Hallways: Global Citizens (Summer 2023)

HALLWAYS

Global Citizens

makingmeaningful differences

across the world

Julie and Frank Boehm

Frank and Julie Boehm are a truly dynamic couple. Active in the Nashville community as respected leaders and thoughtful philanthropists, they use their expertise, work ethic, and kindness as they give back to better Nashville. Their commitment to supporting education and diversity initiatives intersect with the mission of Harpeth Hall, where their daughter Catherine attended. In 2022, the Boehms created a scholarship endowment through a planned gift to honor their daughter and to inspire the Harpeth Hall school community’s continued equity, inclusion, and belonging efforts by providing financial aid for students with diverse backgrounds.

For Dr. Boehm, who served on the Harpeth Hall Board of Trustees from 1995-2001, the gift also felt personal. Dr. Boehm’s background as the child of parents who fled from Nazi Germany gives him a unique perspective on the importance of diversity work in education. An only child, Frank was born in 1940 a year after German troops invaded Western Europe. His family came to Nashville, and here, Frank received his undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in 1962 and earned his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1965. Dr. Boehm is a renowned maternal-fetal medicine specialist at Vanderbilt with over five decades of experience and is now professor emeritus in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Mrs. Boehm is known throughout the Nashville community for her outstanding community service and volunteer work, especially her work with the Nashville Symphony. Mrs. Boehm is generous and thoughtful with her time and resources and has made a huge difference in the Nashville community.

While on the board at Harpeth Hall, Dr. Boehm was a Diversity Equity and Inclusion pioneer. He initiated and chaired the school’s first diversity

committee, Harpeth Hall Today, to support inclusion in education. The Boehms, who have raised three children and have been happily married for more than 36 years, believe strongly in enriching education by supporting opportunities that affirm each person’s dignity, power, and potential. That belief has carried forward through their daughter, Catherine.

Thirty years ago, Catherine Boehm Kalman ’99, began her journey as a Harpeth Hall student. She always felt that Harpeth Hall was where she wanted to attend school, and her parents were thrilled for her to have the opportunity. Catherine graduated in 1999 with the added distinction of being the class parliamentarian and a member of the seven-year club for girls who attended Harpeth Hall from 6th grade through graduation. She then attended the University of Georgia where classmates — in awe of how she came to college so academically prepared — repeatedly asked for her advice on how to write a good paper. Mrs. Kalman graduated with an undergraduate degree in child and family development and went on to earn her RN from Loyola University Chicago. She is now a charge nurse on the labor and delivery floor at Northwestern Memorial Hospital. With an ever-present thankfulness for the education and foundation Mrs. Kalman received at Harpeth Hall, the Boehms want other girls to have the experience as well. The Boehms’ planned gift to the school will promote fairness, equality, and opportunity for the next generation of young women. Harpeth Hall is most fortunate to be the recipient of their philanthropy.

The Founders Society recognizes individuals who have included Harpeth Hall in their estate plans. If you are considering a planned gift to Harpeth Hall, please contact Associate Director of Advancement, Beth Sherrard Fernandes ‘97 at 615-301-9295 or beth.fernandes@harpethhall.org.

Scan here for a description of the Catherine Boehm Kalman Scholarship Fund and other endowed funds to support faculty, programs, and financial assistance for students.

Contents

FEATURES

2 Observations from Jess Hill

12 Lwala: ‘Empowered to Lead’

16 20 Years of Beauty in Patton Visual Arts Center

28 Winterim’s 50th Anniversary

ACADEMICS & ACCOLADES

4 Inside the Hall: Middle School

6 Inside the Hall: Upper School

8 Robotics International Honor

9 Strobel Award Winner

10 SEEK and Global Scholars Shape the World

22 Cum Laude Society

18 College-Bound Artists Design Their Futures

20 Scholastic Art and Writing Winners Creatively Inspired

23 Athletics Repeats with Five State Titles

ALUMNAE NEWS

62 Distinguished Alumna: Holly Sears Sullivan ’90

64 Spirit of Service: Florence Stumb Davis ’55

66 New Trustees

76 Class Notes

84 Births

86 Marriages

87 In Memoriam Trustees and Alumnae

HALLWAYS STAFF

Jessica Bliss, Editor

Lauren Finney, Designer

Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09, Editorial Staff

Rory Fraser, Staff Photographer

Contributing Writers: Miller Wild Callen ’94, MC Claverie ’20, Adelaide Grace Davis ’79, Beth Sherrard Fernandes ’97 and Jess Hill

Contributing Photographers: Jessica Bliss, Peyton Hoge, Wade Payne, Alan Poizner, and Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09

Hallways is published twice a year by: The Harpeth Hall School

3801 Hobbs Road, Nashville, TN 37215

ducation, at its core, provides students with the tools that equip them to lead a meaningful and productive life. Philosophers and leaders across time have expounded on that purpose as they have observed the world around them. Aristotle, for example, wrote that education’s “highest aim was to foster good judgment and wisdom.” Similarly, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. reminded us that “intelligence is not enough. Intelligence plus character — that is the goal of true education.” These scholars believed, as we at Harpeth Hall do, that building character and wisdom requires a widening of our singular experience and worldview through access to education. Only then can we begin to foster mutual respect and understanding.

That is why, as part of Harpeth Hall’s mission, our school offers expansive learning opportunities that ensure our girls have a sincere understanding of complexities faced throughout the world — locally, regionally, nationally, and internationally. Then, they are given the tools to collaborate and communicate with people who may have a fundamentally different experience with or understanding of those complexities. As our upper school world languages teacher and global scholars program director Elizabeth Allen says: “At the most personal level for each girl, teaching ‘global perspectives’ is helping students first to recognize and explore their own values, beliefs, knowledge, and experiences that they bring to any situation, and then to consider how someone else might address the same situation through a completely different lens.”

This issue of “Hallways” illustrates the myriad ways our students broaden their horizons and deepen their thoughts and appreciation of the people and global issues of our time. Each year, the girls embrace transformative projects that provide authentic, real-world research experiences. The questions posed by our SEEK students and Global Scholars exemplify their profound curiosity. Public Purpose initiatives, including partnerships with Lwala and the Nashville Diaper Connection, further expand perspectives as the girls actively take part in being a solution to local and global challenges. “It’s not enough for students to just know about the world; they also have to understand how to effectively and ethically act upon it,” notes Public Purpose coordinator Jessie Adams, Ph.D.

Harpeth Hall has valued global education and fostered global perspectives since its inception, and we wholeheartedly committed to its significance with the creation of Winterim 50 years ago. Winterim stands out as one of the distinguishing events in the lives of both students and alumnae. These three weeks build the capacity for insight, nurture the curious mind, and fulfill the yearning for discovery by our students. In addition, our international exchanges touch the lives of the girls who are participating and enrich our classrooms when the international students study here and participate in our co-curricular programs. Often, our alumnae carry forward lifelong friendships from these experiences.

This experiential learning harnesses Harpeth Hall’s ability to fulfill one of the essential components of our educational mission — to develop “responsible citizens who have global perspectives and make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world.”

Our alumnae have continued the tradition of making meaningful contributions to the world as they take what they learned at Harpeth Hall to make a notable difference internationally. They travel to war-torn countries to provide medical care. They support causes inspired by relationships they formed with international exchange host families. And, on nearly every continent (not Antarctica — yet), they are teachers, communicators, connectors, advocates, and financial experts. Sending our young women into the world has always left me hopeful for the future. Our collective hope rides on the brilliance and curiosity of our students. I firmly believe that our very own “responsible citizens” through their “meaningful contributions” will make the world a better place for all of us tomorrow.

Jess Hill Head of School

From Seed to Berry: science and service

in the 5th grade

8th grade celebrates

National Poetry Month

Thehalls of the middle school were filled with poems this April as the 8th grade celebrated National Poetry Month. Ahead of the month, students created Golden Shovel poems in their class poetry unit. The idea behind a Golden Shovel poem is to take a poem that’s already written, use a line from the poem (called a “striking line”), and then create a new poem using the words (the “striking line”) from the original. This year, students chose lines from one of two poems — “ ‘Hope’ is the thing with feathers” by Emily Dickinson or “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou — and reinterpreted them to create their own poems. On April 27, National Poem-in-Your-Pocket Day, girls carried their poems around and encouraged all middle school students and faculty to carry their favorite poems too. They hung QR codes on their lockers and walls to share poems with all who passed by. Their wonderful work culminated in a special coffeehouse performance event for the 8th grade. Students bravely shared original poetry and music in front of their peers to loud applause and cheers that could be heard throughout the middle school.

Ona beautiful October morning, the 5th grade stood before rows of tilled soil. By the end of the day, each row would be filled with tiny plants and a promise of new growth. For years, Harpeth Hall 5th grade students have partaken in this planting tradition. Each fall, they visit Green Door Gourmet, a 350-acre farm by the Cumberland River, to learn about farming in Middle Tennessee. They are taught the benefits of companion planting — the act of growing certain fruits and vegetables together to mutually benefit each other and promote healthy growth — and the functions of soil in an ecosystem. They then begin to plant. Working together, this year’s 5th grade class planted 4,700 strawberry plants on the farm and returned to campus to eagerly wait. In early May, students returned to Green Door Gourmet to, quite literally, see the fruits of their labor. Where once was dirt, rows and rows of fully grown strawberry plants now stood. The class picked and collected the berries — completing in just 40 minutes what would have taken one person 38 hours.

Girl Power: ancient history’s women leaders

Who runs the world? Girls.

At least, in the ancient world there were legendary female rulers who led their people with strength and courage. In 6th grade history, students researched a female leader from the ancient world to understand how women gained access to power. They learned about Amanirenas, the Nubian queen who stood up to Caesar’s armies; Egypt’s famed Cleopatra; Nefertiti, a beloved queen of Egypt; Sobekneferu, Egypt’s first female pharaoh to rule in her own right; and Queen Tiy, a queen of Egypt who was widely respected as a ruler. Students took what they learned and created monuments to honor their respective leaders in the form of an obelisk. These obelisks stood throughout the middle school, educating all who saw them of these fearless female leaders.

Connecting with the immigrant journey to Nashville

ashville is a hub of people from all over the world. During the spring semester in 10th grade English, Harpeth Hall students explored that fusion of ethnicities and experiences, collecting the oral histories of individuals who moved to Nashville from outside the United States as immigrants, migrants, or refugees.

“In English, one of our ongoing currents is ‘the danger of the single story,’ ” upper school English teacher Denise Croker said, “the notion that we cannot look at a single person or a single issue through one story.”

Through the oral history project, students heard stories from Nashvillians who chose to come to the United States for work or love, due to war or conflict, or for family. No two stories were the same.

For the final project presentation, students shared the oral histories of their interview subjects and wrote a creative narrative of the heard story — dipping their toes into the world of literary journalism and creative nonfiction in a meaningful way to better understand the broad perspectives and experiences that make up the Nashville community.

“We need a multitude of stories,” upper school English teacher Ellen Sevits said, “to get a bigger picture.”

Students show support for Ukrainian students through language connections

Whenjunior Emma Silva first heard during an upper school meeting about a new volunteer opportunity working with Ukrainian students, she knew she was being called to get involved.

Over the last year, Emma found herself deeply affected by the conflict in Ukraine, especially seeing how the lives of children and teenagers were being torn apart. She was looking for ways to help. ENGin — a non-profit organization that pairs Ukrainian students with Englishspeaking peers to help improve their English — was her answer.

“Having four immigrant grandparents, I know first-hand how difficult success can be because of a language barrier,” Emma said. “Therefore, I wanted to get involved with ENGin to hopefully give even one teenager the chance to achieve the success she deserves and is capable of.”

Emma was one of the dozen of Harpeth Hall students who were matched with a Ukrainian student through ENGin. For the last year, Emma has “Zoomed” once a week with her student to work on English. In addition, the pair utilized the internet to help Emma’s partner focus on pronunciation.

“She is incredibly proficient in the language but wants to sound more like a local and have accurate pronunciation. So, we usually will spend some time working on tongue twisters or current event articles,” Emma said. “I'll also occasionally help her with her Spanish, as I am Cuban-American, by sending her articles, videos, and even movie recommendations in Spanish.”

The program students’ determination to improve their communication and relationships — building skills despite difficult circumstances — also inspired the Harpeth Hall students. The opportunity to connect one-on-one with a student from across the world opened doors to new understanding of cultures and ideologies.

She and I love looking at different fashion, food, and everyday life in different places; this provides us the opportunity to share a little bit about the places we are familiar with,” Emma said. “Exchanging these languages, foods, and clothing ideas has allowed us to better understand each other and the people and places that have formed us. I think this connection brings about a sense of unity, which, I believe, is crucial for a genuine and connected society.

Will it float? Building boats in engineering class

Amid

cheers and splashes, the Intro to Engineering class hosted its highly anticipated annual regatta this spring. Under the guidance of Matthew Groves, upper school science teacher, Harpeth Hall students spent weeks designing and constructing full-size, one-person boats using only cardboard and duct tape. The challenge was to create a boat that could stay afloat while carrying its fearless captain across a swimming pool during a spirited race.

Girls lined the edges of a neighboring pool to cheer on their nautical creations. While some boats sank and others sailed, the success of each team came from the process of designing and building the boats. Students not only put their technical skills to the test, but also gained confidence in creativity, collaboration, and critical thinking — skills essential to future engineers.

BearBots senior earns international honor joining VEX Robotics student advisory board

Sarah Joffrion’s STEM career may be just beginning, but the Class of 2023 graduate has already been recognized on the international stage.

This year, Sarah and her Harpeth Hall BearBots teammates made their second-consecutive appearance at the VEX Robotics Worlds competition. In addition, Sarah was invited to join the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation Student Advisory Board (SAB), which provides input regarding the foundation’s STEM programs to help prepare the next generation of innovators, engineers, and leaders for success.

Only 12 students representing countries across the globe sit on the board. This year’s cohort included students from Canada, the Philippines, the United Kingdom, Australia, and the United States. Sarah was one of only four Americans to be selected from hundreds of applications worldwide.

Members of the SAB are liaisons between their robotics peers and the REC Foundation by serving as a focus group that shares ideas, suggestions, and concerns from a student’s perspective. This year, the board met monthly on Zoom for two hours with Dan Mantz, who is the CEO of the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, which oversees competitions.

In March at the VEX Robotics World Championship, the Harpeth Hall BearBots team claimed its first-ever match win on the international stage. Sarah also had the opportunity to meet her SAB peers in person.

“I will definitely remember the satisfaction and pride I felt with all of our successes because of how much time and effort it took to achieve every success,” Sarah said of the BearBots’ achievements. “Our robotics team performed not so well prior to my junior year, so I will never forget when after a lot of work and frustration we finally got our robot to work and subsequently won our first competition.”

For Sarah, robotics has opened up a world of possibilities for her future.

I already knew I wanted to pursue computer science in college because of AP Computer Science, but my success involving coding with robotics really cemented my plans,” she said. “. . . Anyone who is willing to put in the work and learn is capable of going as far in robotics as they put their mind to.

Jessica Bliss

Mary Meacham ’23 first reached out to Nashville Diaper Connection at the end of her sophomore year in high school in 2021. She wanted to find an organization to volunteer on a long-term basis and possibly use her Spanish language skills. What she experienced gave her so much more.

Volunteering with NashDiaper not only introduced me to the wider-reaching problems of Nashvillians but also brought me face-to-face with parts of the city that I had not known,” Mary said. “I felt as though I stumbled upon work that both lights me up and interests me to learn more.

That understanding spoke directly to Harpeth Hall’s mission to teach global perspectives, and it inspired Mary to deepen her connection to the organization. She quickly became one of NashDiaper’s most valuable volunteers, taking on a volunteer leadership role in wrapping diapers, delivering diapers, and leading volunteer groups. She served, the organization said, as “an important link in filling a need that often goes unmet in Nashville and Middle Tennessee.”

In May, Hands On Nashville recognized Mary’s Diaper Connection work with one of its most prestigious honors a Mary Catherine Strobel Volunteer Award for direct service in the youth category. The Strobel Awards honor volunteers of all ages and backgrounds for their inspirational service to their communities and celebrate Mary Catherine Strobel, a Nashvillian who displayed dedication to service throughout her life.

Collectively in 2022, Mary volunteered more than 190 hours of her time to NashDiaper, wrapping more than 243,800 diapers for more than 4,800 babies in need in Middle Tennessee. She also dedicated more than five hours of her time to helping NashDiaper with lesson plan ideas for the first-ever Winterim class on poverty and early childhood development. In that enrichment class, 27 students wrapped 5,150 clean, dry diapers serving 103 babies something that wouldn’t have been possible without Mary.

Mary, who will attend Vanderbilt in the fall, is also an active volunteer with Study Buddies for Equity and has worked with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, fundraising for cancer

research. For Jessie Adams, Ph.D., director of Harpeth Hall’s Public Purpose program, Mary exemplifies what it looks like when students take what they learn about understanding, navigating, and impacting the world and display it in their daily lives.

“I tell students often that when we know better, we do better,” Dr. Adams said. “... So it’s not enough for students to just know about the world; they also have to understand how to effectively and ethically act upon it. Part of our mission is to graduate students who ‘make meaningful contributions to their communities and to the world,’ and we need to make sure they have the skills to do that in a thoughtful, collaborative way. It’s where the meaningful part lives.”

Strobel Volunteer Award recognizes a student who positively impacts the world in her daily life

by

Mission-driven: Harpeth Hall empowers students to shape the world through global perspectives

Harpeth Hall develops responsible citizens who have global perspectives and make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world

by Jessica Bliss

Ineighth grade, Veronica Pierce ’23 came across a YouTube video titled “How do homeless women cope with their periods?” The videographers followed a homeless woman living in New York who used unsanitary items like newspapers and rags to control her periods. She said the hardest part about being homeless was being a woman.

“I was so disturbed by the fact that these women did not have the resources that I took for granted on a daily basis needed to control a completely normal process that all women experience,” Veronica said.

After researching the subject further, Veronica was astonished by the number of people around the world who experience this same struggle. The February 2022 Journal of Global Health reported that 500 million people lacked access to menstrual products and hygiene facilities. She then wondered how her peers experienced this issue. She began to take note of the stigma surrounding the topic of menstruation. Many of her friends would sneak period products into their sleeves to take into the bathroom so people wouldn't stare at them, and news of girls starting their periods would be shared in whispers instead of everyday conversations.

“If people at my school couldn't even talk about menstruation without viewing it as a shameful thing, how would we solve the problem of period poverty?” Veronica said. “This led me to want to create change for women in my community and around the world.”

Global Scholars, one of Harpeth Hall’s premier programs, provided a platform for Veronica to conduct deeper research on the issue and begin to implement solutions. The importance of global perspectives is deeply ingrained in Harpeth Hall’s mission and curriculum.

PREMIER — PROGRAMS

Through international exchanges, cultural partnerships, and the school’s premier Global Scholars and SEEK programs, students learn to think beyond themselves and the boundaries of their immediate surroundings and more fully see the world.

This emphasis allows students to gain a more nuanced understanding of cultural, social, and economic differences, preparing them to be adaptable and empathetic leaders.

“Our students must recognize and value the perspectives of others,” said Elizabeth Allen, a Harpeth Hall world languages teacher and director of the Global Scholars program.

“Global can mean ‘worldwide.’ It can also mean understanding the ‘whole of something.’ Our students need to consider both aspects of the word ‘global.’

“There are many ways this learning plays out in students’ lives, and they may not always be obvious. On a personal level, a student who displays curiosity and empathy about any person or situation that is outside of her experience is putting her understanding of global perspectives to work in daily life.”

For Veronica, combating the global problem of period poverty meant first addressing the issue closest to home. She paired with the organization Aunt Flo, a nonprofit that provides dispensers with sustainable tampons and pads to schools and businesses, to have products available in the Harpeth Hall bathrooms “to help restore dignity to my peers and also spread the message about the general inaccessibility of period products.”

She then expanded her work to focus on women who are homeless in the Nashville area. She created an organization called “Period Power” and engaged the Harpeth Hall community to create “period power packs.” Each pack included pads, tampons, hand sanitizer, tissues, and candy (for menstrual cravings). Veronica partnered with local nonprofits, including the Oasis Center, Room in the Inn, the Union Rescue Mission, and The Store, which agreed to distribute the packs to the individuals they serve. She even organized a period packing party with Montgomery Bell Academy, an all-boys school, to give them the opportunity to touch products, understand that menstruation is not “gross,” and work to combat period poverty, too.

Wanting to share her Global Scholars capstone findings and initiatives with the broader Middle Tennessee community, she spoke to a sold-out crowd at the “Dishin’ Up Dignity” luncheon organized by Nashville’s Community Resource Center on International Women’s Day. She also created a website — periodpowerpacks.com — to inform people about the project and collect donations to purchase more period supplies. She is now working to create a Period Power branch in Boston where she will attend college in the fall.

“Members of the community have been so supportive and donated thousands of dollars that have gone toward purchasing more period products for our packs,” Veronica said. “We have delivered more than 1,000 period power packs to girls and women in Nashville. I have seen how these packs not only relieve some financial burden for women of all backgrounds, races, and ages, but also restore their sense of dignity and humanity.”

ABOUT GLOBAL SCHOLARS

Global Scholars begins the spring of the sophomore year, when students accepted into the program explore major themes to build global competence by engaging in activities such as student-directed conversations, presentations by expert speakers, and written reflection. The program culminates senior year with an independent-research project about a topic of particular interest to the individual student scholar. In addition to research and analysis, the capstone project requires the student to create an authentic product related to her topic that may be presented to the school community. In 2023, more than 30 seniors completed their capstone projects and presented them in the Bullard Bright IDEA Lab. Each project sought to answer a question or solve a global problem.

2023 GLOBAL SCHOLARS PROJECTS

Compulsory Voting and the Future of Voter Reform in Modern Democracies — Ella Allen

The COVID-19 Vaccine Rollout in Kenya — Clara Ambrose

Turkish Street Dogs — Virginia Callen Healthcare Access in Rural America

— Ava Cassidy

Global Narratives: The Impact on Social Studies Education on Shaping National Identities

— Priyanka Chiguluri

Prenatal Care in Countries Around the World & Correlation to Mortality Rates

— Amelia Cummings

Efficient Aviation: Electric Aircraft and Sustainable Aviation Fuel

— Caroline Ford

The Emergence of the Unification Church as a Cult — Rachel King

Counterterrorism: An Educational Approach to Deradicalization

— Annie Linley

Lessons on the African Corner of the French World — Olivia Majors

Global Kaleidoscope: American Culture Through an International Lens — Sydney Mattoon

The Impact of Global Education Systems on Mental Health

— Maddie McCall

Early Education and Maternal Employment — Mary Meacham

Optimizing Productivity and Increasing Employee Satisfaction with the Four Day Work Week

— Maddie Meyer

What is a blockchain? What is money worth in the metaverse?

What is the actual value of an NFT?

These are the questions Isa Gelbard asked herself as she embarked on a project-based research project that would carry on throughout her 7th grade year at Harpeth Hall. Isa knew that real estate prices in Nashville skyrocketed over the last 10 years, and, at the same time, companies began selling virtual land in metaverses. She wanted to find out more.

“We know how to value properties in the real world,” Isa said, “but how do you put a price tag on land in a world that lives on a server?”

For the past 18 years, Harpeth Hall has encouraged 7th and 8th grade students like Isa to further explore their academic curiosities through the Scholars Engaged in Extending Knowledge (SEEK) program. This year, 24 middle school students participated in the premier program. They built codes and websites, filmed documentaries, recorded podcasts, wrote plays, told a story through a quilt, and so much more. The astonishing results of the SEEK students’ research show that nothing can limit the curiosity of a Harpeth Hall girl.

2023 SEEK PROJECTS

Cause and Effect: How Birth Order Affects Personality

— Adel Ambrose ’28

Less is More: Designing and Creating a Capsule Collection

— Eliya Brandes ’27

Enhancing Sports Performance: A Resource for Female Athletes

— Liz Burnstein ’27

Get Your Head in the Clouds! An Interactive Lesson for Upper Elementary Students

— Jane Cowan ’28

Fun with Physics: Designing a Roller Coaster — Emma Cropsey ’27

Exploring Music Production: Making a Demo

— Anne-Marie Dougall ’27

Promoting Inclusion Through Swimming: A Partnership Between the HH Bearacudas and the Nashville Dolphins

— Elizabeth Eyler ’27

Why Kids Should Travel: An Interactive Planning Activity and Trip Guide

— Annabel Farringer ’27

Stories are Us: Documenting Michelle Obama’s Influence Beyond the White House

— Lillian Floyd-Thomas ’27

Sustainable Architecture:

Modernizing a 20th-Century Home

— Carlisle Gambill ’27

Explaining the Metaverse: A Website to Explore Digital Real Estate — Isa Gelbard ’28

Mental Health in Middle School: A Life Balance Lesson Plan

— Zoe Green ’27

Writing a YA Story about Japanese Internment Camps

— Lizzie Griffin ’28

Invisible Connections: Analyzing Africa’s Geographical, Cultural and Biological Components to Understand a Successful Response to the Coronavirus Pandemic

— Grace Moore

Self-Contained Eco-Cities as a New Colonialism — Amelia Olafsson

The Effects of Period Poverty and Menstrual Stigma on Girls Around the World

— Veronica Pierce

The Repatriation of Art in the British Museum — Abigail Rankin Education in South Korea and Finland: A Comparison of Approaches to Learning

— Mary Roper

The Globalization of Multiple Sclerosis — Caroline Seehorn Parallels Between Russian Disinformation Campaigns and the Flaws in the U.S. Media System

— Ava Sjursen

The Mental Health Effects of Pets on People: Writing an Informative Graphic Novel

— Greta Haroldson ’27

Creating an Enrichment for Red Pandas at the Nashville Zoo

— Penny Hemingway ’28

Storytelling Through Quilting

— Caroline Kath ’27

Cultivating Calm Through Art: A Web Resource on Art Therapy and its Impact on Mental Health

— Cate Monahan ’27

One Cleat, Three Sports

— Georgia Orndorff ’27

A Podcast on Music and the Brain

— Anushri Ray ’27

When Ballet Meets Hip Hop: Choreographing a Dance

— Kennedy Sanders ’28

First Haircut: Writing an Original Stage Play — Rebecca Settle ’27

Artificial Intelligence: Programming

Tic-Tac-Toe Using Python

— Piper Thompson ’27

Second Chance Companions: Producing a Video for the Nashville Humane Association

— Jia Tipnis ’27

From the Page to the Stage: Bringing Characters to Life through Writing, Acting, and Costuming

— Louisa Wang ’27

InLwala, Kenya,

the dreams of one rural community created a movement that would benefit not only their village, but the country as a whole.

The movement began two decades ago when Milton and Fred Ochieng earned scholarships to attend Dartmouth University in the early 2000s. The brothers’ parents, both teachers, sacrificed much to send the boys to good schools, but the family could not afford the international flight for the two young men to attend university in the United States. Their village of Lwala in Migori, Kenya, rallied behind them. Members of the community sold their chickens, cows, goats, sheep, and land to raise $900 for flights. Their one request? “Do not forget about us.”

The brothers did not.

Inspired by the dreams of their late father, the two doctors returned to their home in Kenya after completing their studies at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and opened the health clinic that in 2007 became the Lwala Community Alliance. The clinic, along with a Lwala program created to support girls education, addressed the challenges faced by women and girls in the rural African community. A few years later, the organization established a partnership with Harpeth Hall — one that connects girls across continents through a shared purpose and continues to thrive today.

Harpeth Hall honored that partnership in an all-school assembly this past school year, welcoming Lwala Community Alliance’s Doreen Achieng Baraza Awino (director of health systems strengthening) and Joe Mulinge (quality improvement office) to the school to speak. The visit marked the first time Lwala’s

representatives had been able to travel to the United States since the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The assembly not only educated students about the work being done in Lwala, but it also celebrated a unique connection. In the same year that Harpeth Hall first partnered with the Lwala Community Alliance in 2011, the United Nations also established International Day of the Girl — a day to address the challenges girls face and to promote girls’ empowerment and the fulfillment of their human rights.

“Women and girls represent half of the world population and, therefore, also half of its potential,” the United Nations notes. Through international activations on Oct. 11 every year, the U.N. works to establish global gender equality, which has proven to help achieve peaceful societies with sustainable growth and development.

International Day of the Girl is important at Harpeth Hall and for Lwala, both of which are passionate about ensuring that girls have equal access to quality education no matter where they live. Through its 11-year partnership with Lwala Community Alliance, Harpeth Hall has helped change the outcomes for women and children for the better.

’When

women and girls lead, communities thrive’

From the moment it was first established, Lwala addressed great needs in the village.

At the time, when a woman was in labor, the village would use donkeys and wheelbarrows to transport her to the nearest hospital. With the village located on a remote northwestern inlet of Lake Victoria and far from health care facilities, too often, women would not make it to the care they needed in time. That led to a high maternal death rate. At the same time, Lwala recognized that the adolescent girls of the village often dropped out of school due to pregnancy.

‘Empowered to lead’

Through Lwala Community Alliance partnership, Harpeth Hall has helped change the outcomes for women and children in Kenya for the better

by Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09 and Jessica Bliss

across the globe

Lwala not only established a health clinic, it also started an educational mentorship program called “Broadened Horizons.”

In Kenya, educating girls means advancing the life of the whole community. The positive effects include higher wages, better farm productivity and family nutrition, marrying later in life, smaller family size, lower infant and maternal mortality rates, higher rates of school enrollment for future children, and a reduction of HIV rates. Still, many girls never finish primary school.

The Lwala Community Alliance works to improve access to education for the children in the community. It provides uniforms and sanitary towels to girls in upper primary school. It also runs girls mentoring programs to help girls stay in school or re-enter school.

More than a decade ago, former Harpeth Hall Head of School Ann Teaff saw the alignment of Lwala’s goals with Harpeth Hall’s mission of educating girls to become responsible citizens who have global perspectives and make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world.

In 2011, Harpeth Hall and the Lwala Community Alliance began a formal partnership centered on Lwala’s girls education programs. After a group of Harpeth Hall seniors and Mrs. Teaff traveled to Lwala for their Winterim program in 2013, Harpeth Hall made a formal commitment to fund the Girls’ Uniform Initiative, which over three years would provide uniforms to 1,100 girls in the community as incentives to stay in school. In the years since, Harpeth Hall’s partnership with Lwala has evolved to support Lwala’s mission: “Every mother deserves a safe delivery. Every child deserves a 5th birthday.”

Through Public Purpose and STEM initiatives, Harpeth Hall students have raised funds for Lwala annually through community events, knitted hats for newborns, worked with Lwala’s hospital to have Nashville-area students design better labor and delivery beds during Harpeth Hall’s STEM Summer Institute, and traveled twice to Lwala both during the initial Winterim visit in 2013 and again in 2020.

The partnership continues to thrive today through this generation of students. During the September all-school assembly, Ms. Awino and Mr. Mulinge introduced students to Lwala’s model of

community-led healthcare, which prioritizes care for women by the community. This is accomplished through three groups of community members: community health workers, youth peer providers, and community committees.

The community health workers are volunteers who work with the women in their village to provide nine months of free evening meals, care, and education for women throughout their pregnancy. Youth peer providers are young boys and girls who are educated to volunteer to act as support for their peers. Lwala found that younger women were more likely to open up to their peers rather than to adults, and this model has helped many seek medical advice. Community committees work as intermediaries between the community and the healthcare workers and hospital. Their crucial role helps to build trust with the medical communities while dispelling myths and misconceptions of healthcare within the community.

Through this community-led initiative, Lwala “improves the health of women and girls across the life course, and we strengthen their representation in decision-making so that they receive the health care they want.”

Since 2019, Lwala has increased obstetric ultrasounds by 121%, provided mentorship, family counseling, and financial support to 240 adolescent girls who had dropped out of school due to pregnancy, allowing them to return to the classroom, and is working with the Kenyan government to recognize community health workers not as volunteers but as professional healthcare workers, allowing for a salary and greater benefits. The organization’s work has inspired villages across the country to build community-based healthcare practices of their own.

The challenges girls and women face across the globe are unique, but by coming together, everyone has the capability to advocate for women’s equality. Whether it is by knitting newborn hats to encourage prenatal education or by actively working to enact change like the leaders of Lwala, there are so many ways to help.

Women are the ones caring for the community. When empowered to lead, we can make a big change.

— Millicent Miruka, Lwala community health worker

Thecore purpose of Harpeth Hall’s faculty states that a teacher’s role is to “nurture a sense of wonder, to instill a will and facility for learning, and to promote cultural understanding, environmental stewardship, and service to others.”

At Harpeth Hall, the halls are full of wonder. The love and respect the students have for their faculty and staff radiates through campus, and the lessons they learn live in them well beyond their days as students.

As one senior reflected, “Harpeth Hall teachers . . . come to school every day to support us in our learning and help us become independent, curious, and aware citizens. The teachers care so much at Harpeth Hall, and they make Harpeth Hall such a special place.”

During Faculty Appreciation Assembly the students’ favorite assembly of the year, faculty members were honored with words that captured and reflected each educator's impact on Harpeth Hall.

“I’ve always thought that calling teachers heroes oversimplifies things. It’s a mundane, overused comparison that erases achievements rather than honors them,” said Olivia Majors ’23, whom her class chose to represent the students during the assembly. “But the truth is, our teachers are ordinary people who go to extraordinary lengths to create the place we know and love.”

Harpeth Hall is fortunate to have a dedicated community of educators who work tirelessly to make sure students are set up for

10 YEARS

Jan Augusty, business office assistant

Buffy Baker, upper school wellness teacher and coach

Rachel Jones, physical education and wellness teacher

Diana LeMense, physical education and wellness teacher

Harpeth Hall lengths to create

success as they become leaders in and out of the classroom. During the assembly, Head of School Jess Hill recognized two faculty members with the school’s highest awards for teaching.

Upper school social studies teacher Nick Oschman received the Heath Jones Prize for the Promise of Excellence in Teaching, and upper school English teacher Kristen Meltesen was honored with the Lulu Hampton Owen Chair for Excellence in Teaching.

“Whenever we ask a student what makes Harpeth Hall special, she says it is the teachers,” Ms. Hill said. “And girls, do you know what is funny? Whenever we ask the faculty what makes Harpeth Hall special, they say, without hesitation — the students. Those two sentiments make this place a great place to be.”

Director of the Upper School Frances Fondren-Bales and Director of the Middle School Judi O'Brien joined in honoring faculty and staff members who have been at Harpeth Hall for 10, 15, 20, and 25 years. Ms. Hill also recognized business office administrator Janet Baxter and upper school dean Pamela Carver, who are retiring. The theatre erupted into applause, cheers, and standing ovations with each name called.

“Teachers, your knowledge, excellence, and achievement in your respective fields will never fail to fill me with awe and humility. But what I appreciate most is not your simple transferal of information, but your encouragement in the pursuit of knowledge,” Olivia said.

“I’m standing before you all, speaking on behalf of 730 people with different personalities, strengths, and weaknesses. And you have

Harpeth Hall congratulates

our faculty and staff on these career milestones

15 YEARS

Amy Evans, senior associate director of college counseling

Jenny Jervis, upper school French teacher

Jingli Jurca, upper school Chinese teacher

Cathy Richarde, middle school social studies teacher

Jacquie Watlington, Winterim and international exchange program director

Robert Womack, upper school art history teacher

teachers ‘go to extraordinary the place we know and love’

by Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09

managed to meet each one of us exactly where we are. Your participation in our development reaches far beyond any one classroom. It stretches out to the far corners of our campus as you sit in the bleachers cheering us on or in the audience of this auditorium. And it reaches beyond campus in ways I know we all will continue to discover as we move on from our place beloved and into the ‘real world,’ which doesn’t look so scary with you all as our examples. Thank you.”

Heath Jones Prize for the Promise of Excellence in Teaching

Nick Oschman received the Heath Jones Prize for the Promise of Excellence in Teaching. This prize is dedicated to A. Heath Jones, a teacher and academic dean at Harpeth Hall from 1984 to 1996. Harpeth Hall awards this prize annually to a full-time teacher with five years or less of classroom experience and who has taught at Harpeth Hall for two years or more.

“This year’s Heath Jones Award recipient probably never thought he would be teaching high school girls, but he definitely has what it takes to be highly successful in an all-girls setting,” Ms. Hill said.

“He is an expert in his subject area — check. He respects the potential of each student — check. He makes a commitment to connect with each student in his class, and he has a gift for discerning an individual student's needs in the classroom.” Mr. Oschman sets out to inspire his students rather than intimidate them, all while holding academic expectations high. He makes history come to life in his classroom

20 YEARS

Scottie Coombs, director of alumnae relations

Joan Curry, visual arts teacher

Lisa Keen, upper school science teacher

25 YEARS

Denise Croker, upper school English teacher

I’ve always thought that calling teachers heroes oversimplifies things. But the truth is, our teachers are ordinary people who go to extraordinary lengths to create the place we know and love.

while stretching his students’ intellectual framework. “It is no surprise that he is beloved by his students,” said Ms. Hill. “His respect for each student can be summed up by this sentence: Never underestimate a student’s ability to grow.”

Lulu Hampton Owen Chair for Excellence in Teaching

Kristen Meltesen received the Lulu Hampton Owen Chair for Excellence in Teaching. This recognition is awarded annually to an outstanding member of the Harpeth Hall faculty who demonstrates excellence in scholarship, an unusual ability to communicate with students, excitement about teaching and learning, a commitment to students' moral and intellectual development, and dedication to the life of the school. The appointment is for one year and carries honor, remuneration, and a Harpeth Hall chair, symbolizing this award.

Ms. Meltesen “is masterful at setting and maintaining high expectations for her students and helping them meet the challenge,” Ms. Hill said. “Inevitably, students leave her class feeling proud of what they have achieved in their writing and study of literature.” Ms. Meltesen serves her students’ needs while encouraging success and growth in her classroom. She is a true team player and has remained devoted to Harpeth Hall and her students since she began teaching here in 1999. To Ms. Meltesen, Ms. Hill said, “Thank you for looking out for your students, your colleagues, and the mission and culture of the school.”

and beauty Of art

Patton Visual Arts Center celebrates 2O years of inspiring creativity by Jessica Bliss

From drawing to painting to AP Art, Luca took nine semesters of art classes in Patton during her high school career, and each of the state-of-the-art facility’s spacious, light-filled studios, galleries, and classrooms allowed her and her classmates to explore different materials and prompts and provided the resources needed to hone their artistic skills.

For Luca, working in Patton opened a world of professional possibilities. This fall, Luca will continue her artistic pursuits at Parsons School of Design in New York City.

Theupper floor of the Patton Visual Arts Center was a hive of activity.

Sketches, fabric swatches, and inspiration boards adorned the walls. Lace draped between tables. Scraps of cloth — remnants of previous designs or swatches of fabric being considered for new ones — covered the floor and provided a burst of color and texture to the space. The whir of busy sewing machines added to the energetic atmosphere.

For three weeks during Winterim 2022, Luca Cyr ’23 was one of two students who worked in the Connery Ellis Grissim Hall of Patton, turning the creative space into a fashion design studio. The collection of clothing Luca made helped her get into many high-caliber fashion programs for college.

And that was just one slice of her artistic experiences at Harpeth Hall.

“I have always loved creating art. Even if it’s just doodling on the back of a paper in class, art is calming and grounding to me and pushes me to think about things in a unique perspective,” Luca said. “I’m really glad I’ve been able to try out so many styles of art at Harpeth Hall, because it really made me certain about my career path.”

Over the past two decades, the Patton Visual Arts Center has been the backdrop for countless masterpieces created by Harpeth Hall students. From paintings and drawings to sculptures and multimedia installations, the center has showcased the impressive talents of the school’s budding artists and helped hone the skills of young women who pursued careers in the arts.

This past spring, as the Patton Visual Arts Center at Harpeth Hall celebrated its 20th anniversary, the school commemorated the milestone by reflecting on its rich history and the many accomplishments of its talented students and faculty.

Luca Cyr ’23 works on a piece in the Patton Visual Arts Center. (left) Luca's self-portrait. (right)

An inspirational vision

The Patton Visual Arts Center, given to Harpeth Hall by Richard and Robin Ingram Patton ’84 in memory of Robin’s grandmother and founding trustee Hortense Bigelow Ingram, opened its doors in 2003 and has since become a cornerstone of the school’s fine arts program.

“The Patton Visual Arts Center is a testament to Harpeth Hall’s commitment to nurturing creativity and providing students with the resources they need to excel,” Harpeth Hall Head of School Jess Hill said. “We are so proud of our talented artists and the countless contributions they have made to the world of fine arts.”

Many alumnae now look back in appreciation of how their experiences in the Patton Visual Arts Center launched their future pursuits in art. Among them are:

• Mary Stengel Bentley ’03, a professional studio artist whose mural work is showcased in the Bullard Bright IDEA Lab

• Kelly Diehl ’05, an artistic entrepreneur who co-founded the design company New Hat Projects

• Whitney Hayden Sanders ’06, a graphic designer and the creative director at Robin Easter Design in Knoxville

• Kate Jacques Fabling ’07, a calligrapher

• Ryllis Lyle ’09, who works as a content designer for PayPal/ Honey in Los Angeles

• Tess Erlenborn Davies ’10, a muralist

For each student past and present, Harpeth Hall’s faculty is unmatched in igniting the vision and artistic expression of the student artists throughout the decades.

Patton is home to a great team of teachers. We’re all visual artists ourselves, and we just love supporting the Harpeth Hall students and the incredible talent that’s been coming through Patton for the past 20 years. We are so excited for that talent to continue to grow.

— Susie Elder, arts department chair

Architectural beauty begets creativity

The exceptional work continues to flourish as students create art that is both beautiful and meaningful — just like the building itself.

“When you are blessed to work in a beautiful building like the Patton Visual Arts Center, magical moments become the norm,” Harpeth Hall media arts teacher Joe Croker said. “Honestly, they come at us so often that we run the risk of taking excellence for granted.”

Each day, Mr. Croker said, the winding staircase designed by Mrs. Patton and architect Baird Dixon “becomes a river of happy hellos” as faculty and students pass each other on the way to class. Equally important, the space offers incomparable natural reverb.

“I can’t tell you how many spontaneous musical performances — on piano, guitar, violin, ukulele — have sprung up there,” Mr. Croker said. “Singers love the space.”

And, he added, “In every gallery and every hallway, visitors and passers-through are surrounded by beautiful student artwork — what could be purer than that?”

Photography teacher Carolyn Fraser is drawn to two spaces in Patton. One is obvious: The professional darkroom — a rarity in high schools and a studio that, in terms of space and equipment, competes with the majority of college darkrooms in the area.

Her other favorite place is a little more obscure — the lighting studio — but not for the reason one may think.

“When all the lights are turned off and the shades are drawn, you will notice there is a little hole cut into one of the shades that lets light in,” she said. “If you sit down on the couch and let your eyes adjust, the outside world appears upside down on the walls in front of you. You'll see cars in the parking lot, the soccer field lights, and, if you are lucky, (maintenance crew) Mike, Shane, Jake, Patrick, or Andrew will wiz by on a golf cart.”

“The lighting studio doubles as a camera obscura. My favorite day of Photo I is when I take students in there and they ‘Oooooo’ and ‘Ahhhhh’ over the simplicity and magic of optics.”

In so many ways, the Patton Visual Arts Center is absolutely magical. “The center, which is a piece of art itself, has inspired thousands of girls to explore their creative talents,” Ms. Hill said. “It has provided a truly transformative arts experience for our students and our faculty.”

Award-winning masterpieces

The student masterpieces are many and the mediums varied.

“Hallmarks,” the upper school literary magazine, which is designed in the media arts room in Patton, has been named “Best Literary Magazine” in the state by the Tennessee Press Association for 16 years since 2005.

Harpeth Hall students have also garnered remarkable recognition in the prestigious Scholastic Art awards over the past 20 years. This year, 40 Harpeth Hall students were recognized — a record number for the school and more than any other school in the Middle Tennessee region.

Two of those art students also earned honors on the national level. Adelaide Cook ’23, earned a national gold medal — the highest honor in the competition — for her piece “Morning Laundry.” Scholastic also awarded Suki Junge, a rising 10th grade student, with a national silver medal for her piece “1/8 hours.”

As Harpeth Hall celebrates the Patton Visual Arts Center's 20th anniversary, the school looks forward to continuing its tradition of excellence in the arts and nurturing the next generation of creative minds.

Designing the future

by Elizabeth Floyd Read

Sydney Mattoon ’23 felt divided as she made her way through Harpeth Hall’s middle and upper school. She excelled in her math and science classes but also loved her time on stage in Harpeth Hall’s dance company and exploring her creative side in arts classes.

“I often felt myself caught between the labels of a ‘STEM girl’ and a ‘humanities/arts girl,’ ” Sydney said. She was searching for a way to express her creativity while capitalizing on her strengths in her STEM subjects. Enter industrial design.

“Until my junior year, I never even knew industrial design was a subject I could major in, or how perfectly it combines my interests in both the arts and STEM,” Sydney said. “However, the day my mom showed me an article on industrial design was the day I fell in love with it.”

Throughout her junior and senior years, Sydney used two Winterim internships at the TOA Research Foundation and SeeMore Putter Company to learn more about the field and to build a portfolio that she would use to gain admittance into North Carolina State University’s top-rated industrial design program as one of just 20 incoming students.

In May, the Harpeth Hall community gathered at the first Fine Arts College Day to recognize nine seniors who plan to follow their arts passions after graduation. The ceremony honored senior performing and visual artists who are going on to pursue the arts at the collegiate level and have been admitted to their program of study by way of portfolio submission or audition process. For some students, like Sydney, the path to finding their creative fit was a journey; for Luca Cyr ’23, pursuing her art was a goal since childhood.

“I have known that I wanted to pursue fashion design since I was 5,” Luca said. As a child, she watched her mom mend a hole in one of their outdoor umbrellas and asked her to teach her how to sew, starting a lifelong love of design. This fall, Luca will head to New York City to make her dream a reality as she begins at Parsons School of Design.

“It is one of the top schools for fashion design in the world, plus it's where ‘Project Runway’ was filmed, so it was a huge goal of mine,” Luca said.

Harpeth Hall’s first College Fine Arts Day celebrated nine seniors who plan to pursue their passion in the arts

’09

Many of the celebrated students credited Winterim for helping them develop their craft, make valuable connections, and prepare them for college. Luca completed a fashion design independent study, Kate Maree Brewer ’23 interned with the Nashville Children's Theatre, Levi Dillon ’23 interned with Hatch Show Print and completed an arts independent study with Ava Willoughby ’23, and Ruby Wolter ’23 spent Winterim in New York City working with the Musical Theatre College Audition to prepare for her BFA auditions. Through the

opportunities provided by Harpeth Hall, each of these students gained real-world experience that will help them succeed in the future.

“Being fully immersed in the life of an actress in New York City was an eye-opening experience as I realized how difficult but worthwhile the career I want to pursue can be,” said Ruby, who will be joining the University of Utah’s musical theatre program in the fall. “I now know that there is no other way that I want to spend my life.”

From art to architecture, Harpeth Hall celebrates the talent, hard work, and dedication of the nine members of the Class of 2023 who will pursue the fine arts in college and beyond.

BFA in Acting/Musical Theatre

Otterbein University

Adelaide Cook Architecture

Northeastern University

Allie Cunningham

Studio Arts

Northeastern University

rts

Luca Cyr

Fashion Design

The New School – Parsons

School of Design

Levi Dillon

Fine Arts

Middle Tennessee State University

Sydney Mattoon

Industrial Design

North Carolina State University

Lailah Rucker

Graphic Design

University of Tennessee – Knoxville

Ava Willoughby Music

Berklee College of Music

Ruby Wolter

BFA in Musical Theatre

University of Utah

Kate Maree Brewer

Perhaps I should have been born in a different era — one of sooty ink, feather quills, and waxy seals. Sitting at my oversized, second-hand desk, I hear the paper rustle as I coax a notecard out of its envelope. I love the aesthetic of letter writing, the intentional pace, the link to the past, and the relationships it engenders.

— A Lost Art, Clara Ambrose, 12th Grade, Personal Essay & Memoir, Gold Key

In the darkest of night, in the brightest of day, chattering, talking, swooshing, of things that like to play. High up in the clouds, way below the sea, I hear things that come together, as busy as can be.

— Noises, Claire Meredith, 11th Grade, Poetry, Honorable Mention

I realized that this will to love art more than hate mistakes has always allowed me to try again and, consequently, get better.

— At Least I Have a Torso, Aza Scheele, 8th Grade, Personal Essay & Memoir, Silver Key

Creatively inspired

Virginia Callen was eating lunch at True Food Kitchen one day last spring when a scene caught her eye. Three dogs huddled together on the patio nearby.

“Fortunately, I brought my camera with me, and I was able to snap a few photos,” the Class of 2023 graduate recalled. The resulting image was a piece she called “Cerberus,” a nod to the three-headed hound in Greek mythology.

At Harpeth Hall, girls create. In the light-filled studios of the Patton Arts Center, they conceive new worlds with

paint. In the learninginspired classrooms of the upper and middle schools, they forge new ideas with words. Here, girls explore the endless possibilities that can come from their critical thinking and artistic vision. Virginia’s photograph exemplifies that creativity and was among the myriad pieces of art, poetry, and prose recognized in this year’s Scholastic Art and Writing Awards.

Founded in 1923, the awards celebrate outstanding creative work throughout the United States by students

in 7th through 12th grades. In writing, notable past winners include Joyce Carol Oates, Amanda Gorman, and Stephen King.

This year, 34 Harpeth Hall students won 38 writing awards in categories such as critical essays, flash fiction, memoir, and personal essays. In addition, 70 pieces of artwork by Harpeth Hall students were given honors in painting, photography, poetry, and ceramics and glass. In total, 40 Harpeth Hall students were recognized — a record number for the school and

the most of any school in the area.

“Our encouragement is less about seeing the girls win awards and is more rooted in pushing them to take risks,” said MarQuis Chappell, upper school creative writing teacher. “[To] try things even when they cannot predict the outcome [and to] trust themselves.”

This year’s results are a triumph for the student winners and their dedicated teachers — a celebration of all they create.

LeeLee Campbell ’23, Suffocation, 2023 AP Art Show

2O23 AP ARTISTS

Pauline Bailey

Leelee Campbell

Sarah Jean Caver

Adelaide Cook

Mia Corts

Allie Cunningham

Luca Cyr

Levi Dillon

Anna Echols

Nora Fenelon

Ella Fridrich

Haven Healy

Riley Kate Higgins

Kim Anh Kirschbaum

Mary Meacham

Amelia Olafsson

Louise Ory

Corinne Pope

Noelle Regens

Jadyn Turbeville

Sophia Williams

Conner Folk ’25, Western Beauty, Scholastic Art Award Honorable Mention

Suki Junge ’26, 1/8 Hours, Scholastic Art Award Gold Key

Pauline Bailey ’23, White Roots and Cherry Blossoms, 2023 AP Art Show

Ellery Cook ’25, Staring Contest, Scholastic Art Award Honorable Mention

Allie Cunningham ’23, Hooked, Scholastic Art Award Gold Key

2023 INDUCTEES

Juniors

Gracen Elizabeth Bailey

Lillian St. Clair Bartholomew

Sarah Carter Braam

Madison D Chung

Courtney Camille Couden

Olivia Judson Finlayson

Macon Elizabeth Fowler

Sarah Douglas Hinds

Isabel Reagan Johnson

Zina Flavia Vidalakis

Seniors

Julia Reem Allos

Natalie Kathleen Apodaca

Isabella Kathryn Baldwin

Jaclyn Conway Bettis

Virginia Anne Callen

Ava Michelle Cassidy

Mia Bahr Corts

Nandini Govindaswamy

Hallie Emilia Graham

Olivia Winton Majors

Karina Pal Shah

MEMBERS IN COURSE

Students

Clara Hodgens Ambrose

Katherine Maree Brewer

Priyanka Sara Chiguluri

Isabella Marisol Guillamondegui

Ann Atkins Linley

Mary Austin Meacham

Chekayli Watney Meyer

Madeline Leigh Meyer

Lena Qian

Mary Evelyn Roper

Caroline Elizabeth Seehorn

Faculty

Pamela Hankin Carver

MarQuis Lebron Chappell

Arthur Reeves Echerd, Jr.

Ben Curtiss Fulwider

Jennifer Jean Jervis

Michele Lynn O’Brien

Jacqueline O’Keefe Powers

Rebecca Hopkin Smith

Legare Davis Vest

Robert English Womack

AsHarpeth Hall Cum Laude students learn to embrace the complexity of the world around them

by Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09

a younger student, Mary Roper ’23 always searched for the correct answer. She wanted things to be fair, clear-cut, and defined. She often found herself stressed if put into a position where she did not know the correct answer or the right thing to say or do.

“In the past, as I watched this assembly, I would have thought we were celebrating the discovery of more right answers. The pursuit of a black-and-white world in which there was only one right answer. The advancement of a place where we know everything and understand everything,” Mary said in her opening remarks at Harpeth Hall’s annual Cum Laude assembly in April.

During her junior year, however, Mary discovered she had been limiting herself by trying to classify the world into right and wrong answers. Through her classwork, she allowed herself to be comfortable with the unknown and to embrace the complexity of the world around her. She opened the door to empathize better when people disagree with her, dive deeper into questions, and affirm her beliefs and opinions more significantly. This changed her perspective on what it means to be a member of the Cum Laude Society.

“I now think we have this assembly to celebrate the beauty of the lack of right answers. I think we’re celebrating the joy that comes with knowing there is so much left to discover, so much more to understand,” Mary, who served as the president of Harpeth Hall's Cum Laude Society, said to the students and family members gathered in the Frances Bond Davis Theatre. “We’re celebrating the wonder of the never-ending pursuit of knowledge. We’re celebrating a world that stretches far and wide, that contains people and places full of nuance and complexity, not right answers.”

This is what makes a Harpeth Hall education so unique.

“Harpeth Hall,” Mary said, “teaches you why to think and how to think rather than what to think. In other words, Harpeth Hall presents us with incredible opportunities to expand our minds and challenge our thinking.”

At the April 10 assembly, Harpeth Hall’s chapter of the Cum Laude Society inducted 21 students. Since its inception in 1906, the primary purpose of the Cum Laude Society has been to recognize the scholastic achievement of students in secondary schools. The students honored showed excellence in their academic success and displayed strength of character.

“I love and care for all of you, and I am not alone,” said Meggie Lucas, the winner of the 2022 Lulu Hampton Owen Chair for Excellence in Teaching, who delivered the traditional Cum Laude address. “Standing around you today are over 100 adults who have committed their lives for you. You see, as educators, you, our students, are our accomplishments. …We put our energy and passion into you, you give us purpose.”

Ms. Lucas’ path to finding her purpose was not always smooth. She struggled in school to discover what her strengths were and where her passions lay. Throughout her school years, she had to work to improve her weaknesses as she continued to build her strengths. Discovering her love of teaching has led to a life of joy and fulfillment. She encouraged students to impact the world positively and find joy in their work, just as she does. “I don’t stand before you today as someone who will go down in the history books from which I teach, and yet my husband reminded me of something that he sees every day as what might be one of my biggest accomplishments, passion, and joy because I love what I do,” Ms. Lucas said.

“At Harpeth Hall, we expect nothing less from you than to leave this community better than you found it. For me, teaching and coaching bring me joy every day because I believe in my purpose. I am confident that each of you will find your own path to purpose and fulfillment.”

Inman Award shows the future is bright

Harpeth Hall middle school athletes received the 2022-2023 Inman Award, which recognizes the middle school athletic program that compiled the most HVAC Championships across all sports. It is the ninth time in school history that Harpeth Hall has earned the Inman Award. Go Bears!

Harpeth Hall won 2022-2023 Harpeth Valley Athletic Conference championships in:

• cross country

• swimming & diving • track & field

2023 Middle Tennessee High School Sports Awards Nominees

The Middle Tennessee High School Sports Awards show is part of the USA TODAY High School Sports Awards, the largest high school sports recognition program in the country. Each year, The Tennessean selects players of the year for all TSSAA-sanctioned sports as well as swimming, hockey, and lacrosse. The 2023 nominees included Harpeth Hall athletes in multiple sports.

Girls Volleyball Player of the Year: Elizabeth Aylward

Girls Cross Country Player of the Year: Bella Guillamondegui

Girls Lacrosse Player of the Year: Gracie Lucas, Taylor McCall, Charlotte Myers, Ellie Walker

Girls Team of the Year: Harpeth Hall Girls Lacrosse

Five-peat!

Harpeth Hall wins five state titles in back-to-back years

After making Harpeth Hall history by claiming five state championships during the 2021-2022 school year, Honeybear Nation did it again in 2022-2023.

This past school year, the Bears repeated as state champions in cross country, riflery, lacrosse, and track and field and claimed the state title in rowing. The basketball team also made its first state semifinal appearance since 2016, and the swimming and diving team was the MTHSSA Middle Region Champion. Congratulations to all of our athletes!

2021-2022: Soccer, cross country, riflery, lacrosse, track and field

2022-2023: Cross country, riflery, lacrosse, rowing, track and field

Two Harpeth Hall athletes sign to continue sports careers at military academies

by Jessica Bliss

Pledge of Service

Oneof the most important phone calls of Anna Lindsley’s academic and athletic careers came on a Christmas Eve road trip while her family drove home from Alabama.

“Hello,” Anna said as she answered her ringing cell phone from the back of the car. “Yes, sir,” Anna’s father heard her reply as she spoke formally to the person on the other end of the call.

“I knew then it was either a military officer or a congressman,” her dad recalled.

Anna listened intently, replied politely, and excitedly shared the news with her parents when she got off the phone. The call was from U.S. Sen. Bill Hagerty, personally congratulating Anna on receiving a congressional nomination and his support for her appointment to the United States Air Force Academy.

The nomination marked one of the final steps in Anna’s military service academy application, and in April, her commitment to the U.S. Air Force became official as she signed a Letter of Intent to compete in track and field for the Falcons. Alongside Anna, Harpeth Hall classmate Isabella Baldwin ’23 also committed to pursuing her sport at the NCAA Division I collegiate level. Isabella, a three-time state rifle champion and Junior Olympic competitor, will take her world-class riflery skills to the U.S. Naval Academy.

“It is an honor,” Isabella said. “Historically, service opportunities in the military were limited for women, and the military remains a male-dominated field. However, the number of women at the U.S. Naval Academy has been steadily increasing since the first class of female midshipmen graduated in 1980. Now, nearly one-third are women, and I’m excited to be a part of the next wave who will build on that momentum.”

Families inspire future pursuits

Both Anna and Isabella will carry on the military tradition of their families.

Isabella was in first grade when her dad deployed in the Army for Operation Enduring Freedom. “Growing up around his military culture sparked an early aspiration to serve,” said Isabella, who was 5 years old when she first decided she wanted to attend the Naval Academy.

Anna’s father, grandfather, and uncle were all members of the Air Force. Her uncle also attended the Air Force Academy and graduated as the Class of 1977. “As I look towards my future, I have set the goal of being a strong, independent, honest, and kind leader,” she said, adding that her family members who served in the Air Force “embody every one of these characteristics.”

The two young women will join a select group of recent Harpeth Hall graduates enrolled in one of the nation’s five U.S. military academies. Among them are three Harpeth Hall alumnae at the U.S. Naval Academy — lacrosse player Leelee Denton ’20, engineer Reese Graves ’20, and pentathlete Annie Taylor ’20. In addition, earlier this school year, Caroline Ford ’23 was awarded a prestigious NROTC Scholarship from the United States Marine Corps. This scholarship allows Caroline, who will attend Vanderbilt University, to complete ROTC training at college and prepares her to join an officer training program in the U.S. Marine Corps.

“I am extremely grateful for the opportunity,” Anna said, “and hope to show other girls at Harpeth Hall and elsewhere that a woman can do anything a man can.”

Opportunity for sports and service

At Harpeth Hall, Anna learned she could turn her aspirations into achievements. Still, because she didn’t join the track team until her sophomore year, she was nervous about how her lack of experience would affect her season. Her teammates and coaches gave her the confidence she needed.

“Harpeth Hall encourages being comfortable in uncomfortable situations,” Anna said. “In terms of athletics, the environment this school has created allows girls to try new things.”

Anna excelled in both track and field events. In the triple jump, she holds a personal record of 35 feet, 7 inches — making her the third-best all-time at Harpeth Hall. In the long jump, her lifetime best of 17 feet, 5 inches puts her seventh in the Harpeth Hall record books. Anna also competes in sprints and relay events.

Athletic signings for those going into military academies often come later in a senior’s school year because of the multi-layer admission process for academy hopefuls. The core application is similar to colleges across the country. In addition, military academy applicants must pass a fitness test, a medical history review by the Department of Defense, and, following multiple interviews, receive a nomination from a member of the U.S. Senate, a member of the U.S. House of Representatives, or the vice president or the president of the United States. Only after a student is accepted into a military academy does she sign a commitment to compete collegiately for the academy.

For Anna, continuing her athletic career in college means furthering her love for the sport and continuing to grow as a person.

“I cannot wait to serve my country,” said Anna, who plans to major in aeronautical engineering, “and be a part of a cause bigger than myself.”

Breaking a glass ceiling

Isabella feels the same. Though she has long pursued the idea of joining the Naval Academy for the chance to lead and serve, she didn’t initially connect that ambition to the opportunity to continue her sport. She joined the Harpeth Hall competition rifle team in her freshman year “thinking that riflery

would be at most a short-term break from other sports,” she said. It became much more.

The sport’s scientific and technical mindset engaged her right away. She found it mentally challenging, embracing the immediate, quantitative feedback from every shot and using it to adjust and improve without riding the highs and lows of good shots and missed marks.

“While it is tempting to quantify success based on scores, I’ve learned from my coaches that it’s important to focus more on process and less on the outcome of a particular shot or match,” she said. “To model this mindset, they focus less on congratulating or consoling me and more on challenging me to identify what I learned. This approach to growth has taught me to view challenges differently — both in riflery and life. Some matches you win, and some matches teach you how to win.”

That mindset has served her well. Throughout her career, Isabella has faced some of the best rifle competitors in the country. She is a three-time Tennessee high school state champion, becoming the first female to achieve this and setting a new state record each year. She placed third at the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s national competition and was a finalist in the USA Shooting Nationals. Last year, she also won the ASSA National Championship, setting a new ASSA civilian record in 3x40 50m Smallbore. Even with all that, the most excellent highlight of her competitive rifle career so far has been signing with the Naval Academy.

“This has been one of my first experiences breaking a ceiling,” said Isabella, who is the first from the Harpeth Hall riflery team to pursue the sport at the collegiate level. “I hope that carving this path will open more doors for future Harpeth Hall graduates to pursue the sport past high school. I have seen our Harpeth Hall team grow so much in the last few years, and I am proud to have played a small part in continuing to expand the program.”

Isabella Baldwin

Anna Lindsley

WINTER AND SPRING ATHLETIC HONORS 2023

Basketball

DII-AA All Middle Region Team: Anna Echols, Ava Krumwiede, Charlotte Myers

Tennessean 3rd Team All Midstate: Ava Krumwiede

2023 Senior All-Star Game Selection: Anna Echols

Riflery

Precision Class First Team: Isabella Baldwin, Gracie Meriweather, Nandu Govindaswamy, Amelia Kremer

Precision Class Second Team: Brenna Paisley, Ella Allen, Jesse Harwood, Sophia Baldwin, Caroline Luttrull

Lacrosse

TGLA Central Region 1 All-Region Team: Gracie Lucas, Taylor McCall, Grace Moore, Charlotte Myers, Ellie Walker

TGLA Private School All-State Team: Gracie Lucas, Taylor McCall, Grace Moore, Charlotte Myers

Softball

DII-AA All Middle Region Team: Jenny Lott, Taylor Hurst

50th anniversary of Winterim CELEBRATES WONDER IN LEARNING AND THE VISION to make girls ‘future-ready’

From international excursions to interesting classroom experiences, Harpeth Hall’s celebrated premier program helps students find their place in the world

by Jessica Bliss

WhileIdanelle McMurry served as Harpeth Hall’s headmistress in the 1960s and 1970s, the world rapidly evolved around the young women she led.

The idealism of equality ran stride for stride with the unrest of war, and no one knew exactly what would come. That tenor of turmoil and progress left Miss McMurry with much to consider as the leader of a school founded to educate girls and help them find their place in the world.

“She was contemplating thorny issues ahead of her time,” former Head of School Ann Teaff wrote in a column in 2009. “What role should women have in the workplace? Why do women earn less than men? Why do glass ceilings exist in so many companies and professions?”

In January 1973, as the United States signed the Paris Peace Accords and the world took a more hopeful view of a war-free tomorrow, Miss McMurry took an active step forward in advancing the role and girls and young women in that aspirational future. She debuted Winterim, a new program that provided Harpeth Hall upper school students opportunities to expand their studies beyond the traditional classroom and broaden their global perspectives.

At the time, Miss McMurry said she modeled the program after a similar program in Texas. “It was a response to concerns of the 1960s and a way to give students of a girls school a broader experience in the community and, by traveling, in the world,” Miss McMurry said. The early goals of Winterim, according to Miss McMurry, were “to give girls an opportunity to learn a new skill, work at an internship off-campus, or travel abroad to experience a different culture.”

These goals remain the focus today.

This year, Harpeth Hall celebrated five decades of wonder in learning inspired by Miss McMurry’s vision, and what Harpeth Hall’s Winterim founder knew so well back then is still true.

As the International Coalition of Girls Schools puts it: Girls need authentic experiences in the real world to develop skills and gain knowledge that will make them “future-ready.”

For three weeks each January, Winterim sets the stage for that growth with experiences far and near.

Designing a future of purpose and possibilities

In a classroom in Harpeth Hall’s Jack C. Massey Center for Mathematics and Sciences, girls tear apart the backpacks on their desks. They aren’t frantically looking for a lost pencil or a misplaced assignment. Instead, the day’s lesson is about product destruction. The goal: Locate and identify each material used to construct a backpack — a metal clasp, a velcro closure, a mesh pocket, a leather strap — and use the knowledge in the product-design process to create the ideal school bag.

“We all use things every day, but we don’t think about how they come to life,” said guest instructor John Loudenslager, a professor of engineering management at

Vanderbilt University who has developed patents and products for big brands, including YETI, Otterbox, Microsoft, and Gatorade. “That is the premise of this class.”

Engaging opportunities like this fill every Winterim course catalog from 1973 to today. Fifty years after its inception, Winterim is one of Harpeth Hall’s premier programs — a defining experience for current students and thousands of alumnae who have looked to Winterim to learn more about what they love and who they want to become.

"Winterim gave me the opportunity to study new and creative ideas that are beyond the realm of academics,” Eleanor Taylor ’22 said. “Because of Winterim, I understand the importance of stepping out of my comfort zone and seeking new experiences."

The offerings have certainly evolved from the early years of the program. Page 12 of the 1974 Winterim catalog, for example, touted a class called “computer” saying, “The computer has come to be a major factor in our society. For this reason, we are offering a course designed to introduce students to the various uses of the machine and skills to operate it.”

But, whether it is navigating the computers of yesterday or the medical robotics of tomorrow,

Winterim has carried forward Miss McMurry’s program mission. Every decade has introduced essential new skills that have advanced with the times to ensure that Harpeth Hall girls can stretch boundaries, broaden their knowledge, and envision a career choice that keeps pace with their future aspirations.

This year, 9th and 10th grade students chose from more than 80 challenging, project-oriented classes on campus. They wrote screenplays, dissected marine animals, recorded original music, explored how math and art intersect, cultivated their personal brands, and so much more. They learned from Harpeth Hall faculty and professionals from around the country — including alumnae specializing in pediatric technology, podcasting, geochemistry and oceanography, and U.N. global finances.

“In this era of AP exams and exacting academic results, Winterim stands alone in cultivating exploration, a sense of wonder, and the kind of joy in learning that transcends an ordinary classroom experience,” Head of School Jess Hill said.

And then there are the experiences that open doors beyond Harpeth Hall’s campus.

Unmatched opportunities that shape a career

Rebecca Miller Spicer ’89 still hasn’t forgotten her Winterim internship at a Nashville television station during her junior year at Harpeth Hall. The station

allowed her to get valuable hands-on work experience, and she quickly developed a strong passion for TV news. The next year, she requested another internship at the same location — a move discouraged by the Winterim office in the spirit of expanding students’ horizons with a breadth of experiences. Eventually, seeing the enthusiasm and determination fueling her request, the Winterim coordinators conceded, with one caveat: she had to choose a different TV station. So she did, and the experience charted her path forward.

After graduating and earning two college degrees, Ms. Spicer enjoyed an award-winning career as a television producer before serving on the White House communications team for President George W. Bush and eventually transitioning to corporate communications and public affairs. She now leads communications for Airlines for America, which represents the leading U.S. airlines in Washington D.C. “Everything I have done professionally — and personally, too — is possible because of Winterim,” she said.

“Truly, I cannot say enough about the foundation it provided. Winterim not only gave me the confidence to pursue a fulfilling, rewarding career but also the desire to live a balanced life that is not one-dimensional,” she said. “There is not a single day that isn’t impacted by some aspect of Harpeth Hall. That is still true three decades later.”

Over the years, Ms. Spicer has sponsored interns and hosted Winterim receptions in Washington D.C. “It is so important for us to

give back and to ensure that Winterim continues to grow and thrive for the next generation.”

That refrain echoes again and again. Students and alumnae repeatedly say that Winterim changed their lives in small and significant ways. It was just last year that Camille Metcalf ’23 went to Africa for an independent study project and classmate Sarah Jean Caver ’23 ate lunch with a former president in Florida.

From deserts to the tropics, across the countryside through the world’s largest cities, Winterim allows Harpeth Hall students in 11th and 12th grades to become global adventurers through academic study trips and internships.

Traveling immerses students in cross-cultural experiences and deepens their understanding of the world and the world’s needs. In recent years, Harpeth Hall students explored Italy, Spain, France, Kenya, Australia, the American Southwest, California, Florida and the Keys, and went on an Outward Bound-led expedition through Joshua Tree National Park.

If they are not out exploring the country and the world with their classmates and teachers, juniors and seniors are interning with one of the more than 100 companies participating in the Winterim internship program or pursuing independent studies in the arts. With internship positions ranging from oncology

to architecture, students pursue myriad career interests, develop decision-making skills, and gain exposure working in a professional environment.

“During Winterim, I am constantly pushed to try new things,” said Avery Hassan ’23, who completed her 2022 Winterim internship at a Nashville public relations firm and went on an academic travel trip to the Northeast in 2023. “I can confidently say that without Winterim I would have no idea what I want to do with my life after high school. I’ve done new, exciting classes and completed an amazing internship because of Winterim.”

No matter the path, Winterim provides unmatched opportunities to develop new interests, travel to unfamiliar places, explore potential careers, and create memories for a lifetime — and the future is filled with possibilities.

As country music singersongwriter and Apple Music

podcast host Kelleigh Bannen ’99 noted when she talked about storytelling and interview techniques with this year’s Winterim podcast class: “I took my very first guitar class during Winterim.”

Now, the musician — who has toured alongside country music’s biggest names, including Little Big Town and Luke Bryan — interviews global superstars such as Dolly Parton and Carrie Underwood, illustrating that you never know where Winterim will take you.

“At Harpeth Hall, we are given so many opportunities that it is inevitable that we will experience something new,” Maddie Meyer ’23 said.

And everything that Harpeth Hall girls experience during Winterim is imbued with Miss McMurry’s belief that regardless of what the future holds — whether shaped by the consequential age of the 1960s and 1970s or fashioned by the rapid advancements of the 21st century — women cannot make progress by waiting for things to happen. Our girls must take the reigns of their own ambitions. And, in that lesson, the legacy of Miss McMurry’s wisdom endures.

“We are indebted to Idanelle McMurry for her vision and innovative spirit as a school leader,” Jess Hill, Harpeth Hall’s current head of school said. “Each year when Winterim rolls around, I am forever grateful that this program was established and embedded in our school culture so long ago. There is no better way to prepare our girls for the possibilities that await.”

There is not a single day that isn’t impacted by some aspect of Harpeth Hall. That is still true three decades later.

— Rebecca Miller Spicer ’89

WINTERIM ACADEMIC TRAVEL INTERNSHIPS 2023

WINTERIM ON-CAMPUS CLASSES 2023

From Lithuania, with love

International connections fostered by Harpeth Hall strengthen over the years and across the ocean

Onby MC Claverie ’20

a quiet morning in late April, I mounted my cherry red bike and rode through the idyllic streets of Utrecht, the Netherlands, to the train station. Giddiness bubbled inside me as the soft spring breeze blew through my hair.

After over three years, countless “I miss you” text messages, and a lot of planning, I was finally heading back to Lithuania, where I completed my senior year Winterim.

At the moment, I almost couldn’t believe it. Feelings of happiness, nostalgia, and excitement flooded my brain during my train ride from Utrecht to the Amsterdam airport and as I boarded my

morning airBaltic flight to Lithuania. A pandemic, the Atlantic Ocean, and the busyness of life had kept us apart for so long, and now for the first time since January 2020 I would be reuniting with my Lithuanian friends.

Our connection began in February of 2018, during my sophomore year of high school, when Harpeth Hall provided my family and me the opportunity to host two exchange students from Kaunas, Lithuania, for a couple of weeks. Growing up, I loved traveling and meeting people from new places. For my family and I, hosting these two students provided us with the perfect opportunity to show them around Nashville and expand our global perspectives through conversations about life in Lithuania and Eastern Europe.

Throughout their stay with my family, I didn’t fully grasp how much these couple of weeks would change my life for the better. Of course, I had a blast showing them my favorite places around Nashville such as Centennial Park and Broadway, but our connections ran so much

deeper than surface-level friendship. The conversations we had about growing up in our respective cities, the cultural differences between Nashville and Kaunas we explored, and the love between us was unlike anything I had ever experienced.

We talked about how both Nashville and Kaunas are big cities but feel like small towns it’s normal to run into people you know on the street or at the grocery store. At the time, I was just about to get my driver’s license, and my new friends were amazed that at age 15 I learned how to drive and at age 16 I could drive on my own. In Lithuania, you have to be 18 years old to get your license. We compared music and shared songs there are even some Lithuanian songs that I still listen to today, which sound a lot like our modern pop songs in America but in the Eastern Baltic language.

When they finally left to return home, I remember promising that we would see each other again. At the time, I didn’t know exactly when or how, but in my heart I knew that we would somehow find our way back together. Eventually, we did.

When it came time to decide what I wanted to do for my senior year Winterim, I immediately thought about Lithuania. Although it had been nearly two years since I had seen my exchange friends, I decided to take a chance and reach out to see if there were any internship opportunities in Kaunas that could work for my Winterim.

Upon reaching out, my exchange friends and their families offered to not only host me for the three-week period, but also found me an internship that aligned with my academic interests in history. After a few Facetime calls and several emails back and forth, I was all set. As fall turned into winter and Christmas break slowly came to an end, I gathered up my warmest sweaters, snow boots, and big puffy coat in preparation for the freezing temperatures of northeastern Europe and got ready to embark on my journey to Kaunas. Upon arrival in Lithuania, I was greeted with warmth and love. During my three weeks, I fully immersed myself in a new culture by trying local dishes such as Lithuanian brown bread and lazy cake, exploring Lithuanian history by going to various art and history museums enjoying its heritage of modern architecture, and asking my host family questions about life before independence from Russia.

All of this cultural exploration occurred while I was simultaneously working an internship where I conducted historical archival and museum research. This experience confirmed that I wanted to be a history major in college and provided me with research skills that I am now using to write my honors history thesis at Boston College.

Though it may seem cliché, I found myself under the crisp and gray Lithuanian sky. Thrown into a completely new environment as a 17-year-old, I learned how to navigate the cobblestone streets of a new city with a language I did not speak. I reflected on the nature of my work, the relationships I was continuing to foster, and the value of independence. Naturally, there were moments when I was overwhelmed and became homesick, but overall during my three weeks I fully embraced the experience of being in a new place.

I never would have made it to Lithuania without the love of global perspectives and creating international connections fostered by Harpeth Hall. When I first came to Harpeth Hall as a freshman, I had a backpack full of dreams of seeing the world but no plan of how to do it. Through my classes and encouragement from my teachers and classmates, I gained new knowledge on the values of forming relationships with people from around the world and becoming aware of life outside the Nashville bubble.

I can confidently say that I have succeeded in broadening my horizons thanks to the skills I learned at Harpeth Hall. When I left Lithuania to head back to Nashville at the end of January 2020, I had no idea that a pandemic would keep my international friends and me apart for an extended period of time. I distinctly remember refusing to say goodbye. Rather, we decided to say see you soon. I’m not sure that three years can count as soon, but as promised, we saw each other again.

I have embraced the global perspective I developed at Harpeth Hall by pursuing more opportunities to travel. I recently spent my junior year spring semester studying abroad in Utrecht, the Netherlands, and traveling around Europe. On each trip, I’ve continued to gain more knowledge and perspectives on the world we live in and how, ultimately, we are all connected. And we will continue to be because our friendship transcends time and place.

Harpeth Hall humanitarians

by Jessica Bliss

Dr. Madeleine Byrd ’09 and her mother, Elena Byrd, spent part of 2022 providing humanitarian aid and medical services to Ukrainian refugees in Warsaw, Poland

For months following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, refugees poured out of red and yellow government buses that arrived in Warsaw, Poland, directly from the border. Passengers came by the thousands at all hours of the day and night with little else to their name but unhealed gunshot wounds and shrapnel embedded in their skin. They sought protection and medical aid.

Each day around the clock, Harpeth Hall alumna Dr. Madeleine Byrd ‘09 and her mother, Elena Byrd, worked side-by-side to care for those displaced by violence.

The duo traveled to Poland just weeks after infantry divisions and armored and air assault teams first launched attacks on Eastern Ukraine in the dawn of Feb. 24, 2022. Compelled to take action, the Byrds worked in several locations, including an enormous Polish warehouse that served as a converted refugee shelter. They sorted supplies from around the world, created filing systems for intake forms, and provided medical assistance to individuals who had nowhere else to turn.

“Many emergencies happened in the middle of the night,” Elena Byrd said. “There was no one there but us.”

The Byrds detailed their experiences during a special distinguished speaker series event with the Tennessee World Affairs Council in January 2023. Back home in the United States after months of humanitarian service, the two women shared what drew them to help and what unfolded in their months in a country across the Atlantic.

For Elena, the motivation was personal. Born in Lausanne, Switzerland, she grew up in Cuba and fled with her family during the Cuban Revolution to move to the United States. Her mother was a physician and committed her life to public health. Elena spent much of her life going with her mother to Haiti and other places in the world to provide medical care.

“When the war first broke out … we went primarily because we felt a real calling,” Elena said during the Tennessee World Affairs Council event. “Honestly, I felt a particularly strong connection with Ukrainians. Even though they are on the other side of the world, in some ways, from where I grew up . . . I understood the potential plight of the refugees.”

Still, she added, “Neither Madeleine nor I could imagine the conditions that we saw.”

Not long after their arrival, the women went to work. At first, they helped sort supplies in towering stacks of cardboard boxes. Elena, who is fluent in several languages, and Madeleine, who has a master’s in pharmacology, translated and organized the medicine that arrived in pallets from countries around the world.

The volunteers then created a pharmacy — with Fentanyl, Xanax, and everything in between — to be taken to the medical clinic. Soon, the Byrds were key assistants in developing the refugee center’s “medical point.”

Madeleine wanted to be a pediatrician beginning at age 7, inspired by her maternal grandmother, a pediatrician and global public health specialist. After graduating from Harpeth Hall, she completed her M.D. at Georgetown University, becoming a fourth-generation “Dr. Byrd” in Nashville. After medical school, she went to Charleston, South Carolina, for pediatric residency training.

In Poland, Madeleine put to use her lifelong passion for pediatrics and public health. With so many women and children among the evacuees — and few female doctors — her presence was essential. She worked hand-in-hand with one of the Ukrainian doctors treating diseases such as measles, mumps, and chicken pox, which have been nearly eradicated in the United States with the help of vaccines and which many new U.S. doctors have never seen.

An average of 5,000 refugees slept in cots that lined the warehouse floors each night. The “medical point” was open 24 hours a day, but often only one local EMS and one doctor were on site, and they left when evening fell. That meant that when many of the children felt worsening symptoms in the late-night hours, it was up to Madeleine to fill the gap. And often, as the longest-term volunteers at the refugee “expo,” the Byrds were called to teach groups from other countries — which often came in one-or two-week shifts — how the center ran.

“Sometimes, we would go from one doctor to having 15 available as some volunteer groups came in. But, as soon as they were starting to get to know the system, they were out, and another group came in,” Madeleine said.

Both Madeleine and Elena said the volunteer efforts needed a more systematic structure. “There was a tremendous, tremendous need,” Elena said. “And the infrastructure was so minimal.”

One of the bright spots for the women was seeing the refugees step in to help. One of the greatest needs was for translators to help bridge the language barrier. It was common for those seeking shelter and care to often offer support to others.

“It was a beautiful experience in many ways because one-third of the residents of the refugee center would also take on volunteer duties,” Madeleine said. “A good percentage of the staff was refugees themselves.”

As the conflict in Ukraine continues, Madeleine is quick to remind others that the need is still great. Though international attention on the conflict has diminished from the first weeks and months, the Byrds remain committed to their mission in Warsaw. They have become an integral part of the response efforts that support the Ukrainian refugee community, offering hope, compassion, and essential aid to those affected by the crisis.

They hope that by sharing their global perspectives, others will do the same.

GLOBALcitizens

AFRICA

Amy Alderman ’78 lives in Mfuwe, Zambia, in southern Africa where she is the operations manager for The Bushcamp Company. In Zambia’s iconic South Luangwa National Park, the company operates six exclusive bushcamps in the remote south of the park, as well as the award-winning Mfuwe Lodge — which is best known for the elephants that walk right through the reception area. These secluded, intimate camps offer an unrivaled wildlife experience in one of the last unspoilt wilderness regions in Africa.

Ms. Alderman’s journey across the world began in 2009 when she visited Zambia on holiday and was “bitten by the Africa bug.” Six months later, she left her career as an attorney (she worked for the Navajo Nation for 20 years in the Office of the Navajo Tax Commission in Arizona) for a six-month stint running one of the six bushcamps. The move quickly became permanent as she fell in love with Africa, and she has now lived at Mfuwe Lodge for 13 years, working in reservations and now bushcamp operations, as well as managing the social media presence for the company and doing some marketing. The lodge was voted as one of the top 100 hotels in the world by Travel + Leisure, and Ms. Alderman often gets the opportunity to meet many of the interesting and distinguished guests, including Gloria Steinem. Ms. Alderman is also involved in the company's conservation efforts and community programs.

I firmly believe that my Harpeth Hall years had a huge impact on the choices I have made in my life. Starting with my AFS Domestic Exchange to Byron, Wyoming, with Mary Phil Hamilton Illges ’78 during Winterim when we were juniors, my Harpeth Hall years taught me that useful growth often means stepping outside your comfort zone. Moving to a different continent and changing careers at age 49 is one way to get pretty far outside your comfort zone, but there are many other paths, and the faculty and friends from my Harpeth Hall days are all great role models in this area.

— Amy Alderman ’78

Harpeth Hall alumnae make meaningful differences across the world

by Miller Wild Callen ’94

Harpeth Hall educates young women to think beyond familiar boundaries by exploring diverse cultures, communities, and perspectives. Students learn that understanding complex global issues requires deep research, a critical lens, and unwavering empathy.

With this framework for the future, the girls and young women at Harpeth Hall develop the skills and understanding necessary to make informed contributions and succeed in an increasingly connected global society. Then they launch into the world.

On (nearly) every continent, (not to Antarctica … yet), Harpeth Hall alumnae are taking what they learned in school and using it to make a notable difference internationally. They are teachers, communicators, connectors, advocates, and financial experts. Let’s go global.

ASIA

Reed Harrison Nirula ’00 lives in Panjim, located in India’s North Goa district. She was most recently head of development for Andolan Films in Bombay, where she developed and produced content for films, television, and the OTT streaming services platform (Amazon Prime and Netflix) for the Indian market. One of her career highlights was being cast as a presenter for a National Geographic show on wildlife rescue, an opportunity that arose in connection with Wildlife SOS, an NGO she and her husband, Arjun, support. Filming included the annual exam of a Bengal tiger named Jowarah. “Even when sleeping, you can imagine how majestic he was,” Ms. Nirula recalled. “I would never feel comfortable touching a tiger in any exploitative scenario, so the chance to be so close to one in a supporting capacity was really special.”

Living abroad gives you a well-rounded perspective on the U.S., the global community beyond, and what life on this planet is like for much of the world. It is not an easy path, but you can stand firm in the hard-won truth the experience yields. ‘Satisfying my head’ is important to me, and this is undoubtedly one way to do that.

Reed Harrison Nirula ’00

Ms. Nirula also co-founded the Literary Foundation of India and serves on the boards of Wildlife SOS and the Nirula Family Art Trust based out of New Delhi. She credits Harpeth Hall for nurturing her enduring curiosity about the world and says her education provided foundational communication, writing, and analysis skills that helped her become versatile in expressing her competence across a variety of business verticals. Ms. Nirula is currently taking time off from the corporate world to be home with her daughter, Rumi.

AUSTRALIA Melbourne

Betsy Daugherty Pie ’76 has lived on the Australian continent since 1985, originally settling in Brisbane. She worked in public relations and communications at The Queensland Art Gallery and 1988 World Expo, followed by an 11-year stint as public relations manager for the Brisbane Hilton. In 2000, Ms. Pie moved to Melbourne and launched Betsy Pie International Communications, a boutique international travel and lifestyle public relations firm for the tourism, travel, hotels and resorts, food and wine, design, and lifestyle sectors. She offers personalized hands-on service to a small and enviable portfolio of internationally acclaimed clients who are leaders in their respective industries and geographic locations, including Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, India, Indonesia, and the U.S. She also maintains a strategic alliance with Petrie PR, an Asia-based PR and digital agency. Together, they cultivate and drive relationships and digital content with the most influential media partners and key opinion leaders across mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Ms. Pie said she honed her social skills and made lifelong friends at Harpeth Hall, in addition to receiving a good education. This grounding was instrumental in building an international communications reach and a global network that she utilizes to deliver results and grow businesses.

The best part of living abroad is that you are able to look at the world from more than one perspective. While I have had to work hard and travel a lot to maintain all my U.S. friendships, I feel I have two full lives rather than one.

AUSTRALIA Brisbane

Swimming legend Tracy Caulkins Stockwell ’81 lives in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, Australia, where she is a highly respected sports administrator. In 2022, she was named president of Swimming Australia, after serving on its board of directors beginning in 2016. Swimming Australia is the peak governing body for swimming in Australia, with nearly 1,000 clubs and 90,000 registered members nationally. She is the second female president in the organization’s history. Her appointment followed her federal government nomination to join the Board of the Brisbane 2032 Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (BOCOG).

After her remarkable swimming career, Ms. Stockwell began her professional career with the Queensland Academy of Sport (QAS), where she worked for two years before assisting in the establishment and operation of several family businesses, including Splash Leisure. She is a founding member and past president of Womensport Queensland, has served on the Board of Queensland Events Corporation and as chair of the Queensland Academy of Sport, as well as being a former member of both the Queensland Advisory Board for Women and Brisbane City Council Sports Advisory Board. She is also a current member of the Advisory Council for The Committee for Brisbane.

Ms. Stockwell is regarded as the greatest American swimmer of her time. When she was a 15 year-old Harpeth Hall student, she won five gold medals and a silver at the 1978 World Championships in Berlin and became the youngest winner of the AAU’s Sullivan

Award as the United States’ top amateur athlete. She won three Olympic gold medals in 1984 and 48 U.S. National titles, after missing the 1980 games due to the United States boycott of Moscow. She is a member of the Olympic Hall of Fame, Swimming Hall of Fame, and Harpeth Hall/ Ward-Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame. She was awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for service to sport as an administrator and proponent of sporting opportunities for women.

Swimming has played such an important role in my life, and I feel privileged to take on a role that will empower me to give something back to the sport that has provided me with so many opportunities.

—Tracy Caulkins Stockwell ’81 as told to Swimming World magazine

EUROPE London/Paris/Normandy

Carrie Oliver ’90 lives and works in London during the week. Weekends are spent in France — in Paris or on “the farm” in Normandy with her horses, donkeys, chickens, cats, and dog. Ms. Oliver started her career on Wall Street before transitioning to management consulting after getting her MBA at Vanderbilt University’s Owen Graduate School of Management. She has more than 25 years of international experience, having worked with a number of private and public sector clients in the U.K. and U.S. She returned to the financial industry in 2021 and is currently a managing director at Deutsche Bank in the chief transformation office.

Ms. Oliver worked for a minister of Parliament in London for Winterim her senior year, which is when she knew she wanted to live and work in London one day. Her favorite thing about living abroad is being exposed to different cultures and ways of thinking.

It is hard to believe that I have been in Europe for 20 years as it all started with a six-month assignment in London. There has been a lot of sweat over that time but also a lot of fun and some unique opportunities such as getting to try on a ‘bearskin’ when I did some work for the Ministry of Defense

Carrie

EUROPE Amsterdam

Meade Wills ’12 lives in Amsterdam, Netherlands, where she works for Amazon Web Services (AWS). As an enterprise account manager, she supports a global $13-billion semiconductor client with offices throughout the world. Ms. Wills joined Amazon’s MBA rotational program in 2021 after receiving her MBA from INSEAD in France/Singapore. She began her career on the Amazon Netherlands team, helping vendors sell on the marketplace before switching to AWS. Through her work, she has traveled extensively across Europe and in India.

Ms. Wills was a Latin scholar at Harpeth Hall, a language she deems “insightful” and “great for your vocabulary.” She also wanted to pursue a spoken language. After her sophomore year, she studied abroad in Jordan with Columbia University, where she delved into Middle Eastern studies. When she returned for her junior year, her Latin teacher, Benny Abraham, encouraged her to pursue her interest further and apply for a state department grant to study Arabic through National Security Language Initiative for Youth (NSLI-Y) in Morocco. From there, she studies Arabic in college at the University of Texas at Austin, and she is now fluent. Although Ms. Wills does not utilize Arabic in her current job, she is forever grateful to Mr. Abraham and Harpeth Hall for pushing her to see more of the world, to widen her viewpoint, and to learn diversity from other points of view.

Living abroad has pushed me to understand ‘why’ people around me have different views from the status quo as I know it and to work to understand those perspectives. Because of this, I can formulate my own thoughts. I can see myself and my perspectives changing constantly, and I love that.

— Meade Wills ’12

Oliver ’90

NORTH AMERICA

Marla Mazer ’96 lives in Toronto in Ontario, Canada, where she works as manager of international programs for The G. Raymond Chang School of Continuing Education at Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU). In her role, she contributed to the development and implementation of a new two-year dual certificate program for international students to study at the school. Her responsibilities include program development, evaluation, budgeting, student support, and advising.

Passionate about learning languages, Ms. Mazer studied French up to the AP level at Harpeth Hall and went to France for Winterim her senior year. After a series of bombings in Paris in the months leading up to the trip, the Winterim group’s scheduled week in the City of Light was canceled. Instead, they traveled to Normandy, where they saw sites that they likely would have never visited on their own. “It was a good lesson that the world is an unpredictable place,” Ms. Mazer said. “Itineraries may need to be changed or canceled, and there are many incredible experiences beyond the obvious popular tourist destinations.”

Living abroad as a parent is very rewarding because you experience your new country more fully by being exposed to the education system, celebrations, and history. Having a child in school here really helps to integrate faster and gain exposure to a typical Canadian childhood. I also love the multicultural environment of Toronto, which is considered the most diverse city in the world. I have made friends from many other countries, and the variety of food and cultural events in Toronto is incredible.

For Ms. Mazer, the past five years have been an exciting time to work in international education in Canada, which has seen consistent growth in the last 10 years as one of the most preferred destinations for international students. Canada is known for its high-quality education, work opportunities after graduation, and immigration policies that favor applicants who have studied in Canada. “It has been very rewarding to work with international students,” Ms. Mazer said, “and I now have a much better understanding of the challenges that they face making a new life in a new country.”

Marla Mazer ’96 pictured with husband Adam Aronson and their daughter Willa

Marla Mazer ’96

SOUTH AMERICA

Isabel Kennon ’15 credits her experiences in South America for launching her on her current public policy path. As a Spanish student at Harpeth Hall, Ms. Kennon traveled to Argentina during Winterim, a trip that improved her Spanish language skills and provided an immersive cultural experience that quickly normalized Latin American food and lifestyles. She pursued degrees in Spanish and Latin American studies at Washington University in St. Louis, and she returned to South America, first to Peru and then to Santiago, Chile, to work on her senior thesis.

Driven by her interest in neighborhood dynamics and stories, Ms. Kennon began examining the state of public housing policies in Santiago.

“A single block in Santiago would have a lot with manmade, corrugated-metal homes, next to a brand-new fancy museum,” she said. “I'd noticed this spatial proximity of wealth the summer before in Peru, and four years prior when in Argentina for Winterim.”

Through connections with her host mother, Ms. Kennon interviewed women in two of Santiago's public housing neighborhoods about community and crime. Those interviews became the basis of her senior thesis, which led her to further

study public housing policies and opened up the wide world of public policy. After college, Ms. Kennon interned at a Latin American policy firm in Washington, D.C., then decided to take her knowledge of Latin American policies to work on domestic issues at the community level.

She now lives in Chicago, Illinois, where she will soon complete her Master of Public Policy from the Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. She works with the Illinois Justice Project, assisting with projects on incarceration and reentry, specifically reentry housing, as well as juvenile justice and other areas of criminal justice reform. Along with five fellow Harpeth Hall alumnae, Ms. Kennon also runs the Abolish Prison Slavery project that aims to humanize people in the criminal justice system and works to build support for abolishing the 13th amendment loophole allowing slavery to continue "as punishment for a crime."

Ms. Kennon has hiked extensively in Patagonia and the remote Easter Island. She will hike the Camino de Santiago, which she first learned about in and has wanted to hike since Senora Allen’s Spanish 5 class.

The best part of living abroad is getting to explore new places and bring new perspectives back to my own home. . . . Taking Spanish at Harpeth Hall really helped show other cultures and ways of life in a pretty normal way. It also gave me confidence that knowing Spanish would be really useful, and it was. I got three jobs after college from knowing Spanish.

— Isabel Kennon ’15

Almost Alumnae

LUNCHEON

Harpeth Hall celebrated the Class of 2023 and the meaningful women in their lives at the annual Almost Alumnae Luncheon on April 27. Barbara Keith Brown Payne ’85 and Senior Class President Mary Virginia Sullivan ’23 spoke at the event.

As Ms. Payne captured what it felt like to be an alumna, a mom, and the mom of an almost alumna, she reflected on her own four years at Harpeth Hall, which, she said, were “unquestionably the most formative of my life.”

“Like all of you,” she told the Class of 2023, “I was challenged, found my voice, and made better friends than I could ever imagine. I continue to find the gifts of my Harpeth Hall education even to this day — in independence, confidence, assertiveness, and most of all in the relationships I treasure with my classmates. They are incredible women, and they have accomplished some very, very cool things, but also they have unending tenacity and resilience and have overcome some tough obstacles life has thrown their way. I could pick up the phone and call any of the 65 other people in the Class of ’85, and they would be there for me. Girls, this bond lasts a lifetime.”

A record 46 of the 109 graduates from the Class of 2023 attended Harpeth Hall from 5th through 12th grades. Eleven young women in the graduating class are daughters of alumnae and six are alumnae granddaughters.

“My favorite line of the alma mater is ‘as here each girl finds for herself the joys that will abide,’ ” Ms. Payne said. “When something abides, it stays, continues, it remains with you. You are taking the joys you found here with you, your friendships, your values, your curiosity, your voice, your best self. You can tap into this anywhere.”

A group of people cared enough that they bought Souby Hall and all the land with it and established Harpeth Hall. They believed deeply that this school was needed and essential for our city — that girls education is something special and can make a huge impact on the lives of its students and in the communities where they live. I believe, and so do many others, that is still true today. There are people who support this school and have supported your education here from within our community but also all over the U.S. and around the world. They supported it while I was here, and they support it today. Harpeth Hall continues to improve and is committed to providing an unmatched experience for every girl.

— Barbara Keith Brown Payne ’85

Upper School Awards Day

BOOK AWARDS

Hollins University Book Award

Madison Chung

Princeton University Book Award

Isabel Johnson

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Medal

Olivia Finlayson

Tulane University Book Award

Lilly Bartholomew

University of Chicago Book Award

Davern Cigarran

University of Pennsylvania Book Award

Gracen Bailey

University of Rochester Bausch & Lomb

Honorary Science Award

Sarah Braam

University of Virginia Jefferson Book Award

Josey Beavers

Yale University Book Award

Sarah Hinds

ATHLETIC AWARDS

Emmons Woolwine Scholar–Athlete Award

Isabella Baldwin

Outstanding Athlete Award

Grace Moore

Pat Moran Sportsmanship Award

Caroline Ford

Susan Russ Competitors Award

Elizabeth Aylward

DEPARTMENT AWARDS

Chen Jiann Min Award

Pia Strang

Cindy Crist Art Purchase Award

Allie Cunningham

Cum Laude Award

Ava Grace Meredith

English Award

Priyanka Chiguluri

Harvard University Book Award

Zina Vidalakis

Helen Mullins Manning

Mathematics Award

Chekayli Meyer

History Award

Virginia Callen

Lucie L. Fountain French Award

Mia Corts

Marnie Sheridan Art Award

Luca Cyr

Mary Varina Frazer Latin Award

Lena Qian

Math Award

Lena Qian

Ottarson Latin Award

Avery Hassan

Outstanding Choral Student

Ruby Wolter

Outstanding Dance Student

Priyanka Chiguluri

Outstanding Instrumental Student

Ava Willoughby

Outstanding Theatre Student

Kate Maree Brewer

Pickens Science Award

Clara Ambrose

Souby Hall Art Award

Pauline Bailey

Spanish Award

Mary Virginia Sullivan

Spirit of Science Award

Caroline Seehorn

Susan Souby Spirit of English Award

Olivia Majors

CLASS SPIRIT AWARDS

9th Grade

Bayona Fletcher

10th Grade

Campbell Counter

11th Grade

Lauren Wynn

12th Grade

Lailah Rucker

ELIZABETH POPE EVANS AWARD

9th Grade

Narcissa Broome, Madison Camp, Zoe Eveland, Kelty Jones, Neko Mannes, Allyson Mao, Evelyn McKnight, Charlotte Mikos, Eliana Slobey, and Lane Tyler Williams

10th Grade

Lillian Bowen, Reagan Nisbet, Cailin Rork, Ariadne Vidalakis, and Draper Witherspoon

11th Grade

Gracen Bailey, Madison Chung, Olivia Finlayson, Sarah Hinds, and Zina Vidalakis

12th Grade

Bella Guillamondegui, Chekayli Meyer, Madeline Meyer, Lena Qian, Mary Roper, and Caroline Seehorn

SENIOR AWARDS

Director’s Award

Mary Meacham

Head’s Award

Annie Linley

Idanelle McMurry Award

Vee Counter

Patsy White Bradshaw Citizenship Award

Caroline Ford

Susan McKeand Baughman Award

Clara Ambrose

LADY OF THE HALL AND HER COURT

Lady of the Hall

Mary Roper

12th Grade Representative

Grace Moore

11th Grade Representative

Courtney Couden

10th Grade Representative

Kate Stankewicz

9th Grade Representative

Semipe Adejumobi

8th Grade Herald

Eliya Brandes

7th Grade Herald

Eleanor Yarbrough

6th Grade Crownbearer

Ani Kate Bashian

5th Grade Crownbearer

Percy Ewald

Honor Day celebrates

Class of 2027’s spirit and determination

by Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09

TheClass of 2027 is a team. What they did throughout their middle school years, they did together — whether it was holding dance parties in the hallways, playing Capture the Flag in the pitch dark, or organizing a protest in support of their favorite piece of playground equipment.

“I can safely say that anything we set our minds to, we would accomplish as a team with complete determination,” 8th grade student Maggie Meacham said.

In May, the class shared another experience — Middle School Honor Day, one of Harpeth Hall’s enduring and beautiful traditions. Honor Day marks the passage from middle school to upper school, and this year celebrated the Class of 2027 — a “determined and spirited” group who successfully completed the Daugh W. Smith Middle School program.

Maggie, who was chosen by her peers to be the speaker at Friday’s celebration, reflected on the highlights of her classmates’ middle school years, and Judi O’Brien, director of the middle school, spoke of the curiosity and thoughtfulness displayed by the 8th grade students this year. This class, she said, is a team of sisters, a term the Class of 2027 often uses to refer to themselves.

“One of the things that sisterhood means to me is that when something good is happening to your sister, you feel like it is happening to you,” Ms. O’Brien said as she addressed a packed theatre of the Class of 2027’s biggest fans — their friends and family. “I have witnessed so many occasions where you have cheered each other on and reveled in each other’s successes.”

The 8th grade class is the embodiment of Harpeth Hall’s motto, “Let us lift up the mind and the spirit,” Ms. O’Brien said. From pep rallies to talent shows, COVID-19 quarantines and distance learning, tough exams and service trips, the students of this class knew they could rely on each other through an incredible community of support they built together.

“There is extraordinary power in women supporting other women, and you have done that for each other in so many ways. You appreciate and acknowledge others’ contributions and celebrate them,” Ms. O’Brien said.

The 2023 Honor Day celebration was special for Ms. O’Brien, too. The 88 girls who walked across the stage in the Frances Bond Davis Theatre to collect their certificates are the last class of Honeybears for Ms. O’Brien, who is returning to New England after seven years in her role as the head of Harpeth Hall’s middle school. Speaking to students, she recognized the girls’ strong character, humor, creativity, and leadership and reflected on how the class always came through difficult times with compassion and resilience. She found inspiration in qualities unique to this class.

“The middle school faculty and I have full hearts and high hopes in knowing that the Class of 2027 will continue to lead confidently and live extraordinary lives,” Ms. O’Brien said as the students looked forward to crossing Souby Lawn to begin their journeys in Harpeth Hall’s upper school. Maggie is not worried about the transition to high school, because, in the words of Disney’s “High School Musical,” the members of her class are “all in this together.”

“Just like we have been a team, supporting and uplifting each other in 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade, we will continue to be there for each other in the years ahead,” Maggie said. “So even though I don’t know what next year will hold, I do know the who, and that is you all, the Class of 2027. All the good, bad, exciting, and unknown things that are coming our way, we will face together.”

AWARD RECIPIENTS

Carol Clark Elam History Award

Thalia Chloe Vidalakis

Daugh W. Smith English Award

Adelle Faye Pitts

Director’s Award

Caroline Irwin Kath

Elizabeth Hausman Community Service Award

Olivia Monique Decastro

Head’s Award

Anushri Ray

Honor Day Speaker

Margaret Randolph Meacham

Lindy Sayers Award

Hudsyn Adele Waddey

Louise Wills Algebra I Award

Carlisle Scott Gambill

Most Outstanding Athlete Award

Ellanore Aubrey Baker

Patty Chadwell Award

Chesnee Seals Foster

Polly Fessey Award

Ruby Mae Russell

SPIRIT AWARDS

5th grade

Teagan Margaret Brown

6th grade

Bryn Ruth Johnson

7th grade

Frances Dovie Brown

8th grade

Elizabeth Reed Logan

STUDENT COUNCIL OFFICERS

Stewardship Chair

Mary Kidd Langston Lindsey

Athletics Chair

Elizabeth Murphy Burnstein

Public Purpose Chair

Margaret Belle Rick

Student Activities Chair

Margaret Randolph Meacham

Environmental Issues Chair

Aza Roselyn Scheele

Honor Education Committee

Abigail Lauren Bell

Evalyn Day Bentley

Batya Aliza Coleman

Elizabeth Reagan Eyler

Christine Bishop Hagerty

Parker Elizabeth Holley

Catharine Grace Monahan

Cora Isabel Meyer

Adelle Faye Pitts

Ruby Mae Russell

Violet Paige Williams

INTRAMURAL CLUB CAPTAINS

Angkor

Hope Kathryn Ragsdale

Jia Mayur Tipnis

Oakley Michelle Webster

Ariston

Elizabeth Reed Logan

Georgia Evelyn Orndorff

Hudsyn Adele Waddey

Eccowasin

Catherine Austin Coltea

Mary Martha Nord

Brooklyn Jade Scruggs

Triad

Mary Armstrong Callen

Annalise Ruth Cash

Victoria Noelle Newman

InPrepared ’to wende’ on the winding path ahead

by Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09

2005, Central Park in New York City debuted a site-specific art installation by Christo and Jean Claude titled “The Gates.” For two weeks, bright and airy orange gates lined the walkways, brightening the gray winter days for those who meandered through the park. And then, just like that, the exhibition was over. The gates were gone.

For senior Mary Roper, the temporary exhibit intrigued her. The artists worked for years for approvals for the art installation only to have it stay up for two weeks — on purpose. “On the surface, this impermanent work seems pointless and futile,” Mary said. “However, when further investigated, the fact that ‘The Gates’ only stayed up for a short period of time is perhaps the most beautiful thing about them. Their ephemerality is what makes them special, unique, and something to be remembered.”

While Mary, this year’s Lady of the Hall, stood on the library steps in front of those gathered on Souby Lawn for Harpeth Hall’s Step Singing tradition, she reflected on what it meant that her time at Harpeth Hall was coming to a close.

When she first came to campus in the 5th grade, Mary knew that Harpeth Hall was just a temporary landing space. Harpeth Hall is a college-preparatory school, and that is precisely what it does — it prepares. The school prepares students to leave campus ready and eager to take on the world and whatever lies ahead after graduation.

The fact that a student’s time at Harpeth Hall is only a small portion of her journey makes the time spent there significant.

“If Harpeth Hall was ours forever, if we never graduated, it wouldn’t be the place we all hold so dear. It is because Harpeth Hall’s purpose is to prepare us to leave it that we grew so tremendously here, among the most beautiful campus and most incredible set of faculty and staff,” Mary said. “That our time at Harpeth Hall doesn’t last forever is one of the most beautiful aspects of this school. Just as Christo and Jean Claude only leave their exhibitions up for a mere two weeks, we are meant to leave Harpeth Hall, and that’s the beauty of it.”

On the eve of graduation and the final step in their Harpeth Hall journey, the senior class gathered to pass down the leadership of the school to the junior class The special ceremony carried on the beautiful singing tradition started by the women of Ward-Belmont nearly a century ago. The ceremony also honored the Lady of the Hall, the highest honor given to a member of the senior class, and representatives from each Harpeth Hall class.

Standing arm-in-arm on the steps of the Ann Scott Carrell Library, the Class of 2023 passed on their leadership of Harpeth Hall by singing “Crowded Table.” Class president Mary Virginia Sullivan announced that the seniors would be planting a tree on campus in honor and remembrance of those who lost their lives and the

families at The Covenant School and to serve as a place of quiet reflection for those who need it.

The juniors accepted leadership of the school with their song to the seniors, “Landslide.” Then, the Class of 2024 pledged to transmit Harpeth Hall better, greater, and more beautiful than it was transmitted to them.

To close the ceremony, Amy Evans, a beloved upper school college counselor and the faculty speaker chosen by the senior class, shared the meaning behind her favorite phrase, “To wende.”

Lady of the Hall and

the 2023 Court

Lady of the Hall

Mary Evelyn Roper

Senior Representative

Grace Lauren Moore

Junior Representative

Courtney Camille Couden

Sophomore Representative

Katherine Frances Stankewicz

Freshman Representative

Oluwasemipe Adejumobi

Eighth Grade Herald

Eliya Calla Brandes

Seventh Grade Herald

Eleanor Hobbs Yarbrough

Sixth Grade Crownbearer

Ani Kathleen Bashian

Fifth Grade Crownbearer

Percy Caroline Ewald

Flower Girls

Helen Nichols Floyd and Annabelle Lewis Adams

“The simple definition of ‘wende’ is to make one’s way, to travel, to proceed, to move,” Ms. Evans said. “But the depth of the word connotes a journey, to direct one’s course and proceed on one’s own way, often on a winding path.”

As a college counselor, some may see Ms. Evans’ job as giving advice and setting the direction of her students’ futures, but she sees it differently. Her job is instead to listen to what a student thinks she is saying, then listen to what she is really saying, and then say it back — in a way that she can best receive it.

“I hope you realize what I’ve actually done is encouraged you to listen to yourself,” Ms. Evans said. “ . . . The only guide you need is that voice inside of you, that deepest voice, that core voice. The voice you know tells you the truth above all others, even when it’s hard to listen.”

And, as they prepared to walk down Souby Lawn at graduation and head toward their futures, Ms. Evans encouraged the Class of 2023 to continue to listen to their inner self. With each curve of the path, surprises, new challenges, new joys, and new difficulties, Ms. Evans encouraged the class never to underestimate themselves and to trust their hearts and minds.

“To wende. To move and to travel, to journey down one’s own winding path. Tomorrow at graduation, your beloved Harpeth Hall teachers and staff will send you off down your own road of the unexpected, and we will do so with utter delight in your unfolding,” Ms. Evans concluded. “Don’t listen to anyone’s advice about where to go from here. Don’t listen to mine. Only listen to your voice, the call of the road in front of you, and the distant horizon of possibility. It is yours.”

The Class of 2O23

Senior Awards

Ella Catherine Allen Wake Forest University

Julia Reem Allos

Dartmouth College

Clara Hodgens Ambrose Wake Forest University

Natalie Kathleen Apodaca Clark University

Elizabeth Anne Aylward Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Pauline Nicole Bailey Furman University

Isabella Kathryn Baldwin United States Naval Academy

Aden Elizabeth Barrett

The University of Tennessee — Knoxville

Caroline Sage Berman Santa Clara University

Jaclyn Conway Bettis University College London

Grace Jackson Blankenship Boston College

Lauryn Aree Bradley Spelman College

Katherine Maree Brewer Otterbein University

Virginia Anne Callen

Middlebury College

Ashley Barnett Campbell

University of Colorado Boulder

Ava Michelle Cassidy

University of Oklahoma

Sarah Jean Caver

Sewanee: The University of the South

Priyanka Sara Chiguluri

Washington University in St. Louis

Second Honors Mary Evelyn Roper

Katie Wray Valedictory Award Lena Qian

Third Honors Caroline Elizabeth Seehorn

Lorelei Honor Christopher

Sewanee: The University of the South

Adelaide Rose Cook

Northeastern University

Wesley Parks Cook University of Mississippi

Mia Bahr Corts

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Mary Virginia Counter University of Georgia

Amelia Jane Cummings University of Denver

Allison Louise Cunningham Northeastern University

Luca Haley Cyr Parsons School of Design at The New School

Kiranjeet Kaur Dhillon Vanderbilt University

Martha Cavin Dillon

Middle Tennessee State University

Lydia Beth Dodd

The University of Tennessee — Knoxville

Caroline Isabelle Duncan Auburn University

Anna Catherine Echols

The University of Tennessee — Knoxville

Nora Francesca Fenelon University of Colorado Boulder

Mary Phebus Foley

University of Colorado Boulder

Caroline Georgia Ford Vanderbilt University

Emmeline Louise Ford

The University of Tennessee — Chattanooga

Ellen White Fridrich Texas Christian University

Aarthe Govindaswamy Case Western Reserve University

Nandini Govindaswamy Carnegie Mellon University

Hallie Emilia Graham Princeton University

Isabella Marisol Guillamondegui University of Notre Dame

Avery Claire Hassan University of Washington

Ava Elisabeth Hayes Auburn University

Haven Watkins Healy

The University of Tennessee — Knoxville

Julia Ruth Hermann University of Colorado Boulder

Riley Kate Higgins University of Washington

Sarah Brand Joffrion University of Maryland

Blessen Doru Jolobi Lehigh University

Avery Simmons Kilburn Clemson University

Rachel Mary King

The University of Tennessee Knoxville

Kim Anh Kirschbaum Loyola University Chicago

Katherine Elizabeth Kisber Tulane University of Louisiana

Anna Bray Lindsley United States Air Force Academy

Ann Atkins Linley University of Virginia

Kathleen Morgan Lowe Purdue University

Olivia Winton Majors Williams College

Belle Mason

Pepperdine University

Sydney Taylor Mattoon North Carolina State University

Madison Ella McCall Boston College

Virginia Riley McDaniel

Auburn University

Virginia Adams McGrew

Southern Methodist University

Lucy Clark McNally

Auburn University

Gabriela May Mchaourab United States Naval Academy

Mary Austin Meacham

Vanderbilt University

Ava Grace Meredith Clemson University

Camille Elizabeth Metcalf University of Colorado Boulder

Chekayli Watney Meyer University of Pennsylvania

Madeline Leigh Meyer

Vanderbilt University

Olivia Trabue Meyer

Loyola Marymount University

Grace Lauren Moore

Vanderbilt University

Christiane Marie Morton George Washington University

Charlotte Rebecca Mosley The University of Tennessee — Knoxville

Hannah Elizabeth Mosley Northeastern University

Amelia Monet Olafsson Scripps College

Louise Fitzpatrick Ory University of Georgia

Lindsey Jo Parker Texas Christian University

Susanna Keith Payne Davidson College

Zoe Elizabeth Pearson

James Madison University

Amanda Camille Pensinger

Lafayette College

Veronica June Pierce Boston College

Katie Corinne Pope Auburn University

Lena Qian Yale University

Abigail Sybil Rankin University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Lillian Elizabeth Rauth Colorado College

Noelle Faith Regens Indiana University

Mary Evelyn Roper University of Virginia

Lailah Alexandrea Rucker

The University of Tennessee — Knoxville

Sarah Martin Sachtleben Villanova University

Caroline Elizabeth Seehorn

Georgia Institute of Technology

Karina Pal Shah

Colgate University

Tiana Pal Shah Tufts University

Olivia Suzanne Shirley

Clemson University

Savannah Katherine Silvester

University of Kentucky

Ava Rose Sjursen

Boston College

Gracie Elizabeth Sloan

Vanderbilt University

Rori Necole Stewart Spelman College

Parker Isabelle Strang

Loyola Marymount University

Ann Gailor Strobel

University of Arizona

Mary Virginia Sullivan

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Julia Danelle Tavi

University of Michigan

Anne Louis Todd Pace University

Caroline Grace Trichel

The University of Tennessee — Knoxville

Jadyn Skylar Turbeville

University of Colorado Boulder

Elizabeth Jameson Walker

The University of Tennessee — Knoxville

Isabelle Murchison Walker

The University of Tennessee — Knoxville

Alice Kirkland Wilbanks

The University of Alabama

Sophia Rebecca Williams

University of Wisconsin — Madison

Ava Elizabeth Willoughby

Berklee College of Music

Ruby Elise Wolter

University of Utah

Cadman Coker Yarbrough

University of Georgia

of 2O23

by Jessica Bliss

Overthe years, the big moments were many — convocations and honor assemblies, class retreats and Winterim trips, spirit days and Bear Gates. Honor Day. Step Singing. Graduation.

But, for Hallie Graham ’23, the ordinary days are the ones that will leave the most profound impression on her heart. A knowing smile in the hallway. A lingering flash of insight after a classroom discussion. The gentle jingle of the class bell. The comforting sound of her classmates’ voices intermingled with casual laughter at lunch.

These experiences are when Hallie felt most grateful to be a Harpeth Hall girl.

And, “being a Harpeth Hall girl,” Hallie said, “is a transcendent experience.”

The Class of 2023 soaked in that feeling as they attended the 72nd commencement to be held on the Harpeth Hall campus, descending the hill on Souby Lawn dressed in white and then crossing the steps of the Ann Scott Carrel Library as graduates and new alumnae.

“I’ve had the immense privilege of walking beside each of you as we transformed from little girls with tangled hair and toothy grins into poised, intelligent, and articulate young women,” said Hallie, who was selected by her classmates as this year’s graduation speaker. “I want your lives to be rich and full of challenge.”

In their time at Harpeth Hall, the Class of 2023 showed how they could embrace and navigate a challenge well. From the first day at this year’s opening convocation, they set their theme as “Brave the Sea in 2023,” but, in truth, they already were sea-worthy. Over half of their high school years were marked by a global pandemic, and in this — their first year beyond it — unfathomable violence occurred one mile from the quadrangle at The Covenant School. “You have been forced to develop your muscles of resilience,” Head of School Jess Hill told the class. “... No one requested these realities and lessons for you, and still, they came.

“These things have not defined you. You have absorbed them, been moved by them, been changed by them in some ways — yet you remained true to the best of who you are. Instead of anger, you chose gratitude. Instead of fear, leadership. Not comparison, but

celebration of others’ successes. Not contempt, only respect.”

The newest alumnae, with their passions, skills, and talents, will pursue their ambitions at 67 academic institutions across the country and in Europe, including flagship universities, private liberal arts colleges, military academies, and arts conservatory programs. They will continue their education in engineering, computer science, the arts, business, nursing, architecture, and the humanities. Five members of the class also will play collegiate sports at DI schools: three at universities and two at United States service academies.

“The Class of 2023 is full of honor, humility, and passion. We are a group that strives to create a better community, both locally and globally,” said Caroline Ford ’23, who this year received a Naval Reserve Officers Training Corps college scholarship awarded to only 1% of national applicants. “This class is more than special.”

Though fully prepared for what comes next, it was hard to prepare for leaving Harpeth Hall behind. A few weeks before graduation, Hallie’s grandparents, Pa and Dedo, came to the house for dinner. Her Pa asked if she was excited to graduate. The experience, she told him, felt bittersweet.

“To graduate would be leaving everything I’d ever known,” Hallie reflected, “but to stay would be giving up everything I could discover — everything I could be.”

There is much the Class of 2023 can and will be. As Ms. Hill said: “In my praise of each of you — your accomplishments, your leadership, your heart — I am letting you know that I believe you are ready.” But, like every good educator, Ms. Hill was not ready to let the class go without a few more words of advice.

She reminded them to remain curious, to practice gratitude, to admit and own their mistakes. She encouraged them to take walks in the woods, to read prose and poetry, to vote, and to remember to call home. She smiled as she mentioned the importance of good grammar and using the words “I, me, and myself” correctly.

“If all else fails, change the subject and talk about someone else so that you don’t have to use those words at all,” Ms. Hill joked. Then, as she chuckled, she reminded the girls to “laugh at yourself at least once a day.” Finally, Ms. Hill concluded: “Always be for something and not just against something.”

And then, as the ceremony came to a close and the “ordinary days” as a student on Harpeth Hall’s campus neared the end, the Class of 2023 was reminded that the transcendent feeling of belonging at ‘O place beloved’ is something that would always remain.

“We’ll be Harpeth Hall girls forever,” Hallie told her classmates. “These years — your years spent here — will follow you wherever you may go. You’ll always have a seat at Harpeth Hall’s crowded table.”

Ordinary days become a collection of extraordinary experiences for the Class

JUDI O’BRIEN

Judi O’Brien led the middle school with grace, wisdom, and thoughtfulness for seven years. Her integrity and dedication to learning and growth set her apart as a leader. Given these qualities, it is no surprise that Ms. O’Brien was the Fay School’s top choice for the newly formed position of assistant head of school for the educational program. Ms. O’Brien joined the Fay School’s team in July as she accepted the incredible opportunity in leadership coupled with a chance to move closer to home. Fay is where she began her teaching career as a history teacher, coach, advisor, and dozens of other important roles.

Judi is able to see underneath the surface of what may be challenging in a situation (for a student or faculty member). She speaks to the heart of the issue with leadership, foresight, and belief in every girl's potential. She listens intently in every conversation, making the person she is with feel that they are the only thing that matters to her in that moment. Genuine student growth is the ‘true north’ for Judi, and all of her energy moves in the direction of supporting teachers as we strive to help each girl reach her fullest potential both personally and academically.

— Rachel Van Dyke, middle school English department chair

Ms. O’Brien will be remembered at Harpeth Hall for the delight she finds in every encounter with a middle school girl. Slow to criticize and quick to encourage, she championed our 5th through 8th grade students in all of their pursuits and steadily lifted the Harpeth Hall middle school program to a new level. She moved to a long block schedule to ensure classes were inquiry-driven and allowed time for deeper discussion. Leading the work of our strategic plan, she elevated attention to curriculum design and brought meaningful professional development opportunities to our campus. Perhaps most impactful is the culture that Ms. O’Brien and her faculty have intentionally built where our 10- to 14-year-old girls cheer for and support each other in all ways.

Ms. O’Brien will be missed in countless ways, and we send her to her new opportunity and adventure with the knowledge that she will continue to do good things.

Thank you for your investment in me and your impact during my time at Harpeth Hall and beyond. You were the best advisor. I know Harpeth Hall will miss you. — Eva Rosa Daniel ’24

You have made such a great impact on Harpeth Hall . . . You are welcoming to every single student, and we couldn’t have asked for a better director of the middle school. — Adelle Pitts ’27

Judi O’Brien is a brilliant division director: a perfect balance of professional, passionate about best practices in teaching and learning, and, most important, focused on the needs of the girls in her care. We will miss her, none more than me.

— Frances Fondren-Bales, director of the upper school

Fond Farewells

MARQUIS CHAPPELL

MarQuis Chappell’s magic in the classroom is well known. Beginning with his warm greeting to each student as she enters his room, he creates a space where each girl is seen, heard, and respected. That enthusiasm, coupled with his love of English literature, made him Harpeth Hall’s first choice for an English teacher in the upper school in 2018. Three years later, he carried that same thoughtful attention to building relationships and community when he became Harpeth Hall’s director of equity and inclusion.

Under his leadership not only our students, but also our teachers and parents have been touched by Mr. Chappell’s ability to affirm each individual while reminding us of our common mission. He has supported us through deep listening and conversations in his office, the creation of alliance groups for students and affinity groups for faculty and staff, and through many presentations and discussions in meetings and assemblies. Mr. Chappell has made a positive and indelible impression on each student he has supported and every faculty member he has uplifted.

The Spence School, which is a leading K-12, all-girls school located on the Upper East Side of New York City, has seen Mr. Chappell as the promising educator and leader that he is and named him its new director of institutional equity. This is a wonderful opportunity for Mr. Chappell, and we wish him all the best. He will not soon be forgotten at Harpeth Hall.

You never fail to see the best in your students and always saw our full potential. We wish you the best as you begin a new journey.

— Anna Li Hornsby ’24

This school year, Harpeth Hall said goodbye to two beloved directors who will pursue incredible career opportunities as they take the next steps in their professional journeys.

You taught me that working hard does pay off in the long run. I will never forget walking into your class the first day of freshman year with your firm handshake and welcoming smile. You truly taught me what a mentor is.

— Hannah Ericson ’22

You have left an impact on my life that words can’t describe. Every time I walked into your classroom and smelled the scented candle on your desk and saw the smile on your face my day got so much better. You have left an impact on Harpeth Hall that will last a lifetime.

— Annie Lea Choate ’24

Beyonce for life.

—Camille McCarter ’26 and Margaret Helm ’26

Best wishes in retirement

This year, two Harpeth Hall staff members are retiring after decades of service to our school. Head of School Jess Hill recognized the women at the annual Faculty Appreciation Assembly, sharing her gratitude for their dedication to the students and our school.

Janet Baxter, payroll and benefits administrator

Ms. Baxter came to Harpeth Hall 23 years ago and has made a lasting impact on the behind-the-scenes workings of the school. As one of her colleagues said, “Janet Baxter will do anything for anybody.” Loyal, dependable, and caring, Ms. Baxter puts the needs of Harpeth Hall employees first, making sure everyone is taken care of while making improvements to protocols and procedures to help the business side of the school run smoothly.

She is devoted to doing what is right for this community and each person in it. A protector of the rules while also looking through a truly personal lens, Ms. Hill said. Her presence on campus will be greatly missed.

Pamela Carver, upper school dean

Mrs. Carver has served as a middle school English teacher, English department chair, leader of the SEEK program, and as an upper school dean of students during her 16-year tenure at Harpeth Hall.

Her smile and ready laugh are her calling cards,” said Ms. Hill. “But in whatever role she has held, her greatest gift is that she always sees the very best in everyone.

As a dean of students, Mrs. Carver approached her position with consistency, kindness, and fairness. When she jumped into the role at the beginning of COVID-19, she worked to uphold the full student life and culture of our school community.

“Thank you, Mrs. Carver, for bringing your vision to Harpeth Hall,” Ms. Hill said. “You have truly made us greater, better, and more beautiful.”

Announcing Harpeth Hall’s new directors

Harpeth Hall will welcome two women to its leadership team to start the new school year. One is a beloved former director who returns to a position she previously held at Harpeth Hall, and the other is a welcomed new member of our community who is recognized for her previous roles in Nashville independent, charter, and public schools.

Mary Lea Gibson Bryant ’72, Interim Director of the Middle School

Mary Lea Bryant led Harpeth Hall’s middle school students and faculty with steady and thoughtful leadership for eight years from 2009 to 2015. This fall, she returns to the position as interim director of the middle school as she supports the nationwide search for the candidate who will lead the division in the coming years.

The breadth and depth of Mrs. Bryant’s commitment to Harpeth Hall is astounding. She is a devoted member of the school community as an alumna, a past parent, a past trustee, and a faculty member. A graduate of the University of Virginia and Vanderbilt University’s Peabody college, Mrs. Bryant holds a master’s degree in human development counseling.

Mrs. Bryant is a leader who helps others shine. She believes deeply in the power of an all-girls school and draws upon her strong connection to Harpeth Hall’s mission to elevate her middle school students as they become their best selves. Mrs. Bryant is a deep listener, ready with support and counsel. Not seeking the spotlight, she is happiest when encouraging a student or faculty to grow and learn.

I am looking forward to returning to Harpeth Hall for so many reasons. Witnessing the process of girls growing into confident and brave young women is at the top of the list. Our students are able to be themselves in a safe and supportive environment that is all about girls. I saw so many girls transform in the all-girls environment — it is a powerful and gratifying place to be as both student and a member of the faculty. Being back on campus to be a part of that process is a privilege, and I cannot wait.

— Mary Lea Bryant, interim director

of the middle school

Jasmin Hopkins, Director of Equity and Inclusion

As a leader who thrives in environments that support individualism while sharing a collective purpose, Jasmin Hopkins will bring her energy and talents to Harpeth Hall as the director of equity and inclusion beginning the 2023-2024 school year.

Ms. Hopkins joins our school community from Harding Academy, where she worked since 2019 as the director of community engagement and a senior administrator. In that role, Ms. Hopkins framed and facilitated the work of diversity, equity, and inclusion for families, students, faculty, and staff, with a focus on establishing community connections.

Previously, Ms. Hopkins spent five years as the dean of culture at LEAD Public Schools. She also worked for six years at Metro Nashville Public Schools in roles that included classroom teacher, grade-level and department chairperson, and middle school behavior interventionist. Ms. Hopkins graduated from Trevecca Nazarene University with a Master of Arts in Education in 2012. She also holds a Master of Arts in clinical psychology and a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Fisk University.

When I was a young girl, I was told by my mother and grandmothers to always be brave, to be bold, and most importantly, to believe. Not only to believe in myself but to believe in the power of community.

I am overjoyed with the opportunity to support the young women of Harpeth Hall while fostering these same values in this phenomenal school community. While spending time with students and faculty members, I felt an air of grace and confidence that seemed to permeate throughout the entire campus. I was instantly affirmed that Harpeth Hall, and its illustrious history, directly aligned with my professional core values.

To the Harpeth Hall community, thank you for such a warm and heartfelt welcome. I look forward to building deep connections and embracing opportunities for growth.

— Jasmin Hopkins, director of equity and inclusion

Community builder

Harpeth Hall Distinguished Alumna Holly Sears Sullivan ’90

Of all her career achievements, the day she stealthily arrived in her hometown to make the most significant jobs announcement in the history of Tennessee, stands out at the top.

A heart for Tennessee

Ms. Sullivan flew into Nashville secretly that day in November 2018. Confidentiality around Amazon’s pending announcement remained so critical that Ms. Sullivan couldn’t even tell her mom — the woman who inspired her appreciation for real estate and her drive for success — that she was in the same city.

As rain raged outside Ms. Sullivan’s Nashville hotel room window, the two women talked on the phone, her mom utterly unaware of her daughter’s whereabouts.

“Is it storming where you are?” Mom asked casually, fishing for hints.

“I’m not sure what the weather is like outside,” Ms. Sullivan deflected.

Holly Sears Sullivan ’90 spent her childhood summers visiting construction sites with her dad and uncle in Indiana. The two men built bridges and roads. As she tagged along to the job sites, she often asked: “Why is that road there? Why are they building the house over here?”

“I still love the smell of black top and tar in the summertime,” she said. “It makes me feel at home.”

Ms. Sullivan is a builder.

As an urban and regional planning expert, she focuses on the physical aspects of building — providing city infrastructure for vital and sustainable advancement. But it is interconnectivity that interests her most. At the core, she is a builder of relationships and communities. Her career achievements have taken her from positions in economic development in Tennessee’s Rutherford and Wilson counties, to Maryland where she served as president of the Montgomery Business Development Corporation, and now to Amazon, where she is currently vice president worldwide economic development.

At every step, Ms. Sullivan has been the center of strategic decision-making. She has been in rooms with top-ranking business, commerce, and political officials. She has said no to more than her share of important people. Still, she focuses most on opportunities to say yes — pursuing and supporting economic development projects that provide jobs and growth in cities nationwide. That includes her home state of Tennessee.

In short, as Harpeth Hall trustee and Amazon’s manager of public policy Michelle Gaskin Brown ’01 said, “Holly has vision.”

In honor of Ms. Sullivan’s accomplishments, Harpeth Hall recognized her as the 2023 Distinguished Alumna. The award is given annually to a trailblazer who has achieved professional excellence in leadership. Ms. Sullivan visited Harpeth Hall in March to talk about her journey as a student, businesswoman, and parent — and the harmony she seeks in her personal and professional lives while leading high-impact projects for one of the largest companies in the world.

The following day, shortly after 10:30 a.m. on Nov. 13, 2018, Ms. Sullivan strode to a microphone in the state Capitol and declared publicly for the first time that Amazon would bring more corporate jobs to Tennessee than ever before in the state’s 222-year history.

“I am so excited to be home, announcing 5,000 jobs in Nashville, Tennessee,” she began.

On the podium in front of her, written remarks laid out the words she was supposed to say next. And yet, emotion overcame her. She stood in a room with some of the state’s most important players. Gov. Bill Haslam, Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development Commissioner Bobby Rolfe, and Mayor David Briley joined her at the podium. She spotted others in the audience — mentors from throughout her career — who had helped her build to this moment. So instead of a script, she spoke from the heart about the people who supported her and the state she held dear.

“Holly made one of the state’s largest jobs investments in Tennessee,” Ms. Brown said. “She could have advocated for another city, but she chose her hometown, Nashville. Her love of Tennessee and desire to increase opportunities in her hometown is epic. Her work has brought thousands of jobs to the Nashville region. Anytime someone discusses Amazon in Tennessee, Holly’s name is always mentioned.”

Learning to lead

Ms. Sullivan's deep Tennessee roots and first-hand knowledge of the region confirmed for her that Nashville could absorb a player as big as Amazon. That familiarity with the state’s alluring landscape began not professionally but personally when she was a young girl. Her grandparents farmed tobacco in Cheatham County, and she grew up building forts on acres of land. She came to Harpeth Hall from a small public school outside Nashville. The transition challenged her at first. “I was scared to death,” she said.

But as she settled into the school’s welcoming rhythm, she also leaned into a lesson she would take into her future — “build your bench.” For her, that meant finding “those people you can always count on throughout your life,” she said. “Who you can go to for the mentoring

by Jessica Bliss

Courtesy State of Tennessee Photo Services

and support you may need when the days get tough.” The friends she made in 7th grade are part of her bench to this day.

At Harpeth Hall, Ms. Sullivan wasn’t the star student, but she absorbed the values and skills the school taught. “It felt warm and accepting — a place where I had a sense of belonging while also accepting my individualism,” she said. “That helped build my confidence. . . . I learned to look beyond boundaries, ask questions, and know I could do things. I’m not sure that would have happened in any other place. It opened up an entire world for me.”

After Harpeth Hall, Ms. Sullivan attended the University of Tennessee where she continued her education journey with the support of her family. The plan was to go to law school, but she hesitated. A lesson from Harpeth Hall English teacher Dr. Derah Myers still resonated: “It is okay not to go with the pack. It’s okay to be different.” Ms. Sullivan’s college professors also saw in her a passion for understanding the hows and whys of city structure and development. So, instead of law school, she pursued a master’s of public service management in urban and regional planning. Her first job was in Chattanooga, creating blueprints for the development of cities and towns for $24,000 a year. “And I felt like I had won the lottery,” she said.

Growth mindset

Less than a year later, Ms. Sullivan was back in Middle Tennessee, riding the back roads of Wilson County in the planning commissioner’s pickup truck. Outside her window, mounds of upturned earth marked future residential developments. In each, she saw potential.

“That ride solidified in me that we all have control over our destiny,” she said.

Back in the Wilson County development office, she told her boss that the leaders of Mt. Juliet, Lebanon, Watertown, and unincorporated areas, should take charge of the county’s growth — and she could be the one to lead them. They agreed.

From 1999 through late 2012, Ms. Sullivan spearheaded planning and economic development efforts in Middle Tennessee. In 2001, she was selected to be Wilson County's development director. At age 28, she was the youngest economic developer in the state. Later, she moved to Rutherford County’s Chamber of Commerce, where she negotiated a deal that delivered a 1-million-square-foot Amazon distribution facility to Murfreesboro.

In all, her work in the Nashville area led to the creation of more than 28,000 net new jobs as a result of 302 projects representing more than $7.5 billion in capital investments. Ms. Sullivan also led two fundraising campaigns for the area that exceeded $8.5 million — and that was only the beginning.

Handling adversity

In 2012, Ms. Sullivan left Tennessee and headed north to become president and CEO of the Montgomery Business Development Corporation in Maryland. She successfully led the company for four years — then came another bend in the road.

The incoming board chair called her into his office unexpectedly. She remembers him saying, “Holly, you are doing a great job, but we think we need to hire a middle-aged man to take the organization to the next level.” Caught off guard, Ms. Sullivan went home that night with her emotions roiling. Should she quit and stay home to raise her daughter? Should she acquiesce and accept a position as the No. 2 in charge, even after leading the company well as the No. 1 for multiple years? She decided to sleep on it.

“Holly is quietly self-confident and always good at finding the practical side of any situation,” said Virginia Kelley Deckbar ’90, one of Ms. Sullivan’s best friends from Harpeth Hall. “She tends to cut through the distractions and focus on the core of the issue at hand.”

The next morning, Ms. Sullivan woke up stronger and more confident. She made a simple — but strategic — decision to change her LinkedIn profile to say she was considering pursuing other opportunities. One hour later, Amazon called her. Two weeks after that, in April 2016, Amazon hired her.

“Sometimes when you get your teeth kicked in — and we will all have it happen to us — it’s how you handle that adversity that can better define you,” she said.

Not balance, but harmony

In the years since, Ms. Sullivan has established herself as one of the company’s top executives. She regularly sits at the table with Amazon’s CEO — whether it be Jeff Bezos or Andy Jassy — offering expertise to inform decisions about the company’s investment projects. She oversees zoning, negotiates financial incentives, and manages policy discussions. She also meets with governors, mayors, and leading officials at location sites and studio production hubs around the globe.

Looking back, she doesn’t think her younger self — the Harpeth Hall student in her — would ever believe she would be a global business leader. She still pinches herself. “If I had anything to tell my younger self it would be to be patient, listen more than you speak, and believe in yourself,” she said.

The job is high-demand and high-stress, taking her around the world. She knows she can’t do everything the best all the time. She may miss a school play or sporting event for her 8-year-old daughter. But she strives for harmony, not balance. Success is individualized, she said, and her version may not be someone else’s — but her mother taught her the value of independence, and she is now teaching her child the same. “I really enjoy having the satisfaction of a hard day’s work,” she said.

These days, as she drives down I-95 with her daughter, she finds herself pointing out peaks, valleys, and plains. Flat lands where development can happen. Topography where it can be hard to construct.

Ms. Sullivan has experienced it all in her life, but she isn’t at the end. Like her childhood on her dad’s worksite or her early career days in the pickup truck in rural Wilson County, the road ahead is still being paved. She is still building.

by Adelaide Grace Davis ’79

‘Heartcatchers’

Florence Stumb Davis’ first experience with service came on the tennis court.

She was a 9th grade student when Harpeth Hall opened in 1951, and she soon became a star athlete for physical education teacher Miss Patty Chadwell. She excelled at every sport through her competitive nature. By the time she graduated at Souby Hall with the Class of 1955, she had been awarded “most athletic,” her skill showing with every ace the southpaw smashed inside service line —and far beyond.

That zeal became the precursor to a lifetime of serving, not just on the court but in her community as a woman dedicated to the betterment of the city she loved and the people who lived there. She was inspired by her parents. The sporting gene came from her father, Paul Stumb, while her desire to help others — both those known and unknown to her — was first emulated by her mother, Grace Cavert Stumb WB ’31, and later echoed by her mother-in-law, Adelaide Shull Davis, WB ’31.

Whether taking a meal or flowers to someone in need or becoming effectively involved in a worthy cause, the women of the Stumb/Davis family laid the groundwork that paved the way for Mrs. Davis’ life of service and the inspiring example she set for generations that followed.

“If a cause truly touches your heart, you will be able to give your time and resources to it, and you will have fun doing it,” she said. After graduating from Harpeth Hall, “Sister” (Ms. Davis’ loving family nickname), began her college career at Vanderbilt University — albeit briefly. She married W. Lipscomb Davis Jr., “Buzz” as he was known to friends, after her freshman year, and after, she happily began her life as a wife, mother, and volunteer extraordinaire. In the 1960s, her young son wanted to take karate lessons at the Downtown YMCA. Afternoon after afternoon, she sat in the family station wagon waiting for him to finish lessons. Then one day she had a thought: “Why don’t I just take the lessons, too?” Not one to deny her athletic ambitions, she took action. But there was one significant obstacle to that otherwise brilliant idea —the route she had to take to enter the class went directly through the men’s locker room.

“Undaunted, I walked through and kept my eyes straight ahead,” she recalled with a laugh. She then took her place in class for the remainder of the semester. That experience began her lifelong love of the Middle Tennessee YMCA and its vision and mission of strengthening community, making sure that everyone —regardless of age, income, or background —has the opportunity to learn, grow, and thrive.

After several years of board service, in the late ’70s, Mrs. Davis became the first female president of the Downtown YMCA. The Y thrived in the next several decades, funding neighborhood health and wellness facilities, tutoring students, providing lunches, and organizing after school care. In 1990, the idea for a summer camp was discussed for children of all income levels. Mrs. Davis was instrumental in the organization and fundraising for Camp Widjiwagan, which in a manner of years came to fruition and has thrived ever since. This year, over 7,000 campers from all over the country will come to the 50 acres on Percy Priest Lake to enjoy banana boating, the climbing tower, horseback riding, the Wet Willie, sailing, arts and crafts, singing, the zipline, nature, and all the fun camp has to offer.

Mrs. Davis has served the Y continuously for over 55 years and her work with the YMCA continues today as she attends foundation board meetings and offers years of seasoned advice.

Florence Stumb Davis ’55 dedicates her life to the needs of others

Florence Stumb Davis

2023 Alumnae Spirit of Service Award

Other volunteer efforts and board service through the years have included Oak Hill School, The Oldfields School, First Presbyterian Church, Alive Hospice, Columbia Theological Seminary, and The Mount Vernon Ladies Association. When Mrs. Davis spoke to Harpeth Hall students at an all-school assembly in March 2023, she called these pursuits her “heartcatchers” — inspiration for her work in education, religion, history, and children.

Elected as the vice-regent for Tennessee for Mount Vernon in 2006, she served until 2012. Mount Vernon accepts no federal, state or local funds — it is self-supported and funded by the monies raised by the Ladies Association. It was easy for Mrs. Davis to say “yes” to serving a national treasure. She saw George Washington, the father of our country, as a true hero — a man of character and integrity. During Mrs. Davis’ tenure at Mount Vernon, significant funds were raised for the Washington Library that opened in the fall of 2013. Among other tasks, Mrs. Davis had been charged with organizing the entertainment for the Gala Celebration. Who better to ask than friend and fellow Harpeth Hall alumna Amy Grant ’78 and her husband, Vince Gill. Needless to say, the event was a splendid success.

The Ladies also procured Washington’s Acts of Congress at an auction in 2012 and brought it back home to the banks of the Potomac, which was a monumental accomplishment. Mrs. Davis’ years spent working with Mount Vernon brought not only growth to Washington’s home, but for her personally, it brought joy and many new friendships. In the introduction of her grandmother at the Spirit of Service Assembly, Janie Hannon ’11, said, “Mimi is conditioned to think about what other people need. She knows how to celebrate the good moments and support in the hard times, and is forward thinking beyond the immediate, pinpointing needs for the future.” Certainly, many organizations, family, and friends that Mrs. Davis has touched would agree.

“I have not started a business, or been CEO,” Mrs. Davis said. “I have not invented anything, won a Grammy, or written a book. I have led a fairly normal life, but for me, being able to serve these worthwhile organizations has blessed my life.”

In her remarks to the student body at the assembly, Mrs. Davis challenged the student body to find a cause that speaks to them and jump in with time, talent, and resources. To paraphrase the Peter Pan author, the sun you give will surely shine back on you. She closed by reading one of her favorite poems,

SUCCESS

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, To find the best in others, To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, A garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.

— Ralph Waldo Emerson

Sir James Barrie wrote, “Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.” Florence Stumb Davis ’55 has brought sunny skies to numerous non-profits in over 60 years of service.

(above) YMCA Board 2000

(left) Florence Stumb, Paul Stumb, Grace Stumb, and Paul Stumb Jr.

New Trustees 2023-2026

Harpeth Hall salutes Board of Trustees members whose terms concluded at the end of the 2022-2023 school year. Thank you to Greg Averbuch, Mary Britton Thompson Cummings '93, Jane Berry Jacques '72, Whitson Lowe, Frank Majors, Katie Groos Nelson '80, and Jay Sangervasi for your many years of trustee service. We welcome the following new trustees beginning in 2023-2024 and congratulate new honorary trustee Jack Wallace.

Chris Cigarran is the chief commercial officer at Imagine360, a health plan for self-insured employers across the U.S. Prior to his tenure at the company, Chris was CEO of Imagine Health and president of the employer and government division of Healthways, where he worked for 14 years. He serves on the board of directors of the Nashville Predators as a minority owner.

Chris graduated from Montgomery Bell Academy in 1989. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in English and political science from Bucknell University and his master’s degree from Pepperdine Graziadio School of Business. Chris and his wife, Katherine, are the parents of Davern ’24. Their son, Sebastian, graduated from MBA. Chris’s sister is Lindsey Cigarran Axel ’93. Their parents, Connie and Tom Cigarran, are both past Harpeth Hall trustees.

Melissa Merriman Frist graduated with honors from Trinity University in San Antonio with a Bachelor of Arts in education. She earned her Master of Education from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College. She taught second grade for five years, two in Texas and three at Ensworth in Nashville. Melissa then served as both development manager and community relations manager for the Dede Wallace Center (now Centerstone). She also served as development counsel for Luton Mental Health Services. Melissa was the co-owner of Hey Sugar, Nashville’s beloved cookie and custard shop. She serves on the Harding Academy Board of Trustees. Melissa and her husband, Bobby, currently chair Harding’s “Building the Future” capital campaign. She is a past chair of the Harding Art Show and served on the school’s recent Head of School Search Committee. They have four Harpeth Hall daughters Ellie ’20, Cate ’22, Carly ’24, and Evie ’25.

Candice Storey Lee is the vice chancellor for athletics and university affairs and athletic director at Vanderbilt University. She is Vanderbilt’s first female athletic director and the first African American woman to head a Southeastern Conference athletics program. Candice is a former standout student-athlete and three-time Vanderbilt graduate. She was captain of Vanderbilt’s 2002 women’s basketball team and a member of four Commodores NCAA Tournament teams. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in human and organizational development, Master of Arts in counseling, and doctorate in higher education administration from the university. Candice currently serves or has served on the board of directors for the Tennessee Sports Hall of Fame, Nashville Sports Council, YWCA of Middle Tennessee, and The Family Center. She was named a 2019–2020 fellow of the Tennessee Independent Colleges and Universities Association’s Executive Leadership Institute. In 2021, Lee received Peabody College’s Distinguished Alumna Award. Members of Vanderbilt’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee awarded Lee their inaugural Staff Appreciation Award in 2022 in recognition of her leadership through the COVID-19 pandemic. Candice expressed her love and respect for Harpeth Hall when she was an all-school assembly speaker in 2021. She and her husband, Sean, have one son, Andrew.

Anne Murray Puricelli is the director of marketing for Middleby Residential, a collection of premier international brands (such as La Cornue, Viking, and AGA) dedicated to manufacturing and distributing many of the best known and loved kitchen appliances and interior furnishings in the world. Prior to this position, she was the director of La Cornue, North America in San Francisco for 15 years. She is also the co-founder of Nashville Design Collective, a 14-showroom residential interior design center in Wedgewood-Houston. Anne is a 1995 graduate of the all-girls school Castilleja in Palo Alto, California. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in international relations and Spanish from the University of San Diego. She and her husband, Steve, have a Harpeth Hall daughter, Charlotte ’29, a daughter, Eleanor, who attends The Taft School, and a son, Webb, who attends Oak Hill School.

HARPETH HALL HALLWAYS

John Steele is the president of Equitable Trust, a recognized leader in trust and investment services. Prior to joining Equitable Trust in 2004, John was a global equity analyst with Deutsche Bank in New York and worked on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange. John is a 1998 graduate of MBA and earned his Bachelor of Science in human and organizational development from Vanderbilt University. John and his wife, Monty, have a Harpeth Hall daughter, Mimi ’27, a daughter, Elle, who attends Currey Ingram Academy, and a son, Rye, who attends Harding Academy. John’s sister is Kate Steele ’06. His grandmother, Margaret Rye Steele, was a 1940 graduate of Ward-Belmont. John and Monty were 5th grade class chairs for the Annual Fund in 2020-2021. John also serves on the board of trustees for Currey Ingram Academy as well as Woodmont Christian Church.

Meredith McDonald Stewart ’96 has a background in marketing and strategic planning, most recently as vice president of marketing at Genesco. She previously worked as an independent brand consultant and brand manager at Kimberly Clark and as a financial analyst at Wachovia. She holds a Bachelor of Science from Wake Forest University and a Master of Business Administration from Emory University. Meredith has served in numerous Harpeth Hall volunteer capacities: Alumnae Board President, Reunion Chair, Alumnae Annual Fund Chair, HHConnectHer Committee member, and Distinguished Alumna Selection Committee member. She also served as a substitute teacher during the pandemic. Meredith was named Nashville Business Journal’s 2015 “Top 40 Under 40.” She and her husband, Mike, have a son, Hudson, and a daughter, Marion, who attend Oak Hill School.

Honorary Trustee: Jack Wallace served as a Harpeth Hall trustee from 2009 to 2015 and from 2016 to 2022. He chaired the Retirement Oversight Committee and was an invaluable member of the Buildings and Grounds, Finance, Investment, Property, Strategic Planning, and Trustees and Governance committees for many years. He also served on the 2013-2014 Head of School Search Committee. Jack is a graduate of Hillsboro High School and the University of Alabama, where he earned a Bachelor of Arts in history. After graduation, he worked at J.H. Minet in London and INA Special Risk (now CHUBB) in Atlanta. In 1984, he worked with Corroon & Black, a predecessor company to WillisTowersWatson, in Nashville and spent the past 37 years in a client development and account executive role. Currently, Jack is a partner with Palmer & Wallace Insurance Brokerage, a boutique insurance agency focused on providing technical risk advice and insurance placements for small to medium sized businesses. Jack’s mother was Louise “Dede” Bullard Wallace ’53, for whom an award has been named at Harpeth Hall as well as the upper school humanities wing. The original Bullard Gymnasium (now Bullard Bright IDEA Lab) and the Ella Petway and George N. Bullard Student Services Hall were named for his grandparents. Jack is the nephew of Betty Bullard Stadler ’51. Jack has three sisters, Elizabeth "Betsy" Wallace Taylor ’80, Elena Wallace Graves ’79, and Anne Wallace Nesbitt ’76. Jack and his wife, Elizabeth, have served as volunteers on the Annual Fund Major Gifts Committee. They have three daughters, Ansley Wallace Cire ’06, Gray Wallace ’12, and Lili Wallace Maki, who graduated from Ensworth High School. Their son, Jake, graduated from Brentwood Academy. Jack and Elizabeth have six grandchildren.

WARD-BELMONT AND MILESTONES SOCIETY COFFEE

HARPETH HALL TODAY

CELEBRATING THE CLASS OF 1973

PANEL DISCUSSION

“Beyond the Plaid”

COCKTAILS ON CAMPUS

Class

Class Notes

Jennie Graves Bowman ’69 and Paula Whitson Reed ’69 cruised the canals in a gondola in Venice. The classmates have enjoyed fabulous adventures together in France, Greece, and Italy over the past several years.

Candy Floyd Glasgow ’71 and her book “Little Everyday Cakes” were featured by StyleBlueprint in May. The write-up spotlighted five of her delicious cakes, providing the recipes plus enticing photos. Ms. Glasgow has worked in the food magazine and cookbook field for more than 13 years and was a former managing editor of “Relish” — the food magazine with the largest circulation in the United States — and food editor of American Profile magazine. She also co-edited five cookbooks produced by the magazine: American Profile’s “Hometown Cookbook,” “Hometown Get-Togethers,” “Hometown Recipes for the Holidays,” and Relish’s “The Best of Relish” and “Seasons and Celebrations.”

Bea Fillebrown Isenhour ’71 retired in the spring after 17 years of devoted service as business manager at the Centennial Club in Nashville.

Lucy Matthews Buchanan ’73 was a Beyond the Plaid alumnae panelist during Reunion 2023. She is the owner of LMB Consulting in Dallas, Texas.

In May, Amy Grant Gill ’78 received an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. She sang “Breath of Heaven” at the benediction of the 178th Commencement Ceremony.

Kristen Glasgow Solt ’78 moderated the alumnae panel, Beyond the Plaid, during Reunion 2023. She is the former managing director for global alliances at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, Georgia.

Rebecca “Becca” Fogg ’85 authored a new book, “Beautiful Trauma,” which debuted in the United Kingdom and North America in April. The book is about her traumatic injury in a bizarre accident and the science behind it. Ms. Fogg says it was “a labor of obsessive

curiosity and creative yearning” borne from her “fervent desire to encourage connection, compassion, and hope in hard times.” In 2008, she walked away from her New York life and career in financial services and moved to London. There, she co-founded the Institute of Pre-Hospital Care at London’s Air Ambulance and continues to work, write, and learn Scottish fiddle.

In April, Delphine Sloan Damon ’86 co-chaired the Frist Gala, the largest fundraiser for the Frist Art Museum, which benefits the museum's general operating fund and supports its mission to bring art of the world to Middle Tennessee.

Cynthia Averbuch Albin ’88 resides in St. Louis, Missouri, where she has practiced family law for over 25 years and is a partner in the law firm Todt, Cody, Albin & Fuchs, LLC. She and her husband, Seth, have two children. Their daughter, Sydney, is a sophomore at The Ohio State University, and Ethan is a junior in high school.

Rebecca “Becca” Fogg ’85

Jennie Graves Bowman ’69 and Paula Whitson Reed ’69

Dr. Annis Marney ’88 was a Beyond the Plaid alumnae panelist during Reunion 2023. She is an endocrinologist at The Frist Clinic in Nashville.

Sarah Scarborough ’93, known as the Tea Huntress, led a ritual and renewal retreat in Iceland that was rated the #2 Best Worldwide Wellness Retreat for Rest and Relaxation 2022 by Harper’s Bazaar magazine. The retreat was set in two Icelandic luxury boutique hotels to maintain a balance of urban vigor in the city center of Reykjavik and countryside leisure set in Thingvellir National Park.

Jamie Heller ’94 was awarded The Knight's Cross of The Order of Dannebrog by Her Majesty the Queen of Denmark. Ambassador Berit Basse, the Consul General of New York for The Kingdom of Denmark, presented the honor on Friday, April 21, at Belle Meade Country Club in Nashville.

Reese Witherspoon ’94 was named to The Hollywood Reporter's 2022 Women in Entertainment Power 100. She spent the year largely offscreen, filming season three of “The Morning Show,” among other projects. The Hello

Sunshine founder acquired lifestyle brand The Home Edit and produced a string of hits on TV (Netflix breakout “From Scratch” and Apple TV+ entry “Surface”) and in theaters. “Where the Crawdads Sing,” an adaptation of one of her book club picks, was a summer hit with $140 million at the box office.

Rachel Glick Robison ’97 will lead the new pediatric Oral Immunotherapy Clinic launched by Monroe Carell Jr. Hospital at Vanderbilt. The clinic will offer a special therapy to peanut-allergic children to reduce risk of a harmful immune response in the event of accidental exposure to peanuts. Dr. Robison is an associate professor of pediatrics within the hospital’s Division of Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology.

Anne Hancock Toomey ’97 was named president of Jarrard, Inc., a Brentwood-based healthcare industry-focused communications firm. She is a company co-founder, has been chief development officer for five years, and has more than 20 years of experience in healthcare

communications. Previously, she was a public affairs adviser with the healthcare practice of The Ingram Group. Prior to that, she served as director of marketing and communications for specialty hospital developer Surgical Alliance.

Maggie Waltemath Ash ’98, Meg Funderburk White ’98, Blaire McMeans Murfree ’99, and Mary Stengel Bentley ’03 were among the Nashville-based interior designers who donated their time and efforts to construct a community center for the members of the Covenant School and Church in the wake of the Covenant School tragedy. “Covenant Heals” is a beautiful and supportive space for counseling sessions, community gatherings, and collective healing.

Megan Youngblood, M.B.A. ’98 was a Beyond the Plaid alumnae panelist during Reunion 2023. She is the associate vice president for Vanderbilt Health Services and vice president of Vanderbilt Integrated Providers in Nashville.

Anne Hancock Toomey ’97

Reese Witherspoon ’94

Covenant Heals photo by Allison Elefante

Class Notes

and serves as its president. StyleBlueprint highlighted her organization, which is dedicated to honoring our local history by maintaining and protecting our treasured landmarks and neighborhoods.

Michelle Gaskin Brown ’01 will co-chair the Public School Hall of Fame celebration in September. Sponsored by the Nashville Public Education Foundation, the event supports the city’s public schools.

In February, Dr. Hutton returned to campus to speak to the Black Student Alliance and other attendees about her experiences at Harpeth Hall and how they have informed her understanding of self and career trajectory.

Kelleigh Bannen ’99 received a Gracie Award, given by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF). Ms. Bannen is the host/personality of the “The Kelleigh Bannen Show,” which is nationally syndicated by Apple Music Radio. She also co-founded the Preservation Society of Nashville

Jennifer Harrison Hutton ’01, known by her patients as “Dr. Jpop,” is a pediatric physical therapist who works with children of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds. She created “The Get Movin’ Activity Deck for Kids” based on her desire to help all children understand the power of movement. The activity deck includes 48 creative movement ideas for little bodies to celebrate and make movement fun. Her product won a National Parenting Product Award (NAPPA), which focuses on finding the best toys, baby, and family products, making them the “go-to” source for parents and professionals. She also won a Gold Mom's Choice Award.

Tori Tucker Alexander ’03 was featured in NFocus magazine’s May issue cover article “Behind the Scenes: Tori Alexander.” She is the creator and owner of Alexander Interiors — a multi-disciplinary interior design firm that allows her to work with her clients beyond the traditional boundaries of interior design. A graduate of the University of Georgia’s esteemed Furnishings and Interiors program, Mrs. Alexander has a multi-faceted knowledge of general contracting, interior design, drafting, and building codes. Her designs have appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Southern Living, and on the TODAY show.

Laura Lea Bryant ’04 released her third cookbook, “Recipes for an Aching Heart: Healthy & Easy Meals to Help You Heal from Grief, Loss, or the Stress of Everyday Life.” She is a certified chef, published cookbook author, and health and wellbeing consultant helping women holistically relieve psychological and physiological symptoms of heartache.

Laura Lea Bryant ’04

Jennifer Harrison Hutton ’01

WOMEN OF INFLUENCE

Katie Shaub Thackston ’05 was recognized as one of the Nashville Business Journal’s 2023 Women of Influence, a group of leading businesswomen who inspire, encourage, and give back to those around them. She is a senior vice president of product and strategy at IVX Health. Classmate Ryan McLaughlin Wood ’05 is the south central market head for UBS, which was the event’s presenting sponsor.

Bearacuda reunion

Olympic swimmer Missy Franklin (left center) poses for a photo with Harpeth Hall swimming and diving coach Polly Linden (far left) and former Harpeth Hall swimmers Ryan McLaughlin Wood ’05 and Cacky Tate Brown ’05. Ms. Franklin was the keynote speaker at the Nashville Business Journal’s Women of Influence event, and UBS, where Ms. Wood is a market executive, was the event’s presenting sponsor.

Harpeth Hall swimmers attend the Women of Influence event

CALL for NOMINATIONS!

Class Notes

NOW ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR HARPETH HALL’S 2024 ALUMNAE AWARDS

Harpeth Hall strives to recognize the extraordinary achievements of our alumnae with a variety of awards. From leadership and serving as an example for other women to outstanding service to excellence in athletics, these recipients deserve recognition from their alma mater.

Harpeth Hall/Ward-Belmont Distinguished Alumna Award

The Harpeth Hall/Ward-Belmont Distinguished Alumna Award recognizes graduates who have achieved wide recognition for professional excellence and leadership. Candidates for this award are women who are trailblazers, display extraordinary gifts of leadership and organizational ability, are moving spirits in health, welfare, cultural, or civic affairs, have achieved wide recognition for professional excellence and leadership, serve as an example for other women, and have attained unusual success in highly competitive fields. Distinguished Alumna Award candidates may also be women who have been nationally recognized for vision, skill, and commitment to make things happen.

Athletic Hall of Fame (Awarded every four to five years)

Established in 2013, the Harpeth Hall/ Ward-Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame honors notable alumnae athletes, coaches, and administrators who have demonstrated outstanding athletic ability by competing or coaching at the state, national, or international level. Through their good sportsmanship, citizenship, and character, these outstanding women left a lasting impression of achievement and excelled within the school’s athletic family.

Alumna Spirit of Service Award

The Alumna Spirit of Service Award recognizes and celebrates outstanding service by a Harpeth Hall/WardBelmont alumna. The recipient of the award is a woman who has gone above and beyond the call to serve and who embodies Harpeth Hall’s mission to “develop responsible citizens who have global perspectives and make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world.”

Award candidates are women who demonstrate an innovative approach to solving a problem or meeting a need, show a high level of commitment to their project, make a meaningful impact on the people or community they serve, inspire others through outreach and education, exhibit visionary and empowering leadership, and teach and mentor others interested in making a difference through service.

For more information and to find nomination forms visit HarpethHall.org/alumnae/awards

Dr. Merrie Morrissey Clark Alexander ’69 2022

Margaret Groos Sloan ’77 2013 Induction

Ginna Maxwell Rauls ’92 2022

Class Notes

Ellen Green Hoffman ’04 and her team, The Wallace Group at UBS Financial Services, founded by fellow alumna Mimi Wallace ’75 in 1979, was named to the inaugural list of Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Management Teams and ranked #11 in the state of Tennessee. For Ms. Hoffman, this is especially exciting as it is just in time for the 20th anniversary of her Winterim internship with the team in January 2003.

Christina Mishu Rosean ’07 served as a panelist on the Alumnae Perspectives Panel for prospective Harpeth Hall parents. The panel is designed for alumnae to share their Harpeth Hall experiences, reflect on their readiness for college, and highlight the ways in which the skills they learned at Harpeth Hall prepared them for their careers.

Diane Uwamahoro ’07 returned to campus to speak with 2023 Global Scholars about refugee resettlement and Nations Ministry Center’s role with that community in Nashville. Ms. Uwamahoro is the coordinator for the center’s Middle School Success program.

Emily Whitson ’10 received her masters in secondary education from Vanderbilt's Peabody College in 2022. Ms. Whitson is an 11th grade Honors English teacher at Nolensville High School in Nolensville, Tennessee.

Caroline Aston Wilson ’10 served as a panelist on the Alumnae Perspectives Panel for prospective Harpeth Hall parents. The panel is designed for alumnae to share their Harpeth Hall experiences, reflect on their readiness for college, and highlight the ways in which the skills they learned at Harpeth Hall prepared them for their careers.

Morgan Stengel ’05, vice president of development for Giarratana Development Group, led a team of female artists to incorporate art into the construction of Nashville's luxury high-rise, the Alcove, located at 900 Church Street. Morgan’s sister, artist Mary Stengel Bentley ’03, was part of the creative collaboration on the large tile installation on a column in the lobby. Ms. Bentley worked with fellow Harpeth Hall alumna and former New Hat owner Kelly Diehl ’05 to give three-dimensional character to her “Downtown Series.” The three women previously worked together on the design and build of 505, another high-rise on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Church Street. Also, Ms. Stengel was featured in the Nashville Business Journal article “Move Over Old Nashville: They’ve Made a League of Their Own.” She is part of a networking group of Nashville women in commercial real estate who are considered the city's up-and-coming real estate powerhouses.

Glory Beveridge Herring ’08 will join The Children’s Clinic of Nashville this summer, the same practice where her mother, Nancy Graves Beveridge ’80, has worked for 32 years. Dr. Herring graduated from the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine in 2017 and completed her pediatrics residency at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt in 2021. She then worked as a pediatrician for North Augusta Pediatrics in North Augusta, South Carolina, and for Pediatric and Adolescent Associates in Lexington, Kentucky.

Emily Manning ’08 was a Beyond the Plaid alumnae panelist during Reunion 2023. She is a foreign relations specialist for the Office of International Nuclear Security in Washington, D.C. She and her staff liaise with 61 countries on matters concerning nuclear arms, weapons, and energy.

Courtney Vick ’08 was honored as one of the University of Tennessee Knoxville’s 2023 “Volunteer 40 Under 40” for her work with Whataburger and in her community.

Ryllis Lyle ’09 is leading creative efforts for the launch of PayPal's rewards program. She helped establish product voice, language guidelines, and content design for the platform, which will be available to millions of shoppers and PayPal members this year.

Kelsea Best ’11 accepted a position as an assistant professor of urban climate resilience and adaptation disparities in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geodetic Engineering at The Ohio State University. In her new role, she also joins the City and Regional Planning Section of the Knowlton School at the university. Tori Dickerson Foxworth ’12 served as a panelist on the Alumnae Perspectives Panel for prospective Harpeth Hall parents. The panel is designed for alumnae to share their Harpeth Hall experiences, reflect on their readiness for college, and highlight the ways in which the skills they learned at Harpeth Hall prepared them for their careers.

Kathleen Gobbell ’12 was recognized as the Rosamond Gabrielson Staff Nurse of the Year at the Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt for “elevating the practice of nursing through exemplary practice resulting in positive patient outcomes.”

Meredith Manning Griswold ’12 co-founded KG Private Educators in Dallas, Texas. She is an early childhood education professional and, along with her business partner, decided to leave the traditional classroom to offer a more personalized student educational experience. The educators were featured in an issue of Shoutout magazine that recognized up-andcoming entrepreneurial businesses in Dallas.

Ellen Green Hoffman ’04 and Mimi Wallace ’75

Class Notes

Mary Liza Hartong ’12 is a frequent contributor to Vodka Yonic in the Nashville Scene’s arts and culture section. Her recent essays include: “Ode to Dad,“ “Between Christmases,” and “The View From Here.” Ms. Hartong also lent her communication skills to Harpeth Hall’s communications department during the 2022-2023 school year and currently assists with the extended care program.

Taylor Anderson-Barkley ’13 was a Beyond the Plaid alumnae panelist during Reunion 2023. She is a quality assurance analyst for Warner Bros. Discovery Digital Enterprises in Atlanta, Georgia.

Morgan Flynn ’13 graduated from Vanderbilt School of Medicine in May of 2022 and has started her residency at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

Adelaide Morphett ’13 returned to campus during Winterim to speak to several classes and at an upper school assembly. Ms. Morphett works for NewMarket Capital, which manages $2 billion of assets worldwide. She specializes in sustainable finance. Her firm helps free up money for infrastructure — including renewable energy, affordable housing, water, and sanitation — in developing countries. She also works with the United Nations and its Principles for Responsible Investment.

Laurel Cunningham ’15 was selected to join the Moot Court Honor Society at American University Washington College of Law.

Claire Tattersfield ’15 is an assistant editor at Penguin Young Readers. She completed a children’s picture book entitled “Cupig,“ which is scheduled to be published in the fall of 2023.

Saffron Croker ’17 completed her Master of Social Work at the University of Kansas and earned her LMSW licensure for full-time practice. She will begin her career at Cottonwood Springs Mental Health Facility in Olathe, Kansas.

Melissa Baioni ’18 completed an internship with Ernst and Young and is completing her Master of Accounting from the University of Alabama.

This fall, she will join EY’s assurance service practices division in Birmingham, Alabama.

Browning Clark ’19 served on the Alumnae Perspectives Panel for prospective Harpeth Hall parents. The panel is designed for alumnae to share their Harpeth Hall experiences, reflect on their readiness for college, and highlight the ways in which the skills they learned at Harpeth Hall prepared them for their careers. She has accepted a full-time job offer from Deloitte Consulting in New York City following graduation.

Claiborne Fowler ’19 graduated summa cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa from Centre College with a Bachelor of Arts in English. She interned in the Harpeth Hall communications department during the summer of 2023. She will begin her studies in August 2023 at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College to pursue her M.Ed. in human development counseling.

Tess Herzog ’19 graduated Phi Beta Kappa from Rhodes College with a Bachelor of Arts in English and urban studies.

Emily Hollins ’19 is starting her second year as a PharmD candidate at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy.

Meredith Hollins ’19 graduated Magna Cum Laude from the College of Nursing at Auburn University. She will begin her career in the Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s Neurology ICU.

Ella Nelson ’19 was part of the University of Virginia women’s swimming and diving team that became the fifth program to win three consecutive NCAA Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships. She was a member of the champion 800-free relay team, finished second in the 400 individual medley, and earned her third top-three finish in the meet, winning bronze in the 200-yard breaststroke and achieving a personal-best time of 2:04.33, the third-fastest time in school history.

MC Claverie ’20, a senior at Boston College and a Dean's scholar majoring in history with minors in management and leadership and journalism, interned with the Harpeth Hall communications

department during the summers of 2022 and 2023. In July, she left Nashville behind and traveled across the Atlantic Ocean to Europe where she served as a trip counselor for Travel for Teens.

Lydia Crider ’20 released her first single, “Chanel,” which is available on all streaming platforms. She is currently studying music at Tulane University, where she is on the Dean’s List and was awarded the Music Composition Scholarship.

Seville Croker ’20 earned a FulbrightHays Scholarship to travel to Kenya for intensive language study of Swahili and cultural study of East Africa in a global context. She will spend two months of this summer in Nairobi and Kilifi. Ms. Croker was also elected president of Tri Delta Sorority at the University of Kansas.

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Lydia Crider ’20

Leelee Denton ’20, a junior at the U.S. Naval Academy, was named Patriot League Attacker of the Week after tallying 11 goals on 11 shots in the Mids’ backto-back victories over Jacksonville (13-12) and Bucknell (21-13). Ms. Denton later scored a career-high six goals on six shots to lead the Mids to a one-goal victory over the nationally-ranked Dolphins, including the game-winning goal.

Grace Lebo ’20 was part of the University of Virginia’s women's rowing team that won the ACC Championship in May. In addition, as a sophomore, she received the school’s Outstanding Student of Greek Award, and as a junior was named the school's Outstanding Classics Department Student.

Walker McKnight ’20, a junior at Washington and Lee University, helped lead the women's lacrosse team to its 23rd Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) women's lacrosse title and 13th consecutive title. She was named to the All-ODAC Women's Lacrosse second team, marking her second All-ODAC selection. She was named third team as a sophomore. During the 2023 season,

she was also named IWLCA D3 Offensive Player of the Week and ODAC Offensive Player of the Week. One of the team’s top-five in the points category, she had 32 goals and four assists, shooting an impressive 76.2% this year with 95.2% of her takes landing on target. Ms. McKnight and her teammates earned the ODAC’s automatic bid into the NCAA Championships.

Alex Walsh ’20 was part of the University of Virginia women's swimming and diving team that became the fifth program to win three-consecutive NCAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championships. She set a UVA record with her time of 1:50.23 to finish second in the 200-yard butterfly. She finished the week with an NCAA title in the 400-yard IM and a third-place finish in the 200-yard IM. She also swam on four title-winning relays — the 200 medley, the 800 free, the 400 medley, and the 400 free.

Geneva Bass ’21 launched the Tech Accessibility Initiative (TAI), which aims to optimize tech product accessibility improvements by facilitating direct feedback and dialogue between leading

tech companies and students with disabilities. TAI is collaborating with global companies on the initiative, as well as disability alliance student organizations at schools such as Vanderbilt University and Yale University. The initiative is focused on reaching more disability alliances and university affinity groups to connect industries with consumers and build a more accessible world.

Gretchen Walsh ’21 was part of the University of Virginia’s women’s swimming and diving team that became the fifth program to win three-consecutive NCAA Women's Swimming & Diving Championships. She defended her 100yard freestyle win from 2022, finishing in a time of 45.61, about .80 seconds ahead of the field and just hundredths of a second off of Simone Manuel’s NCAA record of 45.56. She also claimed the title in the 100-yard backstroke, finished second in the 50-yard freestyle, and swam on four title-winning relays — the 200 medley, 200 free, 400 medley, and the 400 free.

Miller Clark ’22 (University of Tennessee Knoxville), Lexie Fitzgerald ’22 (University of Tennessee Knoxville), Brantley Holladay ’22 (Pepperdine University), Mackenzie Meyer ’22 (Boston College), and Crissa Portis ’22 (University of Kentucky) spoke on a virtual panel as part of the Harpeth Hall College Counseling Senior Transition to College Series.

The panelists shared their advice with the Class of 2023 about what to expect as they prepare for college life.

Walker McKnight ’20

Allison Bates Smith ’96 son, Henry Blackwood Smith, on Sept. 23, 2022

Cara McIlwaine ’01 daughter, Beatrice Turnbull McIlwaine, on Nov. 27, 2022

Ashton Alexander ’04 daughter, Sloane Alexander Kline, on Jan. 27, 2023

Ellen Green Hoffman ’04 daughter, Lillian Landrum Hoffman, on Jan. 14, 2023

Elizabeth Bradbury McAlpin ’04 daughter, Margaret Davis McAlpin, on Feb. 27, 2023

Elizabeth Triggs Tipton ’04 son, Edward Hughes Tipton Jr., on April 17, 2023

Allison Milam Diehl ’05 son, Miles Riley Diehl, on Dec. 21, 2022

Claire Burks Davis ’07 daughter, Margaret ’Maggie’ Burks Davis, on Jan. 9, 2023

Caroline Tanner Everett ’07 son, Thomas Randolph Everett, on Oct. 5, 2022

Cari McDonald Hutchins ’07 daughter, Elouise Hutchins, on Oct. 23, 2022

Kathryn Harvey Moore ’07 daughter, Amelia ’Millie’ Grace Moore, on Oct. 2, 2022

Reed Pankey ’07 son, Oliver Reid Scholtec, on Nov. 30, 2021

Barbara Pritchett White ’07 son, Tate Martin White, on Oct. 10, 2022

Bethea Patterson Schoenfeld ’08 daughter, Clare Holleman Schoenfeld, on Nov. 30, 2022

Maddie Garrett Walsh ’08 daughter, Lily James Walsh, on Oct. 1, 2022

Meredith Was Kocher ’09 daughter, Audrey Elizabeth Kocher, on Dec. 6, 2022

Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09 son, Llewyn Duncan Read, on Jan. 2, 2023

Sarah Peacock Speake ’09 son, Everett Francis Speake, on Nov. 10, 2022

Hannah Claybrook Gibbs ’10 son, Cooper Pickslay Gibbs, on Jan. 12, 2023

Annalee Mueck Cate ’11 daughter, Charlie Anne Cate, on Dec. 1, 2022

Saxby Wiles ’11 daughter, Valerie Wiles Thomas, on Nov. 10, 2022

Taylor Heinze McManus ’12 son, Benjamin ‘Ben’ Noel McManus, on Dec. 23, 2022

Laura Lee Singer Medrano ’13 daughter, Lucille “Lucy” Elizabeth Medrano on Feb. 21, 2023

Kynlie Freeman Reames ’13 son, Crew Thomas Reames, on May 2, 2023

Mia Brady Dean ’14 daughter, Daisy James Dean, on April 22, 2023

Mary Hannah Gentry Winslett ’14 son, Miller Gentry Winslett, on Jan. 11, 2023

Y’Yemaya Boyd ’17 daughter, I’lyla Edith Lynne Alexander, on Nov. 17, 2022

We welcome photos in our Class Notes, Marriages, and Births sections. We prefer high resolution, 300 dpi jpegs. Email your digital photos to Alumnae Relations Manager Elena Carro at elena.carro@harpethhall.org.

Beatrice Turnbull McIlwaine

Lillian Landrum Hoffman

Lily James Walsh

Henry Blackwood Smith

Llewyn Duncan Read

Valerie Wiles Thomas

Millie Grace Moore

Maggie Burks Davis

Everett Francis Speake

Oliver Reid Scholtec

Charlie Ann Cate

Audrey Elizabeth Kocher

Thomas Randolph Everett

I’Iyla Edith Lynne Alexander

Tate Martin White

Lindsay Voigt ’99 to Pettus Randall on June 4, 2022

Macie Garrett ’04 to Justin Griffin on March 11, 2023

Alice Campbell ’05 to Robert Brackenbury on Feb. 25, 2023

Elle Worsham ’05 to Reagan Pugh on July 9, 2022

Anne Walker Harrison ’06 to Robert Norman Wilson III on May 21, 2022

Murray Benson ’07 to Andrew Dick on March 25, 2023

Sally Anne Harrell ’07 to Samantha McPherson on Nov. 12, 2022

Blythe Cate ’09 to Harrison Bryant on Oct. 22, 2022

Neely Duffey ’11 to Alexander Simon on May 28, 2022

Suzanne Gill ’11 to Molly Cook on Feb. 18, 2023

Emma Dedman ’12 to Julian Caithness on Oct. 29, 2022

Claire Johnson '12 to Alex Anthony Trevino on June 25, 2022

Hayley Mowery '12 to Daniel Anderson on May 22, 2022

Camille Philpot '12 to Edward Wilson on Jan. 7, 2023

Sarah Allen Ray ’12 to Nicholas Piccone on Dec. 31, 2022

Sarah Abel '13 to Andrew McNicholas on Dec. 3, 2022

Kate Beuter ’13 to Jack Trapani on April 15, 2023

Jenna Moses ’13 to Andrew Hoffmeister on May 13, 2023

Emma Snow ’13 to Ferriss Bailey on Oct. 22, 2022

Molly Crofford ’14 to Will Turner on Dec. 17, 2022

Hannah Peterson '14 to Bronson Meskimen on Nov. 12, 2022

Lois Efionayi ’15 to Olamide Peter Sonubi on Dec. 4, 2022

Grace Farrar ’15 to Logan Scott on May 6, 2023

Anne Davis Parks '15 to Timothy Jacob Vander Have on Oct. 1, 2022

Blythe Cate Bryant

Claire Johnson Trevino

Sarah Abel McNicholas

Molly Crofford Turner with Harpeth Hall Alumnae

Jenna Moses Hoffmeister

Anne Walker Harrison Wilson Macie Garrett Griffin

Murray Benson Dick

Lucianne Forcum Wilt of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away on May 9, 2023. She served as a Harpeth Hall trustee from 1991-1994. Born in Dyersburg, Tennessee, she was raised in Russellville, Kentucky with her three siblings. Mrs. Wilt attended Hollins College and later graduated from the University of Tennessee before moving to Nashville. Here, she made her home for most of the next 50 years, raising her three children with her husband, Toby S. Wilt, and later becoming a grandmother

to 15. Along the way, she chaired the boards of several organizations, including Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt and Cumberland Heights. She also served on the board of the U.S. Senior Women’s Golf Association and the Forcum-Lannom Construction Company. She is survived by her husband and children Lissa Ezell Watkins ’94 (Jay), Clay Ezell (Vadis Turner ’95), Jeffrey Ezell (Emily), Fleming Wilt (Dallas Hagewood Wilt ’86), Jodi Wilt Banks ’91 (Mark), and TJ Wilt, as well as her brother, Buck Forcum, and many beloved grandchildren, nieces, nephews, and devoted friends and fans.

IN MEMORIAM — ALUMNAE

Caroline Sandlin Fullerton C’38 of Advance, North Carolina, passed away June 18, 2022. She was a professor at Wake Forest University. She is survived by her son, grandson, niece, and many grandnieces and nephews.

Florence "Winky" Andrews Chesnutt Friedrichs C’44* of Pleasant Green, Missouri, passed away Sept. 3, 2022. She will be remembered as an artist and historian with boundless enthusiasm and curiosity. She is survived by three sons, one daughter, six grandchildren, two great-granddaughters, and step-children.

Anne Douglass White C’44* of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Dec. 9, 2022. She was named Metro Nashville Teacher of the Year in 1982 and received several Tennessee Teacher-of-the-Year Certificates of Appreciation. She is survived by many relatives, including Jennie Graves Bowman ’69.

Elizabeth "Betty Bruce" Cate Collins ’46 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Feb. 17, 2023. She was a lifetime member of West End Methodist Church. She is survived by her daughter Elizabeth Collins ’72, three sons, five grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, her sister-in-law, Debby Luton Cate ’52, and her nieces and nephews.

Ellen Warner Hudson ’46 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away March 20, 2023. Ellen was a charter member of Westminster Presbyterian Church and was active in many community organizations. She is survived by her son, daughter Katie Hudson Regan ’71, daughter-in-law Lili Wright Hudson ’77, two grandsons, two granddaughters including Ellen Regan Fink ’06, four great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews.

Eugenia “Gene Allen” Kennedy Rose ’46 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away on Dec. 9, 2022. She was involved in many community organizations. She is survived by three sons, daughter Vernon Rose ’71, daughter-in-law Gay Goodroe Rose ’69, grandchildren including Coe Peterman Heard ’03, and great-grandchildren.

Amelia Johns Goar Trickett ’46 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Jan. 13, 2023. She was active in the community and was a voracious reader with a love of learning. She is survived by her stepson, two step-daughters Gail Trickett Trapp ’69 and Laura Trickett Riley ’70, grandchildren including Louise Riley Beasley ’00, Margaret Riley King ’03, and Liza Trickett Averbuch ’04, and 19 great-grandchildren.

Emily Finklea Kelly ’47 C’49* of Charlotte, North Carolina, passed away Jan. 27, 2023. She enjoyed gardening, nature, travel, and was involved with the Girl Scouts. She is survived by three daughters, six grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren.

Sara Harris Nelson ’47 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Nov. 5, 2022. She was a founding member of St. George’s Episcopal Church and spent many summers at the Monteagle Sunday School Assembly. She loved the outdoors and hiking, as well as foreign travel. She is survived by her daughters Becky Nelson ’74 and Sara-Scott Nelson Wingo ’80, her son, four granddaughters, one grandson, and nieces and nephews.

Betty Jo Fuller Dutton C’49* of Shreveport, Louisiana, passed away Nov. 15, 2022. Betty had many interests, including photography, fishing, nature, and music. She is survived by her son, daughter, sister, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Janie Capps Macey ’49 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Dec. 25, 2022. She taught Vanderbilt nursing students for over 20 years. She is survived by her daughter Mari Margaret Macey Clausen ’76, her son, five grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Alice Casey Mathews ’49 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away March 7, 2023. She was a prolific community volunteer and educator. She is survived by two sons, her daughter Lise Mathews Bohannon ’76, 11 grandchildren including Allie Bohannon ’04 and Elizabeth Bohannon ’06, and sister-in-law Martha Casey Winston ’54.

Mary Jane "Jinx" Bull Morris C’49* of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away Dec. 27, 2022. She is survived by her son, daughter, three granddaughters, three grandsons, and two great-grandchildren.

Lois Guinn Yelton C’49* of Erwin, Tennessee, passed away March 7, 2023. She is survived by her daughter, son, six grandchildren, and several great-grandchildren.

Lue Edna “Lue Eddie” Diver Barndollar ’51 of Coffeyville, Kansas, passed away Oct. 25, 2022. Joining Coffeyville Community College in 1978 as an English instructor, she received that institution’s first Distinguished Professor award in 1985. She is survived by two sons, two daughters, eight grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Alma Margaret “Peggie” Dismuke Hall C’51* of Albuquerque, New Mexico, passed away March 22, 2023. She taught physical education for many years. Peggie is survived by her son, her daughter, six grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren.

Lovelyn English Hughes C’51* of Colorado Springs, Colorado, passed away May 4, 2023. She is survived by her husband, daughter, son, and three grandchildren.

Ann Blair Adams Parke C’51* of Little Rock, Arkansas, passed away Feb. 19, 2023. She trained in opera for most of her life and loved music. She is survived by two sons, one daughter, five grandchildren, and five great-grandchildren.

* Ward-Belmont College

IN MEMORIAM — ALUMNAE

Lee Ann Allen Hawkins C’53 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away peacefully on April 1, 2023. She was an accomplished artist and a creative spirit. She is survived by three daughters, including Mary Hawkins ’76, one son, daughter-in-law Elizabeth Robbins Hawkins ’82, five grandchildren, including Mary Allen Vanasten ’00, Caroline Hawkins ’12, and Eliza Hawkins ’17, and two great-grandchildren.

Susan Joy Moore ’53 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Oct. 15, 2021. She is survived by three sons, grandchildren, and many relatives.

Mary Ready Weaver Parrent Taylor ’53 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Nov. 22, 2022. She enjoyed an active role as the wife of an Episcopal priest in the numerous parishes her husband served in Maryland, California, Kentucky, Illinois, Indiana, and Tennessee, including St. George’s Episcopal Church in Nashville. She is survived by her husband, one daughter, one son, four grandchildren, including Avery Taylor ’18 and Eleanor Taylor ’22, and one sister.

Ann Hampton "Bug" Bradford Tharp ’53 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Jan. 14, 2023. She believed in continuing education and was especially fond of her time in Monteagle, Tennessee. She is survived by three daughters, Kent Ewing Ballow ’77, Christie Ewing Rolon ’79, and Ann Ewing ’80, a son, brother, nieces, five grandchildren, and one great-granddaughter.

Jacqueline Breeding Waygood ’53, of Summerville, South Carolina, passed away May 14, 2022. She loved reading, golfing, and rescuing animals, especially dogs. She is survived by her son, daughter, two grandchildren, and one great-grandchild.

Gertrude Sharp Caldwell ’54 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away April 25, 2023. She was involved in many community organizations. Most notably, she was honored for her work with the YWCA. She is survived by two daughters, one son, six grandchildren, a great-granddaughter, and nieces and nephews.

Mary Alice Quinn ’54 of Memphis, Tennessee, passed away March 25, 2023. She worked for the Commercial Appeal for her entire career and retired as assistant managing editor. She is survived by her cousins and extended family.

Gardner Orr Smith ’54 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Aug. 13, 2022. She volunteered for many organizations and was secretly the newspaper society writer. She is survived by her husband, one son, two daughters including Gigi Smith Whitfield ’83, her sisters Annie Orr Trost ’57, Alice Orr ’59, and Ruth Orr Napier ’63, as well as her brother, and six grandchildren.

Mary Gilbert “Polly” Armistead Cummins ’57 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away March 11, 2023. She was active in many community organizations. She is survived by her daughters Elizabeth Cummins ’85 and Devereux Cummins Pollock ’86, one son, her grandchildren, including granddaughters Grace Pollock ’15 and Louisa Cummins ’29, and her sister-in-law Susan Cummins Tuke ’65.

Martha Parrent Pomerleau ’58 of Spokane, Washington, passed away April 29, 2023. She volunteered with many community organizations. She is survived by her husband and son.

Elinor Berger Peek ’60 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away April 17, 2023. She was a lifelong volunteer, enjoyed art and creative activities, and was a St. George’s Episcopal Church member. She is survived by her son, daughter, and sister Shirley Berger Lechleiter ’49.

Barbara Nordholt Reynolds ’61 of Leesburg, Virginia passed away July 16, 2022. She is survived by her son and grandchildren.

Elizabeth "Betsy" Maddin Baylor ’63 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Jan. 3, 2023. She devoted her life to education, serving as a librarian in Metropolitan Nashville Public Schools for many years. She is survived by many cousins.

Catherine “Cathy” Hamilton Barksdale ’65 of Franklin, Tennessee, passed away Dec. 6, 2022. She had a career as a paralegal and was an active member of St. George’s Episcopal Church. She is survived by her daughter, her brother and sister, her step-grandchildren, her nieces, nephew, and great-nieces.

Linda "Ricki" Sims Baer ’68 of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Feb. 17, 2023. She had a lifelong love of nature and animals and was a skilled professional therapist. She is survived by her husband, mother, sister Suzanne Sims Haizlip ’70, brother, and nieces and nephews.

Elizabeth “Betsy” Campbell Daley ’68 of Tallahassee, Florida, passed away March 3, 2022. She worked as a reporter for three newspapers and later had a career as an attorney. She is survived by her husband, one daughter, one son, and four grandchildren.

Stephanie Owen Fowlkes ’68 of Cornersville, Tennessee, passed away May 11, 2023. She was involved in the Giles County community and raised a world-renowned line of Jack Russell Terriers. She is survived by her husband, two daughters, two granddaughters, and a daughter-in-law.

Elva Hollins "Holly" Thomison Palmer ’68 of Evanston, Illinois, passed away June 17, 2022. She was an accomplished painter, gardener, and animal lover. She is survived by her husband, son, daughter, grandson, sister Mary Ann Thomison Zink ’63, and two brothers.

Elizabeth Leigh Buntin Johnson ’75 of Birmingham, Alabama, passed away Dec. 7, 2022. She was involved in her church and school community and enjoyed board games, fishing, and spending time with her grandchildren. She is survived by her husband, daughter Argie Johnson Campbell ’06, son, three granddaughters, one grandson, sister Shelby Buntin ’76, and nieces Betsy Buntin Rossi ’04 and Allison Buntin Snavely ’07.

Lauren Muller ’77 of San Francisco, California, passed away Feb. 9, 2023. She was a professor and the chair of the interdisciplinary studies department at the City College of San Francisco. She is survived by her mother, sister, and daughter. Kelly Mercy Neely ’78 of Crossville, Tennessee, passed away Feb. 19, 2023. She was a member of Fairfield Glade United Methodist Church. She is survived by her husband, mother, son, and granddaughter.

Lauren Stephanie Coleman ’02 of Kissimmee, Florida, passed away on Feb. 19, 2023. She is survived by her brother, sister-in-law, and nephew.

Elizabeth Oldham "Izzy" Essary ’15 of Los Angeles, California, passed away unexpectedly March 29, 2023. She worked at the University of Southern California as an intern in the Reformed University Fellowship program, followed by influencer management at Sway Social. She will be remembered for her lively and spontaneous sense of humor, unconditional love for her friends and family, and deep faith. She is survived by her parents, sister Laura Catherine Essary ’20, grandmother, and aunts.

The Annual Fund

From the excitement of Opening Convocation to the cherished traditions of Step Singing and Graduation on Souby Lawn, the 2022-23 school year was punctuated with our students’ accomplishments. We are so proud of our talented and confident young women and grateful for the faculty, staff, and coaches who are dedicated to their growth and success.

Thanks to our 2022-23 Annual Fund Chairs Barbara and Greg Hagood, their team of volunteers, and to our 2,300 donors whose generous contributions achieved another big win for Harpeth Hall this year — and one that has served as a catalyst for creativity, innovation, and excellence in and out of the classroom.

$2.6

million dollars raised