800 CHATHAM HALL CIRCLE campus

School Recognized by USHJA

Chatham Hall has been honored by the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) as a Recognized Riding Academy.

According to the association, the USHJA Recognized Riding Academy Program acknowledges lesson programs, riding facilities, equestrian schools, and other types of educational equestrian programs that emphasize horsemanship and sportsmanship, promote safety, and offer introductory Hunter/Jumper lessons. These programs create a foundation for well-rounded equestrians who benefit the entire sport, and this recognition is designed to encourage the continued development and growth of these types of programs across the country.

Two Turtles Among Nation’s Top 1% of AMC Scores

Lucia Yang ’25 and Tina Zhang ’23 have been named to the Mathematical Association of America’s American Mathematics Competition 12 (MAA AMC12) Honor Roll for scoring in the top 1% nationwide of all exam takers.

They competed along with Oliwia Ledzwon ‘24, Krystal Lin ‘24, Stella Zhang ‘24, and Rose Yang ‘24 to earn a combined team score of 300 points or greater, earning the School Certificate of Merit (calculated on the top three team members’ scores).

“With all three Chatham Hall instructors being USHJA certified, and now the program having this recognition, it is evident that Chatham Hall is committed to teaching the American Forward Riding System as well as proper horsemanship as outlined by our national governing body. We are committed to upholding a level of excellence and safety within our sport and this is public acknowledgement of that commitment,” said Director of Riding Ally Doyon.

The recognition will also allow the School to participate in the RRA Honor Roll, which will spotlight its horses on a national level, and celebrate exceptional students by awarding them with an RRA Honor.

Abdilaahi ‘23 Expanding Use of Multifaith Room

When Nuura Abdilaahi ’23 arrived at Chatham Hall, she quickly realized she had no private space for prayer. As an observant Muslim, Abdilaahi prays five times a day and her shared dorm room was not ideal. She was among a core group of students who worked with Chaplain Barksdale to make a Multifaith Room a reality in fall 2021.

“The Multifaith Room is always available to members of our community, and I want to encourage other students to use it every day, to feel welcome to practice their religions,” she said.

Abdilaahi identified additional prayer tools and resources needed by current members of our community to make the Multifaith Room more usable, and has worked on a bulletin board for the room to display all of the holidays observed by each religion present on campus. This board will also feature weekly prayers submitted by members of our community. She will also put together a roster of students and faculty members who will lead weekly meditation sessions in the room, and another schedule of those who will lead weekly prayer walks around campus.

ISA Hosts Inaugural I-Fest

The International Student Association (ISA) hosted Chatham Hall’s inaugural “I-Fest” on Feb. 10 & 11 with a variety of activities designed to bring all students on a trip around the world.

“Our international students designed fun, educational, and interactive experiences to share their cultures, languages, and traditions with the Chatham Hall community,” said Charlotte Williams, international student coordinator.

All 35 of the School’s international students took part in the event. The opening ceremony, which took place on Friday night in the Gym, included dances by Noir, poetry recitations including “Palabras para Julia” from José Agusrín Goytisolo and “The Sun of Arles” by Haizi, and a guitar performance of “Under Blue Skies” by Vladimir Vavilov.

On Saturday, all students participated in workshops on topics ranging from Chinese tea and calligraphy traditions, Chinese art and clothing, the Day of the Dead, and various languages and cultures. Prior to the workshops, some students prepared traditional foods from their home countries to add to their presentations, including homemade pierogi, pancakes, and

Student Writers Find Inspiration in Alumnae Pieces

soup. Several groups also danced, played music, and explored other facets of different cultures.

“I was thrilled with our first-ever I-Fest,” said Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Deborah Glymph. “It was student-run and student-focused, and the ideas for each aspect were authentic from student thought leadership. In the shortest month of the year, we’re exposing students to so many different things and that really works to our advantage. It offers so many opportunities for our students to just get out and try something new to them.”

Iris, the literary and art magazine of Chatham Hall, has produced a unique issue this year with a number of student pieces inspired by past submissions. Iris co-editors Ginny Hopkins ’23 and Liliana Stinson ’23 got the idea of looking to the past for inspiration while they were exploring the School Archives during their free time.

“They were writing about the same things we write about now, themes like heartbreak or even your dog, just decades ago,” said Hopkins. “A lot of their short stories are really beautiful and no one has read them since each issue of Iris was published.”

The pair used one issue from each decade, dating back to 1915, to introduce their idea to fellow student artists at a fall Iris meeting. Each interested artist selected a piece from a past issue and used it for inspiration for their submissions.