Ashley Hall Life Archives | Page 10 of 35 | Ashley Hall

photo above provided by: Volvo Car Open

Congratulations to Emma Navarro ’20 on becoming the 2021 NCAA Women’s Tennis Singles National Champion (while simultaneously reaching the semifinals in the NCAA Doubles Tournament)

Career Highlights:

by Carrie Singh, Director of Student Affairs

“Looking back at an old appointment calendar, it was three years ago, almost to the day, that Mrs. Muti and I met with an architect to share a vision for a new student center on campus. With the opening of the Lane Student Life Center (SLC), we are thrilled and grateful to so many to see this vision become a reality for our community. Ashley Hall has long been committed to health and wellness as a core component of the student experience; our wellness programming is founded on the belief that a student’s social-emotional learning is crucial to her ability to advance in her academics, athletics, arts, and career aspirations and to lead a fulfilling life, developing into the person she is meant to be. The design of the SLC was to provide a central place for information, community building, support, and sustenance. This repurposed ‘addition’ to campus includes communal areas, study rooms, multipurpose classrooms, a wellness studio, a dedicated student leadership work space, a small café, and the offices of devoted student support personnel (Dean of Students, Director of College Counseling, Director of Student Affairs, the Upper School Administrative and College Counseling Assistant, and the Upper School Counselor), all intentionally designed to support and positively impact the growth and development of adolescents.

By creating a space that emulates a college campus student union, the SLC will offer opportunities for student independence, self-regulation, and agency, providing instances whereby our girls develop and hone decision-making and time management skills. Our café will utilize a point of sale system linked to the student ID cards of ninth through twelfth graders, helping prepare them for the ‘one card’ system used in many colleges. We visualize time for reflection, relaxation, and mindfulness with yoga, meditation, or exercise in a multipurpose wellness studio and chances to commune with friends and classmates in the banquette style seating or the standing desk computer charging stations in the SLC’s commons area. Ultimately, our hope is that this space fosters a sense of belonging for our students, allows them to feel both cared for and independent, and gives them the tools they need to flourish and become the best version of themselves. We believe every student can discover ways to find the professional or peer support she needs for self-knowledge and self-care. Through this kind of agency, she also learns how to be accountable for her decisions and how to practice the critical skills she needs to cultivate inner strength and resilience.

The vision for this renovated space was conceived before the arrival of a global pandemic. Despite our thoughtful design process, we did not anticipate what protocols a pandemic would require. We are making necessary adjustments to ensure the building can be used both purposefully and safely, while still honoring its intended users: our students! Perhaps now, even more than ever before, the health and wellness of our students are of utmost importance, and the literal and figurative space to allow them to practice the skills needed in today’s world in the safe and supportive environment of the SLC will be a most welcome and compelling addition to our campus.”

3 Ways the Lane Student Life Center Will Help Students Thrive

Due to inclement weather, Ashley Hall will close early today, March 18. 

Dismissal times are:
Early Education Center | Pre-Primary and Pre-Kindergarten at 11:45am
Early Education Center | Primary at 12:00pm
Lower School | Kindergarten-Grade 4 at 12:00pm
Intermediate Program | Grades 5 & 6 at 12:30pm
Upper School | Grades 7-12 at 12:55pm

Pick-up locations remain the same. All after-school activities are canceled. Please pick your child up in a timely manner as campus will be closing. Thank you and stay safe.

As a freshman searching to give back to her community, Sarah McLean ’21 was immediately drawn to a new initiative being launched by the Lowcountry chapter of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS): the Students of the Year campaign (SOY). An annual elite leadership development program for local high school students, the SOY accepts nominations for student leaders to participate in a seven-week competition to raise funds and awareness for LLC. Since its inception in the Lowcountry, SOY participants have raised over $815,000 for LLC to aid in research, advocacy, and patient support of those affected with blood cancers.

Besides the fulfilling work, McLean, whose cousin passed away due to blood cancer complications, recognized that by giving back, she would help ensure that one day no family would have to suffer the loss of a loved one from a blood cancer. Now a senior who has worked with the SOY campaign for the past four years, McLean serves as this year’s Chair of the Student Leadership Team. She recently shared her experience guiding the first all-female SOY candidate class through the campaign season and her deep appreciation for an organization that has profoundly impacted her life.

(Click HERE to learn more about the Students of the Year campaign)

Discuss your work this year as the Chair of the Leadership Team for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Lowcountry Student of the Year program. What have been some of the challenges you have had to overcome because of the pandemic, and what makes you most proud?

McLean: “My work began in the summer of 2020. As the Chair of the Leadership Team, I worked with the team to brainstorm ideas for candidates, listen to ideas, and plan out the new year. At the beginning of this campaign season, I conducted meetings with the team, the manager for the division in the Lowcountry, the Student Leadership Team Vice-Chair, and the Executive Leadership Team Chair. The meetings occurred twice a month, then once a month when our candidate list was set. As the Chair, my job is to answer questions from the leadership team, build comradery, and work with the Vice-Chair to build new ideas and installments within LLS.

In a pandemic year, my roles changed, and the way we went about our tasks was transformed to a computer screen. Instead of meeting at a Starbucks and pitching our campaign to potential candidates or company sponsors, we met with everyone via Zoom. In preparation for these meetings, the student Leadership Team was tasked with reaching out to people within the Lowcountry community to participate in the SOY program. SOY is a very hands-on campaign, and without going forth in society, even masked and distanced, we used virtual methods to tell amazing students about our life-changing opportunity to raise money for cancer research.

My team adjusted to the inevitable and started to use Zoom to conduct meetings. These introductions to LLS included a PowerPoint presentation given by our manager to the SOY candidates and their parents. The students who nominated candidates are also present in the meetings to share their experiences and why they would make amazing candidates. Though it was not always the case that a nominee would agree to participate, we were still able to enlighten the community on what the SOY campaign is and what our mission is to better society. This year, we were able to secure fifteen candidate teams who are the first candidate class to be all girls.

We decided to make our Zoom meetings festive to make online SOY more exciting. This ranged from Christmas outfits and funniest hats to Halloween-themed Zoom calls. We tried everything to make these calls feel as if we were there together. Before each meeting, the manager, Vice Chair, and I would meet to discuss the upcoming meeting, prepare any questions, brainstorm, and review our speeches. My favorite part of these meetings is our Minute for Mission. This is the first minute of each meeting where we share an inspirational cancer survivor video, story, or advancement in the campaign. This Minute for Mission helps us to remember why we are fighting so hard to raise money for this worthy cause.

The first event for our candidates was our workshop where we helped the candidates start to think about their team and campaign and to feel comfortable about their life-changing choice to be a part of the LLS family. Within the workshop, they heard from former candidates, team members, parents, our Honored Hero who is fighting cancer, and a cancer survivor. This year, my leadership team has eleven active members below me. Every candidate team is assigned a Leadership Team mentor, who supports, guides, and teaches. Everyone who participates in LLS supports each other to the point that it is not only a competition but also a support group to fund the same fight.

For our mentees, we went to their houses for a surprise visit, during which we delivered gifts to welcome them and congratulate them on joining LLS. Each week I reach out to my mentees via FaceTime to encourage them, offer support, see what’s coming up, and be a sounding board for their ideas. I am proud of all the candidates who have taken on this fight and are staying committed to their job, even with a hectic schedule and school.” 

How has working with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Student of the Year program enriched your high school years? What do you find most rewarding about the experience?

McLean: “LLS has helped me to find my identity through charity and giving back to people within my community who are battling cancer. LLS is funding research, and being a part of the SOY campaign from its first year in the Lowcountry has allowed me to watch it grow and reach almost everyone in Charleston. What I find most rewarding about being a part of the program is watching students realize they have a voice and can make a difference in a seemingly adult field. Though they have to work harder than anyone, I get to see the smiles that come to everyone’s faces when we lift the numbers at the end of the year, which is the total amount the high school students who are a part of the campaign have raised.”

Why is philanthropy so important to you? Do you have any plans to stay involved with the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society once you graduate?

McLean: “My cousin passed away due to blood cancer complications so giving back in any way helps me to ensure that one day a family will never have to go through the loss of a daughter, son, sister, brother, mother, father, cousin, loved one, or friend. Cancer in particular has affected almost everyone I’ve met, and until there is a cure, I will not stop funding the fight. Depending on where I go to college, I would love to be part of their local LLS chapter. With the adjustment to COVID-19, there might be ways to still participate in the Lowcountry’s chapter via Zoom.

This year I’ve had to be creative in my fundraising, so I suggested making an Instagram account for thrifted and gently used clothes where fifty percent of the profits go back to the LLS. I came up with this idea from watching successful stores on Instagram and added a twist to give back. I suggested it to my Vice President, and together we started our online fundraising store, @lls_thrifted. On the page, we have collaborated with SOY candidate teams to upload their items as well, and half will go to their campaign while half goes to the leadership team account, which funds the SOY campaign.

So far, we have uploaded one hundred and fifteen posts, worked with a candidate team clothing drive, received donations from two candidate teams, used the PSA drive team to collect clothing, and raised around $80 for LLS in three and a half months. The pandemic has made it difficult to reach a large audience, but with the help of social media we can connect with different social groups, adults, families, and friends online through the store. By combining the love for shopping, low prices, clothing from each other, and a wonderful cause, we can spread the word of LLS. This store includes everyone through artistic ability of the logo and fashion selection, social networking, financing, providing a product, communication, outreach, and teamwork.”

Best in the State! Join us in congratulating our fall athletes who were named to SCISA’s All State Teams. Incredible work, panthers!

Volleyball

Laughlin Murray ’21
Anna-Leigh Snyder ’21

Swimming

Mattie Hood ’23
Kate McEvoy ’21

Tennis

Vivian Miller ’22
Claudia Miller ’21
Meggie Navarro ’22

Cross Country

Cecily Anderton ’23
Ailish Ward ’23
Atalie Evans-Godley ’22

As an educational institution that values open discussion, meaningful engagement, and mutual respect, Ashley Hall prioritizes equipping students with the tools and experiences they need to participate in civil discourse.  Beginning in the Lower School through the application of Ashley Hall’s Hallmarks, this foundation builds with the School’s spiral curriculum to culminate in graduates who confidently speak for themselves as well as openly listen to others.

“Civil discourse is the practice of engaging in conversation for the purpose of seeking and fostering understanding.  It involves the commitment of all parties to a respect for truth, a practice of active listening and purposeful speaking, and an understanding that the cultivation of civil discourse is not a right but a responsibility.” —Ashley Hall’s Statement on Civil Discourse

In October, Ashley Hall released its Statement on Civil Discourse, a document that encapsulates the School’s long-established approach to productive and meaningful discussion.  “The result of a collaborative effort between faculty and administrators to articulate how we embrace honesty, responsibility, and integrity as the guiding standards for daily interaction, this document represents our continued commitment to nurturing and modeling a culture of civil discourse as integral to campus life,” said Head of School Jill Muti.  Founded on Ashley Hall’s Hallmarks— Compassionate, Intelligent, Worldly, Creative, Collaborative, Purposeful, and Discerning—the Statement on Civil Discourse serves as a blueprint for helping students articulate their perceptions as well as grow in their interactions with others.

Lower School Foundations

“Ashley Hall is committed to teaching students the social, emotional, and intellectual skills needed to sustain civil discourse.” —Ashley Hall’s Statement on Civil Discourse

Lower School students begin learning the foundation for meaningful expression and interaction that eventually will support their ability to engage in civil discourse.  “Social-emotional learning is in everything the girls do—how they have Responsive Classroom greetings at the start of the day, how they do their morning meetings, how they come up with the class rules, and how their teachers model civil discourse and mediate conflicts,” said Lower School Counselor Jennifer Vaughan.  “It is in the way our PE coaches encourage sportsmanship, the books chosen for literature, the emphasis made in history classes, and the very selection of courses offered.  Most importantly, it is in how we treat our students and each other and what we encourage in our classes.”  This all-encompassing approach creates an environment where civility is integral to each student’s day. 

“Responsive Classroom is the curriculum that we use in Lower School to teach social and emotional skills,” noted Lower School Director Polly Kronsberg.  “We teach the girls how to actively listen to one another, how to have empathy for others, and how to show compassion.  All of these skills relate to civil discourse: how we engage one another in a thoughtful and purposeful way.”  Through their Wellness curriculum, students learn social-emotional skills tied to the Hallmarks, which help with real-world applications.  “Starting in kindergarten and continuing onward, the girls learn strategies to regulate and manage strong emotions,” Vaughan said.  “They are taught that they are responsible for themselves, including their behavior, actions, and speech.  They are encouraged to think before they speak, to filter their thoughts, to consider other points of view, and to learn the term ‘empathy’ and practice it in role plays.”  Relationship building is also a vital aspect to each girl’s development.  “Social-emotional learning occurs when we model how to handle when we invariably make mistakes and how we try to repair the relationship,” Vaughan continued.  “Civil discourse is more effectively learned in relationships, and the relationship between teacher and student and how students see the adults in their lives treat one another are absolutely key.”

As part of the Lower School, the Intermediate Program takes part in its comprehensive Wellness programming and continues to emphasize the Hallmarks and their applicability to everyday life.  For example, at the beginning of this school year, each Advisory group collaborated on the creation of its own charter.  “The charters have been a wonderful way to continue the discussion on behaviors that promote our Hallmarks,” said Intermediate Program faculty member Katie Pérez-Phillips ’07.  “This initiative was student-led and based on a Yale-designed program that facilitates discussions on expressing emotions and group expectations around behaviors.”   Featuring words of affirmation and positivity, the charters record students’ efforts to both understand and apply each Hallmark’s meaning.  “The charters are a way to inspire,” asserted Intermediate Program faculty member Kiki Sweigart.  “They create an environment that incorporates students’ core values and spirit of community.”

Intermediate Program students also become more directly engaged with the ideals of civil discourse and begin offering their own contributions to the dialogue process.  “In October, all fifth and sixth grade English classes discussed the Statement on Civil Discourse and sent their input to Upper School students who are working to develop a statement incorporating student perspectives,” noted Intermediate Program Coordinator Mary Schweers.  “We talked about the connection to the Hallmarks, kindness, willingness to listen thoughtfully (even if you disagree), and inclusivity.”  In addition to leading class discussions, students shared their thoughts on civil discourse in action through reflective essays.

Upper School Applications

“Students can navigate complex, nuanced, emotionally-driven conversations only by establishing a firm basis of trust built on the commitment of community members to the School’s Hallmarks.” —Ashley Hall’s Statement on Civil Discourse

Building upon the Lower School’s social-emotional learning anchored by the Hallmarks, the Upper School prioritizes opportunities for students to apply their knowledge and actively participate in civil discourse.  “Our girls get good practice at handling thoughtful discussion and respectful listening in all of our classrooms,” said Anne Weston, Ph.D., ’73, the Assistant Head of School and Upper School Director.  “Our Statement on Civil Discourse gives us a chance to state our community beliefs, expectations, and norms in a more formal way, and our girls will have a chance to translate this into their school environment, reflecting on what they need and want to feel supported and valued as they express themselves.”

During a special Assembly attended in person by seniors and watched virtually by the rest of the Upper School, Head of School Jill Muti shared why civil discourse is so vital to a community.  “Freedom of thought and expression, especially in an educational institution like Ashley Hall, is essential to allowing us to be curious and explore what we do not understand,” she asserted.  “However, we must all recognize that along with this independence comes responsibility, not only to oneself but also to those with whom we live in community.  Because our School embodies a rich tapestry of many different perspectives and viewpoints, we must affirm a shared set of values for campus dialogue to guide us in how we engage with each other in productive ways.”

To deepen their understanding of the universal tenets of civility found within the Statement on Civil Discourse, students worked within their English classes to analyze the document and collaborate on composing their own rules for class discussions that encourage civil interactions.  “Creating the class contracts forced students to reflect on effective and ineffective discussions and what they need to do as well as how they need to act in order to have effective, engaging, and civil discussions on difficult topics,” noted Upper School faculty member Leslie Rowland-Yeh, who coordinated the classroom activities for the English Department.  “Preparing them in-depth also allayed fears and anxiety about such discussions.  Clarifying that we would discuss—not debate or persuade—was an important distinction.”  An Upper School student committee advised by Rowland-Yeh will review the submissions from each class to ultimately create a comprehensive school contract.

An Ongoing Mission

“We recognize that we may not always reach agreement with others but that we can still demonstrate awareness, reflection, empathy, and respect and seek to understand the feelings and perspectives of others.” —Ashley Hall’s Statement on Civil Discourse

In striving to fulfill its mission to produce educated women who are independent, ethically responsible, and prepared to meet the challenges of society with confidence, Ashley Hall is committed to fostering a learning environment built upon a foundation of respect, openness, and civility.  “At Ashley Hall, you are given a multitude of opportunities to use your voice not only to express yourself but also to support others in doing the same,” Muti told students.  “We are fortunate to be a community that strives to make civil discourse woven into the fabric of our School by practicing it on a daily basis.”  The value of that commitment is a foundation worth building upon. 

“The underlying values of civil discourse are embedded in Ashley Hall’s mission, and our Hallmarks offer a guiding framework for conceptualizing the value of civil discourse within our community.” —Ashley Hall’s Statement on Civil Discourse

Ashley Hall’s Statement on Civil Discourse

Post & Courier Commentary: How to Model Civil Discourse

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Ashley Hall is a K-12 independent school for girls, with a co-ed preschool, committed to a talented and diverse student population. We consider for admission students of any race, color, religion, and national or ethnic origin.

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