THE BEST school FOR GIRLS
GI RLS P REP ARA TO RY S CHOO L
In 1906, three school teachers changed the course of history for girls in Chattanooga when they founded Girls Preparatory School in Grace McCallie’s home on Oak Street. Their foresight and commitment to ensuring college preparedness for girls challenged social norms at a time before women even had the right to vote. More than a century later, generations of GPS students have gone on to change their worlds—both in our area and around the globe. Watch “The Gift of a GPS Education.”
Dear Parents,
At Girls Preparatory School, we celebrate each girl for the unique gifts she brings to our school, with programs and people in place to prioritize healthy connections and relationships. We foster a culture where she is known, she is heard, and she is empowered to use her voice.
On the pages that follow, you’ll read more about how we’ve designed every aspect of the GPS experience to be best for girls—from our academic, arts, and athletic programs to our coordinate program with McCallie, our brother school. In partnership with you, our faculty and staff support each girl on her journey to becoming the best version of herself, offering a variety of perspectives from their experiences and bringing many ideas and talents to both the girls and their colleagues.
As a girls’ school alumna and a mother of three daughters, two of whom are recent GPS graduates, I invite you to explore the difference an all-girl school education can mean for your girl. There’s really no place quite like our school, and I look forward to meeting you when you come for a campus tour or an event. See for yourself why GPS is best for girls.
HERE’S TO THE GIRLS AND THE WOMEN THEY BECOME!
Megan D. Cover, Head of School
A college preparatory day school for grades six through 12, Girls Preparatory School is committed to educating the whole girl— in mind, body, and spirit. We believe that during a girl’s middle and high school years—the developmental stage of adolescence—she benefits most from attending a school designed specifically for her.
In an environment where teachers, coaches, and peers support and encourage her, a girl is free to be herself and feels confident to step beyond her comfort zone. She more easily rejects the limitations both society and she may place on her and can forge her own path to reach her full potential.
I really don’t know that I would have been the same if I went to a coed school. Those years are so important in forming who you are. GPS felt like a nojudgment zone, and there was constant support. It was vital for my growth.”
Astha Sinha, recent grad
THE BEST place FOR GIRLS
There is an intentionality at GPS, an understanding of and appreciation for the power of a girl you won’t find elsewhere.
Since our founding in 1906, Girls Preparatory School has focused its efforts solely on preparing girls for life beyond high school. In a private school learning environment tailored specifically to girls, students receive the support needed to become their authentic best selves. See for yourself the difference.
What We Know About Girls
Research shows girls mature sooner than boys; their verbal skills also develop earlier than their male counterparts. They tend to be more emotionally and socially perceptive and expressive.
At GPS, middle and upper school students are free to develop emotional intelligence, support and respect each other, and form their own thoughts and beliefs.
How Girls Learn Best
Girls tend to thrive while working closely with their peers and form relationships with their teachers. At GPS, teachers come alongside their students to help them make personal connections to what they’re learning. This learner-centered approach nurtures a girl’s curiosity about her world and helps her discover her purpose with confidence and joy.
What Girls Need to Thrive
When girls feel safe, comfortable, and supported in their environment, they can begin to take risks and discover their interests and passions without fear of failure. At GPS, teachers reframe a girl’s mantra from “I’m not good at this” to “I’m not good yet.” This intentional growth mindset helps foster the confidence they need to succeed in life.
True learning requires students to go beyond the confines of the classroom—to challenge themselves through rich experiences. At GPS, girls immerse themselves in traditions and signature programming unique to our school.
Tucker River Fellows is the coolest experience I had at GPS. It was totally different than any other club or cocurricular program I was a part of, and what made it so cool were the different girls who shared a common interest. None of my super close friends were in the club, but I made a lot of new friends and connections through the adventures we had together while benefiting the community.”
Mary Kate Johnson, recent grad
TRADITIONS
For more than a century, our school traditions have linked one girl to the next, spanning decades and generations of strong, independent young women.
May Day
Chapel Talks
Every senior is given an opportunity to share her thoughts on stage in front of the entire school community and her invited guests. Considered a rite of passage for each GPS girl, her Chapel Talk can be on any subject of her choosing and allows her voice to be heard on myriad topics.
May Day is among the most highly anticipated events of the school year, where tradition and the values of GPS culminate in one beautiful outdoor celebration resplendent with flowers, dresses, and the winding of maypoles. Their peers have nominated the May Court, choosing girls who actively and enthusiastically contribute to the life of the school and who embody the ideals of character and integrity.
Ring Day
The GPS class ring features the crest embedded in a black onyx stone and can be set in silver or gold, whichever the student chooses. Ring Day is celebrated in spring of the junior year with a special event that brings the entire class together for an afternoon. GPS alumnae recount stories of recognizing a fellow alumna by her ring in places far and wide.
Cat-Rat
The Cat-Rat tradition provides a way for our youngest students to connect with seniors they can look up to and admire while also giving seniors an opportunity to forge friendships with younger girls. Senior Cats are paired with sixth-grade Rats before the first day of school and spend the school year engaged in activities that provide intentional, sisterhood-building moments. Many of these pairings stay connected throughout their lifetimes.
Founders Day
Each year in September, we celebrate the day our three Founders took the courageous step to form our school. Filled with activities and fun, the occasion includes a look back at our legacy during Chapel, a picnic, games, and more. The festivities allow students to not only learn about but participate in the rich history of women celebrating women.
UNIQUE OFFERINGS
While all schools offer activities outside the classroom, our signature programming provides incomparable cocurricular opportunities that spark interests and passions that guide lifelong learning.
G.O.L.E.
Our Girls Outdoor Leadership Education program focuses on developing girls’ leadership skills from within and is specifically designed to help students discover their strengths and opportunities in leadership within the natural beauty of Chattanooga. Through the program, students explore what the GPS core values mean to them and how their actions to uphold these values impact our people, community, and environment. G.O.L.E. builds skills such as agency, advocacy, creativity, problem-solving, collaboration, communication, and resilience.
Partnerships in the Community
Partnerships in the Community prepares GPS students to be the most engaged members and leaders of our current and future communities. Each class elects two representatives who, along with their sponsor, identify or organize community service opportunities across our area.
The Fletcher Bright Fellowship
The Fletcher Bright Fellowship for Inspiring Artistic and Community Engagement is awarded to a rising GPS senior (or seniors) as she develops a discerning sense of inquiry and explores an area of concentration that brings excitement and sensitivity of wonder. This monetary award allows the winning fellow to channel her passion for the arts in a way that enriches the diverse communities in our region.
Terpsichord
Terpsichord is one of the longest-running modern dance companies of its kind in the country. Throughout her time in the program, each dancer is given the opportunity to lead and share her voice through original choreography developed during technique, improv, and composition classes.
Tucker River Fellows
Tucker River Fellows is an endowed, multiyear program that allows Fellows to engage in experiential learning about the many issues impacting the local watershed. Fellows focus on leadership skills and work with local experts as they collect, analyze, and publish data, and propose solutions for healthier watersheds in the Chattanooga area and beyond.
Winterim
Riding horses at a dude ranch, exploring the workings of state government, attending dance classes in New York City, or appreciating the natural environment in day hikes, Winterim offers the opportunity for GPS students and faculty to step into both new and unfamiliar territories during a one-week experiential learning program each February.
THE BEST teachers FOR GIRLS
The strength of our school comes from the people who will teach, support, and care for your girl each and every day—her success is our collective goal. In an all-girls classroom, our faculty foster both intellect and character in each girl while teaching her the skills she needs to sustain her authenticity and purpose in an ever-changing world.
Our faculty is committed to, passionate about, and uniquely skilled in the best practices in educating girls. Each day they set out to spark girls’ curiosity, inspire them to reach beyond their comfort zones, and guide them on a journey of learning and discovery about who they are now and who they aspire to be.
Classroom opportunities for creative expression give girls voice, choice, and agency in learning. Making them iterative allows for stumbles and subsequent demonstration of growth, a continued cycle of improvement and progression. Our girls learn best via these exercises—cheered on, supported by, and learning from both us and their peers.”
Dr. Ralph Covino | History Teacher and Humanities Coordinator
THE BEST teachers FOR GIRLS
Making a Difference
When asked what they will miss most when they leave GPS, our students say it loud and clear—the faculty. Each day our teachers enter campus with a desire to positively impact the lives of our students.
Professional Development
Our endowed professional development fund allows us to support myriad professional education opportunities in line with our mission, values, and vision. Approximately 30-40 teachers participate in local, regional, and global professional development opportunities each year—some in-person and some online. Our robust professional development fund allows us to support a number of teachers who are seeking to deepen their expertise, develop a new pedagogical skill, or learn what is new in the field of education.
Interdisciplinary Leadership
To underscore our commitment to the 2023-2028 Strategic Plan, we restructured our departments with the creation of Humanities (English, World Languages, History, and Religion) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) departments. This adjustment allows our faculty more opportunities to collaborate and help our students make connections across disciplines. To aid in our transition to learnercentered educational practices, we also added department coordinators, instructional coaches, a Dean of Teaching and Learning, Learning Specialists, and more.
Outside Experts
Throughout the year, GPS faculty and staff learn from professionals known for their work in education and supporting girls. These speakers provide learning opportunities and share best practices with our team, which we tailor to the students at GPS. In recent years, speakers have included experts in the fields of educating girls, neurodiversity, curriculum design, supporting students with learning differences, social media responsibility, mental health awareness and support, and pedagogical strategies.
Adolescence can be tough. Navigating friendships, earning more responsibility, exploring new classes, and taking on new challenges ... being a teen can come with a lot to manage. All the while, their brains are still developing.
At GPS, we want our girls to feel encouraged in every aspect of their maturation. Our faculty and staff invest time and talents to create new curricula, programs, and opportunities that allow students to explore who they are in and beyond the classroom.
The feeling of belonging was a challenge for me before coming to GPS, but I belonged and felt confident in my role as a fellow student. GPS taught me that I can achieve what I want as long as I am showing respect and honor to those around me, or else it is not worth it. When I was looking at schools, the most appealing thing about GPS was that success is defined by the person you choose to be!”
Shreena Patel, recent grad
THE BEST support FOR GIRLS
Advisory
Advisory groups meet weekly and seek to provide an opportunity for safe, close, mutually respectful relationships between students and their teachers. While scheduled activities provide valuable direction and structure, advisory is a relaxed environment where they can speak and listen to each other as people—apart from hierarchical relationships. During advisory, students are able to forge meaningful relationships and delve beneath the surface to learn more about themselves and the world around them.
The Center for Teaching and Learning
As part of our learner-centered culture, all students and their teachers have access to The Center for Teaching and Learning, to grow, learn, and develop new skills and good habits. Learning specialists reinforce skills and provide instruction to support the learning styles and needs of any girl who desires assistance, including girls with documented learning profiles. Learning specialists also serve as liaisons between students and teachers, facilitating conversations and working with students to advocate for their academic journeys.
Health and Wellness Center
Led by the Dean of Health and Wellness, school counselors, school psychologist, school nurse, and our physical education team, the Health and Wellness program focuses on overall student health and well being and aims to positively support the mindset and decision-making of our students. The school’s overarching health and wellness curriculum includes scaffolded programs focused on girls’ physical, mental, social, and emotional well being. The program commits to cultivating each girl’s authentic self and equipping her with skills to mindfully navigate her social landscapes and make positive, healthy decisions.
Belonging
Finding a place to belong is a vital part of an adolescent girl’s experience. Building relationships with teachers and classmates creates a sense of belonging where she feels socially connected, supported, and respected. When a girl can trust her teachers and her peers and experience inclusion at school, the impact is far-reaching—on her social-emotional well being, her academic success, and her future.
Counselors & Deans
In both the Middle and Upper Schools, division counselors and deans provide student support; two trained mental health professionals and a school psychologist on site work with students as they navigate social interactions and classroom requirements. Additionally, each grade has a class dean who assists the Dean of Students in communicating grade-level information, planning of advisory, and supporting class activities. Faculty who accept this role are committed to building school spirit and fostering successful student experiences.
College Counseling
The GPS College Counseling team provides a multi-year partnership with families that encourages students to consider appropriate and challenging college options over a broad geographic area. Although each student is responsible for her journey, she is assisted through all aspects of the application, scholarship, and financial aid process with the ultimate goal of finding a college that best meets her academic, social, and financial needs.
Our teachers and coaches know girls and how they grow and develop. Every club, every group, and every team is led by a girl. Our art rooms, dance studios, study spaces, weight room, and classrooms are designed with girls in mind.
A valuable education extends beyond the classroom and allows students to begin cultivating interests while developing their voices and setting goals. At GPS, girls are encouraged to imagine the possibilities that their futures can hold and explore what it means to get there.
GPS not only prepared me for the future academically, it also prepared me for the future socially by building relationships with teachers who love to teach and through sports that brought us closer. The school encourages you to try new things and be your very best, whether in academics, music and arts, or athletics. GPS provides opportunities and support no matter what you’re interested in.”
Meghan Boehm, recent grad
THE BEST opportunities FOR GIRLS
At GPS, girls don’t just learn to follow the leader—they learn to lead. GPS offers girls a chance to represent their class as members of various student organizations, tasked with listening, learning, and choosing what is best for their peers and the GPS community as a whole. Empowered by her classmates and teachers, each girl is given the opportunity to speak up and stand out, and no voice is too small. From quiet leaders in the classroom to president of the Honor Council, GPS girls learn to lead.
Club opportunities include:*
Amnesty International
Christian Forum
Computer Science Club
Current Events Club
Environmental Club
Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA)
Foreign Film Club
G-Force (Spirit Club)
Health Club
Junior State of America (JSA)
Kaleidoscope (GPS yearbook)
Le Club Français (French Club)
Library Club
Literary Society
Mock Trial
Model UN
Peer Leadership Club
Science Club
Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica (Spanish Honor Society)
Société Honoraire de Français (French Honor Society)
Society of Women Engineers, Next Generation (SWENext)
Spectrum (school newspaper)
Upper School Dance Ensemble
Tech Club
*New clubs requested by students are often added, so this list is ever-evolving.
From yearbook editorial staff to Mock Trial and more, clubs create opportunities for students to explore and pursue passions outside their daily courses. In addition, new friendships across many grades are made, and connections with people and organizations beyond GPS give girls a chance to engage on a larger scale.
I’ve learned that leadership looks different for everyone, and what you lack in knowledge and experience, you can make up for with determination and perseverance. The most important shift I’ve made in my leadership skills is that I no longer attempt to mask the stressors of life to seem like the perfect leader. I now understand that to build trust and create connections, I have to be willing to be vulnerable.”
Anabel Wilson, recent grad
It is important to help students grow in their ability to communicate and establish healthy relationships with male peers. Our coordinate program with our brother school, McCallie, allows both our students and theirs to reap the benefits of a single-sex education while still having opportunities to socialize, interact, work side-by-side, and form lasting friendships with each other.
The GPS | McCallie Coordinate Program gives our students a sense of community while focusing on relationships—opportunities for all students to learn, share, grow, make memories, interact, and form a basis for lifelong friendships. With our cocurricular coed activities and events, we connect our sister and brother schools in shared experiences. From social events, dances, and community initiatives to fine arts performances, athletic competitions, academic classes, and more, opportunities abound for GPS girls to engage with their McCallie brothers.”
Beth Flint Gaffney ‘79, Director of Coordinate Programs
THE BEST community FOR GIRLS
Coordinate Opportunities include: Athletics
Clubs & Student Leadership
Community Service
Instrumental Music Ensembles
Theater Productions
Candlelight Christmas Chorus
Outdoor Program
Social Events
The excellence, the relationships, the sisterhood—it’s all there, and it reminds me of what we have at McCallie, which is why I think the two schools complement each other so well. Students really have the best of both worlds, with the single-sex environment but also the opportunities to develop meaningful relationships and learn from the opposite sex.”
Lee Burns, McCallie Head of School
Our breadth of program is unmatched for girls in the Chattanooga region. We deliver rich learning experiences that challenge students academically while encouraging them to step beyond their comfort zones in the classrooms and out in the community.
At GPS, I was able to dance with Terpsichord while also competing in Science Olympiad and JETS, allowing me to fully explore my appreciation of science and art from an early age. The interdisciplinary approach of the GPS Fine and Performing Arts Department taught me the importance of balance and provided me with some basic tools on how to establish such. I’m thankful that I was able to learn these strategies at a young age.”
Mary Chandler Gwin, alumna
THE BEST program FOR GIRLS
Middle School
GPS Middle School offers a rich and engaging academic program that lays the foundation for students’ academic paths while developing vital social-emotional skills for their future success in Upper School and beyond. Recognizing that intellectual development is a process, each grade in Middle School is designed to build upon the knowledge and skills attained during the previous grade. This approach allows each girl to gradually and appropriately take ownership of her learning journey.
Sixth-Grade
Emphasis is placed on providing a positive and individualized academic and social experience for each girl.
Seventh-Grade
Girls build acuity in their academic skills while gaining perspective on the socioemotional aspects of development.
Eighth-Grade
The emphasis shifts to the application of acquired skills, student-driven educational experiences, and readiness for Upper School.
Upper School
GPS Upper School is designed around learning opportunities that exercise girls’ critical analysis, collaboration, and communication skills as well as their creativity while building self-advocacy and confidence. Learning becomes selfdirected, hands-on, and multidisciplinary, making each girl’s journey unique, relevant, and meaningful.
She can design an experience that piques her interests and challenges her to reach beyond any preconceived limitations to her learning. With offerings that include AP and honors classes plus cocurricular opportunities and clubs, students are encouraged to imagine their futures beyond their time at GPS. Our curriculum is designed to guide her to become a critical thinker, articulate communicator, empathetic collaborator, and resilient problem-solver.
sisterhood THE BEST FOR GIRLS
GPS cultivates an environment that celebrates and nurtures sisterhood—one that encourages and supports students as they develop relationships with girls beyond their immediate friend groups.
As a result, girls find belonging in a unique network of women that includes thousands of GPS students, past and present.
Today, GPS alumnae span the globe, and their personal and professional networks are made stronger by their GPS sisters.
Our students and alumnae don’t view other women as competition, but rather as valued partners in the betterment of their lives and communities.
My GPS friends are my sounding board, my source of encouragement, and my tribe. They keep me grounded and offer perspective when I’m fixated on an issue. We’ve been each other’s bridesmaids, godmothers to each other’s children, and cheerleaders for all of life’s tragedies and triumphs.”
Katherine
Dann Ogden, alumna
IN HER OWN WORDS
Our alumnae go after their goals with ferocity and confidence. They often report that a college professor or employer inquired if they had attended an all-girls school. Why? Because they weren’t afraid to speak up and to advocate for themselves in any situation.
First Female Chief Ranger at Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Uterine Transplant Coordinator
Emily Boydston ’06
Quality Engineer with GE Renewable Energy
Read her story
Lisa Hendy ’90
Read her story
Norquata Allen ’10
Read her story
Connect. Expand. Continue. The GPS Alumnae Network on LinkedIn provides a dedicated space for our alumnae to connect with each other virtually and continue the long tradition of sisterhood beyond their time at GPS. Additionally, we launched 15 regional alumnae chapters in major cities across the country to provide opportunities for graduates to engage in person! Our former students also reconnect through Reunion Weekend, Alumnae Council, Black Alumnae Council, and young alumnae holiday gatherings with McCallie.
WHERE SHE wants TO GO
At GPS, your daughter can find her place, grow in her confidence and relationships, and become her most authentic self. As she learns who she is and who she wants to be, we partner with you to help her reach her full potential. The opportunities for her future are endless, and we will guide her on her journey.
INQUIRE
Complete the form at GPS.edu/ Inquire to receive correspondence from GPS and stay up to date on upcoming events.
TOUR
Step on campus and see for yourself why we are best for girls. Tours are led by Admission Counselors and Student Ambassadors. Your daughter is also welcome. Visit GPS.edu/Tour.
GI RLS P REP ARA TO RY S CHOO L
VISIT
Experience GPS and discover the breadth of our programs by attending one of our upcoming Admission events. Visit GPS.edu/Visit for event details and registration.