T H E S C H O O L M AG A Z I N E • A P R I L 2 0 1 8
Serve
A Call to
MOLLY CRENSHAW ’08 CAREY MADISON MOORE ’64 LINDA MARKS ’63
Photography with a Purpose 16 | Making History Relevant 22 Creating Community 25 | Alums Together Again in Los Angeles 30
Ninth-grade girls tackle rock climbing on a retreat at Horseshoe Canyon Ranch in Arkansas. During the retreat, they also ride horses, zip line, swim, and relax. It is an opportunity for them to bond as a class, push personal limits, try out leadership roles, and imagine their first year in upper school.
3 | Hutchison
CONTENTS FEATURES 8 A Call to Serve Hutchison alumnae work to nurture community in Memphis 16 Photography that Creates a Pause Photos by Cady Herring ’13
22 Making History Relevant Creating a cohesive program that gives girls skills for life 25 Creating Community at Hutchison Students, teachers, parents, and alumnae strive to make everyone feel welcome 27 Thriving In Real Life and Digital Worlds Author and speaker Ana Homayoun visits Hutchison ALUMNAE PROFILE 0 Brenda Chandler Cooke ’66 3 and Daryl Trainor Twerdahl ’66 Picking Up Where They Left Off
GIVING TO HUTCHISON 32 Susan and Sanford Thomas An Emphasis on Education
ALUMNAE NEWS 34 Reunions and Gatherings 36 Alumnae Award Honorees 37 Marriages & In Memoriam 38 Births & Adoptions 40 Professionally Speaking 41 Class Notes D E PA R T M E N T S 3 News from Hutchison 29 From
the Classroom
O N T H E C OV E R Hutchison alumnae are working to nurture community in
Memphis and make the city stronger. Pictured are Molly Crenshaw ’08, Carey Madison Moore ’64, and Linda Marks ’63, who, along with Alex Middleton ’09 and Meg Thomas Crosby ’88, are fighting the good fight for the river city. Alumnae were photographed at Crosstown Concourse, the former Sears, Roebuck and Company catalog distribution center and retail store, originally built in 1927 and revitalized as a “mixed-use, vertical urban village,” with stores, restaurants, apartments, a school, and businesses. Its grand opening was in August 2017. Photograph by Brandon Dill
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
dear friends, W
here would we be without
community? In this, my first year as
Hutchison School is dedicated to a c a d e m i c exc e l l e n c e a n d t o t h e
head of school, my family and I have been
p a ra l l e l d eve l o p m e n t o f m i n d , b o d y,
warmly embraced by the Hutchison com-
fo r s u cce ss i n co l l e g e a n d f o r l i ve s o f
munity. The girls, the parents, the alumnae, the teachers and staff, the board—everyone
Dr. Kristen Ring
MISSION
a n d spirit a s it edu cates young wom e n integrity and responsible citizenship.
H U TC H I S O N M AG A Z I N E
has opened wide their arms to us. It’s been
APRIL 2018
a joy meeting so many of you and becoming
HEAD OF SCHOOL
a part of an extraordinary city like Memphis. From the moment we arrived in June of last year, Memphis and Hutchison have felt like home. As our city prepares to join the rest of the nation in commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on the 50th anniversary of his death, we decided to spotlight some of the ways members of the Hutchison community are uniting to do their part to live out Dr. King’s dream. In our feature article, you will read about the inspiring work of alumnae strengthening Memphis by helping us connect, develop empathy for each other, and find common ground. You will also learn about the work of our history
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 L o r i G u y, 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 m m a d d o c k @ h u t c h i s o n s c h o o l .o r g A LU M N A E D I R E C TO R 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 m s t a f f o r d @ h u t c h i s o n s c h o o l .o r g
faculty and board-appointed inclusion committee, both of whom have
CO N T R I B U T I N G W R I T E R S
modeled for our girls the steps necessary to establish and maintain a truly
J u d i C e n t ko, L o r i G u y, M a x M a d d o c k ,
inclusive community. Our school community and our city are rooted in deep and enduring relationships, which I believe bodes well for our future. Communities where members feel a deep sense of belonging and connection are strong, thriving communities. Warmly,
E l i z a b e t h B ra n d o n B a r ke r ’ 0 2 , G a b r i e l l e P r ew i t t P H OTO G R A P H Y C a t h y B a r b e r, J u s t i n F ox B u r k s , B ra n d o n D i l l , C a d y H e r r i n g ’ 1 3 , G a b r i e l l e P r ew i t t , N i c k S i m p s o n , a n d va r i o u s H u t c h i s o n c o n s t i t u e n t s DESIGNER B a r b a ra H i m b e r 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 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 .
Kristen Ring, Ed.D. President and Head of School
Please forward address changes to: H U TC H I S O N S C H O O L 1 74 0 R I D G E WAY R OA D M E M P H I S , T N 3 8 1 1 9 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
2 | Hutchison
news
F R O M H U TC H I S O N
Five Seniors Sign Letters of Intent Seniors, pictured clockwise from left: Jordan Groover, Simmons Allen, Elizabeth Farnsworth, Susan Morris, and Lydia Herring signed letters of intent to play college sports. Allen will play volleyball at Mississippi State University; Farnsworth will play lacrosse at University of Virginia; Groover will play lacrosse at Mount St. Mary’s in Maryland; Herring will play soccer at The University of Memphis; and Morris will play golf at Rhodes College.
Senior Receives Prestigious Scholarship
Hutchison Recognized as Top Workplace Hutchison has been recognized as one of The Commercial Appeal’s Top Workplaces based on employee opinions measuring engagement, organizational health, and satisfaction. In addition, Head of School Dr. Kristen Ring received the “Top Leader” award for mid-size organizations.
Owen Hergenrader ’18 has been named a Coca-Cola Scholar, a distinction earned by 150 students nationwide. She will receive a $20,000 scholarship that can be used at the college of her choice. This is Hutchison’s second Coca-Cola scholar in the last two years. Hutchison | 3
Junior Earns National Recognition for Work in Computer Science Charlotte Merchant ’19, a Hutchison Science Research Fellow, received special recognition from the National Center for Women in Technology and a 2018 Emperor Science Award. As a recipient of the PBS and Stand Up to Cancer Emperor award, Merchant will be paired with a university-level mentoring scientist to collaborate on a cancer research project.
Art Teacher Exhibits at Harvard University Upper school art teacher Anne Davey had paintings and drawings on display at Harvard University’s Center for Hellenic Studies in Washington, D.C. She called it the highlight of her artistic career. Titled From the Depths of the Salt Sea, the exhibit was inspired by sea goddesses in Greek mythology. The Center purchased some of her pieces to be kept on display. Davey’s most recent exhibit was at the L Ross Gallery in Memphis. 4 | Hutchison
Hutchison students helped make TV spots about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for WKNO, which included several Hutchison students on camera.
Hutchison Students Make Short Films for WKNO Hutchison students were commissioned to make short films for WKNO, the Memphis PBS affiliate. Four upper school digital media students filmed interviews with 1st through 5th grade students from Hutchison, Campus School, and Dexter Elementary. They asked the children to talk about their knowledge and understanding of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s actions and legacy. This documentary work gave our students a wonderful opportunity to practice their filmmaking skills in a professional context. WKNO edited the interviews into a series of one-minute films that aired on the station from February through April.
National Civil Rights Museum President Visits Terri Lee Freeman, president of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, visited campus to speak to middle and upper school girls about MLK50: Where Do We Go From Here? Freeman reminded the girls that our country’s most successful social movements have been youth-led and encouraged them with these final remarks: “There are many ‘firsts’ that have not yet happened. Maybe you will be that person who accomplishes that next ‘first.’ ”
Terri Lee Freeman, president of the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, with students, L to R: Corrina Brown ’18, Sky Stubbs ’18, Aislin Fields ’18, Freeman, Madyson Bolton ’18, Emma Nair ’19, Becket Monaghan ’19, Olivia Trippeer ’19
news
Artwork by Meredith Magness ’18
Artwork by Abby Crain ’18
F R O M H U TC H I S O N
Artwork by Elizabeth Wood ’21
Girls Win National Awards in Writing and Art The Alliance for Young Artists & Writers selects the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards from more than 300,000
submissions annually. This year, six Hutchison girls earned National Scholastic Medals for writing and art.
They are Abby Crain ’18 (Silver with distinction, art), Grace Ellsworth ’21 (Silver writing), Katy Gilmore ’20 (Gold writing), Meredith Magness ’18 (Silver art), Dakota Shelton ’21 (Silver writing), and Elizabeth Wood ’21 (Silver art). Additionally, a number of Hutchison girls competed at the regional level, earning 32 writing Scholastic Awards. Of those 32, five girls received Gold Keys: Grace Ellsworth ’21, Katy Gilmore ’20, Lasha Pope ’21, Dakota Shelton ’21, and Lilly West ’20.
Entrepreneurs Market Their Wares
ANF Architects Inspire Girls
Hutchison Invests hosted the first annual Holiday House, a market for upper school entrepreneurs, during the Christmas holidays. Girls who had created their own products had an opportunity to market and sell them, with 10 percent of their proceeds going back to the Invests program. One group created Body Bees, a line of skin-care products that is made using beeswax from the Hutchison Farm. The line features body butters and lip balms. Their entire inventory sold out and the girls took orders for more. The nine vendors who participated collectively grossed more than $4,000.
A group of professional female architects and engineers in Memphis visited campus for a talk with our middle and upper school girls. The professionals spoke about their experiences while working in a male-dominated field and shared what they love most about their jobs. They encouraged the girls to follow their dreams, telling them it is not imperative they choose between arts or STEM fields. Instead, look for careers in fields such as engineering and architecture that require artistic creativity, too.
In art, Hutchison girls earned 69 Scholastic Awards at the regional competition. Sixteen girls received Gold Keys: Alex Beard ’23, Abby Crain ’18, Mary Dunlap ’19, Anne Grinder ’19, Taylor Houston ’19, Addie Jones ’18 (two Gold Keys), Meredith Magness ’18, Madison Morris ’20 (three Gold Keys), Susan Morris ’18 (two Gold Keys), Caitlin Robinson ’19, Caroline Seamons ’20 (two Gold Keys), Heidi Seuss ’18, Madelyn Simcoe ’21, Emma Simonton ’18 (three Gold Keys), Mayers Wallace ’20, and Elizabeth Wood ’21 (two Gold Keys).
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F I N E A R T S | T H E AT R E
Once On This Island Hutchison’s fall production was the vibrant musical Once On This Island, written by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty. Set in the French Antilles archipelago in the Caribbean, it tells the story of a peasant girl on a tropical island who uses love to bring people together. The girls worked with Tomisha Edwards, a professional choreographer, who is a dance instructor for New Ballet Ensemble. Edwards served as artist-in-residence, and taught the girls African dance techniques for the show.
6 | Hutchison
Photographs by Nick Simpson
Pride and Prejudice In the spring, the Fine Arts department mounted a production of Pride and Prejudice, based on the 1813 classic novel by Jane Austen. The adaptation to stage tells the story of Elizabeth Bennet and her relationship with Mr. Darcy. This production was unique because it was an all-girl cast. The girls enjoyed being in period costume and learned four period social dances for the show. Hutchison girls designed costume elements, sound, and lights for both productions.
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“ The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.” — C O R E T TA S C O T T K I N G
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Serve
A Call to
T
here is compassion, determination, prayer, courage, and commitment. Sometimes there are small victories; at other times,
setbacks. These are just some of the aspects of shaping a life of service. There are many others that are indescribable. This is the story of just five Hutchison alumnae who have chosen to serve in Memphis. Their work has one common thread—to bring people from different parts of the city together to build a stronger, more united community. They love their hometown, and they want to see it thrive. Their stories are inspiring. Left: Molly Crenshaw ’08, Carey Madison Moore ’64, and Linda Marks ’63 H H uu tt cc hh ii ss o o nn || 9 9
by Max Maddock
I
“Uniting the community through service”—as its defining
n August 1963, a few months after Linda Marks ’63 graduated from Hutchison (when it was still on Union
But Marks always points to the organization’s vision—
Ave.), the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. was leading the March on
characteristic. “The service MIFA offers became the vehicle
Washington for Jobs and Freedom. It was a tumultuous time,
for bringing people together,” Marks said. “The service we
but also an inspirational one, in which great strides in equality
offer is vitally important, but underlying all of that is the initial
were made. By 1968, faith leaders in Memphis were actively
impulse to bring people together who would not ordinarily be
brainstorming the idea of creating an organization that would
together, wouldn’t know each other, wouldn’t realize they had
address poverty and racial division. On April 4 of that year,
anything in common. We don’t just do things for people and
when Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis, their work became
give things to people. We bring the community together.”
a priority, and by September, MIFA (Metropolitan Inter-Faith
This happens most visibly when volunteers deliver Meals
Association) was born. This year marks both the 50th year
on Wheels or spend time with seniors. Marks said she often
since Dr. King’s death and MIFA’s 50th year of service.
hears from volunteers about how the work has changed their lives. “They had no idea of the effect it would have on them to know people they would never have come in contact with oth-
The biggest blessing is experiencing how connected we all are with each other. Then there’s the importance of
erwise,” Marks said. “There are countless stories of friendships that have been made.” Marks’ mother, Frances Marks, who taught Latin at Hutchison and also served as upper school head, often volunteered for MIFA. Marks said she continues to do this work because it energizes and stimulates her. “The biggest blessing is experiencing, in so many different ways, how connected we all are
stepping outside of the default
with each other. Then there’s the importance of stepping out-
setting, the comfort zone, and
the bigger world.”
just seeing the bigger world.
Building Relationships with Tea
— L I N DA M A R K S ’ 6 3
side of the default setting, the comfort zone, and just seeing
You can ask Carey Madison Moore ’64 about stepping out of her comfort zone. Moore spent many years traveling and doing mission work in India with her husband Rick, a
Although Marks stayed close to Memphis for her college studies—English at Agnes Scott College in Georgia and law at The University of Memphis—much of her career was spent in the Northeast working as a patient rights advocate for people with mental illness. When she returned to Memphis in 2004, she started working at MIFA in their ombudsman program. It was a natural fit for her experience in advocacy. She now serves as the Inter-Faith and Community Outreach Officer at MIFA. The organization offers a number of programs for seniors and families. The senior programs offer home-delivered meals, free transportation to doctors’ appointments and congregate meal sites, and companionship for seniors living in their homes, and advocacy for those in long-term care facilities. The family programs offer a spectrum of personalized interventions designed to address the vulnerabilities that could lead an individual or family to homelessness. 10 | Hutchison
current member of Hutchison’s Board of Trustees. When they slowed their traveling abroad, Moore said the Lord moved her to do work closer to home. Moore, who graduated from the University of Kentucky, has four daughters and one granddaughter who graduated from Hutchison (Catherine ’89, Emily ’91, Grace ’94, Maddi ’07, and Bess ’13) and four granddaughters currently attending. In 2013, she and Rick bought and supervised the renovation of a house in Memphis’ Orange Mound neighborhood at the corner of Semmes and Carnes. It became The House of Orange Mound and serves as a resource center for the Neighborhood Christian Centers, which was established 39 years ago. At The House, volunteers teach women who live in the community domestic skills that have been lost in generational poverty, as well as GED classes, résumé building and job readiness, faith and finance, and Bible study. The idea is to link two cultures in friendship and respect.
Moore then took another step toward actively helping the women in the neighborhood. She purchased a tea company called My Cup of Tea from Mary Beth Bryce (mother of alumnae Missy Bryce Perkins ’97 and Emily Bryce Bowie ’00) and renovated another house on Semmes that serves as the packaging and distribution center for the tea. The tea company’s website states it clearest: “Our mission is to walk with women beyond the boundaries of poverty and neglect and assist them in finding their purpose.” Women who have been trained in a Tea Life class at The House can apply to work at My Cup of Tea. Moore’s promise is that if they finish all of the courses, she will hire them. They learn all about tea and how to package, label, inventory, market, and ship the product. “My desire was to merge resources with need,” Moore said, helping women move toward “whatever it is that the Lord wants these women to be. For the majority of our women, it is their first income stream.” She said the women work together, become friends, and learn to appreciate each other’s talents and differences. “The tea is our toolbox. It’s the relationships that will have eternal strength and value. Lives have changed. That was always the motivating piece … to make a difference in a few people’s lives, and give this historic community a chance to lift its head.” My Cup of Tea products are sold around Memphis at farmers markets and in stores, as well as online. Tea names and packaging have taken on Memphis themes such as “Bluff City Chai,” “901 of a Kind,” and “Riverboat Queen.” Moore said they also own the property across the street from the distribution house and hope to build a larger facility there, when they can. She stressed that whatever they build, they will maintain the architectural style of the neighborhood.
Helping Youth Find A Voice
Women working at My Cup of Tea in Orange Mound
roommate discussed challenging issues that were rising to the surface in the city and in their lives. She said it was enlightening because she and her roommate were “having the same experiences just from different lenses.” Middleton’s experience with Bridge Builders during high school “changed the way that I saw the world. I fell in love with the program. It pushed me and challenged me in different ways and gave me a chance to meet people from all over the city. That’s where my interest in working with children started … seeing that in a week you could have a life-changing experience.” After graduating from The University of the South at Sewanee, Middleton gravitated back to BRIDGES, where she is now the Bridge Builders curriculum and training coordinator. She and her colleagues focus on helping youth bridge the gap between cultures, races, and faiths. “Our programs are aimed at community transformation through a youth lens,” she said. BRIDGES programs are experiential, not lecture-based, so participants are constantly engaged in activities and discussions with one another. She said topics in a workshop might range from building community within their own schools to
As a junior at Hutchison, Alex Middleton ’09 participated
talking about leadership, economic justice, or environmental
in Bridge Builders, a yearlong program for students in grades
justice. “Those conversations can be difficult,” she admitted.
6–12 sponsored by the organization BRIDGES in Memphis. The
“But it’s a learning experience. You should know what other
program was founded by Becky Webb Wilson (grandmother of
people think and you should be able to engage with them and
Olivia Wilson ’18). One part of that experience was spending
hear them without shutting them down.”
a week at The University of Memphis with a roommate from
One exercise, she explained, has students create their own
Craigmont High School who lived in a different part of the
communities. “We point out what they’ve chosen for their
city. Along with about 20 other students, Middleton and her
community. You have a landfill right next to your park. Is that Hutchison | 11
The tea is our toolbox. It’s the relationships that will have eternal strength and value. Lives have changed. — CAREY MADISON MOORE ’64
going to work for anyone? Is that reflective of Memphis? Are
the long run than trying to catch kids at 14 or 18 when they don’t
there certain areas in the city where there might be a landfill next
have as much ability to change.”
to where students are or where families live? “The idea is to challenge students to think about what’s hap-
“We’re prevention,” Crenshaw said about UPP. “Ninety-five percent of federal dollars are going toward intervention; five
pening in Memphis, what’s happening in their own communities,
percent are for prevention.” Without resources and support
and then what we could do in the future to create a more equi-
for prevention, Crenshaw added, federal dollars end up going
table society. Our goal, whether or not you live in a community
toward medical care and government assistance.
that’s being directly affected, is that you’re going to leave our
“With counseling, we are generally building a relationship
workshop wanting to do something, wanting to learn more.”
with someone and establishing trust,” she said. “A lot of what we
Bridge Builders connects students with resources to get
talk about is what parents went through in their own childhoods
involved in their communities and provides service-focused work
that is now affecting who they are and how they’re parenting
where they can learn more. Students might go to a blighted area
their kids. We know things happen cyclically and that a two-
and plant a garden, for instance. “From that experience, they’re
generational approach is the best to provide lasting change for
learning about blight, doing a service, and getting more informa-
families.” In other words, the support provided to children is
tion about how to continue this work or do it someplace else.”
more effective when their parents are equipped with the proper
A Focus on Parenting and the Next Generation One alumna is working on creating a stronger community
skills to help them at home. Crenshaw, who studied social work at the University of Georgia and then received her master’s in social work at the University of Texas at Austin, said she knew early on that this was the work for her. Her family (including sisters Wendy Crenshaw
from another point of view—prevention of childhood stresses
Bolding ’06 and Lucia Crenshaw McKnight ’05, who estab-
that lead to bad outcomes. Molly Crenshaw ’08 is the Universal
lished the Hutchison Community Service Endowment Fund),
Parenting Place (UPP) site director and parent coach at Perea
would drive every Sunday from East Memphis to Calvary Church
Preschool in North Memphis. The UPP program is administered
downtown. “I was concerned about the community in Memphis
by the ACE Awareness Foundation. ACE stands for Adverse
when I was little, and I noticed things that were not necessarily
Childhood Experiences, which might be physical, emotional, or
obvious to others.” She also remembered interacting with Perea
sexual abuse, domestic violence, a parent with mental illness,
preschool children who came to Hutchison for events.
divorce or separation, alcohol or substance abuse, or incarceration of a family member. The five UPP sites around Memphis were created in response
“I told our principal at the time that I wanted to work with kids in our city, and now I am so grateful that it has come full circle.”
to research that showed that “toxic stress caused by chronic exposure to traumatic events in childhood is at the root of many poor adult outcomes … including violence, aggression, addiction, depression, and chronic diseases.” These stresses can affect anyone, regardless of socioeconomic status, ethnicity, education,
Using Data to Help Non-Profits Become More Effective Although she doesn’t consider herself a “tech person,” Meg
and other factors. It’s estimated that in any given population,
Thomas Crosby ’88 spent five years working in human resources
about fifty percent of people have had one ACE.
at one of the biggest tech companies in the world—Google. So
“What we know now through the ACE study and findings
while she knows a lot about how people make an organization
from neurobiology is that the most brain development changes
effective, she also knows that technology plays a vital role in
are from in utero to five years old. That’s your optimal time for
making organizations more efficient.
change. We know that teaching parents skills, counseling them, and interacting with their kids—all of that is more beneficial in 12 | Hutchison
She returned to Memphis in 2006, and then co-founded PeopleCap Advisors in 2011, which consults with for-profit
Youth are our long-term partners. If we invest in them now, teach them now, work with them now, hopefully in five to ten years, they’re going to be leading our city. — A L E X M I D D L E T O N ’ 0 9
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In Memphis, we’re starting to use data and analytics to understand how our social programs are working … Our challenges in Memphis are so great that we need to be able to quantify them, because we need to be able to move the needle in a very significant way. — MEG THOMAS CROSBY ’88
14 | Hutchison
companies and non-profit organizations about growth and transition. She is actively involved in the boards of several local companies and organizations, including Rhodes College, the Community Foundation of Greater Memphis, the new Crosstown High School, Big Green (formerly The Kitchen Community), and several others. Crosby said one of the biggest challenges in non-profits and non-governmental organizations is the influence of technology. “Organizations are starting to use technology to help measure outcomes, whereas before, everything was anecdotal. Our challenges in Memphis are so great that we need to be able to quantify them, because we need to be able to move the needle in a very significant way.” She believes that there will always be relational giving, when people give to support one another. But by giving more strategically, “we can amplify the change and make substantial progress.” Additionally, she believes that as today’s millennials start to become a larger percentage of the donor base, they will ask for numbers, because they are accustomed to looking at evidence and outcomes. Another trend she sees is collaborative giving, where people will pool their resources to target a specific area to really make a difference. The challenge, she admitted, is that technology is always a budget issue for most non-profits; donations often go toward high-visibility programs or capital campaigns. She said that the Community Foundation has been successful in funding nonprofit capacity building for upgrades to technology or other needs, so that organizations can run more efficiently. One of the boards Crosby sits on is Slingshot Memphis. This organization is working to “bring data and analytics to our non-profits to help them understand how they are making an impact and where to allocate their resources to have a greater impact. We also highlight and promote organizations that have proven they are having an impact to help drive dollars to those organizations.” Crosby said Slingshot is fashioned after the Robin Hood Foundation that Paul Tudor Jones, a native Memphian, founded in New York. “He was a pioneer in this area. He was saying, ‘We give all this money to non-profits, but we don’t put them through the same rigor we do on the investment side.’ If we begin to use data and analytics and to fund programs that actually work, can we really fund the change and create the change that we need
Being the Change – In Memphis In 2015, Kirby Dobbs Floyd ’82 and her husband, Glenn Floyd, endowed the Hutchison Serves program. While connecting girls with service opportunities has always been a priority at Hutchison, the Serves endowment codified the program and made service something that girls in all divisions learn about. Girls in early childhood, for instance, take part in a St. Jude Trike-a-Thon, which raises money for the hospital and teaches them how and why it’s important to get involved in the community. In lower and middle school, girls help grow and harvest vegetables on the Hutchison Farm to donate to the Mid-South Food Bank, and learn about how some people live with food insecurity. In upper school, girls venture out into the community to partner with people and organizations and lead projects that have a real impact on people’s lives. The majority of the learning is about creating and sustaining relationships, and how we all share a common experience. Linda Marks said the phrase “giving back” is often used when talking about service, but that it implies a one-way relationship. “I prefer something like opening up. The thing that makes us our best selves is when we can open ourselves to see, authentically, how somebody else is living, both what’s different and what we share. And the differences can be wonderful and exciting and interesting or they can be threatening, but the things that we share are the most important.” Much like the relationships that Carey Moore is helping to develop in Orange Mound, Molly Crenshaw says that the relationships she has fostered while working with parents and children help to create a stronger community. “To change Memphis, there has to be more communication,” Crenshaw said. “Relationships strengthen when there’s improved trust of one another. I think one major way to do that is mentoring. You don’t even have to call it mentoring … just cultivating relationships with people who aren’t the exact same as you.” Girls in Hutchison’s Rogers Scholars cohort often visit Crenshaw, and she tells them, “There is a world that exists outside of the world that you are living in right now. Open your mind up to these worlds, because making one connection decreases the perception of the racial divide, the economic divide. It takes a village, and we have to create a safe village. And I think the main way to do that is by talking and getting to know each other.”
websites
to see?”
bridgesusa.org mifa.org shopmycupoftea.com aceawareness.org slingshotmemphis.org Hutchison | 15
[ GIVING pause] 16 | Hutchison
[
PHOTOS BY
Cady Herring ’13]
M
by Max Maddock
ost of us look at and take photos every day. With social media and the ubiquitous camera phone, it’s relatively easy. So what makes Cady Herring’s photographs so different?
“I’m looking to take photos that create a pause,” Herring, Class of 2013, said. “Because of social media, our
attention spans are being forced to focus on things for eight seconds and then move on. I want to create work that not only has an important message, but also is interesting enough to get people to think about it, remember it, and have an impact on how they think about an issue.”
Herring discovered her passion for photography during her junior year at Hutchison when she went on a service trip to Honduras and visited Good Shepherd Children’s Home. It was her first trip to a developing country, and it made an impression. “I wanted to share my experiences learning about poverty and the need for education in developing countries,” she said. “I’d just gotten a camera, and I thought that if I could communicate stories about the individuals I was meeting, I could make statistics about poverty matter to people who couldn’t go. A light bulb went off, and I said to myself, ‘Okay, you’re going to use photography to try to inspire social change.’” When she returned to the United States, Herring pursued a Hutchison Leads internship with photographer Lindsey Lissau, who taught her about camera function, lighting, post-production techniques, and storytelling. With those skills in hand, she returned to the orphanage in Honduras by herself, and, with the help of a Spanish translator, interviewed the children and took their photographs. “I wanted these photographs to be creative, motivational, and impactful.” The culmination of the project was an exhibition in midtown Memphis to raise awareness and funds for the orphanage. “The photos that I took there were my first ever photojournalistic, documentary-style photos, and I got kind of lucky with them. They’re still some of my favorites today. Hutchison Leads taught me how to take an idea and push through the steps to complete a capstone project like that—learning technical skills, language skills, traveling
Hutchison | 17
18 | Hutchison
to another country. Once you have these small victories, you
Mississippi. “It’s small, but it’s there,” she said. Her idea was
realize that you can dream bigger. It made me feel grateful
to study how news media representation of Hispanic immi-
for the environment at Hutchison, because it is a place that
grants impacts U.S. citizens’ opinions about those immigrants,
fosters growth, creativity, and the pursuit of a passion.”
and how all of that impacts their lives. She decided to take
Honing Her Craft in College
At The University of Mississippi, Herring majored in
a mixed methodology approach to the project, combining artistic and documentary photography with journalism and anthropological studies.
international studies and minored in Spanish and journalism.
The people she spoke with were predominantly women.
During her time there, she traveled to Ethiopia, Uruguay, and
She got to know them, developed a rapport, and started to
Tanzania, taking photographs to tell the story of each place.
interview them about why they had come to America and
She also worked with a group of other students to report on
what their experience was. “I don’t think anyone spoke
what 50 years of the voting rights act in the Mississippi
English, so it was challenging to explore and try to represent
Delta looked like. The resulting special magazine they
what would it look like to live in small town Mississippi and
published about the topic won the 2016 Robert F. Kennedy
not be able to communicate with most of the population?”
College Journalism Award. For her senior thesis, Herring studied and interviewed members of the Hispanic immigrant community in Oxford,
She then started to photograph them but was faced with a huge challenge—many of the women were undocumented immigrants, so she couldn’t show their faces. The women Hutchison | 19
build relationships,” Herring added. “You have to build that relationship or else you’re taking advantage of your opportunity. It’s very easy to continue marginalizing people. Once you build relationships with people who might look very different than you look, whether it is surface level or something else about their lifestyles, you find that there are a lot more similarities.”
Creating Work that Matters These days, Herring is based in Florida,
working and traveling as a freelance photographer, as well as with a production company that covers special events to tell compelling stories with photographs and video. She were worried about the repercussions of being exposed. “I
admits that it’s challenging to make a living as a professional
faced a huge responsibility in my work of, ‘okay, I want to talk
photographer when everyone has access to a smartphone
to these people, and I want to share these stories and photos
camera.
of them to create a pause and get readers to think differently, think more empathetically.’ ” It forced her to be especially creative. She conducted
“My goal is to find a way to support myself while growing as an artist and creating artistic documentary work that matters,” Herring said. Because she speaks Spanish, she says
a photo workshop, teaching the women how to take their
her interest will most likely always include Hispanic culture,
own photos to democratize the process of representing their
and she’s open to living abroad at some point. She also cares
culture. She photographed details of the mothers interacting
deeply about women’s rights. “My goal is to go into commu-
with children and took silhouettes of others. “I focused on the
nities along the margins that are often pushed aside and
emotions tied to motherhood, because that was the only way
explore topics that might be uncomfortable to talk about. I
that I could represent meaningful aspects of their lives with
want to create something that those marginalized communi-
the time and the constraints that I had.”
ties can be empowered by and proud of.
Herring was nervous when she published the project
“Photography for me is a tool. I believe in the ability, the
and knew that her subjects would see it. “I wanted it to be a
potential, for social change through documentary storytelling.
democratic process, and I wanted them to take ownership of
Photography captures moments, but it’s also a language.
their representation. I wanted them to be proud of learning
Being a photographer comes with a responsibility to be spe-
how to photograph their lives in a way that makes them feel
cific about what you say with your work, about what you say
empowered about how they can represent themselves and
through your work. And so I’m always looking for something
how they can communicate with the community through
that has a greater meaning about society or about humanity.
photos, since they can’t necessarily communicate very well
I feel like if you’re not using your talent or your ability or your
through language.” She said the women were completely
circumstance to have a greater impact on society in some
supportive.
way, then what are you doing? For me, it’s an inherent respon-
“One of the most important parts of this type of work is to 20 | Hutchison
sibility to have a positive impact with whatever I’m doing.”
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21
A
t Hutchison, history comes alive. Classes are not about memorizing dates and names or listening idly to lectures. Instead, girls are learning about U.S. and
world history, making connections across time, and learning how to engage each other over
important topics. Hutchison teachers are ...
Making Ask an upper school Hutchison girl about her experience with history classes today, and you’ll get an effusive response. Hutchison girls are actively strengthening their critical thinking, reading, and writing skills while absorbing historical content. They’re scanning and analyzing current news through the lens of history and talking about it. They’re learning how to discuss differences of opinion in empathic and constructive ways. In the upper school, a cohort of four teachers is encouraging girls to think of history as a living, breathing entity that is integral to their understanding of current events. The group is led by Ronnie Robinson, chair of the department, and also includes Amanda Magdalena, Clay Francis, and Rachel Mattson. The team collaborates to ensure that the roster of classes covers the required content, while honing the skills the girls will need to succeed in college and beyond. “Our classes are all about discussions; it’s a very organic 22 | Hutchison
environment,” Robinson said. “We’re moving around a lot. We do group work, we do board work, there’s constant engagement. I call it the lab method, because you’re not just learning history or learning content. You’re doing what historians do—asking questions, synthesizing information, and forming opinions. The content is the base, but we’re covering the content in a way that sharpens their skills.” Robinson teaches sophomore American history, including Advanced Placement (AP) and honors classes. Robinson knows that reading comprehension and writing are critical skills for Hutchison girls because in addition to teaching for more than 20 years, he has spent the last 13 years working with the College Board, which oversees the SAT and AP exams. Robinson started with the organization as a reader, scoring AP history exams, and is now at the leadership level, training AP readers and teachers across the country. Last year, he was one of three to receive the College Board’s Teaching Excellence
Ronnie Robinson and upper school girls in the Government Club on a trip to the National Archives in Washington, D.C.
History and effect is one of the primary things that we want our girls to learn,” he said. “We want them to think about contextual issues and then say, ‘this leads to that.’” He said they also need to understand how to analyze and synthesize all of the information that they are learning. Francis teaches AP human geography, world religions, global studies, civics, and economics.
Learning to Love History
in History award. He also was nominated and won the Coca-Cola Educator of Distinction award for Tennessee. “When you make the study more active,” Robinson said, “there’s a better understanding of history, without just memorizing dates and facts. You still have to learn dates and facts, because history is built on those, but you’ve also got to be able to compare slavery and Native American history, for instance, or the development of a democracy over time.” Amanda Magdalena, who teaches AP U.S. government and AP comparative government, said memorization only helps so much. She said if a class is talking about the powers of the president, for example, they might look at how they have expanded and contracted. But they have to ask, “What about the historical context enabled the presidential powers to grow and how did that change? Did they contract and why? What are the pros and cons of that?” Clay Francis agreed. “Being able to understand cause
The upper school faculty agreed that the old teaching model—endlessly lecturing to students about historical dates and places—led many people to dislike history. “There is never a time in which I’ll lecture more than five to seven minutes at a time without giving girls an opportunity to imagine or compare and contrast or analyze some type of information related to what I’ve just shared,” Francis added. “It’s this constant process of engaging with the students and having them engage with one another.” Maeji Brown ’18 said her love of history is because of her classes at Hutchison. She’s taken advanced honors world history, AP U.S. history, and AP comparative government, and is finishing her senior year with AP U.S. government and AP art history. “Our teachers want us to be involved. They try to get us to think about what we’re learning and make connections with different parts of history and even different classes. It’s not just stating ‘this is what happened, this is how it connects,’ but getting to why it happened and why it connects. It’s engaging and involves asking open-ended questions.” Hutchison | 23
Upper school history and social sciences faculty, L to R: Clay Francis, Rachel Mattson, Amanda Magdalena, and chair Ronnie Robinson
Giving girls a voice not only makes the classes more interesting but also more empowering. “I’m definitely more outspoken in class,” Brown said. “I’m not afraid to speak up and give an answer, even if it is wrong, because we’ll normally talk through it and understand why the right answer is the right answer. Or discover whether there even is a right answer, because occasionally in some classes, it’s up for debate, especially in art history.”
Using a Spectrum, Contract, and a Different Viewpoint Nevertheless, history—and politics especially—can be messy and fraught with differences of opinion. So how does the faculty steer the girls toward civil and constructive dialogue? “As we start classes, I immediately say that, of course, we have political differences just like we have different hair colors and different religions and languages, and we’re going to celebrate those differences,” Magdalena said. Additionally, she tells the girls to stick to the facts. “The government is happening around us, but we’re talking about government structures and not making any value judgments about anybody.” Francis said he starts his semester by asking the girls to create a contract. “I say, ‘we’re going to be talking about challenging issues, but I want to do it in a way that’s constructive, and I want your opinions on how we do that.’ Then each class comes up with a contract. I write it down. And at the end of that, we sign that contract, which says we as a class are going to follow these rules.” Another way to diffuse tension that both Magdalena and Francis use is to change it from being a yes or no proposition to a spectrum of opinion. They place numbers on the walls around the classroom. For instance, if you believe statement X 24 | Hutchison
one hundred percent, you stand near number 1. If you disagree with statement X one hundred percent, you stand near 5. And if you don’t completely agree or disagree with statement X, you stand at 3. Then they have discussions across the spectrum— who believes what, who disagrees, why you disagree, and back and forth. Francis said walking in someone else’s shoes helps too. He occasionally asks the girls to filter their research and statements about an issue through a different way of viewing the world, such as realism, liberalism, constructivism, or Marxism. “Then it becomes less about an opinion and more about how a realist or a Marxist would approach this issue. Sometimes they have to take on issues from a point of view with which they don’t agree, but I think it helps them understand that point of view a little bit better and have more compassion for someone who believes that way.” Abigail White ’18, who has taken advanced world history, AP U.S. history, and AP U.S. government and politics, and is currently taking AP art history, co-runs the Government Club with Mary Margaret Treadwell ’18. “We are close friends, but she and I disagree on most every issue. Over the years, she’s become my favorite person to talk politics with because we’ve learned through the guidance of Mr. Robinson and other faculty members to have what we call ‘debate without hate.’ We’ve learned how to respectfully talk about different issues, why we believe the things that we believe, why we disagree, and how we can reach a consensus of sorts. Hutchison has helped me to develop those skills.”
Becoming a Better Citizen The upper school history department takes the mission of raising young women to be responsible citizens very seriously. That’s why sharpening the girls’ skills while teaching the historic content is so important. “I think literacy is key to being a better citizen,” Robinson said. “If you can read and think critically, if you can make comparisons, and dig and research and write and understand news, then you become a better citizen, not only on the local and national level, but also on the international level.” “My history classes have challenged my viewpoints in a good way,” said Maeji Brown. “It’s made me consider things that I wouldn’t otherwise think about. And the classes have been some of the toughest courses I’ve taken, but in the end I definitely see them as very rewarding. I can take the lessons I’ve learned from my classes and apply them to my life, whether it was conversations I had or learning from the past. “Personally, it’s made me grow as a person. I was very shy my freshman year when I came into upper school, and I feel like I’m going to be leaving upper school with a voice, that I have something to say, and I’m going to say it.”
creating a strong sense of
community THE WORK OF INCLUSION AT HUTCHISON
An integral part of the culture at Hutchison is creating
economic and religious backgrounds. Diversity is a fact,
community—among our girls, their families, and between
because it is who we are. It’s not something we can choose
our faculty and our girls. One part of creating community is
or change. Inclusion, on the other hand, looks at how we
fostering a sense of belonging. Research consistently shows
welcome and embrace diversity. It is an action, because we
that a sense of belonging is key to a girl’s learning and
can choose to be inclusive or not.
achievement. Hutchison has been examining in earnest the inclusion experience from several different viewpoints. We are talking and listening to teachers, staff, students, parents, and alumnae to explore what being inclusive means and to ensure that everyone has an opportunity to be heard. It is important work, and our goal is to meet the challenges that we face along the way with honesty and understanding. Over the last two years, Rachel Shankman, a visiting scholar and one of the MidSouth’s foremost thought Rachel Shankman
leaders for many years on issues surrounding diversity and
inclusion, has been guiding us through this work. Shankman brings a wealth of experience in working with Hutchison. She was the founding director of the Memphis office of Facing History and Ourselves and spent 22 years with the organization. Facing History is an educational and professional development organization dedicated to engaging students and teachers of diverse backgrounds in “an examination of racism, prejudice, and antisemitism in order to promote the development of a more humane and informed citizenry.” The organization’s unique pedagogy emphasizes empathy and reflection. We asked Shankman about Hutchison’s work on inclusion and what it means.
How would you differentiate between diversity and inclusion? I always start by saying that diversity is a fact, whereas inclusion is an action. Diversity considers who is sitting around a table, including gender, ethnicity, and socio-
Why is Hutchison prioritizing the topic of inclusion? Hutchison’s stance on inclusion isn’t new, and most organizations and companies believe building a diverse and inclusive environment is critical to success. As a school striving to prepare our girls for work and civic participation in a diverse and changing world, it is our responsibility to expose them to differences, both in cultures and in thought.
What is the goal of this work? For me, there are three elements that I try to share with everyone with whom I work.
1) The environment should offer a real sense of belong-
ing, meaning that all students, teachers, staff members, and parents feel like they can be their authentic selves here at Hutchison.
2) All community members should feel that their
uniqueness, their diversity, can be honored. We don’t want people to feel as if they have to show one face at home and one face at school.
3) The end goal is to create an environment that is
supportive and enables people to do their best work.
How did you start? To inform our work with three of our major constituents— girls, teachers, and parents—the Board of Trustees established an inclusion committee made up of trustees, parents, community members, and administration. Part of the charge for that committee is to help our teachers and parents model constructive dialogue about differences. It’s about testing our assumptions and developing empathy. Faculty have also participated in professional development sessions facilitated, in part, by Facing History.
Hutchison | 25
The inclusion committee, front row, L to R: Reggie Davis, Humi Kazmi, Sara Kris, Rachel Shankman, Cindy Grissinger, Erica Coopwood, Tonya Faulkner, Kristen Ring, Lori Guy; back row, L to R: Andy McCarroll, Kimberly Perry, Merry Moore, Leslie Daniel, Robyn Raby ’88, Muffy Turley ’88, Laura Shy, Laurie Stanton ’65, Keith Dodge
How do we go about fostering inclusion among the parent community? One suggestion was to have small family gatherings
to talk about players kneeling in the NFL. There are panels about immigration where faculty members talk about their journeys coming to America. In early childhood, classes have
with diverse hosts. We’ve had gatherings hosted by Muslim,
created mosaics with different threads, and they discuss
Jewish, and Christian members of the committee. We know
what’s different and what’s common. Librarians are choos-
it can be intimidating sometimes for families to come to big
ing books that are reflective of diversity and inclusion. It’s
events at the school, but if they have opportunities to get
giving girls more opportunities to engage in conversations
to know each other in small groups, it makes it much easier
and listen to different perspectives. It has to really be organic.
to engage with the school at a different level. We want to
It can’t feel contrived. And last, with the school’s counselors,
model for our girls how you step out of your comfort zone
girls have people that they can talk to one-on-one.
and have conversations with people who have different backgrounds.
How do you engage the girls in inclusion? It’s building on what is already organically here. There
These can be difficult conversations. What’s your advice? If our girls are going to be successful, they have to develop the critical thinking skills to be able to look at a
are opportunities for girls to work together across differences
complex issue from multiple perspectives and to allow
through programs like Hutchison Leads and Hutchison
for different perspectives. It means on a tough issue—life,
Serves. There is a Facing History Leadership group. There
freedom, the first amendment—you’re going to bring dif-
is a club called Co-Exist that was born out of the desire to
ferent voices to that conversation, so that a girl can learn.
have deep conversations about differences. There’s open-
She is then better equipped to make an informed decision
ness in each division for girls to talk about complex sub-
about where she stands on it. These experiences help a girl
jects. In upper school, for instance, Dr. Kristen Ring and
strengthen the clarity of her own ideas and better articulate
Dr. Barry Gilmore hosted a lunch forum for girls who wanted
her beliefs.
W E D E D I C AT E O U R S E LV E S TO C R E AT I N G A N E N V I R O N M E N T T H AT VA LU E S D I F F E R E N C E S A N D H O N O R S CO M M O N A L I T I E S . A S A M E M B E R O F T H I S CO M M U N I T Y, E V E RY P E R S O N AT H U TC H I S O N I S R E S P O N S I B L E F O R H O N O R I N G H U M A N D I F F E R E N C E S I N C LU D I N G , B U T N OT L I M I T E D TO, E T H N I C I T Y, R AC E , S O C I O E CO N O M I C B AC KG R O U N D, R E L I G I O N , C U LT U R E , D E M O G R A P H I C S , S O C I A L I Z AT I O N , A N D B E L I E F S . — F R O M T H E H U TC H I S O N I N C L U S I O N S TAT E M E N T
26 | Hutchison
Helping Girls Thrive
In Real Life and Digital Worlds Ana Homayoun Visits Hutchison “Technology has not changed things as much as it has amplified things. Girls and boys have always been mean to each other, have always been rude, and have always been exclusionary. When it comes to what kids are experiencing today, what we need to do is come from a place of empathy, compassion, and understanding rather than anger, fear, and frustration.” THIS WAS ONE OF THE CENTRAL IDEAS author and
makes it worse is it’s happening in real-time, and often teens
speaker Ana Homayoun stressed when she visited Hutchison
aren’t equipped to deal with the emotions they experience.
in February 2018 and gave separate talks to students,
“Kids need the ability to learn how to process, filter, opt in,
faculty and staff, and parents
opt out, and also move through
about the pros and cons of
these experiences in a way that’s
using social media. She empha-
promoting buoyancy—in other
sized that she wasn’t advising
words, how quickly do they
students or adults to give up
bounce back if something doesn’t
social media. Instead, she pro-
go as planned?”
vided tips for how to balance real life with digital life and to stay safe. Homayoun is one of the go-
B E T T E R O NLINE HABI TS In her talk at Hutchison, Homayoun identified three
to experts on teen behavior.
ways—what she called three Ss—
In addition to her latest book,
to encourage better habits and
Social Media Wellness: Helping
decision-making when it comes to
Tweens and Teens Thrive in an
social media:
Unbalanced Digital World, she
• Healthy Socialization
also is known for her previous
• Effective Self-Regulation
books, The Myth of the Perfect
• Overall Safety
Girl and That Crumpled Paper
For healthy socialization,
Was Due Last Week. Through
Homayoun encourages girls to
her company, Green Ivy Educational Consulting, she has
consider what is energizing and what is draining to look at
been working with students around the country for more
online. Then they need to take time to reflect and figure out
than 15 years, and has used her research to help her become
the “why”—“Why am I posting this?” or “Why am I looking
fluent on topics such as organization, planning, and creating
at my phone when I’m with friends?” And last, girls should
a plan for success. She regularly authors columns for The
determine the how/where/when to consume content and
New York Times and The Washington Post.
decide what they can opt in to and opt out of.
As an illustration of how technology helps amplify situa-
To help with self-regulation, one of the keys is identifying
tions, Homayoun gave the example of a girl going to a party
how long homework would really take without the distrac-
and having a great night, only to return home to see photos
tions of text messages, alerts, and emails. Homework that
on social media of another party she wasn’t invited to.
takes six hours might really only take three. Once girls know
Suddenly a great night turns into the worst night ever. What
that, they can reflect on what they might do with an extra Hutchison | 27
When girls create their own blueprints … they become more engaged. They become less stressed. They’re fulfilling their own sense of purpose.
7–10 hours of free time every week.
has them analyze their habits around organiza-
One of Homayoun’s suggestions is to try
tion, time management, personal productivity,
productivity apps like Forest, Flipd, and
and managing distractions, particularly time
Moment, which keep track of how much
spent on social media.
time one spends on a phone. Another
“In a world where there’s so much
is to delete social media apps during the
content coming at us at once on how we
school week.
should look, see, act, and feel, if we can’t
And perhaps most important is main-
discern what’s important to us, we’re
taining safety online for girls. In addition to
likely to be listening to the outside voices
physical safety, this also means what’s safe
rather than our own voice about what
socially and emotionally. Homayoun says one
success looks like. When you don’t have
way to do this is to decide together what the
time to identify what’s important to
family mission is around how to maintain safety.
you, you end up doing what other people are
Another aspect is to make sure girls identify
doing because you never have the time to reflect,” Homayoun
someone they can turn to when things don’t go as planned,
said. She admitted that reflection can be difficult, but it pays
including people who can act as supporters or clarifiers, or
off because it encourages healthy risks and often results in
someone they trust in crisis.
girls doing things that other girls aren’t. Sometimes, she said, this means giving up something
C R E AT I N G A B LU E P R I N T F O R S U C C E S S Since Homayoun focused her talks at Hutchison on the
that they’ve been doing since they were in kindergarten or first grade. Girls often believe that because they’ve been
healthy use of social media, we asked her about her book
doing something for so long, they should continue, even
The Myth of the Perfect Girl, the subtitle of which is: Helping
though their time commitments change as they get older.
Our Daughters Find Authentic Success and Happiness in
“What ends up happening is when we don’t say ‘no’ to
School and Life. She said she wrote the book because girls
something, we can’t say ‘yes’ to something else. My whole
are often stressed out and stretched thin while trying to be
vision is helping students navigate this world where in order
“perfect.”
to let something in, you might have to let something go.
“There’s been a message that girls can do it all. And it’s a
“When girls create their own blueprints, the pieces start
wonderful message. But, oftentimes girls are translating that
to fall into place. They become more engaged. They become
message into ‘I’m supposed to be doing it all, all the time,
less stressed. They’re fulfilling their own sense of purpose,”
perfectly.’ ” As they juggle schoolwork, extracurricular activ-
Homayoun added. “They’re far more fulfilled and don’t have
ities, family, social lives, and friends, Homayoun said, they
time to deal with the exclusionary meanness that we often
begin to lose sight of who they really are. The goal of the
see in communities. They begin to ask: how can I build
book is to empower both parents and girls and help them
inclusive things that make a difference for my community?
discover what true success and happiness means to them.
How can I be an engaged member of my school and greater
“The heart of The Myth of the Perfect Girl is the idea of designing your own blueprint for success,” Homayoun said.
community? “Helping our kids build their own blueprints for success
She encourages girls to start with their values as a founda-
and find their core values,” she continued, “helps them build
tion, and asks them what they enjoy doing in their free time.
a foundation so that no matter what new opportunities and
Next, she helps them look at how they can structure their
changes come within the next decade, they can still adapt.”
schedules so they have more time to do those things. She 28 | Hutchison
from the classroom
Not Your Parents’ P.E. Class By Heather Jordan, Crain Center Fitness Specialist
W
hen friends inquire about what I do for a living, the conversation usually starts something like this: “So, you teach high school P.E.” “No, I teach high school wellness.” A baffled look usually ensues. I believe their bewilderment stems from a lack of familiarity with wellness, much less how to teach it to high school girls. Helping students define wellness for themselves is what we tackle at Hutchison. Our version of physical education is broader, more personal, and more applicable to life than what has traditionally been taught in school. Starting in ninth grade, in-depth teaching of exercise physiology and nutrition begins, fitness goals are made, and groundwork for personal wellness is laid. By the end of their freshman year, the girls have learned how to independently schedule exercise into their weekly routines, how to properly fuel their bodies, and how to craft their own strength and aerobic workouts. The work they do in our Crain Center rivals or exceeds what would be seen in a gym on a college campus. They are knowledgeable, fit, confident, and strong. If our program stopped here, it would be excellent. But it doesn’t. And that’s what sets Hutchison apart. How does Hutchison teach wellness to high school girls? It starts with thinking about all the elements in your life that need attention to help you function at your absolute best: Proper Sleep Exercise Nutrition
Time and Stress Management Positive Relationships Life Balance
These are some of the main aspects of life we must manage to truly thrive. In 10th grade, adding to their fitness and nutrition knowledge,
the girls dive into a specific definition of what personal wellness means for them. Girls are still required to create a fitness goal, but they are now attached to a higher purpose, making a lifelong connection to the importance of caring for their minds and bodies. It might sound something like this: For the girl who feels most confident when she runs: “I will decrease my mile time by 30 seconds.” For the girl who loves to rock climb and wants to “show the boys she’s just as strong as they are—I will increase my upper body strength.” For the girl who strives for academic excellence and realizes that exercise helps her study with a clear mind: “I will work out for 30 minutes after school.” After the fitness goal is set, the remaining goals (typically two or three) focus on a girl’s individual wellness. Good examples are: For the girl who values her relationship with her brother who is leaving for college soon: “I will schedule a lunch date with my brother once a month this school year.” For the girl who loves playing guitar, but has a hard time fitting it into her schedule: “I will play guitar for 10 minutes every night before bed.” For the girl who has made the connection between how bad she feels when she doesn’t get enough sleep and how phone usage impacts sleep quality: “I will put my phone away and start my homework by 5 pm. P.E. teacher? No. Wellness teacher? Yes. How do we come to set these unique goals for each girl? Lots of talking. And the girls are made to think. The question is posed, “What makes you happy and best able to thrive?” Perhaps you can relate to my friends. You may have a lovely family and successful career. And, when you think of that question, you also get a pensive look and maybe a sparkle in your eye and say, “Gosh, I wish someone had asked me that question when I was in high school.”
Heather Jordan serves as a fitness specialist in the Hutchison Crain Center. She holds a Bachelor of Science in exercise science from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Mrs. Jordan is a certified health and wellness coach, as well as a certified strength and conditioning specialist. Hutchison | 29
A LU M N A E P R O F I L E
Picking Up Where They Left Off: Alumnae Share Friendship, Food, and a Passion for Life
i
by Elizabeth Brandon B arker ’02
n 1983, Brenda Chandler Cooke ’66 had just moved to
aunt, cousin, and sisters also were Hutchison students. Cooke
Los Angeles and found out Daryl Trainor Twerdahl ’66
remembers: “Daryl was a great girl—always friendly, always
was living in the area, in the same neighborhood. They had
wonderful, never said a bad word about anybody. Just a
lost touch after high school, but when Cooke swung by
great person, still is.”
Twerdahl’s catering company to leave a note saying hello,
Twerdahl’s favorite subject was English, and Cooke’s was
Cooke says, “We got back together.” Twerdahl remembers
math, and a favorite pastime for both was snacking on ice
their first visit in L.A. after reconnecting: “Brenda invited the
cream sandwiches in the cafeteria. They loved sports—
family over, and when we got there, she had a table covered
Twerdahl was a cheerleader for Memphis University School
in butcher paper with crayons for the kids to decorate the
and played basketball, and Cooke ran track and field and
table cloth, and I thought—what a smart thing to do, since
played volleyball. Looking back on their time at Hutchison,
the kids didn’t know each other.”
Twerdahl and Cooke value the school’s challenging and sup-
In a small class of around 23 students, Twerdahl and Cooke first met in the ninth grade in the Hutchison cafeteria.
portive culture. “My parents really brought my brother and me up to
Twerdahl was new to Hutchison, having transferred from a
believe there wasn’t anything we couldn’t try,” says Twerdahl.
school in Greasy Corner, Arkansas, while Cooke had been
“It wasn’t the end of the world if you try and fail, but you
attending since kindergarten. Cooke’s
should try—Hutchison really reinforced that for me.” “It gave me confidence to know that whatever I wanted to do, I could do,” Cooke notes. The two friends parted ways after high school graduation in 1966. Twerdahl went to Hollins University in Roanoke, Virginia, where she double majored in English and philosophy, and completed an M.A. in Irish Studies at University College in Dublin, Ireland. She’s also a graduate of the Washington School of Protocol. Cooke, who after tenth grade completed high school at East, attended University of Arizona and majored in creative writing and literature. After beginning her career in the retail industry, Twerdahl started Village Catering in Los Angeles. While running her catering company, she traveled back and forth between
P H OTO BY S H E R I D E T E R M A N P H OTO G R A P H Y
L.A. and Memphis to spend time with her grandfather and help make sure he could live at home as he wished, instead of a care facility, while receiving the support he needed—an experience that stuck with her. Then she happened to meet some interesting people. Volunteers from the local non-profit, St. Vincent Meals on Wheels, ate lunch at Village Catering regularly. Getting to know her customers
Daryl Trainor Twerdahl and Brenda Chandler Cooke
and reflecting on her grandfather, Twerdahl started volun-
program produced by the House and Garden Network, and
teering for St. Vincent and continued for the next 13 years,
has been quoted in publications such as The Los Angeles
chairing major fundraisers and leading the support group.
Times, The Los Angeles Magazine and The Beverly Hills Courier.
Eventually she joined the staff of the organization as Director
Cooke has successfully listed and sold countless properties
of Annual Giving and two years later, became Executive
throughout the west end of Los Angeles ranging from
Director of Development, a position she held for the past
$1,000,000 to $40,000,000, including Harry Warner’s house
16 years. She currently is acting as Executive Director of
(Warner Bros. Studios). Her career philosophy: “If you can
the program.
think about it, you can do it—never take no for an answer.”
Twerdahl has been responsible for raising $100 million in
Cooke and her husband, Bob, a financial advisor, have
revenue and building the endowment from $1 million to $13
a daughter, Chandler (who attended Hutchison before the
million for the largest privately funded organization of its kind
family moved to Los Angeles), and a son, as well as eight
in the country. The organization celebrated 40 years last year.
grandsons and a granddaughter.
She is grateful for the fulfillment found in her work with
Picking up where they left off in 1983, Cooke and
St. Vincent Meals on Wheels. Her career philosophy: “Do
Twerdahl still live near each other in L.A. After moving across
something that you feel passionate about, and unless some-
the country, establishing successful careers, and marrying and
one makes you stop, keep doing it.”
raising children, “we’re still the same kids that walked down
Twerdahl and her husband, Jim, an entrepreneur, have one daughter and two sons, a daughter from Jim’s previous marriage, and two grandchildren. In the early 1970s, Cooke worked with partners to open
Union Avenue to go to Seessel’s and get free cookies after school,”Twerdahl says. Twerdahl and Cooke work with numerous local nonprofits, some of which they support together, including St. Vincent
La Baguette and Whole Foods General Store in Memphis, later
Meals on Wheels, The Ebell of Los Angeles, and the Otis
selling both businesses to her partners. After moving to Los
College of Art and Design Scholarship. They play tennis and
Angeles, she did stand-up comedy for two years, focusing
continue to find time to enjoy delicious food together,
on laughter as a healing agent, working with concepts
frequenting Petrossian in West Hollywood for brunch, where
developed by Norman Cousins in his nonfiction books on
the eggs and caviar dish is a favorite.
illness and healing. Cooke then launched her real estate career, following in some of her family members’ footsteps. A real estate associate for more than 30 years, she works with the high-end luxury home real estate company Hilton & Hyland, representing multi-million dollar properties through-
Having kept in touch with about half of their class at Hutchison, whenever an alumnae event takes place in Los Angeles, they attend, and they encourage students and alums to cultivate relationships started at Hutchison. “Make an effort to look at what everybody has to offer,”
out the west end of Los Angeles. By caring for her customers
Twerdahl says. “One of the real advantages of a smaller
and cultivating relationships with her clients, she regularly
school is that you really get to know people. It’s important to
ranks among the top producing realtors. She’s shared her
understand strengths and weaknesses, to build friendships
expertise on shows including Selling Los Angeles, a syndicated
from that foundation.”
My parents brought my brother and me up to believe there wasn’t anything we couldn’t try. It wasn’t the end of the world if you try and fail, but you should try— Hutchison really reinforced that for me. — DARYL TWERDAHL
Hutchison | 31
GIVING | SUSAN AND SANFORD THOMAS
Putting an Emphasis on Education and Seeing the Difference IN 2012, SUSAN AND SANFORD THOMAS were living in Oxford, Mississippi, but they weren’t satisfied with the school choices for their two daughters, Anna Rose ’21 and Betty Jane ’21, and their son, Tol. They started to consider a move
to Memphis. After visiting an open house at Presbyterian Day School for their son, they said they knew they were headed to Memphis. The choice for their girls was relatively easy. Hutchison was at the top of their list. “To be honest, it was pretty much the only girls school we had heard about,” Susan said. Friends had told them how much they loved the school, including Barbara Crain Williamson ’77, an alumna and former member of the board of trustees. “Hutchison felt well-rounded,” said Sanford Thomas. “The message from the school was that ‘we look at everybody individually.’ It felt like a place where our children would be embraced by faculty and students.” Anna Rose and Betty Jane have been at Hutchison since the fifth grade and are now in ninth grade. Both Susan and Sanford
have seen a difference in their daughters. “They have felt more empowered to go after things that surprise even us, whether it’s academics or athletics,” Sanford said. “Because of Hutchison, our girls have a confidence now that I don’t think they would have otherwise.” “We feel like their lives and our lives have been changed by Hutchison,” Susan added. “Their future will be different. Their opportunities will be better. It’s a game changer.” Sanford said his father put an emphasis on education. “He always used to tell me, ‘Look, you get this degree, nobody can take it away. If you have money, you can lose it. You can always land on your feet if you’ve got a degree or maybe more than one.’ It’s been a family theme.” Giving an unrestricted gift to Hutchison was never a question for the Thomases. “We believe that is probably the biggest contribution or gift that we can give to our children in their lifetime,” Sanford said. “One day we won’t be here, and they’re going to have to rely on an education. “Along with that comes the idea that if you have more than others, then you should contribute,” he added. “The fact that we gave a gift was an easy thought. It’s putting education in our family first.” The Thomases are members of Hutchison’s Norfleet Society, the school’s most prestigious circle of philanthropists. Coming from a place where there weren’t a lot of options for their children’s education provided perspective, Susan said. Now that they are at Hutchison, they are thankful for all of the opportunities their girls have and want to continue to open up doors for their girls and for others. “Our girls are thinking big,” Sanford said. Both agreed that everyone—parents, alumnae, and friends—should give to help all Hutchison girls think big.
“Because of Hutchison, our girls have a confidence now that I don’t think they would have otherwise.” 32 | Hutchison
She’ll make a difference for you tomorrow. You can make a difference for her today.
When you include Hutchison in your estate plan, you create a legacy beyond your lifetime. Bequests and other planned gifts have a profound and lasting impact on our remarkable teachers, as well as the rigorous and innovative programs we offer at Hutchison. Your planned gift will serve as a source of strength and support for our school and provide inspiration to all who share your love for Hutchison. Most importantly, you will help secure the future of Hutchison for generations of girls to come. Upon making your legacy gift, you join a group of distinguished donors in the 1902 Society. For more details about becoming a 1902 Society member or to inform us that you have included Hutchison in your estate plan, please contact Elizabeth Boggan, our Development Director, at (901) 507-2465. Consult with your attorney, accountant, estate or financial planner when considering a planned gift to Hutchison School. Also, consult your attorney or financial planner to amend your existing will or trust, or to establish a new will or trust, in order to make a planned gift to Hutchison School. Hutchison | 33
A L U M N A E G AT H E R I N G S | CO L L E G I AT E R E U N I O N
Athletics director Catherine Chubb, Catherine Owen ’17, Sophie Merchant ’17, Griffin Gearhardt ’17, Sandy Smith ’14, Chloe Duke ’14, Loring Gearhardt ’14, Dr. Kristen Ring, head of school
Hayley Bell ’17, Lydia Fisher ’17, music teacher Leiza Collins, Daria Letcher ’17, Brinkley Raby ’17
Lydia Fisher ’17, Griffin Gearhardt ’17, Porter Johnson ’17, Caroline Pollard ’17, Rebecca Rubnitz ’17, Hayley Bell ’17, Sophie Merchant ’17
Anna Ray ’17, Abigail Snow ’17, art teacher Jeanette Leake, Corinne Williams ’17, Leah Dunlap ’17
Emily Cohen ’17, Francie Sentilles ’17, Larkin Schultz ’17 34 | Hutchison
Chinese teacher Hong Lin and Ariel Bulloch ’17
Alexis Van Riper ’17, Daisye Rainer ’17, Lauren Reddoch ’17, Catherine Owen ’17, Grace Sexton ’17, Halle Garland ’17
Science teachers Rachel Snider and Mary Lee Wesberry, Claire Sentilles ’15, Sarah Grace Rogers ’15, Kelsey Dowling ’15, Katherine Fleck ’15, Claire Temple ’15, Caroline Wade ’15
trezevant manor
golden bee society
A L U M N A E G AT H E R I N G S | G O L D E N B E E S | T R E Z E VA N T M A N O R
Bobbie Morley Dodge ’49 and Jo Holmes Walt ’49
Meredith Gotten Pritchartt ’53, Stella Orgill Blocker ’55, Sandra Hall Warlick ’55, Claire Sebralla Saino ’54
Eva Mae Duncan Hussey ’55, Carol Lewis Jones ’50, Lyn Rembert Bailey ’64
Josephine Phillips Schaeffer ’61, Sandra Garner Ireland ’60, Dorritte Evans Early ’60, Lillian High Trotter ’60
Weezie Dunavant ’28, Caitlyn Sharpe ’28, Dixie Busby Power ’53, Sienna Blaylock ’28
Elaine Dies Colmer ’52, Maggie Hollabaugh, Jane McSpadden Twist ’48
Dr. Kristen Ring, Tina Beatty McWhorter ’61
Frances Dillard James ’48, Sally Hergenrader (grandparent), Dottie Taylor Grayson ’50, Carol Lewis Jones ’50, Sarah Russell Haizlip ’65, Anita Falls Pharr ’38 Hutchison | 35
alumnae award honorees 2018 Distinguished Alumna Award DR. LISA D. STANFORD ’78 The Hutchison Distinguished Alumna Award recognizes and celebrates alumnae who are making a difference in the world through exceptional professional achievement, singular artistic creation, and selfless and visionary service. We are proud to announce the recipient of the 2018 Distinguished Alumna Award is Dr. Lisa Stanford ’78, an accomplished pediatric neuropsychologist and neuroscientist at Akron Children’s Hospital. As a founding member of the National Alumnae Board, she continues to invest in the next generation of Hutchison alumnae.
Anne Marie Newton Walker ’47 Philanthropy Award BARBARA CRAIN WILLIAMSON ’77 Created in recognition of Anne Marie’s passion for, and service to, her alma mater, The Anne Marie Newton Walker ’47 Philanthropy Award is presented to an alumna who advances philanthropy to Hutchison through personal giving and serves as an inspiration to the larger community to give. This year’s award recipient is Barbara Crain Williamson ’77, a longtime trustee and charter member of Hutchison’s Norfleet Society. She also played an instrumental leadership role on the school’s most recent endowment campaign.
Alumna Service to Hutchison Award RAGAN CRAWFORD MAGNESS ’88 The Alumna Service to Hutchison Award recognizes the school’s appreciation for exceptional and longstanding service to and advocacy for Hutchison. The recipient of the 2018 Alumna Service to Hutchison Award is Ragan Crawford Magness ’88, a strong and enthusiastic leader who led the 2017 Annual Fund campaign. She is a member of Hutchison’s Norfleet Society and always makes a point to donate time, talent, and resources to our school.
36 | Hutchison
On Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Hutchison Serves brought together girls, parents, faculty, and staff to help combat food insecurity in Memphis. According to the Mid-South Food Bank, 20 percent of Memphians struggle with access to enough food to meet their basic needs. Through a generous grant from the Kemmons Wilson Family Foundation, the Hutchison community assembled 5,000 shelf-stable meals to be distributed to the Neighborhood Christian Centers in Memphis.
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 2018
Hutchison accepts qualified female students regardless of race, color, religion, or national origin.
J O I N T H E S U M M E R F U N • M AY 2 9 —A U G U S T 1 0 , 2 0 1 8
Make this their best summer yet • Play quidditch • Build your own mobile app • Create a short film
Hutchison’s Center for Excellence (CFE) offers weeklong workshops and clinics, available individually or in combination with SPARK Day Camp. Sign up for CFE in the morning and SPARK in the afternoon for a discounted rate. Extended hours: 7:30 am–6:00 pm Visit hutchisonschool.org/summer for the full summer 2018 catalog
