Curiosity often begins with a single, shared moment—and in the Early School, those moments can grow into meaningful learning adventures. In this blog post, Early School Faculty Member Laura Kernen, reflects on how one child’s discovery sparked a months-long, interdisciplinary exploration rooted in observation, creativity, and scientific thinking for her Primary class. Through her lens, we see how young learners investigate the world around them with wonder, collaboration, and joy.

For children in the Early School, the world is a giant laboratory! One day in late August, the children in my and Mrs. Gough’s Primary class were leaving the building and gathering in the Tree House*. As we were waiting for everyone, one of the children exclaimed, “There’s a spider! I see a web!”  Excitedly, the others crowded around to see. For the next few days, each time we gathered in the tree house, the children were intensely focused on finding the web and the spider, and on wondering what life was like for the spider. These young scientists then embarked on a deep investigation into spiders. Weaving a web of natural exploration, artistic representation,  fictional stories, informational texts, music and movement, and personal theories, both children and adults searched for understanding and knowledge of spiders.  

Our investigation began with a morning meeting in which the children took turns sharing their prior knowledge of spiders with the class. Birdie P. shared, “They climb up webs in the rain, and they crawl everywhere.”  Finn K. agreed, adding, “They climb up the water spout.” Connecting the song Itsy Bitsy Spider and her experiences outside of school to our conversation, Mila K. said, “They climb up the water spout and slide down (like me!).” After everyone had shared their thoughts, we decided to plan a nature walk around campus, during which children looked for webs and recorded their findings and impressions in their nature journals.

Above: Students explore the shapes of webs, working together to make quick sketches in the sandy ground on campus. 

Over the following months, we were guided in our scientific exploration by STEM Cross Cutting Concepts, which are a set of overarching big ideas that look and behave similarly across all STEM domain areas. Here is some more information on each of them, and a bit more background on how we incorporated them into our learning adventure about spiders. 

Patterns, Structure, and Function

Patterns: The children identified repeating shapes and noticed how spiders use geometric lines and curves to build their homes.

Structure & Function: The children explored why webs are built the way they are. Using wire and clay, they modeled the web’s physical structure, building it as if they were a spider. Presenting her web to her classmates and teacher, Harper T. said, “I made a web for a home.” Evie B. built her web focusing on its function as a home as well, explaining, “I make a nana spider web. The nana spider helps babies. Helps them stay safe.” 

Cause and Effect, Change and Stability

Hands-on creation allowed the children to see how their actions changed the materials.

Cause and Effect: Using tape to create a large “sticky” web demonstrated a direct cause-and-effect relationship—the material’s property (stickiness) is what allows it to trap objects, just like a real web. The children continued working with the sticky web, using loose parts to see what would get trapped in it! Imitating a spider eating the items that got stuck in the web, Ruthie K. exclaimed, “I’m a spider, and I eat all my food!”

Change and Stability: By threading beads onto a decorative spider’s web, the children explored how a delicate structure can remain stable even when we add weight or “decorations” to it. When Zhuri T. finished her bead web, she showed it to her friends, pointing out its length and all the work she had done. Harper answered, “It is so long! You did a lot of work. Good job!”

Systems and Their Interactions & Compare and Contrast

Systems and Their Interactions: We discussed the web as part of a larger system—a tool the spider uses to interact with its environment to survive.

Compare and Contrast: Throughout the investigation, the children compared different mediums. They noticed that a web made of glue differs from one made of wire or beaded string, mirroring how different spiders build unique types of webs (orb vs. funnel).

Literacy and Language

Language and literacy skills were woven into every observation and creation, allowing children to build vocabulary and narrative skills.

Non-fiction and Informational Texts: Reading non-fiction books and watching a video of a spider building a web introduced precise vocabulary (e.g., “spinnerets”) and modeled the language used to describe natural phenomena.

Fiction and Creative Storytelling: We nurtured imagination and critical thinking by reading a fiction story about Walter, who experimented with different web shapes so that his web wouldn’t be blown down by the wind. This sparked discussions about problem-solving and stability in a narrative context.

Using the familiar melody from “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes,” I created a song for the children to sing. They love to sing this song, especially calling out “8 legs” and wiggling their bodies when singing “spinnaret”.

This multi-sensory approach ensures that our youngest learners are building a sophisticated scientific and literary identity through observation, engineering, and storytelling. What started as a simple observation by one child in our class turned into a detailed and engaging investigation across several subjects for all our friends. We are so thankful to spend time with such curious, open-minded, kind minds each and every day. 

*The Tree House is a term we use for a meeting place, located just outside the doors to the Early School. It’s a small platform to the side of the ramp, and gives the children a “tree house” view of the Outdoor Classroom. The children use it as a landmark, and all understand what’s expected of them when we gather there in our transitions in and out of the building.

Laura Kernen

Early School Faculty Member

As we approach the end of the calendar year—and look ahead to a well-earned holiday break—it feels especially fitting to pause and reflect on the many moments that have made this semester so special. Across our campus, classrooms, studios, stages, athletic fields, and gathering spaces have been alive with creativity, collaboration, and connection.

This calendar-year-end snapshot offers a glimpse of just some of the powerful learning and community-building happening at Ashley Hall across all divisions. We hope you feel as proud and inspired by these highlights as we do when we witness them each day.

Early School: Inquiry in Action

Our Early School educators continue to shine as leaders in constructivist, child-centered learning. This fall, several teachers participated in national workshops and conferences—and three even presented at the Association for Constructivist Teaching Conference, a remarkable honor for any early childhood program. Faculty are also working closely with Italian pedagogista Tiziana Filippi to deepen their understanding of the Reggio approach, helping refine the ways they document children’s thinking and inquiry. And with fall explorations and festive family events, our youngest learners have welcomed parents into the process, creating meaningful home–school connections.

Lower School: Innovation and Joyful Learning

Lower School faculty have embarked on an exciting journey to strengthen language arts instruction, piloting the Arts and Letters curriculum in third grade. Seeing students so deeply engaged—one even declaring, “You know what I love? I love this school!”—has affirmed the team’s dedication to thoughtful curriculum design. Grade-level teams are now preparing to bring the curriculum to all Lower School classrooms next year, supported by ongoing professional learning. Another standout moment this semester: VIP Days, where students shared culminating project work with special guests. These celebrations showcased authentic learning and highlighted the joy of connection.

Middle School: Community, Service, and Leadership

Middle School students have been building their leadership muscles through community engagement. The seventh- and eighth-grade student councils helped design a meaningful Impact Assembly, inviting students to reflect on how they contribute to their school and local communities. This spirit extended into the holiday season through Branches of Joy, a project in which students crafted miniature Christmas trees for children spending the holidays at MUSC Children’s Hospital. Supported by advisors, the project was a beautiful example of IB service learning in action. A student-led bake sale rounded out the effort, making the hallways buzz with generosity and teamwork.

Upper School: Curiosity, Challenge, and Global Perspectives

Upper School faculty have been hard at work imagining the future of Ashley Hall as the division continues its shift toward becoming an IB school. This fall, teams of educators visited seven peer schools across the country—gathering inspiration, best practices, and bold ideas to bring back to Charleston. Ninth graders also enjoyed the Freshman Flip, a hands-on introduction to life in the Upper School designed by a dedicated group of teachers. Meanwhile, 30 students participated in a dynamic Model United Nations experience, representing countries from across the globe at a 475-person conference. The trip was so impactful that a second MUN experience at Duke University is already in the works for the spring.

Athletics: Record-Setting Momentum

Ashley Hall Athletics is closing out the semester with tremendous energy. Our Sailing Team, now the largest in school history, is posting strong results across the Southeast, while our Equestrian Team continues to collect top-three finishes early in the season. Varsity Basketball, led by first-year coach Bryan Bednar, looks sharp heading into a slate of holiday tournaments, and our Archery Team—now our biggest athletic team—saw 14 of 26 members achieve new personal records at their most recent tournament. With strength and conditioning underway for spring sports, it’s shaping up to be an exciting year across all teams.

Arts: Creativity That Connects

The Performing Arts Department has welcomed families into studios and rehearsal spaces this fall, offering a behind-the-scenes look at the craft and discipline of theater, dance, and strings. Highlights include:

– Parent demonstrations across the arts

– Red Choir and Honors Red Choir performing at Franke at Seaside Retirement Community

– Four orchestra students selected for Region Orchestra, performing with top musicians from across the region

And of course, this season marked the 101st year of the Christmas Play, a beloved Ashley Hall tradition brought to life through the dedication and artistry of our student performers, faculty, and volunteers.

Admission: Welcoming the Next “Purple & White” Generation

The Admission team has already welcomed 90 families for campus tours and hosted 20 student visits, setting a strong tone for the season ahead. From the Freshman Flip to special retention events, their energy is helping new and returning families feel connected and excited about life at Ashley Hall.

Operations & Health Center: Caring for Campus and Community

Behind the scenes, our Operations Team has been hard at work: from completing the McBee House elevator renovation (just in time for the Alumnae Holiday Party!) to making progress on roofing, HVAC upgrades, and stormwater improvements. Our incredible school nurses have also navigated the semester with extraordinary grace, maintaining a warm and steady presence for our community. We look forward to welcoming Lauren Fogelgren as our new Director of Health Services in January.

A Community Rooted in Pride and Purpose

This semester has been filled with growth, achievement, creativity, and connection—and we are deeply grateful to the educators, staff, students, and families who make this community so vibrant. As we approach winter break, we hope you feel as much pride as we do in all we have accomplished together.

Here’s to a restful holiday season and the exciting months ahead!

The  30th Annual Ashley Hall Oyster Roast
Friday, January 30, 2026 | 7–9:00 p.m.

Help us celebrate 30 years of coming together as the Ashley Hall community at one of the year’s most fun events. This evening is for adults only and open to the Charleston community, so bring your friends. We look forward to seeing you there!

• Tickets are $65 when purchased online by Thursday, January 29.
•  Tickets are $50 for young Ashley Hall alumnae, Classes 2011–2021, when purchased online by Thursday, January 29.
• Tickets are $70 when purchased the evening of the event.

Online registration is now closed. Tickets will be available at the event.

Each fall, the Early School comes alive in ways that feel both familiar and entirely new. As our youngest learners settle into the rhythm of their days, their curiosity widens, their confidence stretches, and their sense of belonging deepens. This transformation is especially visible in the Early School Outdoor Classroom—a thoughtfully designed space where children climb, build, wonder, and collaborate, and where the natural world becomes both backdrop and catalyst for learning. Here, ideas take shape in sand and soil, questions emerge from close observation, and meaningful connections form as children learn alongside one another.

Please enjoy the following article, written by Early School Naturalist and Pre-Primary teacher, Rachael Carter, who beautifully captures the discoveries, relationships, and shared experiences that make fall such a magical season for our youngest learners.

Fall is such a special time of year in the Early School. Our students are settled into routines, forming meaningful friendships, and we, as teachers, get to watch their confidence and curiosity grow as they explore the many meaningful places on our campus. One of these favorite places is the Early School Outdoor Classroom—a space designed not only for climbing, building, and moving, but also for thinking, wondering, and exploring in ways that support both the body and the mind. 

In Reggio-inspired learning, the environment acts as a “third teacher,” shaping how children think and explore. The Outdoor Classroom gives children the room to develop motor skills, but it also nurtures curiosity, problem-solving, and collaborative play. Each year, our Fall Family Explorations invite parents and caregivers into this space, offering a chance to see firsthand how much learning happens when children are encouraged to follow their ideas.

This year, my class has been deeply engaged in a study of homes – what makes them special, how they reflect who we are, and how we can design them. The children have been sharing stories about their own homes and building imaginative structures using a variety of materials. Their curiosity deepened when we learned about Ashley Hall’s founder, Mary Vardrine McBee, and took a walk to visit the historic McBee House. The children wondered aloud which room might have been her bedroom and compared what they imagined inside her home to familiar objects in their own. So it was only natural that this work shaped our Fall Family Exploration. Because our children were so invested in thinking about homes, we designed invitations for the Outdoor Classroom that allowed families to join in on the inquiry through building, ink printing, imagining, and storytelling.

When our Fall Family Exploration began, the children took the lead, and their confidence shone in big and small ways. Rowan shouted happily, “Listen! Listen to this!” and then he began hitting the marimba with the mallets as his parents swayed, dancing to the beat. Nearby, Emma explored printing shapes with Duplo blocks and ink pads, telling her mom, “I need black.  This house is going to be black,” connecting her artistic choices to our study of homes.

Parents made discoveries of their own, too. Jones, who loves the microscope, spent much of the morning examining our class collection of natural objects. When his dad realized he was looking at whelk egg casings and whelk shells at the beginning of their formation, he exclaimed, “Jones, did you know that?!” Jones replied in his calm, matter-of-fact way, “Yeah, Dad. I know. They are baby whelk shells. They are so tiny, yeah. Neat, huh?” It was a moment they both will remember.

Everywhere you looked, there were scenes like this—Simi laughing with her mom as they sent balls racing down a ball run, children guiding their parents through familiar materials, and families working together to create, build, design, play, and discover.

And even after families headed home, the experience continued to live in our classroom. We revisit photos, tell stories, and make new connections through play. The children share memories: “I did this with my mom outside, and now I’m doing it with you!” and “Look! Your mommy is talking to my mommy—they’re friends!”

Their reflections captured the heart of the day: Goldie shared, “I like my mommy, and I show her my Simi and peoples outside, and Claud in my dirt.”  Edwina beamed, “I draw with my mommy, daddy, and bebe, and play in the dollhouse with baby Marjorie.” Isla reflected, “My favorite part was my mama watching me going down the slide.” And her sister Sloane quickly added, “Yeah, I liked doing the drums with my mom!”

Ultimately, the best part of Fall Family Explorations is watching children share their school lives with the people they love most. These shared experiences strengthen their sense of belonging, provide continued inspiration, and deepen the bridge between home and school—all essential foundations for meaningful learning.

Our Fall Family Exploration is only the first chapter. The Outdoor Classroom, our garden beds, the Nature Retreat, and the wider Ashley Hall campus will keep offering new stories for children to write with their hands, their voices, and their imaginations. In these spaces, children test ideas, build together, slow down to notice, and discover that learning can feel like an adventure—one that unfolds outdoors, in motion, and in community.

Rachael Carter

Early School Naturalist and Faculty Member

Learning came alive this week for Ashley Hall’s grade 11 and 12 botany students during a field trip to Sea Island Savory Herbs, a woman-owned and operated plant nursery on Johns Island specializing in herbs, succulents, perennials, and seasonal vegetables. What they encountered there—rigorous science, hands-on discovery, and inspiring female leadership—added new dimension to the concepts they’ve been studying in class.

At the nursery, owner Ella Cowen offered students a look into the history and daily operations of her working farm, as well as the science and tradition behind the many medicinal plants she cultivates. Students learned how common herbs are used in teas, salves, and toners—discovering firsthand how plants contribute to human health and well-being. From comfrey to mint, the group explored the rich connections between botany and everyday life.

The visit also provided a sensory adventure. One student sampled some of the more unusual plants, including the “eyeball plant.” After chewing one of its flower heads, she immediately understood why it has been used to relieve toothaches—the bioactive compound spilanthol temporarily numbs the mouth. The plant also has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, analgesic, and antimicrobial properties, giving students a perfect example of the complexity of medicinal flora.

She also tried “miracle fruit,” known for its ability to make sour foods taste sweet by briefly altering taste receptors. Holding the vibrant red berry in one of the field trip photos, she later tested the effect by eating an extremely sour citrus fruit. “It worked!” she said. The protein responsible—miraculin—is currently being studied for its potential to influence food preferences.

Throughout the tour, students applied their classroom learning about plant families, morphology, and adaptations to identify species and make connections to recent lessons—including how botanicals can even support forensic investigations. Their experience culminated in hands-on horticulture as they propagated herb cuttings to bring back to campus.

Reflecting on the impact of the day, Upper School Biology and Botany teacher Allison Bowden shared, “As we planted our cuttings, one senior looked over at me and said, ‘I just might major in botany!’ This simple statement was reaffirming to hear, for this course introduces students to the important role plants play in our lives. This week, as we wrapped up our deep dive into plant adaptations, students applied their knowledge of plant morphology and species identification to explore how flowers can be used in forensic investigations. Whether a student studies the medicinal benefits of plants, botanical biochemistry, or simply chooses gardening as a life-long hobby, I have achieved my goal to instill in my students an appreciation and understanding of the botanical world.”

Students echoed that enthusiasm. Liza Ziel ’27 reflected on a moment that stood out at the end of the visit, sharing her memory of Ms. Cowen’s words: “Women can do anything, no matter what it is—if you love it, you can do it.”

Zahirah Muhammad ’27 also shared the following reflections: “The botany field trip was amazing and such a unique experience! This was my first time going to a savory herb garden, and it was really cool to look at the different characteristics of plants, such as the variety of succulents, the coffee plant, mint, and rosemary. I also enjoyed the process of learning how to propagate cuttings and being able to take some home.”

This field trip offered students a deeper appreciation for the complexity and beauty of the plant world—and a meaningful connection to a local female entrepreneur whose work reflects both expertise and passion. For many, it opened new interests and possibilities, making the experience one that will continue to grow long after they returned to campus.

The Christmas Play
New Performance Schedule*:
Friday, December 12 at 5 p.m. (Doors open at 4:30 p.m.)
Friday, December 12 at 7:30 p.m. (Doors open at 7 p.m.)
Cathedral Church of St. Luke & St. Paul
126 Coming Street

(*As of December 4)

Join us for one of Ashley Hall’s most beloved traditions—The Christmas Play. For more than a century, this cherished production has filled the holiday season with magic, music, and the joyful spirit of our students.

Due to unprecedented demand, two performances are now offered with seating available on a first-come, first-served basis. All tickets procured on or after December 1 will be canceled and refunded.

Cathedral Accessibility: Please note that the Cathedral’s accessibility lift is currently out of service. Entry to the sanctuary requires navigating multiple steps.