Perspectives - Spring 2013

The magazine of

ASHLEY HALL

PERSPECTIVES Spring 2013

Wo r l d l y Purposeful Compassionate

Board of Trustees 2012-2013 Chairman - Joseph G. Reves Vice Chairman - W. Scott Parker Secretary - Heidi Ward Ravenel ‘74 Treasurer - Hugh C. Lane, Jr. Members-at-large Angie Hewitt Chakeris ‘89 Sheppard H. C. Davis, Jr. Ann W. Dibble ‘70 Randolph J. Friedman Brett Hildebrand Laurie A. Host ‘73 Elizabeth Rivers Lewine ‘54 Elizabeth Powers Lindh ‘67 Janet Pearlstine Lipov Kevin W. Mooney Anne Tamsberg Pope Barton A. Proctor Malcolm M. Rhodes Lee W. Richards Emily Molony Swanson John E. Thompson Trustees Emeriti Mary Agnes Burnham Hood Martha Rivers Ingram ‘53 Patricia T. Kirkland Karen Jenkins Phillips ‘79 J. Conrad Zimmerman, Jr. Head of School Jill Swisher Muti

172 Rutledge Avenue Charleston, SC 29403 www.ashleyhall.org

Perspectives The magazine of Ashley Hall

The Worldly Issue EDITOR Catherine Newman GRAPHIC DESIGN Julie Frye Design, LLC CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Stephanie Hunt Elizabeth Wier Tal ’73 Stephanie Tecklenburg

Table of Contents 2 Headlines

Jill Muti 3 What It Means To Be Worldly 8 Through a Different Lens: Learning Across

Continents, Across a Curriculum

PhotoGRAPHY Anna Murray PHOTO

17 Faculty Perspective

Elena Dardar

ADMINISTRATIVE TEAM HEAD OF SCHOOL Jill Muti Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs Dr. Nick Bozanic

19 Life in Another Land Part I:

Bringing the World to Ashley Hall

Assistant Head of School for Institutional Advancement Cindy Hay Johnson

22 Student Perspective

Emma Wang ’14

Assistant to the Head of School Elizabeth Gordon Executive Assistant to the Head of School Amy Thompson Chief Finance Officer Audrey Tamekazu Director, Pre- P - Pre K Dana Van Hook | Ross EEC Director, K - 4 Lois Ruggiero | Pardue Hall Director, 5-6 Catherine Neel | Lane Hall Director, 7-12 Mary Schweers | Jenkins Hall

24 Life in Another Land

Part II: Taking Ashley

Hall to the World 26 Student Perspective

Alexa Weeks ’13 29 Alumna Perspective

Elizabeth Wier Tal ’73

Director of Admission Amelia Jenkins Director of Athletics Frances Slay Director of Facilities Fred Reinhard Visual Arts Coordinator Rebecca Stone-Danahy Performing Arts Coordinator Todd Christopher Director of Technology Kevin Bourque Assistant Director of Institutional Advancement / Director of Communications and Marketing Catherine Newman International Programs Coordinator Spencer Landvater Dean of Students Kelly Wood

32 Mary Vardrine McBee

Philanthropy Award Dinner

Honoring Hugh C. Lane, Jr. 34 Centenniel Campaign Celebration 36 Loyalty Fund 40 Alumnae Weekend 44 Class Notes

Headlines Dear Ashley Hall Family,

Spring is one of my favorite seasons on campus because with

the return of more clement weather, many of our young alumnae stop by while home on break from college. Most recently, Shannon Laribo ’11 came to visit last week and talked with me about her studies at Virginia Commonwealth University in Virginia. She is currently a Cinema major with a minor in Anthropology, but now, after taking two semesters of Russian, she is considering taking up an International Social Justice major with a focus on Russian politics. She emphasized that the opportunities that she was given at Ashley Hall really motivated her determination to work for social justice – an honorable, though daunting, ambition, to say the least, but if anyone is prepared to tackle it, it is Shannon.

As I thought about the recent editions of our Perspectives magazine: The Community Issue, The Arts Issue and now in this, The Worldly Issue, my conversation with Shannon seemed especially serendipitous. “The proper study of mankind is man.” Alexander Pope’s famous assertion opened an article that discussed Ashley Hall’s philosophy on the role of the arts in education in the last edition of Perspectives. However this quote could just have readily opened our Community Issue and, perhaps even more appropriately, this issue. For by challenging our students to look beyond their own cultural assumptions and social conventions and to seek to understand issues from others’ points of view, it becomes clear to them that, as Alexa Weeks ‘13 so rightly shares on page 27, “Although we have cultural differences, all humanity wants and needs the same things, not only throughout history but across all traditions. It is humbling and life affirming at the same time.”

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While it is cliché to talk about how small our world is becoming as technology advances, this does not make it any less true. Our graduates today will have opportunities available to them around the globe that simply would not have been possible even five years ago. These opportunities entail as well the responsibilities of global citizenship. It is therefore imperative that we reach an understanding of the nature and implications of perspectives other than our own and to seek awareness of how different cultures, different beliefs, different social institutions can, if properly understood and respected, turn conflict into common cause. This issue of Perspectives highlights the purposeful actions that we are taking to ensure our graduates are prepared to do just that.

Kind Regards,

Jill Muti Head of School

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o r l d ly

Worldly What it means to be

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he implications of being “worldly” have not always been viewed positively. For women especially, the word was once bandied about to support certain cultural restrictions that inhibited their participation in the world beyond the domestic sphere. When Mary Vardrine McBee founded Ashley Hall in 1909, she was keenly aware of the cultural restrictions imposed on women. Women were fighting for their right to participate in the electoral process in our society and enter colleges with aspirations for a much broader life. She created for her school a mission which would ensure her graduates could be confident and full participants in the world around them, prepared to handle the challenges they would face. She understood that to be prepared her graduates would need to be “of the world” — worldly. How her graduates conducted themselves in the world would be the measure of their and her success, for it was clearly no longer possible or beneficial for women to be truly insular.

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he Ashley Hall community today continues to embrace McBee’s founding vision and strives to create graduates who exemplify the school’s mission. So in 2010, when faculty began defining the seven Hallmarks of an Ashley Hall graduate, they searched for a descriptor that would encompass several synonyms including sophisticated, globally aware, and engaged in the world beyond. Faculty wanted a Hallmark that would describe a graduate’s understanding of how and why mankind interacts in various contexts; social, cultural, and financial. This descriptor also needed to encompass our graduates’ ability to distinguish the phenomena in the world that have lasting impact, and the confidence with which they encounter them. A word that was the antonym of provincial. For this there was no better Hallmark than “Worldly.”

To function fully and freely in the world is 4 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

To function fully and freely in the world is vital for the young women of the 21st century. This function can be as elementary as managing finances or balancing a checkbook, or as complex as having the ability to acknowledge without necessarily endorsing, to respect without necessarily adopting, widely varied social mores and viewpoints.

For 100 years, Ashley Hall has been preparing our graduates to go out into the world fully prepared for any eventuality. Today, this is being accomplished through purposeful curricular initiatives that encourage our students to engage in a participatory way in their own education. Additionally, the creation of the International Boarding Program offers students the same challenges as they build relationships with students from around the world.

vital for the young women of the 21st century.

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eading the Pacific Rim

The Jenkins Hall Humanities Elective, Reading the Pacific Rim, offers students an opportunity to study literature from China, Japan and India. To understand the literature of these countries as it was intended, asks students to suspend their natural inclination to consider information through the lens of their personal experiences. Reading, for example, selections from the Analects of Confucius or the Buddhist Dhammapada and investigating the ways in which these texts inform social and cultural assumptions about personal conduct requires students to shift their core assumptions of how the world works and how we as mankind function in the world. They begin to think critically about their own guiding principles and realize that there are many perspectives at play in the world about which they were not aware. However, now that they are aware, they develop a respect and understanding of how conflicts arise from simple misunderstandings about fundamental assumptions. This shift in thinking becomes very practical when communicating with others, here at Ashley Hall with the International Boarding students, and in their future lives.

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Excerpts from final essays:

“Before taking this class, I had very little understanding of the Eastern world and Eastern religious practices and moral philosophies. At times blinded by my Judeo-Christian value system, I fought to grasp these alien concepts.

As a result, I now feel I have a deeper understanding of the world around me.”

– Daisy Stackpole ‘13

“When something seems impossible for you to understand because you’ve never been introduced to it before, looking further into the subject to gain more knowledge always proves to help the understanding grow.”

– Adeline Raw ‘13 “This class has truly shattered my preconceived notions of what kind of person I want to be.”

– Narni Summerall ‘13

“I have learned so much in this class, and I really consider myself lucky to have been able to take it. I hope that as I continue my education, I will have more opportunities to explore the things we have talked about this semester.”

– Anna Outten ‘13

C

ourses like Reading the Pacific Rim, International Law and Human Rights, and Peace, War and Defense have been developed at Ashley Hall to meet the demands of today’s students who are self-directed, enthusiastic and curious learners. As students have become more invested in becoming critical thinkers, they have required faculty to also evolve to meet their desire for more challenging courses. Students’ enthusiasm for new and more difficult academic challenges has been met with a matching enthusiasm by faculty. Faculty have had to readjust significantly and rethink how they are doing things in the classroom, and like our students, they have done so with joy. Professional development requests from faculty are constant, thoughtful and purposeful and have inspired some of the greatest curricular changes at Ashley Hall, including the introduction of the Harkness and Reggio Emilia teaching philosophies. Today, no one at Ashley Hall can afford to remain static because both students and faculty demand peak performance from everyone that is engaged in the school community. Because students today truly want to learn – love to learn – it is a mutually sustaining system. As teachers and students become more enthusiastic, they feed each other, they challenge each other, and they energize each other.

This sense of dual purpose helps students to develop a deeper understanding of what having a satisfying life will mean to them.

Graduates leave Ashley Hall at ease in the world and not hesitant to take on anything. They are able to determine with confidence what it is that they want to do, and they have the self-assurance of their mental elasticity to tackle any challenges presented that may impede them in meeting their goals.

Today’s academic program has been purposefully designed to allow students to understand perspectives at play in the world of which they may not have been previously aware. They study issues that are at the root of current events. They explore beneath the surface of pieces they may see in the news and, through this,

achieve a much greater understanding of the “ways of the world.”

They learn to listen and to understand in a deeper way, and this ability enlightens their interactions with others who may have different guiding principles. This also leads them to understand how conflicts can arise through simple misunderstandings about fundamental assumptions.

No one can predict with one hundred percent accuracy the specific challenges that graduates in the twenty-first century will face. For this reason, it is all the more important that our graduates are worldly. The fundamental ability to understand what forces and factors are at work in the world will not become less important for specific crises. Once students reach that level of awareness and attentiveness, they know that they may not succeed in conquering every challenge they face, but they will accept those challenges with confidence. n

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urposeful

Through a Different Lens

Learning Across Continents, Across a Curriculum Don’t let its quaint provincialism and cozy charm fool

you. Charleston has always been a global city. From its earliest days as a powerhouse colony and a leading seaport, the residents of this small peninsula and its environs have been closely connected to the bigger, wider, unruly world – the lands beyond our low-slung Lowcountry horizon, the nations, cultures and homelands abroad.

In the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, international trade was Charleston’s bread and butter, and an international education was du rigor for Charleston families who could even modestly afford it. A young man’s education (and occasionally also young women) wasn’t complete without going on “Grand Tour” for a year or two at a time, to study in Europe and absorb the culture of England, France, Italy and often the Orient.

Fast forward to the 21st century, to the historydrenched campus of Ashley Hall where honored tradition and modern technology go hand-in-hand, and this international orientation, this intellectual global positioning system, if you will, has come full circle. The “Grand Tour” of old now happens right here – in the hallways and classrooms of the Ross EEC, Pardue Hall, Lane Hall and Jenkins Hall, on the basketball court, at Italian Club cook-offs, on field trips to Model UN Assemblies, at the Spanish-speaking lunch table, and on girls’ laptops and iPads late in the evening.

“We are weaving a global perspective from a grassroots approach,” says Pardue Hall teacher Elizabeth Flowers, who has a background in International Baccalaureate education. “We simply can’t achieve the Ashley Hall mission statement today -- To create educated women who are independent, ethically responsible and prepared to face the challenges of society with confidence -- without teaching them a global perspective. Ethically responsible people in 2013 have to know the impact of our choices, beyond our backyard. If our awareness is only what happens here at Ashley Hall and in Charleston, then we haven’t done our job,” Elizabeth adds. “We teach the girls to ask, ‘How are things connected?’”

From Clocks to Shoes Applying a global lens to classroom instruction does not necessarily change the curriculum content, rather, it changes the perspective through which that content becomes understood. Just as a camera lens can zoom to a tighter view or expand to capture a broader panorama, so too, can a math or history lesson incorporate an international focus or dimension. In Ashley Hall’s Pardue Hall, where K – 4 learning is often more tactile and concrete than abstract, that global “lens” might look more like a clock face or a pair of shoes.

“

We simply can’t achieve the Ashley Hall mission statement today – To create educated women who are independent, ethically responsible and prepared to face the challenges of society with confidence – without teaching them a global perspective. Ethically responsible people in 2013 have to know the impact of our choices, beyond our backyard. If our awareness is only what happens here at Ashley Hall and in Charleston, then we haven’t done our job.

”

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“

The girls understand that even small things have a wider impact. An example is our school recycling program. The girls ‘get it’ that recycling is a global issue, so they’ve taken it up a notch. They’re doing all sorts of things now – from a ‘Beads for Life’ jewelry-making initiative to raise money for women in Uganda, to collecting ‘Honey Money’ for a beehive project through Heifer International. All we have to do is open the door for them.

”

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It’s good to keep your own watch synced to Eastern Standard Time if you don’t want to be tardy (or incredibly early) in Pardue Hall because simple things like displaying clocks set to French time, or that in China or India, give students an awareness and reminder of things in motion and unfolding in different parts of the world. Flags from different nations add color and global flair to the hallways. As Lower School International Ambassador, Elizabeth sends out emails to faculty “From the International Desk” with suggestions for resources, activities or links to multi-media content that might augment lesson plans from a global diversity angle. Each week, a Quiz Bowl question with a geography or current events question challenges young students to hone their research skills with an eye toward the world around them.

Often, the students’ heightened global awareness inspires local action and outreach, as it did last year when Pardue Hall students became Skype buddies (the web-based evolution of pen pals) with students in Bangladesh. Third grade teacher, Tricia Guest, partnered with a colleague on assignment at a school in Dhaka, Bangladesh to host real-time conversations between the two classrooms, continents apart. When Ashley Hall girls learned that it cost $300 a year to send a child to school in Bangladesh, they made plans to raise money to give more children an educational opportunity. “We wanted to do more than just write a check,” says Elizabeth, so they are sponsoring a bake sale this year.

Last April, Pardue Hall students participated in the “One Day Without Shoes” project, to raise awareness of children across the globe who go barefoot because they cannot afford shoes, not because it’s fun and feels good. Girls kicked off their clogs and tennis shoes and wiggled their toes for the better part of a school day while discussing the challenges that arise from not having shoes. They participated in a science lab exploring the health risks associated with going barefoot, did creative writing exercises penning stories from the perspective of feet,

and in art class created new designs for TOMS shoes. Inspired by these interwoven activities, students planned a service project to collect shoes to donate locally to those in need. “The girls understand that even small things have a wider impact,” says Elizabeth. “An example is our school recycling program.

The girls ‘get it’ that recycling is a global issue, so they’ve taken it up a notch. They’re doing all sorts of things now – from a ‘Beads for Life’ jewelry-making initiative to raise money for women in Uganda, to collecting ‘Honey Money’ for a beehive project through Heifer International. All we have to do is open the door for them.”

International House, International Classrooms Other newly opened doors this year include the physical doors to Ashley Hall’s new International House, home to eleven Ashley Hall boarding students who added a living, breathing

and personal global dimension to the student body and to their various classrooms and extracurricular activities, further expanding Ashley Hall’s commitment to a culturally inclusive community. (See article on page 20) Assimilating the international students into social and academic life at Ashley Hall has gone exceedingly well for the program’s inaugural year. “Something about the Ashley Hall culture makes it uniquely amenable,” notes Humanities Instructor Carolyn Newton, pointing out the benefits of small classes and relationship-based learning. The International Student Ambassadors in Jenkins Hall have been a key component to this success; ambassadors are student volunteers charged with helping the International House students feel at home, both socially and academically.

Unlike traditional exchange student programs such as the Rotary Exchange, which Ashley Hall also participates in, both inbound programs (the school is hosting a student from Spain this year) and outbound (a sophomore is spending the year studying in France) – the International House students

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The international program was featured when WCBD News 2 chose Ashley Hall as their

COOL SCHOOL of the week.

have made a commitment to stay throughout high school and graduate from Ashley Hall. “They’re in it for the long haul; these are top-notch students, academically ambitious and interested in getting involved in the whole Ashley Hall experience,” says Carolyn.

The international boarding model takes “immersion” to a whole new level and is just the initial phase of what Head of School, Jill Muti, and International Program Coordinator, Spencer Landvater, envision as a growing initiative.

(See page 24) The goal is to become even more representative, welcoming girls from other cultures to the Ashley Hall global family. “As we work to prepare our girls to go out and compete globally, our inbound exchange program coupled with our international students certainly adds to the cultural flavor here on campus,” Spencer says.

C’est Tres Bien!

By the time students get to Jenkins Hall, they should have a sturdy global footing, thanks to a humanities cycle that begins in the EEC and spirals through the curriculum to Upper School, giving students repeated and ample exposure to world cultures. In PrePrimary students begin foreign language instruction. “Students learn French in context, not solely by textbook,” explains Spencer. The conversation-intensive focus helps prepare the girls for summer travel and immersion opportunities open to Ashley Hall students from Lower to Upper School.

For Jenkins Hall students, the French immersion opportunity in Tours, France is offered every other summer, alternating with a Spanish immersion program in Santiage de Compostela, Spain, that mirrors it. “This creates a sustainable cycle, so girls can work toward their goals; they have to be academically qualified to participate,” says Spencer. This summer also marks the inaugural French immersion travel program to Le Touquet, France, for Pardue Hall students and their parents who travel with the girls and enjoy parallel programming—including day trips and guided excursions—while their young students are engaged in intensive language instruction. In addition, Ashley Hall offers its globe trotters an additional opportunity this summer, as another dozen girls will be traveling to England’s Lake District, for a humanities and arts-focused study abroad program, including poetry, creative writing, sketching and drawing instruction.

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“Our job is to prepare them to go out into the world.�

“The beautiful thing is seeing the girls start to think about conflict in new ways.

Once they discover other landscapes and worldviews beyond these walls, they become eager to know more and more. They feel empowered and more mature about understanding what’s going on in the world around them.”

No Passport Needed Passports, however, are not required for Ashley Hall students to benefit from travel opportunities that offer global exposure. That’s thanks to intrepid teachers like Kelly Smith Taylor, who doesn’t balk at the idea of taking 47 students on a Virginia road trip (with help from parent chaperones). This is the eighth year that Taylor has coordinated Ashley Hall’s participation in the Model United Nations program at the College of William and Mary, which boasts a collegiate Model UN team recognized as one of the best in the world.

Taylor, a history and classics teacher, first introduced the program at Ashley Hall in order to augment her students’ exposure to international affairs and current events. “It was my attempt to broaden the girls’ horizons,” says Kelly. “Now it’s complementing a more ingrained global focus in our curriculum, as opposed to filling a void.”

The program engages students with current foreign policy issues by having them step into the shoes of ambassadors from UN member states. They research complex diplomatic concerns facing their assigned country and debate current issues on the UN’s agenda. Students hone speech-writing and public speaking skills, research and prepare draft resolutions, learn to negotiate with allies and adversaries, and practice conflict resolution as they navigate the conference rules of procedure - all in the interest of mobilizing “international cooperation” to resolve problems that affect countries all over the world. Eighth graders at Ashley Hall participate in Model UN as a month-long part of the history curriculum and attend Model UN as part of their class requirement. Other Jenkins Hall girls participate as a club activity, so all research and preparation is self-motivated and extracurricular. Even so, groups as large as 40+ girls from Ashley Hall regularly attend. “It’s very popular, an experience unlike any other they could have in Charleston,” says Spencer. “The girls love meeting students—boys and girls—from all over. And because it’s on a university campus and run by college students, it’s great exposure for what’s ahead after high school as well.”

To further challenge and support Ashley Hall’s budding diplomats, Andrea Muti, an Italian native with foreign policy and Italian Consulate experience, offers an International Law elective for seniors, that builds on the Model UN introduction but delves further into complex international issues. “We study the reason behavior is the way it is and work to understand different perspectives of different cultures that lead to so many conflicts around the world,” Andrea explains. “The beautiful thing is seeing the girls start to think about conflict in new ways. Once they discover other landscapes and worldviews beyond these walls, they become eager to know more and more.

They feel empowered and more mature about understanding what’s going on in the world around them.”

Engendering broadened and enlightened awareness and critical thinking that leads to a sense of empowerment is exactly what Mary Vardrine McBee had in mind when establishing a place for young women to become confident, independent and ethically responsible leaders prepared to face the challenges of society. In today’s global society, the world’s broader challenges are no longer distant concerns; they impact our nation, our state, our city, our campus, and our classrooms. And in Ashley Hall’s classrooms, this panoramic lens shapes not only what girls learn, but how they think about the world around them.

“Our job is to prepare them to go out into the world,” says Spencer. “For a school so steeped in tradition, Ashley Hall has opened itself up to a lot of change by welcoming our international students and adopting this global focus. It’s great to see.”

The deities pictured throughout this article are part of Jenkins Hall teacher Mary Webb’s personal collection and can be found in her Humanities classroom. The 7th grade History curriculum, Geography and World Religions, is integrated with their English curriculum and covers Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Judaism (modern and ancient), Christianity, and Islam.

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“

When they walk into my classroom,

they are totally immersed in French, reacting as if it was their native language. When they answer questions, it is right away. They are clearly “ not translating in their minds, moving from French to English and back to French. This is possible because we start so early, and it is a hen they walk into my classroom they are totally immersed in French, very natural process for the students.” reacting as if it was their native language. When they answer questions it is right away. They are clearly not translating in their minds, moving from French to English and back to French. This is possible because we start so early and it is a very natural process for the students.”

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D

iscerning

F a c u lt y P e r s p e c t i v e

Elena Dardar B

“

onjour Madame,” rings out as the gathered group of enthusiastic Kindergarten students greets their smiling teacher, who, five years ago, completely overhauled the French curriculum for our youngest students. Madame Elena Dardar, originally from France, holds a “Master d’Enseignement du Francais en tant que Langue Seconde” (Masters in teaching French as a second language) and is currently working on a Masters in Instructional Media with Wilkes University (PA). Her work with Ashley Hall’s Pre-Primary, Primary, Pre-Kindergarten and Kindergarten students is producing French speakers whose accents are indistinguishable from native speakers. Elena has introduced the communicative approach to her classes, so her young pupils are learning to interact, think and express themselves as French speakers. “I teach the students in a natural environment,” says Elena, “I want them to be able to talk to each other, to talk to me and to ask and answer questions. It is important that they are thinking. The communicative approach is naturally the best way for them to acquire this new language. If my objective is for the students to be able to ask and answer questions about where they live, we start by talking about the animals that live on a farm (obviously age appropriate). Not only will we talk about which animals live on a farm and which do not, but we will also introduce physical descriptions and talk about what they eat, what they give us, etc. All this is done in French. When they walk into my classroom, they are totally immersed in French, reacting as if it was their native language. When they answer questions it is right away. They are clearly not translating in their minds, moving from French to English and back to French. This is possible because we start so early, and it is a very natural process for the students.”

While this authentic language exposure for the students is vital, the timing of their language acquisition also plays a crucial part in the level of fluency they will enjoy as adults.

It is something that Elena is passionate about and her enthusiasm is infectious as she talks about her young students. “I

absolutely love my interactions with these students,” she shares. “What we are doing at Ashley Hall will serve them well throughout their lives. Research studies have shown that there is a window of opportunity for children to naturally learn a second language, and that window is from birth to 7. Neuroscience now shows that there are connections made in the brain up until that age, and once students pass that age, they are no longer made. Perhaps because this is the time when they are first learning to communicate with others? Why? We don’t know, but the science shows something is happening in the brain, and my experience shows that children who begin their second language acquisition early have accents that are indistinguishable from native speakers. I learned English later in life, and as you can hear, I still never really caught your accent,” Elena laughs. And it is true that you can hear a French accent behind her flawless English.

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“This is truly self-directed learning from the youngest age and begins their journey to becoming the critical thinking, life-long learners that Ashley Hall girls are.”

Elena’s devotion to the effectiveness of the communicative approach in second language acquisition motivated her family’s move to the United States. She recognized the importance of being bilingual, and she wanted her son to experience naturally the acquisition of the English language. Her teaching career with the young students at Ashley Hall has also fulfilled her in ways she didn’t expect. “I am privileged to be working with these young students from the time they are two years old. I spend four years with them and get to observe their growth in the language. The daily interaction with these students is vital to their language acquisition; however, it also gives me a window into their development and it is something I can share with their parents.” This introduces another of Elena’s teaching techniques, the use of technology in her classroom. She records her young students and their French interactions from the very first year they are introduced to the language. She then creates an E-portfolio for that student as he or she moves through

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the Early Education program and shares it in Ashley Hall’s Learning Commons so parents can witness their students’ growth as French speakers. After four years, students review their videos with their parents and are able to see their own progression, an act that Elena observes instilling great pride and confidence in her young students. “When the girls are able to show their parents their progression and chronicle their successes, going from just using words, to making sentences, to reading a whole book, they light up. You can see their confidence grow, and they take pride in their learning. I then talk to them about what their goals are for their French. I ask them, if a little girl came from France and didn’t know English, what would you want to tell her?

Their answers are varied but give an idea of what they want to learn to communicate. They record this and take it with them as they begin First Grade French with Madame Elliot.

This is truly self-directed learning from the youngest age and begins their journey to becoming the critical thinking, life-long learners that Ashley Hall girls are.

Elena’s dedication to creating multi-lingual students does not end in the classroom. This year, she and Ross Early Education Center Director, Dana Van Hook, have designed an innovative immersive program for our young students.

For eight days in June, a group of students from rising Kindergarten to rising 4th Grade and their parents will travel to Elena’s hometown of Le Touquet, France. There, students will spend their mornings in an independent school in total immersion with French students. The group of student travelers is working beforehand on international collaborative projects. Students will get to know each other through video chat and Skype. Their afternoons in France will include excursions to different sites (including stops at a creperie where they will learn how to make bread, a castle, an amusement park, etc). “This is an opportunity that no one else is offering for that age group,” shares Elena. “Dana and I have created this trip completely from scratch. It is an incredible opportunity for our youngest students to engage in a different culture. The school we chose just happens to be my hometown school, but it was their enthusiasm for the program that made them want to participate. It is a perfect fit for our students. They will have fun, be immersed in a different culture, create relationships with students from another country, and, above all, engage with different customs. For, as our world grows smaller, it is more important than ever that students are aware and respectful of cultural differences around the world.” n

Life

in another land

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Life

in another land Bringing the World to Ashley Hall In 2010, 36 years after the last boarding students graduated from Ashley Hall, a new group of students came to once again live and study at the school. This time, however, they came from over 7000 miles away to land in Charleston and become Ashley Hall girls.

Today, Ashley Hall’s International Boarding program hosts 11 girls whose PQV spirit has brought them together to live and study in a new land. Four ninth graders, four tenth graders and three juniors live together in the International Boarding House and are assimilated into life at Ashley Hall in every way. They play varsity sports, enjoy lunch and dinner during the week at the Ashley Hall Dining Commons, study primary sources, participate in school traditions like the Christmas Play, and graduate ready to attend prestigious American universities. “From the beginning of this program it was important to remind everyone that these are Ashley Hall girls, not Ashley Hall international girls,” says Spencer Landvater, Ashley Hall’s International Programs Coordinator. Spencer has been working with the program since its inception and has watched as the Ashley Hall community embraced these new students. “I have seen so many changes already, just in the first two years of the program. Our day students have always been welcoming to the new girls, but now

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they are purposefully including them in all aspects of Ashley Hall life. They are incredibly open to these new girls and want to be with them and want to be involved in their assimilation.

In fact, the day students formed the International Student Ambassadors Club to help these girls find their niche at the school.

Our students realize that the world is changing, and their lives in the future will certainly require them to converse with and understand people of different cultures. They are thankful for the opportunities to interact with these international students.”

Assimilating international students into campus life has not been without its challenges, but as our mission demands of us, the school has met these challenges with confidence. Nick Bozanic, Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs has mentored faculty through this process and shares, “Initially, working with students for whom English was not their first language presented obvious challenges to our faculty, but, characteristically, the teachers rose to that challenge, collaborating to devise specific strategies to help our international students succeed. These strategies ensure that the international girls are able to participate as peers in all their courses early in their careers at Ashley Hall.

Whether by finding primary sources that are more accessible for the students without watering down their English, or understanding the linguistic and cultural issues that affect classroom behavior, faculty are making it happen. It has been one of our signal successes.”

“Our successful integration of these students into a system that is the polar opposite of the one they are accustomed to, forces us to understand and acknowledge that difference. We have to understand what their cultural and social mores are before we can help them to participate in their education in a meaningful way—and by we, I mean our students and our faculty. This however is the beauty of worldliness.”

“Having these girls in the classroom is a real asset,” says history teacher Carolyn Newton, who, in her former position as Director of Admission, traveled to China in 2011 to help recruit these girls. “It’s doubly fun for me, a real privilege and pleasure to see them here and blossoming, after seeing them on their home turf last fall,” she says. But the real joy for Carolyn and her fellow faculty members is watching how the international students shape and impact the classroom encounter. “As a history teacher, having girls from non-Western countries really does help us be truly global and not Eurocentric,” Carolyn says. “Their critical thinking and analysis comes from a different background.”

And as in all good classrooms, the teaching goes both ways, Carolyn adds, noting that it’s an education for faculty, too. “You can’t assume anymore that all students share the same baseline knowledge that our day students typically would have. For example, in a history lesson on religious conflicts, you have to take a step back and explain what the differentiators are between Catholics and Protestants. However, challenges such as discussion-based learning in a non-native language also make it “a really tall order” for the international students, especially girls accustomed to very large Chinese classrooms and a more rote-learning style. I’ve been amazed at their willingness to put themselves out there,” says Carolyn.

These additional challenges have only made the program stronger for our day students. Nick shares, “Our successful integration of these students into a system that is the polar opposite of the one they are accustomed to, forces us to understand and acknowledge that difference. We have to understand what their cultural and social mores are before we can help them to participate in their education in a meaningful way—and by we, I mean our students and our faculty. This however is the beauty of worldliness.”

Intelligent | Worldly | Discerning |

21

I love this new way of learning.

I t is hard, yes, but it makes me pay attention, to really 22 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

P

urposeful

L i f e i n A n o th e r L a n d Student Perspective

Emma Wang ’14 You would be hard pressed to find a better example of Ashley

Hall’s timeless motto Possunt Quae Volunt (girls with the will have the ability) than junior Emma Wang. Her quiet demeanor disguises a core strength that is inspiring. In 2010, Emma reached a decision. She wanted to attend school in the United States, and she set her mind to making that happen. “At first my parents were shocked,” says Emma. “They were amazed that I wanted to challenge myself in this way. They knew I loved to conquer challenges, but this was bigger than anything they expected. They said they would support my decision, but I would need to find the school and go through the application on my own. At that time I already knew I wanted to come to Ashley Hall. I shared with them all about the school, and they agreed to let me go.” Emma left behind the land she grew up in, an educational system she was excelling in at home, and her loving family, including a twin sister, to move around the world and challenge her mind in new ways. “I knew that attending school in the United States was the best thing for my future. I want the best opportunities possible for myself, and so I made the hard decision to move.”

For Emma, adjusting to her new life presented her with just the types of challenges that she enjoys. When asked what has been the most difficult adjustment for her, she shares that learning in a new language has been difficult, but the Ashley Hall teachers and students have gone above and beyond to help her in her new life. Emma fully embraces immersion in school life at Ashley Hall. She has especially enjoyed getting involved in team sports and other traditions at Ashley Hall. She lights up when she speaks about her first “kidnap,” a tradition where Seniors dress up their Juniors and have them perform in themed skits. “At first I was so nervous,” she admits with a laugh, “but it was so fun, and I really enjoyed it.” Emma has also fallen in love with lacrosse. “Sports like this are not available for girls like me in China,” she shares. “I tried lacrosse here and love playing defense on the team. The team is like a real family. We are all supporting each other, cheering for each other, and working together to win.

It has helped me to get involved in life at Ashley Hall.”

Not surprising for a young woman who loves challenges, Emma’s favorite classes are those that are taught around the Harkness table. “At school in China the teacher talks all the time.

I love this new way of learning. It is hard, yes, but it makes me pay attention, to really think about things before I speak about them. I can better understand how things work than I did in China, and it is in a language that I am not as familiar with! It is so great. I feel my mind working,” Emma says with a smile. “I feel this experience has made me more expressive in many ways.

I speak up. I tell my parents often how much I love them. It is one of the greatest things I have learned here, that it is important to speak up, to express yourself, because if you don’t no one will know what you think or how you feel.”

Emma and her fellow international students are not the only ones benefitting from having this new perspective on campus.

Ashley Hall’s After School students participate in a “Fabulous Friday” event once a month where they work with the international students to learn different cultural traditions and mores. “It has been great working with the little girls,” Emma says. “We have taught them to read and write their names in Chinese, played the piano for them, and taught them how to make origami figures. In return they have helped us make American food and celebrate Christmas. They are so cute, and we have really learned from each other. They are so open and happy to learn; there is no difference between us.” The international students have also shared traditional Chinese holidays and culture with the entire student body. Most recently they held an assembly for Pardue Hall students on the Chinese New Year.

When asked what she is looking forward to in the coming years, Emma is alight with high hopes for her future. Right now she is planning her Junior Internship in fashion design or interior design, and, of course, the girl that loves challenges is planning to undertake a Senior Project next year. Ultimately she hopes to attend college in the United States, and right now has her sights set on UCLA. Emma is Ashley Hall! No matter where this young woman goes in the world, she will succeed, for she clearly has the will.

think about things before I speak about them.

Intelligent | Worldly | Discerning |

23

Life

in another land Taking Ashley Hall To The World

“Eventually the program could grow so that

The story of five Ashley Hall students and one stalwart Head-

the countries of our partner schools. Students

mistress, Mary Vardrine McBee, trying to find passage home in 1917 Paris as the Unites States entered World War I sets an exhilarating precedent for Ashley Hall’s International Travel Program. Trips today are not nearly as fraught with danger or surrounded by intrigue. They are, however, just as transformative for the students who take them and the community that benefits from the lessons learned on these trips. International travel has evolved greatly in the last decade at Ashley Hall.

projects could be focused on the strengths of could study seismic activity in Japan, the effects of deforestation in Brazil, or biological diversity and conservation in Kenya. The possibilities are limitless, that is the reason it is so important that we continue to build these relationships with schools across the globe.”

Immersion programs in Spain, Italy and France are available to students in Jenkins Hall and faculty designed trips to Great Britain, Costa Rica, France and other countries support programmatic and curricular initiatives across the school. Additionally, relationships with other schools around the world are being built and expanded to provide new opportunities for our students to work collaboratively with students from other cultures and perspectives.

“All of our international travel is purposefully created to enrich curricular programs and to create relationships abroad,” says Spencer Landvater, Ashley Hall’s International Program Coordinator, who is tasked with organizing and supporting all student travel. “Faculty and students who are able to take advantage of these experiences have an obligation to ‘pay it forward’ upon their return. Whether by building relationships with other schools or recording the trip through photographs and reflections and sharing those with the greater school community, they are bringing the world to Ashley Hall bit by bit. These varied cultural perspectives that are brought back to Ashley Hall expand the wealth of knowledge available for every student.

Sure, it is not the same experience, but it is a two way street for all participants.”

Gone are the days of international travel purely for travel’s sake. Each trip is planned to enhance students’ understanding of global perspectives at work. One of the school’s more recent additions to its International Travel program is a 10 day summer enrichment trip designed by members of the Jenkins Hall Humanities faculty to take students to the Lake District of Wales in Great Britain. There they will experience firsthand the scenery and history that is woven into the great works of art

24 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

and literature that they are studying at Ashley Hall. Trips like these expand the boundaries of the classroom and immerse students in the subject matter they are studying, specifically, in this example, the inspirations of great artists. Then, upon their return, they will share their experience with the rest of the student body.

Other summer immersion programs, like the ones the school has designed in Tours, France and Santiago de Compostela, Spain require an even higher level of commitment from the student. For three weeks Juniors and Seniors who qualify live with a family in France or Spain and learn their everyday customs.

Students quickly find it necessary to interact and communicate in a language that is not their own. This supports the communicative approach to second language acquisition that is used in the foreign language classrooms at Ashley Hall. It creates a need for students to communicate about the mundane, and this necessity drives a more thorough understanding of the language, culture and customs. During this time the students also attend a local school specifically chosen for its strength at immersing them in the language.

(Read about a student’s recent experience on page 27) Additionally, in 2012, Ashley Hall expanded its partnership with Rotary International. The school now not only accepts inbound students to study for one year, but provides the same opportunities for our sophomores to spend a year studying abroad. Both programs are made possible by utilizing Rotary International’s wonderful resources.

Currently, Legare Sinkler ‘15 is living and studying in Vendome, France as an outbound rotary student. She, like future outbound Rotary students, is being supported during her year abroad by Ashley Hall faculty who are working with her international teachers to ensure she continues to progress academically with her classmates. Legare is currently working with Ashley Hall teacher Chris Hughes to complete a project

which she will present both in her French classroom and to the students at Ashley Hall through Skype. It sounds like double work, but it is triple the reward for all involved. These types of relationships that are built between faculty are key factors for the growth of Ashley Hall’s International Program.

Head of School, Jill Muti, has a clear vision for the future of international travel for students at Ashley Hall, which is a program that is project based and more accessible to all students. She says, “I recognize that currently our international travel programs may be cost prohibitive for some of our students. While there is currently competitive scholarship money available to students, I envision a more encompassing program for all our girls. As we continue to build relationships with schools around the world, we open up many opportunities for our students. A summer, project-based, exchange program between Ashley Hall and many sister schools around the globe would serve this community well. For example, a Civics teacher could pose a specific problem regarding world economics that would be taken on by our students and those at a school in Dusseldorf. Over the summer our students would live with the families of their German partner students who were working with them on this project. In exchange, the German students would then come and live with their families. If we leverage our relationships correctly and are reciprocal with our international partners, we could reduce the cost of the program for our students to that of their plane ticket. Students could work babysitting through the year and save funds for that. Eventually the program could grow so that projects could be focused on the strengths of the countries of our partner schools. Students could study seismic activity in Japan, the effects of deforestation in Brazil, or biological diversity and conservation in Kenya. The possibilities are limitless, that is the reason it is so important that we continue to build these relationships with schools across the globe.”

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25

“What is so wonderful about my experience at Ashley Hall is that because of it, when I am out in the world,

I can recognize connections and

26 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

I

N T ELL I GEN T

L i f e i n A n o th e r L a n d Student Perspective

Alexa Weeks ’13 W

hen Alexa Weeks ’13 transferred to Ashley Hall in 10th grade, no one was sure who was going to benefit the most from this new relationship, Alexa, because she had found a school where as she tells us, “I was truly comfortable being myself around my peers, and I was now able to speak my mind in the classroom,” or Ashley Hall, for having this engaged, talented, globally-minded young woman join the Class of 2013. We’ll call it a tie!

Talking to Alexa you can’t help but experience the world from her point of view, and you enjoy the journey as her big blue eyes sparkle with her enthusiasm for life. She is so positive about the inherent goodness of humanity and is exuberant in her love of learning, of new experiences, and of her school. “It is so funny,” Alexa laughs, “I am always telling people, ‘I love my school! I love my school! I hope you love your school like I do.’” Her Junior and Senior years at Ashley Hall have been filled to the brim with experiences by this young woman who loves to learn, including completing a Junior Internship at Spoleto International, competing in and winning Miss Teen Charleston, planning a Senior Project on the history and relevance of Opera today, taking an immersive summer trip to Tours, France, auditioning for six different universities, and organizing and directing a benefit concert for other students who want to take music lessons. Whew!

“My time in Tours was life changing,” Alexa tells us. “It helped me to really understand how connected we all are.

Although we have cultural differences, all humanity wants and needs the same things, not only throughout history but across all traditions. It is humbling and life affirming at the same time. Additionally, this trip reinforced for me that although where you are from is important, it is not everything. If we close ourselves off to new things or experiences we are not comfortable with, it removes a whole world that we can experience, explore and appreciate.”

And experience and explore she did. The immersive trip to Tours, France is a daunting challenge even for a student who has traveled as much as Alexa. “At first this experience can make you doubt yourself. On that train trip from Paris to Tours you start to ask yourself, ‘What am I getting myself into? Can I really speak French? What is my host family going to be like?’

Then you meet them, and, of course, they are wonderful. In the end, the trip makes you surer of yourself. It teaches you to really be responsible for yourself and your actions – to be a leader in your own life. For example, one weekend a group of us decided to take a trip to see Versailles. My host Mother, of course, said for us to go; however, she didn’t help with any of the planning. We had to figure out the train system, the ticketing process and the route to get us there and back safely, all in another language. It was a wonderful freedom under the protection of a normal family structure. That process of ‘figuring it out’ gives you confidence that you can handle anything that is thrown at you in the future.”

School life in Tours was equally rewarding for Alexa. Her class was comprised of seven students from ages 17 to 50 from

understand some of the “whys” in life.

Intelligent | Worldly | Discerning |

27

“My time in Tours was life changing. It helped me to really understand how connected we all are. Although we have cultural differences, all humanity wants and needs the same things, not only throughout history but across all traditions.” the US, Germany and Saudi Arabia. Every class was conducted in French, the one unifying language between all students. “If you were caught speaking in your native language at school, even to your fellow students, you had to pay a quarter. It was a way to truly get immersed in the language. My host family has an 18 year old daughter, Margaux, who took me out and showed me what it is like to be an 18 year old girl in France. It was so interesting, both the similarities, and the differences.”

Back stateside now, Alexa is focusing on completing her Senior Project, Opera for the Ages. As an opera singer herself who plans to pursue it as a career, the careers of opera artists and the art itself fascinate Alexa and offer the perfect combination of research and service components to support a Senior Project.

Her research into the history of opera and the artists who are considered successful both today and in the past offered intriguing new avenues of exploration for Alexa. “As I began to research what makes an artist successful, I was amazed at all the factors at play. Media, marketing, management, luck and perseverance all play as important a role as having a great voice.

I even began to question what ‘making it’ or ‘being a success’ means in this genre. I was lucky enough to be able to personally interview Janai Brugger, an opera singer who has performed at the Met, the pinnacle in an opera singer’s journey. I talked to her about the choices she made along the way, her college experience, how she made it in New York and can women really have it all,” she says.

Alexa is taking what she is learning to other schools where she not only sings for participants but shares video of great opera performances and encourages them to listen to other songs.

She reminds them that the great themes of opera — lost love, envy, desire — are the same themes that run through Hollywood today. Opera just gives its viewers an opportunity to look at it differently. “My students often come out of the program with a new appreciation of the art form,” says Alexa, “although it is often some other little piece of knowledge that really sticks out to them. I remember playing for a class of younger children a contralto piece, which is the lowest pitch for women, and the students could not believe that it was a woman. That was a fun class.”

28 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

What is a fun class for Alexa in her own studies? “Art History and French,” she replies emphatically. “In my French class we are currently reading and discussing Spupeur et Tremblements, the story of a Belgian woman who moves to Japan and must acclimate to their culture. The book juxtaposes Japanese culture with that European, specifically Belgian, culture that the protagonist is coming from. Reading all this in French through our American perspective has led to some very lively discussions around the Harkness table,” she adds with a laugh.

As her time as a student at Ashley Hall comes to a close, Alexa reflects on what it is that she loves about Ashley Hall, and, after a moment of silent contemplation, she shares, “What is so wonderful about my experience at Ashley Hall is that because of it, when I am out in the world, I can recognize connections and understand some of the “whys” in life. I will see a painting in a museum, know the painter and recognize his style and what influenced him. I understand different cultural perceptions that allow me to communicate with people of vastly different views. And because Ashley Hall has a global outlook within its curriculum, I am able to relate things that I am learning in the classroom to places I am travelling. That is what I love most about Ashley Hall.”

C

RE A T I V E

Alumna Perspective

Elizabeth Wier Tal ’73 All through my years at Ashley Hall (and there were 12 of

“

I have raised my daughters with the belief, as instilled in me by Ashley Hall, that they can do whatever they choose with their lives.

them) I was always most interested in math and the sciences.

I also loved art class. By the time I had studied geometry and physics, I knew I wanted to study architecture. Having grown up in Charleston surrounded by its architectural gems, I wanted to experience living with modern architecture, so I decided to study at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY. That was my first encounter with new cultures. New York in the late 70’s was a world away from my childhood in Charleston, and incredibly stimulating: steel skyscrapers in Manhattan, jazz clubs in the Village, the shops on Fifth Avenue. There I met people from all over the world, speaking different languages, with different cultures. I also met an Israeli who was studying architecture with me, and he became my husband.

After seven years in NYC we decided to move to Israel, not wanting to raise children in Brooklyn. In 1982, Israel was only 34 years old, and building at a frantic rate. I went to work at an office designing a museum complex while my husband Oded worked designing hospitals. The international language of architecture provided me with a job, but I had to learn the local language, Hebrew. I studied in the evenings after work, and again met people from all over the world who had come to live in Israel. Learning the language was difficult in itself, but

They know that education is critical for success, but social skills are equally important in life.

Having pride in your work and principles to stand by will take one far.

”

more challenging was learning to fit into a new culture. From different working days, to new foods and a completely different sense of humor, I frequently felt out of place. But gradually, my patience with people and persistence to achieve earned me appreciation from my bosses and friendship with those I met.

As a female architect in Israel, I found some discrimination as far as salary and promotion to higher positions, but realized

Compassionate | Creative | Collaborative

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“

Try to learn at least one other language, because you never know where you will end up in the world. Ordering food at a restaurant in France is rewarding when you can read the menu, and it is fun to sometimes surprise people by translating a Latin inscription on a building! More importantly, you can be the most intelligent and educated person in your field, but if you cannot express yourself clearly in a foreign environment you will always appear less competent.

�

30 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

there are far more women in the profession here than there were in America when I started out. Women must serve in the military here, as have all my four daughters, so literally all professions are open to them. I have raised my daughters with the belief, as instilled in me by Ashley Hall, that they can do whatever they choose with their lives. They know that education is critical for success, but social skills are equally important in life. Having pride in your work and principles to stand by will take one far.

When my husband and I decided to open our own office, my Ashley Hall training went into overdrive as I became a business owner. I had to turn math whiz and yearbook editor into accountant, contract negotiator, project presenter and banker. And this was before the internet and its instant assistance. My father in law said I handled things like a man, which was a great compliment in testosterone heavy Israeli society. And with my husband as editor, I even learned to write documents in Hebrew, my biggest challenge even today.

As far as advice to young women graduates today, I would say to them not to take your language for granted, no matter what field you pursue. Try to learn at least one other language, because you never know where you will end up in the world. Ordering

food at a restaurant in France is rewarding when you can read the menu, and it is fun to sometimes surprise people by translating a Latin inscription on a building! More importantly, you can be the most intelligent and educated person in your field, but if you cannot express yourself clearly in a foreign environment you will always appear less competent. I have learned a great tolerance for people who do not speak English as their native language, and know it does not necessarily reflect on their abilities. I have less respect for TV news reporters who cannot distinguish when to use the words “me” and “I” in a sentence. Keep reading quality literature and do not let your vocabulary sink to “message” level.

Overall, I believe that at Ashley Hall I learned to love learning.

That spirit is still with me, whether I watch the History Channel or travel in European cities. Keep your eyes open and brains exercised and you will have a rewarding life!

To view more of Elizabeth’s work, visit www.talarch.com.

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P

urposeful

ashl e y hal l

Mary Vardrine McBee mary var dr ine mc bee phi l an t hr op y Philanthropy Award d di nner honoring Dinner awar honoring

Hugh C. Lane, Jr.

H

Th ur sday, jan uary se v ent eent h

two thousand and thirteen 6:30 in the e vening

ashl e y hal l dining commons ugh, much like Mary Vardrine McBee, has exemplified the merits and joy found in a life of philanthropy, and championed the truth that our philanthropic actions communicate who we are, why we are alive and what we believe on the deepest level. This fundamental tenet has created a powerful and lasting legacy for generations of young women and has changed the trajectory of thousands of lives.

On Thursday, January 17, 2013, at the Ashley Hall Dining Commons in front of Hugh’s family, friends and colleagues, we thanked him for modeling that supporting our values through our actions and investments is the very best way to live our lives. All of us in the Ashley Hall community are incredibly grateful that the role women’s education has to play in bettering our world has been the focus of his altruistic spirit, his dedication, his commitment and his insatiable positivism.

To view video from It was with honor that Ashley Hall presented Hugh C. Lane, Jr. the event, go to with the inaugural Mary Vardrine McBee Philanthropy Award. http://bit.ly/16lQomo

32 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

It was with honor with the inaugural

that Ashley Hall presented Hugh C. Lane, Jr.

Mary Vardrine McBee Philanthropy Award.

(page 1) Current Head of School, Jill Muti, and former Head Mistress, Margaret MacDonald, with the award recipient, Hugh C. Lane, Jr.

e (top right) Croft Lane, Lilla Lane Clark ’01, Sophie Lane Martin ’02 e (bottom left) Mary Vardrine McBee Philanthropy Award Committee: Gale Thompson, Fleetwood Hassell,

(top left) The Red Choir singing the blessing before dinner and Hugh C. Lane, Jr.

Angie Hewitt Chakeris ’89, Emily M. Barrett and Michel V. Faliero. (not pictured: Jan Lipov and Heidi Ward Ravenel ’74)

e (bottom right) Kevin Mooney, Colleen Mooney and Jill Muti enjoying cocktail hour

Compassionate | Collaborative | Confident

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Celebration!

It’s our time for a

The Centennial Campaign has reached $13,624,206.00!

Create Our Future The Endowment Campaign for A shley H all

$13,000,000

GOAL: $12,000,000 $11,000,000 $10,000,000 $9,000,000 $8,000,000 $7,000,000

C

Elizabeth Rivers Lewine ’54 Chair

$6,000,000 Hugh C. Lane, Jr. Honorary Co-Chair

reate Our Future, The Centennial Campaign for Endowment is without a doubt the most successful campaign in Ashley Hall’s 100 year history, raising the most money and engaging the most members of our community. This overwhelming community support came from our alumnae, our parents, our faculty and staff, and our friends who came together to create a future for our school that includes an appropriate endowment to sustain us for our next 100 years. All this support led to Ashley Hall exceeding its $12 million dollar goal by over $1.6 million! Thank you to all the generous donors that made this achievement possible!

34 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

$5,000,000 $4,000,000 $3,000,000 $2,000,000 $1,000,000

$500,000-$999,999 John M. Rivers, Jr. Foundation, Inc. John M. Rivers, Jr. Emily and Steve Swanson $250,000-$499,999 Anonymous (2) The Darby Family Foundation Joyce and Charlie Darby Tammy and Buddy Darby Georgia and John Darby Beth ‘76 and Kenneth Haizlip Anne ‘78 and Scott Parker Joya ‘83 and Matthew Wolf Mills Bee Lane Memorial Foundation $100,000-$249,999 Anonymous (3) Christine and Bill Aylward Lore and Sheppard Davis Nora Alston Flynn ‘53* The Randy and Donna Friedman Charitable Fund Donna and Randy Friedman Cathy and Harry Gregorie Beverly G. Lane ‘40* Jan and Larry Lipov Karen ‘79 and Mark Phillips Marian and Bart Proctor Dorothy ‘45 and Jack Rhodes Spaulding-Paolozzi Foundation Elizabeth S. Williams ‘34 Margaret A. Williams ‘34* Barbara and J. Conrad Zimmerman, Jr. $50,000-$99,999 Louise ‘63 and Richard Blumenthal Carrie and Dave Gabriel Jeannie and Ken Harrell John T. and Elizabeth K. Cahill Fund of Coastal Community Foundation of SC Elizabeth Kirkland Cahill ‘79 and John Cahill Elizabeth Barone Luzuriaga ‘80 John C. Mettler in honor of Mitzi Herrin Legerton ‘50 Rosalie and George Orvin Family in memory of Candace Orvin Palmer ‘65 Nancy ‘70 and Jim Brumby Debbi A. Orvin ‘69 Jay S. Orvin Tomis Palmer Heidi ’74 and Arthur Ravenel Jerry and Jenny Reves Caroline and Malcolm Rhodes Dee and Mac Rhodes $25,000-$49,999 Jennifer and Rob Black Henry M. Blackmer Foundation, Inc. Margaret (Polly) N. Blackmer Margaret P. Blackmer Sarah Chamberlain Ann W. Dibble ‘70 in memory of Kathryn Lemmon Dibble and Wortham Wyatt Dibble Ann and Tom Eason Laurie ‘73 and George Host Fern Karesh Hurst ‘64 Trish and Tommy Kirkland Elizabeth Powers Lindh ‘67 in memory of Mary Cotten ‘15 Jill and Lorenzo Muti Edwin S. Pearlstine The Post and Courier Foundation Kaycee and John Poston Martha Gregg Price ‘60 Nella ‘81 and David Schools The Sea Island Foundation Mela ‘67 and Paul Haklisch $10,000-$24,999 Anonymous (2) Amanda’s Fund of Coastal Community Foundation of SC Linda ‘69 and Ron Plunkett Mary Gordon Baker ‘77 and Jim Holland

Marion Rivers Cato Endowment Fund of Coastal Community Foundation Marion Rivers Cato ‘61 Billings and John Cay Lilla ‘01 and Patrick Clark Colbert Family Fund of Coastal Community Foundation Evie ‘81 and Stephen Colbert Lisa Darden ‘74 Caroline ‘77 and Peter Finnerty Cynthia Strickland Harton ‘71 Caroline and Philip Horn Liane and Jamie Kerr Kelly and Brett Lashley Sophie ‘02 and Jarrett Martin Amanda and Roy Maybank Colleen and Kevin Mooney Amanda and Dave Murrell Dale C. Poulnot ‘73 and Jim F. Condon Martha Ann and Rob Robertson Betty Goforth Simons ‘46 Julia A. Forster and John E. Thompson W. H. Price Jr. Family Trust Martha Gregg Price ‘60 Charlotte ‘76 and Peter Williams $5,000-$9,999 Lynell and Bob Baldwin in honor of Kathryn A. Baldwin ‘05 Daughtridge Family Endowment honoring John Clarence Daughtridge and Lois Steger Daughtridge of Coastal Community Foundation of SC in memory of John Clarence Daughtridge and Lois Steger Daughtridge Harriett B. Daughtridge ‘70 Terry and Dennis Fisher James O. and Harriet P. Rigney Endowment of Coastal Community Foundation of SC Harriet Popham McDougal Rigney ‘56 Sue Rogers Johnson ‘59 Shea ‘85 and John Kuhn Susan and Rich Leadem Margaret and Ian MacDonald Beatty ‘59 and Jim Martin Pam and Pat McKinney Barbara and Michael Moody McNair Rhodes ‘09 Molly M. Rhodes ‘10 Sara Beth and Sam Rosen in honor of Joan Rosen Funk ‘71 and Bess P. Rosen ‘07 Bobbie Gail ‘54 and Herb Rothschild in memory of Mary Phebe and Stanley Brown Cam Webb Stuhr ‘65 Patience Davies Walker ‘51 $1,000-$4,999 Anonymous (2) Elizabeth and Charles Baker Ballentine Family Dentistry Margie ‘86 and John Barham Melanie and Lee Blank in honor of Rebecca S. Blank ‘10 Angie ‘89 and Costa Chakeris Vereen ‘51 and Dick Coen Colgate-Palmolive Company Nancy ‘79 and Mike Colyar in honor of Rosemary N. Hutto Rosie Dellastatious Grimball ‘70 Hewitt and Hewitt Kathy B. Kirkland ‘77 Michelle ‘85 and John Long Rhett Maybank ‘26 Lavinia H. Maybank ‘24 Sally ‘59 and Bob McCoy Joseph H. & Evelyn M. McGee Fund of the Coastal Community Foundation Patti and Peter McGee Piper Parker Moffatt ‘70 in memory of Richie Cliff and Jay Avinger Judi ‘62 and Benjamin Moore Charlotte ‘89 and Gene Parrino Midge Midyette Peery ‘59 Lavonne Nalley Phillips in honor of Karen Jenkins Phillips ‘79 Anne and Mason Pope Sue Thompson Sedgwick ‘58 Jo and Charles Summerall Margaret B. Tenney Rev Trust Margaret B. and Thomas* Tenney Alta ‘85 and Daniel Thorne Patti ‘60 and Bill Workman Up to $999 Barbara ‘54 and Archie Baker

Bank of America Matching Gifts Program Katherine ‘65 and William Bates Patricia Glass Bennett* in honor of Ann B. Sheridan ‘18 Naomi ‘79 and Liviu Blumenthal Susan ‘69 and Tom Bullard in memory of Zelda Drayton Grimka Roberts ‘38 Barbara Zemp Cantey ‘60 and Ray W. Mushal Chappell Schools Inc. Julia E. Chitwood ‘59 Felicia Coleman ‘70 and Christopher Koenig Ann ‘72 and Pat Collins Emmie ‘70 and Robert Dawson Dottie ‘65 and Rainer Deglmann-Schwarz Catherine ‘79 and Mike Fischer Bonny ‘59 and Jan Gilbert Ginny ‘65 and Joe Good Polly ‘59 and Barry Grey Frances Gascoyne Hanahan ‘60 Lynné Byrd Harris ‘74 Sissy Hope Hewitt ‘67 Betsy ‘74 and Michael Howland in honor of Heidi Ward Ravenel ‘74 Glenn ‘79 and John Jeffries Ann S. Jenkins ‘79 Debbie ‘69 and Charles Knowlton Margaret ‘98 and David Kunes Debbie ‘69 and James Lockwood Jane ‘59 and Charles Lomel Rosamond Larmour Loomis M. Russell Holliday Jr Revocable Trust M. Russell Holliday ‘67 Frances ‘74 and John Magee Garden Barnwell Magwood ‘59 Madeleine S. McGee ‘79 Anne Ford Melton ‘53 Jeanne Clement Meyers ‘74 Anne ‘59 and Woody Middleton Alison ‘89 and Jason Muncy Jan ‘70 and Richard Nallinger Summer ‘89 and Pat O’Neill Donna C. Orvin ‘65 Cherry F. Payne ‘70 and Bob J. Howard Barbara ‘75 and Tommy Pendergrast Jan ‘69 and Charles Pesavento Kathy Hall Ravenel ‘63 Anne Jervey Rhett ‘74 Sally ‘66 and Edmund Rhett Jane G. Riley ‘68 Anne Walsh Rosebrock ‘79 Judy Webber Ross ‘53 in memory of Meg E. Gale ‘54 and Choice McCoin ‘53 Shipley ‘97 and Tony Salewski Sauls Family Foundation Missy and Keith Sauls Bob and Lucille Schwarze Kay ‘59 and Bruce Skidmore in memory of Harriet Jacobson Goodman ‘59, Celinda H. Harkness ‘59, and Cisi Morrow-Smith ‘59 Peggy ‘68 and Jim Stallworth Rachel Venezian ‘90 and Robert S. Howell Jeni ‘65 and James Vitarello in memory of Libba Davis Taylor ‘72 Jean ‘71 and John Wagley Martha ‘89 and Brad Wallace in honor of Anne Middleton Herron ‘95 Sherrie F. Whittemore ‘64 Robin Winfree-Andrew ‘70 and Mark Andrew Alston Osgood Wolf ‘59 Doris and Richard Wrenn in honor of Abbie L. Wrenn ‘09 Anne ‘51 and W. L. Yarborough

Thank you!

$1,000,000 + Anonymous Esther Hoshall Beaumont ‘53 The Community Foundation of Middle Tennessee from the Martha R. Ingram Advised Fund Martha Rivers Ingram ‘53 The Lane Family Elizabeth Rivers Lewine ‘54

Planned Gifts Dot Porcher Amis ‘58 Mary W. Anderson ‘68 Ann W. Dibble ‘70 Amy E. Jenkins ‘82 Nancy J. Muller ‘71 and Warren Mersereau Kathy and Pete Nistad Karen ‘79 and Mark Phillips Dale C. Poulnot ‘73 and Jim F. Condon Martha Gregg Price ‘60 Heidi ‘74 and Arthur Ravenel Eva R. Ravenel ‘73 Jenny and Jerry Reves Ms. Keith C. Richardson Bobbie Gail ‘54 and Herb Rothschild Iona and Paul Sanders Peggy ‘68 and Jim Stallworth Barbara and J. Conrad Zimmerman, Jr.

* Deceased

Compassionate | Creative | Collaborative

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Ashley Hall Loyalty Fund

It all starts here.

Developing the full potential of every student at Ashley Hall is possible because of your continued support. Your gift will strengthen every aspect of the Ashley Hall educational experience that enables our graduates to choose among the nationally recognized colleges and universities that recruit them.

2012-2013 Loyalty Fund

by the Numbers

Please note that numbers are as of February 14, 2013.

96 New Donors to the Loyalty

Top 5 Parent Class Participation 0%

25%

50%

Class of 2021 (4th) - 75% Class of 2024 (1st) - 71% Class of 2016 (9th) - 70% Class of 2017 (8th) - 63% Class of 2022 (3rd) - 63%

36 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

75%

100%

Fund for a total of $117,093

8 New Donors to The 1909 Society for a total of $87,275 516 donors increased

their Loyalty Fund Gifts this year compared to last year at this time.

Top parent amount raised is

Top 5 Alumnae Class Participation 0%

$49,604 for 6th grade,

Class of 2019

Top alumnae amount raised is

$25,775 for Class of ‘67 Total percentage raised toward goal of $725,000 is 90%

25%

50%

75%

100%

Class of 1950 - 52% Class of 1951 - 48% Class of 1982 - 44% Class of 1991 - 43% Class of 1954 - 40%

This year our goal is $725,000. Currently we have raised $652,500, 90% of our goal.

It all starts with you.

Please consider making a gift today.

Mail your check to Ashley Hall in the envelope provided, or make a gift online at www.ashleyhall.org.

Please contact Sarah Evans, Director of the Loyalty Fund and Donor Relations, at evanss@ashleyhall.org or 843-965-8547 with questions.

Thank you!

Collaborative | Purposeful | Compassionate |

37

Past Trustee Luncheon

A D V A N CE M E N T EVE N TS

To honor the service of Ashley Hall’s past trustees, Head of School, Jill Muti, and current Chairman of the Board, Dr. Jerry Reves, hosted a luncheon to bring this dynamic group back to campus. During the luncheon, Jill gave a State of the School address, and Morgan Schweers ‘13 spoke about her 18 wonderful years at Ashley Hall.

38 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

McBee Society Luncheon The McBee Society Luncheon honors donors who have included Ashley Hall in their estate plans. It is a time for the school to honor and thank them and for them to come together and learn all that is currently happening at the school.

Scholarship Luncheon This luncheon provides donors who fund scholarships the opportunity to meet the recipient of their scholarship and learn how their gift has impacted her life.

Purposeful | Responsible | Intelligent

| 39

office of alumnae relations 172 Rutledge Avenue Charleston, South Carolina 29403

you are invited

as h l e y ha l l a l u m na e w e ekend a p r il 1 8 , 1 9 & 20, 2013 c e l e b r a t in g

1953 | 1958 | 19

1983 | 1988 | 19

r e u n io n y e a rs

63 | 1968 | 1973

93 | 1998 | 2003

| 1978 | 2008

All class years ar e welcome to atte

nd!

For questions or more information, contact Stephanie Tecklenburg at 843.965.8454 or tecklenburgs@ashleyhall.org Register Online www.ashleyhall.org/aw2013.php

40 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

Call for Nominations 2013

Distinguished Alumnae Awards

The Alumnae Association is currently calling for nominations for the annual Fern Karesh Hurst ’64 Community Volunteer Award, the Crandall Close Bowles ’65 Professional Achievement Award and the Martha Rivers Ingram ’53 Excellence in the Arts Award. These distinguished awards honor three Ashley Hall graduates for their outstanding community volunteer service, professional achievements and excellence in the arts. The awards are presented each year during Ashley Hall’s Alumnae Weekend.

If you know an alumna deserving consideration for one of these awards, please send the name of your nominee, her class year, the name of the award for which you would like for her to be considered and a summary of her accomplishments to Cornelia Jones Graham ‘87 or cornelia765@yahoo.com.

You can also mail your nominations to Alumnae Awards, Ashley Hall, 172 Rutledge Avenue, Charleston, SC 29403. The deadline for nominations is April 15, 2013.

Fern Karesh Hurst ’64 Community Volunteer Award honors an alumna who exhibits outstanding volunteer and community service. In addition to serving as an Ashley Hall trustee, Ms. Hurst has served on the Goucher College Board of Trustees, the National Jewish Center for Leadership and Learning Board and the University of Pennsylvania Board of Overseers for the Graduate School of Fine Arts. She is also a past president of the Jewish Woman’s Foundation of New York.

Crandall Close Bowles ’65 Professional Achievement Award honors an alumna who has achieved significant accomplishments in her profession.

Mrs. Bowles is the Chief Executive Officer of Springs Industries, one of South Carolina’s most prominent businesses and the second-largest Fortune 500 company in the state. Mrs. Bowles’ leadership skills helped propel her from her initial position at Springs Industries as a financial analyst to her current position as CEO.

Martha Rivers Ingram ’53 Excellence in the Arts Award honors an alumna who has been recognized by her peers for outstanding work in the performing or visual arts. Mrs. Ingram has spent much of her life devoted to the arts and is well known for her support for and contributions to the arts community. The guiding force behind the creation of the Tennessee Performing Arts Center, Mrs. Ingram has also served on the boards of renowned arts organizations such as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. and Spoleto Festival, USA.

Purposeful | Responsible | Intelligent

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A L U M N A E EVE N TS

College Drop-in

Holiday Party

42 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

Oyster and Pig Roast

Jubilee SocietyLuncheon

Purposeful | Responsible | Intelligent

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Ashley Hall alumnae Class Notes ‘53 Neltie Sanders Linker is still playing tennis and going strong! Her “70 and over” doubles team recently won the state championship and advanced to the sectional tournament in Columbus, GA. They beat out four states and played the championship match against NC, finishing second, needing one more match to win!

‘54 Inge Silber Crocker lost her husband, Roger Crocker, in August after a long illness and 54 years of marriage. She continues to work in her organizing business, organizing homes and offices in the Denver, CO, area.

Joannie Carbiener Hottinger and Fred are still enjoying retirement in California. Their family lives close by so they are fortunate to see them often. They now have six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. She sends a warm hello to all her class-mates.

we want to hear from you!

‘61 Sally McCrady Hubbard lost her husband, Charles, in August and her brother, Ned, in January—a season of illness and grief.

Charles was a Texas architect, her husband for 38 years. Sally retired from the Sewanee Summer Music Festival in August, 2011.

She sings with the Sewanee Chorale (has been in one chorus or another since 1964, including the Houston Symphony Chorale) and hikes whenever she can. She and her stepdaughter are planning a BIG hike next August on the Wainwright Trail across England, 200 miles. Her daughter, Anna, lives in San Francisco; son, Hayne, lives in Fort Worth; and she has one extraordinary grandson, Duncan (who at almost 13 is Concert Master of the Fort Worth Youth String Orchestra).

‘63 Gigi Rice Greene is retired and enjoys reading, teaching bible studies, and exercise.

Please send updates, announcements and news notes to tecklenburgs@ashleyhall.org or online at ashleyhall. org/alumnae.php Stephanie Tecklenburg is the 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.

A very special thank you to the 2012-13 Ashley Hall Alumnae Board, especially Jamye Horres Hurteau ’91 who served as President this year. Pictured, front to back, left to right: Elaine Conradi Eustis ‘84, EB Burtschy Ravenel ‘89, Jamye Horres Hurteau ‘91, Elizabeth W. Royall ‘05, Mary Elizabeth Tinkler ‘98, Meghan Norvell ‘98, Amy E. Jenkins ‘82, Helen Davis Britton ‘88, Lynn Burris Brooke ‘78, Beautsie Zahrn ‘63, Margie Davis Barham ‘86, Jacquelin Bennett Lynn ‘96, Dolly Lockwood Lipman ‘82, Rhett Ramsay Outten ‘82, Vitre Ravenel Stephens ‘85, Kathy Bates ‘65, Molly Waring ‘02, Mary Ramsay ‘98 Not pictured: Cornelia Jones Graham ‘91, Cashion Drolet ‘97, Marion Thomas Gilchrist ’83, Susan Applegate Herrmann ‘58, Mary LeMacks Scarborough ‘77, Cowles Gilchrist Whitley ‘01

44 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

alumnae HIGHLIGHT

Members of the class of 1958 were recently featured on the cover of the Charleston publication, South of Broad Living.

They were highlighted in the magazine as several of the class members get together for lunch every month and have been doing so for the last 15 years! Most of these women have known each other since age 4 and have grown up in Charleston their entire lives together. What an incredible bond and friendship the Class of 1958 shares with one another. Special thanks to Martha Zeigler Tucker, their wonderful leader, who makes sure their lunches are planned.

‘65 Nancy Rice Davis has remarried and moved to Miami.

Hartley Hall Porter recently returned with her husband, David, to enjoy retirement in Charleston. They are having a grand time renewing old friendships and discovering the city’s “new and improved” delights.

David’s novel, “In The Shade of The Mango Tree,” was well received at a signing in October at The Blue Bicycle.

‘66 Elaine Berol Taylor still raises miniature horses and travels around the world judging orchid shows. She just returned from Tanzania and Kenya.

‘67 Louise M. Halsey, of Little Rock, was selected by curators at the National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA) to represent the state of Arkansas in their exhibition, High Fiber: Women to Watch 2012.

The exhibition opened November 2, 2012 and continued through January 6, 2013 at the museum in Washington, D.C. As the title implies, the theme of the exhibition was inventive textile-based works. Halsey had four woven wool works included in the exhibition: Supersize My House (2011), Dream Facade (2005), Crackhouse (2006), and House/Moon (2005). Women to Watch is a biennial exhibition program developed specifically for NMWA’s national and international committees. Every two years, an exhibition is developed that features

underrepresented and emerging women artists from the states and countries in which the museum has outreach committees. Five Arkansas women artists were selected by in-state curator Caroline S. Brown to be submitted for review by the NMWA curators, from which Halsey’s work was chosen. An exhibition featuring works by the five Arkansas women artists nominated for the NMWA honors will be on tour throughout the state of Arkansas in 2013.

Laurie A. Peek is pretty much retired, but is busy in her community and doing photography again (has had several exhibits this year.) She has 3 sons (2 step), a wonderful husband and is enjoying life.

She hopes the same for all of you!

Purposeful | Responsible | Intelligent

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Bailey Elizabeth, Baltimore, MD

alumnae HIGHLIGHT : CLAIRE COHEN ’96

Schools of Success: Filling Needs at Belmont Charter reprinted with permission from “Flying Kite” magazine written by Claire Robertson Kraft

B

ack in 2000, when Claire Cohen began teaching kindergarten in Franklin, LA, she realized just how challenging it was to reach students who were significantly behind before they even started school. Rather than relying on the curriculum alone, she discovered that success would require meeting students where they are, instead of where they are expected to be. Now, more than 10 years later, she has translated those early lessons as a kindergarten teacher to her work as principal of Belmont Charter School (BCS) in West Philadelphia.

“We look at the need, whatever it may be,” Cohen says, “and then we find a way to fill it.” And in a community like the one Belmont serves, that need is never solely academic.

BCS’s vision is simple yet powerful. To be successful, a school must be centered in the community. Founded in 2002 as part of the Community Education Alliance of West Philadelphia (CEAWP), BCS is distinct within the charter landscape in Philadelphia. Unlike the typical lottery style of enrollment associated with most charter schools, student enrollment is determined by the geographic catchment area, making the school truly community centered.

To meet this community need, BCS realizes that if it’s going to successfully equip youth with a comprehensive education to combat poverty, the school must become the hub for all relevant services and programs. CEAWP offers a suite of services not typically available in a local neighborhood public school, from a Head Start program targeting school readiness, to a robust after-school program including a range of activities from cooking to cosmetology, to an in-school health clinic, to mental and behavioral support through a Family Support Specialists team.

46 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

Executing this programming effectively has required school staff to build meaningful relationships with other community-based organizations, such as the People’s Emergency Center (PEC), a comprehensive social service agency for homeless women, teenagers, and their children. When a family is facing challenges, BCS will work cooperatively with PEC to develop a joint plan for meeting particular students’ needs.

It is this blend of education and community-based services that really sets Belmont apart. “When we have a parent who is struggling with a personal issue,” Cohen shares, “they don’t call the City to look for services, they call us.” Not only has the school become a source of information and support for local residents, but it has also provided the community with a sense of stability in the face of considerable uncertainty.

The key according to Cohen is building trust. “We know who we are serving and they believe we have their best interests in mind, which allows us to accomplish more.”

Still, Cohen acknowledes significant challenges. The student population in the Belmont community is both high poverty and high mobility, meaning a sizeable percentage of students move in and out of the area on a regular basis. This mobility, coupled with unpredictability in terms of funding revenue from the district, has strained the school’s capacity.

But rather than throw up their hands, Belmont has instead chosen to build relationships with external organizations that can support their vision. Indeed, last summer the school worked with Springboard Collaborative, an entrepreneurial organization in the City focused on addressing the issue of summer learning loss, and witnessed considerable growth in students’ literacy over the course of the program.

According to Cohen, the strategy again boils down to recognizing the need and being determined to find the best way to fill it, even if that means looking outside of traditional networks. “We have so much going on that we can’t specialize in everything,” she shares, “so we make connections with other organizations that can help us reach our goals.”

The Belmont experience demonstrates that community/school relationships can in fact help stretch limited public tax dollars at a time when state and local governments are faced with a severe fiscal crisis. Communities and schools can clearly do more for less when they join forces to develop strategic partnerships.

Historically, schools have served a powerful role as community anchors but in recent years, these relationships have attenuated.

If Belmont is any indication of what is possible, additional work needs to be done to connect schools and communities with information (and one another) to create more impactful partnerships.

This philosophy is scalable district-wide. But doing so will require developing a targeted strategy for each community and investing the requisite time to cultivate trust. Sustainable change takes time. “There’s no magic bullet for any school,” Cohen shares from experience, “you have to get to know your community. Each community is different and the focus should be on serving that community’s specific needs.”

‘68 Peggy Maroney Stallworth and Jim moved permanently from Burlington to Havelock, NC in 2010. Their house is at Statute Mile 190 on the ICW so anyone sailing by, please call 252/444-4540 and they will meet you in Beaufort or Oriental! Their older son, William, married Mary Riddick Gauss from Wilson, NC, in June of 2011.

Mary Riddick is a third grade teacher at Westminster in Atlanta. Younger son, Joe, works for Troxler Machine in Raleigh and they get to see him more often as he is closer. Jim has become quite the bread baker and he and Peggy look after their wonderful house together. Jim is such a big help she gets to the golf course once or twice a week. She is so sorry to miss her 45th but will definitely plan on attending the 50th! They head to Alexandria in June for Jim’s Episcopal 50th so those milestones can be reached! Best to all.

‘70 Caroline James Williamson is an artist and somatic movement educator in Hartsville, SC. ‘71 Nancy J. Muller was Elected Chairman of the Board of the Worldwide Fistula Fund, treating and preventing obstetrical fistulas in developing countries in Africa and Asia.

‘79 Elizabeth Kirkland Cahill has been named senior adviser to the Liberty Fellowship Class of 2014. She is a writer and a scholar.

‘82 Jessica Story Turner is living in Canada working on The Oil Sands in Northern Alberta.

‘86 Jane Stuart Ball recently married Charlie Aikman and is the Communications and Membership Development Manager at SCANPO. ‘92 Elizabeth Stelling Allen recently spoke to the Ashley Hall 6th grade class. She is a local architect who has volunteered her time for several years to speak to our Ashley Hall students as a part of a Winter STEAM project. This Gingerbread House project incorporates measurement, geometry, design and electricity. The students created their own house blueprints and constructed a Gingerbread house as the “model” of their house. This was a fun way for

the girls to learn and use measurement, scale drawings, shapes, angles, perimeter, square footage, volume and surface area.

The students will use this knowledge of electricity to add lights to their house.

Elizabeth’s guest appearance helped kick off this educational STEAM event.

‘93 Julia Hane Payne is a Technical Director at Turner Broadcasting in Atlanta, GA. ‘95 Lea Studer is working in Geneva as a physical therapist in two places, one is a rehabilitation clinic, and the other a private practice doing home visits.

‘96 Lucie Maguire Kramer received her Master’s in Nutrition from Clemson and completed her Dietetic Internship at MUSC. She is now a Registered Dietitian for MUSC’s Lean Team, an organization fighting childhood obesity.

alumnae HIGHLIGHT

‘72 Emily D. Friedman and her 1972 “Boarders” gather annually to celebrate and enjoy one another!

‘73 Renee Greene is a Non-Profit Consultant and enjoys non-profits, stained glass, computers, knitting, and wine.

Gregg Smythe is a self employed acupuncturist and lawyer in Charleston.

‘75 Elizabeth M. Tezza was recently elected to a three year term on the Kiwanis International Board of Trustees. Elizabeth is only the seventh woman ever to be elected to the International Board of Kiwanis, a community service organization with clubs in over 80 countries around the world.

Elizabeth also serves as the Carolinas District Coordinator of The Eliminate Project, a joint project of Kiwanis and UNICEF to eliminate maternal and neonatal tetanus.

The Georgetown Women’s Sailing Team placed 3rd overall in the Charleston Women’s Regatta in early March, sailing against 18 schools from Boston (MIT) to Florida. Nancy L. Hagood ‘10 (pictured top right) and her crew took 1st place in A division, and Isabelle G. Luzuriaga ‘12 (pictured top left) crewed in B division, placing 3rd for a team overall finish of 3rd! This speaks very well for AH’s sailing team alumnae!

Purposeful | Responsible | Intelligent

| 47

alumnae HIGHLIGHT

Birth Announcements ‘95 Hunter McEaddy Dawson and her husband, Will, are thrilled to announce the birth their daughter Elizabeth Gerhard McEaddy Dawson.

Bee was born on June 13, 2012 and joins big brother Hunter (4) and big sister Gretchen (2) in filling their house with love, laughter and chaos! They are still living in Charleston where Will is an attorney with Womble, Carlyle, Sandridge and Rice and she works part time at the architecture firm VDL Assoicates, LLC. ‘02 Sophie Lane Martin and her husband, Jarrett, welcomed their first child, Charlotte Glover Martin, in January.

Isabel W. Carlton ’06 is lead coordinator for the HIV Testing Project organized by her medical school, American University of the Caribbean.

She is thoroughly enjoying medical school! Isabel was recently photographed HIV testing the Prime Minister of St. Martin on World Aids Day.

‘98 Jenny Costa Honeycutt of the Charleston office of Haynsworth Sinkler Boyd PA has been elected a shareholder in the firm. She primarily practices in the area of construction law and litigation.

‘00 April Rogers Barker is a certified massage therapist in Catlett, VA. Her interests are massage therapy, running, small scale farming and gardening.

‘02 Amanda G. Taylor is an RN at the MUSC Children’s Hospital, graduating May 2013 with a Doctorate of Nurse Practitioner.

‘03 Tanishah N. Nellom graduated from The University of South Carolina with a Masters of Public Health in Epidemiology in 2011. She currently works to improve care in hospitals and communities throughout South Carolina.

‘06 Jessie L. Brenner is a Private Equity Fund Coordinator at Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP in New York, NY.

48 | The magazine of Ashley Hall

‘07 Kathryn K. Romaine is working at Planned Parenthood in Boston, MA. ‘10 Nancy Hagood ’10 is featured in an advertisement for the Leukemia, Lymphoma Society which appeared in Sailing World magazine. She participates each year in the Leukemia Cup Regatta which raises money to fight blood cancers. Last year, she was the top individual fundraiser in the nation, and thus she is being recognized in their advertisement for the fall regattas. PQV Nancy!

‘12 Abbie Gibson is a member of the Skidmore JV Polo Team and was elected Captain of that team.

Death Announcements Anne Crooks Smith ’39 January 10, 2013 Marguerite McLaughlin Bishop ’49 March 23, 2012 Peggy Bowers Hendricks ’49 January 11, 2013.

Claire Krawcheck Nussbaum ’49 January 20, 2013.

Maria Grayson-Metaxas ’79 August 13, 2012 Charlotte W. Small ’79 October 3, 2012

Wedding Announcements ‘03 Christine E. Corless and Garrett John Bronner were married on September 29, 2012, in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Charleston.

‘03 Margaret Lee McEaddy and Mr. Ryan Harris Moniz, both of Charleston, SC, were married on October 13, 2012. The ceremony was held at First (Scots) Presbyterian Church.

‘05 Lydia F. Hendrix married John Clay Hendrix on Saturday, June 9, 2012 in Awendaw, SC. Elizabeth Royall ‘05 was the maid of honor.

Faculty Ms. Kelly E. Smith and John Van Wyck Taylor, Jr. were married on Saturday, December 22, 2012 at Saint Mark’s Episcopal Church in Charleston.

Did you know?

Worldly Facts Bolivia has over 30 official languages and 36 native cultures and is home to the two highest cities in the world, Potosí and La Paz.

Although coffee is the biggest export product of Kenya, it is not commonly consumed by locals.

Kenyans prefer to drink tea.

El Salvador is the smallest country in Central America and the only one without a Caribbean coastline.

The smallest island designated as a sovereign country is Pitcairn Island in Polynesia.

It is 1.75 square miles.

The Bay Islands of Honduras sit on the second largest coral reef in the world.

Guatemala is ground zero for chocolate. The first chocolate bar was invented by the ancient Mayans.

The population of Costa Rica has a life expectancy of almost 77 years, one of the highest in the world.

Brazil got its name from the nut, not the other way around.

Zimbabwe is home to some of the largest diamond and platinum reserves.

The Romanian Palace of Parliament in Bucharest, Romania is the second largest administration center in the world, second only to the Pentagon in the United States.

Half of the population of Cambodia is younger than 15 years old.

The lakes in Russia contain approximately ¼ of the world’s fresh water and it has the world’s largest forest reserves and is known as the “lungs of Europe” and is second only to the Amazon rainforest in the amount of O2 it produces.

Siberia contains more than 25 percent of the world’s forests.

North Korea houses the world’s largest flagpole, at 525’ high; the flag it holds weighs approximately 600 pounds.

China is the most populous nation on earth. More than 1.1 billion people live there, making up roughly one-fifth of the world’s population.

Antarctica is the only land on our planet that is not owned by any country.

Italy is said to have more masterpieces per square mile than any other country in the world.

France is the most visited country in the world with 75 million tourists yearly.

Canada has more lakes than the rest of the world combined. Canada is an Indian word meaning ‘big village’.

The snowy mountains of Australia receive more snowfall in a year than the Swiss Alps.

More than 20 percent of the world’s oxygen supply comes from the rainforests of the Amazon.

Pre-K student in Ms. Quirin’s class created the map above in 2011. This year, Pre-K students added the flags during a lesson on Water Missions International.

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