An Evening with Author Phyllis Fagell
January 24, 2024 | 6 – 7 p.m.
Ashley Hall

Ashley Hall is pleased to welcome author Phyllis Fagell to campus to discuss her second book, Middle School Superpowers: Raising Resilient Tweens in Turbulent Times. During her presentation, Fagell – a school counselor, Washington Post education column contributor, and the author of Middle School Matters – will offer a practical, evidence-based, and compassionate guide for parents and educators to help today’s tweens navigate the middle grade years. Fagell will then answer questions from the audience, and conclude the evening with a book signing.

This event is free and open to the Charleston community, but registration is requested. Please feel free to share this event with anyone who may be interested in attending.

Register here

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Phyllis L. Fagell is a licensed clinical professional counselor, a certified professional school counselor, a frequent contributor to The Washington Post and other national publications, and author of Middle School Matters. She is a school counselor at Sheridan School in Washington, D.C. and provides therapy to children, teens, and families at The Chrysalis Group Inc. in Bethesda, Maryland.

The holidays are often associated with presents, and retailers have been pushing this message for months. But for the Ashley Hall community, this time of year is not about receiving. It’s about giving.

Every December for over two decades, Ashley Hall has partnered with Chicora Elementary School in North Charleston to spread the joy of the season with its 330 students. Known as the Chicora Gift-Giving Project, this tradition is marked by various holiday assemblies throughout campus and the donation of hundreds of gifts from the School community. But this year, students were reminded that this Ashley Hall tradition is not one of collecting gifts, but one of human connection, thanks to a very special visit by Chicora educator and alumna Elizabeth Blackman ’25.

On November 30, Blackman returned to campus to speak with Upper School students about the Chicora Gift-Giving Project, beginning with how much it has grown since her time as a student at Ashley Hall. “[The Chicora Gift-Giving Project] has changed tremendously over the years in the best way,” Blackman said. “I remember bringing our gifts and it would be one Barbie doll or a soccer ball. Now there are coats, shoes, anything that you can imagine being brought in to give to our students at Chicora.”

Today, donations are specifically curated to meet the needs of individual students at Chicora. Blackman works with classroom teachers beginning in November to build a wishlist for every child in grades 1-5. From clothing and toothbrushes to toys and books, donations are then collected and organized into special red Santa bags labeled with a child’s name that will be taken home at Christmas.

During her visit, Blackman gave students not only a better understanding of the gift-giving program, but, perhaps most importantly, of her students. “Over 90% of our students in first through fifth grades are living at or below poverty level,” shared Blackman, who spearheads the Chicora Gift-Giving Project with Ashley Hall Board of Trustee member and former Early School Director Dana Van Hook. “So they have some struggles, but when they come to school, it’s a different time to shine.”

Blackman went on to share just how much students at Chicora are indeed shining, noting that test scores throughout all grade levels have improved, and the school has recently allocated a new educator to support newly identified gifted and talented students at Chicora. Academics aside, Blackman shared just how similar her students are to those at Ashley Hall, whether it be a love for music or passion for becoming a leader, to highlight the true spirit of the season which is connecting with one another.

“The students of Ashley Hall and Chicora are not so different,” Blackman said. “We’re connected by dreams, by hopes, and we’re connected by the inherent worth of ourselves. Each child, regardless of their background, is full potential. And it’s our responsibility to nurture and support that potential. So in the spirit of the season, let us not only provide material gifts, but the gift of understanding compassion and empathy and kindness.”

Here are a few more powerful messages Blackman shared with students this holiday season:

Donations to Chicora Go Far Beyond Gifts

“I wanted to talk a little bit about the bags and that go to our students. The bags not only offer gifts, but they offer security and consistency for some of our students. Security and consistency are two things that a lot of Chicora students do not have at home. So every year, especially the ones who’ve been there since first grade, they look forward to these bags. They know what is coming. These bags mean more than just a toy.”

The Similarities Between Us

“I want to share some remarkable similarities that exist between our students and you, despite the apparent differences that you may have in your daily lives. At Ashley Hall and Chicora, you’re going to see students hard at work, excelling in some areas, struggling in others. You’re gonna see art displayed. You’re going to hear singing. I heard the chorus in here earlier. It was great. We have a chorus as well. And you’re also going to hear instruments. While you might hear violins here at Ashley Hall, at Chicora, you would hear steel drums. And in both the hallways at Ashley Hall and Chicora, you’re going to hear laughter, see friendships bloom, and see the curiosity that fuels the pursuit of knowledge. These are some of the universal traits that go beyond the boundaries of socioeconomic status.”

A Growing Community of Leaders

“Our biggest thing right now is something called Chicora Changers. It started last year and these students were selected because of their leadership skills, their great behavior, and their major potential that they have. So these students work to provide community service within our community within our school. They have to get a certain amount of hours, and then at the end of the year, they are rewarded with a trip to Disney.”

Annual Oyster Roast
Friday, January 26, 2024 | 7:00pm–9:00pm
Ashley Hall Sports Court

(Please enter event via the Smith Street Gate.)

This adult-only event is open to the entire Charleston community, so bring your friends. We look forward to seeing you there!

• Tickets are $60 when purchased online by Wednesday, January 24.
• Tickets are $45 for young alumnae, classes 2009-2019, when purchased online by Wednesday, January 24.
• Tickets are $65 when purchased the evening of the event.

On Sunday, September 10, nearly 40 Ashley Hall students, faculty, and family members braved the heat and traffic to Wannamaker Park to participate in the Walk to Fight Hunger hosted by the Lowcountry Food Bank, an organization based in Charleston which donates food to agencies up and down the coast of South Carolina. Team Ashley Hall raised over $1,400, the most of all fundraising teams, and the sum will help provide more than 8,000 meals to feed families throughout the Lowcountry. 

Just days before this year’s annual Walk to Fight Hunger, Ashley Hall hosted Brenda Shaw, Chief Development Officer at Lowcountry Food Bank, for an Upper School assembly to speak with students about her organization and what food insecurity looks like in our community.

“People who are food insecure look just like you and me,” says Kelly Sumner, Director of Counseling and Upper School Student Life, who helped organize Shaw’s visit. “They’re your neighbors, they’re your friends; there isn’t a certain look to being in need or a certain community that’s in need. I think students were able to really connect with that [during Shaw’s visit], then connect what the food bank does, who they serve, and take the opportunity to go out and help bring awareness to this issue right here in their community with their friends.”

Both the assembly and walk event were a part of Ashley Hall’s annual global education initiative in which students and educators are exploring ways they can help contribute to creating a world free of hunger by 2030 this year. But the School’s contributions to fighting food insecurity in Charleston is far from new.

“We’ve supported the Lowcountry Food Bank consistently for decades,” Sumner says. “We’ve had so many interesting ways we’ve been connected to them and other organizations over the years, and we’re just so very appreciative to them that they are able to host and support our students in return.”

While initiatives have shifted through the years, Ashley Hall’s dedication to playing a part in ending hunger in its very own community has remained consistent. Here’s a look at how the School’s partnerships with the Lowcountry Food Bank and other local organizations fighting hunger have evolved over the years:

Late 1990s

Every year near the Thanksgiving holiday, Ashley Hall began hosting a school-wide food drive in support of the Lowcountry Food Bank during which Upper School students would designate different food items to different grade levels depending on the needs of the food bank at that time. 

2001

September is Hunger Action Month, and in 2001, all Non-Uniform Days in September were dedicated to supporting the Lowcountry Food Bank, and everyone on campus wore orange, the official color of Hunger Action Month, to show their support!

2007

Ashley Hall began the year with a “Day of Service” on the first day of school, and the Class of 2010 went to the Lowcountry Food Bank to volunteer their time to help pack and organize food donations. “This would be the first time we had a whole grade level volunteer at once,” Sumner says. “It paved the way for future events.”

2010 

In 2010, the School formalized its Community Action Initiative which requires students 20 hours of community service to graduate. Every year since, the senior class has spent time during a dedicated week at the end of the year volunteering together at the Lowcountry Food Bank‘s warehouse to give back.

2013

As a part of a local nonprofit initiative entitled I Heart Hungry Kids, Ashley Hall students spent their Saturdays throughout the year volunteering to fill backpacks  belonging to kids in under-resourced areas with donated food for them to eat over the weekend. “It would be enough food to sustain these children who were getting most of their nutritious meals at school,” Sumner says.

2015

In 2015, the Lowcountry Food Bank created a program for students in local schools to help carry out their work as Hunger Advocates. After being elected by a School committee and passing an application process with the food bank, alumna Tiffany Dye ’15 became Ashley Hall’s first ever Hunger Advocate. During her senior year, she increased the number of school-wide food drives and more people than ever volunteered, Sumner says. Her sister, Marissa Dye ’21, would then follow in her footsteps as a Hunger Advocate. “These girls were so dynamic in so many ways, and they truly cared about the community and wanted to serve,” Sumner says.

2021

The Lowcountry Blessing Box Project stocks containers in neighborhoods around Charleston with non-perishable food items, basic toiletries, baby supplies, and anything else that might be considered a blessing to people who find themselves in need. In 2021, Intermediate Program faculty members Katie Perez-Phillips ’07 and Kiki Sweigart partnered with the organization so Ashley Hall students could maintain their very own box with regular food donations. Students and families are still stocking our Ashley Hall Blessing box at FUEL restaurant week in and week out!

What can a novel teach us about history, and how can history deepen our understanding of a novel? That was the two-part question seventh and eighth grade students were busy tackling in both their English and history classes last month.

At the start of the year, students read “Blue-Eyed Slave,” a carefully researched historic novel set in Charles Towne in 1764 with two 13-year-old heroines, one a slave and one a Sephardic Jew. Then they immersed themselves in their own research and writing for five weeks to explore the book’s three major themes: Judaism, enslaved people, and the global influences in Charleston.

“We used the book to introduce historical thinking, and what studying history is all about,” says history teacher Mary Webb who collaborated with her humanities colleagues to create the interdisciplinary project. In her class, students studied primary sources to deepen their understanding of historical events and references in the book. “From studying old maps of Charleston to reading The Book of Exodus which narrates the escape of the Jewish slaves from the Egyptians, we did a deep dive into the book’s main threads.”

From there, students were tasked with creating an object that represented something significant in the book, whether it be a teapot which was a popular souvenir after the repeal of the Stamp Act or a replica of the Da Costa House where Jewish people gathered to worship before synagogues existed in Charleston. “Then we used their ‘artifacts’ as an opportunity to showcase how to write a historical essay,” says English teacher Nana Westbrook. “First you identify the object, explain what it means in the book, what it means in history, and what you think the significance of it is.”

The project culminated on Wednesday, September 20 with a very special visit from Marshall Highet and Bird Jones, the co-authors of “Blue-Eyed Slave,” who spent a day on campus tying everything together. In English classes, they taught students how to analyze a photo without dates or explanation to try and figure out its historical context, and from there, create a story around it.

“We were asking what things were, and Bird would say, ‘Oh, I don’t know either!’” says Harper Haselden ’29 with a laugh. “I think that was the best part because when you read the book, you think they know everything. But really, they didn’t know everything at first – they’re just good at figuring things out. She went to actual places to figure out facts she put in the book, and research like that seems really fun.”

That evening, Jones, the researcher, and Highet, the author, discussed their joint approach to researching and writing during an event open to the public as a part of the Ashley Hall Writers Series. As they spoke, the audience was surrounded by the artifacts created by Nautilus students, as well as posters they had researched and created.

“It was wonderful seeing the students engage so deeply in an activity rooted in critical thinking, analysis, and information seeking,” says Allison Parks, Director of the Intermediate and Nautilus Programs. “I love what this project showcases overall–learning at Ashley Hall goes beyond the words on a page.”

This summer, 14 rising seventh-grade students from the greater Charleston area spent six weeks learning financial literacy, honing their leadership skills, and taking wellness classes designed specifically for them at Ashley Hall. It was all part of the growing middle school program at Horizons at Ashley Hall, a tuition-free, all-girls community centered program expanding educational equity in Charleston.

Not only were these seventh-graders, many of whom have been with the program every summer since its inception in 2018, the oldest students on Ashley Hall’s campus this summer, but they were the oldest in the program’s history. “It is exciting to watch our middle school program grow, and I cannot wait for the years ahead as we build out the program even more,” says Executive Director Nolie Mangan who has been with the program for three years. “This past summer, it was incredible to watch our middle school students really step into a new role within the program as mentors and leaders.”

Since its inception, Horizons at Ashley Hall, which worked with 105 students in grades 1-7 this summer, has been growing. The program launched in 2018 with thirty first- and second-graders, and it’s been adding a grade ever since. Building out a specific set of programming for middle schoolers was a natural step to be sure the needs of every student are continually being met and our students continue to be empowered, explains Mangan.

“Our middle school programming is really about providing more choice, more opportunity, more agency in their educational experience, and more exposure to different future careers and future passions,” Mangan says. Next year, the middle school program will expand to include rising eighth grade, and in 2025, the program will reach its goal and max capacity of enrolling 135 students in grades 1-9.

Here’s a snapshot of just a few of the middle school program offerings at Horizons at Ashley Hall, including extracurricular activities and courses through local partnerships:

Financial Literacy

Led by Kionnie Epps (aka The Responsible Homegirl), this class explores entrepreneurship, financial literacy skills, and even gives students the opportunity to design their own business.

Cooking and Nutrition

Rising sixth grade students explore the world of cooking during sessions led by Lowcountry Food Bank featuring core cooking skills, activities, and delicious recipes, all designed how to show how food can make us our best and healthiest selves

Women’s Health

Both rising sixth and seventh grade students take women’s health education sessions through MUSC’s Lotus Initiative. Topics include female anatomy, puberty, and the menstrual cycle. Students are free and encouraged to ask questions and leave campus with information and resources so the conversations can continue at home.

Wellness

Middle school students explore social emotional learning, mindfulness and mental health through a partnership with Empowered Family, a mental health organization in Mt. Pleasant. Empowered Family counselors and therapists are also available to all Horizons students throughout the summer who may benefit from additional one on one counseling.

Environmental Education

Rising seventh grade students dive into citizen science in their weekly class led by Coastal Expeditions. Through engaging hands-on activities, students learn about their surrounding environment and ecosystem.

Lessons in Leadership

Both rising sixth and seventh grade students took a field trip to James Island County Park Challenge Course this summer to develop leadership and teamwork skills. Rising seventh graders also left campus to participate in a mindfulness and surfing retreat at Folly Beach led by Waves 4 Women.