T H E S C H O O L M AG A Z I N E • D E C E M B E R 2 0 1 9
Leading
boldly JAMIE BLYTHE ’95
“ If a woman can be a farmer in A Small Town, you can pretty much be anything you want. Hutchison taught me that it was up to me what I wanted to do.” – Jamie Blythe, Class of 1995 Farmer and co-owner of Blythe Cotton Farm in Town Creek, Alabama. Read more about her story on page 22. Photograph by Brandon Dill
CONTENTS 6
The Story of Sidekicks, The Musical
28 Equip: Nurturing Girls to Respect Differences and Embrace Similarities
9
Remembering Barry Gilmore
31 Build: Creating a Strong Community for Girls and Their Families
FEATURES How Two Hutchison Girls and Their Father Created a Musical from Scratch The Impact of One Life on Many
10 Leading Boldly—Hutchison’s Strategic Plan 12 Educate: Creating Fertile Soil for Tomorrow’s Leaders 16 What We Learn on the Farm 19 When A FarmBot Came to Hutchison
35 Steward: Letters of Thanks 46 Celebrating the Class of 2019 ALUMNAE PROFILES 22 Jamie Blythe ’95
Smartly Growing the Family Farm
42 Shannon Cowles Latham ’83
Trusting Your Talents and Fulfilling Your Dream
Beyond teaching Spanish vocabulary and comprehension, Kenna Chelsoi, lower school Spanish teacher, invites Hutchison girls to discover other cultures and traditions. Read how teachers are helping equip girls with cultural competency skills on page 29.
GIVING TO HUTCHISON 20 Katherine & John Dobbs Jr.
A Love of Nature Revitalizes the Hutchison Farm
ALUMNAE NEWS
Our Strategic Plan outlines our priorities for the next five years. Inside are stories that tell how we are living this plan today.
52 Gatherings 58 Professionally Speaking 60 Marriages, Births & Adoptions, In Memoriam
Leading Boldly
D E PA R T M E N T S 2 From the Head of School 3 Are You Following Us? 72 Strong GIRL Fest Hutchison | 1
M E S S AG E | F R O M T H E H E A D O F S C H O O L
t
here’s an interesting story behind our magazine’s
cover image of alumna Jamie Blythe, Class of 1995. When we were preparing this issue of the magazine,
we knew we wanted to talk about our new strategic plan called Leading Boldly. Instead of simply listing the
MISSION
plan’s objectives and tactics, we decided to tell stories
Hutchison School is dedicated to
about how we are already living these objectives today
academic excellence and to the
and will continue to implement them in the future.
and spirit as it educates young women
parallel development of mind, body, for success in college and for lives of
One of the stories that we are fortunate to tell is about the expansion of the Hutchison Farm, which is now
integrity and responsible citizenship.
Dr. Kristen Ring
named the Katherine and John Dobbs Farm. As we were thinking about our cover, we remembered that Jamie Blythe was one of five people honored as a Best Young Farmer and Rancher in 2018 by Progressive Farmer. We thought her story would be a perfect complement to the story of our campus farm. When we were looking through the photos of Jamie, we were struck by the beauty of the one featured on our cover. However, in full transparency, we had to ask ourselves, does feeding cattle speak to the idea of leading boldly? When you read Jamie’s profile, you’ll see how she is leading boldly. Yes, she tends to her cattle daily, but she also has called on her own creativity and resilience, not to mention a fair amount of complex technology, to successfully reshape her farm as a model of sustainable practices. She’s looking to continue the legacy of her family’s farm for many years to come. We hope you’ll join us on our journey to lead Hutchison boldly into the future. Warmly,
Kristen Ring, Ed.D. President and Head of School
H U TC H I S O N M AG A Z I N E
A L U M N A E D I R E C TO R
DECEMBER 2019
M a r y A u b r ey L a n d r u m S t a f f o r d ’ 10
H u t c h i s o n M a g a z i n e i s p u b l i s h e d by
mstafford@hutchisonschool.org
t h e H u tc h i s o n Co m m u n i c a t i o n s O f f i ce .
P H OTO G R A P H Y
P l e a s e f o r wa r d a d d r e s s c h a n g e s t o :
C a t h y B a r b e r, B ra n d o n D i l l ,
H U TC H I S O N S C H O O L
G a b r i e l l e P r ew i t t , M a r y R i d d l e ,
1 74 0 R I D G E WAY R OA D
B o n n e r W i l l i a m s ’ 1 2 , a n d va r i o u s
MEMPHIS, TN 38119
Hutchison constituents
o r t w h i t e @ h u t c h i s o n s c h o o l .o r g
HEAD OF SCHOOL D r. K r i s t e n D. R i n g E X E C U T I V E E D I TO R Lori Guy S t ra t e g i c C o m m u n i c a t i o n s D i r e c t o r lguy@hutchisonschool.org E D I TO R Max Maddock Senior Communications Director mmaddock@hutchisonschool.org 2 | Hutchison
DESIGNER B a r b a ra H i m b e r
Are You Following Us?
Dr. Ring’s Portrait Unveiled Dr. Kristen Ring’s official portrait now hangs in the Sprunt Room alongside the previous heads of school. The new portrait is the work of Fine Arts teacher Jeanette Leake, a renowned portrait and figurative painter. Leake’s work on the portrait began last spring in her on-campus studio, where girls were able to watch her progress and ask about her process.
Senior Set to Receive Seal of Biliteracy During her 15 years at Huchison, Micca Lejwa ’20 has distinguished herself in a variety of ways in the classroom and beyond. Upon graduation she is set to become the first student to receive Hutchison’s Seal of Biliteracy for both English and Spanish AND English and Chinese. Truly an impressive achievement.
Hutchison Girls Visit Europe Two groups of Hutchison girls studied abroad this summer in Paris, France, and Seville, Spain. The girls who traveled to Paris took classes in painting, drawing, and cooking, toured the city and the Louvre, and strolled through the Musée d’Orsay. They also explored historical sites and cafés across the city. The girls who went to Seville attended Spanish language classes, toured the city, and even kayaked. They visited the Cathedral of Seville, one of the largest Gothic churches in the world, and took a paella-cooking class together.
Be sure to follow us on
Hutchison | 3
Be sure to follow us on
Middle School Teacher Publishes Two Articles Middle school English teacher Lauren Huddleston, who is currently pursuing her doctorate in education at Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College, had two articles recently published by Edutopia, a trusted source shining a spotlight on what works in education. One article focused on how using a makerspace in English and humanities classes can turn abstract concepts like symbolism into 3D representations for deeper understanding. The second article described the power of positive communication to deepen relationships with families. We appreciate when our faculty model for our girls that learning and growing are lifelong pursuits.
Hutchison Girls Have Strong Showing at Film Festival
Dr. Ring Interviews Alumna for StoryCorps
Hutchison girls made a strong showing at the annual Indie Memphis Youth Film Festival. Eliza Kamara ’21 and Callie Oehmler ’20 were each selected for an audience award. Becket Monaghan ’19 won an award for outstanding performance and Caroline Couch ’20 won for production design. Other Hutchison filmmakers whose films were showcased were Mischa White ’21, Sara Kate Burnett ’22, and Paige Patteson ’19.
NPR recently invited Dr. Kristen Ring and alumna Carol Lewis Jones ’50 to record an interview for StoryCorps Mobile Tour. StoryCorps gives people the opportunity to record meaningful conversations and archives those recordings at the Library of Congress. Dr. Ring asked Carol to discuss her experiences at her alma mater and her memories of Miss Hutchison.
News Channel 3 Highlights Hutchison’s Farm WREG Live at 9 visited the campus in September to check out our new farm and learn about the various ways the girls can use it as their outdoor classroom.
Caroline Couch ’20 Elected Vice President at Girls Nation Senior Caroline Couch had a busy summer. She first attended Girls State in Nashville, where she was elected a senator, and then was one of two Tennessee girls selected to go to Girls Nation in Washington, D.C. Out of 100 girls at Girls Nation, she was nominated and elected vice president. She also participated in the Roosevelt Summer Scholars Program in New York and the YMCA Youth Conference on National Affairs in North Carolina. 4 | Hutchison
2019-2020 Milestone Service Anniversaries
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35 Gloria McKinner
Beth Halliburton Robison ’82, Suzanne Cowan, Kelly Parsons, Margaret Bell, Amanda Killen, Andrea Lacher, Hollis Ligon
10
5 Hong Lin, Jeanette Leake, Maggie Haire, Heather Fontana, Lane Arnold Clanton ’98, Susan Steinkamp
2019- 2 02 0 B OARD OF T RUSTEES
Lori Guy, Monica Marshall, Mamie Watkins, Laura Shy, Jacqueline Bridges, Becky Deehr, Maria Evans, Molly Prewitt ’05, Nick Simpson, Renee Barber Grinder ’89
201 9- 2020 LE A D E R SHIP T E A M
The Hutchison board of trustees is the guardian of the school’s mission. In partnership with the head of school, the board sets the vision and strategy for the school and ensures sound financial management and proper stewardship of resources.
Great schools are distinguished by exceptional teamwork and collaboration across the organization. Our faculty and staff are led by a dynamic group of individuals known as our leadership team under the guidance of the head of school.
Dr. Kristen Ring
Dr. Kristen Ring
Randy Olswing
HEAD OF SCHOOL
CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER
Beth Corley
Pam Patteson Shumake ’88
DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
COUNSELING DIRECTOR
Catherine Chubb
Laura Shy
ATHLETICS DIRECTOR
ENROLLMENT MANAGEMENT
Tracey Zerwig Ford
DIRECTOR
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT &
Nick Simpson
FINE ARTS DIRECTOR
MIDDLE SCHOOL HEAD
Adrienne Forgette
Laurie Fraser Stanton ’65
UPPER SCHOOL HEAD
ASSISTANT HEAD/PROGRAM
Lori Guy
Susan Steinkamp
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS
OPERATIONS DIRECTOR
DIRECTOR
Trey Wilson
Elizabeth Chisholm Jordan ’86
DIRECTOR OF SIGNATURE
EARLY CHILDHOOD HEAD
PROGRAMS
HEAD OF SCHOOL
Megan Wellford Grinder ’91 CHAIR
Will Deupree III VICE CHAIR
William R. Tayloe TREASURER
Edward J. Dobbs S E C R E TA RY
Emily Bryce Bowie ’00 Allison Cates Erica Stiff-Coopwood Melissa Conrad Grimes ’87 Anne Orgill Keeney ’85 Kim Crain Lowrance ’86 Ragan Crawford Magness ‘88 Andrew R. McCarroll Michelle Nelson Miller ’84 Richard C. Moore, Jr. Amy Rolfes Poag ’92 Jeannie Sherman Tabor Sanford C. Thomas Kelly H. Truitt Muffy Farnsworth Turley ’88 Todd Watson McLean T. Wilson
Katharine Duerr Kent ’95 LOWER SCHOOL HEAD Hutchison | 5
Cast members Ann Grimes ’22, Whit Ford, Lillie Hollabaugh ’22, Juliette Forgette ’23, Judah Sawyer, Emma Day ’21
H O W T W O H U T C H I S O N G I R L S & T H E I R FAT H E R
Created a Musical from Scratch Y
ou might think the inspiration to write a musical would come while
sitting at a piano noodling some notes or after hearing a particularly inspiring song. Katy Gilmore ’20 said the first time she remembers committing to writing Sidekicks, The Musical with her father, Barry Gilmore, and her sister, Zoe ’22, they were in a parking lot. Of course, there was plenty of inspiration before that moment. She described her family as naturally creative and musical lovers. She said Lin-Manuel Miranda, the writer of Hamilton and In the Heights, was a particular inspiration. The moment in the parking lot, though, was a turning point. “We just decided we were going to do it,” Katy said. She was in the eighth grade at the time. “We went out to eat one night and started to write the first song on a napkin. From there, we would work on it on car trips to Nashville or whenever we could. We had a little notebook where we wrote everything.” They made a rule: there always had to be at least two people working on the musical at a time. “We didn’t want it to turn into a solo project,” Zoe said. She explained that even though their dad, an accomplished musician, wrote most of the melodies for the score on his own, “as far as lyrics and dialogue, there always had to be two of us working on it so that it was fully collaborative.” The show’s story takes place in Cosmopolis, specifically during an annual convention called Sidecon for sidekicks. Attendees can train to be sidekicks and then hopefully discover their super abilities and earn their sidekick names. Suffice it to say, the six main characters, who all have their own struggles, have to unexpectedly step up and prove themselves in challenging ways.
Zoe Gilmore designed the Sidekicks logo.
“There’s a theme of good versus evil, and the balance in between, but it’s also about standing up and finding your place in the world and your strength, even when other people don’t believe in you,” Katy said. She acknowledged that the experiences she and her sister have had in battling stereotypes helped shape the show’s theme. “We wanted it to be specifically something for our generation, to portray struggles that many teenage girls face. It was important to show what it’s like to be a young girl and the expectations you have to meet. We wanted young people to have a musical that represented them.” She noted that many superhero franchises usually have only one strong female character. They decided that their show would have a majority of female characters, and that those characters would be complex with a lot of depth.
The Challenges of Writing a Musical Musicals have lots of moving parts—the story, the dialogue, the stage directions, the lyrics, and the music. “I’ve written mostly short stories,” Katy said. “This is definitely a more complex plot than what I’ve done before. It’s also different from fiction in that you have to keep the audience’s attention for two-and-a-half hours. Everything has to be engaging, whether it’s the dialogue, the lyrics, or the music. In a musical, you either have to show it with the set, through the actions or the stage directions, or with the dialogue.” Photograph by Bonner Williams ’12
Hutchison | 7
point, the show became a priority. They worked as much as they could, finishing songs, polishing lyrics and dialogue, and enlisting the help of fellow Hutchison staff members, including Anne Marie Caskey ’80, Leiza Collins, and Tracey Zerwig Ford. Before long it was decided that Hutchison would mount the musical for its fall 2019 production. This put an actual deadline in place. As the script was finalized, they gathered fine arts faculty, Hutchison students and recent alumnae, and friends to do a readthrough of the show. Katy said this was one of the most exciting moments because it brought the show to life. Previously, it had Zoe and Katy Gilmore
only existed in their imaginations. She said it was fascinating to hear other people bring their interpretations to the characters.
“One of the hardest things is finding internal rhymes that have
Since the show was an original idea and had never been
meaning,” Zoe added. They received guidance from their dad, who
produced before, one of the most important things to do was
had written songs before.
to record all of the songs as a reference track. Leiza Collins,
They described the process as challenging, not difficult. In fact,
Hutchison’s middle and upper school music teacher, helped refine
sometimes they’d get so excited talking about ideas, that they’d
the music and create orchestrations. They then camped out at the
forget to write them down. Their dad provided structure and
Gilmore house to practice and record the songs.
sometimes acted as a mediator. Lyrics were definitely a unique challenge. “I expected lyrics to be
On August 15, 2019, the second day of school, Barry Gilmore passed away. On August 25, faculty and staff of Hutchison and
like poetry,” Katy admitted. They discovered that rhythm matters
family and friends gathered in the Wiener Theater to celebrate his
so much more. “We would write something good and then realize
life with music and remembrances.
that it didn’t fit with a melody quite right and have to change it.
The memorial was a fitting way to honor Barry, but his true wish
We thought very specifically about wording, just to make it fit in
was for the Sidekicks show to go on—not just for his girls, but
the song.”
because it was important to him that all girls hear the message the
Writing stage directions required thinking differently, too. “I
play imparts. Auditions occurred, practices started, posters were
always wanted to write stage directions like you would for a book,
made, and dates were set. Katy and Zoe would finally see all of
detailed and with whimsical language,” said Katy. “However, I
their hard work come to fruition. Barry had inspired and collabo-
learned they really just need to be straightforward.”
rated with his daughters on a show that was all about finding one’s unique superpower.
Fast Forward Katy said she thought Sidekicks would never be finished before
“I hope people see that you’re never too young to make art,” Katy said. “Zoe and I are lucky that we had our dad pushing us on,
she graduated Hutchison. She recalled that one of the show’s
because otherwise, we would have doubted ourselves or maybe
shorter songs took months to write. Plus, they were under no time
never asked to have it performed at Hutchison.”
constraints, and they fit the work in as they could. Unfortunately, their dad got sick, and very quickly it became quite serious. He was diagnosed with terminal liver cancer. At that
“My hope is that people focus on the musical itself and not so much on how it came to be,” Zoe said. “There’s a lot to be learned from this story.”
There’s a theme of good versus evil, and the balance in between, “but it’s also about standing up and finding your place in the world and your strength, even when other people don’t believe in you. ” —Katy Gilmore
8 | Hutchison
Barry Gilmore
June 4, 1969-August 15, 2019 During his tenure at Hutchison, Barry served as a teacher, middle school head, and upper school head. He was a gifted educator, prolific writer and musician, and beloved husband, father, and friend.
One Life on Many
T H E I M PAC T O F
by Rachel Shankman
How does one capture the essence of Barry Gilmore? To me, Barry was a seeker—a seeker of knowledge, of wisdom,
of friendships, of mastery of his beloved field of education. I met Barry when he was a classroom teacher at Lausanne, and I was the director of the Memphis office of Facing History and Ourselves. Entering Barry’s class and observing him facilitate a deep conversation about a piece of literature or a current event was to be an eyewitness to a learning lab where students and their teacher were immersed in a mutually challenging and democratic exchange. Barry was not one to shy away from the hard questions and had the ability to be both vulnerable and in charge at the same time. Facing History recognized Barry’s extraordinary talent and asked him to serve on the national Partner Schools Advisory Committee. He co-authored a piece called “Lighting the Moral Imagination” with Facing History, adding lively stories from the classroom. Barry, having obtained his Ed.D. from Vanderbilt, brought his mastery to other educators both in person in his many presentations and the books he authored. In addition to seeing Barry in action in the classroom, I had the privilege of seeing Barry perform. Here, too, he was a seeker—a seeker of joy. I was in awe of Barry as I watched him play instruments, many of which I can’t name. Music seemed to come as naturally to Barry as breathing. I didn’t see Barry regularly for a few years, and my next encounter with him began when I accepted an invitation to have a cup of coffee to catch up on Barry’s new passion—his work at Hutchison School. Barry’s love for the school, his students, and his colleagues was palpable. It was clear Barry was at a school where he could impact the culture with his expertise and skills as a teacher and an administrator. Our conversation that day focused on how to ensure that every girl at Hutchison felt valued and could have the best possible educational experience. Barry was committed to inclusion and was not afraid to ask for advice and recommendations about how to help every student reach her potential. Little did I know that cup of coffee would turn into a consulting position at Hutchison. Becoming Barry’s colleague was a privilege as I watched him in his fullness—his wonderful sense of humor as he dressed up for Halloween, his attentiveness to students who were struggling, his leadership of his team, his agonizing over difficult decisions, his immense pride at the accomplishments of the girls, his love of Zoe, Katy, and Phoebe and his wife, Tracey. I had the gift of visiting with Barry after he became ill. In his beautiful sunlit living room, he continued to speak of his vision for Hutchison, his gratitude for his life and those he loved. Our friend, Barry Gilmore, seeker of what is best in life—may your memory be a blessing. Hutchison | 9
Leading Boldly
10 | Hutchison
HUTCHISON STRATEGIC PLAN 2020-2025
In 2022, Hutchison will observe its 120th year as a school for girls. This will be a remarkable milestone for an institution that was founded during a time when there was little emphasis on education for women. Mary Grimes Hutchison, the school’s founder, was prescient in her belief that equipping young women with the knowledge and skills to succeed in the world was not only necessary, but vital. As the board of trustees, faculty, and staff of Hutchison consider all that has been accomplished, we are excited for the work still to be done. Over the last year, we have formulated the ways in which we will move forward. The result is Leading Boldly, Hutchison’s strategic plan for 2020-2025. On the following pages, we feature stories of Hutchison students, faculty, parents, and alumnae who are already living the plan’s objectives. We are committed to implementing these objectives daily. Our goal is to prepare young women to live and lead in a world that needs their talents, perspectives, and voices.
H H uu tt cc hh ii ss o o nn || 11 11
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE:
Educate girls to become strong, imaginative leaders and empathic citizens.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE | EDUCATE
Creating Fertile Soil for Tomorrow’s Leaders
O
n a hot Memphis morning in September, 12 of Hutchison’s pre-kindergarten girls and their teachers started walking from the Abston early childhood building toward a new concrete walkway. The girls were wearing summer dresses, appropriate to the weather, but also bright, neoncolored rain boots. There wasn’t a cloud in the sky. Where could they be going? Kindergarten girls love coming to study at the farm.
They walked along the pathway that led across a field toward
Riddle explained that carrots come in five different colors
a long, white fence and high-arched gateway. They passed newly
(orange, red, purple, white, and yellow) and that today they would
planted shrubs and flowers surrounded by fresh mulch. The sign
be planting several colors of carrots. “If two seeds look identical,
over the gateway read: “Katherine and John Dobbs Farm.”
will the plants they grow look identical?” Riddle asked. At this
The girls and their teachers were on a mission—to learn about and plant carrots. Standing next to raised planting beds, senior
point in the lesson, you could see the girls thinking. Their world was starting to expand a little bit.
Elizabeth Austin was holding some carrot seeds in her hands for
The girls would investigate these questions over the next several
the girls to inspect. Mary Riddle, Hutchison’s director of environ-
months. They might not think much of a tiny carrot seed, although
mental education and sustainability, asked the girls to describe the
they were excited to touch them and plant them, but before long
carrot seeds.
they’d observe a seedling sprout, then larger leaves growing. In
“Are they big or small?” Riddle asked.
several months, when they’d yank the carrots from the earth to
“SMALL!” the girls cried out.
the surface, they’d be surprised by a rainbow of colors and sizes.
“What color are the seeds?”
They’d count the carrots, weigh them, wash them, and then have a
“BROWN!” they responded.
chance to taste them and weigh in on whether one color of carrot
“Can you predict what color the carrots might be when they’re
tasted differently than another.
grown?”
These girls weren’t just growing carrots; they were subtly learn-
This stumped the girls … aren’t all carrots orange? Also, they needed to understand what ‘predict’ meant.
ing the steps of the scientific method: make an observation, ask a question, form a hypothesis, conduct an experiment, analyze the
the farm illustrates how learning at hutchison goes beyond the norm and is multi-faceted. Our faculty brainstorm how to make use of the farm to illustrate concepts in math, science, history, English, world languages, and more. It’s also a rich environment for girls to stretch their imaginations and practice empathy. Teachers take the same approach in classrooms—they engage the girls and make learning tangible and memorable. Hutchison’s goal will be to maintain our academic excellence and offer a program that educates the whole girl, inspiring her to be an informed and engaged citizen of her community and the world.
Hutchison | 13
EDUCATE findings, and make a conclusion. And although a pre-kindergarten
with that lifecycle are indelible. Doing something physically is a
girl might not remember the scientific method specifically, her
powerful way to instill concepts that are sometimes abstract in the
interactive lesson on the farm would likely stay with her for a
classroom.”
long time.
agriculture Goes High tech Why is learning on a farm important in this day and age of
Upper school girls in the Hutchison Invests program found a way to study entrepreneurship by harvesting honey and beeswax on the farm and then devising a plan to package, market, and sell the honey and products made from beeswax. When learning about
instant information on iPhones and tablets, when we can shop for
food insecurity, middle schoolers visited the Mid-South Food Bank
groceries online and have them delivered without ever stepping
to learn how organizations in Memphis distribute food to those
foot in a grocery store? To become computer programmers, stra-
in need. When they returned to Hutchison, they spent time on
A sample of lessons offered on the farm include: • •
learning where food comes from and how it nurtures us. Studying the lifecycle of a butterfly and releasing butterflies on the farm as they emerge from their chrysalises.
•
Reviewing the Chinese or Spanish versions of words such as tree, soil, and water.
•
Measuring distances when planting tomato plants, then skip counting when harvesting the tomatoes.
•
Reading poetry and visiting the farm as inspiration for writing poems.
•
Dissecting plants in the heated greenhouse during the winter.
•
Understanding concepts such as migration habits, pollinator and ecosystem communities, and habitat loss.
•
Analyzing carbon capture techniques to help draw
down carbon from the atmosphere, something being studied by colleges and businesses.
•
Practicing being good stewards of the environment.
tegic thinkers, scientists, artists, leaders, or whatever else our girls
the farm learning how urban gardens can be used to bring fresh
aspire to be, don’t they need to master the basic skills of reading,
produce to food deserts.
writing, and arithmetic? Learning about carrots seems quaint. Of course, we live in a digital world, but that’s precisely why
Students have been shown to thrive when they are exposed to lessons in nature. A 2018 research article in the journal Frontiers
some time outside in nature, learning on the farm, is an added
in Psychology suggests that when teachers take learning outside,
advantage to a girl’s education. In fact, Riddle and the faculty she
students benefit academically, physically, and emotionally. In
works with believe finding unique ways to teach a lesson on the
terms of academics, students often retain more when lessons are
farm is vital to reinforcing skills learned in the classroom. On the
presented outside. Nature-based instruction adds another dimen-
Hutchison farm, girls can actively practice skills for disciplines such
sion, making learning interesting and enjoyable, and engaging all
as English, history, science, math, world languages, and more. They
of a students’ senses. Additionally, evidence indicates that
can do it while moving their bodies physically, in nature, in a way
exposure to trees, plants, and wildlife rejuvenates attention and
that is tangible and memorable.
memory; after having a lesson in nature, students’ subsequent
“In a sense, the farm is a lens through which we can view how to
classroom engagement is enhanced. Learning outside provides
teach creatively every day,” said Dr. Kristen Ring, head of school.
physical activity and has been shown to reduce stress, which can
“We’ve seen that when girls plant seeds, observe a plant growing,
boost academic achievement. Encouraging childhood experiences
and then harvest a vegetable, the lessons they learn in conjunction
in nature can lead to positive environmental behavior in adults.
14 | Hutchison
EDUCATE
Why Ag tech Is in memphis and at Hutchison Andy McCarroll, immediate past chair of the Hutchison board
We know that not every Hutchison girl is going to be a farmer or work in the agriculture sector. Nevertheless, practicing co-curricular
of trustees, says that a working farm at Hutchison is important
skills while digging, planting, and harvesting vegetables on the
because changing the way we view agriculture is a central topic
farm is a unique way to inculcate those skills that might otherwise
in Memphis, the nation, and the world. He has been a witness and
stump someone at the smart board. The skills girls learn through
participant as Memphis has hosted an agricultural technology
lessons on the farm are transferrable, too. They can be used in a
revolution over the past few years. The Boston-based company
multitude of careers. Riddle adds that environmental literacy will
IndigoAg, which specializes in technology to treat seeds to help
be a key requirement for jobs in every industry.
protect crops against drought and pests, opened its North American headquarters here. Other organizations, like AgLaunch, are helping cultivate ag-tech startups and build collaborative farmer networks. “Memphis is part of a global conversation, and we have an opportunity to shift the vocabulary around what it means to be in business, in relationship with one another, and in relationship with the land,” McCarroll said. There’s no mystery as to why the ag-tech movement has landed in Memphis. The five commodity crops—wheat, corn, soybeans, rice, and cotton—are all grown within a one-hour drive of the city. Additionally, the region’s fertile land and access to water are something that other regions don’t have in abundance. Since that deficit could lead to a crisis in the future, the way we have traditionally thought of agriculture is changing. Using data from computers on farm equipment, reviewing satellite imagery, and analyzing soil samples make farming more precise, known as precision ag. Regenerative practices, such as no-till farming (or not plowing the land), are becoming widespread. The skills and knowledge the farmers of today and tomorrow will need are more complex and specialized. Companies and organizations in this ag-tech space are also making a strong statement about being inclusive in the new agricultural world. Schuyler Dalton, the director of farmer network and entrepreneurship at AgLaunch, said, “The growing ag-tech field in Memphis requires a fundamental understanding of the value of inclusion and an active commitment to seeking out and bringing in diverse perspectives.” Riddle knows how important it is for us to share the resources of our farm and is actively forming partnerships with organizations in the Mid-South. Leaders in the ag-tech sector have toured the farm and campus and are considering ways to use it for training.
So, even if one day, as adults, our girls order groceries online
Other schools in Memphis are being invited to visit and learn some
and a drone delivers them to their houses, they’ll know where that
of the methods and lessons we are developing on our farm.
broccoli came from originally and the work it took to grow it.
Hutchison | 15
What Girls Learn on
The opportunities for learning on the Hutchison Farm are infinite. Whatever a class is studying, there is a way to support that learning on the farm.
Calculating the distance food travels to be served in Hutchison’s dining hall versus food grown on the farm
Climbing into the watchtower to look for birds Using microscopes in the greenhouse to study microbial organisms in the soil
Keeping plant journals to observe and measure plants every week and understand how they are changing Analyzing carbon capture techniques
16 | Hutchison
Practicing multiplication with trays and planting rows
Charting the growth rates of broccoli
the Hutchison Farm Reading poetry and visiting the farm as inspiration for writing poems
Harvesting rice and determining the best way to winnow it by hand
Studying the lifecycle of a butterfly and releasing newly formed butterflies on the farm
Practicing Chinese and Spanish vocabulary
Growing unusual vegetables like kohlrabi so that girls can sample foods they haven’t had before
Hutchison | 17
when a
FarmBot
came to Hutchison
In the summer of 2019, an unusual apparatus started
said Riddle. “She wanted to explore further agricultural advances,
taking shape in the courtyard at Hutchison. First, there was a raised
and we thought it would be a great way to introduce all Hutchison
wood planter, then metal tracks on the planter, then soil within the
girls to a different type of technology. After all, it doesn’t look like a
planter, then vertical and horizontal metal posts started to form a
robot you’d see in the movies, but it has practical uses.”
frame of sorts. Soon there were wires, and hoses, and eventually
As part of her Science Research Fellows project, Austin assem-
a solar panel. People walking by saw Elizabeth Austin ’20 toiling
bled the robot, coded the software to make it operate, and even
diligently in the summer heat. “What is that?” they’d ask. “It’s a
fashioned some additional parts using Hutchison’s 3D printer to fix
FarmBot,” she’d reply, and then proceed with explaining exactly
problems that she encountered along the way. Any problems she’s
what that was.
had have all been learning opportunities. She’s been interested in
FarmBot is the brand name of a precision agriculture farming
engineering since she created several science projects in middle
device. It consists of a cartesian coordinate robot that moves along
school, including a robot that turns out lights, a robotic prosthetic
a gantry. It can move forward and backward along tracks, side to
hand, and a prosthetic eye. She also interned at Medtronic and
side, and up and down. It is controlled by open source software,
made a radiolucent thoracic spinal probe.
so users can modify its operation. FarmBots are used to grow
Austin is also passionate about the environment. “For the past
vegetables and can be controlled by a computer or app. They are
two years, I have lived a ‘zero waste’ lifestyle,” she said. “I try not to
efficient because they can pinpoint exactly where to plant seeds
use anything that isn’t reusable, recyclable, or compostable in my
and water plants, saving resources. Adding a solar panel means
day-to-day routines.” That means no trash and no plastic. The little
they do not rely on electricity.
to no refuse she produces annually fits in one mason jar.
All of that’s cool, but why a FarmBot at Hutchison? The idea
Now that the FarmBot is up and running, Hutchison girls take
was the brainstorm of Austin and Mary Riddle, director of environ-
time outside to learn about it and ask questions. The decision to
mental education and sustainability. “Elizabeth originally built a
station the FarmBot centrally in the courtyard was so that passersby
solar-powered vegetable washing station on the Hutchison Farm,”
would be curious and ask about it. So far, it seems to be working.
What’s Terraton? Earlier in 2019, the agriculture technology company IndigoAg announced the Terraton Initiative. The name is a reference to “tera,” which means 1 trillion, and “terra,” which is Latin for “earth.” The goal of the initiative, according to the company, is to “remove 1 trillion metric tons of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and use it to enrich our agricultural soils.” One of the more effective ways to do that is by adopting regenerative farming practices, such as no-till (not plowing land every year). By doing this, farmers can lock down carbon in the soil rather than releasing it into the atmosphere (see the Jamie Blythe profile on page 22). To stimulate interest, IndigoAg challenged innovators to submit ideas for creative solutions that would promote carbon capture. After encouragement from Mary Riddle, upper school girls in a graphic design and digital media class submitted a unique idea for a clothing label that would indicate sustainable clothing. Technology also would allow consumers to follow their clothing’s journey from farm to closet. If adopted, consumers would be able to practice more sustainable buying habits, and farmers could make a premium by implementing beneficial farming practices. Applications are under review, and semifinalists could be eligible for up to $60,000 in grants and $3 million in contracts.
Opposite page, clockwise from top left: Elizabeth Austin ’20 explains how the FarmBot works to Mary Riddle; Austin shows how she wired and programmed the FarmBot; Hutchison pre-k, junior kindergarten, and kindergarten girls discover the power of the FarmBot.
Hutchison | 19
Cutting the ribbon for the new Katherine and John Dobbs Farm: Hope ’31, Katherine, Johnny, Stewart ’29, and John Dobbs.
K
A Love of Nature Revitalizes the Hutchison Farm
atherine Dobbs remembers visiting the Hutchison Farm in its previous incarnation with her daughter for a camp. “I
had seen pictures of the farm in the alumnae magazine and was
exchange vows. “No place else was as special as that. We’d lived our whole life there.” Fast forward to last year, when the Dobbs gave a gift to Hutchison
excited about it for learning purposes and for the girls to get out
to renovate the farm and expand it. The Katherine and John Dobbs
and get close to the earth,” she said. “And when we went out for
Farm now includes 30 raised planting beds, six specialty raised
the camp, I could just tell that the farm needed some love.”
beds (currently being used to study carbon-capture techniques),
Having a love for gardens and nature is something that has been
an irrigation system, a heated greenhouse for lessons in the winter,
in Katherine’s life since she was a child in Atlanta. “My mom was a
an arbor, a viewing tower, paths around the farm, and a beautiful
gardener. She definitely taught us to appreciate gardens. I remem-
fence and gate for the entryway. This is phase one of the new farm.
ber her taking me to our local nursery and getting my marigolds
With help from the Hutchison community, phase two plans include
and having a little corner to dig in. I remember coming home from
adding an outdoor classroom, kitchen, and some water features.
school and wandering down through the woods and watching
“This gift has been inspired by Katherine and her creativity and
what popped up. Being outside opens up a whole new world when
her interest,” John Dobbs Jr. said. “She’s not a Memphian, but she
you are aware of nature and its beauty.”
immediately came to Hutchison, fell in love with it, and thought it
Katherine admired her mother’s garden so much that when she and John Dobbs Jr. got married, that was where they chose to 20 | Hutchison
was a perfect place for our girls. She wanted to contribute and be a part of that Hutchison community.” The Dobbs’ Farm gift is in
“ When we plant a tree, we don’t plant it for ourselves, but for our children.”
—REV. MAE “MOTHER” WYATT
honor of their girls, Stewart ’29, in third grade, and Hope ’31, in first
of the farm environment to reinforce wellness topics such as
grade, and in memory of John’s mother, Yvonne Spragins Dobbs,
nutrition, exercise, stress-management, and life balance. Even
Hutchison Class of 1955. The Dobbs also have a son, Johnny.
Hutchison Invests has capitalized on the farm as a resource. One
“Obviously, when you invest your money, it’s personal,” said John Dobbs Jr. “I have a long history with Hutchison along with my mother and my father, John Hull Dobbs, Sr. My sisters went
group of girls decided to source, produce, market, and sell products from the farm such as jars of honey and beeswax lip balm. “It’s an incredible and creative outlet for the girls,” Katherine
here and my brother’s daughters attend school here, too. We have
added. “It can be used for so many different academic lessons.
a vested interest in making sure that Hutchison is a viable entity
It extends the application of what they’re studying and amplifies
in the long term, and we want to make it one of the most unique
their enthusiasm for what they’re learning.”
learning places in the country.”
She also recognizes the larger picture and how the farm can be a great resource for teaching girls about the importance of the
The Importance of a Farm
environment and sustainability. “Sustainability and feeding the
Katherine Dobbs believes that the farm is especially relevant
world will be an issue,” she said. “If we get on top of it now, we
these days, when so much time is spent in front of laptops, tablets,
can train the generation that trains the next generation. We live in
and phones. “Technology is not all bad, but it can stimulate a lot of
a region that’s still very connected to farming, and so it’s a natural
the wrong stuff,” she said. “What’s wonderful about a garden, and
connection to stay in that realm.”
being outside, is that it’s stimulating yet calming at the same time,
The Dobbs want the farm to be a resource for others in the
in a way that’s healthy. Girls can let go of some of the anxiety and
Mid-South, too. “The farm can be used for incredible outreach and
stress that come with being in front of a tablet or TV.”
partnering with other schools, other children, and other organi-
She has also seen the range of how the farm can be used. In addition to learning about plants and their lifecycles, and the planting, monitoring, and harvesting that entails, Hutchison teachers
zations. We can bring them to Hutchison and use the farm in so many ways. “I hope parents understand how the farm reaches children’s
can use the farm in infinite ways. It’s been used as a studio for art
creativity and imagination and lets it bloom,” she said. “The farm
classes, to inspire poetry, for hands-on science lessons, to practice
allows girls to get out of the box of the classroom, and Hutchison
math skills like measurement and counting, and to strengthen
is great about using creativity to teach the children. This classroom
vocabulary in Spanish or Chinese. Athletics will take advantage
is enormous.”
We are incredibly grateful to Katherine and John Dobbs for their vision and lead gift to build this facility and further expand the cutting-edge programming and innovation that our girls experience every day. We extend heartfelt thanks to each of the families listed below who helped bring this project to life. Jeanne Coors ’63 and Bill Arthur
John Deane
Huxley Brown ’04 and Taylor Maury
Cary Coors ’76 and Keith Brown
Carolyn Dabney Coors ’69
Betty Riggan ’60 and Hal Padgett, Jr.
Julia Bryan
Caroline Johnson ’91 and Chris Crosby
Vision ESOP Valuation, LLC
Lois and Chris Canale, Sr.
Meriwether and Stephen Eisenhard
Jean and Billy Weiss
Colleen and Chris Canale II
Michael Hatcher and Associates
William E. Weiss Foundation, Inc.
The Canale Foundation
Katheryn Canale ’94 and K.C. Horne
Amelia Brown ’10 and
Mary Leatherman Carr
David Johnson
Christopher Williamson
Hutchison | 21
Smartly Growing family farm
the
by Max Maddock photography by Brandon Dill
A L U M N A P R O F I L E | JA M I E B LY T H E ’ 9 5
tHERE’S NO GATE OR ARCHED, WROUGHT-IRON SIGN announcing the entrance to the Blythe Cotton Company, a 3,800-acre farm in Town Creek, Alabama. The voice on the GPS instructs you to turn right onto an unassuming dirt and gravel driveway. Otherwise, you might just miss it. Traveling up the slightly hilly driveway, you pass lush
weekend,” Blythe explained. (She fondly recalled stopping
green fields brimming with soybean plants, black cattle
for french fries and iced tea in Corinth, Mississippi, the half-
grazing in the distance, and eventually, around a curve,
way point on their commute.) “There was an interesting
you see the Blythe family house, sitting up on a small hill
dichotomy between the farm and Memphis and a girl’s
keeping watch over the farmland around it.
school. I grew up with a bunch of little boys around here. It
Equally modest is the proprietor of this farm, Jamie Blythe, Hutchison Class of 1995, who lives here with her husband, Kenny Paul Arnold, and their two children, Gracie,
was two entirely different worlds between the weekday and the weekends.” The year Blythe graduated from Hutchison, her family’s
4, and Canaan, 1. Blythe’s father, James, who ran the farm
farm experienced total crop failure. Blythe, who had her heart
previously, is her business partner, and Jamie is the fifth
set on studying agriculture at Auburn University, was guided
generation in her family to work the farm, something of
by Leonard Frey, then associate headmaster and college
which she is very proud.
counselor at Hutchison, to consider Sewanee. The timing
You might wonder how a girl from a farm in rural
was perfect, as Blythe was awarded a full scholarship to
Alabama came to study at Hutchison, almost three hours
Sewanee where she studied natural resources. “It was the
away in Memphis. “I started Hutchison in the fourth grade,”
closest degree they had to agriculture. It was a combination
Blythe said. “We grew up here on the farm, but my oldest
of forestry and geology and quite a bit of biology thrown in
sister wanted to play sports. There weren’t very many
there, too.” Sewanee also was only two hours from the farm,
opportunities here for girls playing sports and wanting a
so she could go home and help when needed.
college scholarship.” Blythe’s sister attended Briarcrest and went on to play
When she finished college in 1999, she wasn’t quite ready to head home, and it wasn’t financially feasible for her
Division I SEC volleyball. But Blythe’s parents recognized
to work on the farm. In college, she had taken up climbing,
that Jamie was shy and lacked confidence. They thought
so she took the opportunity to head to California to work
Hutchison’s environment would suit her needs better.
as a search-and-rescue EMT at Yosemite National Park and
“Our family rented an apartment, and we stayed in Memphis during the week and came home to the farm every
24 | Hutchison
as an instructor for Outward Bound. She also spent time in New Zealand and eventually ended up living in Alaska.
“I am grateful
home. Not coming
to have seen all
back would have
those places, to
been like turning my
travel, and to learn a
back on my child.”
little bit more about
It was trial by fire,
the world,” Blythe
though. Commodity
said. “I got to see
prices were tanking
that there’s a lot of
at the time, so she
different ways to
had to find new
live and think in this
approaches to farm-
world. I’m glad my
Living and working on the farm, Blythe and husband Kenny Paul Arnold get to spend time with their son, Canaan, and daughter, Gracie.
dad didn’t just open up the doors for me
ing and use technology to do more with less. Additionally,
here and tell me to come home. I think that turned out to be
Blythe knew how to drive a tractor or run a bush hog, but
a very fortunate thing.”
she didn’t know how to fix them when they were broken.
HUmBLING REALIZATIONS
that I still didn’t know.”
In 2006, Blythe’s father started to ease into retirement, and she found herself making long commutes from Alaska
“Even though I’d grown up on the farm, there’s so much
GROWING BEYOND A NAmE Although it’s called Blythe Cotton Company, there’s more
to Alabama. Although she wasn’t fully invested in the farm, she could
than cotton being grown on the farm these days. Back in
see that farming was changing. “When I was a little girl, we
1993, Blythe’s father recognized that being a mono-crop
had 15 people out here helping with planting and harvesting,”
cotton farm, which required plowing every year, was not
she said. “The community had changed, and I looked around
sustainable. The soil did not have time to rest and was being
and there was nobody to help. I knew that if I didn’t decide
depleted of nutrients and organic matter, making it less
to do it myself, we were probably going to go out of business.
fertile. The Blythe farm land had been plowed consistently
That was a humbling realization. We had to drastically
for more than 100 years.
change our approach to farming, to take a more Midwestern approach. It became more of a family affair.”
No-till farming is considered a sustainable practice. Although not a new idea, it has taken time for farmers to
By 2011, she was home to stay. “This farm is like your
adopt the practice. No-till farming leaves the crop residue
child, your parent, and your grandparent all rolled into one,”
on fields after harvest. This residue acts as a mulch for the
Blythe reflected. “You take care of it like it’s your child, it
undisturbed soil underneath, fosters soil productivity, and
raises you like a parent, and you respect it like a grandparent.
prevents soil erosion. When it’s time to plant a new crop,
“It’s a family member, and I think that’s the reason I came
special seeders help penetrate the residue to the soil below.
Whenever the tractors plowed our cotton fields, Daddy and I would be out there the next day looking for Indian arrowheads. He would take my hand and shorten his long strides to match my own. We would slowly pace across the fields, our eyes scanning the furrows in front of our boots. Daddy would always seem instinctively to know where the arrowheads were. His sharp eyes would pick out the pieces of flint rock that my own eager, unobservant ones would have passed right over. The frogs and crickets down by the creek would sing more loudly and the shadows would get longer, but we always lost all sense of time. If I found a piece of rock that even remotely resembled an arrowhead, Daddy would kneel down beside me and look it over and confidently tell me that I had discovered something of real value. After a while, we’d realize that it was time to go home and would head back to the truck. I would grasp my treasure in one hand and slip my other hand into Daddy’s. I’ll be going to college in a few months and Daddy won’t be there, but in my mind, I know
he’ll always be holding my hand.
— Jamie Blythe, 1995 Hutchison Lantern yearbook
Hutchison | 25
You take care of the farm like it’s your child, it raises you like a parent, and you respect it like a grandparent. No-till practices require an investment in equipment, but with less plowing, it reduces labor and fuel costs. Jamie Blythe uses no-till farming to continue what her father started and has seen a difference. “When I was in high school, a 60-bushel corn crop yield was awesome. This year I’m making over 200-bushels an acre of corn. This has been a 20-something year process, growing our soil and making it productive again.” In addition, she has leveraged every bit of technology that she can to make the farm more efficient and profitable as a business and sustainable as an environment. Because her land varies from flat fields to rolling hills, she has divided up the 3,800 acres into zones. She regularly compiles detailed data on each zone through satellite imagery, data on crop health from her planter and combine’s computer systems, and soil samples that she sends away to be analyzed by labs at Auburn University. Knowing the land so well, Blythe can write a “prescription” for her crops and send it to her equipment digitally. The behemoth machines, some of which cost nearly three quarters of a million dollars, can then spread the exact amount of fertilizer, herbicide, or pesticide that a particular zone requires. This targeted accuracy reduces costs and waste. It is all part of the precision agriculture movement. “Each field is like an individual person, and an individual person needs certain nutrients,” she said. She’s also begun working with IndigoAg, which specializes in technology to treat seeds that helps protect crops against drought and pests. The company will conduct on-farm research regarding carbon sequestration in soil being farmed using no-till practices. The hope is to quantify the benefits of no-till in terms of removing carbon from the atmosphere. Now Blythe rotates between winter wheat, soybeans, corn, and cotton. Some of the rotation feeds on one another; for instance, corn follows soybeans, because soybeans leave nitrogen in the soil, which corn thrives on. Cotton comes after corn, because corn is a non-host to certain insects that harm cotton. The result is a bump in the yield on cotton. She’s also raising cattle, which are an Angus-Holstein cross breed, on pastures that are more suitable for grazing than farming, and she’s built on-site grain storage that allows her more control in choosing the best time to sell her product. “My belief is that conserving the land and being as sustainable as possible will make us our profit and keep the land healthy.” 26 | Hutchison
PHILOSOPHY UNDER A COTTON PICKER “If a woman can be a farmer in a small town, you can pretty much be anything you want,” Blythe said when asked what she’d say to a current Hutchison girl. “Something that Hutchison taught me is that it was up to me what I wanted to do. It was also up to me to take the responsibility and the steps to make it happen.” She credits Alice Franceschetti, her biology teacher at Hutchison, for inspiring her. “She was probably one of my biggest influences as far as my approach to science and my work ethic in terms of trying to discover answers and to be curious about the world. I owe so much to her. I grew up being excited about the natural world, but she just stepped that up a notch.” Blythe didn’t go back to school to study business when she started running the farm. She doesn’t have a degree in technology. Much of what she’s learned comes from dayto-day experience, asking questions, and guidance from her father, who visits regularly to walk the farm and see his grandchildren. “There have been mornings when I knew I was going to have to argue with a bunch of guys who are a lot bigger than I am and tell them what to do,” Blythe said. “I sometimes have to get underneath the belly of a cotton picker with the mechanic and tell him to show me how it works and how to fix it and not be afraid to look stupid. Every person has something to teach. I think I’ve learned more and philosophized more while sitting under a cotton picker. That is something I wouldn’t trade for anything.” Because they live on the farm, Blythe has finally gotten to a point where she can stay at home with Gracie and Canaan and still get involved when needed. Gracie has cerebral palsy, so requires extra help. “Having a child with special needs put things into perspective. I need to be home and be a mom, and I want to enjoy every day that I can because it’s so much fun, even when they’re having tantrums. It’s been kind of a hard go of things, and I feel like I’m finally able to take a break and get a rest. Being exhausted as a mom instead of being on a tractor for 12 hours a day, that’s a whole different deal. I want to expose them to the farm and teach them a work ethic and understanding that the farm takes care of us, so we have to take care of it.”
I think I’ve learned more and philosophized more while sitting under a cotton picker.
Hutchison | 27
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE:
Equip Hutchison girls with cultural competency skills.
28 | Hutchison
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE | EQUIP
Nurturing Girls to Respect Differences and Embrace Similarities
W
hat’s in a name? In Allyse Holcomb’s junior kindergarten class, a name can be the start of a conversation about cultural competency.
“At the beginning of the year,
Dr. Kristen Ring, head of school.
we introduce ourselves and say
“It’s not a class we take, pass,
something about our names,”
and are done with. It’s a
Holcomb said. “Some girls will
continuum. We never stop
say ‘my name means this’ or ‘my
learning new things about our-
grandmother is also Ruth and my
selves or other people.”
name is Ruth.’ A lot of what we’re
By the nature of their work,
doing in early childhood learning
Tara Thomas, lower school
is getting to know ourselves. The
librarian, and Kenna Chelsoi,
girls start making connections
lower school Spanish teacher,
larger than themselves.”
are often discussing cultural
Four-year-olds, of course, are naturally curious. They thrive on asking questions, and often have
differences with girls. Thomas Junior kindergarten teacher Allyse Holcomb looks for ways to help girls learn about their differences and similarities.
a look of amazement on their
ensures that the library is stocked with books that represent a diversity of people and
faces when they hear the answers. As Holcomb admits, young girls
cultures. Similarly, Chelsoi and the other world language teachers
can be blunt; they just “observe and say” as they notice different
help girls explore other nations and cultures in their classes.
things. “There’s an innocence to it, but it allows for a conversation.”
They’re doing more than teaching Spanish, Chinese, or Latin
For adults, though, sometimes these conversations and questions are a bit shocking and uncomfortable. The emphasis can often
vocabulary and comprehension. Thomas mentioned what happened when she shared a book
be only on differences. Helping girls understand that differences
with the girls called Jalapeño Bagels. The book is about a boy with
are okay, that people have varied cultural backgrounds, beliefs, or
a Jewish father and Mexican mother who is looking for a way to
skin color, is part of the fabric that teachers try to weave into the
show who he is at his school’s international day. “In the discussion
curriculum at Hutchison.
of the book, I had one girl who shared that she speaks Farsi and
What does it mean to be culturally competent? It’s a wide-
English at home,” Thomas said. “I had no idea. I don’t know if she
reaching phrase, but in its essence, it is the ability to recognize
would have felt comfortable sharing that information if it hadn’t
and appreciate diversity and to practice the principles of equity
been for that book. That shows you the power of literature.”
and inclusion. “Striving to be culturally competent is a lifelong endeavor,” said
To stretch her own boundaries and experiences, Thomas traveled out of the country for the first time this summer to visit
While the daily work of our faculty is to guide our girls through a specific curriculum, we realize that there’s more to a classroom and a school than academics. Our girls and their families have diverse backgrounds, traditions, and beliefs. By being thoughtful and intentional, our teachers foster a learning environment where girls can feel safe in sharing and learning about their differences and similarities. From the youngest ages, we model for girls what cultural competency looks like. Together with their parents, we strive to help raise girls who lead with understanding and compassion.
Hutchison | 29
EQUIP
we ask—‘What did you do for the summer. Where did you go for the summer?’ Some people don’t go anywhere for the summer, so we changed it to say things like: ‘I went to eat ice cream.’ ‘I went to Target.’ ‘I went to the library.’ ‘I went to the park or the pool.’ ‘I went to visit my grandparents.’ That way we don’t exclude anybody. Everybody is included in the activity.” Allyse Holcomb, Tara Thomas, and Kenna Chelsoi
Holcomb adjusted a similar exercise. “We used to ask the girls to bring in pictures of their houses. Some girls felt uncomfortable discussing that because their houses might have been smaller or
Colombia as part of a Fulbright Teachers for Global Classrooms
maybe they lived in an apartment. Now we talk about the various
program. She spent the time teaching, observing, and learning
places people live, and how houses look different in different parts
about the country’s culture. She’s now able to bring that expanded
of the world.”
perspective back to her students.
engaging in teachable moments For several years, Hutchison faculty and students have participated in workshops through Facing History and Ourselves. The organization “heightens students’ understanding of racism, religious
Chelsoi mentioned that instead of focusing on certain celebrations, they now share favorite traditions that their families have. “The girls really like that, and it changed the conversation. The girls can personalize it. It’s more meaningful, and we can learn from one another and get the chance to share our traditions.” She added: “I think with our girls the work is in the details, like
intolerance, and prejudice; increases students’ abilities to relate
how to be accepting of one another. For instance, one girl goes to
history to their own lives; and promotes greater understanding of
temple on Saturday, another goes to church on Sunday. Those are
their roles and responsibilities in a democracy.”
different, but we’re trying to get them to realize that they each go
“Working with Facing History and Ourselves opened up my mind,” Chelsoi said. “I realized you don’t avoid those conversations. You need to take advantage of those teachable moments.”
somewhere to practice their beliefs. It’s finding those commonalities more than the differences.” Thomas said one of the most important things she and her
Originally from Colombia, she admitted it can be a challenge
fellow faculty members can do is teach girls how to ask difficult or
sometimes for her to understand the dynamics of race in the U.S.
sensitive questions and help them know where to find the answers.
“That’s one part of growth for me. I’m doing research, reading, and
“With the older girls, we do sometimes get to those difficult
going to conferences to build that competency.”
questions. Because we have good books, I can guide them and
The adage that young children are colorblind did not ring true for Thomas, Chelsoi, or Holcomb. “They know their skin is brown
encourage them to have conversations at home, because it’s not for me to explain to them. But I appreciate the questions.”
or that their skin is white and that it’s different,” Chelsoi said. “For them it’s a fact. We have to acknowledge that and reinforce that it’s okay that we’re different.” Holcomb said one simple tool that helps in having that conversation with junior kindergarten girls is crayons. “We don’t see
Getting Families Involved Another way to foster cultural competency is by nurturing relationships between the girls, their teachers, and their families. “With our study of Memphis, I encourage the girls to talk to their
just a peach crayon or a brown crayon. We have a wide variety of
parents about their favorite place to go or something that their
tones.” She said it has provided an entry to the topic. “We look at
family enjoys doing,” Holcomb said. “The girls come in and share
our skin color, and we look at our hair and we celebrate all of that.
those things. They have pride in that. They always get so excited
We talk about what the meaning of similar and different is.”
bringing in the parent piece.”
“We create a safe space where they feel like they can ask those questions,” Chelsoi said.
Creating a Level Playing Ground One thing Thomas, Chelsoi, and Holcomb agreed on that helps everyone feel accepted and included is to dial down some of the comparisons in group exercises. “Conversation from the girls comes very naturally, but as a
She also engages parents, because they are the best source. “I will ask parents to share with me any traditions, customs, or beliefs that could affect our learning or that they would like for me to know. Some parents love that and get excited and will send me articles or pictures of their family. “That’s been a good way for me to connect with the girls. I’m able to talk about it with them or ask questions about what they’ve been doing. They light up because they feel more included.
teacher, you have to be very intentional with what you use for
If they feel comfortable, they can even teach their friends about
your class,” Chelsoi said. “There’s this activity we often do where
their traditions.”
30 | Hutchison
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE:
Build strong relationships through community engagement.
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE | BUILD
O
Creating a Strong Community for Girls and Their Families
ur girls are our priority, but to know them well, to continue to engage with them daily, we need to know their parents, too. We asked some of our parents how they discovered Hutchison, what they like about the school, and how the institution earns their trust. We spoke to: Kim and Derrick Bell, parents of Kennedy Bell ’23 in ninth grade, who moved from Atlanta Lisa and Drew Cain, parents of Annslee Cain ’31 in first grade and Elliot Cain ’34 in pre-kindergarten Drs. Shari and John Jefferies, parents of Caroline Jefferies ’29 in third grade, who moved from Cincinnati Kesha and Eric Truitt, parents of Layla Truitt ’22 in 10th grade, who moved from Washington, D.C.
Dr. John Jefferies might have summed it up best: “I see a lot of slogans, and I can tell you when I saw ‘Hutchison Strong,’ I thought, ‘well, that’s just something that people made up. It sounds good and looks good on a banner,’ but I really believe that’s the ethos of this place.” On the next two pages, read some of the other things these Hutchison parents said. A central component of raising the next generation of women is partnering with the parents who have chosen Hutchison for their daughters. Our teachers and staff spend significant time with our girls, but we know that we are only part of the equation. Creating a community among families, grandparents, alumnae, friends, and the greater Memphis community is vital to helping our girls grow to be responsible citizens. We look for creative ways to engage our community and to communicate the Hutchison story beyond our campus, so that everyone knows how we stay Hutchison strong.
32 | Hutchison
Drew, Elliot, Lisa, and Annslee Cain Kim, Kennedy, and Derrick Bell
Kamaal, Jasmine, Layla, Malik, Kesha, and Eric Truitt Caroline, John Parker, Shari, and John Jefferies
q: When you were looking at schools, what were your first
compare to what our children were receiving there. Then we
impressions of Hutchison?
toured Hutchison. We were amazed at how much joy was in
lisa Cain: Before we started our tour of Hutchison, we
the classrooms. When we asked Caroline about which school
were asked: “how long do you have?” and we said, “we’ve got
she wanted to attend, she immediately said “Hutchison is
as long as we need.” We were here over two hours, and we
where I want to be.” This was a second grader! She said,
got a sense of what Annslee’s life would be like every step of
“Every little girl said hello and goodbye to me.”
the way, from early childhood to upper school. You cannot
Kim Bell: We lived in Atlanta, and I was deciding whether
replace the feeling you get when you’re on this campus. It has
to take a job in Memphis. A huge factor in my taking the job
a positive energy.
was the connectedness I felt to Hutchison. It was the single-
Drew Cain: Everyone we met, from the admissions staff
gender education, it was the campus feel, it was the academics,
to the teachers to the head of school, knew the girls who were
and it was the athletics. Had we not gotten that feeling, I
passing by in the halls and knew details about their lives. The
probably would not have taken the job here, and we wouldn’t
environment here has a sense of community and a sense of
have moved.
family. The people have a 30,000-foot view and a granular
eric truitt: As a father, I look at several key criteria:
view.
Shari Jefferies: We were in one of the number-one school districts in Ohio, and we thought nobody could
the school’s curriculum, the safety and security, and the culture. Hutchison has a unique culture that’s very welcoming. Walking in on day one, we felt welcomed.
Hutchison | 33
BUILD
q: How did you make the decision to send your girls to Hutchison?
q: How has Hutchison earned your trust? Lisa Cain: After Annslee made some pictures, Dr. Ring
Kesha truitt: We knew the academics were good, but
sent a handwritten personal thank you note to her. That sent
also the low student-to-teacher ratio mattered to me. I wanted
her over the moon. It’s like, “I got mail!” That’s a huge thing to
Layla to be able to get individualized attention. It’s a nurturing
a first-grader. Before school started this year, Linda Winchester
environment.
called to say hello, that she was excited Annslee was in her
John jefferies: We wanted Caroline to be a well-
class, and I can’t wait to see you.
rounded child. We chose Hutchison partly because Caroline
Drew Cain: We watched Annslee walk around the house
never wavered, and we think we’re getting a complete expe-
talking on the phone to Mrs. Winchester, and she was just
rience here. Once you know that the median for standardized
beaming. She had the biggest smile and was giddy.
testing such as the ACT is the same at other schools in Mem-
Kesha truitt: Layla has grown since she’s been here.
phis, you’d have to ask yourself. ‘Why would you not come here?’ ”
She is an avid reader. She reads non-stop, and her vocabulary is out of this world. She’s even more confident. We believe that
Kim Bell: We all felt like Hutchison would offer the aca-
whatever she had in her naturally, Hutchison has nurtured it,
demic rigor, and because Kennedy is a tennis player, Hutchison
and it’s just growing.
had a leg up simply because it had tennis courts it shares with
John Jefferies: The teachers look at Caroline and at her
MUS. Meeting Coach Chubb was fantastic, too. The third thing was Hutchison’s campus feel. That’s what she was used to at Woodward in Atlanta. Kennedy also felt like the girls were down to earth. I think she saw herself fitting in here better.
q: What has stood out to you about the Hutchison experience?
eric truitt: Layla is studying Mandarin Chinese. If you look at the world today, China is the second-fastest growing economy. She will be able to leverage having that second language. We didn’t tell her to study Chinese. She discovered that on her own, but the teachers and advisers here have inspired her in that path.
classmates individually. Katharine Kent really understood the potential of Caroline. I don’t think we could have handpicked anywhere that would suit our daughter more than this place.
q: What has helped you feel like part of the Hutchison community?
Shari jefferies: Last year, when Caroline was in second grade, she was a flower girl for a senior at graduation. The senior class was big, so they allowed the four new girls who were here to be part of that. Caroline felt so included. She just wrote a letter to her senior, now a freshman in college, encouraging her and asking her questions about college. It will be included in a care package that her family is sending. I think
kesha truitt: She’s already charted her course for
that gives kids an end goal and helps them see that relation-
college and wants to study international business with a minor
ships continue no matter where you are.
in Chinese. We love Hutchison so much because she loves it
Lisa Cain: The Instagram photos of the classroom that we
so much.
get with Elliot are huge as a parent. I can see in real-time what
derrick Bell: I think in a single-gender environment,
my kids are doing, and it helps me engage them in conversa-
Kennedy has been more comfortable to be herself. I think
tion that night at dinner, because by the time we get home
she’s branched out a lot more than she would have at a co-ed
from work, they’re several hours removed from school. I share
school.
it with my mom and dad, who don’t live here, and it allows us
Lisa Cain: They’re learning so much, and they’re having
to engage our family in the school.
so much fun doing it. And it’s a total environment—the school
eric truitt: I tell people my daughter is in fertile soil
cultivates the child as an individual but also to have a sense of
here as far as growth is concerned. We’ve seen growth aca-
community.
demically and socially. She’s just blossomed, and it’s directly attributable to the culture and environment that this school established years ago and maintains.
34 | Hutchison
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE:
Steward the school’s resources to educate women for the next century.
Letters of T hanks
In fostering a culture of gratitude, Dr. Kristen Ring believes passionately in the lost art of letter writing. To her, a personal letter demonstrates a deep appreciation for those who are making a difference in the lives of Hutchison girls. Please enjoy some personal notes of gratitude penned by our faculty and staff. To see the Report on Philanthropy, visit www.hutchisonschool.org/grateful.
is the e g n e l l ha tance c an option for s i s s a l nancia ss education fi e h t d r a ft towa ng a world-cl i g r est u o i Y k of the b a e n m o s n i i p budget first ste ents. stance i s ne. s a l a d verse o nci i a u d t n s a fi s r e i is u mor t body e same asing o studen and th t incre
ing ur le, ha reason the tab nsure o elieve t l e t b a a c n y i t l t a a y c e m l l I fir ions has a s schoo ild ana at our discuss n to bu y voice h t e r t n e s a m v t y o e r a o w n w e in imp young n our ves wh er whe ke part ourage i cy thri c a s a t a n r e e c o t o e h m them is muc oms. W Our de rld. at allow s work classro i h t r s Th u l . l o the wo i e f k c n o s n o e e g s u d n e r i t dent k iv nfi al-thin ove stu erspect and co r c , i p p t n f i r o m o i i c s y s t and ompa ght can a varie ocioason, c of thou ol with y o t i h s erent s c r s ff e with re i v o arger d i t d e m g sin com much l s fro a s t e a t n r f n e c e o d n d i u p st at te the stu ows th oming —and e first s t h c h l s n t e e h y w l c m e r t t ea w tha priate depar is mer the res at our we kno t appro ounds r h , a t s g h While e k w w c m o a g o n b n k rld. s g outc modeli you to ted wo eligiou r c t d e n n r n a a o learnin n , w y l t o a I i c divers ocess. ic, raci y inter to that ated pr easingl c econom r g i l c n i p n i d m n d re co to atte ced an and mo mitted fast-pa r m u o o c s n i —i ks like school rse loo u o c s i osity, civic d r gener u o y r ain fo es you ag Scienc Thank Social s i d c n n a a y istor Clay Fr hair, H Depart
ment C
Under Hutchison’s new strategic plan, we commit to making sure the people who invest in our school not only know how much we appreciate them, but also receive meaningful feedback about the impact of their generosity. Gratitude comes in many forms, and we know the more personal our thanks can be, the more meaningful it will be to the individuals and families who choose to make giving to Hutchison a priority. 36 | Hutchison
STRATEGIC OBJECTIVE | STEWARD
Thanks to yo u, all Hutchis on girls are a in our comm ble to serve unity.
people
Because of yo u, I am able to facilitate ag our girls’ curr e-appropriat iculum and e activities th re inforce their and excitem at align with classroom st ent in our gir u d ie ls s. ’ Y ey o es u the service w can see the jo when they m ork they are y ake meaning doing. ful connecti ons to My gratitude is fueled from a dual lens as Hutchison g a staff memb irl in lower sc er and as a p hool. It warm her friends en arent of a s m y heart to wit gage in servic ness my dau e-learning p to our comm ghter and rojects and ac unity. tivities that co nnect them It is importan t that they le arn about giv an accessible ing beyond th entr y point fo emselves, th r girls to exp us providing lore and find Sincerely, their passion for service. Tonya Faulk ner
Hutchison Se rves
Director
Because of generous donors such as yourself, I have been able to meet and learn from other teachers across the country. I recently traveled to the National Council of Teachers of English Annual Conference and presented on what we are doing to strengthen our culture of literacy on campus. I have been able to show off the wonderful strategies and mindsets that make our girls so successful. I can’t say I’m surprised when other teachers are impressed with our work; your generous support has a ripple effect that touches so many classrooms outside of Memphis. I receive emails from teachers I met at conferences like NCTE, and I am more than happy to share materials and lessons with them. The fact that other teachers are impressed with how we have intentionally planned our classroom program encourages me in the work I do every day. Thank you so much for your thoughtful gift. All my best! Lauren Huddleston 7th Grade English Teacher Hutchison | 37
Letters of T hanks
at Hutchison! g in w ro g re a e w re, and girls Thanks to you farm is a treasu utchison. The
here at H lessons to life. l farm program to bring their rm fa e th se I run the schoo u areas ls and subject nd-grade in all grade leve te poetr y. Seco ri w to rm fa e th to work on girls visited th seventh-grade for the last mon k k, ee ee w w y is er th ev st Ju a salad for farm ing out to the ugula to make m ar d co an en es be h e is d av girls h har vested ra le to tr y farm ctives. We also ere girls are ab je h w ob l h al at h m g r in ei in th in our d ay,� a program “Tasting Tuesd week. e girls are veggies ever y r generosity. Th u yo of se u ca e be The farm is d themselves. e made possibl an ar s ld ce or n w ie e er p th These ex things about l. Thank you. deeply gratefu ay to learn new d y am I er s. ev rl ed gi ir r insp t joy to ou that brings grea a special place Sincerely, Mary Riddle
stainability ucation and Su Ed l ta en nm ro vi Director of En
Your generosity has given all our Hutchison girls a chance to soar creatively. Hutchison’s Fine Arts curriculum is an essential part of its mission, offering an opportunity for our students to explore their innermost dreams and passions in ways they simply cannot within a regular classroom setting. When our students stretch themselves creatively, when they use art as a tool to promote positive change, and when they lay their emotions bare in a painting, musical composition, or on stage, their joy is palpable. I have glimpsed this joy with my own eyes, watching my seventhgrade daughter perform on our stage, singing her heart out in front of a packed house with no inhibition or regret, and able to subsequently articulate the sense of pride she felt in realizing her passion. As a father, administrator, and lifelong supporter of the arts, I could not be more thankful. All my best, Nick Simpson Middle School Head 38 | Hutchison
STEWARD
As the h we be ead coach lie fo level t ve we are p r the varsi ty bas his ye oised a t r o — c ompe ketball pro a stat We ar e pum e cham te at t ped to seein he hig gram, p g the b i o e g n i n ano ship! hest girls g semifi ther s row a nal c
nd th hool y s. We rive. L wi l l r ear, a furth e nd we a t s u t rn mo er thi seaso look f s seas n we st of o orwar m o I writ u n a r . d c d to e it to ore te e to e a t x h m press e cham a s t n a d are te my pe pions hung rsona hip-c like y r y l a t o t l iber b h ours a go asketb anks to yo llo provi u. We all pr de for w us to pa ogra have yc travel been to com oaching st m here at build I am H i p p u ing a e e t nds, i chiso so pro te aga n m i u , n p d of t a s Hutch r n t o d t v h e our gifts e best his re ison S facilit mark region trong i able s e s a , ! l and teams chool Since . . Than rely, k you fo Coach r help Thom ing us as Jon Varsit to be e y Bas s ketb even
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To see the Report on Philanthropy, visit www.hutchisonschool.org/grateful Hutchison | 39
F R O M T H E B OA R D O F T R U S T E E S
I am awed by the caliber and intensity of philanthropy invigorating Hutchison. We know that each year you have the choice of which institutions to support. We are honored when you choose Hutchison and know we have to earn your loyalty, deliver on your investment, and most importantly, provide the very best education to our girls each day. This is an extraordinary privilege and awesome responsibility that would be nearly impossible without you. In 2018-2019, Hutchison benefited from the remarkable generosity of the community who supported the Hutchison Fund, Financial Assistance Challenge, renovation of the farm, and the endowment. On behalf of the board of trustees, I extend sincere appreciation to each and every person who made contributing to Hutchison a priority. Your support makes Hutchison a place where each girl can find her own unique voice and place in the world. You are making a difference. Andy McCarroll | Board Chair 2017-2019
Hutchison Financials U SO
RCE
S OF REVE
NU
Total Operating Budget/2018-2019 .............................. $20,022,073 E
2018-2019 CHARITABLE CONTRIBUTIONS Net Tuition & Fees ..... 84% Philanthropy ...............7.5% Auxiliary/Misc............ 8.5%
Endowment & Capital Gifts .................... $1,558,630 Hutchison Fund Gifts ................................... $948,645 Total Gifts................................................ $2,507,275
ENDOWMENT FUND BALANCE O
as of June 30, 2019 .............................$22,745,653
ING EX PEN RAT SE PE S
PLANNED GIFTS Number of Donors ................................................ 45
thaynkou!
Approximate Value ............................... $11,250,000
Salaries & Benefits ...... 68% Program Support ..... 19.5% Physical Plant ................ 7% Administration .............5.5% 40 | Hutchison
F I N A N C I A L A S S I S TA N C E C H A L L E N G E U P DAT E
It’s important to our community that we make the extraordinary Hutchison education available to more girls across the Mid-South. —DR. KRISTEN RING, HEAD OF SCHOOL
bravo! Last year, an anonymous donor issued a $5 million Financial Assistance Challenge, increasing your gift by 50 percent when directed toward financial assistance. Thanks to your generosity, we raised more than $4 million toward the challenge, securing an additional $2 million in matching funds!
Because of your enthusiastic response, our anonymous donor has graciously extended the challenge for the 2019-2020 school year! If Hutchison raises $10 million, we will receive the full $5 million match.
HOW YOU CAN HELP: ✿ Direct your Hutchison Fund gift to financial assistance ✿ Consider an additional gift or multi-year pledge to the endowment ✿ Name Hutchison as a beneficiary in your estate plan
WHERE WE ARE NOW:
Total Raised
Opportunity
MATCH YOUR GIFTS Hutchison | 41
42 | Hutchison
A L U M N A P R O F I L E | S H A N N O N COW L E S L AT H A M ’ 8 3
trusting trusting trustingyour your yourtalents talents talents
and and andfullfilling fullfilling fullfilling your your yourdream dream dream “I “I “I
always knew I wanted to own my own business. My father owned his own company, my grandfather owned his own company, and my sister owns her own company,” said Shannon Cowles Latham ’83. After graduating from Hutchison, Latham studied advertising at Southern Methodist University in Dallas and worked in advertising and marketing jobs in Memphis. She had an idea that she wanted to be involved in an import/export business and could see there was a market for children’s garments. “What grandmother or mother can pass on buying something that’s cute for her child? She will spend money on them before she will spend money on herself,” Latham said. “I knew that I could brand it and market it. That’s really what I do best, better than designing, I think. My forte lies in knowing how to position and out-market and outbrand a competitor.” How she ended up owning and running a successful children’s clothing line called Little English came about when Latham’s marketing instincts kicked in. “I had a cousin who worked at the Embassy in Lima, Peru. She would send me beautiful Peruvian sweaters,” Latham explained. “My daughter would always wear them with her little smocked dresses and overalls, and all my friends in Memphis loved them and kept saying, ‘Where did you get them?’ ” In 1998, Latham moved to Lexington, Kentucky, where her husband took a job as a bloodstock agent for thoroughbred horses. Capitalizing on the interest
she’d seen in sweaters, she and a friend started a children’s sweater business. When Latham had her son, she sold her share in that business and thought she would be a stay-at-home mom. Then she started drawing again, and she knew she still wanted to own her own company. In 2004, she founded Little English. The company name was inspired by an embroidery technique on pleated fabric called English smocking. Latham wanted a name that could apply to children’s clothing, but not be pigeonholed as only for children. She thought the brand might grow to encompass clothing for women or even things like furniture. She added the word ‘Little’ in front, and the brand was born. “It made it whimsical enough without being cutesy,” she explained. In the lean beginning years, Latham did it all. Despite having no design training, she knew the aesthetic she wanted, and she knew how to storyboard ideas and guide others in executing her designs. She handled the company’s accounting, inventory, photography, web design, catalogs, and traveled to wholesale showrooms in Atlanta and Dallas to take orders. One of her first shows was at the Junior League in Memphis. She said people were lined up and she couldn’t check them out fast enough. “I thought, ‘Okay, I think we’ve got the formula here. I think we’re going to be okay.’ ” Before she knew it, Little English was in 100 stores, which eventually ballooned to over 400 stores. Hutchison | 43
Celebrating her 15th year, she has a wholesale business and an online business. Since the company designs and produces about 600 pieces a year, she’s implemented an inventory management system to keep track of everything and streamline processes. LEARNING ON THE JOB
It’s one thing to have design ideas and even orders in hand. It’s another thing to get clothing items produced accurately across several different continents and delivered on time. Little English has fabrics printed in countries such as Brazil, Italy, Spain, and England, and then the clothes are manufactured in South America. “I send in my hand drawings and then work with the manufacturers to get the samples to come out looking like what I expect them to look like,” Latham explained. “They are extremely literal about my drawings. If I have a dog’s ear drawn wrong, then it’s going to be wrong when they smock it or crochet it.” Colors can be challenging, too. Even though there are reference colors, there are still variations when things are produced by hand or when they are block printed. She admitted that scaling a business up is quite difficult financially since you have to be able to purchase goods that you’ve pre-sold. “The operation side is the most difficult part, being able to structure my organization, being able to keep up and manage the 44 | Hutchison
amount of inventory that comes in without necessarily trying to add too many people while maintaining expenses so that we continue to make a profit.” The last recession was extremely difficult. “We lost 200 stores practically overnight,” Latham said. “A lot of our boutiques could not get financing and had to make adjustments. We experienced a dip in our sales.” There was a silver lining, however. Latham launched the company’s online store in 2009, and by the end of the year, they were only down by about $5,000 for the year. K E E P I N G I T I N T H E FA M I LY
In the fall of 2015, Latham’s daughter, Dunn, returned home after graduating from Ole Miss with a degree in opera and art history. She planned on taking a year off to travel, but Latham was down an employee. “She had no intention of working for me, but I needed her help. She came on for a little while, has loved it, and decided to stay. We design all the fabrics together.” Latham participated had participated in theater in theater at Hutchison, at Hutchison, so was so was never never shy when shy when presenting presenting in front in front of people. of people. Her Her daughter also had also acted acted and and was was a natural a natural at presenting at presenting the the Little Little English English line.line. Latham Latham sayssays her her daughter daughter has has an eye an eyedesign for for design and and photography, photography, is a natural is a natural withwith social social media such as Facebook and Instagram, and is savvy with building websites. “We both have a similar style. She is a little bit more modern than I, so the balance between the two has been wonderful,” Latham added. “We’ve seen our customers enjoying her twist on some of our styles, as well as her clean aesthetic for the website and marketing.”
Shannon remembered how supportive and encouraging
Leonard Frey was. “He would say: ‘Shannon, that’s okay. Don’t be so stressed about that. You’ve got so many other talents.’”
“One thing I admire about my daughter is that she’s 26 years old, and I keep telling her, ‘Oh my gosh, what you know now, I didn’t learn until my 40s and 50s.’” Latham designed a honey bee sweater collection for Hutchison, which is sold in the campus Buzz Shop. Candy Covington, who was Latham’s French teacher, was on the committee to approve the design to be worn as part of the uniform. Latham and her daughter introduced knitwear into their line to help broaden the brand’s market and come in at a lower price point. They are hoping to eventually add some lifestyle products that would apply their unique designs to wallpaper or fabric to be used in home décor in children’s rooms or nurseries. H OW H U TC H I S O N P R E PA R E D H E R
Latham transferred to Hutchison in seventh grade and was involved in theater, played tennis, and sang in the chorus. She admits she wasn’t an honor student, but she remembered how supportive and encouraging Leonard
Frey was. “He would say: ‘Shannon, that’s okay. Don’t be so stressed about that. You’ve got so many other talents. You’re doing fine. You’re making good grades; you’re not making bad grades.’ It was so refreshing to hear that, and he meant it, which was lovely,” Latham recalled. She believes Hutchison helped build her confidence, grit, and determination. “It didn’t matter if you weren’t perfect, as long as you kept moving through the problem or the issue at hand,” she said. “The creativity that was allowed at Hutchison was celebrated by everybody in our class.” “The culture there was so fabulous, and I’m still best friends with all of the girls from there, even though we all live in different cities. We still get together. My cousin, Anne Latham Holdaway ’83, was here recently, and we were literally sitting on my bed laughing and texting with other friends. They really are lifelong friends.”
Hutchison | 45
Graduation CLASS
of 2019
Manha Khan and Caitlin Robinson
Kendall Morgan, Emery Lusk, Laura Heathcott, Hannah Hussey, Josephine Redd, and Sophie Stockstill
46 | Hutchison
Nora Tillmanns and Margo Clothier
G R A D UAT I O N | C L A S S O F 2 0 1 9
Anne Grinder, pictured with Dr. Kristen Ring, received Four Years Top Honors.
Science Research Fellows Ansley Stamper, Charlotte Merchant, and Anne Grinder
Gaby, Emma, Katy, and Brent Nair
Charlotte Merchant received Senior Year, Top Honors and Four Years, Second Honors.
Mary Reagan Clement with Katie McBride, the Edward P. Russell Award recipient.
Rhodes Roll and Ansley Stamper
Michelle Lee received Senior Year, Second Honors and Ideal Hutchison Girl.
Dr. Kristen Ring, head of school, with guest speaker Keisha Perry Walker ’97.
Micaela Dusseault, Catherine Chubb, athletics director, and Grace Anne Dunavant Hutchison | 47
Above: Laura Heathcott, Madeline Danielson, and Elizabeth Cole Above, right: Marly Williams and Trinity Mans Jeanette Leake, Eva Leake, and Ari Williams
Ainsley Holliday and Anna Kate Nearn
Evan Lilly Yarbrough and Megan Richman
Courtney Davis and Lizzie Pierotti
48 | Hutchison
Katie Koo and Lauren Ma
Hannah Gardner and Naomi Blumenberg
Sophie Stockstill, Anna Catron Lee, Lucy Driscoll, and Hannah Hussey
Irene Keeney, the Meg Thomas Student Speaker
G R A D UAT I O N | C L A S S O F 2 0 1 9
Ann Marie Crump with McKenzie Tapley, Cora Winnig, Anslee Cain, Marel Crump, and Smith Clanton
Catherine Doggett and Audrey Jones
Above: Alice Trotter Crow ’88 and Sally Crow Right: Aurie Saunders and Anne Cater Josephine Redd, Payton Kaye, Grace Galler, and Madison Grinder
Hutchison | 49
Anne Grinder and Megan Wellford Grinder ’91
Mary Frances Hall, Sarah Collier, and Bebe Lowrance
Pam Patteson Shumake ’88 and Paige Patteson
Clayden Young, Renee Barber Grinder ’89, Madison Grinder, and Collins Young
Front row: Hope Dobbs and McKenzie Tapley Back row: Becket Monaghan and Whitney Jordan 50 | Hutchison
Malia Blumenberg and Halle Dougher
Emma Nair and Charlotte Trotter
Caroline Jefferies and Alyssa Hausmann
Genevieve Raby
Cecilia Lacher and Mary Demere
Eshaal Baig and Carson Weatherly
Erica Stiff-Coopwood, Madison Moore, Merry Moore, and Johnny Moore
Eden Harris and Sarah Beth Bland
Cora Winnig and Avery Boals
Louise Phillips and Mary Van Montague
Pat Nelson, Catherine Moore Nelson ’89, Mary Moore Nelson, and Catey Nelson ’18
Haley Clift, Ellie Weeks, and Madison Grinder
Annsley Barton and Camille Stemmler Hutchison | 51
G AT H E R I N G S | A LU M N A E W E E K E N D
Members of the Class of 2004 celebrate their 15th Reunion! L to R: Lillie Flenorl, Beverley Ray, Brooke Parker Justice, Huxley Brown Maury, and Sequoia Taylor
Megan Wellford Grinder ’91, Caroline Johnson Crosby ’91, Leanne Wiener Sykes ’91, Katie Eleazer Wiener ’91, and Christy Smith Muller ’91
Huxley Brown Maury ’04, Cary Coors Brown ’76, Dabney Coors ’69, Christina Wellford-Scott ’69, and Amelia Brown Williamson ’10 52 | Hutchison
Christy Smith Muller ’91, Tait Ramey Mellone ’88, Caroline Johnson Crosby ’91, and Katie Eleazer Wiener ’91
Elizabeth Coors, Margaret Collier Steffner ’79, and Anne Marie Caskey ’80
Anne Samaha Dunavant ’98 and Connell Sullivant NeSmith ’99
Tait Ramey Mellone ’88, Angel Sands Gunn ’89, and Barbara Sands Hutchison | 53
boston
G AT H E R I N G S | O U T- O F -TOW N E V E N T S
Head of School Dr. Kristen Ring enjoyed visiting with Kelly Shannon Sawyer ’94 and Ani Ross Grubb ’96 while in Boston this summer. Hutchison alumnae in Charlotte enjoyed a night out with Head of School Dr. Kristen Ring. L to R: Lawrence Freeburg Zucker ’07, Emily Pera ’95, Maggie Hayes ’13, Brooke Binswanger Kern ’03, Kristen Ring, Mary Tabor Engel ’82, Claire Covington ’96, Betsy Dumas Gebhardt ’53, and Betsey Haight Hawthorne ’05
54 | Hutchison
charlotte
chicago
Head of School Dr. Kristen Ring and Alumnae Director Mary Aubrey Landrum Stafford ’10 enjoyed visiting with Hutchison alumnae in Chicago. L to R: Gabriela Alvergue ’13, Alessandra Corona ’09, Taylor Coop Daniel ’07, Kristen Ring, Mary Aubrey Landrum Stafford ’10, Pauline Merrill Foster ’82, and Katie Maxwell Sullivan ’02
memphis zoo Look at these party animals! Hutchison classmates and friends enjoyed the first alumnae zoo adventure with their children. L to R: Paige Phillips Gillespie ’07 with daughter Bailey, former Hutchison teacher DeeDee Perel, Huxley Brown Maury ’04 with daughter Anne, Mary Aubrey Landrum Stafford ’10 with son Ford, and Mary Holland Doan Morris ’07 with son Thomas and daughter Anna Francis. Hutchison | 55
“We give because Hutchison helps us see all that is possible for our daughter.”
each girl
“We value a strong academic education for our granddaughter. But a good life requires so much beyond that. That is why we support Hutchison.”
every day “I have witnessed the positive impact of Hutchison graduates inspiring, encouraging, and supporting one another because Hutchison represents community. I want that for each girl, every day.” — Dr. Kelly Rodney Arnold ’96
hutchisonschool.org/give
2019 GOLF SCRAMBLE Presenting Sponsor
Gold Sponsors
2019 WINNERS!
CBRE Group, Inc C. R. Pollan Paving McVean Trading & Investments, LLC Swanky’s Oak Hall Silver Sponsors Hollis and Burns Insurance Co. SAVE THE DATE: NEXT SCRAMBLE
Monday, May 4, 2020 Chickasaw Country Club
SPECIAL THANKS
to the golfers, sponsors, and the tournament planning committee who supported Hutchison athletics through our annual Golf Scramble in May.
Go Sting!
Hutchison | 57
Nearly 100 activities, demos, community partners, vendors, 375+ volunteers, and more than 1,300 festival visitors—plus a healthy dose of girl power, inspiration, adventure, and gorgeous weather ... We’d say it was a great day at Strong Girl Fest!
SPECIAL THANKS TO OUR SPONSORS: SILVER SPONSORS
Patriot Security Jim Keras Automotive nexAir, llc BRONZE SPONSORS
McVean Trading & Investments Shred415 OUR MEDIA PARTNER
WREG News Channel 3
72 | Hutchison
Photographs by Brandon Dill
Non-Profit Organization U.S. Postage
PAID
1 74 0 R i d g e w a y R o a d M e m p h i s , Te n n e s s e e 3 8 1 1 9 (901) 761-2220
Memphis, TN Permit No. 750
PARENTS of ALUMNAE: If your publication is addressed to your daughter who no longer maintains a permanent address at your home, please notify the Alumnae Office of her new mailing address at (901) 762-6664. ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED. DATED MATERIAL—PLEASE EXPEDITE ©Hutchison School 2019
Hutchison accepts qualified female students regardless of race, color, religion, or national origin.
March 20-21
Buzz on over for ALUMNAE WEEKEND 2020 Celebrating 100+ years of friendships!
Please contact the Alumnae Office at 901.507.2455 or visit hutchisonschool.org/alumnaeweekend for more information. Hutchison Hits the Road! Join us for an Alumnae Gathering in a city near you. Interested in hosting an out-of-town event? Email alumnae@hutchisonschool.org for more information. New York City: Thursday, November 21 Nashville: Monday, February 3
Atlanta: Thursday, February 27 Washington, DC: Monday, April 27
