Fall 2022 Hockaday Magazine

FINDING YOUR VOICE

Hockaday’s writing program aims to help girls find joy in the power of expression

Believing in the inherent worth and dignity of all people, The Hockaday School is committed, within the context of its educational mission, to build and maintain an inclusive community that respects the diversity of race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, family composition, socioeconomic status, and talents of its members. This commitment to diversity and inclusion is vital to educating and inspiring Hockaday students to lead lives of purpose and impact as resilient, confident women.

FEATURES

World Peace Game A special gift from the Class of 1972

Lifelong Learning How Hockaday’s dedicated faculty spent their summer

Finding

Hockaday Magazine A Publication of The Hockaday School

More than a century of individuals involved with the Hockaday community — students, faculty, staff, alumnae, parents, grandparents, and friends — have a positive impact on one another and the world in which we live.

Hockaday Magazine, published biannually by The School’s Communications Office, strives to articulate that impact — in the past, in the present, and in planning for the future. The magazine also seeks to highlight the activities of The School and its alumnae, as well as to help define and analyze topics facing our entire community.

EDITOR Sara Stoltz Director of Communications

PHOTOGRAPHY

Sally Hudspeth ’87 Associate Director of Communications

DESIGNER

Laura Webb Creative Manager

CONTRIBUTORS

Jane Clark (Class of 2023)

Melody Hu (Class of 2023)

PERSPECTIVES

When I was a child, I loved writing. I clearly remember a notebook with lines on the page’s bottom and space to draw at the top. I spent hours crafting stories and illustrating them. I would then leave the notebook on the kitchen table for my mom, who would read my writing, leave me notes, and ask questions about my stories. However, as I got older, writing was something I only did in school in response to a prompt or for an essay assignment. Writing became something I had to do rather than something I wanted to do, and the creativity was lost along the way. As a biochemistry major in college, writing was not a big part of my daily work. That changed in graduate school as I worked on my doctoral dissertation. I remember writing for hours, struggling to put complex scientific data into words and sentences that others could understand.

Nowadays, my writing seems to fall into two distinct categories – handwritten notes on beautiful stationery and messages written on computers and phones, where I tap away on a keyboard. As an adult, writing handwritten notes brings me the most joy. I love writing a message to say thank you, congratulations, or thinking about you, and I relish the idea that mail landing in someone’s mailbox might cause them to smile or brighten their day. I love receiving notes in the mail or on my desk and value this method of connecting with others.

As the Interim Eugene McDermott Head of School, I was not expecting writing to be such a critical part of my job, but it is. I spend much of my time drafting emails to faculty, staff, parents, and other community members. Throughout the semester, I spend hours writing feedback for my Chemistry students and organizing my thoughts and remarks for upcoming events. Writing often helps me develop and clarify my thoughts and ideas as I write and rewrite before pressing send on an email or reading my remarks to a group.

As you read this issue, you will learn about the multifaceted writing program at Hockaday, and how it spans across all disciplines and divisions. Our dedicated faculty have made it a priority to teach our girls the art of communication, which starts as soon as they step foot on campus.

A few highlights from this issue include:

• Learning about the incredible projects and work our faculty and staff undertook over the summer

• Cheering on our Upper School athletes at SPC weekend

• Hearing about Hockaday’s writing program across divisions

• ...and more!

I hope you enjoy this issue as much as I have.

My best, Dr.

Laura Leathers

Interim Eugene McDermott Head of School

26 SENIORS NAMED 2022 NATIONAL MERIT SEMIFINALISTS

Twenty-six seniors were named National Merit Semifinalists in the 68th annual National Merit Scholarship Program, a national academic competition for recognition and scholarship that began in 1955. The semifinalists are: Isabel Bhasin, Liya Chen, Madeline Chun, Sophia Clavenna, Jayna Dave, Nina Dave, Martha Duncan, Neha Gottimukkala, Ela Guo, Avani Haden, Charlotte Hamilton, Jordan Hanna, Zoya Haq, Lauren Kocurek, Sonali Konda, Victoria Li, Sherry Long, Traci Lu, Madeline Muller, Eesha Neunaha, Olivia Park, Sydney Slay, Ava Stern, Ayla Sumer, Elizabeth Warren, and Claire Zhu

STUDENT FILMS RECOGNIZED

Emily McShane (Class of 2025), Helen Railsback (Class of 2024), Stella Fish (Class of 2028), Frances Wang (Class of 2028) and Joyce Jin (Class of 2028) produced films that were accepted as Official Selections into the All American High School Film Festival in New York. Each film was screened before an audience at the festival in October.

STUDENT NAMED NATIONAL CHAMPION

M.K. Connatser (Class of 2028) was named the National Champion in the 13 & Under division of the United States Equestrian Federation Dressage Seat Medal Finals and the National Champion in the Pony Rider Division at the recent United States Dressage Festival of Champions in Chicago.

33 SENIORS NAMED COMMENDED STUDENTS

Thirty-three students from the Class of 2023 have been selected as Commended Students in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship program. These students are among 34,000 high schoolers recognized throughout the nation as the top 50,000 scoring students who entered the competition by taking the 2021 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. These students include: Aishwarya Anbuchezhiyan, Payton Arbaugh, Mary Bello, Lucy Cao, Wendy Cao, Lillian Castrillon, Jane Clark, Rebecca Cong, Alexandra Crosnoe, Carmen Duque-Diaz, Savannah Frederiksen, Christy Guan, Asha Gudipaty, Maia Hartley, Virginia Hohenshelt, Melody Hu, Antoinette Hurley, Lola Isom, Amber Li, Lauren Li, Molly McPhail, Phoebe Miller, Katelyn Nguyen, Mili Pathak, Sarah Tang, Meera Thamaran, Ava Tribolet, Peggy Wang, Alexandra Weinmeister, Tianxin Xie, Riley Yuan, Sarah Zhou, and Caroline Zimmer.

FORM IV STUDENT ARTWORK ON DISPLAY

Artwork by Meera Thamaran (Class of 2023) was featured in an exhibition titled “Color Study” at the Coppell Arts Center this fall. With a dual focus on abstract and realistic art, her work depicts themes using acrylic paint and acrylic ink on canvas, wood, and tile as a stand-alone composition or diptych.

LOWER SCHOOL LANGUAGE FUN

In Lower School, the World Languages faculty have created a new program that continues the study of both French and Spanish into the First Grade. First Graders learn both languages simultaneously and travel back and forth from France to Spain to learn! The students use their passports to enter the country they are visiting to practice their language skills.

SEVENTH GRADE HEADS TO WASHINGTON DC

Seventh Graders spent an incredible week in Williamsburg, VA and Washington, D.C. this fall. They visited Jamestown Settlement, Ford’s Theatre, the International Spy Museum, the Jefferson, Martin Luther King, Jr. and World War II memorials, Arlington National Cemetery, the National Archives, museums, and more!

CHOIR STUDENTS HONORED

Laya Ragunathan (Class of 2024) won second place in the Broadway/Musical Theatre/Jazz category of the American Protégé International Vocal Competition and will head to New York City in June to perform at the Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall. Zoe Bennett (Class of 2026) was selected to sing with The Dallas Opera in their upcoming performance of Hansel and Gretel Aneeka Misra (Class of 2026) auditioned and won fifth chair in the Texas Music Educators’ Association All-Region.

STUDENT WINS COMMENDATION IN ESSAY COMPETITION

Peggy Wang (Class of 2023) was given a high commendation for her essay in the Economics category of the John Locke Global Essay Competition. Essay prizes were judged by senior academics from the University of Oxford, and 97 essays were recognized out of more than 1,600.

PIANIST FEATURED

Kaitlyn Ouyang (Class of 2027) was featured as a soloist at the Texas State International Piano Festival’s opening concert performing with the Central Texas Philharmonic Orchestra, following her win at the Festival’s Concerto competition. She was also invited to play in the Fine Arts Chamber Players’ Basically Beethoven Festival as a Rising Star in July.

STUDENT NAMED HONEYBEE PRINCESS

Ayla Sumer (Class of 2023) was recently featured in the Preston Hollow Advocate and Plano Magazine for her work with the Collin County Hobby Beekeepers Association program. Her position as Honeybee Princess of Collin County involves giving presentations about bees, often with a live beehive, at schools, chamber meetings and the like. As a beekeeper, she maintains two hives in her backyard. Through the Institute for Social Impact, she partnered with Joppy Momma’s Farms in South Dallas to install hives. The farm, which grows vegetables and raises chickens in the food-desert community, is in the process of adding honeybees as another food and revenue source.

FORM IV DESIGNATED SCHOLARS

Several Class of 2023 students were recognized for excelling on College Board assessments and in their classrooms. National African American Recognition Award winners include Ambyr Baker, Mary Bello, Elle Chavis, Megan Manning, and Caraday Martin. National Hispanic Recognition Award winners include Lillian Castrillon, Maria Del Carmen Duque-Diaz, Miranda Jefferds, Victoria Pereira, and Caroline Zimmer.

STUDENT EARNS HIGHEST SCORE POSSIBLE

Kimberly Zhang (Class of 2024) not only received the top score of 5 on the 2022 AP Computer Science A Exam but was also one of only 369 students in the world to earn every point possible on the test.

National African American Recognition Award Winners

National Hispanic Recognition Award Winners

CLASS OF 1972 GIFTS WORLD PEACE GAME

Geo-Political simulation game brings real-world experience to students

by MELISSA CURTIS, Director of Auxiliary Programs

When the Class of 1972 began brainstorming the gift they would give to Hockaday in celebration of their 50th Reunion, little did they know the impact and reach their gift would have. Constance Melrose ’72 shared that in a class Zoom call in 2021, classmate Catharine Baldwin ’72 introduced the idea of a student experience called the World Peace Game, of which Catharine is an experienced facilitator. Interests were piqued, and the conversation evolved into the question – why not at Hockaday? The idea of the World Peace Game as the class gift became a reality, an idea that united the class in enthusiasm to give back in the realm of life skills and knowledge. “Making the World Peace Game our 50th Reunion gift united the class in enthusiasm to give back in the realm of life skills and knowledge,” said Christie Kelton Leach ’72.

The World Peace Game, invented by master teacher John Hunter, is a geo-political simulation fully engages students’ minds and hearts as 25 to 35 student participants are chosen for various leadership positions across four simulated countries with real issues. The game also includes international organizations such as the World Bank, the United Nations, the Legal Counsel, and the Arms Dealers. A Weather Entity determines the outcomes of random events such as hurricanes and stock market fluctuations. There is even a Saboteur, a student who plays two roles, one of which is to secretly undermine all efforts to win the game. All participants explore the interconnection of the global community through the lens of 50 interlocking economic, social, and environmental crises that exist in outer space, air space, ground and sea, all under the threat of imminent war.

If you were to observe the World Peace Game in action, you would see the students sorting through chaos, handling failure, and looking within themselves to decide what course of action to take as they consider three basic questions: can they afford the cost of the actions they choose; can they accept the consequences of the decisions they make; do their actions make sense. The game is won when all crises are solved, and each country has increased its initial net asset value. “It’s harrowing to watch, but every time the game is played, the students’ own wisdom, creativity, and compassion emerge and save the planet,” said Robin Moyle, Executive Director of the World Peace Game Foundation.

The summer World Peace Games were the beginning of a continued partnership with the World Peace Game Foundation and Hockaday that will continue to include summer camps,

adoption into the Hockaday curriculum, and using Hockaday as a training site for future World Peace Game facilitators. Middle School faculty member Renee Laffitte and Dean of Studies Barbara Fishel participated in the master class and will be bringing the World Peace Game to Middle School students this winter.

“This gift was timely, it was student-centered, and it has longevity,” said Melissa Curtis, Director of Auxiliary Programs. “The generous gift from the Class of 1972 will continue to provide Hockaday students, Summer at Hockaday participants, and educators this experience for many years to come.”

“In a world that seems increasingly fragmented, tools for addressing today’s and tomorrow’s challenges, such as communication and collaboration, are deeply needed,” said Constance Melrose ’72.

Perhaps the best reflection from student participants was, “I learned that if you get a different point of view, you might be able to solve the problem better; peace is always possible; actions have consequences; and never, ever give up!”

The Class of 1972 would like to thank Hockaday staff member Victor Torres for his craftsmanship and time in constructing a beautiful World Peace Game structure (pictured above).

LIFELONG LEARNING

ROCKY MOUNTAIN BIOLOGICAL LABORATORY

By Jessie Crowley, Upper School Science teacher

Twelve Form II, III, and IV students had the opportunity to end their summer exploring the unique flora and fauna of montane ecosystems in Gothic, Colorado. Students joined Hockaday faculty for the inaugural trip to work with scientists and staff at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), an internationally renowned field station in the heart of the Colorado Rockies.

DAY ONE

The drastic change in elevation from 430’ to 9500’ didn’t slow down our Daisies! We started with an activity called the “Zen of Ecology,” where students were asked to isolate themselves from each other (and their phones) to open all their senses to the surrounding stands of aspen trees, mountain streams, and meadows. Students recorded their observations in field journals and later shared their insights and questions.

DAY TWO

Despite waking up before dawn, students were energized to work with ecologist Dr. Rosemary Smith and her small mammal research project. Dr. Smith studies several species of burying beetles in the genus Nicrophorus, which is Greek for “carrier of the dead.” Pairs of these beetles will search for recently deceased small mammals like rodents to bury with their eggs, providing a delicious and nutritious meal for newly hatched young. Dr. Smith conducts small mammal trapping studies to understand how these species’ distributions impact burying beetle populations. We set off early that morning to check traps and record data on the animals caught before releasing them. Then, we joined Dr. Rick Williams to learn more about the onsite herbarium and skull collections.

Hockaday’s dedicated faculty spent their summers developing curriculum, learning with students, and traveling the world.

THREE

We spent the morning with stream ecologist Mairead Brogan collecting and identifying the invertebrates that call nearby mountain streams home. Students assessed the Family Biotic Index, a scale that can tell you the quality of an environment by identifying the types and abundances of specific organisms in a collected sample. They identified species of mayfly larvae, planaria, dragonfly/damselfly larvae, and stonefly larvae, then toured the Surface Atmosphere Integrated Field Laboratory, a mobile atmospheric observatory.

DAYS FOUR AND FIVE

Students paired with researchers to collaborate and design a field investigation. Caroline Warlick (Class of 2024) and Christy Guan (Class of 2023) studied the impacts of climate change on plant communities, Afton Juracek (Class of 2025) and Riley Yuan (Class of 2023) studied marmot behavior, Martha Duncan (Class of 2023) and Emmy Madden (Class of 2024) studied stream ecology, Tianxin Xie (Class of 2023) and Madalena Ritz-Meuret (Class of 2025) studied plant-soil interactions, Alexis Fan (Class of 2025) and Kate Gonzalez (Class of 2025) studied invasive species as well as ground squirrel burrow distribution, and Maggie Coleman (Class of 2024) and Emily Santos (Class of 2023) studied spatial ecology using drones. Students worked one-on-one with their scientists to develop questions, collect data, and learn how to effectively communicate their results.

Our final day was spent either hiking Mt. Avery or Copper Creek Trail. Many of us were sad to see our time at RMBL end, but we took with us increased knowledge of ecosystem science. We are looking forward to next year’s adventure!

Summer Study Grant, the duo created an integrated study of Art, Music, and Literature of the Harlem Renaissance, which will be taught in the spring in Lower School in coordination with Lori Ott.

The Harlem Renaissance, an era that spanned the end of WWI until the 1940s, marked an intense period of creativity by African American artists, musicians, writers, poets, and activists. The legacy of the Harlem Renaissance continues to shape American thought and art to this very day.

ART, MUSIC, AND LITERATURE OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

Fine Arts teachers Christina Brandt and Denise Jones attended a conference about the Harlem Renaissance hosted by Washington and Lee University in Lexington, VA this past summer, and out of that experience grew a cross-curricular Art and Music experience for Fourth Grade students. Through a Hockaday Curriculum

“Our experience at Washington and Lee University was amazing,” said Mrs. Brandt. “We spent the week absorbed in the creativity and political thoughts of the Harlem Renaissance artists and philosophers. The professors who specialized in the African American Humanities from different universities led lectures, hosted movies, and performed jazz. Each day we learned about new artists, musicians, writers, and their influences. This conference gave us a greater depth of knowledge as we developed the unit of study to share with our students. The seminar added to our excitement about teaching this important, and often overlooked, era of America’s cultural history.”

MASTER GARDENERS

Hockaday supported Lower School faculty members Dr. Eric Inboden, Cici Hanson ’84, Sarah Grip, and Lara Guerra, who used the summer to work toward the required 50 hours of volunteer time needed to officially become certified as Dallas County Master Gardeners. Dr. Inboden also worked to spread shredded bark and tree trimmings over the garden to eliminate the grass, simplify care for maintenance, and give the garden a cohesive look. In addition to manual labor, he developed a new curriculum for Spanish and French students in Third and Fourth Grades, which focuses on the development of language skills through active learning and student-created visual displays in the garden.

“We are teaching the students how to use functional and relevant language to learn difficult concepts in French and Spanish grammar, like noun and adjective agreement or the conjugation of verbs,” said Mr. Inboden. “We are using the garden as a visual display for the students to actively participate in the learning process. Students will learn how to conjugate verbs by actively doing the ‘actions’ of those verbs in the garden.”

This fall, Fourth Grade students planted marigolds, which bloomed in time for the Day of the Dead. Students used these flowers to build an altar to recognize the cultural significance of this holiday in Mexico and other parts of the Spanish-speaking world.

A DREAM COME TRUE

Fine Arts teacher Yung-Fang Ludford made her Carnegie Hall debut in July alongside her two daughters: Vivian Ludford ’11, cello, and Lilian Ludford ’13, violin. “As an international lyric soprano and a music educator, this is truly a dream come true to perform on this prestigious stage,” said Ms. Ludford. “The acoustics of the concert hall and the professionalism of the management and stage team were no doubt the best in the world.”

Her Carnegie concert featured a unique blend of East and West repertoire, which is an application of her deep belief of culturefusion: from Puccini’s Italian Aria, Strauss’s German Lieder, Faure’s Latin Requiem, African American Spirituals, to Chinese and Taiwanese Folk Songs and Art Songs, as well as new music of 21st-century composers.

“My finale was a Chinese Art Song titled “Thriving,” with my daughters Vivian and Lilian,” she said. “With Hockaday’s mission

statement in mind, this song depicts the resilience of one’s life, just like a tree, it grows deeper and stronger by the challenges of thorns and storms. And we give thanks for our dreams flying high in this rich soil.”

A WEEK OF ONE’S OWN

UPPER SCHO OL ENGLISH TEACHER DR. JENNIFER BOULANGER IS WORKING ON HER FIRST NOVEL ABOUT THE ROMANCE BETWEEN QUEEN GUINEVERE AND SIR LANCELOT, AND SPENT A WEEK THIS SUMMER IN OXFORD, UK, WRITING IN INSPIRING MEDIEVAL SPACES AROUND THE CITY. OVER THE COURSE OF THE WEEK, SHE DRAFTED ALMOST 30 PAGES OF WRITING AND OUTLINED SEVERAL FURTHER CHAPTERS AND SCENES.

My office this morning is a long, wooden pew that rests silently along the cool, stone wall of the cloister at Christ Church College, Oxford. The pew no doubt has provided refuge for centuries of contemplative scholars, who paced the cloister in search of inspiration. Their presence seems soaked in the wood, and I try to draw upon their collective minds for my own inspiration while scribbling ideas into my new, red Moleskine notebook.

Guinevere needs to have banished Lancelot from Camelot, I realize, as I gaze absently at a group of plump pigeons splashing and cooing congenially in the cloister’s fountain. That would explain why he’s not at court when Meleagant kidnaps her. Looking up from my notebook, I smile at a pair of tourists in Harry Potter robes giddily filming a TikTok video and am reminded that Christ Church was a filming location for Hogwarts.

This quintessentially medieval space makes the ideal setting for a scene in my novel. That’s right—I am writing a novel. Part of me is convinced that if I keep saying this aloud—to myself, to family and friends, to strangers on the train—I will manifest it as truth and become a Real Author. Technically, of course, I am a real author; I’ve published articles, presented conference papers, even written an entire dissertation. But this is different—now I’m trying to adapt one of my favorite King Arthur stories into a novel. Chrétien de Troyes’s Knight of the Cart is one of the earliest medieval romances about the love affair between Queen Guinevere and Sir Lancelot, and I’m hoping to capture Chrétien’s magic while also bringing light to some of the shadowy corners of his story.

I have come to Oxford with the sole purpose of writing, spending each day in a different, inspiring space. For a haunting scene when Lancelot confronts his mortality in the church that houses his tomb, I sit for hours in Christ Church Cathedral, breathing that space into life on the page. Alone with the bees in the Master’s Garden, I realize that Guinevere craves a life of the mind, but hampered by the restrictions of her sex, settles for eavesdropping on the scholars’ lessons in Camelot’s own “Master’s Garden.” Guinevere is not alone in her struggle. I’ve traveled to Oxford to claim for myself what Virginia Woolf once declared necessary for any woman to become a writer: “a room of one’s own.” Woolf famously explained that the greatest challenges facing women

writers were the constant demands on their time and attention by family and household obligations. To write successfully, Woolf contended, women need a space to retreat and shut out all that noise. As a teacher and a toddler mom, I hear Woolf’s words echo every time I sit down to write. Coming to Oxford has given me a metaphorical room of my own, a place (or, in this case, several) to retreat and immerse myself in my characters’ world.

To my delight, Hockaday alumnae Maria Katsulos ’17 and Mel Kerber ’17 also are in Oxford; Maria is working for the SMUin-Oxford summer program before heading to Northwestern University for graduate school this fall. After attending a lecture on Game of Thrones by Oxford professor Carolyne Larrington (another medievalist and Arthurian scholar), we three Hockadaisies are invited to High Table dinner at University College. I spend the evening answering Professor Larrington’s insightful questions about my book and chatting dreamily with Maria and Mel about their own creative writing projects. As the cheese course arrives, I sink back wistfully, half-expecting Professor Dumbledore to announce that the Forbidden Forest is off limits to First Years. If this is the life of a Real Author, where do I sign?

Back in the cloister, the frolicking pigeons have made their way into my scene: jealous of their ability to fly away while she remains imprisoned in Meleagant’s castle, Guinevere remembers a fateful night in Camelot’s cloisters. After sharing a forbidden kiss with Lancelot, she’d known their passion could consume and destroy everything they held dear. Banishing him was cruel, but necessary. Still, her memory of his heartbroken face burns—why would he want to help her now? Staring down the corridor, I notice an ancient, wooden door. It’s a library, I think. If he’s not coming to the rescue, maybe there she can find a way to rescue herself. Determined to help, I settle in with my notebook and get to work.

Jennifer Boulanger with Maria Katsulos ’17 (left) and Melanie Kerber ’17 (right) in Oxford

AN ACADEMIC SUMMER

Students participate in summer internships, research programs and camps

By Shreya Vijay (Class of 2025), Staff Writer Published in The Fourcast, September 2022

Anya Ahuja (Class of 2025) strolled through the Harvard campus, experiencing life at the university. With a goal of exploring various forms of debate, she took part in an intensive two-week program, Congressional Debate/Model Congress Harvard Debate Council, and explored student life at Harvard while living in the dorms.

Ahuja, along with other Hockaday students, participated in these programs and found them valuable. “I joined the program because I wanted to get some debate practice over summer because I do debate in school, but I wanted to try out a new form of debate and not just limit myself to one,” Ahuja said.

In addition to the camp curriculum, Harvard also offered seminars on topics such as the overturning of Roe v. Wade. The camp also allowed her to explore financial independence as she spent some time off campus.

Isabel Bhasin (Class of 2023) participated in both a five-week summer course on Human Rights at Yale University and two-month internship with the Consulate of Peru.

“I really enjoyed being able to learn from professors and the students around me specifically,” Bhasin said.

Bhasin’s course was not termed “pre-college” at Yale due to it being an official summer course offered to Yale students as well.

She said she learned how to budget time and study effectively for college courses. She noted these programs were rewarding in terms of student experience, but there are more cost-effective options, such as internships, to consider as well.

As an intern at the Consulate of Peru, Bhasin worked on two research projects about the integration of Peruvian culture into American life and the Real ID acts placed on Peruvian immigration.

“I think doing both this internship and taking classes was a really great experience because a lot of the content from my Human Rights class overlapped with the work I was doing at my internship,” Bhasin said.

Elizabeth Jones, Hockaday’s Co-Director of College Counseling, said there is no correlation between participation in pre-college programs and readiness for the college admissions process.

“Representatives recognize that many pre-college programs are cost prohibitive,” Jones said. “Pre-college programs are not considered more valuable than other free summer opportunities.”

Anya Ahuja (Class of 2025)

“I really enjoyed being able to learn from professors and the students around me specifically.”

Isabel Bhasin (Class of 2023)

STELLAR RESEARCH AT STARS

Students explore science at UT Southwestern program

By Melody Tian (Class of 2024), News Editor Published in The Fourcast, September 2022

Standing in front of a giant poster board, Miranda Jefferds (Class of 2023) gives a presentation on the localization pattern of an enzyme and how she tested her experiments on HeLa cells, a culmination of everything she learned during her eight weeks of research at the Science Teacher Access to Resources (STARS) at Southwestern program.

Students at the STARS research program spent eight hours every weekday during the summer meticulously working in a laboratory. Jefferds took AP Biology during her junior year, which inspired her to pursue a path in science.

“I thought it was really interesting to learn about all the different parts of the cell and their structures and how they came together to have a bigger effect,” Jefferds said.

Due to her interest in cell structures, Jefferds requested molecular biology as her topic of research at STARS. She focused on the study of bacteria, as she said she found it especially intriguing due to the pandemic.

Emily Santos (Class of 2023) devoted her time to molecular biology as well. She said she found her experience very rewarding due to the highly academic environment.

“I worked with a bunch of graduate students and postdocs,” Santos said, “and everyone there made me feel very welcome; you meet so many like-minded people and I never felt like I was dumb because I was a high school student.”

Jefferds agreed, adding that she definitely had to calibrate to working in a lab with people who have gone through college and graduate school in ways like learning the lingo and synthesizing past knowledge. In spite of the challenges, she said she found the experience really fun and got a taste of what a career in a research environment would be like.

In addition to doing research, students got to watch a presentation every Wednesday by a prominent researcher, including a Nobel Prize winner. There was also an exhibit opening that featured prominent women figures.

“Getting invited to all the different social events was one of my favorite parts,” said Juliana Blazek (Class of 2023), who researched radiation oncology at STARS. “It was just super cool to be invited to all these events and be around a community of different doctors.”

Santos said her favorite part of the program was meeting other students in surrounding areas that shared her passion for science and research.

“We established this sort of friendship,” Santos said, “because we would see each other every single day, eat lunch, and we’re all kind of doing the same thing.”

Jefferds said she appreciated her time spent with fellow researchers and values the experience of being a high schooler working in a professional environment. She also said she would recommend the program to anyone interested in science.

“I personally want to pursue a career in scientific research of some sort,” Jefferds said, “but I think any research experience like that, whether it would be the STARS program or not, I would totally do again.”

Miranda Jefferds (Class of 2023)

PROTECT THE MEADOW

Daisy fans showed up in force for a Fall Spirit Night to cheer on Hockaday’s Volleyball and Field Hockey teams and honor the Fencing and Cross Country teams. Everyone enjoyed performances from the Hockaday Drill Team and had the chance to score a goal against

Coach Skaife at halftime!

gO DAisiEs!

EIGHTH GRADE MUSICAL

The Class of 2027 put on an incredible production of Disney’s “Lion King, JR.” in October From the performances and choreography to the set design and costumes, the entire show was the culmination of hard work, talent, and passion from parent volunteers, faculty and staff, audience support, and of course, our amazing and talented Daisies!

SPC CHAMPIONSHIPS

Hockaday’s fall SPC varsity teams enjoyed successful seasons, capped off by an exciting SPC championship weekend in November. Congratulations to all our student-athletes and coaches!

Volleyball finished a 22-12 (8-1 in SPC) season with a second place finish at the SPC championships after winning the North Zone. Payton Arbaugh (Class of 2023) and Lauren Ingram (Class of 2023) were named All-SPC.

Cross Country placed third at SPC, with Jordan Lacsamana (Class of 2025) finishing third and Margaret Thompson (Class of 2024) finishing fifth. Gracie Little (Class of 2024) and Madalena Ritz-Meuret (Class of 2024) both finished in the top 20.

Field Hockey went 2-1 at the SPC Tournament and defeated Greenhill 2-1 in their final game to take fifth place. Jayna Khatti (Class of 2025) was named All-SPC.

FINDING YOUR VOICE

Hockaday’s writing program aims to help girls find joy in the power of expression

In the spring of 2020, she added 20 student interns who helped their peers with everything from brainstorming and thesis statements to following citation guidelines and clarifying syntax. In 2021–22, approximately 70% of Upper School students used the Writing Center at least once, and students made more than 1,000 appointments. Ms. Fisher and Dr. Claire Cothren, English faculty and Writing Center Instructor, also work with teachers upon request when they are holding writing workshops in their classes.

The genesis of the Writing Center dates back to 2008. Retired English Department Chair Janet Bilhartz saw that an increased number of students in the Upper School meant less one-on-one time with their teachers to discuss writing. When she became Department Chair in 2015, she started laying the foundation for what would become the Writing Center. “I traveled to Cleveland and visited three schools who were doing this,” she said. “I was able to take the parts I liked and envision a program.”

The importance of writing at Hockaday has always been at the forefront, however. Melissa Thomas Allan ’90, English Department Chair, said the goal in all divisions is to help each girl develop her voice. “We teach the girls that communication is a power,” she said. “It’s the power of expression, the power to share your ideas. We want to prepare the girls to exchange their ideas with the world, and to do so thoughtfully and responsibly.”

“Our graduates must be strong writers,” said Dr. Laura Leathers, Interim Eugene McDermott Head of School. “Writing well allows us to develop our thoughts and express our ideas clearly. Through writing, we often begin to create logical relationships that build our ideas into something that someone else may read and perhaps find interesting. Putting thoughts into words and arranging them for a reader helps us see, create, and explore new connections within our world.”

Hockaday’s faculty members believe that learning to write is crucial to forming girls who will succeed in college and beyond. “This writing program is a crown jewel at Hockaday,” said Ms. Allan. “There is such attention to the writing process. Our girls go to college and hit the ground running.”

Ms. Bilhartz agrees. “I began in the English Department in 1994, and girls were always coming back from college to say how well-prepared they were in terms of writing,” she said. “I knew from our alumnae that we were teaching the girls to write in a way that would help them in any field. What teaching looks like has changed, because students have changed. We had a technological revolution, and people read in different ways now. I think those things have affected what students need in terms of instruction. What is consistent is that students improve their writing when they have a good relationship with their teacher, and when they get clear feedback on their writing. Learning to respond to feedback hasn’t changed!”

When Lisa Fisher began as Director of the Writing Center in Fall 2019, it was located on the second floor of the Liza Lee Academic Research Center. “I was immediately overrun with students who were passionate about writing,” she laughed.

“This writing program is a crown jewel at Hockaday. There is such attention to the writing process. Our girls go to college and hit the ground running.”

— MELISSA THOMAS ALLAN ’90, English Department Chair

LOWER SCHOOL

“I became a novelist in part because at Hockaday, particularly in the Lower School, I developed a passion for reading,” said Amy Mitchell Poeppel ’83, who has written four novels: Musical Chairs, Limelight, Small Admissions, and The Sweet Spot. “The books we read with Mr. Cargile, Mrs. Lakatos, and Mr. Dumaine, such as Johnny Tremain, The Call of the Wild, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and Rebecca have stuck with me all these years. As I remember it, we were already being taught to analyze literature at a very advanced level!”

“Beginning in Lower School, Hockaday nurtured my passion for writing through numerous opportunities both inside and outside the classroom,” said Maddie Stout ’22, currently a student at Georgetown University. “All of my classes, even those like Science or Math, incorporated some form of writing, which really honed my skills and led me to realize that the activity of writing was what I loved most.”

Writing begins at a young age, in tandem with reading. Pre-K starts the year with picture books and creates a story using only pictures. The girls then compose a three-part story integrating the story elements of characters, setting, problem, and solution. “We teach them to change the facial expressions and move their characters across the page to show progression of the story,” said Lower School teacher Allison Perani. They also collaborate with Lower School librarians for a book tasting. “Each table features the story elements

they have been studying: charming characters, spectacular settings, puzzling problems, and smart solutions,” said Ms. Perani. “Each girl browses every table and then selects a book to check out to take home.”

Good writing begins with reading, and as Daisies enter Kindergarten and beyond, teachers focus on exposing students to many different types of books and writing styles. “We start with the physical act of writing, and we practice fine motor skills to help them develop the strength to do lots of writing,” said Randal Rauscher Rhodus ’97, Head of Lower School. “We always say that you become a better writer by writing more!”

Lower School welcomes authors to campus to encourage girls to both read and learn the process of creative writing. Author Alda P. Dodds visited with Lower and Middle School students this fall to discuss her novels, Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna and The Other Side

“Putting thoughts into words and arranging them for a reader helps us see, create, and explore new connections within our world.”

— DR. LAURA LEATHERS, Interim Eugene McDermott Head of School

of the River, and described how she was inspired by her greatgrandmother’s experience during the Mexican Revolution in 1913. Alda studied physics and worked as an engineer before pursuing her love of storytelling. “No matter what your career is, you have to be able to communicate,” she told the girls. “You always need to tell your story. In science, often you can’t see things and you have to imagine them – just like in creative writing!”

By First Grade, students focus more on genre writing. They create a how-to book, write about research and facts, and learn narrative fiction writing. In Third Grade, girls take the skills they have learned as writers during the year and write and illustrate their own story, which is bound together as a class book. “We start talking about leads to stories, dialogue, voice and developing characters, elaboration, word choice, conclusions, and

paragraphing,” said Erin Oxford, Lower School teacher. “We talk a lot about a small moment story – then we have them rehearse with a partner and tell their story out loud before they draft it.”

Students work through the writing process by revising and editing their story before finalizing it, and then come up with illustrations that match the theme. “The girls are always so excited to see their work published,” said Ms. Oxford.

Throughout Lower School, students learn about poetry and write their own. This process culminates in The Hockadaisy, a poetry anthology with contributions from each Lower School Daisy. The publication began in 1964 by Marion Crume, Head of Lower School, and is a way to celebrate Lower School writing and art. The publication is printed at the end of the year, and the cover art and interior art is a surprise for the artists.

In Pre-K and Kindergarten, girls will write a class poem together to submit, and in First through Fourth Grades, each student picks their favorite poem from the year for publication. One Lower School girl is honored with the Catherine Patrizi Award for

SCIENCE AND WRITING IN SECOND GRADE

Lower School faculty members Amy Banks and Valencia Mack Yarborough ’77 are collaborating to enhance a project that has deep roots at Hockaday – a Second Grade research paper. “The girls have always learned about research and nonfiction writing in Second Grade,” said Mrs. Banks, who teaches science. “One year, we decided to combine Science with writing, and have them write on a topic they are learning about in another class.”

The Social Impact theme in Second Grade is water, so it was a perfect combination. “We spend a lot of time talking about conservation and pollution of water,” said Ms. Banks. “We engineer water filters and gather data to evaluate the health of the pond. We’re constantly talking about water!”

In Language Arts, homeroom teacher Ms. Yarborough starts the writing portion with exploration. “We bring in a lot of books to whet their appetite,” she said. “Then, they decide on a topic, and I encourage them to ask questions to figure out what they want to learn.”

Author Alda P. Dodds visited with Lower and Middle School students this fall to discuss writing her novels, Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna and The Other Side of the River

Poetry, given to the girl who displays a passion and love for the craft. “Poetry is so important because it teaches our girls to be concise and thoughtful in their words,” said Ms. Oxford. “It helps them figure out how to express themselves. We teach things like metaphors, figurative language, and line breaks, which helps them see where the end of their thought should be.”

By the time Fourth Grade students move to Middle School, they understand the process of writing. “They definitely have a good sense of writing about themselves, and about the collaborative nature of writing,” said Ms. Rhodus. “We want them to love all different styles of writing.”

MIDDLE SCHOOL

“Something unique to Hockaday is how much our program is writing-forward,” said Beth Dies, Assistant Head of Middle School and English faculty. “Many English curricula are project or test based, but we teach with the recognition of how important the personal voice is. We aren’t writing to a specific standard.

The Patrizi Award is given every year to a Lower School student who has found joy and beauty in the reading and writing of poetry. This award is given in honor of former Hockaday student Catherine Patrizi ’97.

The girls work with their teachers and librarians to form a cohesive topic, and then they begin writing. “We talk a lot about the writing process,” said Ms. Yarborough. “We brainstorm, draft, write, edit, and revise. We focus on reading the books and forming your own ideas, not just copying.”

The girls learn to write paragraphs with a topic sentence, main idea, and conclusion. By the end of the project, they have completed a five-paragraph paper. Then, the teachers create a museum, complete with individual trifold posters for the girls to use their creativity to explain their chosen topic. The girls practice their presentations in front of their class, and then present them to the Lower School and teachers.

“This type of cross-curricular learning is so important,” said Ms. Banks. “It makes it real and authentic to the girls. You learn more deeply when things are connected, and it also uses various modalities – listening, talking, writing, looking, seeing, doing. There is evidence that if you can show girls that science and engineering are about making the world a better place, they are more interested in it. This is real, authentic, project-based learning.”

SUSANNA FLANAGAN (CLASS OF 2030) RECEIVES THE 2022 CATHERINE PATRIZI AWARD FOR POETRY FROM BOB PATRIZI.

Personal communication is so important, and when we talk about our writing or read it out loud, all of that helps students process ideas, share their thoughts, work through challenges. Working within a process – a challenging process like writing – is something students must get used to in Middle School.”

As students make the transition to Middle School, they work on descriptive and creative expository writing. Fifth Grade focuses on reading comprehension as a building block to writing, and Sixth Grade is a bridge between reading and writing. Girls start writing more complex paragraphs and learn how to organize their thoughts.

By Seventh and Eighth Grade, girls are preparing for the rigor of Upper School writing through analysis and interpretation, in both English and History. “We make sure students are using words to do the job they need them to do,” said Ms. Dies. “At this age, encouraging them to participate in the process is the most important thing we can do to prepare them. Writing means taking the time to plan out what you want to write, doing the research, writing, and then receiving continual feedback. We encourage a lot of sharing from both peer and teacher feedback.”

Last year, the Writing Center piloted a program in Eighth Grade, and this year, Middle School students will have access to the Writing Center resources. “The priority is to have older students be able to work with younger students,” said Ms. Dies. “Students can get one-on-one feedback and gain a perspective from someone other than their teacher. It also helps them think about their writing outside the context of their classrooms and prepares them to get more comfortable sharing their writing with others.”

In Eighth Grade, English and The Institute for Social Impact collaborate on a graphic novel project. All Eighth Graders will interview students from McShan Elementary School to discover details about their lives, ambitions, and talents. “The goal is to help students uncover their superpowers,” said Dr. Lauren Miskin, English faculty.

Students then work in groups to design graphic novel pages celebrating each McShan student, and the Institute for Social Impact prints and binds the books to present to McShan. “This project challenges Hockaday students to think further about the craft of storytelling,” said Dr. Miskin. “In class, we study a graphic novel, Robin Ha’s Almost American Girl, and we spend a great deal of time analyzing Ha’s use of graphic novel techniques and

FOURTH GRADE PEN PALS

At the 2022 Alumnae Weekend, Fourth Graders finally got to meet their Alumnae pen pals in person! Each Fourth Grade Daisy writes a letter to a member of the Hockaday class celebrating their milestone 50th Reunion. Last year, the Class of 1972 and Fourth Grade students corresponded throughout the year. In the letters, they wrote about themselves, asked questions about Hockaday 50 years ago, and included some ideas about how Hockaday has changed. On Alumnae Day, the girls met their pen pals if they attended. This special tradition began more than 25 years ago with retired faculty member Pat Coggan and introduces girls to letter writing conventions.

literary elements. Through this project, students learned to apply the same sorts of visual and literary strategies that they study in Ha’s work. Additionally, this project advances the Social Impact Institute’s goals of empathy and community. Many of the subjects are recent immigrants, some are refugees. By hearing these young people’s stories in an open dialogue, our students achieve a new level of understanding for the challenges they face. As we also read several works about the refugee experience (including Ruta Sepetys’ Salt to the Sea and Jasmine Warga’s Other Words for Home), students are familiar with some of these issues, but hearing young peoples’ lived experiences firsthand offers a completely different vantage point.”

UPPER SCHOOL

“At Hockaday, we prepare girls for lifetime success,” said Ms. Allan, “To realize this, they must be critical, imaginative thinkers and forceful writers.”

This young-adult fiction, with two unlikely heroes on the planet of Arma, is available for

FIFTH GRADE YOUNG AUTHORS

The Young Author Picture Book Project has become a tradition for Hockaday’s newest Middle School students. For the past 29 years, English students have culminated their learning by writing their own narrative. Pre-K, Kindergarten/Primer, and First Grade students and teachers are gracious audience members for these budding authors. The writing of an original story and illustrating it in a picture book format allows each girl to demonstrate their growth as an author and illustrator. With the opportunity to let their creativity and artistic flair shine through illustrations, the students can prove their understanding of story elements and character development, and apply their knowledge of grammar and mechanics. “This writing project is always a favorite for my students,” said Lisa Waugh, Middle School English teacher. “The interaction with the Lower School students and their former teachers is always a special one.”

FIRST-TIME AUTHOR NAISHA RANDHAR (CLASS OF 2027) PUBLISHED ROSES OF ARMA LAST YEAR.

purchase on Amazon.

By reading ancient epics, girls in Form I explore the role of oral storytelling in human history to derive an understanding of the ways that individuals, communities, and cultures have made sense of their existence. Then they write an essay about a frequently told story from their own family histories by analyzing the role of storyteller, identifying what prompts the telling of the story and, ultimately, what makes the story worth retelling.

“Reading the literature spurs the writing which then taps the imagination when the girls create a podcast to accompany their essays,” said Mrs. Allan. “We want to give students many opportunities to practice various—and relevant—modes of communication.”

Hockaday’s writing program has always focused on blending analytical writing, academic writing, and creative writing. “We want them to develop their own voice,” said Ms. Bilhartz. “That is more easily developed through creative writing, but we want to hear it in their academic writing as well.”

“One goal for our girls is that they explolre effective writing across disciplines, even in subjects such as math and science,” said Ms. Allan. “and for them to understand that empathy is always the cornerstone to any successful story.”

MAKING AN IMPACT

Grace Emanuelson (Class of 2023) used persuasive writing skills to submit an editorial that was published by the Dallas Morning News last fall. In an English class assignement, Grace wrote about the low recycling rate in Dallas and what city leaders and schools can do to help educate people on the importance of recycling. She spoke with city leaders to research her article and worked with the Hockaday Writing Center before submitting it for publication.

Beyond the standard English courses, Form IV students can take semester courses such as Creative Writing, Before #MeToo: Literature As Protest, Introduction to Russian Literature, and a new course this year, The Write Stuff: Rhetoric and Composition Across the Curriculum. The Write Stuff is designed for Writing Center interns and combines the pedagogy of Writing Centers and the study of rhetorical situations. This new course will prepare students to write adeptly across disciplines and equip them with skills for teaching writing to peers. In addition to writing reviews, proposals, and other genres of writing, students research and write about a topic of their interest..

JUNIOR RESEARCH PAPER

A rite of passage for all Upper School students, the Junior Research Paper aims to give girls a sense of college-level research, thesis development, writing, and revising. The 10-page paper begins in the fall with topic development through the Form III U.S. History courses, and can cover any area, as long as it relates to U.S. history. “We give the students a chance to research something that interests them,” said Upper School History teacher Lucio Benedetto. “We want them to come away with the notion of thinking for themselves. They won’t always get a prompt in college, so this helps them develop that skill.”

The 2022 Linda Hankinson Research Paper Award recipients (left to right): Addison London (Class of 2023), Madeline Chun (Class of 2023), Sydney Hoyl (Class of 2023), Elle Chavis (Class of 2023), Isabel Bhasin (Class of 2023)

Recent topics included “Come One, Come All: How Female Circus Performers Redefined Womanhood;” “On Thin Ice: The Evolution of the United States’ Antarctic Policy during the Cold War;” and “Building the World of Tomorrow: How the 1939 New York World’s Fair Defined Hope for a Modern America.” Award-winning papers, which are selected by the History department at the end of the year, are available to read as a bound book in the library.

Once their topic is approved, the girls form a research question and thesis and begin using primary sources if available. They create an annotated bibliography with at least five sources, three of which must be books. After that, girls turn in a mini draft, which includes the first four pages of their paper. “This gives us a sense of where they are with their research, and we can give them notes on formatting also,” said Mr. Benedetto.

Finally, the full paper with bibliography is due right before winter break. Before turning in the paper, students can meet with teachers, do peer review, or work with the Writing Center. “The Writing Center has been exceptional,” said Mr. Benedetto. “As a history teacher, I can deal more with content; if students have grammatical questions or writing questions they can go there.”

Sydney Hoyl (Class of 2023) won an award last year for her paper, “Don’t You Forget About Me: How Teen Movies in the 80s Created American Adolescent Authenticity.” She truly enjoyed the process of writing and researching. “I could really play around with the format of the paper, which you can’t always do,” she said. “Sometimes I would make an argument by writing in the voice of a protagonist in a movie. I was able to have my voice and write playfully, because it fit the topic.”

One of the main takeaways the History department hopes to impart is the sense of building confidence during the process of writing a research paper. “We hear from girls all the time after they are in college about the Junior Research Paper,” said Kathryn Hodgkinson, History Department Chair. “Going to college having already done a paper like this gives them a huge leg up. While writing, you make mistakes, or you realize your thesis won’t work because the evidence isn’t there. This helps build resilience, because you have to pivot in order to make the deadline.”

Students can also learn a completely different type of writing through their Fine Arts courses. In Daisy Company and Hockaday Theater Company classes, students learn monologue and dialogue writing for theater. “We begin with journaling questions,” said Emily Gray, Fine Arts Department Chair. “I ask them all sorts of questions about who their character is. Writing teaches our students how to act, direct, design, and how to be a storyteller.”

From their initial prompts, students write a five-to-10-minute story for their character. They learn to write stage directions,

communicate a theme, and how to connect to an audience. “They learn to find their own voice in writing – whether it’s a character who has an emotional moment, or a tirade,” said Ms. Gray. “They step out of themselves. To write someone else’s voice empathetically is difficult!”

Students often go on to submit their plays to different theaters in the area that hold high school contests. Last year, Elle Chavis (Class of 2023) was honored by Circle Theater in Fort Worth as one of four finalists in their annual High School Playwriting Project. All four finalists’ plays were read aloud by five professional actors. Elle was a semifinalist in the contest in 2021 and told the audience she will write a third short play and submit again next year “in the hopes of a threepeat!”

Fourcast editors Jane Clark (Class of 2023) and Melody Hu (Class of 2023) work on finalizing an issue of the student newspaper

HOCKADAY PUBLICATIONS

“From my time on the Fourcast and especially as editor, I perfected the skills of working on deadlines, delegating work, and writing concisely and clearly,” said Maddie Stout ’22, the 2021-22 Co-Editor of Fourcast and currently a student at Georgetown University. “Being co-editor of the Fourcast was the perfect stepping stone to studying writing in college and taking on leadership positions in a university environment.”

Hockaday’s Upper School publications include: Fourcast, the student-run newspaper published three times each semester, along with Jade, a companion magazine about a single topic; Vibrato, a student-curated literary and fine arts publication, and Cornerstones, the School’s yearbook.

Julia Copeland oversees all Upper School publications and understands the benefit of learning journalistic writing beyond the newspaper or yearbook. “I think no matter what career our girls choose, the ability to write cleanly, to be comfortable interviewing people, and to be able to see the viewpoints of a variety of people will benefit them,” she said.

This year, there are 57 Upper School students in Journalism classes, along with guest writers for Fourcast and Cornerstones Jane Clark (Class of 2023) and Melody Hu (Class of 2023) are this year’s Fourcast editors and have honed their skills to be able to produce each issue. “We both edit each story,” said Jane. “Editing other people’s writing has really helped my own writing, because I’m able to look at it from an outsider’s perspective.”

Alexandra Crosnoe (Class of 2023) is one of the Cornerstones editors along with Ava Tribolet (Class of 2023) and has learned time management while editing the yearbook. “You have to hit deadlines,” she said. “Once the pages are sent, you can’t revise them.”

Sonali Konda (Class of 2023) and Lillian Rubarts (Class of 2023), editors of Vibrato, curate student submissions including poetry, art, and photography, and said the discussion-based editing process has been illuminating. “You learn how to have an open mind and how to approach any piece with consideration to everything that it offers,” said Sonali.

Ms. Copeland also stresses media literacy and critical thinking skills across all her classes and publications. “We try to get them to develop their voice and be more conversational in their writing,” she said. “Every word counts! We teach them not to write to a word count but to write to get their point across.”

Writing didn’t always come easily to Elle, however. “When I came to Hockaday in Form I, the writing process was a lot different than my old school,” she said. “I really struggled. The senior interns in the Writing Center really saved my life! I wanted to be able to help freshmen the way I was helped.”

Beyond student interns, Hockaday is working to ease the transition between Eighth Grade and Upper School by offering a two-week writing intensive course for incoming Form I students. Elle and Jordan Hanna (Class of 2023) both assisted in their capacity as Writing Center interns. This year, more than 30 students took the optional course, which was two hours a day. “I would have loved that as a freshman,” said Jordan.

Libby Warren (Class of 2023) is also a Writing Center intern and has developed a passion for writing through her Hockaday experience. “I’ve fallen in love with the process,” she said. “I think if people believe that writing is just the final product, that can be frustrating. If you learn to enjoy brainstorming, editing, and revising, it helps you maintain your passion.”

Last year, Libby took her love for personal narrative writing and submitted a personal essay to the New York Times Student Narrative Contest, where her work “El Xbox” was named as a runner-up. She attended the Kenyon College Young Writers Residency program last summer. “Writing seems solitary, but I feel like you do your best work when you make it collaborative and surround yourself with like-minded writers,” she said.

“I’m so excited about the future of writing at Hockaday,” said Ms. Allan. “The Writing Center allows us to enhance Hockaday’s decades-long tradition of shaping articulate communicators, and it helps the girls advocate for their own learning which will extend beyond Hockaday’s halls. While the writing process often requires patience and practice, we hope the girls remember the inherent joy in language and expression.”

“I firmly believe that one of Hockaday’s greatest gifts to me was the ability to write,” said Maddie Stout ’22. “There’s nothing more important than the skill of communication!”

— MADDIE STOUT ’22

“

I firmly believe that one of Hockaday’s greatest gifts to me was the ability to write. There’s nothing more important than the skill of communication!”

SOCIAL IMPACT

SPREADING KINDNESS IN LOWER SCHOOL

Pre-K Daisies Focus on Hockaday Community

Social Impact starts early at Hockaday. The youngest Daisies begin their journey through the Institute for Social Impact as soon as they step on campus. “So much of the Pre-K year is about learning social skills, so we are constantly incorporating the idea of making a social impact,” said Stephanie Snell Stone ’02, Pre-K teacher. “From being kind, helping friends, and showing each other respect, we want the girls to learn how to be good citizens.”

In Pre-K, the Social Impact theme is “Our Community.” Throughout the year, girls will learn about different members of the Hockaday community and spread kindness and gratitude for all the amazing helpers at the School. In September, they went on a special search for pictures of Ms. Ela Hockaday and learned about her special place in Hockaday’s history.

The class starts the year talking about the many communities they belong to by doing a “Me on the Map” activity, then focuses on the Hockaday community with activities such as making appreciation cards for faculty and staff and the extremely popular Valentine grams, in which faculty members send Pre-K students to sing love songs to other faculty and staff members on Valentine’s Day.

“Making an impact is only possible if you learn early social skills, so it is critical to teach these alongside the core academics,” said Ms. Stone. “It is such a treat to watch the girls learn how even small acts of kindness can have an impact on others. It is especially fun to see them learn about all the people that make our School function – and then to see them say hello and thank you regularly in the halls!”

“It is such a treat to watch the girls learn how even small acts of kindness can have an impact on others. It is especially fun to see them learn about all the people that make our School function – and then to see them say hello and thank you regularly in the halls!”

Daisies go on a hunt to find photos of Ela Hockaday around campus.

Pre-K girls spread joy on Valentine’s Day

BUILDING EMPATHY THROUGH GEOGRAPHY

Fifth Graders Learn History and Culture

Fifth Grade World Geography is all about broadening horizons. Following courses in US and Texas History, World Geography aims to expand how students think about the world. “We ask the girls to go into the course with two questions,” said Renee Laffitte, Middle School History faculty. “How do we engage with the world, and how does the world shape us?”

That philosophy makes this course a perfect fit as a designated class within the Institute for Social Impact. “We really focus on empathy throughout our studies,” said Ms. Laffitte. “We understand who we are, but there is a big wide world out there. When we interact with people, how does that come across? We learn empathy through understanding choices other people make, and how their history and culture determine their choices.”

The year starts with girls learning to think independently. “Our girls are used to having the right answers, but I want them to begin to think beyond that,” said Ms. Laffitte. “We learn about

how location can influence culture, food and language, and how the environment shapes us. We look for how we change the environment, and how we move around, and how that plays into what fuels we use.”

The girls participate in activities such as a balloon map, which teaches them about distortion and map projections, and a food review video with their family, where they try a different culture’s cuisine and describe it objectively.

The class also looks at current issues and learns how humans have come together to solve problems in the past. “I try to be positive and enable them to find solutions,” said Ms. Laffitte. “These are the girls who are going to be running the world someday! It’s important to walk away with an understanding of how to be a global citizen and understand someone else’s perspective.”

TAKING NOTICE

Middle School Social Impact Leaders took a “noticing” walk to build empathy, one of the core outcomes for the Institute for Social Impact. Students took the perspective of someone who had never been to Hockaday, or whose job is to take care of the campus, and then discussed how that changed their perspective.

MAKING AN IMPACT THROUGH MATH

Form I students in Christine Sigurdsson’s Integrated Math III Enriched class have the opportunity to make an impact through numbers by partnering with Thomas C. Marsh Middle School. At Marsh, Eighth Grade students take Algebra, and Hockaday Form I students help them on their math journey by creating activities that inspire students to find algebra in the real world, and practice these skills to deepen their knowledge and mastery of the material. “Using math to show how it is connected to the real world is game-changing,” said Laura Day, Executive Director of the Institute for Social Impact. “We are hoping to increase the connection and mastery of Alegbra, which is indicative of college readiness.”

This year, students will create games and challenges to help Marsh students learn about data and graphs, identifying functions, and rate of change. “Students are used to answering questions in math,” said Ms. Sigurdsson. “This pushes them to think about creating questions. It requires a different mindset.”

“I’m excited about this opportunity for our girls,” said Ms. Sigurdsson. “I think this will help them solidify some concepts, and at the same time, help teach it to others.”

POWER OF VOTING

Upper School students in Government, a Social Impactdesignated class, learned about the process of voting and why voting matters, and created a way to share that information with the greater community.

Hockaday’s voter registration drive encouraged all eligible students to register to vote in upcoming elections, and make their voices heard!

SPREADING JOY THROUGH DANCE

Hockaday’s Upper School Dance Theater and Dance Lab classes are collaborating with Foster Elementary this fall to share the joy of dance in the Dallas Community.

Hockaday’s Upper School dancers are spreading their love of dance around the city. This fall, they headed to Foster Elementary to teach the students a short piece that they choreographed themselves. “It was so much fun,” said Alexandra Dassopoulos (Class of 2024). “The kids were so into it! They were a little shy the first day, but by the end of the day they had come out of their shells and were all working to perform the dance.”

Maddy Grace Sporl (Class of 2023) agreed. “It was such a joy to not only brighten their day, but to watch each student step out of their shell and just enjoy having fun,” she said.

“When we came back the second day, we got lots of hugs. We showed them how to do eight counts with splits and kicking, and the kids went nuts!”

The dancers started by choreographing combinations and a short dance, then working with the students at Foster during PE class. “Their PE coach said this would be a core memory for the kids,” said Alexandra. “When we came back the second day, we got lots of hugs. We showed them how to do eight counts with splits and kicking, and the kids went nuts!”

“The best thing was watching kids who started out shy and apprehensive realize how fun and fulfilling dance can be and end up having a great time,” said Jane Taten (Class of 2025).

Once the students learned the moves, the Hockaday classes created videos so they can continue practicing, and eventually perform for their friends and family at a school event. “It was amazing to see our student dancers teaching the skills they have learned at Hockaday to our school partner Foster Elementary,” said Laura Day, Executive Director of the Institute for Social Impact. “Our girls just made a fun and enriching couple of days for those kids.”

EXCITING THINGS ARE HAPPENING AT 11600 WELCH ROAD!

Jessica Epperson ’96 Director of Development and Strategic Initiatives

Construction on the next phases of Hockaday’s Athletics and Wellness Project began in Summer 2022, and we anticipate completing construction in early Fall 2023. These new facilities and spaces will make a significant, positive impact on Athletics and Wellness Programs for all of Hockaday’s girls from Pre-Kindergarten through Senior year. Our Athletics and Wellness programs help students develop confidence, self-esteem, sportsmanship, teamwork, leadership, and cooperation skills that prepare them to meet challenges both on and off the field. This visionary project integrates Athletics with the Hockaday student experience in exciting, new ways!

The new Athletic venues and spaces will include a new competition track with a turf field, two new reconfigured competition and practice fields oriented in a North-South configuration, a new and improved softball diamond, a cross country path that will circumnavigate the campus, spectator-friendly event access, and easy-access parking to enhance the full experience for students, parents, and families. The design also includes several outdoor classroom areas and the new Cornerstone Plaza at the intersection of the fields area, which will serve as an important gathering space for our community, with a new concessions pavilion, as well as a pavilion with a team meeting room and other team facilities and storage.

MAKE YOUR MARK, GET SET, GO!

Our community’s support of the girls, on and off the fields, is what makes Hockaday such a special community. As we watch the progress on these new facilities and spaces take shape, we invite our community to support this effort. The new and reimagined facilities and spaces offer many special naming opportunities, including fields, benches, and walkway pavers. Please contact Director of Development and Strategic Initiatives, Jessica Epperson ’96, at jepperson@hockaday.org or 214.360.6579, if you are interested in supporting this exciting initiative.

A NOTE FROM OUR Benefit Chairs

Dear Hockaday Community,

The Hockaday Parents’ Association proudly announces the 2023 Benefit — Daisy Destinations: A Jet Set Fête — to be held on Saturday, March 25, 2023.

The annual gala and auction will benefit the Hockaday Athletics and Wellness Project – because good sportsmanship, health, camaraderie, and teamwork is a ticket to anywhere, launching students to limitless horizons!

Beyond athletics and wellness, we are proud to celebrate the timeless value of a Hockaday education that Miss Ela Hockaday envisioned nearly 110 years ago in 1913, preparing our girls as they take flight on the world stage. As we journey into 2023, we celebrate Hockaday’s inaugural “Travel Class” — 95 years later. In 1928, a group including two teachers and eight students set sail and traversed Europe for seven months, spending time and taking classes in Spain, France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Germany, Holland, and England. This tradition of the Travel Class lasted for 10 years, with the last Travel Class occurring in 1938–1939, prior to the beginning of World War II.

In that vein, the HPA Benefit theme is all about “Daisy Destinations” — vacations, fabulous locales, diverse experiences, relaxed and yet glamourous environs… the era and age of vintage “jet setting” and a bon vivant atmosphere, both home and abroad.

Hockaday parents, alumnae, faculty, and staff are all coming together to plan an unforgettable evening, including live and silent auctions, entertainment, raffle winners, and fun surprises along the way. Throughout the school year, there are also special community engagements to get everyone excited about the journey throughout the academic year and beyond and to help raise funds via merchandise sales for ticket sales to individual fun “special occasion” events, and underwriting for the Athletics and Wellness Project.

We are all proud to be families who hold the passport of a Hockaday education, which gives girls a ticket to take flight toward global impact. We invite you to join us for Daisy Destinations: A Jet Set Fête

Thank you in advance for your participation, generosity, and spirit. Additional information can be found at hockaday.org/benefit.

Come fly with us! It’s going to be a fun trip!

Charlotte Hudson Carter ’99 and Jennifer C. Tobin HPA Benefit Co-Pilots

Hockaday girls are constantly growing and evolving due in large part to the generosity of our community. Gifts to the Hockaday Annual Fund support the School’s operating budget and help fund the true cost of a Hockaday education. Your support strengthens Hockaday’s foundation and directly impacts our Daisies so that they can blossom and flourish.

Each and every gift made to the Annual Fund is vital to our students and our ability to achieve our mission of educating young women to lead lives of impact, today and in the future. The Hockaday Annual Fund supports the School’s operating budget in myriad ways and helps fund the true cost of a Hockaday education. HOCKADAY.ORG/MAKEAGIFT

The Fall Alumnae Cocktail Party on Thursday, October 13, was a wonderful celebration of Hockaday friendships and recognition of beloved retired and current faculty members who have given 20 or more years of service to Hockaday. The Ela Hockaday Distinguished Alumna Award was presented to Ivy Awino ’08, and the featured faculty speaker was Lisa Culbertson ’96, Head of Upper School. The Hockaday School is grateful to Landy Elliott Fox ’92 for her leadership as chair of the event.

RETIRED FACULTY STAY IN TOUCH

Hockaday’s retired faculty and staff members gathered to celebrate Cinco de Mayo at Mi Cocina in May 2022.

Retired Middle School faculty Von Truong and Kay Merkel Boruff

Retired Lower School faculty Margie Lynch and Trish Cobb

Retired staff Judy Mortenson, and retired faculty Marilyn Prem, Ed Long, and Sarah Lennon

Retired faculty Anne Roe, Lisa Camp, and Sandy Detwiler

Retired Lower School faculty (left to right) Ann Trenary, Cathy Hall, and Jackie Lowe, and retired staff Carolyn Hoke (back)

ALUMNAE SPOTLIGHTS

AMY MITCHELL POEPPEL ’83

Novelist

Amy Poeppel became a novelist in part because of the passion she developed for reading in Hockaday’s Lower School. “The books we read with Mr. Cargile, Mrs. Lakatos, and Mr. Dumaine, such as Johnny Tremain, The Call of the Wild, The Witch of Blackbird Pond, Island of the Blue Dolphins, and Rebecca have stuck with me all these years,” she said. “We were already being taught to analyze literature at a very advanced level!”

She remained an avid reader throughout Upper School. “I remember Mr. Gaillard telling me that I could be a good writer, but only if I was willing to buckle down and do the hard work required,” she said. “I still remind myself of that from time to time – writing is not magic. It’s a skill that takes hours of practice and work like anything else. Finishing a first draft can sometimes feel fairly effortless. But then the rewriting begins, a process that can go on for a year or more. I’ve thrown out tens of thousands of words, and I’ve had to accept that some drafts simply have to be started over again… from scratch. Buckle down and do the hard work. The good news is that the editing process—as difficult as it is— can be extremely satisfying.”

She published her first novel, Small Admissions, in 2017, which was informed by her life experiences.

“I went to Kent School, graduated from Wellesley College, and then went on to get a master’s degree in teaching,” she said. “I taught high school English, did a bit of acting, got married, raised three awesome sons, worked in an admissions department at a private school, all while moving from Boston to San Francisco to Maryland to Berlin. It was not until a few years ago, after I moved to New York City, that I published my first novel. All of my experiences—the good and the bad, the rewarding and the ridiculous—have enriched me and often find their way into my novels.”

She has since published two more novels, Limelight and Musical Chairs, and a fourth, The Sweet Spot, will be out in early 2023, as she completes two more books. “One of the fun challenges in writing fiction is doing the research required to place a book authentically into a specific world,” she said. “Before I sat down to write Limelight, I read countless books about theater and even interviewed actor Tony Shalhoub and Broadway producer Roger Horchow to get a better understanding of contracts, rehearsal schedules, and cast dynamics.”

At Hockaday, she learned about the importance of laughter and friendship. “My years in high school were not always easy, but my sisters, Wendy Mitchell O’Sullivan ’80 and Laurie Mitchell ’81, and my friends always helped me see the humor. That ability—to find the humor during awkward or difficult situations—is one I always try to use in my life, and one I rely on in my writing.”

JULIE SAGALOWSKY DIAZ ’96

Television Writer and Executive Producer

Julie Sagalowsky Diaz ’96 still remembers reading Toni Morrison’s Beloved in Mr. Dumaine’s AP English class. “I remember the experience of writing my report on that book,” she said. “As I typed, my analysis veered into poetry and lyricism and suddenly, I felt a rush unlike anything I’d felt before. Looking back on it, I think this is the moment I became a writer, even though I didn’t realize it at the time.”

Following 14 years at Hockaday, she headed to Dartmouth, where she explored her passion for performance and storytelling by majoring in Theater with a focus on Acting. “My semester at the Eugene O’Neill Theater Center had a profound impact on me as this conservatory program was an around-the-clock immersion into all aspects of theater, from playwriting and acting to stage combat and mask workshops,” she said.

She discovered a love of directing and moved to Los Angeles to attend UCLA’s Film Directing and Production program. “There that I met my future collaborator-in-everything, my husband Alex Díaz,” she said. “We wrote a sitcom together, which was a bit of a lark since neither of us are that funny. But in a stroke of beginner’s luck, we sold it to Disney Channel XD in Canada, and for the show’s 40-episode run we served as Head Writers and Supervising Producers.”

The show, a live-action tween series called “What’s Up, Warthogs!” was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award (Canada’s version of the Emmys). Since then, the pair has written on multiple drama series, including the fantasy show “The Shannara Chronicles” and a contemporary female version of “Zorro” for the CW. They have sold several pilots, including a science fiction space series to Fox network and a supernatural family adventure series called “Surfside Girls,” which recently premiered on Apple TV+. For that series, she and Alex serve as Co-Developers, Executive Producers, and Writers.

“There’s no question that my time at Hockaday shaped my storytelling, specifically my fascination with stories about complex women and girls,” said Julie. “I felt empowered to develop my unique voice and to figure out what I wanted to say.”

One achievement she is deeply proud of is bringing underrepresented stories to the screen. Her show “Surfside Girls” is about two tween best friends, one is Mexican-American and the other is Chinese-American. “Alex is Mexican-American, born and raised on the border in El Paso,” she said. “Making shows with Latin leads is essential to both of us, even more so now that we have kids. We want our children and viewers around the world to see themselves on screen.”

The biggest challenge of her career has been the inherent instability. “It is incredibly hard to make a consistent living in this industry,” she said. “I experienced many lean years along the way and I’m acutely aware that I was able to persevere because of my own privilege, specifically having a family that could provide financial support. Everyone deserves the opportunity to pursue this career, not just those with deep pockets. I’m passionate about this and proud to be a member of the Writers Guild of America to push to improve the lives of writers.”

Hockaday taught her collaboration and confidence, which both serve her well in her chosen career. “At Hockaday, I constantly experienced the challenges and the joys of collaborating by working on group assignments, playing softball, singing in the choir, and performing in the musicals. These experiences helped me become a better collaborator and a better human,” she said.

Beyond confidence in herself, Hockaday instilled in her a confidence in women as a whole. “I remember teachers saying some version of, “You girls can do anything you set your minds to,” and I thought, “Well, duh. Why would you even need to say that?” she said. “It wasn’t until later, in college and the professional world, that I realized that, unfortunately, not everyone feels that way and that we as a culture have a long way to go in terms of achieving equality for women and all minority groups. Thanks to my experiences at Hockaday, I not only recognize this as absurd but have the confidence and conviction to fight against it.”

TALIBAH NEWMAN OMETU ’02

Filmmaker

Talibah Newman Ometu was introduced to screenwriting as a profession at Hockaday. “I vividly remember flipping through the pages of the Titanic script in awe as I realized it was possible to make writing movies a career,” she said. She attended Columbia University where she majored in Film Studies, Creative Writing, and African American Studies. She had several internships and explored the world of filmmaking including music videos, documentary filmmaking, and script development. She interned with Jonathan Demme in post-production and then worked as a post-production assistant with Malcolm D. Lee for the film Welcome Home Roscoe Jenkins. She became Malcolm’s personal assistant and traveled with him to make the film Soul Men, starring Samuel Jackson and Bernie Mac. “It was during this process that I realized I wanted to be in the industry for the long haul,” she said. She went to graduate school and focused on filmmaking and writing at Columbia University’s School of the Arts, where she directed and wrote several short films that garnered competitive and exclusive licensing deals with HBO and KQED. She then co-created a web series, “First Dates,” with her husband and founder of Black Oak TV, Uzo Ometu. Since then, she’s written feature-length versions of both award-winning short films and penned a few pilots that were pitched to several networks.

“My favorite aspect of the writing process is reworking the script on set,” she said. “Seeing my shorts, web series, and documentary content come to life on various platforms has been really exciting and gratifying. I also worked on a short documentary about Black Trans Women that won a GLAAD award, which I am extremely proud of. The challenging aspects of writing as of late have been the rewriting and declaring the work done, particularly when a lot of my work is based on real-life experiences. Pitching ideas and concepts that don’t “grow legs” can be disappointing at times, but this is the ebb and flow of the craft. I am a mother of three now, so efficiency with my time is the ultimate balancing act as it pertains to my career and creative process.”

At Hockaday, she learned to be confident in my voice and to be unapologetically loud when it comes to the narratives I want to share. “I learned the value of sisterhood and in turn deepened my understanding of the human condition and human relationships, which has been the bedrock of how I see and approach any story or subject,” she said. “Studying Homer, Maya Angelou, James Joyce, Ernest Hemingway, Edgar Allen Poe, and Toni Morrison with Dr. Saxon and Mrs. Woodhouse really left an indelible mark on my journey as a writer and storyteller and helped me to see the world and human condition with a refined eye.”

She is currently working on a story about her mother’s journey as an activist who fought for economic freedom and protection for braiders in Texas, and is in the financing stage of her first feature film, Busted on Brigham Lane

“I learned the value of sisterhood and in turn deepened my understanding of the human condition and human relationships, which has been the bedrock of how I see and approach any story or subject”

LEADERSHIP TEAM

Dr. Laura Leathers Interim Eugene McDermott Head of School

Nicole Escudero Christenson Head of Middle School

Lisa Culbertson ’96 Head of Upper School

Laura Day

Dr. William B. Dean Director of Service Learning and Executive Director of the Institute for Social Impact

Jessica W. Epperson ’96 Director of Development and Strategic Initiatives

Dr. Barbara Fishel Dean of Studies; Science Teacher

Jill Flinders Director of Residence Life

Emily Gray Performing Arts Chair

Joan Guzman Chief Operations Officer Katie Leto Chief Financial Officer

Cyndi Lewis Director of Enrollment Management

Randal Rauscher Rhodus ’97 Head of Lower School

Sara Stoltz Director of Communications Deb Surgi Director of Athletics

BOARD OF TRUSTEES

OFFICERS

Nicole Ginsburg Small ’91

Chair

Neelesh Mehendale Vice Chair

Elizabeth Cullum Helfrich ’98 Executive Committee Chair Andrew Hill Treasurer

Isabell Novakov Higginbotham ’98 Secretary

Kathryn Walker Francis ’94 Immediate Past Chair

Shonn Brown Chair Elect

LIFE TRUSTEES

Linda Custard

Lyda Hill ’60

James M. Hoak, Jr.

Natalie “Schatzie” Henderson Lee ’55 Janie Strauss McGarr ’72 Margot Perot

Ellen Higginbotham Rogers ’59 Richard S. Rogoff Barney T. Young

TRUSTEES

Sulman Ahmed

Wasan Alfalahi

Nancy Lira Bernadino ’97

Carla Bolden

Lucy Billingsley Burns ’98

Taj Clayton

Tricia Drum Davidson ’91

Landy Elliott Fox ‘92

Scott Harper

Helen Harris-Allen Ellen Haynes ’81

Ariana Viroslav Held ’87

Angelica Marin Hill ’93

Abby Hoak-Morton ’05

Fallyn Gray Jones ’01

Courtney Jones Johnson ’97 Sabrina Kessee

Jun Il Kwun

Scott Minnix

Shankh Mitra

Guadalupe Mora-Duarte

Marisia Parra-Gaona

Kelsey Swingle Robertson ’05 David A. Roosevelt

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