Early Education Center (EEC) and younger Lower School students have a new way to highlight their adventures and achievements this year! An online learning platform that documents learning experiences in dynamic ways, Seesaw gives both teachers and students options to showcase important lessons, explorations, and milestones. “The EEC has been looking for a new platform to easily capture and share students’ work with their families, and we are thrilled to introduce Seesaw, which has already proven to be a wonderful addition to our classes,” said EEC faculty member Batey Self. “Teachers are able to easily upload photos and student work, and families can instantly respond and give feedback. Recently, I captured a student writing his name for the first time at school and was able to quickly share that moment with his family. They responded with such joy that it warmed my heart that we were all connected in this milestone. We love sharing what their children are doing throughout the day and how happy they are to be at school.”

For students in kindergarten through second grade, Seesaw is proving to be an effective tool for both expression and self-direction. Logging into the platform, students take the initiative to complete assignments and document their own discoveries to share with their homeroom and connection teachers as well as their fellow classmates. “Seesaw creates a digital portfolio of each student’s work, which allows us to understand strengths and target areas for growth,” noted Lower School faculty member Lee Tamblyn. “Our girls have been doing a variety of activities, including recording their voice as they read a part of a book to us, reading sight words, counting coins, filling in missing numbers on number lines, and drawing their favorite reading spot in their homes. Most of our lessons have included an opportunity for them to explore the tools they can use—drawing, text boxes, highlighting, and more.” By encouraging both critical thinking and class engagement, Seesaw is helping students find the perfect balance for a new school year.

“For me personally, it’s really created this kind of drive at the School to continue that legacy, the legacy of advocacy, of being grounded in community and place, of understanding the importance of beauty in the lives of everyone, what it means to be a citizen and civically responsible not only for ourselves but for others.”
– Jill Muti, Ashley Hall Head of School

Ashley Hall continues its celebration of the 19th Amendment! The Post and Courier’s Maura Hogan, Class of 1982, did a phenomenal job surveying the suffragist movement in South Carolina, especially in Charleston, and Jennet Robinson Alterman, Class of 1970, who chairs the city of Charleston Commission on Women and sits on the board of the South Carolina-based Women’s Rights and Empowerment Network, was interviewed as well.

Elizabeth Kirkland Cahill, Class of 1979 and chair of The Preservation Society of Charleston’s board, wrote an eloquent editorial honoring Society founder Susan Pringle Frost—a leading figure, along with Ashley Hall’s founder Mary Vardrine McBee, in Charleston’s suffragist movement.

As part of the Post and Courier’s “We the Women” series, Head of School Jill Muti and Charleston Area Convention and Visitors Bureau CEO Helen Hill, Class of 1981, offered their thoughts about the 19th Amendment and the path ahead for the female leaders of tomorrow. “For me personally, it’s really created this kind of drive at the School to continue that legacy, the legacy of advocacy, of being grounded in community and place, of understanding the importance of beauty in the lives of everyone, what it means to be a citizen and civically responsible, not only for ourselves but for others,” said Muti. Enjoy these fascinating articles and videos below!

Earlier this spring, the Post and Courier newspaper (Charleston), explored Ashley Hall’s unique philosophy and signature programming that empower girls to confidently become their best selves. Read an excerpt from the article and view the full feature story on the Post and Courier’s website by clicking here.   

Charleston Private School Builds Confidence Pipeline to Empower Girls in Social Media Age

By Jenna Schiferl, Post and Courier Education Reporter

“Girls experience a 30 percent confidence drop between the ages of 8 and 14, according to a 2018 survey conducted by Ypulse and the authors of The Confidence Code for Girls. At age 14, girls experience their lowest levels of confidence, the study found. For comparison, boys of the same age reported confidence levels 27 percent higher.

Experts say one way to tackle this confidence drop is by giving students structured opportunities to go out of their comfort zone and establish their own independence. This principle has guided Head of School Jill Muti’s vision for Ashley Hall, an all-girls private school [in Charleston.] 

New technology policies, hands-on learning models and extensive leadership opportunities all contribute to what Muti refers to as its ‘confidence pipeline,’ a targeted learning experience tailored for students aged 2 through 18. The pipeline is implemented in a handful of different ways—an interdisciplinary curriculum not bound by standardized testing, abundant leadership opportunities and various wellness initiatives that emphasize healthy relationships and self-reliance.

The school has always placed building young girls’ confidence at the front of its mission since the school was established more than a century ago. Although social media and new technology have forced it to adapt, the school’s core values have remained the same, Muti said. ‘From the very beginning, the mission of the school was for women to be independent, ethically responsible and ready to meet the challenges of society with confidence,’ Muti said.

The confidence pipeline aims to counteract social and emotional pressures girls face at each stage development, starting with preschoolers. They learn autonomy and independence at a young age via hands-on nature walks and inquiry-based learning, Muti said. Fifth- and sixth-grade girls learn how to program robots, seventh- and eighth-graders write their own honor codes, and high school students have the opportunity to lead their own class discussions and debates.

‘We need to build confidence in some ways the old-fashioned way by making connections and collaborating and giving those experiences of seeing technology for what it is, and for what it is not. Good, bad and ugly,’ Muti said. Around two and a half years ago, Ashley Hall began a partnership with The Social Institute, a Durham, North Carolina-based organization dedicated to teaching students how to make the most out of social media in a healthy way. Through workshops and breakout sessions, founder Laura Tierney aims to ‘empower and equip rather than scare and restrict’ what students do on social media. ‘It’s essentially character development in the 21st century,’ Tierney said.”

To learn more contact Ashley Hall’s Admission Office:

PrePrimary-Grade 5:
Grace Jorgensen
[email protected] | (843) 965-8463

For Grades 6-11:
Maris Coleman
[email protected] | (843) 965-8548

To the Ashley Hall Community,

I have been reflecting for the past several weeks on the current events in this country related to the inequitable impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, multiple incidents of police violence against African Americans, and both the peaceful protests and violent expressions of grief and anger of people from all demographics. I too am filled with grief and anger and at times, quite honestly, am overwhelmed by trying to make meaning of it both personally and professionally. I am wrestling with the past, present, and future of this country, South Carolina, Charleston, and Ashley Hall. 

So many things in the last several months have felt uncertain and unstable and yet, of this, I am certain: it is imperative to confront the enduring legacy of slavery, segregation, and racism in this country, this state, and our own community. We know these ideas are fueled by our collective beliefs, biases, and prejudices—intentional and unintentional—and upheld by institutional structures that perpetuate these beliefs and attitudes. There is work to be done, and I am hopeful with the renewed sense of energy I am feeling around the country and in our own community, that we can meaningfully be part of this work and start to envision what equitable institutions, practices, and beliefs can look like.

With this in mind, I want to share important information related to the School’s work going forward. I had the pleasure and honor of meeting with two young alumnae of the School, who along with more than fifty of their fellow alumnae from graduating years ranging from 1980 to 2019 have coalesced to form an action network to partner with the School to affect change on our campus as it relates to diversity, equity, and inclusion. The women who are the foundational members of this group are discerning, intelligent, worldly, purposeful, creative, collaborative, and compassionate. They have presented the School with a call to action. We hear their call, accept it, and acknowledge it will be grounded in sound and reasonable listening and learning as we navigate together.

In the coming weeks I will be forming a task force made up of members from the aforementioned alumnae network, trustees, Ashley Hall administrators, and a consultant with whom the School has been working. We look forward to leveraging the energy of our community and affecting positive change, perhaps most of all for our students, as we live out our mission to produce educated women who are independent, ethically responsible, and prepared to meet the challenges of society with confidence.

Sincerely,

Jill Swisher Muti
Head of School

Dear Ashley Hall Community,

The Charleston community and our nation are hurting. The global pandemic is wreaking pain and uncertainty which are being experienced unevenly across our society. The tragic murders of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor assault us anew with the long legacy of unequal justice and systemic racism directed against people of color and marginalized communities. Charleston holds a unique place in this story of our nation, and our campus history also carries the legacy of these burdens.

Small group sessions, Virtual Math Lab hours, digital assessment comments, and more: These are just a few ways that Upper School faculty members have continued individualized learning in their math classes. For students adapting to distance learning, these options have been invaluable. “The meetings really help, and I feel confident that she’s right there to guide us and not just give us this work to do without help,” said Lavinia Maybank ’24, who along with Cami Wyant ’24 drops by faculty member Crystal Wilkins’ open office hours via Zoom a couple times a week to review assignments and make sure she is on the right track. For her part, Wilkins looks forward to the time she spends connecting with her students. “I have a digital whiteboard, and I can write on top of their digital assignments and explain what they don’t understand,” she noted. “It’s like being in the classroom together.”

Faculty members Nichole Carey and Meghan Osborne can attest to the benefits of one-on-one and small group online sessions, especially those that are available to students who like to quickly connect when a question comes up. “I offer Virtual Math Lab with no appointment necessary each day from 11 until 1,” said Carey. “I also use Educreations to record myself as I grade and offer comments that help guide students to potential corrections. I encourage them to grade their own physical paper along with me, using my signature check marks, circles, and smiley faces!” For AP Calculus students, who are reviewing and taking timed practice tests in preparation for the AP exam, faculty member Dave Czernecki sends detailed responses each week that work through the problems and address student questions, just as he would in the classroom. That shared commitment among faculty members to providing the same personal attention regardless of the mode of delivery is very meaningful to students. “My bonds with my teachers have gotten closer,” smiled Wyant. “We can talk about things outside of school and know that they will support us and give us advice.”