HB Magazine: Spring/Summer 2019

pg. 16

In HB’s IDEA Lab, students learn engineering concepts, work with high-tech machines, discover creative ways to overcome obstacles, and bring their ideas to life.

Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122 216.932.4214 If you’d like to cancel delivery of HB magazine, please email publications@hb.edu.

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#GoBlazers Be sure to follow @HBAthletics on Twitter for in-game updates, sports news, and competition recaps. Have news of your own to share? Tweet it at us and use the hashtag #WeAreHB.

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.

P H OTO BY G E N E V I E V E N I S LY P H OTO G R A P H Y; C OV E R P H OTO BY JA S O N M I L L E R

19600 North Park Boulevard

Rise Boldly. editorial team:

administrative team:

Kathleen Osborne Editor

Fran Bisselle Head of School

Vanessa Butler Art Director

Sheri Homany Associate Head of School

Kendra Davis Digital Editor

Elizabeth Pinkerton Director of Enrollment Management

Amanda Seifert Associate Editor

Hallie Ritzman Director of Upper School

alumnae relations team:

Sharon Baker Director of Middle School

Dana Lovelace Capers ’86 Director of Alumnae Relations

Katherine Zopatti Director of Primary School

Tina Reifsnyder Alumnae Relations Coordinator

Jane Brown Director of Early Childhood Mary Rainsberger Director of Advancement

powerful voices A Letter from the Head of School

This Women’s History Month, we flooded our social media channels with fun facts about HB, inspirational quotes from women throughout history, beautiful photo galleries of our fourth-grade Notable Women, speeches about women’s suffrage from HB orators, video clips of our girls in action, and much more. I hope you had a chance to check out some of our postings on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and the HB blog.

And if you didn’t, it’s not too late to do a little scrolling through the archives. I hope you’ll find these positive representations as affirming as I do.

In late March, Megan Murphy, executive director of the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, penned a timely op-ed that ran in The Baltimore Sun under the headline, “The next generation of women leaders must ’see it to be it.’” Murphy makes that case for fostering girls’ voices and presenting them with positive female role models, two concepts that lie at the heart

of an HB education. “We’re on the precipice of real change,” Murphy writes. “And that means we need the next generation of young women to take this momentum to make a lasting impact

not just for today, but for the next 100 years of women’s history.

It’s critical that we continue to listen, to foster, and to amplify the voices of girls and young women everywhere.”

I couldn’t agree more with this assertion. Murphy goes on, “Girls’ ability to develop their voices and to discover their innate

courage to lead and make an impact starts early. Girls must

be encouraged to speak their minds—without interruption.

Because girls who feel a greater sense of respect are enabled to better find and use their voices skillfully, first in the classroom

and then beyond: in board rooms, on the political stage and in any other arena.”

Of this I am sure: The girls who stand behind the lecterns, walk

the halls, grace the stage, work in the labs, and dominate the athletic fields at Hathaway Brown today are the women who will be celebrated the world over next March, and the March

after that, and every Women’s History Month for generations to come. I am consistently awed by and privileged to learn new

things from these amazing students. It is an honor to be at a

school that helps them amplify their powerful, inspirational, and aspirational voices in the world.

Dr. Mary Frances Bisselle

Head of School

HB

As the head of a girls’ school, I look forward to the month of March every year, because Women’s History Month gives us an opportunity to unabashedly celebrate the accomplishments and potential of girls and women around the world. Of course, we celebrate girls and women every single day at HB, but the month of March is a special time when so many other voices are added to the chorus, learning from each other and raising one another up.

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Hathaway Brown is a dynamic and compassionate community dedicated to excellence in the education of girls.

For us, educational excellence includes, but reaches well beyond, superb preparation for college.

The true mission of the school, as reflected in our motto, “Non scholae sed vitae discimus,� is preparation for life. We strive to foster in the minds of our students an abiding passion for learning and in their hearts a constant devotion to strong character and public service. At this

moment in history, there is great need for women of vision and courage who are empowered for

leadership in a multicultural and globalized society. We seek to answer that need by inspiring

our students to achieve their utmost potential, and to rise boldly to the challenges of their times.

While transforming the lives of the girls in our care is our primary calling, Hathaway Brown embraces broader aspirations as well: to help shape a future of unbounded possibility for

women; to stand among the country’s leading schools in educational innovation; and to be

such a force for the common good beyond our campus that we are respected as a civic treasure.

contents GUEST COLUMN

08

The Breakfast Club

HB alumnae share meals and memories in the Windy City

NEWS FROM NORTH PARK

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LOCKER ROOM

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Blazer Bullet Points

As spring sports athletes suit up for the season, we jot down a few notes on our Blazer fall and winter athletics programs and tuck them into the record books

COVER STORY

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I Have an IDEA!

In HB’s IDEA Lab, students learn engineering concepts, work with high-tech machines, design functional and artistic projects, discover creative ways to overcome obstacles, and bring their ideas to life

FEATURES

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Inspiring Ingenuity

P H OTO BY JA S O N M I L L E R

For nearly four decades, the Strnad Fellowships in Creativity program has sparked, fueled, and illuminated the imaginations and industriousness of HB students

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Ivy League Affiliation

HB has joined forces with the University of Pennsylvania to deliver an innovative and mutually beneficial teacher training program

ALUMNAE UPDATES

35 77

Class News Brides, Babies, Memorials

HB

Academic Awards & Achievements HB students and faculty earn recognition in a variety of fields

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Left to right: Ellen Rosendale '72, Sally Ainsworth Anderson '66, Libbet Dunlop Richter '62, Raye Howells Koch '71

GUEST COLUMN

BY LIBBET DUNLOP RICHTER ’62

The Breakfast Club Alumnae share meals and memories in the Windy City

W

hat an honor! The Hathaway Brown Advancement

Office had reached out to me to help plan a reception

for our new head of school, Dr. Mary Frances Bisselle,

on her first trip to meet Chicago-area alumnae. It turned out that I was able to host the event in our Lincoln Park home. I had attended

other HB gatherings in Chicago over the years when Bill Christ, our charismatic former head, had stopped here. I knew this would

be a pleasant afternoon with interesting women, but I didn’t know it would bring significant new relationships into my life.

My first reaction to the event was delight that so many young alums

had chosen to come to meet our impressive new leader; the majority

were relatively recent grads who were launching their post-college lives in Chicago. While the young women buzzed about careers and

family, it didn’t take long for a few of us from much earlier classes to begin to compare notes. Our foursome included Sally Ainsworth Anderson, class of 1966, whom I’d met briefly once or twice before

Howells Koch, class of 1971, who commutes between Chicago and Plano, Texas; Ellen Rosendale, class of 1972, resident of south side

Hyde Park; and me, Libbet (HB nickname: Libby) Dunlop Richter, class of 1962. Our meeting was certainly serendipitous. The only

reason Raye was there (she hadn’t gotten the email) was that her

suburban friend, Barb Wolfenden Frey of the class of 1973 urged

index

alumnae featured in this issue Sally Ainsworth Anderson ’66 – The Breakfast Club, pg. 8

her to come to meet Dr. Bisselle. Sally had just been to her 50th HB

Jamie Stein Atlas ’03 – Worthy of Cheer, pg. 13

knowing that Bill Christ would be a hard act to follow. Ellen saw

Barb Wolfenden Frey ’73 – The Breakfast Club, pg. 9

reunion and was curious to see and meet the new head of school, that the reception was nearby, and felt she should support a school that had been so formative for her.

Leah Ridgeway Jackson ’99 – I Have an IDEA!, pg. 17 Raye Howells Koch ’71 – The Breakfast Club, pg. 9

The four of us had a lively conversation, and one of us suggested we

Lisa Daniels McKenna ’75 – Worthy of Cheer, pg. 13

of family services at Chicago’s Lurie Children’s Hospital while the

Elizabeth Dunlop Richter ’62 – The Breakfast Club, pg. 9

keep it going over breakfast. Since Ellen worked full time as director rest of us had more flexible schedules, we settled on breakfast at Beatrix, a popular restaurant adjacent to the hospital. At the first

breakfast about a month later, we uncovered a fascinating series of

Kim Ponsky Sable ’98 – Worthy of Cheer, pg. 13 Julia Berkman Sieck ’99 – I Have an IDEA!, pg. 20

connections and life stories. Sally remembers that “… it was at the

Edna Dawley Strnad ’42 – Inspiring Ingenuity, pg. 23

in each other. Ellen and Raye’s sharing of spiritual exploration was

Lyse Strnad ’72 – Inspiring Ingenuity, pg. 23

first breakfast that we really all felt such a connection and interest really interesting, as was Libbet’s story about Rev. McCracken.”

Nina Strnad ’74 – Inspiring Ingenuity, pg. 25

Yes, religion dominated that first breakfast. I’d been married in

Renee King Van De Motter ’88 – Worthy of Cheer, pg. 13

1970 at St. Paul’s Church by Rev. Chave McCracken, fondly remembered by others. Both Raye and Ellen spoke deeply about their spiritual conversions. Once again, our conversation demanded

to be continued! We agreed to meet again the following month ... and the next, and the next. Once every month for nearly two years now, we’ve met at Beatrix for breakfast. I’ve also become a grateful

patient of Raye’s physical therapy practice. We’re comparing notes on movies, theater, books, vacations, and yes—grandchildren! Our husbands have not been left out. Sally hosted a delightful dinner for

eight of us in her handsome condo overlooking the Chicago River.

We shared our Christmas decorations over drinks with the group

in December. Another dinner with spouses is in the works. And of course, the breakfasts continue.

The question, of course, is why did our HB connection lead to such meaningful personal relationships? The answer is surely embedded

in the HB motto, Non Scholae Sed Vitae Discimus—“We Learn Not for School, But for Life.” The connective tissue of our group is

intellectual curiosity, a passion for new experiences, and engagement in our community—all values ingrained in HB graduates. We do

not look for mirrors of ourselves, but we are attracted to those who bring new perspectives to our lives. While we certainly have many

things in common, it’s our differences that enliven our get-togethers, and we’re linked by our privileged education at Hathaway Brown.

And by the way, Beatrix has really delicious breakfasts!

Sienna Zeilinger ’11 – Inspiring Ingenuity, pg. 28

HB

P H OTO AT L E F T BY PAU L KO C H ; P H OTO AT B OT TO M R I G H T BY G E N E V I E V E N I S LY P H OTO G R A P H Y

(and remembered her brother from University School); Raye

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STUNNING Scholastic Success WRITING

Of the 340,000 works of art and writing submitted this year to the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, only about 10 percent were awarded regional Gold Key status and moved on to national judging. Of those Gold Key works, only 10 percent received national awards, and this year an incredible nine HB students have been recognized with 10 national Gold and Silver medals in writing.

Jessica Chang ’21, Stephanie Kaiser ’19, Anna Keresztesy ’20, Rebecca Oet ’20, Sejal Sangani ’20, and Vala Schriefer ’19 were awarded medals in Poetry; Yardena Carmi ’19, Galia Madfis ’20, and Harleigh Markowitz ’20 in Personal Essay/Memoir; and senior Stephanie Kaiser is one of only 11 students in the country to receive the Silver Medal with Distinction award for a Writing Portfolio. Stephanie’s portfolio, Boundary, consists of poetry, personal essays, and an introductory writer’s statement. She is the first HB student to receive this prestigious award. In addition to being recognized at Carnegie Hall, Stephanie will receive a $1,000 scholarship for her achievement. Stephanie also has been awarded the American Voices medal, a special best-in-region award selected by the national judges.

ART

Two Upper School students and one Middle School student earned national medals in this highly selective competition. Congratulations are in order for Amy Howarth ’20, Gold Medal recipient in printmaking for “Student Driver,” Vala Schriefer ’19, Silver Medal winner for “Couter” in the photography category, and Sophia Onysko ’23, national photography silver medalist for “Dancing Dragons.”

Recognition

Greta Cywinska ’19 is one of only three Ohio students to be named a 2019 Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholar.

Her project, “Development of an Apparatus for Accurate, Precise Insertion of Intramuscular Electrodes” was completed through HB’s Science Research & Engineering Program. Over three years, Greta worked in a Case Western Reserve University biomedical engineering laboratory where she developed, designed and built a device that guides an implanted electrode to be inserted into the same site multiple times.

Three hundred Regeneron Science Talent Scholars were selected from 1,964 applications, which were received from 601 high schools in 48 states, two U.S. territories and seven other countries. The scholars were selected based on their exceptional research skills, commitment to academics, innovative thinking, and promise as scientists. Each of the 300 scholars and their schools will be awarded $2,000.

Since 1998, when SREP began, there have been 90 Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars in Ohio, 29 of whom were HB students.

National Merit News Hathaway Brown seniors Stephanie Kaiser, Alison Xin, and Yasmine Zein were chosen as 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.

Eleven members of the Hathaway Brown Class of 2019 received Letters of Commendation in recognition of their outstanding academic promise, based on their Preliminary Scholastic Achievement Test scores.

This year’s National Merit Commended Students are: Arianna Anderson, Ainsley Bradbury, Yardena Carmi, Greta Cywinska, Anna Doak, Carolyn Homolka, Megan Qiang, Mia Shein, Jennifer Wang, Katherine Wang, and Angela Zhu.

The 21st annual Science Research & Engineering Program Poster Session and Reception was held March 5. Nearly 130 students presented work on research ranging from independent background literature reviews to research that has been ongoing for almost four years in disciplines covering archaeology and medical projects to physics and polymer sciences.

Based on extensive judging from both internal faculty and external scientists, the top three projects from the Poster Session were selected as finalists to attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) May 12-17 in Phoenix, Ariz. This is the largest pre-college science event in the nation and more than 1,800 student finalists from local and regional fairs from roughly 75 countries and territories compete there for scholarships, tuition grants, internships, and more.

HB’s Intel ISEF finalists are Tejal Pendekanti ’20, Shruthi Ravichandran ’21, and Alison Xin ’19. In addition to these awards, HB students won a number of special awards at the Poster Session in recognition of their research efforts.

•

Intel Computer Science Award: Sinead Li ’20

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US Air Force Awards: Hiba Daud ’21, Anjali Dhanekula ’22, Avery Simon ’22, Madeleine Williams ’22

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Office of Naval Research Awards: Sahej Bindra ’19, Ainsley Bradbury ’19, Lina Zein ’20

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American Material Society Award: Greta Cywinska ’19

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American Psychological Association Award: Carolyn Homolka ’19

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Mu Alpha Theta Award: Anya Razmi ’20

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NASA Earth System Science Award: Megan Qiang ’19

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Ricoh’s Sustainable Development Award: Selby Vaughn ’20

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Society for In Vitro Biology Award: Hannah Basali ’20

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US Metric SI Award: Jennifer Wang ’19

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Yale Science and Engineering Award: Helen Sun ’20

HB

Powerful Presentations

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P H OTO S BY JA S O N M I L L E R

#HBCelebratesWomen Across multiple social media platforms during the entire month of March—Women’s History Month—HB celebrated women, sharing stories of female empowerment sprinkled with historical perspective, and providing opportunities for engagement through videos, playlists, blog posts, photo galleries, fun facts, book suggestions, and contests. A giant all-school party was held in honor of International Women’s Day on March 8, during which students and faculty members donned custom bandanas and channeled their inner Rosie the Riveter, demonstrating personal strength and the can-do attitude that is at the center of the HB experience. The achievements of women are celebrated every single day at HB, and March is an especially joyous time on campus. Search the hashtag #HBCelebratesWomen to see how we put our own HB stamp on the month and mark your calendar to join in the fun next year.

, P H OTO S BY K I M P O N S KY S A B L E 9 8

Worthy of CHEER Please join us in congratulating the following members of HB’s faculty, staff, and administration who will be retiring or celebrating milestone anniversaries at the close of the 2018-2019 school year.

Retirees:

Mary Boutton Primary School 16 years

Jane Brown Early Childhood 25 years

Gail Fisher College Counseling 19 years

Patricia Gefert Primary School 31 years

Susan Levitan Middle School 39 years

Kathy Zopatti Primary School 13 years

HB

5 Years of Service: Shelly Ahern, Stefanie Albrecht, Mary Amjad, Gerry Artl, Jamie Stein Atlas ’03, Carrie Barnabei, Phyllis Dykes, Steve Elliott, Amanda Katschke, Kristen Leahy, Alaina McCourt, Crystal Miller, Alyssa Nayden, Julie Odachowski, Darrah Parsons.

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10 Years of Service: Toni Cross, Kristin Kuhn, Christopher Staats, Renee King Van De Motter ’88.

15 Years of Service: Beth Burtch, Mary-Scott Pietrafese, Linda Simon-Mietus.

20 Years of Service: Shelby Ackroyd, Michael Buescher, Jennifer Burnett.

25 Years of Service: Jane Brown, Lisa Daniels McKenna ’75, Kelly Wilson.

40 Years of Service: Mark McConville, Mary Toth.

WE DID IT!

Thank you for sharing your

HB LOVE­

#ThankYou HB love was certainly in the air for our inaugural Share the Love Give Day on February 13, 2019, a social media and texting campaign that brought together Hathaway Brown students, faculty, parents, alumnae, and friends of the school in support of the institution that unites us all. A tremendous thank you to everyone who shared their HB love and contributed time, talent, and philanthropic gifts. You joined an amazing community of 292 donors and helped raise just over $102,000 to support HB students as they rise boldly to the challenges of our times and learn for life!

UPPER SCHOOL

ATHLETICS

P H OTO BY K E N F U R L I C H

2018–2019

Blazer Bullet Points As spring sports continue, we jot down a few notes on our Blazer fall and winter athletics programs and tuck them into the record books.

BASKETBALL

SOCCER

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The squad captured its first post-season victory in OHSAA Division I, a new division for the Blazers

•

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No seniors were on the Varsity roster this year, and we’re looking forward to seeing our veteran players on the floor again next year

Varsity finished with a record of 12-6 and was seeded #1 in the district for OHSAA Division I postseason play

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With a combined GPA of 3.72 among its players, the Blazers earned the Varsity Team Academic Award

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Mary Santelli ’20 scored her 50th career goal during the season

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Each scholar-athlete learned and grew together as individuals and as a team throughout the season

SWIMMING & DIVING

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Largest roster ever, with 30 girls

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Happy Anniversary! HB Swimming turned 30

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The team had several top finishes at regular season invitational meets

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Ranked OHSAA Division II State Runner-Up for the second year in a row

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Varsity Cross Country placed fifth at the OHSAA Division II District Meet

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Jamie Doak ’19 placed sixth in the state in Diving

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Six team swim records were broken this year

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Jessica Young ’19 qualified for the OHSAA Division II Regional Meet

FIELD HOCKEY •

The squad had a year filled with growth under firstyear head coach Kelly Carioto

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Varsity closed out the season with a record of 8-7-1

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Made it to the second round of the OHSAA State Qualifying Tournament

VOLLEYBALL

HB

CROSS COUNTRY

•

The team welcomed new head coach Denise Johnson

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•

Development and success were highlights of the season

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The Blazers competed in the OHSAA Division I District for the second consecutive year

TENNIS •

The Blazers ended the year with their fourth consecutive OTCA Team State Championship

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Varsity A went undefeated all season long

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Nicole Gillinov ’20 was named Division II OHSAA Singles Champion

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HB Doubles teams earned both State Champion titles for Isabella Daverio ’19 and Rebecca Wolf ’19,

and State Runner-Up titles Godsick ’20 and Megan Qiang ’19

for

Isabella

GOLF

NEXT CHAPTER Five members of the class of 2019 signed National Letters of Intent to continue their athletics careers at the Division I level: •

Jamie Doak, Swimming & Diving, George Washington University

The team featured only one graduating senior

•

Nora Santelli, Soccer, University of Richmond

Kate Hickey ’20 took fourth place at the OHSAA Division I Sectional Tournament, qualifying for Districts

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Rebecca Wolf, Tennis, Colgate University

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Maddie Lynch, Tennis, Wake Forest University

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Isabella Daverio, Tennis, George Mason University

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HB players went 7-2 in dual matches

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P H OTO BY JA S O N M I L L E R

BY KENDRA DAVIS

In HB’s IDEA Lab, students learn engineering concepts, work with high-tech machines, discover creative ways to overcome obstacles, and bring their ideas to life.

The work completed by the 13 freshmen who meet here approximately 30 times during the school year is evaluated

by Jackson on a pass/fail basis. By the end of the course, girls are expected to understand the Engineering Design Process—a series of steps engineers follow to come up with a solution to a problem—and work independently to complete lab projects using a variety of equipment and software.

Anaria has successfully created a candy machine and a vinyl design for clothing. She also tried her hand at engraving a drinking glass. Initially, the glass seemed like a failure because it didn’t raster (an engraving technique that uses a pattern of closely spaced rows of dots to form an image) properly. But scrapping your work and starting over is OK in this space. In fact, it’s encouraged. The class teaches problem-solving skills, and Anaria uncovered a remedy. By adjusting the laser cutter settings, she found a way to make the glass turn out just as she imagined.

HB

naria Britt, a freshman at Hathaway Brown, sits in the IDEA Lab, a bright and airy classroom that’s unexpectedly tucked into a lower-level hallway that snakes between the Atrium and the Primary School building. In this maker space, she’s surrounded by complex machinery, including laser printers, a band saw, and a milling machine. As she ponders what she will create for her next project, her classmates are busy all around her. Some are designing, building, and constructing an accent table and a park bench. Others are trying their hands at electronic soldering. The class is called Intro to IDEAS—Innovation, Design, Engineering, Art & Safety. It’s taught by HB alumna, engineer, and Director of the Center for Technology & Invention Leah Ridgeway Jackson ’99.

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Growth Mindset At HB, girls are high achievers. They perform well in a number of disciplines, often winning awards in literature, arts, and athletics. And it’s a badge of honor that the school’s graduating classes are continuously accepted at high rates to their first-choice, top-tier colleges and universities. The IDEA Lab is an environment dedicated to integrating these skills while also developing problemsolving and spatial techniques. By design, failure is a very real part of this process; a successful project often requires re-envisioning, reimagining, and redesigning.

“It’s easy to enter the IDEA Lab, with all the machines and equipment, and start to feel intimidated,” Jackson says.

“But this space and what HB provides academically are about making and creating. We are all makers, whether it’s building or making music. We are inspired to create in some way.”

In her book Enough As She Is: How to Help Girls Move Beyond Impossible Standards of Success to Live Healthy, Happy, and Fulfilling Lives, educator Rachel Simmons explains that girls take failures especially hard— interpreting them as a sign they lack ability—and partially as a result, girls report experiencing anxiety in much more substantial numbers than boys.

“Boys are used to failing without consequence,” Jackson says. “Girls don’t want to fail, but making includes failing.”

Though the concept of “failure” often connotes lack of understanding, knowledge, or skill, the climate in the IDEA Lab encourages what Stanford professor and renowned psychologist Carol Dweck defines as a growth mindset: continuous learning and improvement through a willingness to try, fail, and inquire.

Anaria Britt’s Design Process & Maker Journal

At HB, teaching Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) concepts starts in the Early Childhood program. Early exposure can lead to a growing generation of girls confident in their abilities in these fields and perhaps ultimately pursuing them as careers.

HB Computer Science Department Chair Valerie Yarmesch teaches coding and robotics to kindergarten through eighth-grade students. She says writing computer code is very similar to creating IDEA Lab projects because it involves a lot of trial and error combined with experiential learning. She’s witnessed the evolution of students who are very apprehensive at the beginning of a course because they don’t immediately grasp the concept, but as the class continues, their confidence builds, capability grows, and they take more risks. Each girl has a different experience and they find ways to brainstorm together and collaborate on the hands-on assignments. This kind of synergy persists through the Prime, Middle, and Upper School experience. It is perhaps most evident in the IDEA Lab, which is open to students of all ages, from preschool through grade 12.

Girls Learn Best by Doing Experiential learning is a process for students to develop knowledge and competence from direct experiences outside of a traditional academic setting. The kind of hands-on study happening in the IDEA Lab is a form of experiential learning that takes girls from conceptual analysis into the creative process. What they see and hear in the space motivates them. Girls use their brainpower and the machines in the lab to bring things to life; they create tangible objects that make their learning real. And they’re deeply invested in the results.

P H OTO BY JA S O N M I L L E R

“Boys are used to failing without consequence,” Jackson says. “Girls don’t want to fail, but making includes failing.”

It’s not only STEM coursework that inspires the work Anaria and her peers produce in Intro to IDEAS. Jackson calls the IDEA Lab a cross-divisional hub. For example, hands-on learning in the lab can help girls take what they’re learning

in history class about ancient architecture, artwork, or social infrastructure and apply it to their projects, allowing them to understand these concepts in a fuller, more personal way.

This year, HB sixth graders learned about and made the seven simple machines. Not only can they name each simple machine (lever, wheel and axle, gear, pulley, inclined plane, wedge, and screw), but because of experiential learning, they comprehend the inner workings and functionality of each one. Fourth-grade students also explored with simple machines and created a model playground that incorporated actual outdoor play safety guidelines. They did this by using the 3D printer, hand tools, tinkering supplies, and upcycled parts, such as a PVC conduit, to build a slide. The annual second-grade World Cultural Festival gives girls the opportunity to

HB

After thinking through a few concepts for her next project, Anaria decides to construct a marquee sign of her first initial, a letter A, complete with an electrical mechanism to light it up. For her project, she uses wood, a handsaw, and paper circuits. The project doesn’t lack challenges. She contemplates the appropriate size. She has to use math (a subject she says she dislikes, but Jackson counters that she’s good at it) to determine the appropriate dimensions for the woodcuts she needs for the legs and connecting bar of the letter. And as the wood glue dries, it shifts pieces of the A out of place, which means she needs to do additional sanding.

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intensely study a country of their choice. Their projects were enhanced by their work in the IDEA Lab this year because they used laser cutters to depict their countries on a globe.

“The IDEA Lab is so important for our girls because it instills a sense of confidence that they can create, they can make and build, and they have the capacity and capability to do innovative things,” Jackson says.

That’s why every HB student and faculty member has a standing invitation to use the IDEA Lab to strengthen the application of coursework in other classes. Computer science students code designs, then they use 3D modeling software in the lab to bring their concepts to life. And during open lab times, it’s not uncommon to find students creating a design prototype for an art class or to see members of HB’s FIRST Robotics team manufacturing components for sensors to embed on Curiosity George, their competition robot.

Cultivating Roots for STEM For good reason, campaigns promoting girls in STEM are abundant. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics fields have traditionally lacked gender diversity. A December 2018 Forbes article explains that “educational bias starts early, lowering girls’ aspirations for science and engineering careers,” which translates to only 22 percent of the workforce occupied by women.

To combat this career trend, girls at HB are encouraged to picture a future in STEM fields and develop ideas on what a career could look like for them. Yarmesch says

girls gravitate toward careers where they can help people and collaborate with others. That’s why she coordinates HB’s Women in STEAM Leadership Speaker Series, which brings female representatives in the STEM fields (plus art), to campus to discuss their career paths and working life with the students. Recent guest speakers have included Julia Berkman Sieck ’99, a senior product analyst at Progressive Insurance, and Danielle Feinberg, the director of photography for lighting at Pixar Animation Studios. “There’s value in seeing female role models take advantage of the breadth of the industry,” Yarmesch says.

The national trend of female aversion to STEM fields is not borne out in the halls of HB, where robotics, app development, and gaming are popular among Upper School students. According to the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, participation in STEM clubs and activities increases the likelihood for girls to pursue STEM subjects in higher education and beyond. “Every girl can do this,” says Upper School Computer Science Teacher J. Collins, who also coaches HB’s Blazers e-sports team, the first competitive gaming team of its type at a U.S. girls’ school.

The embrace of e-sports is becoming widespread, as a growing number of colleges and universities award scholarships to gamers. The game design field is also lacking gender diversity, but it’s an industry offering vast opportunities for women in STEM. Prior to their graduation, 25 percent of HB’s Class of 2018 indicated an intent to major in a STEM field in college.

And close to 30 percent of 2014 through 2018 alumnae indicated they indeed are studying a STEM field in college.

P H OTO BY JA S O N M I L L E R

Back in the Lab After much trial and error and a fair amount of elbow grease, Anaria finished her marquee A. It turned out great—the measurements are accurate, the sanding is perfect, and the lights work on command. Her design approach wasn’t void of mistakes, but in the end, she brought her vision to life.

As she wraps up her ninth-grade year, Anaria hasn’t yet decided what she’ll study in college, but like many of her HB sisters, she already has the confidence and competency to pursue any STEM field if she so chooses.

Designing a bright future rests in her own very capable hands.

HB 21

The national trend of female aversion to STEM fields is not borne out in the halls of HB, where robotics, app development, and gaming are popular among Upper School students.

Panels from Preterhuman the Strnad Fellowship in Creativity project by Alison Xin ,19

P H OTO S BY E VA N P R U N T Y / B L AC K VA LV E M E D I A

BY K AT H L E E N O S B O R N E

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inspiring ingenuity

“h

For nearly four decades, the Strnad Fellowships in Creativity program has sparked, fueled, and illuminated the imaginations and industriousness of Hathaway Brown students.

ow does society respond to normal humans trying to live this normal life while having the burden and gift of being extraordinary?”

Alison Xin is standing behind a lectern at the front of a small banquet room, addressing a gathering of her classmates, their parents, and some very special guests who are sipping hot coffee and nibbling fruit pastries. It’s a beautiful crisp September morning in Northeast Ohio and the sun is threatening to fill the floor-to-ceiling windows of the darkened room with too much light.

As the audience listens to Alison, they crane their necks to get a good look at the PowerPoint slide she’s projecting to a small screen at her left. On it are images of her intricately designed and neatly scripted graphic novel in progress, Preterhuman, a work that aims to reimagine the traditional comic book narrative structure as it builds “outside the dichotomy of the superhero/ supervillain trope.” From her perch at the head table, Edna Dawley Strnad ’42 takes in the presentation through highpowered glasses prescribed to ameliorate

the effects of her legal blindness, and she nods approvingly.

A Hathaway Brown senior, Alison is one of more than 20 young women who are offering progress reports on the Strnad Fellowships in Creativity independent study projects they’ve been working on for many months, and in some cases, more than a year. One after the next, they give professional updates on the cookbooks and novels they’re writing, the albums and documentaries they’re producing, the websites they’re coding, and the businesses they’re launching.

It’s easy to forget these are teenagers as they outline the specifics of what they’ve already done and what they aim to do by the end of the year.

Carolyn Holan ’19 talks about how she biked 357 miles from Seneca Falls to Worcester with her friend Susan in the summer, learning the hard way about adaptability and resilience and analyzing the Women’s Rights Movement through the lens of women in the outdoors as she pedaled and made camp along the route. Sejal Sangani ’20 and Stephanie Kaiser ’19 share insights about their

collaboration, The Pacific Project, a mental health awareness initiative for high school students that incorporates education, coping strategies, and a library of intervention resources. Seniors Simran Patwa and Nikhita Kumar take turns describing how they’re combining the Indian classical dances of Bharatanatyam and Kathak into a choreography fusion, and Sidney Li ’19 fills the screen with a delicious array of images of the Asian meal kits she’s cooking up with fresh ingredients to be delivered to customers’ doorsteps.

Although the wide-ranging initiatives are completed under the guidance of in-school and professional mentors, all of these projects are self-directed, and they’re being done in addition to the normal high school demands of homework, standardized testing, sports and drama practices, after-school jobs, and other social and extracurricular activities.

A studious and diligent bunch, the girls willingly and enthusiastically signed up for all this extra work, much of which is outside what one might stereotypically expect would interest them. And they say they wouldn’t have it any other way.

P H OTO S BY E VA N P R U N T Y / B L AC K VA LV E M E D I A

A keenly intellectual and ebullient nonagenarian who considers her visual impairment a “blessing in disguise” because it forces her to focus on things that other people are unable or unwilling to see, Edna Dawley Strnad enrolled at Hathaway Brown as a 10th grader, serving as editor of the HBS Review, and graduating in 1942. She went on to receive a degree from Vassar, but she loved HB so much that she has made sure to keep it a steady part of her family’s life for the more than seven decades that have transpired since. Daughter Lyse is a 1972 graduate, and Nina earned her HB diploma two years later. In between, Edna joined the school’s administrative team with a focus on philanthropy and fundraising, creating what would become the institution’s Advancement Office. She held that role for six years, before her installation as a school Trustee, a position she maintained well into the 2000s. She was the 1998 recipient of the school’s Distinguished Alumnae Award and she continues today to offer counsel and guidance to the Head of School as a Life Trustee.

Generally speaking, the endowment graciously established by the Strnad family at HB is intended “to offer enterprising and talented students the opportunity to design a year-long independent study in the arts, humanities, or sciences. It involves research, investigation, or study that leads a Fellow into an area of learning that results in a creative outcome such as a project or significant activity.” In practice, this means that HB juniors and seniors work closely with Upper School English teacher Wayne Hatcher, who serves as the director of the Strnad Fellowships at HB. He shepherds them through the application and committee review process and guides them through to the final delivery stage. Each girl selected to receive a Fellowship must submit a budget proposal for training, supplies, and other expenses related to her project. Once the funding is approved and in-school and professional mentors have been secured, students check in with Hatcher every two or three months so he can ensure they are on track. In the fall, the students offer a formal update to Edna and her daughter Lyse, and they make a final presentation of their work at an Upper School assembly in late spring. Any tools or materials acquired by the students in the course of their Fellowship work become

All of these projects are self-directed, and they’re being done in addition to the normal high school demands of homework, standardized testing, sports and drama practices, after-school jobs, and other social and extracurricular activities.

Wayne Hatcher, Program director

, , Dr. Lyse Strnad 72 and Edna Dawley Strnad 42 (center) are flanked by the 2018–2019 Strnad Fellows in Creativity.

HB

In 1981, Edna and her late husband, James J. “Bud” Strnad, established the Edna Dawley Strnad Fellowships in Creativity at Hathaway Brown, a program modeled after a similar undertaking they pioneered 50 years ago for the boys at Bud’s University School alma mater. Buoyed by the couple’s generosity, hundreds and hundreds of students have been able to go off through the years in pursuit of all manner of discovery

as they developed new talents, cracked codes, explored their artistic sides, studied a variety of disciplines, and found innovative ways of looking at—and allowing others to see—the world we inhabit together.

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P H OTO BY G R AC E A M JA D , 1 9

Recipe from the Strnad Fellowship in Creativity project

by Grace Amjad ,19

KLEINUR

This recipe reminds me so much of my trip to Iceland with HB in 2017, when we ate these for breakfast. These aren’t your typical donuts, they are much denser and have nice notes of cardamom and nutmeg—­perfect for any time of the day.

INGREDIENTS

INSTRUCTIONS

• 5 cups wheat flour

Sift flour, mix it with sugar, baking powder, soda and salt. Add nutmeg. Crush cardamom in a mortar and pestle and mix it with other ingredients. Add butter (cut into small pieces), eggs, milk and buttermilk.

• 1 cup sugar • 1 cup butter • 3 tsp baking powder • 1 tsp baking soda • 3 cardamom pods • Freshly ground nutmeg • 1/2 tsp sea salt • 2 eggs • 1/2 cup milk • 1 cup of buttermilk • Frying oil

Knead it into soft dough, cover with plastic wrap, keep it in a fridge for about one hour.

Roll out the dough until fairly thin, something about 5 millimeters thick and then cut into strips 5-6 centimeters wide. Cut diagonally across the previous cuts to create the diamond shapes. Cut a tiny slit in the center of each diamond and very gently pull one end through the slit, to make the twist.

Heat the frying oil (about 5-6 cm) in a pot. It must be very hot, you can test this by putting a small piece of dough in the oil to see if it bubbles and cooks immediately. Put raw kleinur into the oil and fry on each side for one to one and a half minutes until they reach golden brown color. Put them on a paper towel to drain the excess oil. Let them cool and if you like, sprinkle them with powdered sugar.

the property of the school for use by other students, and a representation of the resulting project is cataloged and archived at HB. Hatcher, who is “transfixed with the energy of the students,” says he enjoys his role as program director because it allows him a front-row seat to watch girls “realize their creative ideals and goals as they come up with big ideas and follow their passions.” While he has a hard time pinning down a favorite among the dozens of projects he’s overseen since 2010, he cites the bicycle built from the ground up by Sienna Zeilinger ’11 as one of the more memorable initiatives. “She made it herself— even doing her own welding,” he says. “Then she rode it out onto the stage during the assembly. That kind of thing doesn’t happen at other schools.”

Lyse Strnad agrees. A Stanford and Case Western Reserve University-educated ophthalmologist now based in Iowa, Lyse says medical schools and other graduate programs seek out “bent arrows”—people who have done something different in their lives, who have charted personal courses outside of what is prescribed and expected—because they bring a unique point

Bent Arrow case in point: Jennifer Wang ’19. She plans to pursue studies in cognitive science and biochemistry in college next year, but before she gets there, she has been working on a Strnad Fellowship project in which she is designing and constructing a new and more effective compound archery bow.

“When I first got involved in archery at the beginning of high school, I found that as much as I enjoyed shooting, I was more curious about how the bow itself worked. The Strnad Fellowship gave me the opportunity to explore this interest—learning how different archery bows work and getting the chance to design and create one myself,” she explains. The project has challenged her to teach herself new engineering concepts and technical applications as she developed a blueprint for what she would build herself without the assistance of specialized industrial machinery. “Understanding how the parts of the bow come together allowed me to rearrange and reduce components to make a simpler design that didn’t need specialized tools.

Keeping aesthetics in mind challenged me to keep playing with the fundamental components of the bow until they were effective enough that excessive accessories weren’t necessary,” she says. “At the intersection of simplicity and effectiveness, I found that an elegant design could reduce the challenges of actual construction down the road.”

So what can this Strnad Fellowship project possibly offer Jennifer to aid in her future studies?

“It teaches important career and life skills that can’t be learned in a traditional classroom,” Jennifer says. “For example, we learn how to approach a stranger for help and advice or how to create a plan that is resilient and flexible in the case that things go wrong. Additionally, through self-directed experiences, we

HB

On this September day, Edna is particularly taken with Kay Prescott’s status report on Project Hopeful Healing, a website she’s developing to help people understand and find their way into the practice of meditation. After the presentations, Edna pulls the HB senior aside, shows her the string she wears around her wrist, and explains that she has been an ardent practitioner of transcendental meditation since 1971. She tells Kay about the comparative religion studies she’s explored throughout her life, highlights bits of wisdom from scholars she’s heard lecture at Chautauqua Institution, suggests some tapes for Kay to listen to, and promises to send some books from her own library to the school’s front desk so that Kay may use them to edify herself as she builds her digital platform. She also is very interested in “drool,” the scripted film directed by Mackenzie Fields ’19 to spotlight pervasive structural sexism and misogyny, a topic 95-year-old Edna labels “very timely.” She recalls an array of compelling past projects, including a hand-tooled violin and an instructional manual for flying a plane. She especially likes the fact that so many projects incorporate a social component.

But what’s most important is that students explore something entirely different from what they grapple with in a traditional classroom setting. “Even if they don’t set out to, the girls expand their perspective,” Edna says.

of view that nurtures empathy and openmindedness and can lead to innovation. The Strnad Fellowships in Creativity at HB are beneficial in other ways as well. “They give girls well-founded confidence that comes with having done a very intensive project from conception to completion,” Lyse says. “As teenagers, these girls have a lot of emotions and opinions about important topics—all sorts of things, including feminism and how we interact with the geopolitical world. This program allows them to channel all of that in constructive and meaningful ways.”

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As teenagers, these girls have a lot of emotions and opinions about important topics—all sorts of things, including feminism and how we interact with the geopolitical world. This program allows them to channel all of that in constructive and meaningful ways.

can truly understand the importance of having passions and interests and pursuing them beyond what is offered.

The Strnad Fellowship really made my high school education feel more personal and insightful than it otherwise would have been.”

Edna is pleased that her endowment has allowed her to be an active catalyst in the learning and growth of generations of students. “Our fellowship has been a seed for a lot of things,” she says with a smile. “It has influenced so much.”

The Strnad Fellowships in Creativity

program is part of HB’s signature Institute for

21st Century Education, which reimagines the traditional academic architecture and allows

students to explore their interests and expand

their real-world skills in a variety of disciplines.

The Institute is comprised of 11 distinct centers running the gamut from civic engagement to business and finance. Completing all center requirements can earn students graduation designations not often seen on high school transcripts.

BELOW: The bicycle built by Sienna Zeilinger ,11

BELOW: In progress panels from Preterhuman the Strnad Fellowship in Creativity project by Alison Xin ,19

ABOVE & RIGHT: Schematics developed by Jennifer Wang ,19 as she created her own compound archery bow.

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P H OTO BY G E N E V I E V E N I S LY P H OTO G R A P H Y

HB 31

BEST. SUMMER.

EVER. Located in Shaker Heights, HB offers a wide array of summer programming for boys and girls ages 3–21.

Visit hb.edu/summer to browse through academic, athletics, adventure, theatre, and specialty camp options to create your own one-of-a-kind experience.

We offer flexible scheduling. Call 216.320.8085 for details.

P H OTO S C O U R T E S Y O F T H E U N I V E R S I T Y O F P E N N S Y LVA N I A G R A D UAT E S C H O O L O F E D U C AT I O N

I V Y L E A G U E A F F I L I AT I O N

The University of Pennsylvania Comes to HB

Brown

is

joining

a

groundbreaking

of

leading

collaboration between the University of Pennsylvania and

two

consortiums

independent

schools to train teachers. Through a unique two-year fellowship

around a love for teaching. This collaboration further nurtures our culture of professional development,” Shah explains.

Bringing Theory to Practice

The program features

modeled after medical residencies for aspiring doctors, HB will

intensive onsite sessions at the University of Pennsylvania and at

education from Penn’s Graduate School of Education. There are 11

and collaborative distance learning. The University of Pennsylvania

was selected for the program by Penn through a highly competitive

Through their coursework, fellows develop a rich understanding

host candidates who are pursuing a master of science degree in

other schools in the consortium, in combination with innovative

other day schools and nine boarding schools in the program. HB

is one of three Ivy League schools with a school of education.

application process last fall.

of theory and pedagogy. Participants learn about the latest in

Koyen Parikh Shah will oversee the program’s launch at HB. As

design, and differentiated instruction. The program builds a

an alumna of a similar teacher training program at the Shady

Hill School in Cambridge, Mass., and one of the developers of the teacher training component at the Aspire Program of HB, she

sees tremendous potential in the relationship. “This collaboration

educational research about topics such as assessment, curriculum foundation for exemplary teaching because fellows apply this knowledge to their teaching in an ongoing way.

A Powerful Cohort of Teachers in Training

celebrates HB’s knowledgeable, reflective, and nuanced teaching,

As outlined in HB’s strategic plan, it is essential that HB attracts,

It’s a game-changing opportunity for us,” says Shah.

diverse, superbly talented teachers. Working with the University

Learning to Teach by Teaching

that foster dynamic and imaginative programs. The fellows across

and it also helps us achieve our strategic goals regarding teachers.

Fellows are typically

recent college graduates who are aspiring educators. They will bring

compelling experience and talents to HB Middle and Upper School classrooms while gaining experience working with HB faculty members, one of whom is specifically designated as a mentor. As

mentors and fellows work together, they create effective, enriching

classes in a feedback-rich environment. Mentors provide ongoing

guidance, observation, and feedback. “The mentor-fellow relationship is fueled by creative and inspiring conversation, and revolves entirely

retains, and continually develops new generations of creative, of Pennsylvania creates new pathways for HB to share systems

this network of independent schools reflect the energy, diversity, and commitment required of exemplary teachers. “The teaching landscape is changing rapidly and it is important to find ways

to secure the teaching talent pipeline at HB going forward,” Shah says. Graduates of this program will be equipped to teach thoughtfully in today’s world, they will have developed strategies

to continually refine their own teaching practices, and they will be leaders who can evaluate curricula and new programs.

HB

H

athaway

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P H OTO BY G E N E V I E V E N I S LY P H OTO G R A P H Y

far more than typical international curriculum.

Travel opportunities offer truly unique, immersive experiences, including exchange programs to places such as Zambia and Australia.”

Michael Ciuni,

Director of the Center for Global Citizenship

Y AWA H T HA

WN BRO

A

AL F U N N

UND

We appreciate your generosity and we hope you will continue to include Hathaway Brown in your philanthropic plans.

HB.edu /donate

HB

“The Annual Fund makes it possible for students in HB’s Center for Global Citizenship to benefit from

79

Non-Profit Org. U.S. Postage

PAID

Cleveland, Ohio Permit #3439

19600 North Park Boulevard Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122

HB.edu /upcomingevents Alumnae Weekend May 17-18 All class years welcome!

HB Orchestra Spring Soiree May 21, HB Atrium, 7:30 p.m.

Middle and Upper School orchestras perform.

143rd Commencement Exercises May 31, HB Courtyard, 11 a.m.

Commencement Speaker: Dee Haslam Owner, The Cleveland Browns

Eighth Grade Closing Exercises June 3, The Ahuja Auditorium, 5 p.m.

Fourth Grade Closing Exercises June 4, The Ahuja Auditorium, 5 p.m.

P H OTO BY JA M I E M O R S E

FSC HERE