Winter 2016 rectors letter

January 21, 2016

Dear Friends, I love watching the BBC’s Downton Abbey. True confession: I spent much too much time during Christmas vacation binge watching previous episodes. Do I admit that I actually counted down the days for the first episode of Season Six to air? I even marked my calendar. I was far more excited for this date than I was for celebrating a new year.

If you are a Downton Devotee you know that the show depicts a British aristocratic family and those who work for their estate. Season Six introduces viewers to 1925. We watch with baited breath as a new era of modernity presents itself post World War I. As interlopers we spy, watching the characters grapple with the tension of tradition and transformation.

This tension is not unlike that which faces many a boarding school today. How do we prepare students for a changing world? How do we evolve with the times to provide skills and tools to meet 21st century challenges while holding steadfast to the values that we hold so dear?

At Chatham Hall, this remains at the forefront of our thinking, conversations, and actions. Throughout the year faculty members have been engaged in dialog about 21st century skills. We’ve taken stock in that which we do well, where we desire to grow, and mapped plans for getting to the level of what we aspire.

Professional development has centered around exploration of skills like collaboration, applied understanding (in other words, drawing connections between different concepts and disciplines), and cultural proficiency.

We examine all of these principles while remaining true to the honor and values that have been the foundation of Chatham Hall since her founding.

We see this aspiration for honoring our beloved traditions and remaining relevant as instrumental in our Strategic Planning work. The Strategic Plan Steering Committee is reviewing data from the constituent surveys and reviewing contextual information regarding the educational industry. From here, work groups will be established and initiatives proposed. A plan should be ready for adoption in May. We look forward to keeping you apprised of the conversations.

Conversation is an inherent part of The Polly Wheeler Guth ’44 Leader in Residence Program. This exemplary offering allows for students to engage in thought provocation and discourse. This year’s experience was no exception. Actress, humanitarian, and activist, Ashley Judd, joined the Chatham Hall community for two days this January. As she engaged with students in small groups, ran with our athletes

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through the town of Chatham, watched the President’s State of the Union address with girls in the Niche, and shared in her keynote speech to all assembled in the Van Voorhis Lecture Hall, Ms. Judd delivered a message of empowerment and affirmation. She encouraged girls to find meaning through their own definitions of that which is spiritual. She modeled how adversity can be overcome through tenacity, introspection, and shamelessly utilizing resources of support.

Just as they did with the visit of Ashley Judd, our girls engage with ideas and each other. The Enrollment Team is working hard to ensure that future classes of Chatham Hall students embody these characteristics.

The Team has traveled extensively, exploring the globe and our own backyard to find mission appropriate girls to continue this legacy. Introducing individuals to the school is key. Hosting events for educational consultants prove most valuable. In January we hosted a tour for educational consultants in which they toured campus, observed classes, spoke with students and faculty in “speed dating” formatted sessions, and had lunch with administrators. Equally as successful was a most recent open house for prospective students and their families. When not buried in their offices reading applications, or welcoming families to campus, over the next month you’ll find the Enrollment Team continuing their efforts to introduce families, educators, programs, and consultants to the phenomenal opportunities found at Chatham Hall.

Like the success the Office of Enrollment has cultivated through their initiatives, the Office of Advancement has also seen tremendous results. Giving Tuesday (in which $94,000 was raised in one day as Purple and Gold alumnae challenged each other to donate to the school) was an incendiary success! The Annual Fund is a key source of support for Chatham Hall and also an important indicator of the engagement of our community. I am delighted to report that annual fund giving is strong. The Office of Advancement and I thank you for your continued investment and interest in Chatham Hall. If you have not already done so, please show your endorsement of Chatham Hall through a gift today.

This spring, we will welcome playwright Gloria Bond Clunie ’71 to campus as our Writer in Residence. Gloria has received numerous awards for her work including the Medallion Award from the Children’s Theatre Foundation of America. According to DramaticPublishing.com, “Clunie has been recognized for her work in the arts and education by the NAACP, Alpha Kappa Alpha and Delta sororities and the American Alliance for Theatre & Education. Other recognitions include a Chicago Jeff Award, a Scott McPherson, Theodore Ward Prize for African-American Playwrights, New York’s New Professional Theatre Award, the Black Theatre Alliance Award in Chicago, and Illinois Arts Council grants.” Gloria will spend nearly a week on campus working with our students in English classes and in the theater. We are delighted to have Gloria back at her alma mater.

One of the greatest gifts that Chatham Hall provides girls of yesterday and today is a sense of belonging.

Whether an alumna or a student, you are part of a community that cares about ideas and people. You and your thoughts matter. I hope you will celebrate this value of inclusion as we welcome members of the Chatham Hall community to Reunion 2016. April 15-17 will be days of reconnection and joy. We are particularly excited for your participation as we unite in the Meadow for a special tree dedication ceremony.

Please come. We look forward to your presence.

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This school year has been super positive. I continue to marvel at the commitment of our faculty and staff, the inquisitiveness and energy of our girls, the dedication of our parents, and the loyalty of our alumnae. A school is only as strong as the individuals who comprise her community. We are indeed an institution of greatness and fortitude. One of my objectives is to let the world know of the strength of Chatham Hall. One of the ways in which this is done is by speaking at National Conferences. This fall I presented two different leadership workshops for the Secondary School Admission Testing Board. In December I spoke to all attendees of The Association of Boarding Schools annual conference. This spring term I will present with Maisie Deely, our Director of Marketing and Communication Strategies, at the National Coalition of Girls Schools global conference in New York.

Before closing I encourage you to read an article that was brought to my attention by our Director of College Counseling, Sharon Williams: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/parenting/wp/2016/01/20/to-getinto-college-harvard-report-advocates-for-kindness-instead-of-overachieving/ This article cites a report from collaborators at Harvard Graduate School of Education and is endorsed by college counselors and deans of admission at some of the nation’s most prominent universities. There is a call to action for colleges to deemphasize the inventory of AP classes and accomplishments for which they evaluate a prospective student’s strength, and instead focus on what really matters. In the article, Jeremiah Quinlan, Dean of Undergraduate Admissions at Yale University shares the following: “Yes, we want students who have achieved in and out of the classroom, but we are also looking for things that are harder to quantify, [like] authentic intellectual engagement and a concern for others and the common good.”

I am so honored to be at Chatham Hall where authenticity and relationships characterize the engagement of our girls. I continue to love the work I do on a daily basis. It is a privilege to live in, work for, and be a member of the Chatham Hall community. I’m invigorated by our efforts to make the school the best it can be and to let others know of our strengths. I’m blessed to be a part of an institution that can honor both tradition and transformation. Now, let’s see if the same can be said of all our friends in Downton Abbey.

Sincerely yours,

Suzanne Walker Buck Rector

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