Harpeth Hall Admission Viewbook 2021-2022 by Harpeth Hall Communications

Where Girls Matter

Harpeth Hall is the place for you because . . . You want a school that is spirited and dynamic, where it is cool to be smart. You love teachers who challenge you to think critically through fun and engaging assignments. You crave a community that wants to know you and help you discover your authentic self. You try new things — even if you make mistakes — because we all learn best that way. You believe brave girls and purposeful women can change the world.

10 Special Things About

Honeybear Nation Our Campbell Plaid

Our distinct uniform connects us to each other. United in plaid, we embrace our individuality.

Your Advisor

You are paired with a faculty advisor who is your advocate and mentor. Your advisory group is made up of eight to ten students in your grade, who gather often to share experiences, ask questions, and celebrate each other.

Our Spirit Clubs

You will be placed in one of four spirit clubs — Angkor, Ariston, Eccowasin, or Triad. The intramural clubs date back almost 100 years and build connections across classes. Wearing your club’s color and waving your club flag, you will compete for the annual Club Trophy by earning points through quiz bowl, song competitions, and other activities.

The Dedicated Faculty

Our teachers cheer for you in the classroom, on the stage, and on the courts. They encourage your endeavors and champion your growth. They show up early and stay late to help you shine.

The Innovative Learning

Our teachers create learning experiences that are hands-on and imaginative. From power tools to telescopes, students learn through doing. Sometimes, girls dress in togas on the library steps as if they were orators in ancient Rome, and other times students transform their classroom into a giant working cell, breaking through the membrane to the nucleus to experience biology firsthand.

The Traditions That Ground Us and Push Us Forward

Every May since the 1920s, Harpeth Hall girls carry on the tradition of Step Singing. Our juniors and seniors gather together to sing on the steps of the Ann Scott Carell Library. Here, seniors pass on

leadership of the school as the juniors pledge to transmit Harpeth Hall better, greater, and more beautiful than it was transmitted to them.

to upper school. The girls know they will carry the support of their middle school advisors as they begin their future in the upper school.

The Senior House

Our Story

Our Senior House is a special place where girls get to be girls. Each year, the seniors choose a theme and decorate the Senior House. They have spontaneous dance parties on the patio, sign the wall when they make their college selection, and in quieter moments study and read.

Crossing the Lawn

Every spring, our eighth grade advisors gather with their students on Souby Lawn where they recognize each girls’ accomplishments and contributions to our community. With each remark, our eighth grade students travel step by step across the lawn, symbolizing their passage from middle

From Ward Seminary for Young Ladies to WardBelmont School and now to Harpeth Hall, our story has always been about girls. For 155 years, we’ve held true to the bold idea that girls deserve an excellent education full of possibilities and purpose. Today, the Harpeth Hall campus comprises nearly 44 acres with enrollment of more than 700 students.

Our Enduring Friendships

With over 6,000 Honeybears across the nation and around the globe, Harpeth Hall graduates look out for one another. Our alumnae support each other through internships, career advice, and lifelong friendships. Harpeth Hall women are everywhere.

9 Things

You Can Expect

You will join a diverse community.

Harpeth Hall girls represent a variety of states, countries, and backgrounds. There are friends waiting for you here.

You will thrive in an inclusive environment.

Harpeth Hall embraces differences and values the uniqueness that each girl brings to the classroom. We are a school that honors individuality and values every student’s voice.

You will expand your knowledge.

Our dynamic faculty designs rigorous, intriguing, and innovative curriculum that engage students’ talents and interests. Harpeth Hall teachers are experts in their fields and passionate about what they do. They care deeply about you!

You will master essential life skills.

In addition to our strong academics, you will gain knowledge of important skills, including collaboration, creativity, and communication.

You will be inspired.

The award-winning artists, authors, scientists, global experts, entrepreneurs, and business leaders who visit our campus will encourage you to imagine your brightest future.

You will find your place.

Here you can burst into giggles or quietly read a good book. Your friends will know you, accept you, and push you to be your best self.

You will participate in all you can imagine. From sports to dance, student government to robotics, from a musical production to a community service project, there are so many ways for you to discover new avenues and find new interests.

You will surprise yourself.

Every day at Harpeth Hall is an opportunity. Through the support of faculty and friends, what were once ambitions become accomplishments.

You will laugh.

In the company of other girls, you will be valued for being your authentic self and will find joy in the unexpected. Sharing in the fun of cartwheels on the lawn or an explosive science experiment will fill your days with memorable moments.

8 Teachers

Ready to Inspire You MARQUIS CHAPPELL • Director of Equity and Inclusion and Upper School English Teacher

Fable to fiction: The girls’ favorite assignment in freshman English is writing a flash fiction piece based on a personal neighborhood anecdote (i.e. “the forbidden house down the road,” “the noisy neighbor who never sleeps,” “the house three doors down wherein people always enter but never leave”). They particularly enjoy how the assignment challenges them to fuse childhood fables, the idea of home, and artful writing to create an original work. My home: I spent the majority of my childhood in Chattanooga, where I enjoyed the burgeoning arts scene. Between Chattanooga Theatre Centre, Ballet Tennessee, The Center for Creative Arts, and taking years of private piano and violin lessons, I was perpetually surrounded by innovative artists who profoundly and expressively made sense of the world. Chattanooga is also where my maternal grandmother lived, making the city feel like home. Favorite place in Nashville: Unequivocally Radnor Lake Park. As a nature enthusiast, the flora and fauna lining the trails as well as the lake’s stillness makes me feel whole.

BEN FULWIDER • Upper School Social Sciences Teacher and Department Chair Negotiation Simulation: When studying the end of World War I, I ask my students to engage in a simulation where they try to negotiate a more successful outcome than the Treaty of Versailles, which led to another world war just two decades later. Not only do they come to appreciate the difficulty of the task, but they also have a lot of fun doing it. My home: I grew up in a suburb of New York City, and my favorite thing about it was being a 20-minute train ride from the greatest city in the world. It is only since I’ve grown up and moved away that I appreciate the vast cultural and human resources of places like the New York City area. Favorite place in Nashville: My favorite places in Nashville are the Percy and Edwin Warner parks. Whenever I need to recharge I bike, run, or hike the trails or the famous 11.2-mile road loop. It is the most wonderful urban park space I have ever seen, and it’s right here where I live!

MICHELE O’BRIEN • Middle School History Teacher

Revolutionary rebel: Students experience the revolutionary shift from pre-industrial artisan life to life as a laborer on an assembly line in our hat-making activity. Later in the year, seventh grade students adopt the rebellious persona of a real 19th-century Abolitionist and debate the role of John Brown in their movement. Was he a righteous asset or a liability? My home: A town about 40 miles west of Chicago called Batavia, home of the particle physics laboratory and accelerator Fermi lab. Favorite place in Nashville: Equal parts Grimey’s Record Shop and Radnor Lake State Park.

SAMANTHA O’CONNOR • Upper School Science Teacher

Chemical Concepts: My favorite aspect of teaching chemistry is watching how it comes to life during hands-on labs and watching how students engineer solutions to real-world problems. In chemistry, we see electrons change the color of fire, we use computational models and code to interpret systems with temperature, pressure, and volume, and we use the concepts of chemical bonding to invent a product that would help clean up an oil spill. For me, the highlight of the year is when chemistry and history overlap in our study of nuclear chemistry and radioactive atoms! My home: I am from a tiny, map-dot town in the middle of the midwestern cornfields, Tremont, Illinois. With a population slightly over 2,000 people, everyone knew everyone which helped to create an extremely kind and supportive community. My town is known for having the best turkey sandwiches and strawberry shortcake at the annual Tremont Turkey Festival! Favorite Place in Nashville: Hands down, getting hand-made ice cream from Sip Café in East Nashville and going for a walk at Cornelia Fort Airpark!

JIM ROMERO • Director of Strength & Conditioning and Head Track & Field Coach

The strength of self: The girls set fitness goals and are provided a plan. They are challenged weekly to bring a great attitude, develop great technique, provide great effort, and push themselves outside their comfort zone. At the end of the semester, the fitness test provides the girls with a great sense of accomplishment and realization that they are mentally and physically STRONG young ladies. My home: I am originally from Southern California. What makes where I grew up special is my home church, Grace Community Church, and teaching pastor John MacArthur. Favorite place in Nashville: At home with my wife and seven children enjoying time together as a family.

JENNIFER WEBSTER • Upper School Math and Computer Science

Smart stats: Students in honors precalculus take the lead on teaching one another statistical concepts. Using a critical mind, the girls learn to be informed consumers of media-reported statistics and analyze big data. My home: Hermitage, Tennessee. Nestled between Old Hickory and Percy Priest lakes on the eastern edge of Davidson County, Hermitage boasts beautiful greenways, the home of President Andrew Jackson, and the delicious Hermitage Steakhouse. Favorite place in Nashville: As an adult, my favorite place to be is on the back porch of my house in Gladeville (Mt. Juliet). The Opryland area is also a favorite of mine, because many of my fondest childhood memories come from summers spent at the Opryland Themepark and family games of frisbee golf at Two Rivers Park.

VANESA WENZ • Middle School Spanish Teacher

Music matters: My students create an original music video in which they teach their classmates a particular Spanish grammar structure (the past tense or ser/estar). They select two songs from a prepared list and write, sing, and act out new lyrics. My home: Buenos Aires, Argentina, the third biggest city in Latin America. Although I had a four-hour-long commute to go to college, I am happy that I had that experience since it taught me the value of hard work. Favorite place in Nashville: I love the Warner Parks! It gives me enormous pleasure to have a piece of wilderness and calmness in the middle of the city. I especially enjoy snake and bird watching!

STEPHANIE ZEIGER • Middle School Science Teacher

Brain behavior: One of my favorite projects is the eighth grade neuroscience project where students apply their understanding of chemistry to the brain. The project is based on my days as a neuroscientist when I would visit communities during Brain Awareness Week to explain the importance of brain research. Students choose their neuroscience topic, research the neurochemistry, and then design an activity to do with the public. I love how students use their creativity and become aware of how chemistry impacts their lives. My favorite quote from a student was: “I finally get how my brain works!” She went on to create an activity to inform the public about best educational practices for students with ADHD. An understanding of science is so powerful! My home: Concord, North Carolina, right outside of Charlotte. When I grew up it was a small town. We would spend all day out in the woods near my house building and creating different things. Many toys did not survive our designs. I think this is why I enjoy engineering! Favorite Place in Nashville: Cheekwood Estate and Gardens. My family spends a lot of time there in the spring and summer. Being surrounded by all the flowers and plants gives me a sense of peace. At school, we did a mini project with art around the science of glass making. Visiting the Chihuly art exhibit reminded me of all the beautiful pieces our girls made and inspired me to continue the project.

7 Leadership Skills

You Will Learn at Harpeth Hall Speak so others listen and listen thoughtfully

From a fifth grade classroom presentation about your summer reading to a senior speech given in front of the entire school community, you will be ready to face any size audience and let your voice be heard. Equally important, you will listen to learn. In conversation with both classmates and teachers, you will engage in a vibrant intellectual environment that values diversity of thought and difference of opinion.

Write with force and precision

From middle school research papers to upper school literary analysis and persuasive essays, you will have the ability to tackle any writing assignment.

Solve problems

Whether you are building submarine prototypes in your eighth grade science class, redesigning the soda can in freshman algebra class, or developing multimedia public service projects on infectious diseases in upper school biology, you will develop the skills needed to gather information, identify barriers, explore solutions, and make smart decisions.

Act when you see a need

Living honorably is more than a phrase in our mission statement, it is the cornerstone in how our students learn and grow at Harpeth Hall. Our community is stronger when we lift each other up. Through our Public Purpose program, Act Now student group, and curricular offerings such as Winterim academic travel, Harpeth Hall girls transfer their learning to action on campus, locally, nationally, and globally.

Identify when to lead and when to follow

You will have the confidence to lead in your own way, because you will learn that every individual in a community has the responsibility to shape the community for the better.

Embrace diversity and uphold inclusion

You will be part of a school community that fosters academic curiosity, empowers diverse voices, and encourages experiences that prepare girls to challenge themselves as students and as individuals in the broader world. Every girl is developed and celebrated here.

Be confident in who you are

At Harpeth Hall, you can bring your whole self to school every day. In every endeavor, you will be able to make the hard right choice over the easy wrong one. Confidence and capability will define your success.

SABIN NETTLES • Class of 2009 Boston College, B.S. in Psychology Washington University, Doctoral Candidate (Ph.D.) in Neuroscience

6 Alumnae Who Are

Changing the World

Sabin embraces initiatives that promote student development, diversity, and inclusion in STEM fields. She is co-director of a neuroscience outreach program at Washington University called Brain Discovery, which pairs elementary school students in the St. Louis area with university neuroscientists. This program teaches students about the brain and nervous system by having the students engage in hands-on experiments and activities while learning about the scientific process and what it means to be a scientist. Sabin’s mentors at Harpeth Hall and beyond validated her passion for science. Her goal is to do the same for the next generation STEM stars.

MARKELL LEWIS MILLER • Class of 1999 Director of Community Food Programs, Food Gatherers, Ann Arbor, Michigan Stanford University, B.S.E. in Product Design UC-Berkeley, M.P.H. in Public Health Nutrition At Food Gatherers, Markell leads the effort to make sure everyone in her Michigan community has the food they want in order to feel happy and healthy. In addition to food programs, she directs the food bank’s efforts to partner with health care organizations, advocate for policy changes in Michigan and Washington D.C., and analyze and disseminate data about hunger. Markell is also the proud and busy mother of three young children. At Harpeth Hall, Markell loved math, painting, Latin, and physics, and she has carried with her this breadth of interests.

KATE GOLDENRING • Class of 2015 Software Engineer with Microsoft in Seattle, Washington University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, B.A. Computer Science and Economics At Microsoft, Kate works in the Internet of Things (IoT), taking ownership of an open-source project that discovers devices and deploys applications to them. At Harpeth Hall, Kate learned to voice her questions and concerns freely — a skill she carried with her to Microsoft, where she is the only woman on her team. Work excites her, but calling on her life balance skills learned at Harpeth Hall she finds that having a hobby that pulls her away from the screen and into nature provides much needed balance. She has been backpacking in the woods of New Hampshire, Maine, Massachusetts, and most recently in the stunning Glacier Wilderness of Washington.

SOPHIA HOWARD • Class of 2017 Yale Law School Undergraduate Liman Fellowship Spelman College, B.A. Philosophy and Comparative Women’s Studies Sophia graduated Phi Beta Kappa as a double major in philosophy and comparative women’s studies concentrating in women’s resistance movements. She received the inaugural Outstanding Service and Leadership Award for her work with The Learning Club, an alternative sentencing program at the Fulton County Juvenile Court for boys ages 13-17. She also founded Unlocked Minds, a book club for women in Whitworth State Facility. Sophia earned the prestigious Yale Law School Undergraduate Liman Fellowship which supports her work as a policy intern for RestoreHER, an organization that advocates for incarcerated pregnant women. As the social media and marketing assistant for the WomenNow Continuum, Sophia will live in South Africa and work toward a more vigorous collective execution of the international discourse on the intersections of HIV, gender-based violence, and sexual and reproductive wellbeing. She plans to apply to law school.

CLAIRE SMITH • Class of 2017 Fellow, The Johns Hopkins University Poverty and Inequality Research Lab Washington and Lee University, Society and Global Politics As a student at Washington and Lee, Claire was the captain of the cross country and track and field teams, editor-in-chief of the university’s political review, and served with a Christian ministry group. Graduating with a sociology and global politics major and Middle Eastern and South Asian studies minor, her honors thesis in sociology examined the relationship between national identity types and immigration attitudes within the United States. Claire is a predoctoral research fellow in the Poverty and Inequality Research Lab at The Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore.

BROWNING CLARK • Class of 2019

University of Tennessee, Accounting, Haslam Scholar and Smith Global Leadership Scholar At the University of Tennessee, the Haslam Scholars and Smith Global Leadership Scholars programs provide the resources and connections Browning needs to pursue a career in business and use her voice to promote gender equity in the workforce and girls’ education globally. Surrounded by peers who push her intellectually, Browning has soared as a student, leader, and critical thinker. She is involved in the UT Student Alumni Association, and her love for the program came from her time as president of Ambassadors at Harpeth Hall and her internship with the Advancement Office at Harpeth Hall. Browning said she is empowered, confident, and engaged because of her Harpeth Hall teachers.

5 Phenomenal

Projects

Environmental Interactions

From the shining sea to the desert sand, vegetation and wildlife cover nearly every corner of our planet. In many places, those plants and animals share space with humans. In this fifth grade project, students connect science with geography to explore North American biomes and learn how people impact physical environments. Through research and collaboration, students learn about significant individuals in the field of environmental studies and present creative visual displays of their new knowledge.

Distinguished Women

Maya Angelou. Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Dolly Parton. In sixth grade, students read the biographies of important women in history and then select a woman to study more in depth with the intent of understanding who she was, what motivated her, and her impact on society. Students write monologues from the perspective of their Distinguished Women, create mixed-media portraits, and compose spoken word poetry. The project culminates with a presentation of their art and research, dressed as the woman they have come to know so well.

Bridges Falling Down

Seventh grade science students build a new bridge for a fictional city. They research the importance and function of bridges, collaborate with real engineers to design bridges using 3-D modeling software, and build Popsicle bridges capable of holding 70 pounds or more.

Illuminated Jellyfish

In ninth grade biology class, students participate in a genetic engineering unit that culminates in the heat shock of a luminous gene from a jellyfish into the genome of an E. coli culture. The result is glowing bacteria.

Grab a Seat

Students in an upper school engineering class conceptualize, design, and build chairs. Girls learn to measure, problem solve construction, and use power tools such as chop saws, drills, and impact drivers. Creative design ideas and quantitative skills combine, resulting in a new place to sit and ponder.

4 Choices You Will Make

In Your First Year Find your favorite place on campus

Join student clubs

Play a sport

Express yourself

At Harpeth Hall, the entire campus is yours! You will choose where to read a book, study for a test, visit with friends, and even eat lunch! You have the freedom and the responsibility to find your spot on our 44-acre campus. Want to play something you’ve never tried before? In our Middle School, every sport is open participation and every girl makes a team. In the Upper School, there are 13 different varsity and JV sports, and each season, there is at least one open participation sport. As part of the Honeybear Nation, you will develop strength and wellness and have fun.

Activities are just as important as academics at Harpeth Hall. Through community time, enrichment classes, and student clubs, you will find pieces of yourself that complement what you’re learning and make you whole. Expressing yourself at Harpeth Hall is natural and doesn’t just happen on the stage. Our girls are dancers, actresses, musicians, artists, poets, public speakers, and that’s just the beginning. In whatever way you choose to show who you are, you will be seen and heard here.

3 Ways You Can

Connect with the World

Winterim

A hallmark of the Upper School at Harpeth Hall, this three-week experiential program in January provides students with opportunities for intellectual exploration and real-world preparation that stretches their point of view.

Global Perspective

Through our Public Purpose program students participate locally, nationally, and globally in projects that build community and create connections. For example, you can knit scarves and mittens for area homeless, tutor elementary school-age children, and organize an annual sock hop to raise funds to end human trafficking. Global Scholars expands on that community focus through independent and group inquiry. The two-year program pushes students to think more broadly about geographic and cultural boundaries to foster open conversation about global challenges and explore solutions to those issues. The program culminates senior year with an independent research project.

SEEK Fellowship

Seventh and eighth graders have the opportunity to participate in an independent, year-long research program called SEEK (Scholars Engaged in Extending Knowledge). Students work alongside a faculty mentor and with guidance from a professional in their field of study to think creatively. Through SEEK girls have explored: • Allusions and references to mythology in Harry Potter • The effect of worm farms on organic soil • How music affects the brain • The history of Pop Art • The impact of therapy dogs in schools • Partnerships to support refugee children in Nashville • Feminism and the development of Disney characters • Social injustices during WWII

2 Traditions