLS WHEN THEY IMITATED the movements of birds after seeing pictures of egrets and flamingos on one leg and ospreys in flight. s ,EARNED ABOUT BONES AND THE SKELETON WHEN THEY DISsected an owl pellet and felt an owl wing on their field trip to The Center for Birds of Prey. s %NGAGED IN LESSONS ON LIGHT AND DARK IN THE !TELIER BY viewing x-rays of birds and drawing what they were viewing. s 3TUDIED ROCKS AND MINERALS AFTER WATCHING A VISITING ARTIST and her Upper School art students make paint from eggs and colored minerals. “Finding opportunities to teach the standards through a unit of study that has engaged the students is both challenging and fun,” shares Grantham. “It challenges us as educators to be as engaged and creative as the young minds that we teach. It also grants us great opportunity to take our students into the wider world and connect the lessons they are learning with their true life experiences. This is my dream job! Listening to the students talk to each other about what they are learning, watching their fascination as they find more and more connections to their worlds, just being in the midst of all that wonder and curiosity energizes everyone it touches and makes every day in the EEC a great day!”

Dana has personal experience with the supportive and collaborative nature of the Ashley Hall community as well. She has watched as the Chicora giving project she began in the Lower School 13 years ago has grown to include participants from almost every grade level. Fifth grade students write Santa letters to accompany the packages that are given to the Chicora students, and Upper School girls volunteer at the warehouse sorting gifts and making gift bags. Girl Scout troops make stocking stuffers. Parents, past-parents, faculty and staff all help drive the gifts to the school. “It is really hard to be here for any length of time and not have this community affect who you are as a person. Everyone, students and adults alike, is always willing to help and to take time to support each other, and this support is not limited to our service projects. We all don our purple and come out to cheer on our athletic teams. We attend our students’ poetry readings and theatrical performances. Most importantly, we never tell our students they can’t accomplish something, instead we ask, ‘How can we help?’ When we support each other we can affect change, whether it is winning a basketball game or giving the students at Chicora a more robust Christmas.”

I love this place! For the past semester Dana has been working to create PreK-6th grade appropriate curricula for Water Missions International. The curricula, titled Lessons in a Bucket, will include information on all aspects of water and lessons in both science and social studies. She hopes to raise awareness of water as a resource and the importance of conserving and being good stewards of this resource. “I first learned about Water Missions International after the student body raised money to purchase a filtration system after the devastating tsunami in Indonesia in 2004. The work that Water Missions International does complements on a very fundamental level the work that we do at Ashley Hall. By installing a water filtration system in the center of a small village in Honduras we establish a community gathering place for women and enable girls to stay in school. Girls are the water gatherers in their society and are often walking two or three miles a day to get the family’s supply. That leaves no time for school,” Dana shares. Like the Chicora project Dana’s enthusiasm has engaged other members of the school community in the Water Missions cause. Upper School girls participated in Walk for Water, a fundraiser for Water Missions International, and sixth grade students are planning to teach Lessons in a Bucket to EEC students as a tie to their Global Waterway Girls project. (page 29) Dana’s conviction, her contagious enthusiasm, and her gift for building consensus have strengthened and brightened our community, and Ashley Hall is a better school for it.

The whole community models respect for the students, opens doors for them, and makes it OK to take risks and try new things, to be brave in their learning.

Compassionate | Collaborative | Purposeful |

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O L L A B O R AT I V E

MARGARET LEGERTON â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;12 A lifelong interest in nutrition, a desire to learn more about business, and a dedication to sustainable agriculture developed during her junior year internship at the Coastal Conservation League led Margaret to a Senior Project that she laughingly describes as â&#x20AC;&#x153;tentacular.â&#x20AC;? She knew that when she started she wanted her project to be more than simply research; she wanted to include a community building component and to enact real change in her communities. Tying together all her interests in business, government, nutrition, health, economics and community proved to be a challenging proposition. She thanks the Ashley Hall community for giving her the conďŹ dence, latitude and support to attempt it. For the research portion of her Senior Project, Margaret is focusing on the health effects of the industrialization of food, the role of government in the food industry, and the marketing of food. While she is fascinated by what she is learning, she lights up when she talks about the community components of her project. â&#x20AC;&#x153;There are three main components in my project, and each of these has spawned several smaller projects. Those three are: 1. developing a creative and environmentally friendly food waste solution for Ashley Hall, 2. promoting sustainable agriculture, and 3. raising awareness and interest in nutrition and health in the youth of the community.â&#x20AC;? Taking on her ďŹ rst goal, solving Ashley Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s food waste dilemma, proved more challenging than Margaret originally imagined. First, the school produces around 50 pounds of food waste a day. Second, the food waste includes dairy and meat products that are not appropriate for traditional composting. Third, the kitchen waste system in the new Dining Commons dehydrates, processes and compacts the waste. Finding a partner who could handle this volume of non-compostable food waste was no easy task. But with the assistance of her mentors at the Coastal Conversation League, Margaret began an unlikely partnership with a grub farming group on Johns Island that produces organic gardening supplies. The grubs they raise at Organic Gardening

Supply Inc. (OGS) to produce organic fertilizer could thrive on the exact type of food waste the school produces. The partnership, however, was still not without its challenges. To pick up the food waste each week OGS would need to charge the school $100 a month, an amount that was simply not in the budget. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I believe it is Ashley Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s job to be a role model in the wider community. The school has already proven itself committed to being a greener community citizen, and I knew this partnership could give us the opportunity to do something beneďŹ cial with what otherwise was ending up in our landďŹ ll on Johns Island. I was determined to make this work,â&#x20AC;? states Margaret. Her role as President of the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Green Club gave her the ability to do just that. With the support of her fellow Green Club members, she began a fundraising drive to raise the needed capital to begin

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Collaborative | Discerning | Creative |

However, her Senior Project with all its comand sustain the project, and when OGS learned ponents is just one facet of Margaretâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s academic that the students were completely in charge of life. She is very interested in pursuing a business funding this initiative they even halved their degree in college and is a conversational French pick up fee to $50 a month. â&#x20AC;&#x153;To date we speaker. She has fallen in love with the language have raised enough to ensure the partnership and credits Ashleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Hall ďŹ&#x201A;exible and unique lancontinues for two years,â&#x20AC;? says Margaret. â&#x20AC;&#x153;It guage instruction methods for her success. Marwas important to me that this continue after garet is one of several advanced French students I graduate and that the school and OGS were at Ashley Hall who have taken AP French, a class invested in this partnership.â&#x20AC;? Additionally, some students see as the pinnacle of learning in a Margaret requested a demonstration worm farm subject, in their junior year and wanted additional for the school, and OGS was quick to consent, instruction and interaction with the language. providing Ashley Hall with its very own 10,000 Her participation in the schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s imworms and the environment to raise mersion program in the summer of them. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I view the worm farm we it is 2010 and her later work as a translahave at Ashley Hall as an engagetor on a friendâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s buying trip to Haiti ment piece. Students can feed the Ashley Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s job to be a role in the summer of 2011 deepened her worms their banana peels and other vegetable waste. I recently met with model in the wider community. commitment to French. â&#x20AC;&#x153;My fellow students and I have been so lucky to teachers in the Ross Early Education Center, and their students will be caring for the worms and using have the opportunities provided to us by the French department. We designed our own French VI class for our senior year and, the organic fertilizer they produce for their EEC garden!â&#x20AC;&#x153; continuing in the instruction style of the language department, For her second initiative, Margaret wanted to raise awareness we never used a text book. This year we read The Elegance of of the health beneďŹ ts and importance to the local economy of the Hedgehog in its original French and had class discussions in choosing locally grown fruits and vegetables. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ashley Hall alFrench on the philosophies presented in the book. We read news ready had in place a partnership with Rosebank Farms to supply articles and watch movies and discuss them all in French. These the Dining Commons with local fruits and vegetables, and the types of classroom interactions provided me with the conďŹ dence school had begun to serve as a pick-up location for Rosebankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and skills I needed to understand and translate complicated comfarm share program or CSA (Community Supported Agriculture.) The CSA, which weekly drops off a share of freshly-picked, munications in Haiti. It allowed me to have discussions with our Haitian hosts about the world view of Haiti and steps they could seasonal produce to its subscribers, was just beginning and had take to change it. It allowed me to volunteer for an afternoon in only around 10 families participating. I set out to increase this number and spearheaded a drive to raise awareness of not just the a Haitian hospital and talk about our dreams for love and the future with the young people I met in the small mountain village CSA program but the beneďŹ ts of locally grown produce and am proud to say that the number of subscribers to the CSA program where we stayed. Without a deep understanding of the language this would never have been possible,â&#x20AC;? Margaret shares. is now over forty,â&#x20AC;? Margaret shares. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I credit Ashley Hall with giving me the conďŹ dence to pursue Her ďŹ nal and most challenging initiative is to raise nutrition my goals whether they are to get out into the community and and health awareness in the youth of the community. What began with a desire to provide nutritious choices for the Charles- raise awareness or travel to a third world country and participate fully in their culture. No teacher at Ashley Hall has ever told ton Food Bankâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Back Pack Buddies (a program that sends food me I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do something. They guide me and give me things to home on weekends with children who may not have enough in consider about the achievability of my goals but let me make the their homes) has evolved for Margaret into a three prong initiadecisions that determine my route. They have challenged me to tive, including a childrenâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s health fair with community partner push myself, to not settle for good enough, and in fact that is Mitchell Elementary, a student managed food drive for healthy, what they expect of all of us. I can never thank them enough!â&#x20AC;? nonperishable snacks, and a service opportunity for Youth Serve, a youth volunteer program she co-founded while serving on the Mayorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Youth Commission.

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O R L D LY

? Parlez-vous français ?

Comment l’avez-vous appris? The evolution of second language

Parlez-vous français ?

instruction is a fascinating study in global politics and education.

However, recent advances in the

ﬁeld of second language acquisi-

tion and related brain studies are revolutionizing our understanding of the process and shaping Ashley Hall’s foreign language curriculum.

Foreign language instruction has evolved through three

distinct methodologies: Grammar Translation, Audio-Lingual, and most recently Communicative. Considered very rigorous at the time, the Grammar Translation approach was a solitary endeavor, requiring students to translate written passages, to understand the grammar and mechanics of the language, and to memorize passages. This produced students who could talk about the language and understand its mechanics but couldn’t speak it. This began to change in the early 20th century when World War II highlighted the need for proﬁcient speakers. The nations at war sorely needed translators, people who could enter a community and un-

Worldly | Intelligent | Purposeful

| 17

Le want our students to have real experiences

and memories with the language and a real need to get their points across. That is the true genesis of language acquisition.

Did you know that French is the ofﬁcial language for: UÊÊ / iÊ1 Ìi`Ê >Ì Ã UÊÊ 1 - " UÊÊ

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derstand the language. Out of this need came the Audio-Lingual instruction method. This approach was based on the view of language as a behavior and relied on the reinforcement of good behaviors as its teaching methodology. Students would memorize certain phrases, situational vocabulary and scripts, and would repeat instructor spoken phrases. However, with no personal connections to the language or ownership of their conversations, the language became simply a rote behavior and was often easily forgotten. Today many US text books still rely heavily on the Audio-Lingual method of second language acquisition. In the last twenty years experts and educators in the field of second language instruction have begun to embrace a new approach, the Communicative Approach. Reinforced by brain activity research, the Communicative Approach in many ways mimics the way babies acquire their first language, through exposure to language in context, experience, and the need to create meaning with language. Spontaneous, authentic exposure to a language and the need to communicate something real and relevant are the cornerstones of the communicative approach. Adopted at Ashley Hall several years ago and redefined through the application of truly task-based learning and authentic material use, this teaching approach has seen a new level of proficiency in graduates. Students now view their second language not just as a subject in school, but as a part of their identity. They see their proficiency as a path to global citizenship and a facet of their personalities. The Communicative Approach highlights the difference between learning a language (understanding the mechanics, memorizing vocabulary, committing lessons to short term memory) and language acquisition in which you develop an ownership of the language through personal experiences with the language. The classroom in which the communicative approach is being used looks and sounds much different from second

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language classrooms of the past. Sarah Margaret Decker, Chair of the Foreign Language Department at Ashley Hall, shares, “If you stopped into my classroom it may appear to you that we are ‘just hanging out’ and talking about personal things. In fact, this is the best way to learn language, to make it personal, to ﬁnd real things that interest the girls that they want to talk about and that relevance drives their need to express themselves. We play with the language in the classroom and feel it

Our graduates’ high proﬁciency will offer them opportunities to become members of diverse communities and to undertake global citizenship and participate in cultures and communities fully.

out. It should be noted that this type of exposure to languagein-context works because the brain has very little tolerance for grammar transgressions. A four or ﬁve year old will know it is not correct to say, ‘They is made biscuits,’ but they would be hard pressed to tell you why that is wrong. They have learned patterns through authentic exposure to the language, and that is what the communicative approach gives students of a second language. Of course we still talk about the grammar, but that is secondary to authentic exposure to the language. There are none of the traditional text books in our classrooms. We want our students to have real experiences and memories with the language and a real need to get their points across. That is the true genesis of language acquisition.” French instruction begins at two years old at Ashley Hall and the classroom looks much like all the other early education classes except the instruction is in French. Students learn through authentic exposure to recognize the “voiture bleue” and reply to “Bonjour” and “Ça va?” Throughout the learning spiral at Ashley Hall, French and Spanish students build upon their acquired lan-

20 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL

guage. “It begins with basic, personal conversations. We want students to be able to talk about themselves concretely, to really master the core concepts and the verbs and nouns associated with that conversation. As they master this we begin to move the conversations farther away from the self, talking about families, friends, school, etc. From there we move on to more abstract ideas, talking in “what if ’s” and “could’s.” Students begin to acquire the proper uses of the tenses, and it is then that we will ‘open the English window’ to discuss the grammar behind the language. Our classes are conducted entirely in French or Spanish unless the teacher decides to, as we call it, ‘open the English window’ to discuss grammar or perhaps culture. We also try not to have our students memorize passages to prepare for the conversation. We want it to be fluid and authentic and require them to spontaneously reach for the words they need to communicate.” Clearly standard assessment tools are not up to the task of measuring proficiency of students of the communicative language approach, which is why Ashley Hall is implementing the prestigious OPI (Oral Proficiency Interview) next year. The OPI is considered the authority on assessment, as it reflects the knowledge of the speaker. It consists of a structured conversation between student and teacher during which the instructor asks leading questions pushing the student to her language ceiling through the use of tenses, abstract ideas and vocabulary. Students are then rated within one of four levels: novice, intermediate, advanced and superior. “The OPI is the perfect match philosophically for our program and grants it the stamp of authenticity,” says Decker. “We will use the OPI throughout the curriculum to assess pre, ongoing, and final proficiency levels each year. This move to the OPI is a very big deal for the school and one we are excited and proud to implement.” Recently there have been questions raised about the relevancy of French in today’s schools, and there are many answers to that for society at large and for Ashley Hall. French has long been a tradition at Ashley Hall and is reflective of the heritage of the school’s Charleston community. More importantly French is still spoken in over 55 countries, is the gateway language to all romance languages, and is still considered the language of international diplomacy. Decker states, “Much has been made recently of adding Mandarin to primary and secondary schools’ language curriculum, and while I will say there is never anything but good that comes from acquiring a second language, I do understand that political climates and foreign policy can often lead to language surges. After World War II Japanese and Russian were the vital languages ‘du jour.’ However, after 6 or 8 years these language trends can be phased

ÕÀÊÃi ÀÃ°Ê >V ÊÞi>ÀÊ ÊÃiiÊ ÀiÊ} À ÃÊ}À>`Õ>Ì }ÊÜ Ì ÊÌ iÊÕ ìÀÃÌ> ` }ÊÌ >ÌÊ it is incumbent upon them to live a life of worth, and they understand that > }Õ>}iÊ ÃÊ>Ê«>ÀÌÊ vÊÌ >Ì°ÊÊ > }Õ>}iÊ ÃÊ«i « i°Ê > }Õ>}iÊLÕ `ÃÊV Õ ÌÞ°Ê out. I am not saying this is the case with Mandarin; however, I would urge caution in jumping into such a challenging language without the proper curricular development.” “Language proficiency is a gift we give our students, from the two-year-olds to our seniors. Each year I see more girls graduating with the understanding that it is incumbent upon them to live a life of worth, and they understand that language is a part of that. Language is people. Language builds community. Our graduates’ high proficiency will offer them opportunities to become members of diverse communities and to undertake global citizenship and participate in cultures and communities fully. I can’t wait to see what these girls do in the world! It is gratifying to know that my colleagues and I are some small part of that.”

Language builds community.

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Kids Helping Kids

ow do you build community in Lower School students? You let them get involved. You connect them to their neighbors. You show them that their good works can make the lives of others better. They will take it from there.

O M PA S S I O N AT E

here could not be a better community partner for the students of Pardue Hall than the Ronald McDonald House (RMH). Serving the families of children their age and located just a short, ďŹ ve minute walk from their classrooms, the Ronald McDonald House provides a tangible place where the girls can see, touch, and understand the power that they have to make the world a better place. Collecting pop tabs off aluminum cans is just the beginning of the ways in which the students of Pardue Hall have embraced the Ronald McDonald House. They also give their talents and their hard work. They have created art, written book reviews, played their instruments, sang songs, raised funds through lemonade stands and their birthday parties and cooked nourishing food, all to make the lives of the families staying at RMH a little better. Additionally, this partnership with the Ronald McDonald House has brought all the members of the Pardue Hall community; faculty, parents, students and staff alike, together for a common purpose. Amie Pierce, a 1st grade teacher and one of the founders and strongest champions of this partnership shares, â&#x20AC;&#x153;This collective purpose has taught the girls in Kindergarten through 4th grade the power of working together for a greater good. The fact that the Ronald McDonald House is something they drive by every day and that they can see the MUSC hospital where children just like them are so very ill has really connected the girls to the project. It is close to their thoughts every day. I overhear girls talking about it in the courtyard, about additional ways they can help. I have had students bring me money from their piggy banks, books from their libraries and even their own Barbies that they want to share with the families. I feel the girls have fully embraced the Ronald McDonald House as part of their lives, and building community action into our curricular pieces at this early age is especially powerful in shaping their understanding of the community at large and their role in it. It is not about fundraising for the girls but real, hands-on projects that they own. It is their work that makes a difference. The fact that we are able to walk over there, hand deliver their projects, and see the joy they bring has only strengthened their commitment.â&#x20AC;?

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While the partnership with the Ronald McDonald House came out of three faculty membersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; desire for a meaningful service project to bring together the girls in Pardue Hall, it has now grown to include other members of the Ashley Hall community. Pierce relates, â&#x20AC;&#x153;What is really exciting to me is that this is no longer just the Pardue Hall community partnership we originally envisioned. Girls in all grades are now getting involved. Students in Jenkins Hall are serving on the Ronald McDonald House Junior Board, and the Upper Schoolâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Swing Choir recently performed at the Lights of Love ceremony. Most recently I met with some of the Upper School girls who serve on the RMH Junior Board to ďŹ nd ways that we can collaborate across divisions to strengthen this community partnership even more. It is more than we ever hoped for.â&#x20AC;? This year on November 15, Ashley Hall played a very special part in the Lights of Love; Kids Helping Kids program at the Ronald McDonald House. Carolineâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Carolers sang to open the program; Tiffany Riceâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strings group played; and Maida Libkinâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Swing Choir sang Seasons Of Love just before Litsa Darby â&#x20AC;&#x2122;12 and Katelyn Thompson â&#x20AC;&#x2122;22 ďŹ&#x201A;ipped the switch to light the holiday lights on the house. During the event Lower School Director, Lois Ruggiero, accepted The Youth Spirit of Love Award on behalf of Ashley Hall. This award is the highest honor that the Ronald McDonald House gives at this event and was bestowed upon Ashley Hall in thanks for the countless hours of service the girls have given to the programs of Ronald McDonald House Charities.

L I G H T S

O F

L O V E ;

K I D S

H E L P I N G

K I D S

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â&#x20AC;&#x153;One of the greatest things I have learned at Ashley Hall is that

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SABELLE

NTELLIGENT

LUZURIAGA â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;12

I t all started with her childhood dream of becoming a doctor. That is what the conďŹ dent young woman who today is out in the community raising HIV/AIDS awareness will tell you with a smile. Isabelle Luzuriaga â&#x20AC;&#x2122;12 is one of those young women who thinks before she speaks or acts. She considers her words and actions carefully, and the end result is an arresting sense of purpose rarely seen in young people today. She has given up her summers to attend rigorous and challenging academic programs like her study of Global Leadership through Yale Universityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Ivy Scholars Program. She has interned in the OfďŹ ce of Public Affairs and Communications at Harvard and in a Molecular Medicine lab at the University of Massachusetts Medical School. All of this has led to her Senior Project at Ashley Hall, and with an eye to the future she is currently putting her plan into motion. Isabelle had always known she wanted her Senior Project to be based in medicine and involve a service component. After learning more about her auntâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work in Liberia setting up AIDS clinics, she found her inspiration. Originally she planned to extensively research the science and technologies be-

My goal is to educate, to demystify common stigmas of AIDS. Part of ďŹ ghting the AIDS pandemic is making sure people have the facts about the disease. I hope that the students I talk to will take this awareness with them to college where they will be with a much more diverse community and use it to keep themselves and others safe.

hind HIV/AIDS and the political and cultural responses around the disease. However as she began her work, she quickly realized that the scope of the project was much broader than could be accomplished within the conďŹ nes of her senior year and chose to distill her areas of study to the basic science of the disease and the cultural responses. â&#x20AC;&#x153;I have never had a teacher at Ashley Hall tell me I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t do something,â&#x20AC;? Isabelle tells us. â&#x20AC;&#x153;They have always given us the opportunities to make our own mistakes and to learn from them. This project is a great example. I am certain that my advisor knew my proposed topic was too broad but instead of telling me â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Noâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; she let me explore it and come to that realization myself. That is one of the greatest things I have learned at Ashley Hall; that I am capable of overcoming obstacles and ďŹ nding solutions

O\R Ă&#x201A;\RW\U a]ZcbW]\a ]\ [g ]e\ Purposeful | Intelligent | Worldly

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continue to raise awareness after she graduates. on my own. Our teachers are more like mentors. She is also working with the global health founThey know just how to motivate us individudation, Accordia, that founded the Infectious ally. They help when we need help, they push Disease Institute in Karpala, Uganda. Accordia us when we need to be challenged, they are a works to train health care providers as doctors, shoulder to lean on when we need it, and they dentists, pharmacists, laboratory technicians, share in and celebrate our successes.â&#x20AC;? and more. Africans from across the continent To begin to understand the basic science bealso attend the institute and take the informahind the HIV/AIDS pandemic, Isabelle reached tion they learn back to their communities out through her community contacts to Dr. where they begin to treat those HIV/AIDS Timothy West, an infectious disease specialist patients in their village. Accordiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s overarching afďŹ liated with Roper Hospital. Currently they goal is to create a sustainable health care system meet every other week to discuss her research for Africa, and, to date, have trained volunteers and share resources. He answers any questions from 27 African countries and treated 15% of she may have and poses new questions for her to the HIV/AIDS population in Uganda. Isabelle consider. His mentorship has helped to shape is working to bring them to Charleston and is not only Isabelleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s research project but her comhelping to plan fundraisers for them munity action initiative as well. She is in the spring. currently planning to raise awareness in When asked about what Ashley the youth of the Charleston community Hall has offered her, after careful about AIDS prevention and the societal consideration Isabelle lists several stigmas of the disease, both of which are more like mentors. things. She talks about how the she feels will aid in prevention. Her tarschool has never held her back but get audiences are 11th and 12th graders, They know just how to always encouraged her to strive for and she already has three schools commotivate us individually. more. She cites the group of students mitted to letting her share her message in her sixth grade math class that with their students. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What I really want were allowed to skip a level in math to keep them challenged. to leave with the groups I talk to is that anyone can get HIV/ She also talks about the ability to take Spanish at the College AIDS. There is really not a high risk societal group, there of Charleston in her senior year when she had completed all are high risk behaviors, and anyone can participate in those the Spanish electives. But more importantly she talks about behaviors. You cannot tell from looking at someone whether her conďŹ dence and her individuality and how they have been or not they have HIV, and since the disease is no longer front nurtured by the Ashley Hall community. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ashley Hall provides page news people seem to have forgotten how horrible it really an instant community for its students, and I believe that sense is. They seem to think of it now as an African disease, when of community is especially strong because we are all girls. You this is simply not the case. Yes, people are living longer with can rely on that support from the entire school as you go out the disease today thanks to advances in antiretroviral medicainto the wider community, which is another thing that Ashley tions, but did you know that some of those drugs cost $1,800 a month? My goal is to educate, to demystify common stigmas Hall does really well for its students. It opens doors for you and gives you opportunities to get involved. It is up to you of AIDS. Part of ďŹ ghting the AIDS pandemic is making sure people have the facts about the disease. I hope that the students to use them, but you also know that as you step out into the wider community and take risks you always have that cushion I talk to will take this awareness with them to college where they will be with a much more diverse community and use it to underneath that Ashley Hall provides if you fall. Then you just get back up, dust yourself off, and try it a new way!â&#x20AC;? keep themselves and others safe.â&#x20AC;? Getting out in the community to spread the word about the HIV/AIDS pandemic is just one action Isabelle plans with this project. She is currently writing curriculum for Ashley Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s PAWS (Personal Awareness and Wellness Seminars) program to

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28 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL

hen a group of Ashley Hall girls get

inspired by a project, there is no

stopping them from achieving their goals.

This is a lesson Intermediate School science teacher Ashley Cook knows first-hand. When her 6th grade students brought the Disney Planet Challenge to her and asked if they could participate, they recognized the scope of work for the project was daunting but were determined to see it through. The Disney Planet Challenge requires students to identify a local or global environmental problem, propose a workable and sustainable solution to the problem, and to record and reflect on their actions to enact the solution. The girls were clear in their objectives and had already identified a challenge that they wanted to tackle, cleaning up the Lowcountry’s waterways.

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t all began early on a Saturday morning

in September 2011, when the girls participated in the International

Coastal Cleanup on Folly Beach. Ashley Hall students were in charge of three stations on the beach and picked up all types of garbage and marine debris. During the process they used ID cards to identify the different types of debris they were finding and were appalled at the number of cigarette butts and plastics they recovered. During the clean up the girls came upon a dead seabird whose abdomen was filled with plastics it had ingested. “This was, I think, the genesis of the project,” says Cook. “This group of girls is very ecologically minded, and they have a very strong sense of empathy for other living things. Their Lower School experiences at the aquarium and at the sea turtle hospital had already enhanced their understanding of the interconnectedness of all marine life and how it is being affected by marine debris and the toxins in our waterways. They were just devastated to find that bird. They resolved right then to do what they can to keep our waterways clean and, more importantly, to share their knowledge with the community at large. The project came out of this resolution and has actually been a great fit for the 6th grade science curriculum.”

30 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL

C Since its inception the girls have become dedicated stewards of our waterways. A unit on storm water runoff with Clemson/Carolina Clear led the girls to lab investigations of the sources of pollution in the area. They learned the purposes of the salt marsh not only as a habitat but also as a buffer zone to keep run-off out of the oceans. A unit on oyster reefs with the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources led the girls through a lab to understand the unique habitat the reefs provide, as well as the important role they play in ďŹ ltering our waterways and protecting our shorelines. But learning about the causes of the problem was just the beginning; now they needed to ďŹ nd some solutions. Educating the community on storm drain runoff has become a mission of the 6th grade. They talk to their neighbors and parents about fertilizers and pesticides that get ďŹ&#x201A;ushed into the ocean and have worked with SCDNR to label storm water drains at Ashley Hall and in the sur-

O M PA S S I O N AT E

I want to reiterate that all these initiatives began with the girls. The lessons they are learning about our environment are naturally a part of the 6th grade science curriculum. But their understanding of their place in the community and how each living thing is tied to another, that all started much earlier.

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rounding neighborhood. After learning more about the bacteria and parasites found in pet waste and how this enters the water system and plays a part in algae blooms, they sponsored a Charleston pet waste station and are responsible for keeping it supplied with biodegradable bags. They initiated and hosted a Keep Charleston Beautiful cleanup at Brittlebank Park. They harvested sweet grass seeds from the plot they had planted on campus and, along with Spartina seeds, germinated and began to grow the grasses to transplant to eroding shorelines. They worked with their parents and neighbors and the Ashley Hall Parents’ and Alumnae Associations to recycle roasted oyster shells to rebuild the reefs. They monitored water quality at Alberta Lake and entered their data into the DNR’s database. They wrote letters to local vendors asking them to consider banning or taxing the plastic bags they use. “I want to reiterate that all these initiatives began with the girls,” says Cook. “The lessons they are learning about our environment are naturally a part of the 6th grade science cur-

32 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL

riculum. But their understanding of their place in the community and how each living thing is tied to another, that all started much earlier. Through all the experiential programs at Ashley Hall, starting as early as the EEC, the students have been exposed to their local environments, and that nurtures their sense of place and their understanding that their actions affect all people and living things. It gives meaning and purpose to the lessons they are learning. Today they see the plastics in the environment. They understand how exponentially the population is growing and what could happen in the future if they don’t take action. This understanding leads to their sense of responsibility to make a better future for themselves and others. Their desire to go out and teach others what they know and to really affect change is inspiring. These girls inspire me every day.” The project doesn’t end here. The girls have plans in the works to build an actual reef with their recycled oyster shells and the Spartina grass they have grown. In the spring they will work in their English classes to write letters to their state legis-

lators expressing their concerns about the pollution in the waterways. They will also identify local, ecologically-minded vendors and write them commending them on their actions. After a lesson with a NOAA representative in the fall on locating and removing marine debris such as derelict ďŹ shing boats, they are making plans to build a Remote Operating Vehicle (ROV) that they will test in the Ashley Hall pool. (A perfect STEM initiative.) Most recently after learning about the Lessons in a Bucket project initiated in the EEC through Dana Van Hookâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s work with Water Missions International, they are making plans to visit classes in the EEC and teach those lesson plans on the importance of clean water to the younger students. Whether they win the Disney Planet Challenge or not is of little concern to this vibrant, engaged, group of community-minded young women. What is important is that they have found their voices to engage the community around them. They know the actions they take on a local level eat away at a much larger global problem and makes the world a better place for all living creatures.

Through all the experiential programs at Ashley Hall, starting as early as the EEC, the students have been exposed to their local environments, and that nurtures their sense of place and their understanding that their actions affect all people and living things. It gives meaning and purpose to the lessons they are learning.

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4 Ways to

Build Community photo by Penny Hoey

Today

MADELEINE MCGEE ‘79

34 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL

“When I was at Ashley Hall, girls weren’t doing the type of community service they do today. As a matter of fact, our most memorable project as a class came about because we damaged a facility at our Junior Senior. We were in trouble! We had to raise enough money to pay for the repairs, and that shared goal brought the entire class together. We moved beyond our various cliques and pitched in to make things right. Now that is how communities work,” Madeleine McGee ’79 shares with a laugh. Junior Senior may be a distant memory (and the damage long since repaired!), but Madeleine uses that valuable lesson in community building everyday in her work as president of SCANPO (the South Carolina Association for Nonprofit Organizations). She’s gained an appreciation for the particular skills and talents that women bring to community engagement through her experiences as a board member, volunteer, nonprofit consultant and in her 8-year tenure as president of the Coastal Community Foundation. In 2009 McGee entered the local political arena when elected to the Sullivan’s Island Town Council. She’s passionate about her state and community, and particularly the nonprofit sector. We asked her to share with her Ashley Hall sisters four ways women can help build community.

1. Find Core Values and Common Ground You Share with Others Women are consensus builders, and our interest in getting to know others is one of our biggest strengths as community builders. I have seen it in my work at the Coastal Community Foundation (CCF) and at SCANPO and in my time as a Liberty Fellow. By taking time to get to know others, we ﬁnd those shared core values that let us work effectively with people of disparate backgrounds. When you join a board or a committee, it’s usually because you believe in whatever the cause is, and that speaks to your core values. At CCF, we often designed committees to include individuals from different backgrounds who might disagree on many things, but shared a core value of giving back to the community. The shared values would quickly become apparent, and become the common ground for the group to work together. It creates immediate respect for each other and aids in seeing beyond differences. A great example of this is the diverse committee asked to select the recipient of CCF’s Haven award. This is an ideologically and socio-economically diverse group that is able to come to consensus because of their shared belief in the importance of recognizing and awarding leadership. A shared core value also takes conversations to higher levels, lets you cut to the chase and engage in meaningful conversation. I experienced this with my Liberty Fellowship* classmates. We were all selected and participated because we were committed to community action, so the conversation could start there and quickly allow for real discourse and change to ensue. There’s something of interest and value in every person; get to know their stories, their passions, and my guess is you’ll quickly ﬁnd some common ground.

2. Be a Good Neighbor This is basically a reiteration of number one, but on more of a grass roots level, and something everyone can do. It doesn’t require serving on a committee or a nonproﬁt board. It used to be that being a good neighbor was part and parcel of being a good citizen. Today it seems we are lucky to know the people on either side of us and across the street, much less down the road a few houses. We rarely turn to neighbors for help anymore. We don’t borrow a cup of sugar or a rake, we run to the store instead. Why this changed I don’t know, whether it was TV, air-conditioning, or a lack of front porches, something

O L L A B O R AT I V E

By taking time to get to know others, we ﬁnd those shared core values that let us work effectively with people of disparate backgrounds.

Madeleine campaigned with friends’ children. Start a regular walking route (dogs help!) and talk to people along your way. It just takes a few interactions to create a common ground to build from.

changed. When I was consulting for Carolina Youth Development Center (CYDC) we held a series of small gatherings to raise awareness of their programs. We went into neighborhoods and found host families who would let us invite their neighbors to their homes for an informal information session. Our hosts were as excited about meeting and getting to know the people living near them as they were about spreading the word about CYDC. They wanted to know their neighbors and had just not taken the opportunity to make that happen. Finding those openings to get to know those who surround you can feel socially awkward, but there are simple things you can do, maybe plant a garden and share your extra veggies. Start a regular walking route (dogs help!) and talk to people along your way. It just takes a few interactions to create a common ground to build from.

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3. Volunteer I’m a huge proponent of finding your passion, seeing a need, then rolling up your sleeves and digging into community work, which is what volunteers do. It is not only personally rewarding, it can open career opportunities and help women hone important job skills. In SC, the number of community nonprofits increased by 100% between 1999 and 2009. Most of these are very small and often still in the start-up stage. 75% of the leaders of these nonprofits are women. Women see a need and they address it. It can start with something small, like realizing that many elderly suffer in our summers for lack of air conditioning, which is how the Charleston-based nonprofit, Operation Home, began. Pinpoint your passion, find a local nonprofit that supports it, and volunteer your time. You will share the rewards of working with others who share your core values while building a community around it. Pinpoint your passion, find a local nonprofit that supports it, and volunteer your time. You will gain the rewards of working with others who share your core values, while building a community around it. Women provide that connective and social tissue outside of church and school that brings people together. We need to share that!

4. Get Involved in the Political Process Women are naturally passionate, empathic and collaborative leaders; three of the most important attributes a person in political office should possess, in my opinion. We are also dismally underrepresented in South Carolina’s legislature. I’m afraid the ugliness that is typically associated with campaigning often discourages women from running for office. But I’m an optimist, and I believe one can effectively campaign as a collaborator, not as an “opponent”. It doesn’t have to be “us or them,” or “win or lose,” that is truly not what it should be about. Ideally the act of campaigning should help to build community. When I decided to run for office in the admittedly safe and small public realm of Sullivan’s Island for a nonpartisan and at-large Council seat, my good friend Susan

34 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL 36

Romaine ran as well. We decided to work together, held joint campaign events – fun, social events that brought our community together. Sure we had different views, but we were running to build awareness and consensus, and people remarked on how unique it was for two “competing candidates” to work so closely together. That is something that I believe women do well. We can collaborate with each other beyond our differences. And this also serves us well once elected. I’ve learned to harness my passions and nerves, which from the time I was in 9th grade expressed themselves through tears, to help me speak more effectively. As women, our great passion can be our undoing, but if we can find that fine line of not letting our emotions overwhelm us and use them to make people listen, then that can become a strength. I also believe that most women who get involved in the political arena are doing so because of their convictions, not for any sense of ego or familial legacy. This allows us to be much more focused on consensus. When we do not constantly have to be right, or worry about winning the next election, or be the most popular candidate, then we’re able to make better decisions for our communities. Getting involved in the political realm can take many shapes and forms – for me it was stepping up locally. That was much more comfortable to me than running for a high profile position, but getting involved and speaking up is the important part. Find what works for you. Your community commitment is a personal one. Each of us have priorities in our lives that determine our ability to commit time to our communities. However, as graduates of Ashley Hall, I encourage us all to remember the old adage, “From those to whom much is given, much is expected,” and do our part, no matter how small, to enhance the communities in which we live and better the lives of others.

SCANPO’S mission is to serve, support and strengthen nonproﬁts for a better South Carolina. They aim to build a knowledge network, promote collaboration and strengthen the collective voice. For more information on SCANPO or to get involved with non proﬁt organization in SC, please visit www.scanpro.org. To learn more about the Liberty Fellows Program, go to libertyfellowshipSC.org

Ashley Hall

LoyaltyFund 2011-2012

July 1

10%

20%

30%

40%

50%

60%

70%

80%

90%

June 30

70% It is only half way through the ﬁscal year, and we are only 30% short of our goal. Won’t you please help us by sending in your donation today? Every gift counts!

shley Hall has enjoyed a tremendous success for the 20112012 Loyalty Fund! Generous donors have risen to the occasion donating $438,606 which is $30,000 more than the previous year. Each constituency has a lot to be proud of as their donations have risen an average of 15% from the previous year. The alumnae participation and total dollars are of particular interest as total donations from the alumnae totaled $84,315 for 2007-2008 and $127,642 for 2011-2012. There were 189 total alumnae donors for the ﬁrst half of 2007-2008, whereas we currently have 488 with six months left in the ﬁscal year. 2012-2011

2010-2011

Total raised 12-31

$438,606

$408,079

Current Parents

$181,386

$178,269

Alumnae

$127,642

$106,168

Parent of Alum

$31,354

$26,230

Grandparent

$22,751

$17,357

Totals indicate amounts raised as of December 31, 2011 and 2010

Ashley Hall uses the Loyalty Fund money to enhance the education the students are receiving. The more money raised each year, the more it can offer the students. Each division has beneﬁtted from the generosity of the Ashley Hall community using dollars to implement programs such as Reggio Emilia, Responsive Classroom, STEM, and Harkness.

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1S\bS\\WOZ 1O[^OWU\ C^RObS DR. JERRY REVES Dr. Jerry Reves has a three generation and storied history with Ashley Hall. His aunt, Geraldine Masterson Chase â&#x20AC;&#x2122;42, attended, two of his three daughters taught for the school, and he jokes that when he was growing up in Charleston and attending Gaud School he would only date Ashley Hall girls. Today Dr. Reves lives directly across Rutledge Avenue from the school so he and his wife, Jenny, witness the vibrant life of the campus every day. He has also served on the Ashley Hall Board of Trustees since 2007 and has opened doors into the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) community and strengthened the two schoolsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; relationship. Dr. Reves serves as the Chairman of Ashley Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Centennial Campaign Planned Giving Committee and has made arrangements to leave the school a percentage of his estate which, at the time of the pledge was, more than $200,000. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When I was appointed to the Ashley Hall Board of Trustees, I was struck by this vision and sense of energy that comes from Jill and with how engaged and singularly supportive of Ashley Hall and its mission that the Board of Trustees is. They never tire of reaching out to the community to spread the word about the wonderful things that are happening at the school, and their zeal in this is inspiring. At one meeting, there was a discussion among the Trustees about another school that had asked its Trustees to pledge a percentage of their estates to the institution. This stayed with me. As a recent retiree living on a new â&#x20AC;&#x153;ďŹ xed income,â&#x20AC;? I canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t make the outright, annual gifts that I would like to. However knowing that I still have my estate, and it is a great opportunity to have my money support the causes I support, the pledge was an easy one to make,â&#x20AC;? shares Reves. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Ashley Hall is a time-tested pillar of the Charleston community. For over 100 years it has served this community and this country, and Charleston is a more vibrant community for it. This, along with my lifetime commitment to supporting education, my understanding of the vital role philanthropy plays in a private school, and living across from this institution where every day I see and hear the energized, engaged girls going and coming to school, made Ashley Hall a clear choice as a beneďŹ ciary of our lifework resources. â&#x20AC;? Dr. Revesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; gift will help to build Ashley Hallâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s endowment which sustains and supports all aspects of the school. The fact that this fundraising campaign was undertaken and successful during such challenging economic times only strengthens Dr. Revesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; faith in the

school, its leadership, and vision. â&#x20AC;&#x153;While other institutions may have put the brakes on campaigns, Ashley Hall continued to look forward to the future. You have to have a long-term vision, be committed to it, and believe in its vitality and possibility. The fact that Ashley Hall had Jillâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s unďŹ&#x201A;agging, inspirational, and innovative leadership during these ďŹ nancially challenging times has enabled the school to continue to look forward to and pursue the future that is right for the school and to be successful in this campaign. I encourage anyone who believes in the mission of Ashley Hall to ďŹ nd a way to ďŹ nancially support it, either with a capital gift or an estate planned gift.â&#x20AC;? In 2001 Dr. Reves left his position at Duke University in Durham where he was Head of the Duke Heart Center and Chairman of the Department of Anesthesiology . He returned to Charleston to ďŹ nish his career as the Dean of the College of Medicine and Vice President for Medical Affairs at MUSC. He retired from MUSC in 2010 and, as his wife Jenny tells it, started a new chapter in their life together when they embarked on Americaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Great Loop, a nautical adventure that has taken them up the Atlantic from Charleston, to Chesapeake to Quebec and on the inland rivers to Mississippi and the Gulf Coast. They will embark on the last leg of their journey in May that will take them around Florida and back to Charleston. The journey has continued his life of challenging adventure, and you can read about the journey he and Jenny and their black lab, ACE, share on their blog www.sweetgrassadventures.com.

To support the Centennial Campaign, please contact Cindy Johnson at 843-720-2857 or johnsonc@ashleyhall.org.

34 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL 38

Class Notes

’35 Eleanor Allan Hanson is still perking along at 93! ’41 Mary-Lou Strong Rhodes would love to hear from any ‘41 or ‘42 classmates! She is still teaching piano and enjoying her exercise classes at her retirement home. She’s a recent widow. Please write or call her!

Ashley Hall alumnae, we want to hear from you! Please send updates, announcements and news notes to tecklenburgs@ashleyhall.org or online at ashleyhall.org/alumnae.php

Stephanie Tecklenburg is the new Director of Constituent Relations. She manages the Parents Association Board, the Alumnae Association Board, and is the contact for all parent and alumnae relations, fundraisers, and special events. Her direct line is 843.965.8454.

’43 Tina Thomas Bruder visited Charleston in February, 2011, and enjoyed seeing the campus again. ’43 Cordelia Lambert Stites was up at 5:30am to see her grandson off for 31 days in the Grand Canyon. Glad she didn’t have to go, but gets to hear all of the stories and see the videos! ’46 Weezie Baker Walker says that even at this age the knowledge achieved at Ashley Hall still rises to the surface. This she will try to share with her 5 children, 13 grands, and 2 greats. She would love to hear from her old Ashley Hall friends - weezie@iglou.com. ’53 Betty Ann Allison Gottzandt reports that life is still good for her and her husband and that they enjoy their 3 children and 8 grandchildren when they come to visit. Their oldest grand graduated from Wellesley last June and they were able to attend the graduation ceremony. Judy Young-Thayer is delighted to report that she and Jerry continue to enjoy their carefree senior residence and travel. In 2012, they will

Shakespeare Reception The Comedy of Errors was presented in the fall as the Shakespeare at the Bear Cave performance. Local alumnae enjoyed a reception on the McBee House terrace before the performance.

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Alumnae Christmas Play Reception Begins New Tradition Before the annual Christmas play, Ashley Hall hosted a reception for alumnae. Those that attended reminisced with each other on their days performing in the play, a long- standing tradition at Ashley Hall.

Carolyn Boette Hooker ’39 and her son

Cashion Drolet ‘97, Margaret Johnson Kunes ‘98

Lynn Burris Brooke ‘78, Barbara Johnson Baker ‘54 Helen Davis Britton ‘88, Therese Trouche Smythe ‘78

Jill Muti, Margie Davis Barham ‘86

40 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL

Elizabeth Lucas Rawl ‘76, Betsey Lynch Hodges ‘70

go on a Caribbean cruise in March, and to Eastern Turkey in April and May. They have enjoyed visits with Esther H. Beaumont ’53 , sister Jill ’54, their sons and their families, as well as other friends and family. ’57 Christa Clausen Tear and her husband, Harry, are still living at The Landings in Savannah and loving every minute. It is a beautiful area and their two cats spend most of their time out on the deck basking in the sun! Their two children, Harry III and Christa Middleton, are happily ensconced in Atlanta. Harry and spouse (Jennifer) have two precious children (Lauren and Harry IV). Christa and her husband are happily married without little ones!

Dee-Dee Samet Chandler is the Past President of the State Bar of Arizona. She is also a member (and Past President) of the Pima County Bar, the Southern Arizona Federal Bar, and Casa de los Ninos for abused children. She is also on the Board of Governors for The State Bar of Arizona and the Invisible Theatre, one of the oldest community theaters in the country. Kitty Bryan Forbes and her husband, Walter, traveled to the Holy Land (Egypt, Jordan, and Israel) last year. Kitty loved seeing classmate Cynthia Simmons Corley ’57 during the summer. Kitty was a participant at the Sewanee Writers’ Conference in August.

’59 Caroline Speissegger Mitchell has been a grandmother for a year, and it is much better than sliced bread! Both sons have a son, and she is hoping a little girl may be on the way! Living in Myrtle Beach is great. Her husband claims it is a “working vacation.” ’61 Duchess Fitch Crowley has had an amazing year professionally. She is Program Manager for Workers Compensation for the Army, providing leadership and guidance for 122 workers. She works with Army installations around the globe, with a budget of about $176 million. In May, she received the Army’s Pace Award for being the outstanding civil service employee, and in November her

Kay Haselden Chandler ’61 completed the last of the World Marathon Majors in Berlin, Germany on September 25, 2011. The others she has completed are New York, Chicago, Boston, and London! Next is Little Rock!

program is being recognized as the best workers compensation program in the federal government. ’62 Lee Bailey Brewer and her husband, Dorsey, spend a lot of their retirement traveling. They celebrated their 40th wedding anniversary in Barcelona, Italy, and Greece. They have 5 grandchildren. ’63 Ginny Parker Tate retired after 44 years of teaching and is thoroughly enjoying the slower pace!

Parent and Alumnae Program Series This fall, Ashley Hall started a new series of lifelong learning offerings for parents and local alumnae. Our ﬁrst offering was a Zumba class taught by Amelia E. Jenkins ’82. We look forward to growing this program, and seeing you back on campus!

D’Anna Fortunato continues to tour through the USA with the ﬂute/ piano group “2”, and presented a vocal chamber music recital at the New England Conservatory in the spring of 2011, entitled “Vocal Chamber Music of Our Time”.

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The Power of

1][[c\Wbg >O`b\S`a

Lucia Harrison Jaycocks and her husband, Edgar, have ďŹ nally left â&#x20AC;&#x153;Old Villageâ&#x20AC;? Mount Pleasant for full time in â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Villageâ&#x20AC;? McClellanville, but still plan to be in Charleston a lot! â&#x20AC;&#x2122;64 Mary Maroney Walker is an artist living on Johns Island and showing locally at The Corrigan Gallery. â&#x20AC;&#x2122;65 Ginny Craver Good is enjoying having her daughter, Katharine Good Festner â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90 and her family living in Mt. Pleasant. Son, Joe Good III, continues to practice law and recently he and a friend made several national magazines with their â&#x20AC;&#x153;Fat and Juicy Bloody Mary Mixâ&#x20AC;? invention. Husband Joe is talking retirement in 2012! â&#x20AC;&#x2122;66 Joan Hussey Marler is still practicing law at Gainesville State College. Her husband, Philip, is still practicing medicine and was the past Chief of Staff at N.E. Georgia Hospital. Their son, Rush, just got a job in Chicago as a chemical engineer. They canâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t wait to visit him! Gretchen Kempf Milligan is a retired teacher after 35 years and lives in Georgetown, SC. She has been married for 42 years to Steve Milligan and has two sons, Jeff and Todd. They have 4 grandchildren: Emma, Ava, Jack, and Riley. â&#x20AC;&#x2122;67 Missy Roper Cashman has a new granddaughter, Emily Louise â&#x20AC;&#x153;Emmylouâ&#x20AC;? Cashman born September 24, 2011. Her parents are Dr. and Mrs. Jeff Cashman (Jeff and Molly) of Greenville, SC.

Jane Werrell â&#x20AC;&#x2122;06 â&#x20AC;&#x153;Having watched Jane grow up, we are so happy

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;70 Caroline James Williamsonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s oldest son, James, is a senior at Guilford College in Greensboro, N.C. Their younger son, Charles, is a sophomore at Warren Wilson College near Asheville, N.C. Caroline has been attending water media workshops at Springmaid in Myrtle Beach in order to enhance her painting skills.

to have her on the â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;other side of the counterâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; at Croghanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jewel Box now. We celebrate her joyfulness, her style, her dreams, and of course her jewelry.â&#x20AC;?

Robin Winfree-Andrew released a new book, Mother Earthâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Family, a new collaboration for children of all ages.

On December 6, 2011, Croghanâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Jewel Box, a pillar of the community and long time friend of Ashley Hall, celebrated a â&#x20AC;&#x153;new generation of rising starsâ&#x20AC;? in the ďŹ ne jewelry industry. That two of them were Ashley Hall graduates was no accident!

Eliza Avery â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;07 â&#x20AC;&#x153;We are delighted that Eliza wanted to apprentice with our master jeweler, and we realized right away that she would bring a new creative dimension to our environment. We celebrate her enthusiasm, her individual and artistic approach to her designs and her bravery as a warrior with an appreciation for beauty and form!â&#x20AC;? Quotes from www.croghansjewelbox.com

42 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL

â&#x20AC;&#x2122;71 Josie Lyles is now living in Charleston, SC. Her 25 year old daughter, Nicole, was just married (October 24, 2011) at Magnolia Gardens. Her oldest, Aynsley, lives in Los Angeles, CA. Her 21 year old son, Ryan, is at UCF in Orlando, FL.

Nancy J. Muller is teaching healthcare marketing in graduate school at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, Virginia. ’74 Dottie B. Edwards Nutt’s daughter is a senior at North Carolina State University. Her son works for the US Green Council in Washington, DC. ’77 Caroline Hutson Weisemann is living in Greece on the island of Khios. Catherine Doscher Byrd has a husband, two children, a house, and a dog. Who’d have thunk? Margaret Jenkins Donaldson and Margaret Donaldson Interiors recently received 5 design awards in a regional ASID design competition. Margaret was honored for her work on The Dock Street Theatre, Bishop Gadsden Retirement Home, a downtown luxury condo, and 2 projects at Kiawah Island. Mary LeMacks Scarborough has two children in college. Her oldest, Ross, is a junior at The University of the South, and Elizabeth ’11 is a freshman at the University of South Carolina. She is a Kappa Delta. Thomas, her third child, is a junior at Porter Gaud. ’78 Katharine E. Hutson is currently living in Cairo and teaching at the American International School in Egypt. She teaches grades 8 - 10 English.

Elissa G. Bostain ’06 will be graduating with a Master of Architecture degree from Clemson University in May. During her graduate education she spent one semester abroad in Barcelona, Spain and had the chance to travel to Portugal, Morocco, Germany, Greece, and Croatia. She also spent a semester at the Clemson Architecture Center in Charleston. The last three summers she has been employed by DukeTIP at Texas A&M University teaching architecture to gifted high school students.

’80 Ann Mitchell Thrash is a freelance book editor and writer who lives in Mount Pleasant. She and her husband, Bill Thrash, recently celebrated their fourth anniversary. Bill owns Red Zeppelin Aerial Photography. Ann and Bill have a Jack Russell Terrier, Indigo, and a Maine coon cat, Shelley. ’81 Barbara Siniuk Wagner has recently joined East Cooper Psychiatric Solutions as a full time therapist. ’83 Melissa Fuller Brown was recently invited to become a Fellow in the International Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (IAML), a worldwide association of practicing

lawyers recognized by their peers as the most experienced family law attorneys in their respective countries. She was the ﬁrst woman and fourth attorney to become a Fellow in the IAML from South Carolina. Melissa is also a Fellow in the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers (AAML) where she was appointed to Chair the newly-formed Committee on Social Networking. The Committee’s goal is to increase consumer access to information about divorce, alimony, multi-state custody cases, and highly-qualiﬁed counsel to litigants in all 50 states. ’87 Diana Dill Spinoglio and her husband, David, have been living in Orange County, CA for 19 years with their children Taylor Michael (15)

and Ashley (9). They just celebrated their 17th wedding anniversary. ’89 Angie Hewitt Chakeris is now a licensed tour guide. She gives walking tours in downtown Charleston. Ever since the 8th grade at Ashley Hall, she has wanted to be a guide. She is following her passion. Angie and her husband, Costa, have two children, ages 12 and 9. ’90 Perrin Cothran Conrad just publised a new book, The Ballad of the Shirley T and Other Stories. You can follow her on her blog where she gives a little more information about the stories included in the collection: www.perrincothranconrad. blogspot.com.

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Cacky Rivers Williams just recently started her own business called Cacky’s Bride + Aid. She takes care of brides on their wedding day by preserving or steaming their gowns or just by helping out with all the last minute details! Katharine Good Festner has a son, Walker, aged 3. Katharine is a third grade teacher at The Cooper School and her husband, Fred, is in construction.

PQV to Nancy Hagood ’10 who was recently written up in the Moultrie News for her achievements! Charleston Sailor Receives Local and National Accolades Nancy Hagood loves to sail. She grew up sailing with her Sullivan’s Island family and has been racing since she was eleven years old. While a student at Ashley Hall, she competed on their high school sailing team and is now a sophomore on the Georgetown University Sailing Team. One of the many regattas she has participated in since 2005 is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s annual Leukemia Cup Regatta (LCR). The LCR is a combination racing/fundraising event. This year’s event, held in October, had a deeper meaning to Nancy and her family. Her father, Ben Hagood, was diagnosed with Multiple Myeloma in November 2010. Two weeks later, he began a yearlong treatment process. Velcade, one of the drugs used in her father’s treatment, was developed by LLSfunded researchers. Raising money for the 2011 LCR was natural—it was ﬁnally a way for her to really help in the ﬁght against blood cancer.

October 1, 2011 was a perfect day on water and land. Just a few days before, Ben had officially achieved remission and sailed with Nancy and crew in the 15th Annual Leukemia Cup Regatta. He was the helmsman and she trimmed main. Team Mongo finished first in every race and their fundraising efforts claimed the coveted Leukemia Cup award for the boat as well as top individual fundraiser for Nancy. Team Mongo had raised over $45,000—$40,000 of that through Nancy’s efforts. But the story does not end here. Recently, Nancy was presented the National LCR First Place Individual Fundraising award at the New York Yacht Club for her outstanding fundraising efforts. Although Nancy’s college duties kept her from attending the weekend ceremony, she was recognized by Gary Jobson, World Cup Winner and National LCR spokesman, for her distinction among other top fundraising sailors throughout the United States.

Reprinted with permission by the Moultrie News. Photo by Derrill Hagood ’09.

44 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL

Ashley Holt ‘08 interned with a Senior Producer at ABC’s Entertainment Tonight last summer. Ashley worked on many projects, including helping the producer put segments together for the show. Depending on the week, there were video shoots which she was able to help with! She also worked at Junkets on many movies that are scheduled to debut soon. She really enjoyed all of the professional experience she was able to glean from both of these internships.

’95 Meredith Land Moore still resides in Dallas, TX. She has one daughter, McCall Moore (2 1/2 years old). She was recently promoted to the main anchor position at NBC Dallas. ’96 Lucie N. Maguire just received her Master’s Degree in Nutrition from Clemson and is currently enrolled in the Dietetic Internship at MUSC, at the end of which she will be eligible to take the exam to be a Registered Dietician. Also, she got married in November, 2011! ’97 Margaret Anne Siachos is an actress in the new film, The Mighty Macs, which opened in theatres nationwide in October, 2011. The film tells the true story of the first women’s NCAA championship basketball team from 1972, Immaculata College. She plays the point guard of the team. She says her years of playing varsity basketball for Ashley Hall were very helpful in getting this role!

Helen Turner Hill ‘81 In October, 2011, Condé Nast Traveler named Charleston, South Carolina the Top U.S. City at the magazine’s 2011 Readers’ Choice Awards gala held in New York. The historic coastal destination that welcomes four million annual visitors previously held the No. 2 ranking. At the ceremony, Emmy Award-winning comedy writer and Charlestonian Stephen Colbert said, “I’ve been all over the world and Charleston is the most beautiful city I’ve ever seen.” He presented the 2011 Readers’ Choice Top City Award to Helen Turner Hill ‘81, Executive Director of the Charleston Area Convention & Visitors Bureau. Helen’s extraordinary leadership of the CVB has been applauded and recognized nationally.

’01 Lilla Lane Clark celebrated her ﬁrst wedding anniversary on November 6th! She and her husband, Patrick, are now living in Charlotte, and she is teaching middle school math. Although she loves her new school, she misses Ashley Hall!

Madeline S. Spratt works for Atlanta Rod as project manager. She also serves as a safety ofﬁcer. She graduated from Emory’s School of Business in 2010. She enjoys tennis, golf, kick boxing, and recently learned to drive a fork lift at her company!

’03 Anna B. Boatwright is living in Washington, DC and working for an actuarial consulting ﬁrm.

’07 Hannah O. Weatherford graduated in December with a degree in Electrical Engineering from Clemson.

’08 Cassie L. Odachowski just returned in August, 2011, from a 6-week study abroad program in Innsbruck, Austria. She traveled on weekends to Capri, Florence, Munich, Budapest, and Paris. Rachel Ellyn ‘09 and Maggie Mallard ‘09 were also on the trip with her. It was an amazing experience and she cannot wait to be in Europe again!

’10 Abigail L. Spratt is currently a sophomore at Washington University in Saint Louis. She is a Pi Phi and happily playing club volleyball. ’11 Patricia A. Kirkland attends Washington and Lee University.

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The Ashley Hall Local Alumnae Holiday Party was held this year at the Legare Waring House. It was a beautiful evening of delicious food, drinks, and great company celebrating the holiday season.

Anne Heinsohn Stavrinakis ’96, Jacquelin Bennett Lynn ‘96, Helen Ravenel Hammond ‘96

Therese Trouche Smythe ‘78, Lynn Burris Brooke ‘78

Molly B. Waring ’02 , Ellen M. Gilchrist ‘02, Cowles Gilchrist Whitley ‘01

Martha Zeigler Tucker ‘58, Sallie Doscher Avice du Buisson ‘71

46 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL

Marion Goodstein Goodman ‘54, Ken Goodman

Birth Announcements

’90 Rachel A. Venezian is pleased to announce that Ulysses Benjamin Howell joined their family on May 9th. Dina (age 6) and Asher (age 4) are enjoying their new playmate and Ulysses adores them. ’95 Susanne Buck Cantey and her husband, Willis, are happy to announce the birth of their son, James Willis Cantey IV. Big sister, Waring, loves her baby brother!

Elaine Meyer Bergmann ‘78, Margaret Jenkins Donaldson ‘77, Rhett Ramsay Outten ‘82, Caroline C. Lesesne ’83

’96 Kelley Dwyer McLaughlin is happy to announce that Elizabeth-May Hale McLaughlin was born on September 10, 2010.

Death Announcements

Mary Hall Ayers ‘32 – April 8, 2011. Emily Ravenel Farrow ’33 – April 26, 2011 Elizabeth Hyde Patton ’34 – August 23, 2011. Tommie Jenkins Witte ’36 – December 12, 2011 Irma Oettinger Bensinger ’37 – May 30, 2010 Beautsie Robertson Zahrn ‘63, Fred Zahrn

Dee Nuchols Salyer “Delight” ’42 – May 18, 2011 Lilly Palmer Biscoe Torrey ’43 – July 2, 2011 Boyd Blaydes Sawyer ’46 – July 16, 2011 Joanna Litz Ramsey ’53 – August 3, 2011 Plum Jenkins Moore ’63 – December 2, 2011 Candi Orvin Palmer ’65 – July 10, 2011

Melissa Fuller Brown ‘83, Tucker Cecil ‘83, Karen Jenkins Phillips ‘79, Helen Turner Hill ‘81

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Wedding Announcements

Alumnae Board 2011-2012

Amy E. Jenkins ’82 National Alumnae Council Chair, Loyalty Fund Chair

’97 Emily W. Mithoefer married Matthew Erick Edwards in a ceremony on Saturday, May 15, 2011 in Charleston, S.C. The couple resides in Knoxville, TN, where they are interns at the University of Tennessee Medical Center.

Jacquelin Bennett Lynn ’96 90s Representative Elizabeth Felder McDermott ’84 Vice President, Fall 2011

’00 April Rogers Barker was married to Jared Barker in April 2011. They now live and work in Washington, D.C. Lindsay Lyman was married on November 18, 2011, to Thomas Skelton III. He works for Sam Schirmer Nationwide. Lindsay is teaching French at Charleston Day and helping Franny Slay coach the Ashley Hall JV and Varsity volleyball teams. ’03 Lydia L. Levinson was married in Charleston on October 14, 2011, and honeymooned in Thailand. She is on faculty at UVA in Radiation Oncology. Her husband is working on his PhD in Physics at UVA.

Katy Bakker McKee and Jeffrey Mark McKee of Windermere, FL, were married on April 16, 2011, at Paul & Dalton Plantation in Green Pond, SC, where a reception followed. She earned a BA in Art History and a Minor in Economics from Rollins College, and is currently pursuing her Masters in Liberal Studies degree at Rollins College. She is the Founder/Director of a/k/art Consulting and Curating. The groom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Mark Swan McKee of Windermere, FL. He earned a BA in Economics from Rollins College and is a Professional Wakeboarder. The couple will reside in Winter Park, FL. ’05 Sally McKinney was married to Robert Taylor Hall on October 1, 2011. The wedding was at First (Scots) Presbyterian Church with the reception at the Carolina Yacht Club. Amy McKinney Luff ‘03 was the Matron of Honor. Lauren Elizabeth Widman ‘05 and Elizabeth Riley Poston ‘06 were bridesmaids. The couple traveled to Italy for their honeymoon. They reside in Columbia, SC.

Rhett Ramsay Outten ’82 Parent/Alumnae Liaison Margie Davis Barham ’86 President Kathy Bates ’65 Vice President, Spring 2012, Awards Chair Helen Davis Britton ’88 Secretary Melissa Fuller Brown ’83 Senior Luncheon Chair Cashion Drolet ’97 Family Circle Chair Elaine Conradi Eustis ’84 Senior Luncheon Assistant Marion Thomas Gilchrist ’83 Alumnae Weekend Friday Night Event Chair Cornelia Jones Graham ’87 Oyster Roast Chair, 80s Representative Vista Anne Thompson Grayson ’57 Jubilee Representative Susan Applegate Herrman ’58 50s Representative Helen Turner Hill ’81 Past President, Nominating Chair Betsey Lynch Hodges ’70 70s Representative

48 | The magazine of ASHLEY HALL

Jamye Horres Hurteau ’91 Alumnae Weekend Chair

Mary Ramsay ’98 Young Alumnae Representative EB Burtschy Ravenel ’89 Oyster Roast Assistant Frannie Baker Reese ’84 Treasurer, Pinning Chair Elizabeth W. Royall ’05 Auction Assistant Mary LeMacks Scarborough ’77 70’s Representative J. Vitre Ravenel Stephens ’95 Auction Chair Molly Waring ’02 00s Representative Cowles Gilchrist Whitley ’01 Alumnae Weekend Assistant Beautsie Zahrn ’63 Border Representative

Lost Alumnae Reunion Classes 2012 Please contact tecklenburgs@ashleyhall.org if you can assist us with ﬁnding any of these alumnae whose reunion will be in April 2012. Class of 1957 Amber Rau Pam Tucker Sherrill Cathy Hayden Zelinskas

ALUMNAE WEEKEND 2012! APRIL 13 & 14

Class of 1962 Mary Bland Durant Julie Jervey Mitchell Karen M. Scanland Class of 1967 Margaret Fair Devies Mary Markley Martha Skinner Class of 1972 Cathy Creel Baldwin Betsy Foote Ewer Kathy Fowler Nan Kavanaugh Karen Lovett Wendy Wofford McDaniel Sonja D. Mullinax Claudia Nichols Louise Palmer Nicklas Dottie Woodard Class of 1977 Caroline Hutson Weisemann

Celebrating reunion years ’62, ’67, ’72, ’77, ’82, ’87, ’92, ’97, ’02, ‘07 All class years are encouraged to attend! Look for your invitation in the mail early Spring.

Class of 1982 Sonya Johnson-George Lee Lucas Class of 1987 Becky Baker Constance Grady Class of 1992 Mary Elizabeth Bennett Sonja J. Oakcrum Suzy Pavone Class of 1997 Emily Baumil Emily F. Frampton Holly Tillman Gorman Racheal Parks Mena A. Suvari Brooke Zimmerman Class of 2002 Karen E. Tanenbaum

Purposeful | Responsible | Intelligent

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