JANUARY TERM

Chatham Hall students and faculty spent the first month of 2022 exploring a host of new subjects during the School’s first January Term. Designed to allow students to expand their learning on topics not currently part of the School’s semester curricula, January Term featured 18 courses on subjects chosen by faculty. Courses ranged from Biochemistry Techniques to Reading Like a Writer, Writing for Readers, to Italian Language Bootcamp, to Quilting. “January Term has been exciting from its inception. It was wonderful to see the faculty embrace this new program as they pondered what they would teach,” said Dean of Academics Martha Griswold. ”We have a blend of hands-on and skill-based classes as well as more content-based areas that all have attracted a good number of students.” In addition to their afternoon courses, students participated in gradelevel programming about specialized topics such as personal health, personal finance, citizenry, and life preparedness. All students also participated in Living Well Wednesdays led by faculty about topics important to everyone including basic home and clothing maintenance, yoga and Pilates, meal planning, study skills, and more. “January Term is an important time for Chatham Hall students to reflect on Living Well. It is an opportunity for the student body to learn valuable life skills not usually taught in the course of an academic year,” said Dr. Francis Yun, lead January Term coordinator. On the final day, students presented their new found knowledge and skills at an across campus expo. Some groups held interactive demos while others showcased projects completed during the term. “Women & War just stood out to me because it’s something I’m really interested in. I’ve enjoyed the class a lot. For my final project I made a timeline of women’s rights throughout history related to war,” said Whitley Younger ’24. “January Term gives students more time to focus, especially on a class they are very interested in. Being able to take an in-depth, month-long class can really open your eyes to things you might not have even known you were interested in. I’m glad that Chatham Hall decided to do it.”

“January Term was really fun, there were so many great class options. I’d never had a chance to take anything like Codes & Crypts before, and I hadn’t even expected to be able to take it at Chatham Hall. I loved learning new things that I probably wouldn’t have ever learned otherwise. For example, I didn’t know what a Caesar cipher was before this, and now I do. It was a lot of new experiences, and very cool. I’m really looking forward to next year’s January Term.” - Maeve Raible ’25

JANUARY TERM

LIVING WELL WEDNESDAYS

Each week of January Term, students and teachers took part in Living Well Wednesdays that focused on wellness and life skills.

“These are things that students need to know for their lives that may be outside of traditional academics,” said Wednesdays coordinator Kirsten Blaesing. “We focused on topics that will be essential for students when they graduate and leave us and go out into the world.”

Examples of Living Well Wednesday workshops included meal planning and couponing, yoga and Pilates, resume writing, clothing, and house maintenance. Over the course of both Wednesdays, students were able to rotate through all eight workshops.

At Chatham Hall, Living Well is an essential philosophy built on the belief in the multidimensional aspects of life and the holistic nature of overall health. All of campus life, including the Living Well Wednesdays workshops, is built on the foundations of nine dimensions of wellness: intellectual, spiritual, emotional, physical, financial, occupational, environmental, social, and inclusive.

“When we move into adult life, there are things we all need to be able to do ourselves,” said Blaesing. “We need to have the confidence to do things on our own. Of course we can rely on others for support, but we’re trying to help all of us become more independent and able to do for ourselves with this programming.”