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NURTURING A GROWTH MINDSET
Empowering students with the skills they need to thrive
From left to right, Rhian Wallace ’23, Anya Nguyen ’23, and Lina Jeffers ’23 look at text material together.
As Columbus School for Girls enters an exciting new era of leadership with Head of School Camille Seals, the Upper School is also embarking on thrilling new initiatives. With the school
year well underway, Upper School Director Scott Parsons is partnering with Dean of Students Dr. Meghan Hattaway and our talented Upper School faculty members to build upon the
School’s long legacy of academic excellence, social-emotional learning, and robust community.
This is an exciting time for our Upper School as we lean into new leadership, ideas, and avenues for connection. Parsons has a track record of emphasizing safe and healthy risk-taking and a growth mindset, two ideas that are at the core of how CSG approaches education. In partnership with expert faculty, he will continue to help students push themselves academically and socially.
One important academic change made this school year was to augment student schedules. In addition to maximizing student learning within the classroom, the changes also allow for more flexibility for students to meet with their teachers outside of class time in a manner similar to what one would find in a university environment. Work is also being done in the Upper School to support students’ development of personal identity, sense of belonging, and personal efficacy. The work is familiar to Parsons, who throughout his career in education has focused on the core social motives of belonging, understanding, control, esteem, and trust that inform the ways in which adolescents navigate their days. Parsons’ previous experience with these social-emotional skills translate well to address the opportunities we have in Upper School.
A key component of the work being done in Upper School consists of the decision to have Dr. Hattaway serve as Dean of Students. Prior to serving as Dean of Students, Dr. Hattaway was English Department Chair. In her new role, she is working in partnership with Parsons to foster community in the Upper School by coordinating celebrations, events, and form-level field trips and retreats to destinations in and out of state.
Upper School kicked off the year with an overnight retreat for seniors at Salt Fork State Park, and freshmen also attended a full-day retreat to Hocking Hills. In November, juniors will visit Cleveland to see productions of Romeo and Juliet and Cats on a trip related to their English curriculum. The trip will also be
potential as learners and
leaders is exemplified by the Center for Girls’ and Young Women’s Leadership, a new signature CSG program created through the Power & Promise campaign.
CSG seniors visited Salt Fork State Park prior to the start of school for a student retreat.
an opportunity to reflect on the importance of being intentional about setting community norms, values, and identity. The sophomore class this year will also be making a trip to Washington D.C., a trip that had been canceled during their Form VIII year due to COVID-19, where they will study American history, civics, and government.
While these trips all vary in size and scope, they help our students learn to build community with each other. Other events, such as Bring a Friend to School Day and Red-Gold games, have also helped to instill fellowship and belonging. The work the Upper School team is doing around community and culture will help enrich our already extraordinary academic program, which is providing exceptional outcomes for CSG graduates.
This fall, we celebrated the achievements of our students, with more than 30 percent of the junior and senior classes being honored by the National Merit Corporation and the College Board for outstanding achievements in academics. Not only are our girls excelling in the classroom, but they are also thriving as athletes. This athletic season was marked by district, regional, and state tournaments and championships as our girls continued to show their prowess on fields, courts, and tracks. Our golf team finished as District Runner-up, and one of our golfers competed in the State Golf Tournament. Meanwhile, our cross country team qualified for Regionals and sent one of our runners to the State Championships. Our students enjoyed a successful fall season across the board: Our varsity soccer team had a regular season record of 11-4 and hosted a District Semifinal game. And our tennis program had a combined 25-5 record, placed second in the very competitive Mid-State League competition, and had five District Qualifiers.
The vibrancy of our Upper School program remains a hallmark of the CSG experience for students, and we are looking forward to a prosperous future for the division and for the School. As we approach our 125th anniversary, our mission of empowering girls to discover their distinct potential as learners and leaders is more important than ever. As long as girls and women face gender disparities, girls’ schools, especially CSG, will remain relevant and necessary. Our School continues to provide the foundational framework to ensure generations of young women know their power and possess the skills to confidently lead and forge a path for not only themselves, but also those who come after them.
