Hallways: Future ready (Winter 2023-2024)

HALLWAYS

Future Ready

Harpeth Hall’s holistic approach to education prepares students for a future of innovation, leadership, and limitless possibilities.

FOUNDERS SOCIETY Spotlight

Lynne Wallman ’66 has an enviable green thumb. In the summer, her garden is full of dahlias, hibiscus, begonias, lilies, hollyhocks, verbena, and a variety of daisies and wildflowers. She cultivates beauty, not just in her backyard in West Nashville but in her life. Longterm authentic friendships matter greatly to her, and so does her high school alma mater. Fifty-seven years following her graduation from Harpeth Hall in 1966, Lynne regularly tends to her relationships with beloved classmates. At frequent gatherings they call “Senior House,” they share the ups and downs of their lives — they are there for each other.

Lynne Wallman ’66

Lynne’s mother had her heart set on Lynne going to Harpeth Hall since Lynne was a child in the 1950s. “My excitement built as I entered my early teens. From the first time I set foot on the campus, I knew Harpeth Hall was where I wanted to be,” Lynne shared.

While at Harpeth Hall, Lynne’s love of reading took hold thanks to Mrs. Gregory, and Mrs. Felkel introduced her to the wonders of botany. “Harpeth Hall also gave me a sense of independence. I have owned two of my own companies. The first was my advertising agency, which I owned and operated for 16 years. The second is being a real estate broker with Zeitlin Sotheby’s International Realty for 25 years. Both careers require attention to detail, creative thinking, and the ability to work independently. Harpeth Hall gave me that,” Lynne added.

As Lynne pursued her career aspirations, she made giving back to Harpeth Hall a priority, both as a loyal Annual Fund donor and as a bright-spirited reunion and Annual Fund volunteer. She loves staying connected to the life of the school and is a true believer in the importance of the school’s mission of educational excellence for girls. “I am so proud of the way the school encourages students to speak so eloquently at such a young age. I’m proud of the beautiful campus, the involvement of the alumnae, and the leadership and extraordinary faculty. I wish I could enroll again!”

Lynne is also a longtime member of the Harpeth Hall Founders Society. “I love that the school instilled in me a love of lifelong learning and the confidence to be the best I could be,” Lynne explained. “My parents were great role models for me. They made it possible for me to attend Harpeth Hall, and I hope to help other young women achieve their educational dreams and become tomorrow’s leaders.”

A beautiful garden requires constant care, and Lynne invests a similar effort each year to make good on her senior pledge: to leave her alma mater better and more beautiful than it was given to her.

The Founders Society recognizes individuals who have included Harpeth Hall in their estate plans. If you are considering a planned gift to Harpeth Hall, please contact Director of Advancement, Susan Moll at 615-346-0087 or moll@harpethhall.org.

2 Observations from Jess Hill

24 Mock Trial Teaches Courtroom Confidence

30 Inspiring Tommorrow’s STEM Innovators

34 Guest Speakers Offer Wellness Wisdom

38 The Power of Living Honorably

40 Garden Spreads Seeds of Knowledge

ACADEMICS & ACCOLADES

4 ‘Pedal to the Floor’ in 2024

5 Embracing the Power of Kindness

8 Student Voices: Middle School

9 Student Voices: Upper School

10 Students Share Admiration for Inspirational Faculty

12 Inside the Hall: Middle School

14 Inside the Hall: Upper School

16 Leadership Day Guides Harpeth Hall Girls

28 Civic Education Prepares Future Leaders

29 Teaching Financial Literacy to Girls

ATHLETICS & THE ARTS

18 In the Spotlight: Performing Arts

20 Six Celebrate on Signing Day

22 Athletics Highlights

COMMUNITY

44 Sunday on Souby

46 Halloween Carnival

47 Grand Open House CELEBRATIONS

50 Sweet Summer Send-off

51 Alumnae Holiday Party

52 College Age Brunch

HALLWAYS STAFF

Jessica Bliss, Editor

Lauren Finney, Designer

ALUMNAE NEWS

48 Alumnae on the Road

53 Award Nominations

54 Call for Summer Interns

55 Class Notes

62 Births

64 Marriages

66 In Memoriam: Alumnae

67 In Memoriam: Former Faculty and Staff

68 In Memoriam: Trustees

Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09, Editorial Staff

Rory Fraser, Staff Photographer

Contributing Writers: Lily Campbell ’28, MC Claverie ’20, Claiborne Fowler ’19, Jamisyn Larkin ’24, Meggie Lucas, and Emy Noel Sanderson ’98

Contributing Photographers: Jessica Bliss, Peyton Hoge, and Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09

Hallways is published twice a year by:

The Harpeth Hall School

3801 Hobbs Road, Nashville, TN 37215

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HHBears @Harpeth_Hall

“As here each girl finds for herself, the joys that will abide.”

Martha Ann Gregory Harpeth Hall Alma Mater

When we consider all the big hopes and dreams we have for our girls’ futures, the goal of preparing them for what is to come can quickly feel daunting. The rate of change is rapid, and there are so many unknowns in trying to predict the skills our students will need to be future-ready. How can we prepare students for careers that are not yet created? How can we predict all of the ways modern and future technology will change the way we learn, the way we engage with knowledge and facts, or the way we engage with each other?

The short and direct answer is that while we cannot foresee all the newly specialized skills our girls will need, we know well the foundational abilities our students must have when they leave Harpeth Hall.

The first is that students will always need the ability to learn new things and develop new skills. The best way to ensure our girls have this capacity is to instill a love and facility for learning. Much of the “joy that abides” expressed in our alma mater is the pure joy of pursuing knowledge and developing new talents. Our girls know they can dive deeply into any topic of interest and learn for the sake of learning. They also know they will have real-world experiences throughout their years at Harpeth Hall that allow them to apply what they learn and to observe people in that field of study. It may be interacting with a military academy graduate during Leadership Day, critiquing a piece of poetry alongside a visiting artist from Southern Word, harvesting lettuce in the garden for the dining hall, delivering a closing argument in front of a real judge in Mock Trial, or initiating the centrifuge in a lab at Vanderbilt University. The hands-on experiences captured in this issue of Hallways show our girls learning new things and creating joy for themselves and the people around them. All with the goal of readying for what lies ahead.

A second quality that I have become more and more convinced will be necessary in our “backpack for the future” is a sense of what it means to develop and live our values. Whatever careers our students pursue, all indicators say that the key ingredient to facing tomorrow is to have a sense of honor and integrity. Thank goodness we have been teaching girls and young women how to live honorably for over 150 years. I believe that this tenet of our mission is more important today than ever. Over time, I think we have gained a deeper and broader understanding of honor and how best to model and instill it in our

students. At first glance, living honorably in a school setting can be all about academic honor. In an era of Google Translate and generative artificial intelligence, maintaining academic honor is no small task, but it is only the tip of the iceberg. Our definition of living honorably is embedded in everything we do every day. It encompasses the small gestures of kindness as well as the courage to do what is right, even when it is wildly unpopular in a middle or high school setting.

In Adam Grant’s new book “Hidden Potential,” he defines character as “your ability to prioritize your values over your instincts.” It is not just about having values or morals, we must also practice and develop the skills to apply them to and use them in our daily lives. Our students develop their own values and make mistakes until they realize that following their personal moral code leads to a better life. Substituting popularity, perfection, or being cool for true friendship, civility, and unselfishness is shortsighted. These pages of “Hallways” will illustrate ways that our students begin to identify as honorable people while they are here.

Most importantly, in “Hallways” you will find the best tool we have for equipping our girls for the future — helping our girls find a sense of purpose. Each student has faculty members looking out for her, guiding her, and providing support. That student-teacher relationship sets our school apart. At the same time, we know that when our girls become examples for someone else, that helps them become better human beings. Each student in our school has someone who wants to be more like she is. The joy that is generated through younger girls seeing themselves in the older girls is palpable. The older girls discover their ability to live lives of purpose by becoming someone who is worthy of imitation. Joy abides in the character developed in each girl. That same character will be essential for success in life.

“As old girls with the new girls share the pleasure that endears.”

Jess Hill

‘Pedal to the Floor in 2024’

Senior theme encourages students to trust in themselves and the journey

By Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09

Inthe days before the 2023-2024 school year began, Upper School Director Frances Fondren-Bales walked through the Bullard Bright IDEA Lab reading sticky notes left on the walls by 9th grade students during their orientation. One brightly colored note caught her eye.

In bubbled handwriting, a paraphrased quote by the “great philosopher (singer, songwriter, performer, and all-around amazing human being) Taylor Swift'' was written: “Never be so polite, you forget your power. Never wield such power, you forget to be kind.”

Kind. As she reread the note, Ms. Fondren-Bales paused and smiled. With this one-word modification to Taylor Swift’s lyrics, the 9th-grade class identified an often-overlooked leadership quality — one crucial to effectively leading a community.

A few days later, Ms. Fondren-Bales stood at the podium during Opening Convocation and shared that story with the more than 720 students who filled the Frances Bond Davis Theatre. “There is strength in kindness,” she said.

Opening Convocation represents the start of a new year full of opportunities and possibilities. New girls join Honeybear Nation, new students step up to be leaders, and members of a new senior class embrace the challenge of inspiring their peers. The annual cycle begins as seniors race down the aisles of the theatre to announce their senior theme, which this year is Pedal to the Floor in 2024.

For these seniors, this year — and what lies beyond — is a journey toward new experiences. Student Council President Josephine Hinds is ready to enjoy every minute of the senior class’ last ride together. To her classmates, she offered some words of wisdom during convocation. Even though the senior theme is about going fast, she encouraged the seniors to slow down to soak up the beautiful moments together. She reminded them to refuel when they are running on empty, reassess when they hit a bump or a roadblock, trust themselves behind the wheel of their futures, and not be afraid to drive into the unknown.

“

. . . You prepare for what you can,” she said. “And know that after that, there is nothing else you can do except sit back and enjoy the ride.”

Students took this message to heart throughout the first day back under the Harpeth Hall magnolias. New 5th grade students high-fived Harpeth Hall’s mascot, Honey, before walking through the doors of the middle school for the first time. Juniors cheered for each other across Souby Lawn. The joy and expectations of a new school year filled the air.

“We start this year in great hopes of the achievements, accomplishments, and accolades that are announced in a meeting and written on a resume,” 8th grade student convocation speaker Frances Brown said while reflecting on the coming year. “But the real growth and strength and joy this year and all years will come from ... the privilege of knowing, caring for, and celebrating one another.”

And with that care and kindness comes courage. In her eight years as a middle school leader from 2008 to 2016, the current middle school interim director Mary Lea Bryant has seen Harpeth Hall students demonstrate this bravery daily.

“Where have I seen courage in kindness on our campus?”

Ms. Bryant asked while addressing students. “Girls sticking up for other girls when someone is treated unfairly; being the first person to clap for a student who has just performed or made a speech; a student recognizing that someone in the room is alone and going to speak to and include her.”

That strength, Head of School Jess Hill said, is in every student at Harpeth Hall.

“There is one thing that seems to be universally true,” Ms. Hill said in her remarks. “The ‘smartest person in the room is most often the kindest person in the room.’ I believe everyone in this room has the capacity to be kind. It sometimes takes practice, but kindness seems to be a scarce resource in today’s world. Harpeth Hall girls can help supply it.”

Students embrace the power of kindness in the new school year

Excerpt of Opening Convocation remarks

by

Frances Fondren-Bales, Director of the

Upper School

Iwas talking to an administrator friend of mine (one who lives in another town where he works at a co-ed school). We started discussing what themes we wanted to explore in our communities in the upcoming school year. I declared confidently that I was excited to explore kindness. He went silent, initially. With some prodding from me, he finally gave in and said, “I mean: kindness at an all-girls school . . . really? Isn’t that a little cliché? Aren’t girls always taught to be docile and nice and kind, and shouldn’t you be countering that somehow?”

Docile and nice and kind? I thought. It was as if he were saying that these words were synonyms. That is not my understanding of kindness.

Kindness is deceptively simple, really. We all think that we have it down, but I would wager that we sometimes oversimplify a rather complex concept and that we also often confuse kindness with some of her cousins who look a lot like kindness.

So, let’s start with her cousins, one of whom is named politeness. Being kind is not the same thing as being polite. Politeness is the use of good manners in order not to offend someone, and these manners are defined by the culture in which she lives — what is polite in one culture might not be polite in another. In other words, politeness is an agreed-upon set of behaviors to send signals of respect. Politeness is externally defined. I would argue that kindness, quite the contrary, must be internally defined. My way of showing kindness has to be true to me, the giver of my kindness, not true to some external list of agreed-upon behaviors. Let me be clear: being polite is an admirable effort to care for those around you. But it is not the same as kindness.

To get back to my administrator friend, I strongly suspect that he was confusing kindness with another one of her cousins, passivity, or docility (otherwise known as being a doormat). So, let’s be clear on this one, too:

kindness does not mean that someone sacrifices her needs or her voice for others. There is strength in kindness. Brené Brown reminds us that “Clear is kind,” meaning that, in fact, being precise, consistent, and transparent about communal expectations or individual needs is a form of kindness.

And what about her last cousin: nice? This one is tough because nice and kind look so much alike.

I’ve been giving this one some thought. And, I will admit: I have done a lot of internet searches for inspiration (that is what directors of upper schools do with their summers!). Here are the two main differences, if I boil it down:

1. People who are being nice are focused on being liked, whereas those who are being kind are focused on being kind.

2. Nice is more superficial and, therefore, more fragile, whereas kind is a core trait that must be rooted as a value and practiced. Yes, kindness is practiced — think of her like a muscle. She is strong, and with practice, she can grow stronger. Why is this practice so

important? Here’s the reality: kindness is pretty easy when things are going well. It is when we are feeling stressed or sad or mad or put on the spot that kindness can be a challenge. But, do not fall into the false perception that kindness is weakness. You can be kind and firm. You can be kind and take a stand. You can be kind and say no thank you. You can be kind and hold the line. You can be kind and listen well. You can be kind and assert yourself. Kindness, when well-practiced, will accompany you in any situation.

It is always my hope that you not merely “do school” — I want you to engage fully in your education. Equally, I do not want you to merely “do kindness” as we explore it this year. I challenge you to think about what genuine kindness looks like for you. Let’s start by breaking it down into the four components that happen when you are kind:

1) awareness, 2) unconditionality, 3) non-judgment, and 4) action. Even though these components are part of the practice of

kindness, we will all live it out a little differently. When you know a friend is hurting (that’s awareness), are you able to care for her unconditionally, avoid judging the reason for her hurt, and take action to show support? What might you do? Leave a note on her car? Talk to her? Sit by her at lunch? What is your natural way of expressing kindness? How can you work this muscle so that it becomes stronger and, even in tough moments, you can tap into it? We all express kindness differently because each of us wears our own pair of glasses through which we see the world — glasses that are formed by our beliefs or values, our experiences, and our knowledge. All of those perspectives are valid and part of our community. When I think of Harpeth Hall, I envision a patchwork quilt, with each member of our community as her own unique square that makes up the beauty of the whole. The warmth and comfort of community come from the bringing together of our individual, unique selves. And we are sewn together through common experiences and common goals of learning to think critically, lead confidently, and live honorably. Together. Our varied perspectives make us stronger, and I believe it is incumbent upon us to steep our interactions with one another in kindness. This is how we live well together in community.

kindness = 1) awareness, 2) unconditionality, 3) non-judgment, and 4) action

“What characteristics and qualities do you look

The best mentor will provide you with guidance and knowledge and encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and embrace the unknown.

ABy Lily Campbell ’28

good mentor is no doubt one of the most important components of one’s journey to success. A mentor can have many faces; it might be a teacher, a parent, or a therapist, but no matter which form it takes, a mentor is always a source of guidance and inspiration.

Mentors are invaluable in guiding a person toward a better place, whether that be financially, emotionally, physically, or socially. They can help you achieve a higher level of confidence in yourself and your future and play a huge part in your results, so choosing a good mentor is essential in setting you on the right path towards success. The best mentor will provide you with guidance and knowledge and encourage you to step out of your comfort zone and embrace the unknown.

A mentor and student upholding the same values helps with building the mentor-student connection. By sharing the same values, a mentor can provide a good example and help you make decisions that would suit you, your needs, and your aspirations. All of this information I can buttress with personal experiences and lessons I have learned from my own mentor, who has impacted my life greatly and no doubt supplied me with enough knowledge, courage, and belief in myself to ensure my own success.

My piano teacher, Mrs. D, has always been so much more than just a piano teacher; she is an advocate for each and every one of her students. She has taught me many lessons, but the main one that stuck was that a bird cannot survive in a box. You must climb out of that box of negativity and fear and instead choose to spread your wings and take risks. Mrs. D has not only taught me how to play piano, but she has also taught me that fear is irrelevant. In order to have a chance at succeeding, you have to actually take the leap and try. Because of Mrs. D, who demonstrates all of the qualities of a good mentor, I learned to take risks and embrace the unknown. I believe that a truly good mentor will encourage you to take the leap and provide you with key knowledge and wisdom to aid you on your journey.

A good mentor will believe in you, and subsequently, you will learn to believe in yourself.

for in a mentor as you prepare for your future?”

AtBy Jamisyn Larkin ’24

a young age, I never understood the power I could uphold within myself. However, once I began to see older women who resembled me, I began to understand that I could do more than I believed. Seeing others lead throughout my life in all areas, from dance coaches to robotics team captains, further influenced that idea. Having a person of influence provides young women the ability to see themselves in the future, as leaders. Mentorship has been a clear gateway to open doors for students to view themselves as capable. By having models in my life, I am more confident that I can complete my own personal goals for the future. They provide not only new skills to learn, but also confidence that one can pursue the unknown.

When being with a mentor, you build communication skills, new perspectives, and an increased confidence for future success. Mentors provide new connections to the outside world beyond high school. They prepare students for the future as they demonstrate the ability to collaborate, and they empower students to identify career goals and acknowledge personal achievements.

I view a mentor as someone who exemplifies trust in their peers, shows leadership throughout everyday tasks, provides support and kindness, and has a passion for what they pursue. A mentor holds growth as one of the priorities that greatly affect personal development. They enhance skills that many students may not even be aware they possess. They provide an open space with the opportunity to go toward new paths while also pushing their mentee out of their comfort zone.

The skills we learn from others are lessons we can carry into the future. By studying a leader, I can build a deeper appreciation for the future, knowing I am able to complete my personal success. A leader and mentor inspires students, especially young girls, to pursue their dreams and passions despite any limitations.

I view a mentor as someone who exemplifies trust in their peers, shows leadership throughout everyday tasks, provides support and kindness, and has a passion for what they pursue.

“I look up to Mrs. Vest. She is such a clear example of a confident, humble leader and teacher. While she always has tons on her plate, she makes anyone who walks into her classroom feel known, seen, and heard, a trifecta that is hard to find outside the halls.”

—Anna LeMarbre, 12th grade

Transformative Bonds

“Ms. Davids is my 7th-grade advisor and science teacher, and I always admire her care for each individual. She teaches in fun, interactive ways and makes a point to get to know everyone during the process.”

— Lulu Kohler, 10th grade

“I look up to my mom, Jacquie Watlington, because since a young age, I've seen her running the Winterim program. This program is part of what makes Harpeth Hall so special, but it’s taxing for the women who run it. Seeing my mom’s love and undying affection for the girls in this community show me why Harpeth Hall is so special. We have faculty and staff who love us and always work so that we can have the best.”—

Evelyn Watlington, 10th grade

Inthe halls and classrooms at Harpeth Hall, the connections between students and teachers are more than just educational — they’re transformative. It might be a smile shared in the hallway, a warm welcome before class, a dedicated time set aside to listen, or a feeling of being truly known. Teachers play a crucial role in shaping the future readiness of girls through meaningful connections with students.

Beyond the academic curriculum, Harpeth Hall faculty serve as mentors who guide girls to explore their potential and pursue their passions. Through these relationships, girls gain valuable insights into various career paths, develop essential life skills, and build the resilience needed for the dynamic challenges of the future.

“I look up to Mrs. Lucas because not only is she a great teacher, but she is also such a bright spirit all of the time, which I love! She is always there to cheer me up and make me laugh but is also serious when she needs to be, and I admire her for that.”—

Hudsyn Waddey, 9th

“Truly, I look up to Mrs. Hill. She was my first advisor in high school, and that advisory was so fun. She was kind-hearted and easy-going but also held us accountable. She would talk about going to meetings for Middle Tennessee teachers and heads of schools and being one of the very few women there. She would always tell us how excited she was to represent a school filled with powerful young women. She is definitely one of my role models at Harpeth Hall.”

— Kelly Aquino, 11th grade

grade

Harpeth Hall students share, in their own words, the powerful influence of their teachers who, beyond imparting knowledge, become pillars of support and inspiration for the girls and the women they will become.

“I look up to Dr. Jacobs. She is a strong, intelligent, and kind woman who inspires me. Dr. Jacobs teaches and speaks a with confidence that leaves you feeling refreshed and intelligent. I have learned so much from her, not only in the history classroom but also about life. I hope I will one day affect someone 50% as much as Dr. Jacobs has affected me. She has made my experience at Harpeth Hall greater, and I am so grateful to know her.”

— Celia Brien, 11th grade

“A Harpeth Hall woman I especially look up to is Señora Wenz. She always comes to class with the biggest smile and knows how to make the class laugh and learn at the same time. During my 8th grade year, I had a little situation that caused me to feel stuck, and Señora Wenz was right there to pick me up. She supports so much further than just in her classroom. I also look up to my peers, as each of them has something new and important to offer to the community here at Harpeth Hall.”— Jessica Wang, 10th grade

“A teacher I constantly look up to is Mrs. Harwell. Mrs. Harwell is one of my biggest cheerleaders and supporters. Even when I struggled, she always reminded me of how far I've come and of my success. . . . I'll never forget the comfort and care she showed me in difficult times, regardless if I was still her ‘student’ or not. . . . As she reminds me she is proud of me, it encourages me to continuously make her proud as I go through my journey at Harpeth Hall.”

— Margaret Simmons, 9th grade

“I admire the hard work and dedication of Mrs. Traci Keller. As I was able to work collaboratively with her during my time as a club captain, I gained a sense of her time management and work strategies that allow her to manage the many tasks that she has to complete as the middle school dean of students!”

Annalise Cash, 9th grade

“I look up to Officer Ticknor because she always has a smile on her face, and I am confident she will put our safety above anything else. She has also had one of the coolest careers ever, and I encourage everyone to talk to her if you never have.”

— Sarah Braam, 12th grade

“I look up Mrs. Powers, upper school English teacher. I admire her effort to connect with all students. I also would love to emulate her pursuit of multidisciplinary education, as she leads multiple clubs across the upper school. I look up to her striving to understand and relate to her students.” Anna Bowman Fletcher, 11th grade

“I look up to Mrs. Yancey because I think she embodies what it is like to be a real human being. She is so kind and positive to everybody she comes across. I love getting to see her in the halls and catching up with her because she is always engaged and interested in everything you do.”

— Katie Day, 11th grade

“I admire Ms. Fondren-Bales because she genuinely cares for her students. Her passion and excitement for her job are evident and make everyone around her feel equally thrilled to work beside her.”

— Josey Beavers, 12th

grade

“I really look up to Madame Jervis because, to me, she embodies how to be stern and keep everyone on task while also being fun-loving and meeting people where they are. She truly changed my fluency in French and made me significantly more confident in myself as a student.”— Karis Egly, 12th grade

Students trek through history in downtown Nashville

Embarking on an urban adventure, 7th grade students used downtown Nashville as their classroom for a scavenger hunt that would lead them through the history of the city’s government. The project started on Harpeth Hall’s campus. From behind their desks, students learned about federal, state, and local branches of government — what each type of government is, how each functions, and how the branches affect the lives of citizens.

“We live in an interesting space. Nashville is a capital city full of history and government. It is a 20-minute drive to see this history in person,” 7th grade teacher Michele O’Brien said.

Through their scavenger hunt, students:

Watched local government in action with a visit to the Nashville Public Library and Metro Archives where they also met archivist and fellow Honeybear Grace Wright Hulme ’08.

Visited the Federal Courthouse, an important part of the judicial branch and home to the offices of Tennessee’s senators, and explored the State Capitol, the meeting spaces for the Tennessee State Senate and the Tennessee State House of Representatives.

Saw War Memorial Auditorium and Legislative Plaza, spaces created by the state to remember Tennesseans who fought for the nation and lost their lives in war.

Learned about the suffrage movement in Nashville by visiting Anne Dallas Dudley Blvd., named after a Ward Seminary alumna who was an essential figure in the voting movement for women, and saw the Hermitage Hotel, a battleground of pro- and anti-suffrage groups.

“They were excited to be exploring and felt independent in making the connections between themselves as Harpeth Hall students and the community downtown,” Ms. O’Brien said. “We had them walk down Anne Dallas Dudley Blvd., see her portrait in the state capital, and visit the ‘votes for women’ display in the Hermitage Hotel. They were able to make that connection of ‘Oh, she was a Harpeth Hall girl, too.’”

This hands-on experience brought textbooks to life, raised civic awareness, and encouraged community engagement among the students.

“It is important anytime you can make the ‘dusty old history’ real to students,” Ms. O’Brien said.

And the students agree. In feedback to the teachers, one student commented: “I really liked getting to physically go into the different spaces we were learning about. It helped me envision our notes even more.” Another student said, “It was super interesting to see all these places where our day-to-day lives are contemplated and see how and who makes our laws.”

Students with Grace Wright Hulme ’08, archives associate at the Nashville Public Library.

Exploring language and building community in French

InMadame Lainé’s French class, students used their newly acquired language skills to interview a special person. Whether it was a classmate, a cherished family member, or a notable community figure, the only prerequisite was that the interviewee could fluently respond to a dozen simple questions in French. Following the interview, the students created a slideshow enriched with pictures, images, and videos and unveiled their special person. Through these presentations, the class “met” mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, friends, a stepdad, and even a French teacher from a previous school. This project allowed students to try their language skills outside the classroom and create a sense of community as they learned more about each other’s families and friendships.

Supporting students beyond the classroom

Charlotte Ward, Harpeth Hall’s new middle school learning specialist, is passionate about providing students with the support they need to feel confident and successful in the classroom. With a background in teaching middle school before transitioning to working in the field of psychoeducational evaluations, Ms. Ward knows the potential academic roadblocks a student can face. She came to Harpeth Hall at the beginning of the school year excited to work with teachers and students to help overcome these challenges.

First, Ms. Ward wants to ensure parents and students know that the learning specialist is here for all students.

“We really work with everyone. In 5th and 6th grade, we work with students on organization and study strategies. In 7th and 8th grade, we help students understand how they learn,” Ms. Ward said. This semester in 7th grade Life Balance classes, for example, Ms. Ward has

been working with middle school counselor Katie Guthrie to teach aspects of neuroscience, helping students understand what is happening in their brains. While Ms. Guthrie talks to students about the social and emotional side of brain development, Ms. Ward can speak with them about the learning and processing side.

“We are teaching the 7th and 8th graders to be more responsible for their own learning and to understand how they are learning so that as they make the transition to high school, they are really prepared for not only the strategies that are going to work for them, but the why.”

In addition to her time in the classroom, Ms. Ward works individually or in small groups with students who are struggling in one area or another. While the teachers do a fantastic job helping students engage with the material through their dynamic teaching, Ms. Ward can help students learn how to retain the information they are learning and apply it in test settings.

“We want to make sure every student has the resources they need to reach their potential,” Ms. Ward said. “Everybody learns in a different way; our brains process information differently. Having the support of a learning specialist is so great to help the students be aware of that, to understand how they learn, and to play to their strengths. … I want to set the students up for success in high school, to help prepare them to advocate for themselves.”

As a parent to 9th grade student Mary Moulton Ward, Ms. Ward has seen firsthand how Harpeth Hall’s middle school curriculum prepares students to tackle the upper school confidently. As the learning specialist, she loves being a piece of this puzzle.

“Every student is going to come across a time when something is challenging for them academically,” she said. “I love being able to help them move through that and support them through that. It is so rewarding when students come by and share what really helped.”

AP Art History students explore Chicago’s masterpieces

Boasting more than 100 public art installations, 67 museums, and countless historic buildings, Chicago is the perfect place for budding young art historians to witness firsthand the works they study in their textbooks. In November, Mr. Womack’s AP Art History class seized the opportunity to do just that.

Their itinerary included a tour of The Art Institute of Chicago, where they encountered masterpieces by renowned artists, including Georges Seurat, Vincent van Gogh, Edward Hopper, Pablo Picasso, and more.

Students saw the iconic “Cloud Gate,” aka “The Bean,” by Anish Kapoor in Millennium Park and Alexander Calder’s looming bright red “Flamingo” sculpture in Federal Plaza.

They visited Frank Lloyd Wright’s Robie House and marveled at the colossal “Lamassu” at the Institute for the Study of Ancient Cultures on the University of Chicago’s campus.

The annual fall and spring field trips have become a favorite tradition among AP Art History students, who return to campus with renewed excitement, ready to immerse themselves in the study of all things art!

Southern Word Week turns students into poets

This fall, 10th grade students immersed themselves into the world of poetry as part of the annual Southern Word Week at Harpeth Hall. This eagerly awaited week encourages students to tap into their creativity and find the power of their voices.

Poetry, process, and time: a week with Southern Word

By Emy Noel Sanderson ’98, Upper School English

A considerable challenge to the English classroom is that, culturally and socially speaking, we are whittling away our interest in pausing and sitting with a process. Maybe it is to save time, to add more, to pick up the pace, but we equate efficiency with speed and productivity with items ticked off our lists.

This year, while observing Harpeth Hall’s week-long residency with Nashville-based writing and performance organization Southern Word, I was reminded that there is a case for taking our time as one way to stay true to process, even if it means writing, re-writing, revising, starting over, and writing again. Nurturing our students to become efficient writers can also mean they have become deep critical thinkers, patient drafters, and keen editors, confident and respectful in delivering and accepting feedback. Developing and practicing these skills takes time. It is not hurried, but a process, and Southern Word is a welcome and crucial partner in this work each September, nine years and counting.

Southern Word is a local spoken word program that, through the literary and performing arts, offers creative solutions for youth to build literacy and presentation skills, reconnect to their education and lives, and act as leaders in improving their communities. Spoken word poetry is unique because it is written to be performed, much like an anticipated conversation with an audience, connecting personal experience to human experience. Spoken word poems are not just about us, they are about all of us.

This poetry residency asks students to connect with each other and engage with the writing process, brainstorming, sharing, drafting, revising, building, scrapping, experimenting with structure, and trying out literary devices to reach their audience. The Southern Word poet mentors focus on sophomore English classes, and each class meets with the poets for two full blocks — the first for drafting short pieces of writing for a variety of prompts and sharing excerpts with their classmates, and the second for meshing these vignettes into a single, cohesive piece. The poets encourage students to find “fresh” ways to explain shared experiences, so our students are refining the fundamental skills of writing as much as they are asserting their voices. They are stepping away from writing they have created and returning to it with new ideas.

The residency culminates in a poetry slam open to all upper school students and faculty. This year, a record 39 students performed in the session, speaking on topics ranging from honesty to purpose, dreams to to-do lists. Poet Tia Smedley, a 15-year mentor with Southern Word, joyfully roused the crowd of performers and supporters to “rock your D.S.D.” — your “Do Something Different” — and we certainly did. On a busy Friday with homework to complete and grading to tackle, students and teachers instead filled a room to slow down, honor the students’ week of creativity, support brave performers, and simply listen to original poetry. The growth that comes with staying true to process — the reflective, meticulous, deliberate process — was fully displayed. And it was time well spent.

Five members of Harpeth Hall’s Class of 2024 earned distinction as semifinalists in the 69th annual National Merit Scholarship program. Harpeth Hall’s honorees are in the top 1% of high school seniors nationwide. The girls credit the achievement to the high-quality education, guidance, and support they received at Harpeth Hall.

“It's a great honor to be chosen as a National Merit Semifinalist, and I hope this opportunity will open doors for me in the future,” senior Julia Miller said. “My teachers have always created such an encouraging environment, and I've always felt like I could achieve my goals with their help.”

Five Harpeth Hall seniors earn National Merit Semifinalist distinction

In addition to the five National Merit Semifinalists, Harpeth Hall also celebrates eight commended students in the National Merit Scholarship program and two National Recognition recipients.

Each student honored represents the tradition of academic excellence at Harpeth Hall, where students learn to think critically, lead confidently, and live honorably.

National Merit Scholarship Program Semifinalists

• Madeline Bell

• Madison Chung

• Davern Cigarran

• Natalie DiMaria

• Julia Miller

National Merit Scholarship Program Commended Scholars

• Sarah Braam

• Courtney Couden

• Macon Fowler

• Kate Franklin

• Elizabeth John

• Amelia Kremer

National Recognition Recipients

• Lilly Caldwell

National Hispanic Recognition Award

• Corlin Jones

• Brenna Paisley

• Shreya Priyadarshi

National African American Recognition Award

Inspirational Voices:

Annual Leadership Day at Harpeth Hall prepares young women for effective leadership

By Claiborne Fowler ’19

Ina lightning round of word association, Harpeth Hall upper school students shouted out qualities of an effective leader.

Respectful. Inclusive. Dependable. Honorable. Kind.

The words came quickly and easily for the young women who gathered for the annual student Leadership Day retreat. At Harpeth Hall, all students learn to lead confidently and are given opportunities to hone those skills by participating in more than 50 student-led organizations where students hold more than 270 leadership positions.

Leadership Day is a distinguishing opportunity for those elected by their peers as student leaders. Each fall before the school year begins, the young women — including Student Council, Honor Council, Public Purpose Council, class officers, and club officers

— gather to learn the skills of effective and inclusive leadership. Retreat sessions include how to build a team, run an effective meeting, the logistics of project management, and how to ensure different voices are heard.

The young women come together, exchange ideas, and engage in discussions designed to foster teamwork and personal growth so they can enter the year with knowledge and confidence as leaders.

This school year, the retreat featured guest speaker Megan Youngblood ’98 — the first Harpeth Hall graduate to attend the United States Military Academy at West Point.

Ms. Youngblood served in both Germany and Iraq and received the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service during operations in Iraq. For the last two decades, Ms. Youngblood has worked

with organizations to shape strategic planning processes and to creatively design solutions to major challenges. She spent the last 13 years at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, where she has held various strategic, operational, and leadership roles for the organization. She is currently the associate vice president at Vanderbilt Health Services and the vice president for Vanderbilt Integrated Providers. She is also a founding board member of the Nashville chapter of Women in Healthcare.

The Leadership Day workshop led by Ms. Youngblood focused on recognizing the complexity of leadership. It is not just about giving orders or being in charge, she told the student leaders. It is about empathy, effective communication, adaptability, and a genuine desire to make a positive impact.

“It’s more than okay to be vulnerable,” Ms. Youngblood said, referencing the strength that comes with that kind of transparency. “It’s more than okay to show emotion and to share that as a leader and with your peers. It can't be compartmentalized all the time.”

Ms. Youngblood also highlighted the importance of authenticity in leadership. She asked the students as well as the faculty who facilitated Leadership Day — including Director of Community Engagement Jessie Adams Ph.D., Director of Equity and Inclusion Jasmin Hopkins, and Director of the Upper School Frances Fondren-Bales — to share what being authentic means to them.

“Authenticity means showing up as the unapologetic, uninterrupted version of yourself, because there will be iterations, and you should embrace that,” Ms. Hopkins said.

Dr. Adams expanded on this thought, saying, “You have to do the work of being self-aware. You have to know yourself, which means you have to do the work of reflecting, journaling, thinking — What are my areas of growth? What are my areas of strength? How can I complement my areas of growth, and how can other people on my team help me?”

Megan Youngblood (far right) stands with fellow members of the class of 1998 who work at Harpeth Hall, Emy Noel Sanderson, Sinclair Kelly, and Julia Harrison Peters

CHOIR

New year, new opportunities for girls to let their voices ring

Inspired by the vibrant harmonies of Music City, Harpeth Hall students find their voice in choir rooms and the performing arts lab. This year, choir students have had more opportunities to learn, grow, and perform with the addition of new concerts, community collaborations, and visiting guest artists. “Hallways” sat down with choir director Matthew Pyles to discuss this exciting season.

What can you tell us about what students have to look forward to during the 2023-24 season?

This year, the upper school choir has two new performances in its lineup: the combined Masterworks Concert with the orchestra in the fall and the Choral Cabaret in collaboration with the 8th grade choir in the spring. The Choral Cabaret will be an evening showcase of choral, duet, and solo hits from Broadway shows taking place in a more relaxed, non-traditional performance space.

We also have guest artists working with our students this year. We are excited to bring in an a cappella arranger and clinician Evan Powers to work with the 6th through 12th grade choirs. In addition, Mr. Powers will provide instruction to our a cappella ensemble, Rolling Tones, on the art of arranging their own pieces. We’re also commissioning a piece from Mr. Powers and musician and composer Kara Stacy. Ms. Stacy’s commissioned work will incorporate special “Where I Am From” poems written by our 7th grade students as the text.

Finally, the Chamber Choir went to the Schermerhorn to watch the Ndlovu Youth Choir perform in the fall and will attend a similar outing in the spring.

What was the motivation for creating these new opportunities?

Every additional event I plan is to strengthen singer autonomy, competence, community, and sense of purpose — all key drivers of intrinsic motivation. My hope is that all members of our choir program can leave our program with the ability to be independent musicians who value the process of music-making as much as the product. I’m truly excited about the trajectory of the choral program. It feels like we’re entering a renaissance of the arts in our corner of the world.

What do you love about working with Harpeth Hall students?

I love that Harpeth Hall students are willing to be vulnerable and brave in the classroom — they create space for community, and the resulting support they have from their peers is heartwarming.

THEATRE

Shakespeare under the stars

This fall, “a crew of patches, rude mechanicals . . . met together to rehearse a play,” as Harpeth Hall Playmakers performed Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream.” Directed by Lauren Bromfield, the Harpeth Hall Playmakers took the audience outside for an immersive theatrical experience set on the steps of the Ann Scott Carell Library. The outdoor performance of this timeless classic, where Souby Lawn became the backdrop to the whimsical romance and mischievous antics of lovers and fairies, allowed audiences to experience a performance closer to how it would have been seen centuries ago.

“Attending a play performance during Shakespeare’s day felt much different than attending one today,” explained Ms. Bromfield.

“There was no electricity for starters, so no fancy lighting changes, no recorded sound effects, no high-definition video projections. Under the unforgiving gaze of broad daylight, actors and audience shared the same light. That is: actors saw the audience, the audience saw the actors, of course, and the audience saw each other.

To watch the action was to participate in the action.

The audience was integral to the story and to the entire theatre-going experience.”

Students presented the alfresco Shakespeare on Souby performances as a part of Harpeth Hall’s Overholser Memorial Shakespeare Festival, funded by gifts made in memory of beloved English teacher from 1963 to 1979 Dr. Martha Overholser Hammonds.

Then and Now Did you know this is not the first Shakespearean play Harpeth Hall has staged outside?

Check out the yearbook snapshot above from the 1952 production of “As You Like It” performed behind Souby Hall!

Did you know? This year’s mainstage musical, “1776,” was the 25th collaborative musical between Harpeth Hall and MBA. Over the past 25 years, students have showcased their singing, dancing, and acting talents each autumn during this beloved musical tradition. To learn more about Harpeth Hall’s robust production history, visit HarpethHall.org/arts.

DANCE

Meet Julia Eisen

Julia Eisen is the new artistic director of dance. Bringing 13 years of professional dance and choreography expertise from the renowned Nashville Ballet, Ms. Eisen builds a love of dance in middle and upper school students through her classes and leads the Harpeth Hall Dance Company. Her first Harpeth Hall showcase, Fall Into Dance, offered audiences an intimate performance in Morrison Hall with a glimpse at the students’ skill and artistry. With a decade of teaching and choreographing at the Harding Academy School of Dance, Ms. Eisen shapes dance education at all levels in ballet, modern, jazz, and tap. She also brings her experience and a love of musical theatre.

ATHLETICS & THE ARTS

What drew you to join the performing arts program at Harpeth Hall?

I was immediately drawn to the performing arts program because of the complete dedication and opportunity this school gives to the students interested in the performing arts world. With the incredible faculty, facility, and positive atmosphere, my love and passion for dance felt like it would be fostered and received in such a wonderful way. After your first semester at Harpeth Hall, what would you say you like the most about working with dancers at Harpeth Hall?

The dancers bring such joy and dedication to the art form. Every day in the studio, I can see so much growth. Each dancer comes prepared to learn through movement, and watching all the dancers improve makes me so happy and excited to be in the studio.

What are you looking forward to exploring most in the dance department?

I am excited to have the Dance Company present “Alice in Wonderland” in April. Performing is where most dancers truly learn and feel the excitement of all their hard work come to life. I hope to continue the excitement each year by providing performances that showcase their work and also create a great experience for the Harpeth Hall community.

What do you hope students achieve through Harpeth Hall’s dance program?

My dream is to watch dancers throughout the years find their voice through dance and possibly realize they want to continue their education or professional training after Harpeth Hall in college or in a professional dance company. I hope that dancers will find that by coming to Harpeth Hall, they will get the best educational platform and the full experience in the dance world.

STUDENT SPOTLIGHT

Behind the music stand with Madison Chung ’24

Senior Madison Chung captivates audiences with her violin and compositional prowess. For six years, she has contributed her beautiful and skilled sound to the Harpeth Hall orchestra. Madison’s musical accomplishments resonate across the country. She placed first in the 2023 American Protege International Piano and Strings Competition, for which she performed at Carnegie Hall in New York City. Madison also served as lead concertmaster at the prestigious Brevard Music Center in North Carolina. A 2023 grand prize recipient of the Nashville Area Music Teacher Association’s Young Artist Achievement Award, Madison debuted an original piece, “Dance No. 1 in G Minor,” at Harpeth Hall last spring and directed the upper school Chamber Orchestra in its performance of her composition. Currently, Madison is concertmaster for the Nashville Symphony and Vanderbilt Blair School of Music’s Curb Youth Symphony. Beyond music, Madison leads as vice president of the Harpeth Hall Business and Investment Club.

What do you like most about being a part of Harpeth Hall’s orchestra?

I am so grateful to be a part of the orchestra. It is a place where we can collaborate, foster meaningful connections, and hone skills different from those used in a standard academic setting. Through the experience of playing music together, I feel deeply connected with each and every member of the orchestra.

What are the most challenging and rewarding aspects of playing in an orchestra?

The most challenging aspect of playing in an orchestra is harmonizing everyone, in all senses of the word: finding the perfect mixture of collaboration and creativity. Though we are working as a whole, it is important to let self-expression shine through. As challenging as it is, the music that comes from our efforts is what is ultimately most rewarding about playing in the orchestra.

Do you plan to continue playing or to pursue music after graduation?

I am open to wherever my path takes me after graduation, but I know I will certainly continue to play the violin for the rest of my life.

Legacy of Teamwork

Trio of Harpeth Hall lacrosse players join two talented rowers and a swimmer as DI commits on National Signing Day

Liza Brown grew up with a lacrosse stick in her hand. She attended tournaments, camps, and showcases to grow her game. She channeled her positive attitude and competitive nature as she boxed out opposing players and put the ball in the net with a practiced ease.

And every time Liza stepped on the field, she thought of her mom — a woman who played lacrosse in college and went on to coach at Harpeth Hall alongside program founder Legare Vest. Liza’s mom was her inspiration for pursuing a future in lacrosse.

This November, after years of hard work, Liza realized that dream as she signed a National Letter of Intent to play lacrosse at Columbia University next year. Liza was one of six Harpeth Hall athletes who committed to continuing their careers at the collegiate level on 2023 National Signing Day.

Joining her in a special celebration in honor of their accomplishments were lacrosse teammates Taylor McCall (William & Mary) and Charlotte Myers (Dartmouth), rowers Kate Morad (Loyola Marymount University) and Gigi Williams (University of Wisconsin Madison), and swimmer Maggie Petty (University of California Berkeley).

“To have the opportunity to play college lacrosse like my mom is super special,” Liza said. “It will be a really unique experience, and knowing my mom went through the same thing is really reassuring.”

With Liza, Charlotte, and Taylor all continuing their careers, it marked the first time in lacrosse program history that three Harpeth Hall players in the same class have signed commitments to play at the Division I college level. Before they graduate, the Harpeth Hall seniors, who have led the Bears to back-to-back state championships, have one more goal.

“All three of these players have put in countless hours of work into their studies in the classroom, but also so much extra training into lacrosse to be the best athletes they could be on the field,” Harpeth Hall varsity lacrosse coach Megan Clark said. “They have helped take our program to another level and will leave big shoes to fill in 2025 — but they still have some work to do this spring.”

Liza Brown • Columbia University • Lacrosse

“When playing other teams, I always pay attention to each team’s relationships with each other. We surprisingly play a lot of teams where players are competing amongst each other rather than together. That has never been the case of any Harpeth Hall sports team I’ve been a part of. …Our team always plays together, not against one another. …I will take with me the value of loving your teammates and those around you. Overall, Harpeth Hall lacrosse has taught me that close teams who work together, have fun together, and put in the work together are successful.”

— Liza Brown ’24

Taylor McCall • William & Mary • Lacrosse

“As a three-sport athlete, Taylor brings great field awareness to the lacrosse field. She catches every defender by surprise. She is so smooth at ducking and dodging through multiple defenders to get a point-blank shot on the goal. Taylor is not afraid to sacrifice her body to make a play for her team. She is a workhorse up and down the field, which is why she has proven to be one of the top midfielders in the state.”

— Megan Clark, Harpeth Hall varsity lacrosse coach

Kate Morad • Loyola Marymount University • Rowing

“Since Harpeth Hall brought rowing back to the school two years ago, the coaches have continually made the team better and

better. The rowing coaches here care so much about everyone on the team, and it shows so much through the respect, help, and encouragement we receive. The support from the team and coaches made me want to continue this sport, and I am so grateful for all of them.”

— Kate Morad ’24

Charlotte Myers • Dartmouth College • Lacrosse

“I love being an athlete at Harpeth Hall because it has taught me how to be comfortable in the uncomfortable. At Harpeth Hall, coaches want us to be challenged because they know that is how we grow. …Harpeth Hall athletics has prepared me to be a collegiate athlete by giving me all the tools and resources needed for me to succeed. Whether it be the amazing athletic facilities or the talented coaches, playing sports at Harpeth Hall has allowed me to grow both as a person and as an athlete.”

— Charlotte Myers ’24

Maggie Petty • University of California Berkeley • Swimming

“As the number one recruit from Tennessee, Maggie was an attractive prospect, gaining interest from a number of top-ranked schools across the country. The Cal swimming Bears are getting Tennessee’s best in Maggie Petty. They are also getting a high-energy, determined, and fiercely competitive young recruit. We are thrilled to celebrate Maggie.”

— Polly Linden, Harpeth Hall varsity swimming and diving coach

Gigi Williams • University of Wisconsin Madison • Rowing

“Every now and then, you get an athlete who has all the attributes to succeed, and your job as a coach is simply to support their love for the sport. Gigi is that athlete. She has left an indelible mark on this program. She has shown all the girls what’s possible strength-wise and skill-wise. No matter what you ask of her, her response is always, ‘Oh yeah, I’m in.’”

—

Rich

Kesor, Harpeth Hall varsity rowing coach

HONEYBEAR NATION HIGHLIGHTS

Soccer and cross country teams earn 2023 state runner-up titles

The Harpeth Hall soccer and cross country teams know well the commitment and effort it takes to shine in state competitions. In the last three years, the two teams have combined for three state titles — back-to-back wins in cross country and a soccer championship.

This fall, the teams continued their success, collecting a pair of 2023 state runner-up trophies and showing once again that Harpeth Hall is among the very best in Tennessee.

“Reflecting on a memorable season, our team showcased resilience, thrilling goals, an unyielding defense, and the indomitable spirit that defines us,” Harpeth Hall varsity soccer coach Meggie Lucas said.

The volleyball team continued its success over the last few years by competing in the state quarterfinals, and the Harpeth Hall golf team qualified for and competed in state competition for the first time in five years. Congrats to all of our athletes!

The future is bright

Fall Athletic Honors

Cross Country

DII-AA All-State Team: Lily Bowen

Soccer

DII-AA All Middle Region Team: Quinn Erim and Helen Ghertner

DII-AA All-State Team: Quinn Erim and Helen Ghertner

Volleyball

DII-AA All Middle Region Team: Emaline Cash

Harpeth Hall middle school athletes excelled in the fall. The 7th and 8th grade cross country team won the HVAC Championship, and the 5th and 6th grade running squad won the HVAC Jr. In addition, the 7th and 8th grade soccer team finished as runners-up in the end-of-season tournament.

From Courtroom to Confidence: Harpeth Hall’s Mock Trial team

The club not only hones legal skills but transforms students into articulate advocates with voices of their own

From her seat on the witness stand, Harpeth Hall junior Lucy Mitchell faces down the defense attorney. She is asked to explain why there was a delay in her coroner’s report that identified the manner of death of the victim. Perhaps, the attorney postured, her friendship with the lead detective led to the delay.

“Objection,” the prosecution exclaimed. “Speculation.” Then, the trial comes to a stop. From his position at the head of the room, Judge Jim Todd explains to the counsel and the witness why this manner of interrogation is speculation. He encourages the defense to try a new tactic.

These educational interruptions are par for the course in the practice sessions for Harpeth Hall’s Mock Trial team.

Mock Trial involves a fictional legal dispute, with one team representing the prosecution and the other team representing the defense. Each team presents its case by examining witnesses (who are played by students), presenting evidence, and making legal arguments. At the end of November, the Harpeth Hall Mock Trial team received the case for the 2023-24 school year. The students have until February to prepare for every possibility in the case as they ready for the state competition.

For the last four years, Jim Todd, a judge in Metropolitan General Sessions Court of Nashville and Davidson County, and a parent of senior Anne Louis Todd, has led the coaching team. He is joined by seven local lawyers who work closely with students twice a week as they prepare for future competitions and future careers.

Judge Todd and his team want to teach students to think, speak, and react quickly on their feet and gain confidence in public speaking for one clear reason: women are taking their place center stage in law and politics, and Judge Todd wants to see those roles filled with Harpeth Hall students.

trains future women leaders in law

By Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09

“The majority of the Metro Council are women; every at-large council member is a woman,” Judge Todd explained. “In 2021, 55% of law school applications were women. There were 46 female federal judges in 1980, now there are 424. In Nashville, five of the six criminal court judges are women, three of the four chancellors are women, seven of the 12 general sessions judges are women, and three of the four chancellors are women.”

That’s not all. Nationally, almost 200 Harpeth Hall alumnae work in the legal industry.

“To this day, I feel incredibly lucky and privileged to have gotten to attend Harpeth Hall,” said Elizabeth Boston Malloy ’13, a litigator at Holland & Knight law firm. “When I was asked to assist with the Mock Trial team, it was a small way that I could try to give back to a place that gave me so much during the six years I attended school there.”

Ms. Malloy is one of the seven lawyers who work closely with Harpeth Hall’s Mock Trial team. She helps the students who play “witnesses” sharpen their characters and avoid falling into traps set by opponents during the competition. She also coaches the student “attorneys” on the preparation, professionalism, and improvisation required of them during the competition.

“Mock Trial is a serious commitment, requiring time management skills, attention to detail, and a lot of patience. . . . We’re there to guide them through the process, but the responsibility is theirs. They do a stellar job,” Ms. Malloy said. “The students are creative, considerate, and dynamic people with really bright futures.”

For David Johnson, a partner at Butler Snow law firm, working with the Harpeth Hall Mock Trial team hits closer to home. His daughter, senior Isabel Johnson, is a team captain this year. For the last two years, he has watched Isabel grow and thrive through her participation in this rigorous program.

“Isabel has gone from having curiosity in a career of law to having a defined plan to go to law school and to pursue such a career path,” Mr. Johnson said of his daughter. “The program has helped her personal development in so many ways, including crafting and presenting persuasive arguments, thinking critically, being able to react quickly and ‘on her feet,’ and public speaking.”

Likewise, Isabel, who was awarded third place for best plaintiff by the Tennessee Bar Association in the 2023 state competition, has relished having her father as a coach.

“The rest of my family might disagree because they are entirely uninterested in law, so they hate it when we talk about the case at home; however, my dad and I have really bonded over it,” Isabel remarked. “It is also nice because I know he will be honest with me, so I actually know when my material is at its best. It can be really funny sometimes because we think very similarly, so we often have the same ideas.”

In addition to learning the ropes of the legal system, Isabel said Mock Trial taught her to use her voice confidently.

“Mock Trial has turned me into quite the advocate, in and out of the courtroom,” Isabel explained. “For example, through writing and speaking my closing arguments, I get to practice the art of writing persuasively, even pulling in skills from my AP Language class (thanks, Mr. Guthrie) to appeal to the emotion and logic of

HALL HALLWAYS

the jury. I am so thankful that I will be leaving home next year with the ability to persuasively advocate for myself.”

As the club’s faculty sponsor, Harpeth Hall world languages teacher Kim Jackson could not be prouder of the growth she sees in her students. Every practice, they come into the classrooms-turned-makeshift-courtrooms ready to learn while being challenged and pushed to excel by real-life experts. She hopes other students, like Isabel, are inspired to pursue legal fields thanks to their rich and rewarding experience on the team.

Ms. Jackson sees so much potential in Harpeth Hall’s growing team. She sees it in the newest team members, including sophomore Anna Brooks Ozburn, who is excitedly jumping into researching and practicing all the basics to hopefully play the part of an attorney in a future competition. And she sees it in the seniors, including Isabel, who are about to take what they have learned out into the real world.

“In life, it is always fruitful to second-guess ourselves and to challenge paradigms,” Mr. Johnson said. “As part of the Mock Trial program, students have found that others — and, importantly, a jury — may not see things the same way as the student. By working collaboratively, Mock Trial students are able to engage in critical analysis about how arguments can be presented persuasively.”

Nurturing Future Leaders: Civic Education at Harpeth Hall

By Meggie Lucas, director of the middle school Center for Civic Engagement and middle school social studies department chair

Inthe dynamic world of education, schools often serve as microcosms of society. Each day, students and faculty arrive on campus carrying with them, like a backpack or briefcase, the individual life experiences that shape their thoughts and values. During classroom experiences, lunchtime interactions, and after-school activities, they then put into practice the skills they learn at Harpeth Hall — the ability to think independently while also communicating effectively and empathetically with people who see and experience the world in a different way.

That does not happen by magic. Civic education and the practice of civil dialogue are seen as imperative components of a well-rounded education at Harpeth Hall. Teaching these elements goes beyond conventional curricula, providing students with the knowledge and skills necessary to understand and participate actively in civic life now and in their adult lives.

The intentionality behind that education was cemented in 2019 when Harpeth Hall created the Center for Civic Engagement to support middle and upper school students in the quest to be future-ready. Civic education instills a sense of civic responsibility, teaching students about the principles and values that underpin democracy, the rule of law, and the importance of civic engagement. Moreover, it equips students with critical thinking abilities, enabling them to analyze societal issues and make informed decisions. The practice of civil dialogue complements civic education by teaching students how to engage in respectful and constructive conversations, even when faced with differing opinions. In an increasingly polarized world, the ability to communicate in this way is crucial for social cohesion. By incorporating civic education and civil dialogue into the curriculum, Harpeth Hall also creates environments that nurture open-mindedness, tolerance, and a commitment to democratic principles.

The groundwork for civic education is paved in 7th and 8th grade social studies classes, where students practice civil dialogue and gain an understanding of the American system of government. The journey begins with a deep dive into the establishment of the U.S. government. Students bring lessons to life as they assume the roles of Founding Fathers during the Constitutional Convention and engage in lively debates. Through the students’ research and then portrayal

of figures such as Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and Benjamin Franklin, the girls explore how diverse opinions were pivotal to the nation's foundation. Interactive learning about our system of government continues in a mock court case where the girls participate in a trial related to a pretend bicycle theft on the Harpeth Hall campus. The girls finish the year with an in-depth examination of one of the amendments in the Bill of Rights, and after studying interpretations and significant historical cases, they each write a children’s book on their assigned amendment.

In 8th grade, students explore 20th-century American history. The girls first study immigration patterns and policies of the past, and then take part in a unit on contemporary U.S. immigration policies, which provide students with a nuanced understanding of the complexities involved. Students similarly discuss civic rights concerns and challenges, as well as the U.S. role in global security. The exploration of 20th-century government systems extends to themes of world conflict within the study of World War II and the Cold War. Students consider how leaders and nations gain power and influence and examine the impact of historical events on global power dynamics.

Harpeth Hall’s commitment to civic education doesn't stop at the past. Often, classes kick off with a review of current events, equipping students with an objective overview to better understand global occurrences and engage in discussions beyond the classroom. For girls seeking deeper insights, optional lunch-and-learns, facilitated by the Civic Engagement Student Board (CESB) and faculty from the Center for Civic Engagement, delve into other issues. From the Israel-Hamas conflict to the situation in Ukraine, these monthly discussions provide dedicated time and space for in-depth discussions. The educational framework encourages students to question, analyze, and cultivate critical thinking abilities that not only help them navigate the complexities of a democratic society but also take part in solutions for their future.

Breaking barriers in financial literacy for women and girls

By Jessica Bliss

Along the road to financial wellness, women encounter many opportunities and distractions. Knowing the difference between the two is key to a successful journey.

This year, the Harpeth Hall Office of Alumnae Relations launched its Leading Confidently Series, designed to promote networking and provide education for women around topics that are top of mind. The first session focused on women and finance.

Harpeth Hall alumnae Ryan McLaughlin Wood ’05, Mimi Wallace ’75, and Ellen Green Hoffman ’04, and Harpeth Hall parent Katie Williams — all highly regarded professionals from UBS Financial Services — shared expert financial advice to help women navigate their path to greater confidence in financial decision making and in building a firm foundation.

No matter what generation a woman is a part of, financial literacy is key to achieving future financial wellness. Historically, women have faced barriers to accessing financial independence. As a result, the gender pay gap is not the only type of financial inequality women face; there is an equal disparity between women’s and men's financial literacy.

Closing this gap is essential for promoting economic equality. The first step? Equipping girls and young women with financial knowledge and creating an open dialogue around money. Harpeth Hall helps support students in their financial education through club experiences, Winterim classes, and guest speakers.

“It is important to instill financial literacy in the girls to demystify the topics. I want each girl to feel equipped to make sound financial decisions and create a strong financial foundation upon which to build,” said Martha Elrod, who teaches a Winterim finance course called “$ents and Sensibility.”

In an era of increasing financial complexity and digitalization, the ability to navigate financial systems is a valuable skill. Women and girls with a strong foundation in financial education are better prepared to manage their finances in the digital age, avoiding pitfalls such as scams and fraud. That education can begin in

“Making Bank,” a Winterim course that looks at the history of money and global financial systems. The class answers everything from: “How did banks and the bond market enable the splendors of the Italian Renaissance?” to “What are the benefits and risks of cryptocurrency innovations like Bitcoin?”

Equipped with the history of money, girls also learn how to handle their own. In her “$ents and Sensibility” class, Ms. Elrod teaches the girls the basics of personal finance, such as building a budget and living within it, renting an apartment, buying a car and a house, filling out tax withholding forms, and more. “Imagine yourself after four years of college: you have just landed your dream job. Will this ‘dream job’ pay millions or minimum wage? Either way, you need to know how to invest your money and still live the good life,” the course description reads.

Investment savvy is also what Tad Wert hopes to instill in the girls who participate in Harpeth Hall’s Finance and Investment Club, which meets every few weeks throughout the year. Thanks to a generous donation from a parent, the club received $10,000 of seed money for the girls to build a real portfolio of stocks. The club members research stocks from different sectors and make recommendations on whether to buy, sell, or hold. “The benchmark is the S&P 500, and the club’s portfolio has outperformed it, which is nice,” advisor Mr. Wert said.

In the professional realm, a solid foundation in finance is critical for women pursuing careers in business, economics, or related fields. Harpeth Hall alumna

Adelaide Morphett ’13 works in sustainable finance and has traveled across the globe to help negotiate green finance deals for the United Nations and its Principles for Responsible Investment. It wasn’t so long ago that she was a Harpeth Hall student, scanning through notecards as she anxiously awaited a post-assembly BC Calculus quiz. In fact, she said, with a nod to math teacher Polly Linden, it was in that class that she learned a lesson that has defined her career.

“I bombed the first BC Calculus quiz,” she admitted with a laugh when she spoke to Winterim students in 2022.

“And I learned that some of the problems set before you will seem insurmountable.” However, Ms. Morphett told students, this is exactly what her career has been all about: surmounting the insurmountable.

And, when it comes to financial literacy — Harpeth Hall makes the summit attainable for everyone.

Htomorrow’s Inspiring

From TI calculators to AI exploration, Harpeth Hall’s STEM evolution continues, charting the future of education and preparing girls for groundbreaking discoveries and careers

arpeth Hall math teacher Tad Wert still recalls seeing the first TI-81 graphing calculator in 1990. With its blue plastic case and 41 rectangular plastic keys, the handheld electronic device could complete a large number of arithmetic, trigonometric, statistical, and algebraic functions.

“I immediately knew this technological tool would revolutionize how math was taught,” said Mr. Wert, who began his teaching tenure in 1987. He also knew that Harpeth Hall, with its focus on leading-edge education for girls, would encourage pursuit of this new technology. In the weeks that followed, Mr. Wert and his colleagues attended workshops to learn how to use the calculator. Not long after, Harpeth Hall became one of the first schools in Tennessee to require all students to have the graphing device, laying the foundation for ongoing advancement in STEM.

From the introduction of the graphing calculator to pioneering a one-toone laptop program to the current exploration of large language models, Harpeth Hall's commitment to innovation in teaching and learning has expanded possibilities for students and alumnae decade after decade. The tradition harkens back almost a century ago when Ward-Belmont alumna Dr. Mildred Stahlman ’40 transformed the field of medicine and earned international recognition for her life-saving neonatal work with high-risk newborns at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Following in her footsteps have been Harpeth Hall alumnae from every generation:

• Bennett Manning Brady ’61, a mathematician and physicist who led teams that set the safety standard guidelines for nuclear power plants nationally and internationally

• Lisa Morrissey LaVange ’71, a Ph.D. in biostatistics who has played an important role in studying interventions for diseases including HIV/AIDS and COVID-19

• Gina Klein Jorasch ’81, a leader in the social entrepreneurship world who founded or served as an executive of global, high-tech innovation companies such as Hewlett Packard, Silicon Graphics, and Verisign

• Dr. Rachel Glick Robison ’97, an immunologist who focuses on therapies for peanut-allergic children and leads the new pediatric Oral Immunotherapy Clinic at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt

By Jessica Bliss

• Kathleen Goetz ’05, a nuclear physicist working for Oak Ridge National Laboratory who recently received a patent for her development of a fast-spectrum, self-powered neutron detector for the Versatile Test Reactor project

• Sabin Nettles ’09, a postdoctoral researcher at Stanford University studying the gene regulatory mechanisms underlying cancer cell proliferation and investigating the use of a new class of chemotherapeutics to kill cancer cells

Harpeth Hall physics teacher and alumna Hannah Bond ’82 has experienced the evolution of STEM at Harpeth Hall. She remembers when students took biology and chemistry on campus but traveled to MBA for physics. Even then, the drive for scientific and mathematic exploration was an unstoppable force. Ms. Bond fondly recalls her experience with AP Biology at Harpeth Hall, where experiments with fruit flies illuminated genetic principles. Inspired by the opportunities to be a woman trailblazer in the STEM fields, Ms. Bond pursued biology at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), which also sparked her interest in engineering. She worked for 19 years as a spacecraft systems engineer at Lockheed Martin and GE Aircraft Engines, and today, she teaches physics at Harpeth Hall.

Myriad advanced courses, including AP Computer Science, AP Statistics, and AP Calculus, push girls to think critically. Students pursue special interests with classes in anatomy, web design and visual coding, physiology, and environment science. Premier programs and clubs such as the Honors STEM Research program at Vanderbilt University, I’m a Girl in Engineering (IMAGINE), a newly created math club, and STEM Summer Institute offer unmatched opportunities for girls.

As Harpeth Hall leads in innovation to best prepare girls for the future they will enter, Mr. Wert continues to explore the newest technology in his classroom. “The final lesson in my Intro to Computer Science course is an introduction to ChatGPT,” he said. “I don't think humans will be doing much actual coding in the very near future. Instead, we need to train our students to write useful prompts for AI tools, which will then write the code. The most valuable employees in an organization will be those who are able to utilize AI tools efficiently.”

With innovation moving at the speed of light, leading-edge education will remain at the forefront as Harpeth Hall aspires to build a new, state-of-the-art STEM building. By setting the pace in STEM, Harpeth Hall

innovators

recycled materials such as plastic jugs and aluminum cans to design models that would both sink and float.

Ms. Lee, now a software engineer at Lockheed Martin Space, emphasized the significance of experimentation. “It’s something I wish I did even more of when I was in school — just mess around and try to make apps and other things, even if they never saw the light of day,” she said. “That hands-on learning, and trying it yourself, is so important.”

Furthering Harpeth Hall’s commitment to interactive learning, IMAGINE is an engineering club that fosters the exploration of coding, architecture, and mathematics. The club promotes academic growth and nurtures invests in students’ successes and contributes to the advancement of society through the transformative power of women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Diversity in the STEM workforce leads to a broader range of perspectives, ideas, and problem-solving approaches, fostering a culture of creativity and excellence.

“Using their inquisitive and innovative spirits,” Head of School Jess Hill said, “our girls will undoubtedly lead the way to more groundbreaking discoveries and advancements in science, technology, engineering, and math.”

And, in turn, Harpeth Hall girls will chart the future for us all.

IMAGINE Club

Harpeth Hall alumnae pave the way for aspiring engineers as young women IMAGINE their futures

A contractor, a project engineer, a civil analyst, and a security software engineer sit in the Bullard Bright IDEA Lab and talk STEM. In addition to being ambitious and talented, these young professionals have two things in common: They are Harpeth Hall alumnae, and they are all women boldly forging careers in engineering.

Returning to their alma mater in November, Julia Allen ’15, Adele Grohovsky ’18, Mary Johnson ’18, and Lauren Lee ’18 engaged with current students keen on exploring engineering careers. They talked about hydraulics, structural design, and software integration and offered insights into an industry where, as recently as four years ago, women constituted only 15% of the global engineering workforce. The panelists advocated for pursuing real-world opportunities through programs like Winterim and the STEM Vanderbilt Research initiative, emphasizing the fusion of creativity and critical thinking instilled at Harpeth Hall.

“There is so much knowledge in the spaces around you,” said Ms. Grohovsky, a project engineer at global construction company Skanska. “But you will never know it’s there until you start asking questions and experiencing it.”

The alumnae panel, hosted by Harpeth Hall Center for STEM Education for Girls and IMAGINE (I’m a Girl in Engineering), provided a platform for students to start asking those questions.

Reflecting on their own educational journey, the alumnae fondly recalled the Harpeth Hall teachers and classes that brought engineering concepts to life. The regatta where they captained hand-constructed cardboard boats. The sludge project where they analyzed the properties of sawdust, flour, and other concoctions. The submarine project where they used

leadership skills, empowering young women to confront future challenges with confidence. Last summer, eight IMAGINE students achieved recognition at the National TSA conference, earning top positions in Tennessee and qualifying for the Best-in-Nation event. Ms. Grohovsky underscored that Harpeth Hall's emphasis on cultivating big ideas does not go unnoticed. She recounted her college experience when she took her first engineering seminar class at the University of South Carolina alongside 150 male classmates. In the “sea of men,” Ms. Grohovsky’s professor saw her HH sweatshirt and called out to her. “I know Harpeth Hall has a good STEM education,” he said. “Oh,” she responded, “are you from Tennessee?” “No,” the professor said, “I’m from New Hampshire.” Having her Harpeth Hall affiliation draw recognition from a professor beyond the boundaries of her home state reinforced the value of her education. Her classmates and colleagues agreed.

“Harpeth Hall definitely prepares you for the outside world,” said Ms. Johnson, a civil analyst at the national design firm Kimley-Horn. “You have gained this confidence here, and as long as you hold onto that and remember, ‘I’ve seen this equation before, I know how to talk to people, I’m not afraid to ask questions,’ then you will always know ‘I’ve got this.’”

Math Club

Harpeth Hall’s new upper school math club encourages collaboration as students think creatively about complicated problems

Harpeth Hall junior Lily Bowen has always been captivated by the challenges presented in math contests. When she came to Harpeth Hall in the 9th grade, she discovered a community of like-minded students who shared her enthusiasm for numerical problem-solving.

Motivated by that passion, Lily started a new math club at Harpeth Hall this academic year, creating an environment where ideas flow freely and computational problem-solving becomes a collaborative endeavor.

The club’s meetings are dedicated to solving and discussing complicated problems, with a particular emphasis on preparation for upcoming competitions. These math competitions extend beyond regular classroom content, challenging students to develop a comprehensive and versatile skill set.

One competition that holds special significance for the math club members is the American Mathematics Competition (AMC). Lily, the club president, highlighted the unique nature of the AMC,

setting it apart from traditional math tests. “The AMC . . . tests your ability to recognize and use what you've been taught in an unexpected way. The questions require just as much creativity as mathematical ability, if not more.”

The questions also “get pretty tricky,” Lily said. Given the intricate and challenging nature of the AMC questions, Lily emphasized the value of collaboration within the math club. It is helpful for club members to bounce ideas off each other and see various solutions to a problem. Rather than learning new material, the girls concentrate on identifying familiar concepts or formulas in what might look like an unwieldy question. As the club's sponsor, AP Calculus teacher Polly Linden supports the girls in expanding their mathematical approach.

observes and notes key actions such as rearing, climbing, digging, and grooming. The patterns in these behaviors can unveil insights into conditions like autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in humans.

“I think what I love most about the club is getting to see all the different approaches to the questions — it stretches my thinking a lot,” Lily said. The effectiveness of the math club's teamwork and enthusiasm is evident in the competition results. In the current school year, eight students participated in the AMC — Lily Bowen, Reagan Nisbet, Hanna Jung, Cora Meyer, Charlotte Mikos, Zoe Eveland, Allyson Mao, and Piper Thompson.

Students who take the AMC and score in the top 5% qualify for the AIME (American Invitational Mathematics Examination) — a three-hour, 15-problem exam taken by the top high school mathematicians in the country. Lily was among those students who qualified for the AIME and successfully took the exam in February.

Lily reflected on the significance of an all-girls high school having a math club dedicated to preparing for the AMC with an AIME qualifier. “Only about 30% of AMC and AIME test-takers are girls,” she said, “and I am grateful to Harpeth Hall and the math department for supporting our club in being a part of that.”

Beyond the immediate success in competitions, the skills developed through contest participation have broader applications in academic and professional settings, preparing students for future endeavors. The contests also connect students with a global community of mathematicians, broadening their perspectives and introducing the girls to peers who share their enthusiasm for creative problem-solving.

“I love using what I've learned in new ways,” Lily said, “and helping others do the same.”

Vanderbilt Honors

STEM Research

The Honors STEM Research program at Vanderbilt allows Harpeth Hall students the chance to decode the future through the language of science

In the realm of scientific exploration, junior Ashley Maliakal is unraveling the intricacies of the human brain, starting with an unlikely companion — mice. Each week, in the research labs at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Ashley meticulously codes videos to gather data on mice behavior. She

Ashley's journey into the frontier of neuroscience is facilitated by Harpeth Hall’s Honors STEM Research program, an initiative that introduces students to cutting-edge research alongside leading scientists and professors at Vanderbilt University. Stacy Klein-Gardner, now an adjunct biomedical engineering professor, initiated this partnership in 2013-2014. Since then, students participating in the program have excelled at competitions like the Middle Tennessee Science and Engineering Fair, elevating the program's appeal.

Today, the Honors STEM Research program is a highly sought-after opportunity where students immerse themselves in real-world problems, conduct experiments, and expand the boundaries of their understanding — a hallmark of a Harpeth Hall education.

“The opportunity to participate in research in neurodevelopmental disorders in the Fiona Harrison Lab at Vanderbilt has been life-changing,” Ashley said. “The professional lab environment, mentorship, and wet lab techniques have thoroughly prepared me for a future in research.”

While Ashley deciphers the behavioral nuances of mice, her peers are equally immersed in diverse projects. From studying ion filtration systems for wastewater purification to researching software detecting DNA mutations, students are contributing to scientific advancements. This year, Ashley, classmate Anna Bowman Fletcher, and senior Julia Miller are actively working at Vanderbilt labs. Four other students, juniors Lily Bowen, Lily Anne Thompson, Lily Wang, and senior Madeline Bell, are completing computer programming projects.

STEM education at Harpeth Hall ensures that students learn to understand current scientific challenges and chart the course for groundbreaking discoveries that will shape the future. The most important element is ensuring the students understand the science behind their projects.

“This program has taught me what to do when you feel completely lost,” said Julia, who spends her days in the lab making molecule membranes to test water filtration and reading scientific papers to understand the concepts behind her studies further. “Going into my lab, I had no idea what was going on for a while, but I learned to ask questions and gather as much knowledge as possible. Now, I feel much more comfortable with the material despite not having the years of education on the subject like my mentor.”

The program has also informed the college searches of Julia and her classmates by giving them real-world experience in university research programs. The chance to participate in the Honors

PAST:

In 1985, the Harpeth Hall STEM curriculum included 19 classes. In the early decades, if our girls wanted to take physics, they had to travel down the road to the all-boys Montgomery Bell Academy.

PRESENT:

In 2023, the STEM curriculum has grown to 33 classes. There are 11 dedicated STEM classrooms in the current Massey Center for Mathematics and Science.

FUTURE: Harpeth Hall envisions a new Center for STEM Studies as an incubator for ground-breaking scientists and mathematicians.

STEM Research program is one of the reasons Lily Bowen decided to come to Harpeth Hall in 9th grade. This year, the junior is using her own codes and pre-existing analytic tools to see which software performs best in specific regions of the genome.

“Learning how to handle a big and largely independent project successfully through the Honors STEM Research program will certainly pay dividends for me in the future,” Lily said. “I've also become much more resourceful through this project and have experienced what it's like to be a part of a university computational lab. Overall, I think having done this project will give me confidence as I tackle future academic and scientific endeavors.”

STEM Summer Institute

Middle and high school girls collaborate through STEM Summer Institute to create innovative farming tools and tackle real-world challenges in Middle Tennessee

By MC Claverie ’20

On the first day of summer camp, Naiya Patel ’30 built a watering can. By the end of camp, she and a group of new friends from across Middle Tennessee constructed much more as they worked together to engineer solutions for small-scale farmers. That is what Harpeth Hall’s STEM Summer Institute (SSI) is all about.

Established at Harpeth Hall in 2012, the two-week camp brings together middle and high school girls from throughout the region to address real-world challenges by creating, building, and testing their prototypes. Each summer, girls focus on a different topic to solve. In past years, projects have included creating hand-washing stations for communities in need, designing birthing beds for women at the Lwala Community in Lwala, Kenya, and studying flooding in Middle Tennessee.

Since the program’s founding, over 330 girls from more than 50 different schools have participated, serving its mission of developing girls and young women into the STEM leaders of tomorrow. This past summer, those future STEM leaders focused on designing products to aid small-scale farmers. Bekah Hassell, Harpeth Hall science teacher and middle school science department chair, said the topic

was inspired by more significant problems in the global food system. SSI leaders tasked campers with engineering solutions to address inefficiencies in day-to-day farm operations. The girls’ goal was to utilize technology to reduce the time a particular crop takes to produce and facilitate crop production.

SSI is divided into two groups based on age — middle and high school. In the middle school science classrooms, the younger group worked to invent new farming tool prototypes, displaying creativity and innovation in their designs. With unique names such as the “crop-chop-and-go,” the “stabber seeder,” and the “weed destroyer,” each design was crafted to address challenges small-scale farmers face. Naiya said that her favorite parts of SSI were exploring engineering by solving real-world problems and working with other campers toward a common goal. “I’ve learned to listen to people, good people skills, and building skills,” she said.

Across Souby Lawn in the Bullard Bright IDEA Lab, the high school group similarly designed farming gadgets. Camp field trips to The Nashville Food Project’s community garden and West Glow Farm inspired many of the girls as they saw first-hand the common challenges faced on the farms.

“Compared to larger farming companies and corporations, small-scale farms tend to be more regenerative by working with nature and using less fossil fuels because they do not usually have tractors or large harvesting machines,” Mrs. Hassell said. “Food from small-scale farms is usually sold directly to consumers through community-supported agriculture and farmer’s markets, which reduces the distance food must be transported before it gets to someone’s table.”

Some prototype devices the high school girls designed were modified versions of equipment already used by small-scale farms. One group created an improved version of a green bubbler — a machine used to wash greens — by adding a basket and drainage valve. Inspired by vegetable misters at the grocery store, another group built a portable mister attached to a hose that could be used to keep greens and vegetables fresh at farmer’s markets.

By the end of camp, the girls had a greater understanding of what it takes to thoroughly understand an issue and how to address it using their design thinking skills. One can only imagine what they will build next.

Wellness Wisdom:

Meet the psychologists, authors, doctors, and alumnae professionals who, through engaging talks, equip Harpeth Hall girls with knowledge, skills, and tools for a healthier and more empowered future.

By Jessica Bliss and Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09

Aneducated girl is more likely to grow up healthy, safe, and prepared to determine the course of her life and future. Harpeth Hall always supports students in their academic pursuits and professional pathways — and the school mission stretches beyond that.

School educators know it is essential for girls to be exposed to the knowledge and skills that help them develop confidence, self-worth, and a strong sense of identity. An enriching, well-rounded curriculum, often referred to as the “whole girl” education, helps the girls understand themselves and better prepares them for the world they will enter.

With that goal in mind, every school year, Harpeth Hall brings speakers to campus who are experts in their professional fields. They have covered topics from self-defense and managing anxiety to self-compassion and the effects of high-risk behavior.

“Creating a balance in your life supports healthy choices in all areas,” Harpeth Hall Counselor Carolina Crawley told our students. “We hope this year provides you with the education, activities, and tools to make at least one positive shift toward a more balanced, creative, peaceful, and self-compassionate existence.”

Here is a snapshot of some visiting speakers — psychologists, authors, doctors, and alumnae wellness professionals — who shared their experiences and expertise with the girls to start the school year.

LISA DAMOUR, Ph.D.

The true indicators of mental health

When clinical psychologist Lisa Damour, Ph.D., stepped onto the stage at Harpeth Hall, she had a message for students that may have felt like a complete 180 from everything they had previously been told about mental health.

Mental health, Dr. Damour said, is not about being happy, calm, or at ease. Instead, she said, mental health is determined by two things: “No. 1: it is having feelings that fit the situation you are in, and No. 2: it is managing those feelings well.”

Nurturing the next generation at Harpeth Hall

Psychologists don’t get hung up on whether emotions are negative or positive, Dr. Damour said. “We expect them all.”

During an all-school assembly, the New York Times-bestselling author gave students concrete, practical information to steady themselves through the bumpy yet transformational journey from teenagers into adulthood. Her insights — grounded in research and professional experience — provided practical advice and strategies for students to cope with unique challenges faced during their adolescent years, including fostering healthy relationships, managing academic stress, or addressing mental health concerns. Dr. Damour also shared similar messages with Harpeth Hall faculty and with families as part of the PLAID parent engagement series.

As she shared the latest thinking about how individuals can understand, maintain, and protect mental health, she reinforced several ideas for students. The main message was helping students discern how negative feelings are forces for good and when there is cause for concern.

“Not only are your negative feelings proof, most of the time, that you work perfectly,” she said, “they have true value.” She used some examples: if a student is sad when her friend is moving, mad when someone is mean to her, or anxious because she has a big test tomorrow and she hasn’t started studying — that is proof of her mental health. “You are supposed to have feelings that fit the situation, even if those feelings are negative,” Dr. Damour told students.

What psychologists look at as they offer support is what students — and other individuals — do with those negative emotions. Dr. Damour said there are two paths: 1) coping in a way that brings relief and does no harm, or 2) coping in a way that brings relief but comes at a cost.

There are many examples of the first path, Dr. Damour said. Maybe it is crying in the shower, snuggling up with a pet, going for a run, or listening to a sad, angry, or upbeat playlist “because nothing manipulates your mood like music does,” she said.

Another way to cope without doing harm is talking to people about your feelings: “Putting emotions into words instantly makes you feel better,” she said. However, she added, there is a caveat: “Talking about feelings helps until it doesn’t.” Sometimes, she said, it can be like picking an emotional wound where it never quite heals. “If you are talking about a feeling and the more you talk, the worse you feel, I want you to switch gears” and return to other brings-relief-and-does-no-harm tactics, she said.

Dr. Damour also addressed the corner of mental health where there is concern — and that comes when a person finds relief from negative feelings in a way that comes at a cost. That includes using and abusing substances, making everyone else around them feel bad (misery loves company), and not taking care of themselves, including inflicting self-harm. That, she said, is when a student should seek support from an adult for herself or for a friend.

Dr. Damour concluded her time with students by sharing the big-picture synopsis: All emotions — positive and negative — are informational. “Your feelings will help you navigate the world,” she said. “Feelings help you grow.”

“I am sure every single one of you can think about something really hard that you went through, and you would not want to go through it again and would avoid it if you could,” she said. “But you also can look back on (that experience) and see by going through that tough thing you can say, ‘I developed this new perspective,’ or ‘I expanded my empathy,’ or ‘I matured in ways that I recognize is different than the people around me.’ Going through hard things helps you grow. You do not need to be afraid of hard things.”

KRISTIN GILLILAND, Ph.D.

Stress and the adolescent brain

Kristen Gilliland, Ph.D., a 20-year college educator and researcher, lost her son to an accidental overdose in 2019. After his death, she delved into academic study of the neurobiological changes in the adolescent brain, emphasizing the effects of stress and drug use. In November, she visited Harpeth Hall to talk to upper school students about the importance of sleep, attitude, nutrition, and exercise for their adolescent brain as it is learns and grows. She encouraged girls to pay attention to how they speak to themselves, practice self-compassion, and always plan ways to exit from peer pressure situations.

“Be kind to yourself. Life is not all roses. Life is comfortable and uncomfortable. We do have good and bad,” Dr. Gilliland said. “You have to get through the uncomfortable; it will make you stronger. The more you push through that uncomfortable, the more you will get to the comfortable. You are building resiliency in yourself, and it is one of the best attributes you can have. You are going to grow into amazing, amazing adults. I want your parents to see all of that happen. …I want you to go out and do wonderful things in life.”

DR. GLORY HERRING ’08

The importance of self-care

Dr. Glory Beveridge Herring ’08, a dedicated pediatrician who completed her pediatric residency at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt, likes the term “self-care” — a lot. “Why is self-care so important?” she asked as she presented to students. The answer, she said, is simple. Taking care of yourself is the foundation of happiness, and “the good news is that the journey started a long time ago” for students. Over the years, their parents have cared for their health through doctor visits and wellness checks. During the teenage years, there is an important transition as students learn to take ownership of their health and care. That means more than scheduling a dentist appointment or visiting a walk-in clinic, she stressed. Self-care means paying attention to emotional health, nutrition and hydration, sleep, safety and risk reduction, chronic health issues, relationships with technology, and menstrual health. It also means building a support network to help understand these issues. Dr. Herring encouraged students to build connections with their friends, family, school, and with themselves. She also reminded them that it is okay to ask for help when needed — their teachers, parents, and doctors are all here for them and want them to succeed.

JEAN BROADHURST ’11

Measuring your worth

When Harpeth Hall alumna Jean Broadhurst ’11 visited campus for Wellness Day in November, she issued the upper school students in her session a challenge. She asked them to define their sense of identity. “What makes you who you are? How do you want to exist in the world?” she said.

As the students pondered this, Ms. Broadhurst, who has a master’s in divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary and a master’s in social work from Rutgers University, encouraged them to look beyond “external” attributes such as “soccer player,” “A+ math student,” or “club president.” If these external attributes define their identities, she said, then if they have a bad day, a bad week, or experiences that challenge their external identity, it can be damaging to their mental health.

“You are in a system that has a quantifiable way of measuring your worth,” Ms. Broadhust said. “But you need reminders that that is not who you are. …What if we had a sense of our self-worth that didn’t depend on anyone else or other factors? What if we are worthwhile human beings just because we are? Because we exist?”

ELIZABETH STEWART and MAXINE CIMPERMAN

The powerful positive functions of the body

Did you know that the heart beats an average of 103,689 times a day? That the average person turns in her sleep 37 to 40 times each night? Or that our blood travels 168,000 miles in a 24-hour period?

In November, therapist Elizabeth Stewart and registered dietician Maxine Cimperman came to Harpeth Hall to help students recognize the power their bodies possess. In this way, the women

hoped to inspire students to focus more on what their bodies can do — and less on what their bodies look like. Through this shift in perspectives students can begin to develop a lifelong comfort and confidence in themselves.

“The body does a ton for us, a lot more than we probably realize — and that’s well beyond the microscopic level,” Ms. Cimperman said. “To achieve a state of body neutrality — think about the positive functions of your body, the things your body can do for you, and say respectful statements about your body.”

Ms. Stewart, a licensed family therapist with a master’s in clinical mental health counseling from Vanderbilt University, also shared insights on embracing a new mindset to combat perfectionism and negative self-talk. Even when a person’s body or mind doesn’t perform the way she hopes it would, it does not mean she has failed.

“We can be really good at some things and expect ourselves to do well, while also acknowledging that we have our limitations,” Ms. Stewart said. “We should always consider what are our needs are and whether they are being met.”

MAGGIE RIPPETO

Performance and positive self-talk

When Maggie Rippeto asked students what words came to mind when they heard the word athlete, the responses came from around the room in sprint-like fashion.

Competitive. Strong. Fierce. Team. Buff. Tough. Durable. Stress.

Ms. Rippeto could identify with each of the responses. She played NCAA lacrosse as a college athlete, competing on the national stage. There were days she felt fierce, and also times she felt the stress and pressure of competition.

In November, Ms. Rippeto, who is now a Harpeth Hall counselor and lacrosse coach, talked to the girls about how to strengthen their mental game to optimize athletic performance and overall well-being.

“When you are an athlete, you probably feel the need not just to participate but to be great,” she said. “But when we have an increased pressure on one thing, it’s not very healthy. It’s too much

identity in one thing, and if anything knocks at that and tries to chip it away, it can create a crisis, which can further increase symptoms of stress and anxiety.”

Ms. Rippeto led students through activities that encouraged them to expand their identities by describing themselves using words beyond “athlete.” For example, scholar, musician, friend, sister, activist. She also taught them how to replace negative self-talk phrases with positive thoughts about their preparation and abilities: “I am …”, “I have …,” and “I can …” These skills, Ms. Rippeto told the girls, can carry them through all their life experiences now and in the years to come.

“Everything we are talking about today can be applicable to performance — performance in the classroom, on the stage, on the field, and in your future profession,” she said.

OFFICER MARICELLA TICKNOR

Situational awareness and personal safety

How can you stay aware of your surroundings? What would you do during an emergency? Who would you call for help? These are all questions Officer Maricella Ticknor, who leads Harpeth Hall’s security team, encouraged upper school students to consider as she spoke to them about situational awareness and personal safety. In her career, Officer Ticknor has served as a correctional officer, police officer, school resource officer, homeless liaison officer, and human trafficking investigator. Bringing her extensive law enforcement experience to the Wellness Day session, she offered the girls tips for staying aware outside their homes. Those tips included not walking with headphones in, knowing where they are and where their car keys are, not leaving valuables on display either on their person or in their car, and knowing to phone a friend or a parent if something feels off around them.

The importance of educating young women on situational awareness is to help them feel empowered, she said. As they transition into adults, it is essential that they are given the tools to think through any situation and to make sound decisions to keep themselves safe.

“I hope the girls are able to recognize if a situation does not feel safe and to trust their instincts on the decision they may make in response,” Officer Ticknor said. “I hope they are always able to find their voice and to be confident.”

Harpeth Hall’s living honorably mission carries forward as a roadmap in life, even in the stormiest of days

By Elizabeth Floyd Read ’09

Students looked up inquisitively — and a bit quizzically — when Frances Fondren-Bales reached for an unexpected rain prop during the 2023 Honor Assembly. As she unfolded the colorful canopy and held it above her head, the upper school director confidently announced, “Living honorably is an umbrella.”

“It is a giant golf umbrella, in fact,” she continued. “. . . Making choices that are honorable throughout our lives in ways big (making ethical choices, abiding by the law, being accountable for one’s choices) and small (holding the door for someone else, sharing your umbrella with a friend) is living honorably.”

“As members of the Harpeth Hall community, we have the privilege of learning in an environment that chooses honor.

. . . It’s a conscious decision to do your best, to be honest with the people who believe in you, and to ask for help when you falter. Honor

is not something that only some of us can exemplify. We all hold the power to live honorably.”

For Harpeth Hall students and alumnae, the “living honorably” phrase in the school’s mission serves as a guide in the choices they make every day. It is the foundation for how they learn and grow. It is a code that all who walk across campus not just abide by but take pride in. Each year at Harpeth Hall’s Honor Assembly, students focus more closely on one specific facet of the living honorably mission — academic honor. (Or, as Ms. Fondren-Bales called it, one bright

— Josey Beavers, Honor Council president

stripe on her multi-hued umbrella.) As part of the assembly, students recite and sign the honor pledge, promising to demonstrate academic integrity while they foster an honest and respectful learning environment.

The Honor Assembly also serves as the introduction of the middle school Honor Education Committee and the upper school Honor Council, which includes a select group of students who model and support their classmates in Harpeth Hall’s honorable actions: tell the truth, respect their peers, and act in an inclusive manner.

“Harpeth Hall instills honor in its students and faculty with the hopes that we will not only become better learners and educators, but better people,” Harpeth Hall senior and Honor Council President Josey Beavers said. “Honor does not only apply here within these walls or when you’re wearing a plaid skirt. Honor is the roadmap that you will refer to for the rest of your life.”

“As a student of Harpeth Hall, I hereby pledge my full and hearty support to the Honor System. I pledge to be honest myself, and in order that the spirit and integrity of the Honor System may endure, I pledge that I will give no unauthorized assistance to other students. I will demonstrate my integrity in an honest and fair manner. In doing so, I fully commit to fostering an honest and respectful learning environment for my peers, my teachers, and myself.”

Olivia Stahl, an 8th grade student and member of the Honor Education Committee, explained the importance of having that roadmap: “By signing the honor code, we are promising that we will hold each other accountable and remind each other to act with respect. … When each student chooses to live by the honor code, it creates an environment that allows us to fully engage in school and all of the opportunities Harpeth Hall has to offer.”

It also provides protective support on the stormiest of days.

“We want you to graduate from Harpeth Hall with a firm understanding of what academic honesty looks like, for sure,” Ms. Fondren-Bales said. “But that is not all. We want you to graduate with a firm understanding of what living honorably means for you. We want you to have a giant umbrella that you will carry with you so

that you can strive forward with confidence, even in a deluge, because you know the definition of your moral or ethical code, and you know how you will contribute to your community through service and leadership. That is living honorably, according to our community, and that is what we hope you practice and master as you walk through our halls.”

SeedS of Knowledge

By Jessica Bliss

A testament to past Head of School

Stephanie Balmer’s commitment to education, the garden at Harpeth Hall has blossomed into a dynamic space where girls delve into hands-on learning, environmental stewardship, and community outreach.

TheHarpeth Hall garden is abuzz. Bathed in the gentle sunlight filtering through the foliage, a group of students explore the lush greenery. Clutching tiny, colorful bug houses crafted in science class, they approach the garden beds with a keen sense of discovery. Their eyes scan the plants in search of fascinating insects to be captured for future entomological study.

Some girls crouch down, lifting leaves to peer underneath, while others inspect the vivid blooms. In this way, the garden becomes a living classroom for exploring the intricacies of the natural world.

And that’s not the only excitement that happens here. In the Stephanie Balmer Garden for Student Engagement, girls spread out among the rows of plants, plucking fresh radishes out of the earth and showing them off in awe. Art students display clay bowls on a Good Wood table crafted and gifted to the garden in memory of The Nashville Food Project founder Tallu Schuyler Quinn ’98. Families exploring campus come together under the setting sun to get to know each other better.

Lauren Balmer with his daughter Isabel Balmer ’20

From its early days as a seedling of an idea in 2017 to its current flourishing state, the garden stands as a testament to past Head of School Stephanie Balmer’s commitment to education and also as a dynamic hub where girls are actively engaged in hands-on learning, environmental stewardship, and community outreach. With colorful zinnias in the summer and striking beauty bush with purple berries in the fall — the abundance of plant life nurtures minds and fosters a sense of responsibility in the girls to cultivate the garden’s bounty and connect to nature. The beautiful space has become an integral part of the school's identity.

“Beauty and function have always been an integral and valued feature of the Harpeth Hall campus, and this well-conceived, collaboratively planned community working garden offers both,” said past Harpeth Hall Board Chair and Honorary Trustee Emily Cate Tidwell ’75, who helped bring the vision for the teaching garden to fruition.

“The inviting outdoor workshop provides a fertile setting for joint student and faculty creative pursuits and serves a multitude of possibilities. When the garden is brimming with its bounty, it can take your breath away. This tribute to Dr. Balmer and wonderful campus enhancement truly ‘lifts up the mind and spirit’ by its nature and its purpose and makes the school better and more beautiful, which was the hope of all of us.”

Taking rooT

For middle school science teacher Amy Emerson, who has been part of the journey from the earliest days dreaming of a school garden, witnessing the garden’s growth has been an exhilarating, albeit bittersweet, experience. “It has come a long way. It is exciting to see a wilder space on campus,” she said, reflecting on the transformation that has taken place.

FEATURE

Ms. Emerson remembers when the idea for the garden first took root. The summer before she began teaching at Harpeth Hall, she was invited to attend the Tennessee Local Food Summit with Margie Fish Martin ’67, upper school math teacher and ACTNow service club advisor Polly Linden, and others. At the summit, the women joined farmers, gardeners, and educators to learn about food systems in Tennessee.

Immediately after the event, Ms. Emerson and Ms. Linden knew they wanted to start a garden at Harpeth Hall. Dr. Balmer enthusiastically embraced their passion for this project. Before her headship at Harpeth Hall, Dr. Balmer served as vice president and dean of admissions at Dickinson College — a national leader in sustainability education. She saw firsthand the impact a working garden could have on a school community and was eager to realize that opportunity at Harpeth Hall.

The project started small as Dr. Balmer, teachers, and garden experts identified the ideal location for the garden across from the dining hall and next to Kirkman House. First, the school removed a few hedges and one large tree to make way for new beds planted directly in the native soil. By the fall, two main beds and cover crops were planted to start growing in the spring. Dr. Balmer then began to assemble professional resources in earnest to further the project. The scope extended beyond the planting of garden beds to the improvement of the east side of campus. Woodland plants and wildflowers would provide a beautiful natural outdoor space.

“She saw the future in a garden with next-level learning, as it was a unique way to educate a secondary school,” Dr. Balmer’s daughter, Isabel, and husband, Lauren, reflected. “In her mind, very few places would have an opportunity to teach these skills prior to higher education. The garden was to be grown by girls. Through doing this,

not only would they learn necessary skills, they would also become more confident by being part of a space bigger than themselves.”

Dr. Balmer passed away in February 2018, not seeing the garden’s first spring, but the vision for a more substantial teaching garden, combining function and beauty, evolved as the Stephanie Balmer Honor Committee explored lasting ways to remember her on campus with the generous gifts received from across the country honoring Dr. Balmer’s memory.

Under the leadership of Collins Weaver Hooper ’88, who served as the Stephanie Balmer Honor Committee chair, the committee secured the services of renowned landscape architect Ben Page. Trustees, teachers, and several students joined in the design process. The Balmer family expressed wholehearted support for a beautiful, educational, and living tribute.

Support for the endeavor came from all facets of the Harpeth Hall community, and the Class of 2018 honored Dr. Balmer by gifting an arbor with a space for reflection. The 2017-18 Harpeth Hall Parents Association made a donation in her name directed to the garden. In fall 2020, construction began on the Stephanie Balmer Memorial Garden, and in 2021, the stunning space opened for students, families, and visitors at Harpeth Hall.

“From the beginning, our hope was to create a garden that realized Stephanie’s vision,” Mrs. Hooper said. “One where teaching and learning, connecting and growing, cultivating and enjoying nature could be shared by all members of the Harpeth Hall community. The Stephanie Balmer Garden for Student Engagement encompasses all of those dreams but also serves as a living reminder of Stephanie’s welcoming, vibrant, and beautiful spirit.”

Blossoming vision

Today, the garden blooms as the intersection of education, nature, and community.

First and foremost, the space provides a landscape for valuable lessons and skill development. Consistent with the school’s commitment to sustainability, the garden teaches girls about the importance of caring for the environment. Ms. Emerson described the diverse experiences students gain from hauling compost and fall cleanup to the meticulous task of planting seeds in perfectly spaced rows. “There is something for everyone,” she said, emphasizing the garden’s role in instilling patience, planning skills, and a profound sense of wonder.

“Did you know that students will eat raw okra right off the plant?” Ms. Emerson said in delightful surprise. “They didn’t know it until they tried it."

Okra is not all they grow. In the garden beds, students cultivate large harvests of lettuce, peppers, greens, pumpkin, and squash — produce dug up by the girls and later served fresh in the Harpeth Hall dining hall, providing lush salads and nutrient-rich lunches. At times, the harvest is so bountiful that Ms. Emerson joked, “Sometimes, we just have salad in class.”

The joy extends beyond the garden’s borders as girls enjoy creating and sharing fresh bouquets with faculty around campus. The golds, fuscias, and greens brighten desks and classrooms and serve as a display of the hard work students put into caring for the blooms. The outdoor space has also become a cherished spot for relaxation, a testament to the diverse experiences it offers students and faculty. “I get most excited when I see folks eating lunch or using the space for class or for a break,” Ms. Emerson said, highlighting the multifunctional nature of the garden.

The connection facilitated in the garden extends more widely. The garden has served as a host site for prospective students and families, who enjoy lemonade and cookies after touring the campus. It has been a picturesque setting for visiting alumnae and trustees who support the school’s mission. And it has enriched the school's connection with the broader community by welcoming others for events such as Empty Bowls to support local charitable organizations, including The Nashville Food Project. Such events have also featured food, such as pumpkin bread made from gourds grown in the garden and baked in 5th grade science class.

Looking ahead, Ms. Emerson envisions a bright future. The garden, alive with the hum of insects and the rustle of leaves, has become a playground for young minds, fostering a deep connection to nature and the wonders it holds. “The middle school Garden Club has been a super way to offer regular time in the garden for girls who really love it, giving them a sense of ownership of the space,” she said. Ms. Emerson sees clubs as a means to expand student involvement, with hopes of establishing a club in the upper school.

As the space flourishes, she emphasized that the students’ interest is key to ensuring the garden continues to blossom as a sustainable and cherished part of Harpeth Hall — just as Dr. Balmer envisioned.

“We do not think there is a better way to remember her vibrant inner beauty, her love for others, and the hope she had in the girls at Harpeth Hall,” Isabel and Lauren Balmer said. “We hope each girl continues to grow not only the produce in this garden but also their love for the outside, confidence in their abilities, and their knowing that they are enough.”

Sunday on Souby

Harpeth Hall's fall festival welcomed families and alumnae for a fun-filled afternoon of entertainment and community connection. The event featured musical performances by Harpeth Hall students, an exciting kids zone, the popular cake decorating contest, cotton candy, sno-cones, and lots of laughter and sunshine.

Halloween Carnival

Harpeth Hall celebrated the Halloween Carnival this fall. Led by our 6th grade students, who planned and oversaw all the booths and activities, the event featured cookie decorating, monster can toss, face painting, a witch hat ring toss, ghost bowling, treat bag decorating, and much more. This spooktacular event was a blast for our students, our alumnae children, grandchildren, nieces, and nephews!

Grand Open House

Harpeth Hall middle school students welcomed the grand people in their lives to learn about their classes, listen to musical performances, and meet their teachers at the Grand Open House.

Harpeth Hall’s head of school and members of the advancement and alumnae relations office went on an East Coast road trip to visit with our graduates from across generations. Rebecca Larish Nichols ’86 hosted a gathering of alumnae in the Washington, D.C. area, and Samantha Williams ’08 hosted a reception in Brooklyn for New York alumnae. It was a joy to bring everyone together.

Alumnae on the Road

In August, our newest Harpeth Hall alumnae enjoyed the annual Sweet Summer Send-off in a final hurrah before heading off to college. The Class of 2023 shared an ice cream sundae bar as they said goodbye to friends and Harpeth Hall faculty.

HARPETH HALL HALLWAYS

Holiday Party

A record number of Ward-Belmont and Harpeth Hall alumnae gathered together in December for the annual holiday party. The women enjoyed connections across generations as they celebrated the spirit of the season. Thank you to our host Elizabeth Grote Frist ’06.

College Age Brunch

Harpeth Hall welcomed back to campus alumnae from 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023 to celebrate being home for the holidays.

CALL for NOMINATIONS!

NOW ACCEPTING NOMINATIONS FOR HARPETH HALL’S 2025 ALUMNAE AWARDS

Harpeth Hall strives to recognize the extraordinary achievements of our alumnae with a variety of awards. From leadership and serving as an example for other women to outstanding service to excellence in athletics, these recipients deserve recognition from their alma mater.

Harpeth Hall/Ward-Belmont Distinguished Alumna Award

The Harpeth Hall/Ward-Belmont Distinguished Alumna Award recognizes graduates who have achieved wide recognition for professional excellence and leadership. Candidates for this award are women who are trailblazers, display extraordinary gifts of leadership and organizational ability, are moving spirits in health, welfare, cultural, or civic affairs, have achieved wide recognition for professional excellence and leadership, serve as an example for other women, and have attained unusual success in highly competitive fields. Distinguished Alumna Award candidates may also be women who have been nationally recognized for vision, skill, and commitment to make things happen.

Alumna Spirit of Service Award

The Alumna Spirit of Service Award recognizes and celebrates outstanding service by a Harpeth Hall/Ward-Belmont alumna. The recipient of the award is a woman who has gone above and beyond the call to serve and who embodies Harpeth Hall’s mission to “develop responsible citizens who have global perspectives and make meaningful contributions to their communities and the world.” Award candidates are women who demonstrate an innovative approach to solving a problem or meeting a need, show a high level of commitment to their project, make a meaningful impact on the people or community they serve, inspire others through outreach and education, exhibit visionary and empowering leadership, and teach and mentor others interested in making a difference through service.

Athletic Hall of Fame

(Awarded every four to five years)

Established in 2013, the Harpeth Hall/Ward-Belmont Athletic Hall of Fame honors notable alumnae athletes, coaches, and administrators who have demonstrated outstanding athletic ability by competing or coaching at the state, national, or international level. Through their good sportsmanship, citizenship, and character, these outstanding women left a lasting impression of achievement and excelled within the school’s athletic family.

For more information and to find nomination forms visit HarpethHall.org/alumnae/awards-spotlights

Harpeth Hall Internship Opportunities

Do you know a college or graduate student looking for professional experience in communications or advancement and alumnae relations? Maybe that person is you! We have just the opportunity! Harpeth Hall has two different part-time internship opportunities available this summer. These paid positions offer flexible days and hours Monday through Thursday. They are ideal roles for alumnae who seek work experience over the summer but may not be able to commit full time.

Advancement/Alumnae Relations

Join the advancement/alumnae relations office this summer as an intern. We seek Harpeth Hall alumnae interested in fundraising and alumnae engagement. You will learn about our donor database Raiser’s Edge and the Alumnae Network app, the Harpeth Hall archives, alumnae programming, event management, alumnae engagement, and networking initiatives, and you will help prepare the office for the coming school year. Typical tasks include alumnae research, project management, photography work, archives assistance, data entry, and general administrative and office duties. Come join our team!

Communications

Join the Harpeth Hall communications team this summer as an intern. This opportunity is great for alumnae interested in marketing and multi-media storytelling. You will join a creative and collaborative team and gain experience in website layout and design, newsletter creation, social media strategy, analytics, photo and video brainstorming and production, ad creation, content management, and more. Specific projects include assisting with visual archives, editing student and parent handbooks, and planning and writing editorial content for the school year ahead. Our 2023 interns, MC Claverie ’20 and Claiborne Fowler ’19, wrote multiple features published in this year's Report on Philanthropy and this issue of Hallways magazine. We love new ideas and big-picture vision. We are eager to have you on our team.

How to Apply

Please send your resume and cover letter to the alumnae relations office at alumnaeoffice@harpethhall.org detailing either the specific internship or the type of work you wish to accomplish, as well as other pertinent information. Contact Scottie Fillebrown Coombs ’78, director of alumnae relations, for questions about the advancement/alumnae relations internship at coombs@harpethhall.org or Jessica Bliss, director of marketing and communications, for questions about the communications internship at jessica.bliss@harpethhall.org.

Class Notes

Members of the Class of 1956 have had a “lunch bunch” for many, many years. At their latest gathering, Dee Ewin Welch, Donna King Cummings, Carole Minton Nelson, Margaret Ewin Martin, Carolyn Thomas Burton, and Ashley Whitsitt Conner enjoyed connecting and catching up with each other.

Sharon Mayhall Rush ’60 published a collection of essays in a book called “Heart Work.” The essays were originally written for her local newspaper, The Americana, in Giles County, Tennessee.

Mary Welch Francis ’63 has been a professional songwriter for over 50 years. She has had cuts by The Chicks, Reba McEntire, Highway 101, Damon Gray, Dixiana, Lonnie Spiker, Larry McCoy, Johnny Rodriguez, Johnny Bush, Carrie Underwood (before she signed with RCA), and many others.

Liz Miller Trinkler ’71 led Athalie White ’71, Shelley Buford Cook ’71, and Betsy Shapiro Silverman ’71 as they hiked enough of the Portuguese Camino de Santiago in September to qualify for a compostela — a certificate of accomplishment. Liz has earned many compostelas, and this achievement was a first for the rest of the group.

Cathy Frierson ’72, a Russian historian, spoke to the Acton Massachusetts Lions Club about the war in Ukraine. Through mutual colleagues, Cathy connected with fellow alumna Mary Price Russell Maddox ’91 at the event. Mary Price is on the faculty at Acton-Boxborough High School, which is perennially ranked as the No. 1 or No. 2 high school in Massachusetts. They discovered that they both attended the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, completed

graduate degrees in Boston, and share the same trusted friends and colleagues in Acton, Massachusetts.

The National Museum of Women in the Arts (NMWA), the first museum in the world solely dedicated to championing women artists, reopened in October in Washington, D.C. Lucy Matthews Buchanan ’73 and her company, LMB Consulting, championed the $67.5 million campaign that enabled the top-to-bottom renovation of this historic, 100,000-square-foot Masonic building near the White House.

Nicki Pendleton Wood ’79 wrote a sports story for the Nashville Ledger entitled “That Ole Pickleball Magic” that won a sportswriting award from the Tennessee Press Association. Her story on empty store shelves, “Why Can’t I Find What I Want at the Grocery?” was part of a four-story package that won first place for best investigative reporting.

Laurie Payne Nicholson ’74 traveled to France during Harpeth Hall’s first Winterim program in 1973. She has stayed in touch with the daughter of her host family, Monique Gremillet, for 51 years. In October, during Monique’s visit to Nashville, she and Laurie came to campus to visit and speak with Harpeth Hall French teacher Laura Nelson’s Honors French III class. Un grand moment was had by all!

In May, Amy Grant Gill ’78 received an honorary doctorate from the University of Notre Dame. She sang “Breath of Heaven” at the benediction of the 178th commencement ceremony.

Elizabeth Bass Parman ’79 sold her debut novel, “The Empress of Cooke County,” to Harper Muse for publication in September 2024. Her editor at Harper Muse, an imprint of Harper Collins, is fellow alumna Becky Callaway Monds ’00.

Betsy Wallace Taylor ’80 and her daughter Edie Caldwell were featured in a StyleBlueprint article highlighting their Nashville store Shop Alice. The boutique embodies style and grace, offering a curated collection of clothing and accessories for women of all ages. The shop’s name came from Betsy’s long-lasting friendship with her fellow Harpeth Hall classmate Alice Graves Ball ’80.

Ann Webb Betty ’81 organized a reunion lunch with Susan Russ, former Harpeth Hall athletic director and coach, in the Ward-Belmont room at Souby Hall in July. Former volleyball players Jane Mabry Jackson ’82, Laurie Smith Moss-Dudley ’81, Gayle Smith Ferguson ’83, Melissa Wert ’81, and Dell Smith Mitchell ’81 attended. Susan’s husband, Kent, and daughter Marti Russ Jeffords ’90 joined the festivities.

Helen Berry Holland ’82 qualified for the 2023 U.S. Senior Women’s Amateur Golf Championship in Scottsdale, Arizona, at the end of September.

Beth McPherson ’84 is a professor and the director of the dance division at Montclair State University. She edited the book “Milestones in Dance in the USA,” a collection of 10 chapters on topics in American dance history that was published in September 2022 and received the Outstanding Dance Education Researcher Award from the National Dance Education Organization for 2023.

Congratulations to alumna Lela Hollabaugh ’85 for her inclusion in the Nashville Business Journal’s Best of the Bar honoree list for 2023. She is the managing partner of the Nashville office of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP.

Harpeth Hall past trustee Mandy Haynes

Young ’85 is a government relations and insurance law attorney at Butler Snow in Nashville. She received the Best Lawyers in America 2024 Lawyer of the Year recognition, which is awarded to individual attorneys with the highest overall peer feedback for a specific practice area and geographic location. Only one attorney is recognized as Lawyer of the Year for each specialty and location.

Elizabeth Cotton Matsui ’86 M.D., M.H.S. was named interim assistant dean for faculty affairs at the University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical School. She is currently the associate chair for research in the department of population health, a professor in the departments of population health and pediatrics, director for the Center for Health and Environment: Education and Research, and associate director of the Health Transformation Research Institute. She is a pediatric allergist-immunologist and epidemiologist and a leading international expert on environmental exposures and their effects on asthma and other allergic conditions.

After more than six years in Pittsburgh, Shan Overton ’86 returned to Nashville as the new associate academic dean and associate professor at American Baptist College, a Nashville HBCU with a strong civil rights legacy rooted in a commitment to social justice and leadership. Shan’s

creative nonfiction essays appear in recent editions of Belt Magazine and The Porch magazine, and she serves on the editorial board of the American Academy of Religion’s Reading Religion publication. She was recently inducted into the Order of the Rocking Chair in The Porch community as a transformative storyteller.

Congratulations to Nancy Wood Stabell ’88 for her inclusion in the Nashville Business Journal’s Best of the Bar honoree list for 2023. She is the founding member of the Wood Stabell Law Group.

Carrie Smith Woodruff ’89 and her family continue to live outside Boston, enjoying life on the coast and spending time in Maine, where her husband’s family is from, during the summer. Her two children, Jack and Addie, are in the 11th and 9th grades as day students at a local boarding school. Carrie continues to create art — painting and printmaking — and recently sold several pieces. She also does commission work.

Beth Trabue Gorham ’90 is an associate professor in the visual communications program at Nashville State Community College, where she teaches both analog and digital photography. She holds a bachelor’s degree in photography from the University of Georgia and a master’s degree in photography from East Tennessee State University. She was the featured artist in Harpeth Hall’s Marnie Sheridan Gallery in an exhibit titled “Point As I Point” in the fall of 2023.

Sarah Roberts Hart ’90 was the keynote speaker for Harpeth Hall’s annual Rise and Shine Breakfast for upper school students and their mothers or a special adult in the girls’ lives. Her daughter Mason is a current Harpeth Hall senior.

Mary Carmen Englert ’91 wrote a book entitled “Seven Pathways,” which she hopes will be a guide for readers, giving them a roadmap for spiritual growth through these pathways: thanksgiving, silence, confession, song, prayer, Bible study, and scripture meditation.

Angie Emery Henderson ’91 was elected vice mayor of Nashville in August 2023. Following her victory, she said, “I am grateful to have been elected to serve as Nashville’s next vice mayor. Tonight’s win is about the future of our city. Nashville voters decided that they want to follow a new and better path, a more productive path. I look forward to the work ahead and to supporting the Metro Council in our service to the city. I am optimistic that our city will soon be back on track and moving towards a brighter future for us all.”

Marcie Allen Van Mol ’92 was a 2023 inductee into the Source Nashville Hall of Fame, which honors women who have been a vital source in the success of Music Row and the Nashville entertainment industry. Marcie and her husband, Derek Van Mol, transformed their all-day cafe Anzie Blue into a live entertainment and events space, AB Hillsboro Village. The 250-capacity venue has already played host to a long list of events, from writers rounds to comedy nights to performances from both stars and up-and-comers.

Reese Witherspoon ’94 was featured on the cover and inside story of the August issue of Harper’s Bazaar magazine. She described her passion for shining a big bright light on women’s untold stories through her production company Hello Sunshine.

Vadis Turner ’95 and Mary Stengel Bentley ’03 were featured at Artville, a visual arts festival featuring public art installations, art collecting, and immersive experiences highlighting Nashville’s creative culture.

In August of 2023, Dana Deaton Verner ’95 M.D. celebrated the fifth anniversary of Green Hills Family Psych, the mental health group she co-founded to help address our

community’s mental health needs. Dana currently practices as a child and adult psychiatrist.

Beverly Hodgson Conley ’97 was named senior vice president and client experience and investment operations manager for Truxton Trust in Nashville. She previously served as the company’s vice president and investment operations manager.

Rachel Glick Robison ’97 M.D. is leading the new pediatric Oral Immunotherapy Clinic at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt as an associate professor of pediatrics within the division of pediatric allergy, immunology, and pulmonology. The clinic offers a special therapy for peanut-allergic children to reduce the risk of a harmful immune response in the event of accidental exposure to peanuts. The clinic is located within the Allergy Clinic at Vanderbilt Health One Hundred Oaks.

Anne Hancock Toomey ’97, president and co-founder of Jarrard, Inc., emceed the inaugural Nashville Healthcare Council Sessions Conference last September. The event was designed to foster collaboration and accelerate industry advancement, as well as to inspire new innovation and seed solutions to important issues facing today’s healthcare industry.

Megan Youngbood ’98 was the keynote speaker at Leadership Day in August for Harpeth Hall upper school students preparing to serve in leadership roles in 2023-24. Megan focused on recognizing the complexity of leadership. “It is not just about giving orders or being in charge,” she told the student leaders. “It is about empathy, effective communication, adaptability, and a genuine desire to make a positive impact.”

Cate Connery Bury ’99 was named Photographer of the Year by the Tennessee Professional Photographers Association. She also received first place honors for childrens portraiture, high school seniors portraiture, and landscape photography. Her company is Cate Connery Bury Photography.

Meg Milam Chamblee ’99 is the executive vice president of UDig in Tennessee. Her company received a 2023 Best in Business

Award from the Nashville Business Journal. UDig is a technology consulting company focused on enabling businesses with modern solutions through software, data, and intelligent automation.

Kelleigh Bannen Grossman ’99 stepped back into the singer-songwriter spotlight by releasing a new single, “I Know Better Now,” in October 2023. She also received a Gracie Award, given by the Alliance for Women in Media Foundation (AWMF) for the “The Kelleigh Bannen Show,” which is nationally syndicated by Apple Music Radio.

The artwork of Morgan Ogilvie ’99 was featured in the Vassar Review. Her solo exhibition “False Flags” was featured at the John C. Hutcheson Gallery at David Lipscomb University in September 2023. Her painting in honor of Evelyn Sharp, one of the few female hoteliers in the 1940s whose properties included the Stanhope, Beverly Wilshire, and the Saint Francis, is on display at Evelyn’s in Nashville’s Hutton Hotel.

Congratulations to Bahar Azhdari ’00 for her inclusion in the Nashville Business Journal’s Best of the Bar honoree list for 2023. She is associate general counsel for labor and employment at Brookdale Senior Living Inc.

Elizabeth Townsend Ecker ’00 was named the next director of Harpeth Hall’s Daugh W. Smith Middle School. Elizabeth joins us from Isidore Newman School in New Orleans, where she is in her seventh year as head of middle school. During her 19 years as a classroom teacher and educational leader, Elizabeth has developed an appreciation of middle school as an important and transformative time on a young learner’s path. When Elizabeth steps into the director role at Harpeth Hall beginning in July 2024, she will bring a commitment to fostering an enriching environment for our students and teachers. Her respect for our community and her understanding of the lasting impact of a Harpeth Hall education make her an ideal leader for our middle school.

Lesley Foglia Tiller ’00 recently started as an assistant federal defender in Greenville, Tennessee. She previously worked as an assistant public defender in Sullivan County, Tennessee.

Harpeth Hall trustee Michelle Gaskin Brown ’01 was honored with the 2023 Luminary Award from Family & Children’s Service (F&CS) in September 2023. The purpose of this award is to honor outstanding young professionals who have found their passion for community service and philanthropy. F&CS serves over 60,000 individuals and families with counseling, crisis, and health care access services, all at no charge. Classmates Grace Clayton ’01, and Ann Ezzell Williford ’01 joined Michelle (above center), who is manager of public policy at Amazon, in celebration.

Maggie Waltemath Ash ’03 was featured in the July/August 2023 cover story of Sophisticated Living Nashville. She is the owner and principal designer of Margaret Ash Design.

Huntley Rodes ’03 launched a new women’s golf and lifestyle apparel brand called Honors, which was featured in StyleBlueprint. She founded the company with two other female golfers to address their challenge finding golf clothes that look good and transition from the golf course to daily life. They have set out to create something better — focused on style without sacrificing performance.

Attorney Allie Bohannon ’04 was promoted and named as the third partner at Mobley & Gontarek, a firm that specializes in estate planning, trust and estate administration, and trust and estate litigation.

After an amazing run in Washington, D.C., at the firm Williams & Connolly LLP, Whitney Downs Hermandorfer ’05 is thrilled to return home to Nashville to be with family and begin her new role in the Tennessee Attorney General’s office as director of the strategic litigation unit and assistant solicitor general.

Ellen Hammer Stroop ’05 joined CapStar Bank, a subsidiary of CapStar Financial Holdings, as a commercial relationship manager for Nashville’s Davidson County team, which serves small to medium-sized businesses and their owners, professionals, real estate investors, and relationship retail customers. She has more than a decade of financial services experience in the Nashville market having worked previously with Legends Bank, ServisFirst Bank, and Regions Financial Corporation.

UBS professionals Ryan McLaughlin Wood ’05, Ellen Green Hoffman ’04, and Mimi Wallace ’75, as well as Harpeth Hall parent Katie Williams, were panelists in Harpeth Hall’s new Leading Confidently Series as they discussed women and finance.

Ryan McLaughlin Wood ’05 was celebrated as one of Nashville’s outstanding philanthropists by Nfocus in its Model Behavior issue for her work with Goodwill Industries.

Avery Graham Browne ’06 and her husband, Jim, are spending the year in Italy after getting married in November 2022. Avery is working in marketing for Porte Italia, a Venetian furniture company specializing in fine-painted furniture. Jim is vice president of payer analytics for Trilliant.

Allison Dowdle ’07 received the American Heart Association Ball Leader of Impact award for her commitment to and support of the organization’s mission.

Glory Beveridge Herring ’08 M.D. was a featured speaker at Harpeth Hall’s Wellness Day for upper school students in November 2023. She redefined what it means to take care of oneself and how important self-care is for one’s overall health.

Willa Fitzgerald ’09 co-starred in the action thriller film “Desperation Road,” which was released in October of 2023.

Ann Francis Garvey ’09 M.B.A. served on the alumni panel for the annual symposium hosted by Vanderbilt Business Healthcare Association (VBHA). The event brings together alumni, students, faculty, and staff from Owen Graduate School of Management to share valuable insights on the healthcare industry.

Alumna artist Bridget Bailey ’10 is the Nashville Graduate Hotel’s Sweet Dreams Society’s artist-in-residence. She earned a Master of Fine Arts in painting from Boston University and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Virginia.

Grace Cummings Bay ’11 received the 2023 Globee Gold Award for Thought Leadership for Women in Leadership. She is the chief executive officer for Hello Truck Lease, an industry-first truck leasing company that provides last-mile trucks to logistics contractors at an affordable, fixed cost.

Jean Broadhurst Schoeneweis ’11 L.M.S.W., M.Div. is a counselor with Symmetry Counseling in Nashville. She was a featured speaker for a breakout session entitled “Is it Just Me? Stigma and Self Worth” during Harpeth Hall’s Wellness Day for upper school students in November 2023.

Kathleen Gobbell ’12 was recognized as the Rosamond Gabrielson Staff Nurse of the Year at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt for “elevating the practice of nursing through exemplary practice resulting in positive patient outcomes.”

Mary Liza Hartong ’12 wrote a novel, “Love and Hot Chicken,” which will be published by HarperCollins on Feb. 20, 2024.

Maddie Shankle ’12 moved to the United Kingdom in 2019 to earn her master’s degree and is currently entering her fourth year of a doctorate program at the University of St. Andrews. She studies how and why the ocean absorbs and releases CO2 and looks at the ice ages as case studies of these mechanics. She has been published in several scientific journals, including Nature, and has presented her work in several European countries as well as the United States.

Ryan McLaughlin Wood

Avery Graham Browne and her husband, Jim

Anna Russell Thornton ’12 graduated from the Middlebury Bread Loaf School of English with her master’s degree. She is now back in Nashville working in human resources with Adams and Reese LLP as the recruiting and professional development manager.

During each of their summer travels, Meade Wills ’12 and former Head of School Ann Teaff were able to meet and reconnect in Paris, France.

Chandler Beasley ’13 launched her personal interior styling business, Chandler Beasley Creative, where she strives to transform spaces into personalized oases through thoughtful curation, attention to color schemes, and a focus on functionality.

Aidan Nettles ’13 joined Revel Dance Convention on their Season 8 Tour as a member of their adjudication panel. She will be serving on the dedicated teacher line, sharing feedback with educators and choreographers.

Maggie Rutherford Riser ’13 M.D. graduated from Vanderbilt University Medical School in the Class of 2023 and received the Chapman Society Award. With nominations generated from the fourth-year class, this award is presented to a member of the graduating class who possesses intangible qualities of common sense, knowledge, thoughtfulness, personal warmth, gentleness, and confidence, which

combine to make the “ideal doctor” and the person fellow classmates would most like to have as their personal physician.

Erin Anderson ’14 has fulfilled travel nursing contracts in San Diego, Seattle, and New York City. She has also worked at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt as a pediatric nurse.

Rebecca Blair ’14 M.D. graduated from Quillen College of Medicine at East Tennessee State University and received the American Medical Women’s Association’s (AMWA) Glasgow-Rubin Achievement Citation Award. Rebecca is currently completing her orthopedic surgery residency at LSU Health Sciences Center.

Clare Gilmore ’14 published her debut novel “Love Interest” with St. Martin’s Press. She describes the workplace romantic comedy set in Manhattan as humorous, contemporary, youthful, heartwarming, and cheeky. Parnassus Books in Nashville hosted her book launch event in October.

Women in STEM Julia Allen ’15, Adele Grohovsky ’18, Mary Johnson ’18, and Lauren Lee ’18 returned to campus for Harpeth Hall’s alumnae early-career engineers panel for the IMAGINE (I’m a Girl in Engineering) Club on Nov. 7, 2023. They spoke to Harpeth Hall upper school students interested in engineering.

Laurel Cunningham ’15 is in her second year of law school at American University. During her first year, she earned Moot Court National Honor Society, was selected as one of two students to participate in Vis Moot international court competition in Vienna, was chosen for the prestigious American University Law Review, and was named a Legal Rhetoric Dean’s Fellow. She completed a summer internship with the inspector general’s office of Americorps.

Maggie Johnson Higgins ’15 started a weekly newsletter called Craveable where she shares everything from personal recommendations to recipes.

Isabel Kennon ’15 graduated in June 2023 with a Master of Public Policy from Harris School of Public Policy at the University of Chicago. During the summer, she walked the Camino de Santiago. She currently works in Chicago with the Illinois Justice Project (ILJP) on re-entry housing, juvenile justice, and broader criminal justice issues.

Gracie King ’15 M.D. graduated from the LSU School of Medicine and is a first year resident in pediatrics at Maria Fareri Children's Hospital in Westchester County New York.

Shelby Potter ’15 earned a Master of Aerospace Engineering from the University of Florida in December 2022. She currently works as an aerospace engineer at Eglin Air Force Base for the U.S. Department of Defense.

Annie Stevens ’15 J.D. graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School and now works as an associate at King & Spalding in Atlanta, Georgia.

Kirsten Quinn ’15 J.D. graduated from American University Washington College of Law and now works as a judicial law clerk at the District Court of Maryland.

Elizabeth Whitson ’15 joined Parks Real Estate, where she and her brother, Clay Whitson, formed The Whitson Group, offering a local and connected approach to Nashville’s real estate market.

Sarah Perlin Gaffney ’16 J.D. graduated from Duke Law School in May 2023 and currently works for a law firm in Manhattan.

Alexandra Hulme ’16 J.D. graduated from Vanderbilt University Law School, passed the Tennessee Bar exam, and began her career as an associate attorney at Crow Estate Planning and Probate, PLC.

Elizabeth Tirrill ’16 J.D. graduated magna cum laude from the University of Mississippi in 2020 and then from Belmont University College of Law in May 2023. She now works as an associate with Neal & Harwell, PLC.

Saffee Croker ’17 completed her Master of Social Work at the University of Kansas and earned her LMSW licensure for full-time practice. She will begin her career at Cottonwood Springs Mental Health Facility in Olathe, Kansas.

Cammie Douglass ’17 received her Master of Social Work in clinical social work and works as a full-time therapist at Nashville Collaborative Counseling Center.

Kelsey Kay Herring ’17 graduated with her Master of Education in human development counseling with a specialization in school counseling from Peabody College at Vanderbilt University in August of 2023. She began her education career with Cheatham County Schools as a guidance counselor at Kingston Springs Elementary School.

Grace Anne Holladay ’17 is in her final year of medical school at the University of Tennessee Health and Science Center College of Medicine and serves as class president.

Halle Petrie ’18 and Emily Petroni ’17 received their white coats at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine’s class of 2027 white coat ceremony.

After completing her internship with Ernst and Young, Melissa Baioni ’18 accepted a full-time position in the Birmingham, Alabama, office in the assurance services practice after obtaining her Master of Accounting from the University of Alabama in the fall of 2023.

Lizzy Blade ’18 began her journey as a “Medcat” by receiving her white coat and joining the class of 2027 at the University of Cincinnati Medical School.

Madison Miller ’18 earned her Master of Business Administration from Vanderbilt University’s Owen School of Management. She was a corporate affairs intern at Chevron in Houston and accepted a full-time position as a social investment advisor with the company.

Bushra Rahman ’18 was awarded a Fulbright English Teaching Assistants Award for the 2023-2024 year and is working as an English teaching assistant at Polytechnic of Leiria in Leiria, Portugal.

Cole Hastings ’19 graduated from Wake Forest University in May 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a concentration in crime and criminal justice. She currently works as a court advocate for The Center for Alternative Sentencing and Employment Services, a nonprofit that is one of New York City’s leading providers of bail and jail alternatives, mental health treatment, and education and employment programs for youth and adults who are involved in the justice system.

Bianca Sass ’19 premiered her original play entitled “Babydoll” on Sept. 27, 2023, at the Looby Center Theater in Nashville. “Babydoll” is a coming-of-age tale that takes inspiration from Ibsen’s “A Doll’s House” but is set in a near-future dystopia.

Gracie Stambaugh ’19 graduated magna cum laude from Wake Forest University with a degree in psychology. She is a part of Marriott International’s Voyage Global Leadership Development Program at the Ritz-Carlton Club in Vail, Colorado.

Lillian Stowe ’19 graduated from NYU Tisch School of the Arts, earning a Bachelor of Fine Arts in drama with the New Studio on Broadway and NYU Florence’s Commedia Dell’Arte program. Lillian is an actor, vocalist, dancer, and writer based in New York City.

Ann Chapman Tirrill ’19 graduated magna cum laude from the University of Colorado Boulder in May 2023. She is now working as department education coordinator at Vanderbilt Law School.

Rachel Watson ’19 graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in nursing from the University of Arkansas. She currently works as a labor and delivery nurse at Northwest Medical Center in Bentonville, Arkansas. Rachel will return to the University of Arkansas in the spring of 2024 to begin her Doctor of Nursing practice, a practice-focused doctorate for nurses who desire a terminal degree with a clinical focus.

Margaret Ann Whitton ’19 graduated from Loyola University New Orleans with her bachelor’s degree in music industry studies. She served as president of Delta Gamma sorority.

Julia Yakushi ’19 swam for Southern Methodist University for four years and was voted team captain for the 2022-2023 season.

Seville Croker ’20 earned a Fulbright-Hays Scholarship to travel to Kenya for intensive language study of Swahili and cultural study of East Africa in a global context. She spent two months of summer 2023 in Nairobi and Kilifi.

Ainsley Hanrahan ’20 has one semester left before attaining her bachelor’s degree from Washington University in St. Louis. She was selected for and accepted a position with the teaching assistant program in France. This French Ministry of National Education program is run by France Education International and staffed through the TAPIF program within the United States. She will be living outside of Bordeaux, France, and instructing high school students in English and American culture. She plans to volunteer at a hospital, as well as take advantage of the opportunity to explore France.

Gaby Viner ’20 and Alix Albright ’17 connected in Paris in 2023 while Gaby interned at a French publishing house, and where Alix works as a sustainability consultant for PricewaterhouseCoopers. They also connected with past Head of School Ann Teaff in Paris over the summer.

Mary Collins ’21 serves as secretary for the Howard University Mock Trial team. For her #IMockBecause phrase, Mary chose: “It motivates me to think critically and lead confidently. These skills are essential to dominating the courtroom as a minority.”

Tess Haws ’21 is completing a combined degree program at Colorado School of Mines and will earn a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering and master’s degree in quantum engineering.

Ava Malnati ’21 was elected chapter president of Pi Beta Phi sorority at Lehigh University.

Fiona Muldowney ’21 was named to the University of Mississippi’s Spring 2023 Honor Roll list. She is majoring in accountancy, was named to the Chancellor’s Honor Roll, which is reserved for students who earn a semester GPA of 3.75-4.00.

Sinclair Walker ’21 serves as a University Ambassador at Washington & Lee University, where she is a junior majoring in

art history (criticism and conservation) and Spanish. She also hosts a weekly radio show that broadcasts throughout Lexington, Virginia, and online. True to her Nashville roots, she plays mostly singer-songwriter music, including music by artists she knows from home. Tune in to WLUR 91.5 FM.

Kat Guma ’22 is in her sophomore year at Duke University. She traveled abroad to France last summer, and through her efforts during her freshman year and the summer, she secured enough credits to earn her French minor. She represented both Duke University and the United States at the commemorative ceremony for “Diable Bleus” at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris. She is a member of Tri Delta sorority and accepted a pivotal role as director of academic excellence within the Duke chapter, where she tutors her sorority sisters and provides academic support.

Current freshman at the United States Naval Academy, Isabella Baldwin ’23, led Navy’s rifle team to a school-record performance to finish second overall at the President’s Trophy Match in November, where she won the competition smallbore event.

Virginia Callen ’23 earned her Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification during her fall gap semester program in Wyoming and Montana with Wilderness Adventures Leadership Institute. She starts as a “Feb” at Middlebury College in Vermont this winter.

Caroline Ford ’23 graduated from new student indoctrination for Naval ROTC last summer and received the Midshipman Candidate Toughness Award. This award is given to a Midshipman Candidate who

consistently strives to push to their greatest physical and mental limits in all aspects of daily life. This fall, she started her path in training to become an officer in the United States Marine Corps. She is a freshman at Vanderbilt University.

Blessen Jolobi ’23 had her artwork highlighted at Cheekwood during the Black Arts Bash celebration in August 2023.

Lailah Rucker ’23, a first-year student at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, was one of the artists whose design was selected for the school’s annual “Banner Drop” at Neyland Stadium. The homecoming tradition involves various campus clubs and organizations competing for first place in two divisions: orange and white. This year’s theme was “There’s No Place Like Neyland.” Lailah represented the First-Year Leadership Council, a branch of UTK’s undergraduate Student Government Association, and won first place in the white division. The banner measures 9 x 12 feet, and the painting process took five days. When interviewed by WBIR Channel 10, Lailah said, “This week has made me feel like I made the right decision coming to Tennessee. It’s really awesome to see how much people genuinely love this school.”

Ally Harper ’98

son, Campbell Elliott McKone, on May 13, 2023

Raleigh Anne Blank Gray ’03

son, Wheeler William Gunter Gray, on Sept. 21, 2023

Liz Stewart DeJesús ’04

son, Arthur Stewart DeJesús, on Dec. 12, 2022

Mallory Atkins Goodson ’05

son, Grady James Goodson, on Aug. 1, 2022

Ellen Hammer Stroop ’05

daughter, Avery Charlotte Stroop, on Oct. 17, 2023

Paige Watson Bacon ’06

daughter, Daisy Marie Bacon, on July 7, 2023

Lindsay Jacques Irving ’06

daughter, Elizabeth Jane Irving, on Nov. 2, 2023

Dede Nesbitt Palmer ’06

son, Thomas Hull Palmer, on March 10, 2023

Allison Phipps Schoen ’06

daughter, Raney Jean Schoen, on July 24, 2023

Casey Robinson Horton ’07

son, Dudley "Cannon" Horton, on July 5, 2023

Reed Pankey ’07

daughter, Laney Marigold Scholtec, on Sept. 11, 2023

Kathleen Geer Petro ’07 daughter, Annie Herrington Petro, on Sept. 5, 2023

Kate Corcoran Sias ’07 daughter, Elizabeth "Libby" Thomas Sias, on April 12, 2023

Mary Tek Sykes ’07 daughter, Edith Rose Sykes, on July 25, 2023

Erin Brooks Fenner ’08 son, Archie Brooks Fenner, on Sept. 22, 2023

Frances Phipps Grote ’08 son, Carl August Grote V, on Sept. 29, 2023

Beth Binkley Mason ’08 daughter, Caroline Nell Mason, on May 23, 2023

Caroline Prince ’08 daughter, Adaira Charlotte Erke, on Nov. 17, 2023

Sarah Andrews Benton ’09 daughter, Mary Margaret Benton, on May 26, 2023

Channing Garber Brown ’09 daughter, Caroline Glenna Brown, on June 20, 2023

Phoebe Carver Lane ’09 son, Tobias John Lane, on Feb 15, 2023

Kara Earthman Tucker ’09 daughter, Virginia Douglass Tucker, on Dec. 8, 2022

Lia Pendleton Dameron ’10 daughter, Basilia “Silia” Zita Dameron, on June 20, 2023

Tess Erlenborn Davies ’10 daughter, Agnes Hope Davies, on Aug. 23, 2023

Katie Davidson Henderson ’10 daughter, Louisa "Weezie" Margot Henderson, on July 5, 2023

Lucy Meadors Moorer ’10 daughter, “Jane Clay” Moorer, and son, Marvin “Tate” Moorer, on Aug. 10, 2023

Mary Allyn Johnson Price ’10 son, Luke Jonathan Price, on May 31, 2023 Carly Rolfe Symington ’10 daughter, Virginia Gayle Symington, on Nov. 25, 2023

Cristine Osteen Terasaki ’10 daughter, Harper Sena Terasaki, on April 7, 2023

Allison Stark Walker ’10 son, Wesley Jude Walker, on Sept. 4, 2023

Anna Carro Abernathy ’11 daughter, Eleanor Grace Abernathy, on Sept. 22, 2023

Madison Longmire Fisher ’11 son, Wendell Robert Fisher, on July 1, 2023

Lexi Mossman Hammerman ’11 daughter, Sarah Elizabeth Hammerman, on Aug. 9, 2023

Michele Martin Sullivan ’11 daughter, Quinn Alexandra Sullivan, on Aug. 26, 2023

Sara Anderson Tynes ’11 daughter, Margaret Anderson Tynes, on Sept. 7, 2023

Laura Mullin Vermillion ’11 daughter, Sarah Katherine Vermillion, on Aug. 11, 2023

Margaret Anne Pendleton Betz ’12 daughter, Penny Elizabeth Betz, on May 23, 2023

Noni Hill Fisher ’12 son, Harry James Fisher, on Nov. 10, 2023

Claire Crawford Gough ’12 son, Kenneth "Kenny" Deacon Gough, on March 31, 2023

Catherine Andrews Burkholder ’13 son, Stroud King Burkholder, on Nov. 16, 2023

Bonnie Scott ’13 daughter, Johnnie Lou Keegin, on April 19, 2023

Hannah Peterson Meskimen ’14 son, Harvey Beau Meskimen, on Aug. 25, 2023

Elise LaGrone Swayze ’15 son, Knox Warren Swayze, on Sept. 5, 2023

Campbell Elliott McKone

Luke Jonathan Price

Sarah Elizabeth Hammerman

Annie Herrington Petro

We welcome photos in our Class Notes, Marriages, and Births sections. We prefer high resolution, 300 dpi jpegs. Email your digital photos to the Director of Alumnae Relations Scottie Coombs at coombs@harpethhall.org.

Arthur Stewart DeJesús

Carl August Grote V

Eleanor Grace Abernathy

Grady James Goodson

Raney Jean Schoen

Laney Marigold Scholtec

Elizabeth Thomas Sias

Mary Margaret Benton

Tobias John Lane

Harper Sena Terasaki

Wendell Robert Fisher

Margaret Anderson Tynes

Stroud King Burkholder

Harvey Beau Meskimen

Virginia Gayle Symington

Kenneth Deacon Gough

Dara Russell ’85

to Mike Bussard on July 31, 2023

Anne Nicholas Weiss ’98

to Elizabeth Evans on May 20, 2023

Suzanne Lewis ’07

to Kevin Xu on March 30, 2023

Mary Fowler Howell ’07

to Andrew Triggs on June 9, 2023

Brooke Worthington ‘07

to Turnbull Pursley on Oct. 8, 2022

Grace Wright ’08

to Mary Kollhoff Hulme on June 25, 2022

Anne McWhirter ’08

to Andrew Stark on July 15, 2023

Rachel Styers ’08

to Rudy Newman on Oct. 14, 2023

Jessica Bauguess ’10

to Ryan Cattie on June 17, 2023

Claire Cato ’10

to Chris Hanson on April 29, 2023

Justine Brittain ’10

to Curtis Vann on May 6, 2023

Angie Zambrano ’10

to Zhanwen Chen on Aug. 26, 2023

Kelly Lassing ’11

to Georges Durot on Oct. 29, 2022

Kat Milam ’11

to Sean Berkowitz on Sept. 30, 2023

Cele Hammet ’11

to Braddock Oaks on Dec. 18, 2021

Anna Gorney ’13

to Joe Bridges on Sept. 23, 2023

Morgan Flynn ’13

to Cole Schott on Sept. 30, 2023

Cason Blackwell

Morgan Flynn

Dara Russell

Carolyn Edwards

Mary Fowler Howell

Justine Brittain

Anna LeBleu

Miranda Ronnow

Sarah Gorham

Anna LeBleu ’13

to Jay Winkelman on Sept. 23, 2023

Mary Denton Stumb ’13

to Captain William Harrison McFadden on July 29, 2023

Miranda Ronnow ’13

to Cameron McCoig on April 22, 2023

Reid Patton ’14

to Kevin Fleishman on Sept. 30, 2023

Katherine Woosley ’14

to Fred Harwell on Oct. 7, 2023

Cason Blackwell ’14

to Skyler Milner on Sept. 30, 2023

Sarah Gorham ’15

to Sam Johnson on Sept. 30, 2023

Virginia Burns ’15

to Worth McAlister on Sept. 30, 2023

Morgan Dalton ’15

to Tommy Walsh on June 24, 2023

Carolyn Edwards ’15

to Matt West on Sept. 16, 2023

Emmie Factor ’15

to Creed Wynn on Nov. 4, 2023

Rachel Miller ’16

to Matthew Braun on Nov. 4, 2023

Sarah Perlin '16

to Benjamin Gaffney on April 1, 2023

Mary Winston Reames ’16

to Kevin Cramer on Nov. 11, 2023

Eleanor Smith ’16

to Jake Estes on Oct. 28, 2023

Alex Scott ’16

to Ishan Bhardwaj on Oct. 7, 2023

Cele Hammet

Anna Gorney

Reid Patton

Katherine Woosley

Sarah Perlin

Eleanor Smith

Angie Zambrano

Mary Winston Reames

ALUMNAE

Marjorie Terry Kadel WB C’44, of Jacksonville, Florida, passed away Sept. 19, 2023. Marjorie was an avid tennis and golf player and enjoyed traveling. She is survived by two sons, one daughter, one stepson, 10 grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren.

Clara Knox Allison WB ’43, of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Sept. 3, 2023. She taught ballet and enjoyed tennis. Clara is survived by two daughters, one son, a daughter-in-law, and six grandchildren.

Ernestine "Ernie" Morris Carmichael Raclin WB ’45, of South Bend, Indiana, passed away July 13, 2023. Ernie was a Harpeth Hall trustee from 1955-1957. She is survived by four children, four step-children, 16 grandchildren, including Shelley Carmichael McClary ’92, and 23 great-grandchildren.

Sarah Prentiss Fain WB ’48, of Montgomery, Alabama, passed away April 3, 2023. She worked at Alabama Power Company and in banking. She is survived by her daughter, three grandchildren, two great-grandchildren, and nieces and nephews.

Katherine "Kitty" Garrott McClintock WB ’49 of Tunica, Mississippi and Memphis, Tennessee, passed away June 11, 2023. Kitty was active in many community organizations. She is survived by two sons, two daughters, eight grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren.

Lovelyn English Hughes C’51, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, passed away May 4, 2023. She is survived by her husband, daughter, son, and three grandchildren.

Mary Prentiss Matthews WB ’52, of Houston, Texas, passed away Sept. 18, 2023. Mary worked in banking and sang in her church choir for many years. She is survived by her son, two granddaughters, nieces and nephews.

Jacqueline Richardson Angelus ’55, of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Oct. 20, 2023. She had a career in radiology, and enjoyed the outdoors and taking care of animals. Jacque is survived by her brother, and many nieces and nephews.

Ann Akin Dilley ’56, of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Oct. 11, 2023. She is survived by her son, daughter-in-law, and granddaughter.

Ada Rasmussen Almering ’60, of Atlanta, Georgia, passed away Oct. 17, 2023. She was fluent in five languages and loved to travel. Ada is survived by her husband, one son, one daughter, a brother, and three grandchildren.

Kathleen Pace Webb ’65, of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away July 8, 2023. Kathy had a career in education and then transitioned to human resources where she retired as an executive. She is survived by two brothers, a sister, nieces and nephews, including Courtney Pace Weiler ’95 and Katherine Pace Snyder ’98, and great-nieces and nephews, including Emma Weiler ’29.

Julia "Judy" Ann Hicks Ison ’69, of Columbia, South Carolina, passed away June 3, 2023. Her love of horses and riding continued throughout her life, and she was also a community volunteer and accomplished artist. Judy is survived by her daughter, four sisters, including Robin Hicks Owen ’79 and Susan Hicks Ezell ’78, a brother, her granddaughter, and many nieces and nephews.

Kelly Ann Inman McKinney ’91, of Charleston, South Carolina, passed away Aug. 17, 2023. She was a successful paralegal and a rescue dog volunteer. Kelly Ann is survived by her parents, her sister, daughter, and stepfather.

FORMER FACULTY

Francis Edward "Rick" Carter III of Nashville passed away on Aug. 4, 2023.

Born into a family of teachers, he attended several independent schools before his father became headmaster of Montgomery Bell Academy in 1957. After graduating from Vanderbilt University, he taught history at several area schools including Harpeth Hall from 1974-1975. He later sold real estate for over 30 years. Rick is survived by his sister Anne Carter Brothers ’59, three nephews, and several great-nieces and nephews.

Laetitia Wenning Hardin WB '49 of Nashville passed away Nov. 11, 2023.

Laetitia graduated from Vanderbilt University with a bachelor's degree in mathematics and became a math teacher at Cohn High School. She taught math at Harpeth Hall from 1968-1979 with her entertaining wit and remained supportive following her 11 years on the faculty. Laetitia was an avid tennis player in her younger years and enjoyed regular bridge games and lunches with friends. She was a member of the congregation at West End Methodist Church and then First Presbyterian Church. She is survived by her brother, three sons, two daughters-in-law including Kim Sumner Hardin ’72, one grandson, and her granddaughter Taylor Hardin ’16.

Reverend Henry Perkins Minton Jr. of Gallatin, Tennessee, passed away Oct. 8, 2023.

“Father Pete” received extensive education from Vanderbilt University, Miami University in Ohio, and Sewanee: The University of the South with master’s degrees in history, philosophy, English, educational psychology, and psychology. He was a teacher in area schools for 18 years and was dean of the upper school at Harpeth Hall from 1972-1974. Father Pete was past rector of Church of the Resurrection in Loudon, Tennessee, St. Paul's Episcopal Church in Kingsport, Tennessee, and both Church of Our Savior and St. Michael's Anglican Church in Gallatin. In addition, he was the founding chaplain for the Gallatin Police Department and director of spirituality for Pathfinders and Buffalo Valley. He is survived by his wife, three sons, one daughter, six grandchildren, and seven great grandchildren.

PAST TRUSTEES

Jo Ann Denman Akers of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Sept. 10, 2023. Jo Ann served as a Harpeth Hall trustee from 1981-1984. She attended Randolph-Macon Women's College in Ashland, Virginia for two years and graduated from The University of Oklahoma. In addition to Harpeth Hall, she served on the boards of The Salvation Army, Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee, and she volunteered at Cheekwood. She is survived by her brother, two sons, daughters Kelly Akers Linton ’77 and Andrée Akers LeQuire ’80, nine grandchildren including Sterling Akers ’17, seven great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews.

Risley Pomeroy Lawrence of Nashville, Tennessee, passed away Aug. 27, 2023. Risley was a Harpeth Hall trustee from 1968-1980 and served as treasurer from 1974-1976. In addition to Harpeth Hall, Risley served on boards including Red Cross, Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee, Vine Street Christian Church, Metro Charitable Solicitations Board, and the United Way. He built his career at Third National Bank over 46 years and retired as executive vice president. He is survived by his daughter, Wendy Lawrence Zerface ’64, his son, grandchildren including Lellyett Wentworth ’92 and Amanda Wentworth ’98, and two great-grandchildren.

Ernestine “Ernie” Morris Carmichel Raclin WB ’45 of South Bend, Indiana, passed away July 13, 2023. After Ward-Belmont, Ernie attended Briarcliff College and St. Mary’s College at Notre Dame. She served as a Harpeth Hall trustee from 1955-1957. Ernie's legacy is wide and deep both in leadership and in philanthropy from arts, culture and social services to economic development and education. She tirelessly gave herself in volunteer leadership and business commitment. She is survived by her four children, four stepchildren, sixteen grandchildren including Shelley Carmichael McClary ’92, and 23 great-grandchildren.

The Annual Fund

Richard and I are honored to serve as the Annual Fund chairs this year. We strongly believe that Harpeth Hall’s mission — educating young women to think critically, to lead confidently, and to live honorably — is essential in our community.

While I come from a family of many Harpeth Hall and WardBelmont graduates including both grandmothers, my mother, Susan Glasgow Brown ’60, and several aunts and cousins, I did not fully understand what a gift my Harpeth Hall education was until college and beyond. I realized that my incredible teachers and friends had instilled in me a love of learning, a confidence in my abilities, and the knowledge that my voice matters.

It has been a great joy for Richard and me to experience being Harpeth Hall parents for the last eight years and to watch our daughter, Susanna ’23, cross Souby Lawn in her white dress this past May. Like my own, the arc of her education from 5th grade to graduation recorded countless moments of being nurtured and challenged by her teachers, coaches, advisors, and peers. Along the way, she has built a solid foundation of knowledge, resilience, and curiosity requisite to a purposeful life.

My years at Harpeth Hall looked different in many ways from my mother’s, grandmothers’, and daughter’s. Yet, our experiences were similar in all the important ways. We all received an incredible

education combined with an understanding of the complex world beyond our campus as well as meaningful friendships that stand the test of time.

It is a true privilege to work alongside our many dedicated volunteers — talented parents, grandparents, alumnae, past parents, and trustees — and see the generosity of our community at work through the Annual Fund. Together, our gifts allow each Harpeth Hall girl to benefit from the education, experiences, and opportunities that are unique to this school. Thank you to those who have contributed and who plan to contribute this year. Your investment in the young women of Harpeth Hall will appreciate for many years to come.

Richard and Barbara Keith Brown Payne ’85 2023-24 Annual Fund Chairs

Jamie, Barbara Keith, Susanna, Brown, and Richard

Back REUNION 2024

FRIDAY, MAY 3

Milestones Society Luncheon

1954, 1959, 1964, and 1969 celebrating their 70th, 65th, 60th, and 55th reunions

Friday, May 3 and Saturday, May 4, 2024 HarpethHall.org/alumnae

11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Marnie Sheridan Gallery

Campus Tours led by Student Ambassadors 3:30 p.m.

Meet outside the Bullard Bright IDEA Lab

Harpeth Hall Today

Conversation with Head of School Jess Hill, students, and faculty

4:15 – 5:15 p.m.

Bullard Bright IDEA Lab — Meeting Room and Commons

Followed by a wine and cheese reception from 5:15 – 6 p.m.