Classroom Champions

Commitment to Community

Harpeth Hall alumnae returned to campus to help as classroom champions during a pandemic year

Leslie Severns ’96 and Anne Elizabeth McIntosh ’96 always had lockers close to each other in Middle School. They participated in Harpeth Hall dance together, often passed in the hallways in between classes, and sat together at lunch. They had a thing about ketchup — never sitting at a table with any — and they loved the potato bar and the Coke machine. “And we ate curly fries every day,” Ms. McIntosh remembers. Neither girl would have imagined that in 2020 — more than two decades after they graduated from Harpeth Hall — they would be back sitting together at the school lunch table talking about the day’s events. But several days a week last fall and occasionally this spring, they did just that. Ms. Severns and Ms. McIntosh were two women in a dedicated group of alumnae who stepped up and stepped in when Harpeth Hall needed them — coming back to campus to work as teachers’ aides, substitutes, and support staff during the 2020-2021 pandemic school year. With alumnae helping in the classrooms, the health clinic, at before care and aftercare, and across all corners of campus, Harpeth Hall was able to keep school open and students learning to their highest ability during the pandemic. “That’s a gift that Harpeth Hall gave to these girls that not everyone was able to access this year,” Ms. McIntosh said. On campus, alumnae served as champions in so many ways. They ran Zoom sessions when a quarantined teacher was leading a lesson online from home. They helped with student clubs, ran study halls, proctored exams, and even led Winterim classes and immersion experiences. A dedicated group of alumnae spent time with the girls before school and after school helping with homework or playing games. And several women filled in to give even small breaks to those working so hard to keep everything running smoothly in a year that was anything but normal. “Our Harpeth Hall alumnae who stepped up to serve as TAs in our classrooms kept our Upper School open during the pandemic,” Upper School Director Armistead Lemon said. “The fact that they understood the school’s culture and were already familiar with so many people and places on campus made their transition a seamless one.” For Ms. Severns and Ms. McIntosh, it was a blast from the past being back. They walked through campus remembering what the library looked like when they were students, joking about the papers they put off writing, and recalling dance numbers they did together. “For our senior talent show, we choreographed a Madonna medley,” Ms. McIntosh laughed. “I can totally still do the Vogue moves.”

And, as the alumnae helped in the classrooms, they often came across teachers they had as students. “I never would have dreamed that I would be back chatting in the workroom with Dr. Echerd,” Ms. Severns smiled. The alumnae came back because they care. When Harpeth Hall students graduate, they take all they learned out into the world. They become scientists, entrepreneurs, lawyers, communication professionals, community leaders, and so much more. But even as they move forward part of them remains here. And when called upon, they return. So often it is as mentors for the students — assembly speakers, internship hosts, career day visitors, Winterim instructors — but this year Harpeth Hall needed something more. And Harpeth Hall alumnae were there to help. What they experienced when they returned to campus was so much of what they remembered and loved from their own time as students. “Even in this weird year, Harpeth Hall remained true to tradition,” Ms. Severns said. “From Convocation on the very first day of school to opening of the Senior House and on throughout the year.” Ms. McIntosh agreed: “There was a commitment to really maintain a sense of community. When you heard other places were so disconnected, at Harpeth Hall you were able to connect with someone on a daily basis.” And that made a difference for students and alumnae alike. Even as the school year came to a close, Ms. Severns and Ms. McIntosh continued their commitment to Harpeth Hall. Together, the two longtime friends are serving as chairs for the Class of 1996’s 25th Reunion this coming fall. Though 2020 has shown we never really know what the future may bring, perhaps there is a Madonna performance on the reunion horizon — or at the very least some curly fries at the party.

ALUMNAE RETURNED TO HARPETH HALL TO HELP DURING COVID-19

Ellen Smith Simpson ’82 returned as a before and aftercare staff member. Sarah Taber Englert ’95 returned as a teacher's aide. Leslie Caldwell Severns ’96 returned as a teacher's aide. Meredith McDonald Stewart ’96 returned as a substitute teacher. Anne Elizabeth McIntosh Tachek ’96 returned as a teacher's aide. Laura Cade Flippo ’00 returned as a teacher's aide. Jean-Marie Bibb Clark ’04 returned as a teacher's aide. Meggie Hill ’13 returned as an aftercare staff member. Emily Stewart ’14 returned as a teacher's aide. Catherine Baker ’16 returned as a teacher's aide. Gabby Kapanka ’19 SUMMER 2021 | 29returned as an aftercare staff member.