ANNUAL REPORT ON PHILANTHROPY INSIDE
P H OTO BY M O L LY G L E Y D U R A ’ 1 8
Kathleen Osborne Editor Vanessa Butler Art Director Reena S. Goodwin Digital Editor Amanda Seifert Associate Editor
administrative team: Fran Bisselle Head of School
Sue Sadler Sheri Homany Associate Assoc. Head Head of School of School & Director of Upper School
Elizabeth Pinkerton Sarah Johnston Director of Enrollment Management Assoc. Head for Enrollment Management
Hallie Ritzman Sharon Baker Director of Upper School
Director of Middle School
Sharon Baker Katherine Director of Middle ZopattiSchool Director of Primary School
Katherine Zopatti Jane Brown Director of Primary School Director of Early Childhood
Jane Brown Mary Rainsberger Director of Early Childhood Director of Advancement
Mary Rainsberger
Director of Advancement
alumnae relations team: Dana alumnae Lovelacerelations Capers ’86 team: Director of Alumnae Relations
Dana Lovelace Capers ’86 Tina Reifsnyder Director of Alumnae Relations Alumnae Relations Coordinator
Tina Reifsnyder
Alumnae Relations Coordinator
19600 North Park Boulevard Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122 216.320.8785 If you’d like to cancel delivery of HB magazine, please email publications@hb.edu. Parents: If your daughter is not receiving this magazine at her permanent address, please notify publications@hb.edu so that it may be mailed directly to her.
Producing this publication is a labor of love, and we hope with each issue that our readers will be inspired by the stories and images we share. Such was the case with our Spring/Summer 2017 magazine, “Heartbeat of HB: The Student Issue.” The book generated all sorts of buzz for its dazzling gallery of artistic pieces created by HB girls of all ages. Of course, we’re not surprised that people were impressed with and inspired by the gorgeous drawings, paintings, and essays composed by our students, but we were delighted that so many alumnae, parents, and friends of the school appreciated the issue so deeply and took the time to tell us. One HB graduate in particular so loved the magazine’s cover—a colorful new take on the Mona Lisa by MacKenna O’Hara ’17— that she asked us to put her in touch with the artist. The image depicts MacKenna’s classmate Delani Hughes ’17 as a work of art. When she saw the painting, Benita Pearson knew she had to have the original. She wrote to us not long after the painting arrived at her home:
MacKenna O’Hara’s modern interpretation of the Mona Lisa appealed to me emotionally the moment I first saw it. It encouraged me to take time out to examine my personal and professional life experiences. It is an image of my younger self staring, rather intensely, back at me— ruminating about the goals I set out to accomplish early on and the woman I was determined to be—independent, inspirational, well educated, and, most importantly, disciplined in a profession that enables me to give back to those in my community and beyond. O’Hara’s unsparing use of vivid colors and finely controlled strokes create the illusion of texture in the subject’s hair and clothes. Her careful application of splashes of color along the left side of the subject’s face truly brings this modern interpretation of the Mona Lisa to life. The painting serves both as a source of accomplishment and motivation for me, knowing that I have achieved my goals, and am in a position of trust and power to help others achieve their own. Now, with this painting hanging in my dining room, I am able to relive this most marvelous sensation every day. Benita Pearson ’81, United States District Judge
Thank you to MacKenna, Delani, Benita, and everyone else who enriches and mirrors the HB experience within and beyond the pages of this magazine.
We’d love to hear from you! Share your thoughts with HB. Letters to the editor may be sent to kosborne@hb.edu or to the school’s mailing address. We welcome feedback through our social media channels as well. Find us on Facebook under Hathaway Brown School or send us a tweet at @HathawayBrown.
PHOTO BY SHANNON AHLSTRAND PHOTOGRAPHY
excerpted from Dr. Bisselle’s 2017-2018 opening day remarks This year at Hathaway Brown, our theme is Courage, Character, and Kindness. We chose this theme because HB women throughout our history have valued this trifecta of virtues. Courage, Character, and Kindness define you not just for school, but for life. Even before HB was founded, when we were just an idea back in 1876, when Grace, Carrie, Clara, Dolly, and Carrie approached the head of the Brooks Military Academy and wished to be admitted into the prestigious all-boys school, they embraced courage. Perhaps courage could be called HB’s first virtue. In our earliest history, we became defined as a community courageously pursuing inclusivity. Of course if these five young women did not have an ethical reputation and strong character, I assume the conversation would have ended pretty quickly. It was perhaps their strong character that enabled them to gain multiple audiences with John White, headmaster of Brooks Military Academy, who was willing to listen. Clearly these were women of integrity. Being honest—with your work, your feelings, your responsibilities—has long been one of HB’s core values
Mark Twain once said, “Kindness is the language which the deaf can hear and the blind can see.” It is the universal moral code of treating others the way you would like to be treated. How we can make sure that every student feels safe to call HB home. It is our moral responsibility to champion kindness as we accept our community’s diversity. The Brooks Military Academy did not last into the 1900s, closing its doors in 1891, yet Hathaway Brown is still going strong today. Why? I believe it has something to do with Courage, Character, and Kindness found throughout the generations of women who have been trailblazers in HB’s tradition—finding a passion for learning and having in their hearts a constant devotion to strong character and public service. We survived and thrived not only because we have the very best academic program in Cleveland and we are considered one of the very best schools in the country, but also because we believe in and live out the values of Courage, Character, and Kindness.
Dr. Mary Frances Bisselle Head of School
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setting the tone
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index
alumnae featured in this issue Catherine Areklett ’17 – HB Fares Well in International Fair, pg. 6; Athletics Accolades, pg. 18 Celia Barrett ’14 – Where Are They Now?, pg. 30 Hannah Bartell ’10 – Dedication to the Mission, pg. 7 Cynthia Bassett ’57 – Held in High Esteem, pg. 34 Hadley Bell ’10 – Where Are They Now?, pg. 22 Regan Brady ’17 – Highest Honors, pg. 7 Beth Brzozowski ’14 – Where Are They Now?, pg. 26 Frances Seiberling Buchholzer ’52 – Held in High Esteem, pg. 35 Cameron Dorsey ’10 – Athletics Accolades, pg. 18 Morgan Dorsey ’08 – Athletics Accolades, pg. 18 Lina Ghosh ’17 – Highest Honors, pg. 7 Andreanna Hardy ’17 – Where Are They Now?, pg. 24 Delani Hughes ’17 – Editor’s Letter, pg. 2 Ariana Iranpour ’14 – Athletics Accolades, pg. 18 Allison McCarley Jackson ’87 – Held in High Esteem, pg. 36 Leah Ridgeway Jackson ’99 – Engaging Education, pg. 40 Monica Ramsey Jordan ’87 – Held in High Esteem, pg. 37 Ananya Kalahasti ’17 – HB Fares Well in International Fair, pg. 6 Nia Marshall ’13 – Where Are They Now?, pg. 20 Susan Manuel ’67 – Held in High Esteem, pg. 35
contributors
If you’d like to become a contributor to HB magazine, please email kosborne@hb.edu or call 216.320.8785.
Sharon Baker
Making the Most of the Middle - page 12 Director of Middle School Sharon Baker has served Hathaway Brown in various capacities since 2005. A former English teacher, Sharon was Middle School English department chair and dean of faculty at Hathaway Brown’s Aspire program before taking on her current role. Her interest in adolescent development and dedication to girls’ education is the thread that runs through all of these experiences. Sharon laughs every day with Middle School girls and values helping them learn and grow through tricky teenage years. It will be a while before Sharon navigates this territory with her own children, twins Cooper and Nolan, who are enrolled in HB’s Early Childhood program.
Molly Gleydura ’18 Contributing Photographer
Hathaway Brown senior Molly Gleydura became interested in photography the moment she stepped into the darkroom in Jamie Morse’s photo lab at Hathaway Brown. She’s now compiling a portfolio to earn a designation as a fellow in HB’s Center for the Creative Arts. When she’s not behind the lens, Molly is earning additional graduation designations from the Osborne Writing Center, Center for Global Citizenship, and Science Research & Engineering Program, which has her working in a lab testing polymers designed to help protect astronauts from the harmful effects of ultra-high energy intergalactic cosmic rays. She’s a member of HB’s Speech & Debate team and she plays second base and pitches for the Blazer Varsity Softball team. After graduation, she hopes to study psychology and become a child-life specialist.
Torrey McMillan ’90 – Engaging Education, pg. 40 Kristen McPhillips ’06 – Athletics Accolades, pg. 18 Caroline Millican ’17 – Where Are They Now?, pg. 30 Kayla Musso ’14 – Where Are They Now?, pg. 22 MacKenna O’Hara ’17 – Editor’s Letter, pg. 2 Logan Paul ’14 – Where Are They Now?, pg. 22 Claire Pavlak ’08 – Where Are They Now?, pg. 23 Benita Pearson ’81 – Editor’s Letter, pg. 2 Ally Persky ’17 – Athletics Accolades, pg. 18; Quotable, pg. 98 Lani Smith ’10 – Where Are They Now?, pg. 21 Vanessa Smith ’13 – Where Are They Now?, pg. 26
HB.edu/magazine
The contents of this publication—with the exception of Class News for privacy reasons—are posted online. To maximize your experience, we’ve made a wide array of additional material related to the featured stories available as well, including videos, photo galleries, and Internet resources.
contents Cover Story
16 Blazing Trails
Since its inception, Hathaway Brown has been a leader in girls’ education and athletics. We take a look back to see how far we’ve come.
20 Where Are They Now?
Catching up with former Blazers
News from North Park
6 HB Highlights 32 Locker Room Features
12 Making the Most of the Middle
Hathaway Brown gives girls in grades 5-8 the freedom and intentional support they need to individualize their learning, stretch their boundaries, find their voices, and be their own best advocates.
HB honors the 2017 Alumnae Award recipients.
34 Held in High Esteem 38 Engaging Education
Interdisciplinary Vitae Term curriculum helps students “learn for life.”
2016–2017 REPORT ON PHILANTHROPY Alumnae News
39 A Note from the Alumnae Office
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Class News and Alumnae Giving 95 Brides, Babies, Memorials
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PHOTO BY JASON MILLER
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HB fares well
in international fair Four Hathaway Brown students spent May 14-19 in Los Angeles, where they competed in the Intel ISEF (International Science & Engineering Fair), the largest pre-college science fair in the world. While they were there, Isha Lele ’18 was awarded the Third Place Grand Award of $1,000 in the category of Materials Science, joining the ranks of only 15 HB students enrolled in the school’s Science Research & Engineering Program in the past 19 years to win a Grand Award. Additionally, Isha and Ananya Kalahasti ’17 were given special awards from the Naval Science Awards Program. Students attending earned the right to compete at Intel ISEF 2017 by winning a top prize at a local, regional, state, or national science fair. Each year, approximately 1,800 high school students from more than 75 countries, regions, and territories are awarded the opportunity to showcase their independent research and compete for on average $4 million in prizes. The participating HB students won all expenses-paid trips to compete at ISEF as Finalists by advancing through the Hathaway Brown 19h Annual Poster Session judging in March:
Catherine Areklett, ’17: Surface versus Bulk Chiral Orientation Effects in Liquid Crystals with Dr. Charles Rosenblatt at Case Western Reserve University, Ananya Kalahasti, ’17: Presence of Plasmodium falciparum Gametocytes with Asymptomatic Malaria with Dr. Brian Grimberg at Case Western Reserve University Isha Lele, ’18: Investigating the Design of Nanoparticles to Target Difficult-to-Reach Tumor Sites with Dr. Efstathios Karathanasis at Case Western Reserve University, Maya Razmi, ’18: Heteromultivalent Approaches to Clot-targeted Nanomedicine: Combination Targeting of Platelets and Fibrin with Dr. Anirban Sen Gupta at Case Western Reserve University. HB has been honored to award spots to ISEF each year based on the quantity and excellence of the science and engineering research being performed in partnership with Cleveland institutions such as Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, NASA Glenn Research Center, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.
in good company On top of being an amazing school, Hathaway Brown is an amazing place to work. And for the fourth consecutive year, we’re honored to have been named one of the 2017 Top Workplaces in Northeast Ohio by The Plain Dealer. Ask our faculty what they like best about HB and you might hear comments about the school’s on-site child care center, yoga and fitness classes for employees, monthly chair massages offered by an HB alumna, the fabulous lunches served every day in our beautiful dining hall, or about the myriad professional development opportunities available. You may hear how employees are encouraged to dream big, to try new things, and to make the most of themselves as educators and human beings. But what you’ll certainly hear again and again is how much everyone who works here is inspired by the passion and perseverance of our students and how much we enjoy being surrounded by some of the brightest, friendliest, hardest working people you’ll find anywhere in the world.
meritorious achievement Of the 10 Ohio high school students named 2017-2018 Melvin Scholars by The Ohio Academy of Science, five are HB seniors. Tae-Hee Kim, Yuanchun Li, Amaya Razmi, Anika Rede, and Michelle Yin will represent Ohio at the American Junior Academy of Science meeting, which will be held in conjunction with the American Association for the Advancement of Science annual meeting in Austin, Texas, in February. There, they’ll connect with other accomplished students from across the country, and with world-renowned science and engineering professionals from around the world.
highest honors
Established in 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was created by Executive Order of the President to recognize some of our nation’s most distinguished students graduating from high school. The Scholars represent “excellence in education and the promise of greatness in young people.” Regan and Lina were identified for the program based on their high academic achievement. Remarkably, this is the second consecutive year that HB has had two students from the same class earn this distinction. Hathaway Brown is proud to be the alma mater of eight alumnae who were named U.S. Presidential Scholars in their senior years: Isabella Nilsson ’16, Kavya Ravichandran ’16, Alyssa Bryan ’13, Laney Kuenzel Zamore ’08, Amy Hollinger ’05, Edith Hines Williams ’00, Caroline Campbell ’98, and Genevieve Mathieson Kilmer ’96.
dedication
to the mission Please join us in congratulating the following members of the Hathaway Brown faculty, staff, and administration who celebrated milestone anniversaries with the school in 2016-2017. 5 Years of Service: Hannah Bartell ’10, Jody Duecker, Grace Kattan, Chelsea McCallum, Jennifer Stilson; 10 Years of Service: Bill Adler, Vanessa Butler, Wayne Hatcher, Paul Korney, Kathleen Osborne, Hallie Ritzman; 15 Years of Service: Gail Fisher, Barbara Harris, Kristen Wise, Jill Spano, David Williams; 20 Years of Service: Lisa Jahnke, Barry Kallmeyer, Mary Kay Patton; 30 Years of Service: Lise deConingh, Sheri Homany; 35 Years of Service: Deb Southard.
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Two members of the Hathaway Brown Class of 2017 have been named U.S. Presidential Scholars. This prestigious honor is reserved for only up to 161 graduating high school seniors in the United States each year. Regan Brady ’17 and Lina Ghosh ’17 were honored for their academic accomplishments through the National Recognition Program and were guests of the U.S. Department of Education at a special ceremony in June. They each received an all-expenses-paid trip to the nation’s capital to meet with government officials and educators. To commemorate the achievement, the Scholars were invited to Washington, D.C., where they received Presidential Scholar Medallions at a ceremony sponsored by the White House. Each Scholar was able to select a teacher who has influenced her life to be part of the ceremony. Regan selected Middle School History Department Chair and Speech & Debate Coach Jason Habig to join her, while Lina chose Director of the Center for Global Citizenship Joe Vogel for the honor.
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great chemistry Nearly 5,200 students across the globe sat for the Avogadro Exam in May, and a record-setting 12 HB students — Alison Xin ’19, Michelle Yin ’18, Greta Cywinska ’19, Angela Zhu ’19, Stephanie Zhou ’18, Sophie Sacks ’18, Katherine Wang ’19, Tae-Hee Kim ’18, Kate Aris ’18, Anna Wen ’18, Molly Gleydura ’18, and Katie Halloran ’18 — scored in the top five percent of all test-takers. Prior to this year’s results, the greatest number of HB students to reach this milestone in a given year was seven. Only one other U.S. school had students score in the top five percent this year. The Avogadro Exam, created and overseen by the University of Waterloo, asks students to demonstrate their knowledge of various chemistry principles and vie for prizes, which are awarded to those who score in the top five percent. The test is given to students who have completed no more than 100 hours of instruction in chemistry.
Reigning in Robotics Hathaway Brown’s Upper School Robotics team, the Fighting Unicorns, is the Mahoning Valley Robotics Challenge Champion for the second year in a row. The competition was held September 23, 2017, at Warren G. Harding High School in Warren, Ohio. The team of Alia Baig ’20, Josie Carlson ’19, Neha Devireddy ’20, Kshama Girish ’18, Zuha Jaffar ’21, Catherine Liu ’19, Aurora Mussey ’18, Vedhasya Muvva ’20, Layla Najeeullah ’20, Rebecca Oet ’20, Abby Sobolewski ’20, and Anna Sobolewski ’18, was led by captain Kate Snow ’18.
#1 Again! We’re thrilled to announce that for the second year in a row, Hathaway Brown has received top billing from Niche, an online platform that tracks educational institutions and provides research findings for public and private schools across the country. In its 2018 ratings, Niche lists HB as #1 in the category of Best Private K-12 Schools in Ohio and #1 in Best All-Girls High Schools in Ohio. We also earned statewide designations as the #2 Best Private High School overall and #3 Best Private High School for STEM. Visit Niche.com to check out all of the rankings and add your review of HB today!
(National) Merit Roll Ten Hathaway Brown seniors have been chosen as 63rd annual National Merit Semifinalists for their high scores on the preliminary SAT. Only one percent of high school seniors across the country are part of this prestigious list. The 16,000 Semifinalists may advance as Finalists and compete for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $32 million, that will be offered next spring. Roughly 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and half of those will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. Congratulations go out as well to the 15 HB seniors who have received Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise, based on their Preliminary Scholastic Achievement Test scores. These students scored in the top 50,000 of PSAT test-takers. This is the largest number of Commended Students at HB in a given year. The 25 students to earn National Merit Scholar designations this year represent about a quarter of the HB senior class. 2018 National Merit Semifinalists: Archer Frodyma, Addie Klimek, Anne Lewandowski, Coralin Li, Lekha Medarametla, Danica Murthy, Ela Passarelli, Anika Rede, Sophie Sacks, and Crystal Zhao. National Merit Commended Students: Brice Bai, Sara Currier, Regina Egan, Molly Gleydura, Katie Halloran, Tae-Hee Kim, Julia Sofia Moreno, Amaya Razmi, Divya Sasidhar, Kate Snow, Anna Wen, Erin Xu, Ying Ying Yang, Michelle Yin, and Stephanie Zhou.
PHOTO BY ANDREW SCOT T
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Brava! Kathy Wang ’19 took first place for her outstanding solo performance in the senior high brass and woodwinds division at the 2017 Ohio Music Teachers Association State Buckeye Competition this fall. This is the first time for an HB student to earn this distinction. Now an HB junior, Kathy has been a member of the HB Orchestra program since Middle School. She also plays in the Northern Ohio Youth Orchestra and she recently earned a spot as a clarinetist with The Cleveland Orchestra Youth Orchestra.
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Congratulations to the HB Class of 2017,
now off making their marks at some of the finest colleges and universities in the world.
PHOTO BY JASON MILLER
NEWS
PHOTOS BY RIPCHO STUDIOS
The HB Class of 2017
hailed from a wide swath of Cleveland suburbs and neighborhoods, some even by way of other countries around the globe. Each girl brought with her unique interests, ideas, passions, and personality, and contributed to a richly diverse community that is representative of the world at large. HB girls earned nearly $11 MILLION IN MERIT and other college scholarships, including full tuition packages.
82% 52%
of the Class of 2017 was accepted at a U.S. News & World Report Top 30 College or Top 30 University.
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members of the class were named National Merit Finalists, and students were honored as U.S. Presidential Scholars.
Dartmouth College
Bates College
DePaul University (2)
Boston University (2)
Drew University
Bowdoin College
Emory University (2)
Brown University (3)
Franklin and Marshall College
Bucknell University (2) Butler University Case Western Reserve University (3) Chapman University College of William & Mary/ University of St. Andrews (joint program) Colgate University
Georgetown University Goucher College Harvard University (2) Indiana University, Bloomington Johns Hopkins University Lehigh University
Columbia University
Loyola Marymount University
Columbus College of Art & Design (2)
Loyola University, Maryland
Cornell University
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Miami University, Oxford (5)
University of California, Berkeley
Middlebury College
University of Chicago (2)
Mount Holyoke College
University of Colorado, Boulder
New York University, Abu Dhabi
University of Dayton
Northwestern University
University of Delaware
Princeton University
University of Florida
Purdue University (3)
University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign
Rochester Institute of Technology (3) Saint Lawrence University Saint Louis University Smith College Stanford University (2)
University of Michigan (4) University of Pennsylvania (3) Vanderbilt University (2) Wake Forest University
Swarthmore College
Washington University, Saint Louis (4)
The Ohio State University (5)
Williams College (2)
Tufts University (2) Tulane University
Xavier University Yale University
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17%
of the Class of 2017 received 18 Ivy League offers, and HB students were accepted to all 8 Ivies.
Babson College (2)
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PHOTO BY JASON MILLER
Making the Most
THE MIDDLE of
lose your eyes, take a deep breath, and remember your 13-year-old self. Remember the braces and the ill-fitting school uniform. Remember the stress of packing your field hockey bag, school backpack (which weighed 57 pounds), AND your bag for the dance after school. Remember stuffing your math homework into the front pocket because it was the last thing you completed and you almost left it on the floor next to your bed. Remember desperately trying to find that now-crumpled piece of paper to turn in to your no-nonsense math teacher second period. Remember tripping up the stairs on your way to your locker because the strap on your overnight bag was torn. Remember your friends tackling you as soon as you arrived at your locker so they could fill you in on all the latest gossip, tell you what your English teacher was wearing, quiz you on the vocabulary words you had to know for a test 11 minutes later, and ask you what answer you came up with for problem number three on the math homework that you can no longer find.
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You are probably holding your breath, so exhale and revel in the moment that you survived that period in your life. The middle school years often get a bad rap, remembered more for the awkward, angsty, developmental perfect storm that they are than for the incredible leaps forward in the cognitive, emotional, and social realms that they also are. While few would voluntarily take a time machine back to their 13-year-old experiences, it is worth zoning in on what an incredible opportunity those “middle of the middle” moments really have to offer. I spent a day in the life of a 7th grader this year so I could experience firsthand the life of “kids these days.” In addition to being incredibly exhausted at the end of the day, I was also incredibly impressed with
Hathaway Brown gives girls in grades 5-8 the freedom and intentional support they need to individualize their learning, stretch their boundaries, find their voices, and
BE THEIR OWN BEST ADVOCATES. BY SHARON BAKER
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the skills and functions our girls seamlessly navigate. I picked up my shadow student on the steps of the Hathaway Brown Middle School entrance, laden down with her athletic bag over one shoulder, a bulging pack on her back, her lacrosse stick in one hand, and her phone in her other hand. When I asked if she needed some help, she responded calmly, “No, I’m perfectly balanced like this.” On the trek up to the top floor to unload what seemed like a week’s worth of equipment, she checked her email to see if her math teacher had responded to a homework question she’d sent the night before. Though she lamented the fact that she’d fallen asleep before she finished her assignment, she planned to check in with her teacher during morning snack time and finish up the remaining problems during her third-period study hall. After we unpacked her luggage, she checked her schedule for the day and organized her textbooks and notebooks in order of her classes in her locker. “I don’t have time to search for random notebooks during passing period, so this is easier,” she explained. “We could use a couple extra minutes of passing time, Mrs. Baker,” she wryly smirked. As she made her way into advisory time, she asked her teacher if they could spend a few minutes reviewing the material for the upcoming World Geography test, during which they’d have to identify all the countries on a world map. One of her classmates offered up a Quizlet (an interactive personalized test) she’d created the night before, and the small group of girls decided to project it on the whiteboard so they all could participate in the impromptu study session. I was impressed with the easy negotiation of this gathering. One girl took charge of the technology aspect, while another quickly organized everyone into teams. They all already had their study notes with them and augmented and rearranged them throughout the game so they could focus again later in the day on the questions they answered incorrectly. In the class periods that followed, I learned so much from the students. Each of the teachers we encountered had a slightly different method for collecting or reviewing homework. Some liked it to be placed in their mailboxes before class began, while others wanted to collect it personally from each student. Some went over the answers with the class, while others simply asked the girls if they had questions related to the assignment. No matter where they were, the students knew exactly what to do without asking. They easily navigated the expectations of seven different teacher personalities in one day. In English class, we debated the actions of the star-crossed lovers in Romeo and Juliet. Team Juliet was incensed when Team Romeo
insinuated that her final act was one of true love; that she ended her life because she couldn’t live without her man. Team Juliet used Shakespearean insults to announce that Juliet had lived without him most of her young life and therefore acted in her own self-interest. What was most noteworthy to me was that the students freely engaged in (quite heated!) debate, unafraid to disagree with their peers and even their teacher. They were respectful, but they didn’t shy away from speaking their minds. At lunchtime, we attended the weekly Student Council meeting, which turned out to be a welcome distraction for my student guide. “I got in a fight with my friend yesterday, and I don’t want to deal with the lunch drama today,” she told me. When I asked her what she would have done if she didn’t have Student Council today, she shrugged and said, “I’d go to (school counselor) Ms. Lurie for some advice. I already have a plan to see her tomorrow at lunch anyway.” During the Student Council meeting, my 7th grade student guide was in charge of running a subcommittee focused on improving lunch options in the dining hall. Her committee consisted of a range of 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th graders and they had an intense discussion about whether the dining hall served food that was too healthy or not healthy enough. Middle School Director aside: I love that 1.) Lunch options have been an “issue” for generations at every middle school in every city everywhere, and 2.) The dichotomy of “too healthy” and “not healthy enough” can actually coexist peacefully in a middle schooler’s eyes. Although I was slogging up and down the atrium stairs in exhaustion that afternoon, we ran those stairs quickly because it was time to perform monologues in Theatre class after lunch. A few students were clearly shaking as they stepped up to the front to perform, but their voices were clear and unwavering. One girl started to say, “I’m really bad at public speaking. . .” but she was drowned out by her classmates as they shouted, “No bad reviews in here!” So she took a deep breath and belted out her speech, ending to rowdy cheers of “I told you so!” Our final period was the time slot for that dreaded World Geography test. My student flipped through her notes one last time, checking the sections she’d highlighted during the morning review session. When the teacher handed her the paper, she read through the entire test before starting, circling parts of the directions, writing mnemonics in the margins. She used test-taking strategies that I didn’t learn until junior year of high school.
When I close my eyes and take a deep breath to remember this particular middle school day, I immediately smile. There is angst for sure—that lunchroom is no joke—but the students had all sorts of plans about how to navigate it. They practice study tips and employ all sorts of strategies until they figure out what works best for them; they negotiate their relationships and identify who can help them when they need support; they learn how to ask for help and advocate for themselves. They run for Student Council seats and join sports teams, or cut back when they are overwhelmed. They find their voices and learn how to use them. I’m not ashamed to admit that I am still working on developing some of the skills that I saw those middle school girls utilize like pros. They sure have learned how to make the most of the middle, and I’m proud to know and be inspired by them. Sharon Baker is the Director of Hathaway Brown’s Middle School.
PHOTO BY JASON MILLER
The middle school years often get a bad rap, remembered more for the awkward, angsty, developmental perfect storm that they are than for
THE INCREDIBLE LEAPS FORWARD
in the cognitive, emotional, and social realms that they also are.
HB
While packing up her things at the end of the day, she referred to her planner to check not only what homework she had to finish that evening, but also what classes she didn’t have the next day or when her study halls were scheduled so she could map out her overall homework completion schedule. She quickly checked in with her advisor to find out if there was a special schedule the next day. Before she sprinted off to change for lacrosse practice, I asked her how her day rated. She shrugged casually and said, “It was just a normal day.” To me, it was a busy day, full of curriculum and activities, social exchanges and problems to solve. It was stressful and required all of my focus and executive functions just to keep up, and I didn’t have to be mindful of upcoming activities, looming papers and tests, or a squabble with my friend.
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g n i z Bla Since its inception, Hathaway Brown School has been a leader in
GIRLS’ EDUCATION & ATHLETICS. We take a look back to see how far we’ve come.
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athaway Brown considers organized sports to be an extension of the classroom, and our scholar-athletes learn valuable lessons in character, sportsmanship, excellence, teamwork, and perseverance on the field, on the court, and in the pool. Before they graduate, roughly three-quarters of the student body will have participated in one or more developmental athletics program or interscholastic sport at HB. We’ve enjoyed our fair share of victories through the years, but that’s not the only measure of success. Blazer athletes strive to be outstanding ambassadors for the school, and to represent HB well in the community. They gain important ancillary physical, mental, social, and emotional benefits from athletics participation, and they develop leadership skills that will stay with them throughout their lives. HB
A BRIEF HISTORY OF HB ATHLETICS When Hathaway Brown was first established as the Brooks School for Young Ladies in 1876, the school was housed on the second floor above the Chandler and Rudd store on Euclid Avenue in Cleveland. The third floor was the site of the gymnasium, where girls would do daily exercises. This physical activity was considered so important to a student’s education that the Commencement ceremony in 1887 was kicked off with a calisthenics demonstration. In 1895, the school was moved a few blocks west on Euclid Avenue and Miss Morse, a physical education teacher who took her cues from the military training at West Point, taught the girls to march in unison and use dumbbell motions to build muscle mass. Those regimented workouts took place in a wallpapered gym that doubled as a kindergarten and geography classroom. And for a full year, the outdoor field the girls used for physical activity was actually a cow pasture. Finally, in 1896, a vacant lot at the corner of Sterling and Euclid avenues was purchased for HB students to play battle ball, which is a lot like today’s game of dodge ball.
In the early 1900s, Margaret Pottinger came to HB from the New Haven School of Gymnastics. She was installed as the school’s Physical Director, and she introduced more opportunities for regular athletics competition. Basketball was the favorite sport of HB students at the time, and Miss Pottinger worked out an arrangement for the girls to use the facilities at the YWCA to perfect their games. An intramural basketball program was launched, pitting the freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior classes against each other. No men were allowed to attend these games, because the girls played in their bloomers. The school’s first tennis courts were opened in 1902, and students also played baseball in the spring. In 1911, ice hockey was introduced. A new gym with a ceiling high enough to accommodate overhead passes was unveiled in 1914, and the first interscholastic basketball tournament was played between HB and Laurel in 1916. Hathaway Brown’s team emerged victorious, cheered on by the student body and their bulldog mascot.
17 A house on East 97th Street in downtown Cleveland was purchased to house boarding students in 1918, and a vacant lot behind it served as the playing ground for what quickly became the most popular HB sport: field hockey. With this new expanse, track and field events were added to students’ repertoires as well. Fearing that vigorous competition would compromise the development and upbringing of their charges, school leaders at HB and across the country abruptly halted interscholastic sports in the early 1920s. Girls instead got their exercise by way of walking contests and bowling
In team sports, HB was named STATE CHAMPION on
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17 DIFFERENT OCCASIONS: Basketball (2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013), Field Hockey (2002, 2008), Golf (2010), Lacrosse (2010, 2012), Soccer (2004, 2007), and Tennis (2003, 2004, 2015, 2016, 2017).
excursions. When Hathaway Brown moved to its permanent location in Shaker Heights in 1927, the campus plan included space for athletics endeavors, with large outdoor fields onsite, as well as tennis courts and a new gymnasium. The gym accounted for $127,053 of the school’s $1 million construction price tag. Matchups between schools were reintroduced in 1931 with the establishment of Play Day. This much more staid event brought 20 students from Laurel and Shaker Heights high schools to HB for some goodnatured games of soccer, field hockey, and baseball, during which no score was kept. Formalized competition was brought back mainly in the form of tournament play under the direction of Jessica Nixon in 1938. This arrangement was expanded and enhanced for the next two decades, with new sports continually added and girls’ skills becoming more keenly developed. A whole new era in women’s sports emerged in the 1960s and ’70s. Although Hathaway Brown wasn’t directly affected by the passage of Title IX in 1972, which legislated that no one in the U.S. could be excluded on the basis of sex from participation in any education program or activity by an organization receiving federal financial assistance, the act raised awareness around women in sport.
In 1975, Laurette Payette was hired to oversee HB athletics. She spent the next 32 years as athletics director, physical education department chair, teacher, and coach, and she is remembered fondly for the great strides she helped the school achieve in this area. Among her many accomplishments was instituting a comprehensive K-12 physical education program and formalizing interscholastic competition for HB girls in grades 7-12. She also oversaw construction of a new gymnasium in 1979 and guided the school’s admission to formal athletic conferences including the Private School League and the Ohio High School Athletic Association in the 1980s. HB’s athletics facilities were expanded with the construction of the Carol and John Butler Aquatics Center in 2003 and a new turf playing field on the south side of campus in 2016. Today, all 11 Blazer varsity teams are sanctioned by the OHSAA in Divisions I and II. Julie Kerrigan Ettorre, who has been a member of the HB faculty since 1981, now serves as director of athletics. She has been instrumental in creating a full slate of developmental programs for younger scholarathletes, and she is committed to fostering the sisterhood that is the foundation of all HB sports.
Hathaway Brown hosts 11 varsity sports, most of which include a junior varsity program. The school also has a strong interscholastic athletics calendar for students in grades 7 and 8, along with developmental intramural sports and skill-building programs for Primary School students. FALL Cross Country Field Hockey Soccer Tennis Volleyball
WINTER Basketball Indoor Track Swimming & Diving
ATHLETICS ACCOLADES In the last two decades, Blazer sports teams have brought home enough hardware to fill the school’s trophy cases to overflowing. HB holds the record for the most consecutive state crowns for any basketball team—boys or girls—in Ohio history, with five championships to our credit. The school is also home to the three-time reigning state champion Division II tennis team, and HB girls have clinched back-to-back doubles titles and have earned the singles titles for five years running. A sampling of accomplishments across all Blazer sports since 1998:
0 District Championships 5 22 Regional Championships 43 State Semifinal Appearances 6 Team State Runner-up Finishes State Runner-Up 11 Individual Finishes HB Sports League Affiliations: Ohio High School Athletic Association Northeast Ohio Field Hockey League Northeast Ohio Tennis Coaches Association Northeast Ohio Independent School Girls Golf League
THE BLAZERS ALSO HOLD NINE INDIVIDUAL STATE CHAMPIONSHIPS, ALL IN THE SPORT OF TENNIS:
SPRING Lacrosse Softball Track
Julie Kerrigan Ettore PHOTO BY KEVIN REEVES
Singles: Kristen McPhillips ’06 (2005), Ariana Iranpour ’14 (2013), and Lauren Gillinov ’17 (2014, 2015, 2016); Nicole Gillinov ’20 (2017); Doubles: Morgan Dorsey ’08 and Cameron Dorsey ’10 (2007), Catherine Areklett ’17 and Ally Persky ’17 (2016); Megan Qiang ’18 and Isabella Godsick ’20 (2017).
PHOTO BY SHANNON AHLSTRAND PHOTOGRAPHY
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ll Hathaway Brown students make use of the school’s athletics facilities during physical education classes, swim lessons, free play, and sports practices and competitions. The campus features a new turf field opened in 2016, a gymnasium, the Carol and John Butler Aquatics Center, an adventure learning course, the Mixon Family Playground, a conditioning room with weights and other equipment, and a grass field and diamond for Middle School field hockey and softball. HB’s home fields for varsity soccer and softball are located at Ursuline College in nearby Pepper Pike.
Catching up with former Blazers Athletics has long been an important part of the HB experience. The book Tradition and Transformation: A History of Educating Girls at Hathaway Brown School, 1876-2006 devotes more than 40 of its 200 pages to the subject, and surely another chapter could be written to cover the years that have transpired since then.
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PHOTOS COURTESY OF CORNELL UNIVERSITY
We recently caught up with several scholar-athletes who graduated in the last decade to discover what they’ve been up to since they last wore the Blazers jersey.
LANI SMITH ’10 HB SPORTS: Soccer, Track COLLEGES: University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC; University of Akron, OH
NIA MARSHALL ’13 COLLEGE: Cornell University, Ithaca, NY HIGHLIGHTS: Played golf at HB for two years, basketball for four; five-time state champion, with titles earned in both sports— golf in 2010 and basketball in 2010, 2011, 2012, and 2013; Cornell’s all-time leading scorer in women’s basketball, with 1,685 points; only player in Cornell history to amass at least 1,300 points, 500 rebounds, 100 assists, 100 steals, and 50 blocked shots in a career; first-ever Big Red, male or female, to earn at least 10 Player of the Week honors; named Academic All-Ivy in 2017; earned First Team All-Ivy honors in 2015 and 2017; Second Team All-Ivy in 2016; noted as one of the “19 Most Incredibly Impressive Students at Cornell University” in 2015 by Business Insider.
SINCE SHE LEFT HB: In addition to having her name etched into the record books for her prowess on the court, Nia recently received her bachelor’s degree in biology from Cornell. She’s now busy studying for the dental admission test and she hopes to enroll in dental school soon.
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LAUREN GILLINOV ’17 HB SPORT: Tennis COLLEGE: Yale University, New Haven, Conn. HIGHLIGHTS: Four-year Blazer tennis player; team co-captain during her junior and senior years; three-time singles state champion in OHSAA Division II, 2014-2016; member of the Yale varsity women’s tennis team.
SINCE SHE LEFT HB: Lauren is a 2017 HB graduate, and she’s just begun her career as a collegiate scholar-athlete. She likely will major in biology at Yale and she’s excited to be part of Bulldogs tennis.
HIGHLIGHTS: Played varsity soccer for four years and ran track for two years at HB; named soccer Player of the Year by The Plain Dealer in 2008; made the All-Ohio First Team in 2008 and 2010; earned spots on the Division I rosters at two different colleges; selected for the All-MidAmerican Conference First Team at during her junior and senior years at the University of Akron; continued her career as a semi-pro in the third division in Sweden, and now plays professionally in the Swedish second division. SINCE SHE LEFT HB: After graduating from HB, Lani attended the University of South Carolina, where she played varsity soccer and studied public health. In 2013, she transferred to the University of Akron and switched majors to sports management as she continued her soccer career. She was the Zips’ team captain as a senior. She graduated from U of A in December 2015 and signed her first professional contract in January 2016.
“Being a scholar-athlete has benefitted me in many aspects. I’ve learned how to be a part of a team and also how to be a leader. I’ve learned how to be completely committed to something and how to make sacrifices for the greater good. It’s allowed to me continue my education at my schools of choice and has even S M ITH allowed me to travel the world. I believe it has played a major role in shaping who I am today.” — Lani Smith ’10
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TOP PHOTO BY EVAN PRUNTY; BOT TOM PHOTO COURTESY OF LANI SMITH ’10
HB SPORTS: Basketball, Golf
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HB SPORTS: Volleyball, Softball
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COLLEGE: John Carroll University, University Heights, Ohio HIGHLIGHTS: Four-year member of HB’s
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LOGAN PAUL ’14 HB SPORTS: Softball, Basketball COLLEGE: Bryant University, Smithfield, RI HIGHLIGHTS: Four-year member of both the varsity basketball and varsity softball teams at HB; lettered in softball all four years, and in basketball during her freshman, sophomore, and senior years; part of the 2012 basketball state championship team; named MVP of the softball team all four years; earned the Blazer Award in softball, and the Dickey-Ford Award at HB in 2014; named to the New England College Athletic Conference Honor Roll in 2015, 2016, and 2017; National Fastpitch Coaches Association Academic All-American in 2015 and 2016.
SINCE SHE LEFT HB: Since 2014, Logan has been living a life that she says “would not have been possible without my friends and teachers on the corner of North Park.” She is now a senior at Bryant University, where she is majoring in international business, concentrating in management, and minoring in Spanish. At Bryant she is a member of the Division I softball team as a starting pitcher. She is highly involved in athletics at Bryant, serving as the Student Athlete Advisory Committee president and as the Northeast Conference SAAC co-chair. She also had the opportunity to study abroad in Viña del Mar, Chile, in the fall of 2016.
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HADLEY BELL ’1O HB SPORT: Field hockey COLLEGE: University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Va. HIGHLIGHTS: Played field hockey at HB during her 9th and 12th grade years; played field hockey at Ravenswood School for Girls in Australia during her sophomore and junior years, and was part of a year-round women’s club team there; reached the state Final Four in Ohio in 2010; played in the NCAA field hockey tournament three of her four years at UVA; received the UVA Coaches Award for Excellence in 2013; earned Atlantic Coast Conference AllAcademic Team honors in 2010-2014; served as Olympic Club team captain in San Francisco since the program’s inception in 2015.
varsity volleyball team; three-year member of HB’s varsity softball team; three-time winner of the Blazer Award, twice in volleyball and once in softball; All-Tournament Team award in softball; earned Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors twice in her four years as a member of John Carroll’s varsity volleyball team.
SINCE SHE LEFT HB: Kayla is currently a senior at John Carroll University, where she studies early childhood education. After she graduated from HB, she continued to work in the school’s Infant & Toddler Center, and during her freshman year at JCU, she coached HB’s middle school softball team. She recently began student teaching in a first-grade classroom at Bryden Elementary School in Beachwood, Ohio. After college, she hopes to teach in the Cleveland area and continue to play or coach volleyball.
SINCE SHE LEFT HB: Hadley earned her B.A. in English with a minor in art history from UVA, and she studied abroad in London during the spring semester of her fourth year. She moved to San Francisco to pursue a master’s in Interior Architecture and Design, which she received from the Academy of Art University this year. In San Francisco, she became a founding member of a women’s field hockey team at the Olympic Club. Hadley represents the Olympic Club as a runner as well. She ran the Boston Marathon in 2017 and is qualified to run again in 2018.
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TOP LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF LOGAN PAUL ’14; TOP CENTER PHOTO COURTESY OF HADLEY BELL ’10; BOT TOM PHOTO COURTESY OF JOHN CARROLL UNIVERSITY
KAYLA MUSSO ’14
“ Being a former collegiate athlete is an immediate point of differentiation in any professional interview and provides proof of dedication and grit. Not many people are willing to wake up at 4:30 a.m. to stare at the bottom of a pool, but many employers want those kinds of people, strangely enough. I’ve also noticed a sense of community among former athletes—both within a sport and across sport lines—that helps provide an easy point of connection when meeting someone new. Overall, being a scholarathlete provides immediate proof of your ability to work hard, get the job done, and be a team player.” — Claire Pavlak ’08
CLAIRE PAVLAK ’08 HB SPORT: Swimming COLLEGE: Emory University, Atlanta, Ga. HIGHLIGHTS: Four-year member of HB’s varsity swim team and two-year co-captain; fourtime state finalist at HB; earned a state runnerup title senior year in the 50-yard freestyle, earning her All-American standing; Blazer Award winner during freshman year; two-time HB team MVP; received All-American honors at Emory 21 times; nine-time event national champion; member of three NCAA national championship teams; awarded the NCAA postgraduate scholarship; First-Team Academic All-American in college; competed in the 50-meter freestyle 2012 U.S. Swimming Olympic Trials in Omaha to cap her college career.
SINCE SHE LEFT HB: Claire graduated
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LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF EMORY UNIVERSITY PHOTO/VIDEO; RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF MARY BOUTTON
with a degree in anthropology from Emory University in 2012, then worked in brand, marketing, and innovation strategy consulting for five years. In that role, she helped improve the customer experience for a large consumer bank, developed new market positioning for a billion-dollar food brand, and defined the employee value proposition for a pharmaceutical company post-acquisition, among other projects. She’s now back at Emory working on her MBA and coaching an adult swim team.
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— Hadley Bell ’10
PHOTO BY ANDREANNA HARDY ’17
“I love athletics not only because of the way they make me feel while participating and playing, but also because of how they prepare me for life off the field. They help put challenges at work, school, and other places into perspective, and give me a powerful sense of self that is hard to beat.”
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“Playing sports at HB taught me great time management, which was very helpful in the transition to becoming a collegiate athlete. HB taught me to never be satisfied with where you are today; that there is always room to grow and improve.” — Kayla Musso ’14
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“Sports at HB taught me discipline, time management, teamwork and dedication. They also helped me find my place within the school. Being a Blazer is an incredible privilege.” — Beth Brzozowski ’14
“All in all, people should know that being a Blazer is not something that is just given to you. I think a lot of the time we get caught up in the politics of sport, which leads us to neglect the true meaning of playing a game that we love. My biggest piece of advice to a current Blazer would be the following: Do the little things right and the big things will take care of themselves. In order to get out what you want, you have to be willing to put in hours of work when no one is watching.” — Logan Paul ’14
HB SPORT: Basketball
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BETH BRZOZOWSKI ’14 HB SPORTS: Basketball, Soccer COLLEGES: University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pa. HIGHLIGHTS: Four-year letter winner in varsity basketball and three-year letter winner in soccer at HB; served as basketball team captain as a senior; won three basketball state championships (2011, 2012, 2013); two-time All-State honorable mention recipient; set the school record for career three-pointers for the Blazers; named team MVP as a senior, when she also earned HB’s Outstanding Athlete; selected for the 2013-2014 Academic All-State roster; 2016 and 2017 Ivy League Champion at Penn; 2014-2015 Big 5 Champion. SINCE SHE LEFT HB: Beth attends the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School of Business, where she has a dual concentration in finance and in operations, information, and decisions. At Penn, she is a member of the women’s varsity basketball team and the Student Athlete Advisory Committee, and she is a student-athlete tutor for economics, Spanish, and business and economic public policy. Over her sophomore summer, she interned at a private equity company in Cleveland. This past year, she worked at Goldman Sachs as an investment banking summer intern in the real estate group, where she gained exposure to different mergers and acquisitions transactions. Recently, she accepted a full-time offer to join the real estate group at Goldman Sachs upon graduation. After she receives her degree, she hopes to travel to Europe before moving to New York City.
COLLEGE: Princeton University, Princeton, NJ HIGHLIGHTS: Four-year member of the HB varsity basketball team; brought home the state championship crown all four years in high school; played four years at Princeton; starter on the 2015-2016 team that was the first team (men or women) in Ivy League history to receive an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament; helped the Tigers go undefeated for the 2014-2015 regular season and win the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament game. SINCE SHE LEFT HB: After HB, Vanessa traveled abroad to Kiev, Ukraine, to participate in a sports-based ministry project through Athletes in Action. With this organization, she had the opportunity to compete against Ukrainian National and Junior National basketball teams. She began her undergraduate studies at Princeton in the fall of 2013 and quickly became acclimated to the fast-paced and exciting world of college courses and the collegiate athlete experience. In her time at Princeton, she had played basketball in Australia, Mexico, and in front of the President of the United States. She also was able to take courses abroad in Spain and Chile to complete her certificate requirements for Latin American Studies. She is now working for a nonprofit organization in the Dominican Republic that focuses on the alleviation of generational poverty through the empowerment of girls and women in the community. She holds an undergraduate degree in anthropology, and she plans to go on to earn a Master’s and eventually a Ph.D. in the subject.
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“Being part of the HB basketball dynasty has been one of my proudest athletic accomplishments and accounts for some of my fondest memories. My time as an HB athlete was unforgettable and my memories are colored by incredible accomplishments with lifelong friends. Being a part of that team for four years prepared me for collegiate basketball, as well as the rigors of the classroom at Princeton.” — Vanessa Smith ’13
LEFT PHOTO COURTESY OF BETH BRZOZOWSKI ’14; RIGHT PHOTO COURTESY OF PRINCETON UNIVERSITY
VANESSA SMITH ’13
PHOTO BY CHRIS SZAGOLA/AP
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Former Blazer teammates Vanessa Smith '13 (Princeton, left) and Beth Brzozowski '14 (UPenn, right) met again on the court in March, during the 2017 Ivy League tournament.
— Nia Marshall ’13
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“I absolutely loved my time at HB. All of my teachers were extremely supportive, and I formed lasting friendships. Being a basketball player and golfer helped me be a successful student-athlete at Cornell and eventually a determined graduate. ”
means that you’re not ‘just’
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“Being an HB Blazer
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and everyone has been able to pursue their passions without having to choose one activity over another.” — Claire Pavlak ’08
“A team cannot be successful without the trust of one another and a work ethic that will better the team as a whole, not just an individual. To be an HB Blazer, you have to be disciplined, both academically and athletically, and take great pride in representing HB in whatever sport you do.” — Caroline Millican ’17
“One of my favorite memories was playing my younger sister, Nicole (HB ’20), in the state singles final my senior year. It was an incredible way to end my high school tennis career. My biggest takeaway from high school tennis was the amazing feeling of working hard to be the best I could for my team. ” — Lauren Gillinov ’17
HB SPORTS: Cross Country, Track, Indoor Track
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COLLEGE: The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio
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Caroline graduated from HB just this past spring. She spent the majority of the next few months in training for her position on The Ohio State University’s cross country team. She moved to Columbus in August a week earlier than the rest of the student body to attend a four-day training camp, and has since then carried out a daily routine of practices and weight lifting. She participates in cross country competitions every other weekend at sites across the country, including Indiana and Tennessee. She relies on the work ethic she earned at HB to help her balance all the demands of being part of a Division I program.
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HIGHLIGHTS: Four-year member of HB’s cross country and track teams; placed 21st at the OHSAA Division II state championship in cross country in her junior year; received All-Ohio Honors in 2015; named Player of the Week by The Plain Dealer in October 2015; cross country team MVP her sophomore and junior years; set the school records in track in the 800m, 1600m, and 3200m runs; as a senior, she placed 15th at the OHSAA Division II state championship in cross country, was the Team MVP, and received All-Ohio Honors; placed eighth in the Division I indoor track state championship and set HB’s indoor 1600m record.
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“Being a student-athlete has taught me many lessons that go far beyond the court. I have learned to work well with teammates, manage my time wisely, and how to be a strong leader.” — Celia Barrett ’14
CELIA BARRETT ’14 HB SPORTS: Volleyball, Basketball COLLEGE: University of Mount Union, Alliance, Ohio HIGHLIGHTS: Four-year Blazer volleyball player; part of the HB basketball program her freshman year; four-year varsity letter winner in volleyball; served as volleyball captain and earned MVP honors during each of her high school seasons; three-year varsity letter winner at Mount Union; twice named captain of the Mount Union squad; Academic All-Ohio Athletic Conference honors in 2015 and 2016. SINCE SHE LEFT HB: Celia is a student at the University of Mount Union, studying exercise science. She hopes to one day become a physician assistant. At UMU, in addition to being co-captain of the volleyball team, Celia is vice president of the university’s student athletic advising committee, and she works as a tutor. This is a small sampling of Blazer scholar-athletes who have continued their playing careers in college and beyond. Do you have your own sports story to tell? Email HB editor Kathleen Osborne at kosborne@hb.edu or call 216.320.8785.
LEF T PHOTO COURTESY OF THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSIT Y; RIGHT PHOTO BY TODD JAY PHOTOGRAPHY
CAROLINE MILLICAN ’17
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Bla e s PHOTO BY EVAN PRUNTY
BLAZER ATHLETICS
COVENANT In order to participate in any organized athletics team competition, all Hathaway Brown scholar-athletes must sign the Blazer Covenant, indicating their intent to exemplify the Core Values outlined here and to abide by the school’s Code of Ethics. CHARACTER I am committed to representing the best of myself and Hathaway Brown, acting ethically, with integrity and kindness, knowing that character matters most, both on and off the field.
SPORTSMANSHIP
I am committed to an atmosphere of honorable competition and respectful communication. I will learn to handle success with grace and acknowledge failure with dignity, appreciating the challenge the opponent provides.
utmost potential as a scholar-athlete or coach in my pursuit of learning, not for school, but for life. TEAMWORK I am committed to strengthening my individual skills through dedication and diligent preparation to contribute to the success of the team and the whole sisterhood. PERSEVERANCE I am committed to having a positive attitude, knowing my best efforts for continuous improvement will build competence and confidence as I pursue my personal and team goals. An overview of the protocols, policies, and procedures that govern the Hathaway Brown athletics program may be found in the 2017–2018 Athletics Handbook, posted at hb.edu/handbook. This Blazer Covenant and an accompanying Code of Ethics were approved by HB’s Board of Trustees in July 2017.
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EXCELLENCE I am committed to achieving my
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upper school sports
in review
LOCKER
ROOM cheering for one of our own
Payette has always cared deeply about sharing the valuable lessons women can learn through sports. At HB, she built a competitive athletic program on the foundation of teamwork, sportsmanship, ethics, and integrity, and the HB Athletics Hall of Fame is named in her honor.
Everything’s Going Swimmingly Hathaway Brown fifth-grader Beatrice Stewart ’25 won the 10 and Under Girls High Point Swimmer Award at the Lake Erie Age Group Championship Meet, held in July at Cleveland State University. Beatrice earned 8 first-place individual finishes, was a member of the first-place 200 free and 200 medley relay teams, and incredibly, broke the LESI swimmer record in the 50 fly—a record set back in 1993 by future Olympic Gold Medalist (and HB mom!) Diana Munz.
PHOTO BY EVAN PRUNTY
Laurette Payette has devoted her life to the ideals of sport, and this fall she received some much-deserved notoriety for all that she has brought to the game of lacrosse. In recognition of the years she has spent as a coach, athletic director, and official, and in honor of her dedication to advancing opportunities for women in sports, Payette — who spent 32 years at Hathaway Brown as athletics director, physical education department chair, teacher, and coach — was inducted into both the National Lacrosse Hall of Fame and the Ohio Athletic Association Hall of Fame.
Follow all HB sports on Twitter @HBAthletics
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LARGE PHOTO BYSHANNON AHLSTRAND PHOTOGRAPHY
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CROSS COUNTRY After achieving many personal best times and team top finishes, the varsity cross country team finished their season at the OHSAA Division II District meet, which was very competitive. Jessica Young ’19 finished in the top 30 with a time of 19:55.06, earning her a spot in the Regional meet.
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GOLF The regular season was highlighted by a number of personal bests and team first place finishes, and the success continued into the postseason. The Blazers took first place in the OHSAA Division I Sectional tournament and third place in the OHSAA Division I District tournament, which earned the team a spot in the State tournament. FIELD HOCKEY The Varsity team ended the regular season with a record of 7-9 and entered postseason play as the fourth seed. They won two qualifying rounds of the OHSAA State tournament, but were knocked out in the District semifinal game. Despite many injuries, the JV team was resilient and continued to work hard to stay competitive. One highlight of their season was the Homecoming win over Magnificat. SOCCER The Varsity Soccer team had an extremely successful season in their first year at the Division I level. The team ended the regular season with a record of 9-5-1. The Blazers earned the number-one seed in their district and became District Champions. The season came to an end at the Regional Final game where they were defeated in overtime. The JV team improved tremendously over the course of the season and ended on a great note. One highlight was the win over Division I North Canton Hoover.
TENNIS The Varsity “A” tennis team has not lost a match since 2015. The team won the triple crown for the second year in a row, earning an OHSAA Division II Singles and Doubles State Championship as well as the OTCA Division II Team State Championship. The Varsity “B” team completed their season with a record of 11-4 in the new league division. Highlights included winning the Magnificat Doubles Tournament for the second year in a row, and winning the gold, silver, and bronze trophies at the WRA Doubles Tournament. The JV team had a great season filled with development and fun. They hosted the 1st Annual Blazer Doubles Tournament where they took first place and finished their season with a record of 9-2. VOLLEYBALL The Varsity Volleyball team finished the regular season with a record of 12-11. The Blazers had a huge win this year over Beaumont and defeated several Division I schools. The Volleyball team also competed at the Division I level in the postseason for the first time in school history. The Blazers earned the 5th seed in their district and ended their season in a toughly fought District Semifinal game. The JV team worked hard all season and battled with tough opponents, making it a successful fall.
held in
high esteem by Lisa Kroeger Murtha ’88
Each year, Hathaway Brown School presents the Distinguished Alumnae Award to individuals who have made significant contributions to HB and the community at large. The award was established in 1983 to honor alumnae of Hathaway Brown School who have demonstrated exemplary service in professional and volunteer endeavors. During HB’s 2017 Alumnae Weekend, three women were recognized with this award.
Cynthia Bassett 1957 Cynthia Bassett, Senior Vice President of
specifically exploring “cultures on the cusp of change,” as she puts it.
Wealth Management at UBS Financial Services, says HB helped prepare her for
Cynthia has been to all seven continents,
her future, especially through math teacher
visiting countries ranging from Bolivia
Mrs. Ecclestone’s classroom discussions on
to Bhutan, and she has served on HB’s
the stock market.
Center for Global Citizenship Advisory Committee. She continues to advise the
An undecided major when she entered the
Center and mentor its director, Joe Vogel.
all-female Hollins College, Cynthia quickly
Her travels also have given her a unique
realized she enjoyed economics classes
perspective on global investments for her
above most others. By her junior year, she’d
transferred to the University of Wisconsin because of the reputation its economics
department had as one of the best in the U.S. her back to Cleveland, where she initially
and stimulating. Cynthia continues to work closely with clients and their families
today—many of whom have now worked with her for three generations.
worked on portfolios at a firm that merged
Another HB teacher who inspired Cynthia
was strongly encouraged to go into retail
whose lessons sparked what would become
into Prescott & Co. After eight years, she financial sales and found it both challenging
was geography teacher Miss Wheeler, a lifelong hobby in international travel,
never
underestimate
the
fundamental
necessity of understanding one’s place in the global community,” she says.
PHOTOS BY JASON MILLER
Cynthia’s first job after college brought
work in wealth management. “One should
Frances Seiberling Buchholzer 1952 Frances
Seiberling
Buchholzer
issue benefitting Ohio parks, forests, wildlife areas, and other outdoor recreational facilities. Fran was appointed in 1995 as a Summit County Metro Parks commissioner, a position she held for 18 years.
has
dedicated her life to energy issues, environmental protection, and conserving
and managing natural resources. These
passions were rooted in her upbringing on several hundred acres of land with two working farms in Northfield, Ohio.
Later, Fran earned a Master of Arts in geomorphology from the University of Iowa and began working in related fields until 1991, when she was asked to serve on thenGovernor George Voinovich’s cabinet as director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. She was the first female to hold the position and she played an instrumental role in helping pass a $200 million bond
HB
Fran’s early home life contributed to her field of interest, but she also credits HB with contributing to her overall success. English teacher Miss Bruce changed her life, she says, mainly because “she taught us to organize our thoughts, think on our feet, stand in front of a group of people and speak in an articulate fashion, with poise and confidence.” She also felt a close connection with biology teacher Miss Reeves, though she ultimately went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in education and English from the University of Akron, initially pursuing a career as a teacher.
Today Fran remains actively involved in several state and national environmental and conservation organizations, and she retains seats on boards ranging from the Environmental and Energy Study Institute in Washington, DC, to the Cleveland Museum of Natural History and the board of Great Lakes Biomimicry.
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Susan Manuel 1967 in 2011, when she served for nearly a year and a half in Darfur as deputy director for communications and public information.
Susan Manuel’s years at HB provided a solid academic foundation and a “good moral
compass,” in addition to valuable lessons in loyalty and empathy for others.
After earning her master’s degree in journalism from the University of California, Berkeley, Susan worked for newspapers in Nevada and Hawaii. While reporting and writing a column for the Honolulu StarBulletin, she began covering Southeast Asia and learned the U.N. was looking for people to work on an upcoming peacekeeping mission in Cambodia. Susan was hired as spokesperson and information officer, and she headed to Cambodia in 1992. She served as an advisor on media freedom and responsibility to Cambodia’s media and government, helping write media guidelines that became their information law.
For the next 10 years, Susan worked as a U.N. peacekeeper in places such as postApartheid Africa, Yugoslavia, Croatia, Belgrade, Pakistan, and Kosovo. In 2002, she moved back to the states and worked for eight years at U.N. headquarters in New York. Her final field assignment came
Susan has spent her personal time on numerous other meaningful endeavors including helping a group of Bosnians emigrate to the U.S., and helping immigrants fill out citizenship papers as a volunteer with the City University of New York. She is currently an international communications consultant for PassBlue.com, a female-led website covering global issues through the lens of the U.N. Press Corps.
Alumnae Achievement Award in recognition of significant accomplishments in professional or civic roles. This award, established in 2004, is given to an alumna or alumnae who graduated within the past 30 years. Two HB graduates received this award in 2017.
Allison McCarley Jackson 1987 in the department of pediatrics at George Washington University.
Allison McCarley Jackson, division chief
of the Child and Adolescent Protection Center at Children’s National Health
System, knew at a very young age that she wanted to be a doctor. After receiving
her undergraduate degree from Harvard, she attended Columbia University for
medical school. She spent her residency as a general pediatrician and got her first post-
residency job in the same field, working with
underserved communities in Baltimore, Md. Ultimately, Alison felt called to do something different, so after reconnecting with her residency director, she learned about an open position in child protection and she’s been working in the field ever
since. In addition to her current position at Children’s National Health System, she has served on multiple high-profile teams and committees focused on child abuse and neglect. She’s also an assistant professor
Our class reunion won’t be the same without YOU! Mark your calendar for MAY 18 & 19, 2018. All class years welcome.
Alison, a happily married mother of two young children, lists former Middle School science teacher Eugenie Podogil and current Upper School science teacher Don Southard among the more influential instructors she had at HB. Also notable were former English teacher Kavita Syed and current Middle School music teacher Deb Southard. Alison says, “HB equipped me with the confidence to pursue those areas where there may not be as many females.”
ALUMNAE PHOTOS BY JASON MILLER; BOT TOM RIGHT SCHOOL PHOTO BY SHANNON AHLSTRAND PHOTOGRAPHY
Each year, Hathaway Brown School presents the
Monica Ramsey Jordan 1987 A strong math and science student at HB,
During her nearly 30-year military career, Monica worked on projects ranging from classified message processing for the Defense Intelligence Agency to managing acquisitions for the Chemical Biological Directorate’s $520 million Chemical Biological Defense Program. She’s been awarded a Joint Service Commendation Medal, four Air Force Commendation Medals, and two Air Force Achievement Medals.
Monica Ramsey Jordan had always planned
to study medicine. She was set to attend
Dartmouth, but by the end of her senior year, she couldn’t shake the feeling that her parents had already sacrificed so much for her to attend HB, and Dartmouth would be
another huge financial commitment to her
family. So she decided to join the United States Air Force, figuring after four years
she would finish her education to become
a doctor. Even so, as soon as Monica
arrived at her first Air Force base, where she trained as a computer operator and avionics taking college courses.
Monica’s initial four-year commitment led to active duty. As is common in the military, she was transferred multiple times
A regular contributor to HB, Lisa Kroeger Murtha ’88 is a freelance writer living in Cincinnati.
Alumnae Award Nominations
Alumnae Weekend 2018 will be the 35th year we’ve recognized the personal and professional achievements of alumnae with the Distinguished Alumnae Award and the Alumnae Achievement Award. If you’ve been inspired by the accomplishments of an HB alumna (in any class year), please submit your nomination online at HB.edu/nomination or by contacting the Alumnae Office at 216.320.8778.
HB
technician for F-15 fighter jets, she started
to different Air Force bases throughout the country. Ultimately, she decided she wanted to study engineering more than medicine. Monica earned a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from the University of Maryland, and in 2002, she received her commission at officer training school. Eventually she also earned a master’s degree in engineering systems management.
Now, after a successful military career, she is preparing to retire from the Air Force in 2018 to focus on growing an organization she founded in 2014 called Purse Strings, which helps women achieve financial stability and independence.
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INTERDISCIPLINARY VITAE TERM CURRICULUM HELPS STUDENTS “LEARN FOR LIFE.”
by Reena S. Goodwin
I
t’s the middle of May, and the hallways of Hathaway Brown are quieter than usual. Ending their last academic year of high school just the week before, 95 members of the Class of 2017 are closing out the final month of their high school career writing their thesis papers off campus.
The students concur. “I had a blast during my Vitae Term because I was given the chance to learn about Pompeii, a topic I’ve been fascinated with my whole life but was never focused on in the classroom,” says Lekha Medarametla ’18.
The end of the busy school year is often a quiet time for the students and teachers still in the classrooms after AP exams have wrapped up. And while hallway chatter shifts from PSATs to Prom, in the classrooms a lot of listening goes on. In fact, it was during this quiet time a few years ago that a productive conversation sprang up between then first-year Upper School English teacher Toni Thayer and her students.
Two additional courses were introduced into the curriculum in 2017. One was Ending World Hunger, taught by Head of School Fran Bisselle, along with Director of the Center for Sustainability Torrey McMillan ’90, Thayer, and Hiedemann. Over the two weeks of class time, students examined hunger crises from Zambia to Syria and Nicaragua to at home in Ohio, while identifying problems and potential solutions.
She says that while her students felt they were more than ready academically for college, there was some expressed desire for more hands-on real-life learning.
Also introduced last school year was a new course taught by educators from every school division, affectionately titled Adulting 101. Students gained baseline insight on everything from changing a tire to writing a resume—practical “adult” skills that help girls navigate life after high school. The topics were crowd-sourced by faculty members and organized by Crystal Miller, Director of the Science Research & Engineering Program.
Thayer, along with Director of the Center for Civic Engagement Stephanie Heidemann, developed a task force to address this need. Teachers and administrators came together throughout the next school year to explore topics outside of the standard curriculum in an effort to help make those connections for students in a classroom setting. It was there that the Vitae Term curriculum at Hathaway Brown was first conceived, its title inspired by the Latin word for “life” and the school’s motto of “Non Scholae Sed Vitae Discimus” (We Learn Not for School, But for Life). Launched in 2016, the Vitae Term classes offer Upper School girls the chance to participate in interdisciplinary mini-courses, engaging in dialogue and hands-on learning—all of which are part of the school’s strategic plan goal of creating a transformative curriculum and robust interdisciplinary planning. Topics for the Vitae Term have included Chaos & Fractals, taught by Upper School mathematics and computer science teacher Michael Buescher; Last Days of Pompeii, taught by Upper School Latin teacher Adam Kollin; and Knitting, Theory and Practice taught by Upper School English teacher Beth Armstrong and Director of the Center for Technology & Invention Leah Ridgeway Jackson ’99. “It’s a great opportunity for the students to dig into a topic themselves without being evaluated, encouraging curiosity, questioning, and finding answers,” says Thayer.
In the age of Google, when students can learn about anything immediately, the classes offer an experience to learn firsthand from the educators they already trust, Miller says. “The students learn skills that are really worthwhile, and the teachers have really enjoyed teaching them,” says Miller. While Vitae Term courses are not formally graded, students are required to share their new knowledge in the form of a class presentation, case studies, or individual portfolios. It’s one last project for the students to complete, putting their new skills to the test before the end of the school year, leaving them with more knowledge and confidence than before. Both Thayer and Hiedemann agree that the Vitae Term curriculum has so far been successful, and plan to continue the course offerings in spring 2018. “Students and faculty both have had this really terrific opportunity to learn from each other,” says Thayer. Heidemann agrees. “It’s truly just all about learning.”
PHOTO BY REENA GOODWIN
engaging education