This week, Ashley Hall wove special celebrations into daily life across campus to honor the birthday of our extraordinary founder, Miss Mary Vardrine McBee.
In 1909, Miss McBee founded Ashley Hall with a bold vision: to educate girls and young women to be independent, ethically responsible, and prepared to meet the challenges of their world with confidence. Her courage, determination, and forward-thinking spirit still shape our community today.
At a time when women were not even allowed to vote, Miss McBee passed the rigorous entrance exams for Smith College, marking the beginning of her distinguished academic journey. She went on to earn a master’s degree from Columbia University and was later awarded three honorary doctorates. Beyond her academic accomplishments, she was a tireless leader in the Charleston community, championing initiatives such as Charleston’s first free Kindergarten, the Free Library, and the city’s very first Girl Scout troop. Even during the Great Depression, she found creative ways to keep Ashley Hall thriving, taking on multiple roles to ensure her faculty were paid and the school endured.
Her remarkable legacy gave us much to celebrate this week:
In the Classroom: Dr. Weston, Head of School, visited with Kindergarten students to share stories about Miss McBee’s life. The girls eagerly asked thoughtful questions about Ashley Hall traditions—from how many bears lived in the bear cave, to how purple and white became our school colors, and even why we wear uniforms. They crafted special birthday celebration hats, just for the occasion!
On Campus: Upper School Student Ambassadors gathered in front of McBee House to sing “Happy Birthday” to our founder, while students across divisions created handmade cards in her honor.
Special Touches: Highlights of Miss McBee’s accomplishments and interesting facts about her life were displayed on monitors throughout the campus, reminding everyone of her impressive achievements and lasting impact.
In celebrating Miss McBee’s birthday, Ashley Hall carried forward the traditions, spirit, and vision she instilled when she first opened our doors in 1909. It was a joyful reminder of the enduring influence of our founder. PQV!
We are proud to share Ashley Hall’s 2024–2025 Impact Report, a celebration of the generosity, vision, and commitment of our community. Inside, you’ll find stories of community involvement, growth, and the many ways your support fuels the Ashley Hall experience.
Click here to explore the full report and see how your investment makes a lasting difference.
At Ashley Hall, we know that reading is more than decoding words on a page or memorization—learning to read is a joyful, inquiry-based journey. Rooted in our Reggio-Emilia inspired curriculum in the Early School and supported by our International Baccalaureate approach in the Lower School, reading begins with children’s natural curiosity and love of story.
The first stages of reading development are full of discovery. Just as our daily routines emphasize belonging, exploration, and reflection, children’s early encounters with books foster independence, connection, and imagination. Because every child develops differently, we allow ample time and space for reading readiness to unfold naturally.
Stage 1: Pre-Reading / Emergent Readers
The earliest stage of reading begins when children show an interest in books—voluntarily picking one up, turning the pages, or talking about the illustrations. These early gestures form the foundation for a lifelong love of reading, and in the Pre-Primary and Primary years, we devote special attention to nurturing this stage.
In pre-primary, one way we build reading skills is through songs and nursery rhymes, which help enforce skills such as rhyming, pattern recognition, rhythm, sound recognition, and a larger vocabulary. While learning fun songs like “Five Green and Speckled Frogs,” they are also building the foundation for reading!
– Katie Paulson, Early School Faculty Member
In our classrooms, books are about so much more than reading. When they pick up a book, the children are imagining, questioning, discussing, and opening whole new worlds of possibilities.”
– Katherine Banks, Early School Faculty Member
At this stage, children:
Understand that print has meaning
Become familiar with handling books and turning pages
Comment on illustrations with guidance
Start to recognize letters and their sounds
Pretend to “read” a story aloud
Begin to rhyme and make playful connections to oral language
Relate stories to their own lived experiences
How families can support at home:
Read aloud exciting and dynamic books
Share nursery rhymes and poetry with repetitive text
Take a “picture walk” before reading to notice illustrations and story structure
Model predictions and wonderings as you read together
Ask questions and encourage your child to connect the story to their own world
Read wordless books to nurture imagination and storytelling
The goal of this stage is simple yet powerful: to help children fall in love with books so that reading feels like joy, not a chore.
Stage 2: Emergent / Early Readers
As confidence grows, children begin to see themselves as readers. They experiment with memorizing, predicting, and making sense of what they see on the page. We tend to see this happening more in our Pre-Kindergarten classes, with children beginning to recognize letters on signs around campus or spotting sight words they come across regularly.
Play doesn’t have to connect directly to a literacy activity to support literacy development. Play is naturally so literacy-rich–whether it’s a tea party in the classroom’s dramatic play area, superheroes on the playground, or building homes for animals with blocks, children are creating narratives and storytelling, which is a key component of emergent literacy. Even something as seemingly simple as engaging in conversation with teachers and peers–perhaps taking turns sharing what they did over the weekend supports literacy skills, as children are recalling and retelling events. They are building comprehension, practicing sequencing, and developing phonemic awareness. In my classroom, I often like to use a big sheet of paper to write down the things the children say. It’s important that we (adults) model writing. I may gently point out “this is an “A,” and identify children whose names start with the letter A, and tell them the sound the letter A makes. Later, during a nature walk, the children will autonomously identify letters on signs around campus. I also love to offer wordless picture books in my classroom. These are fantastic literacy tools that teachers can use regardless of what age group they teach. When a child looks at a book with no words, they are encouraged to practice a crucial literacy skill–the skill of inferring. They must examine the setting, the characters’ facial expressions, and other implicit details to understand what’s happening and predict what may happen next.
– Annie Bellettiere, Early School Faculty Member
At this stage, children:
Memorize favorite parts of stories
Take risks by attempting new word
Begin to recognize common sight words
Use illustrations and context clues to tell the story
Read for meaning and predict unknown words
Play with sounds through rhyming and phoneme changes
How families can support at home:
Continue reading aloud daily
Introduce new vocabulary naturally, in context
Focus on letters in meaningful words, like their own name
Read signs, labels, and print in the environment together
Encourage guesses and predictions—mistakes are part of learning!
Beyond the Stages
Reading is more than word recognition. It is about constructing meaning, making inferences, and engaging imagination. Children are developing strategies such as:
Using prior knowledge
Predicting and visualizing
Asking and answering questions
Summarizing and synthesizing ideas
These strategies mirror the inquiry-driven learning of our classrooms, where children’s voices and interests shape the direction of study.
At Ashley Hall, we see reading as a shared adventure—between child, teacher, and family. By celebrating each step of the journey, we empower children to see themselves as capable, joyful readers who are ready to explore the world of ideas.
Ashley Hall Welcomes a New School Year
Today, we joyfully welcomed students back to campus for the first day of the 2025–26 school year. The morning was filled with excitement as friends reunited after summer break, teachers greeted their classes, and new students experienced their first Ashley Hall traditions. In addition, the School opened the year with a record enrollment of 752 students!
Throughout the day, the energy and anticipation of a new beginning could be felt across campus. Classrooms came alive with curiosity and conversation, and the joy of learning together once again set the tone for the year ahead.
Dr. Anne T. Weston ’73 reflected this morning, “There is nothing more joyful than the first day of school. It is full of opportunity and promise, energy and excitement—a new year for remarkable experiences in the lives of our students.”
We are thrilled to begin this new chapter, full of potential and promise, and look forward to all that our students will accomplish in the months ahead. Here’s to a wonderful year at Ashley Hall!
Parents, please keep an eye out for a link to the full photo gallery, coming soon, and check out the highlight reel from this morning, below!
The Horizons program began in 1964 as a grassroots effort on the campus of one independent school in Connecticut, where educators saw an opportunity to turn unused summer classroom space into something powerful: a place to advance educational equity through continued learning and growth throughout the summer months. What started with just a handful of students there has since grown into a national network of over 70 programs across the country, all united by a shared mission to foster a lifelong love of learning. Today, Horizons programs serve thousands of students annually, offering a proven path to closing opportunity gaps and preparing children to succeed in school and beyond.
Horizons at Ashley Hall began in 2018 as part of the school’s commitment to empowering girls and fostering educational equity. The program offers a six-week, tuition-free academic and enrichment program each summer to girls from the Charleston area. The program is built on a long-term commitment: once a student enters as a first grader, the goal is that she will return each summer through 8th grade, developing strong relationships, academic skills, and a deep love of learning along the way.
Hosted on the Ashley Hall campus each summer, the program brings together students and educators from the Charleston community, as well as Ashley Hall faculty and student volunteers, to provide a safe and inspiring environment for girls to learn, grow, and explore. It blends academic instruction in literacy and math with enrichment activities such as swimming, art, dance, and field trips, ensuring that summer is not a time of learning loss, but one of growth and possibility. “These girls come back summer after summer, returning to a place where they feel seen, supported, and deeply connected,” shared Horizons at Ashley Hall Executive Director Molly Rathbone. “It’s a joy to witness the lasting relationships that have formed over the years, with such a strong sense of community between the teachers and students.”
The structure of the Horizons program is grounded in research-based best practices that demonstrate consistent, long-term engagement dramatically improves educational outcomes. By working with students year after year, Horizons builds confidence and academic growth. Students not only maintain their skills over the summer, but they also return to school in the fall ahead of where they left off. Small class sizes, individualized instruction, and a joyful learning environment all contribute to making this possible.
As Horizons at Ashley Hall celebrates close to a decade of impact, its results speak for themselves: girls who begin the program in the first grade are growing into confident, capable young women ready to thrive in high school and beyond. This summer, Horizons at Ashley Hall celebrated a special milestone: the first class of students who joined the program in first grade in 2018 graduated from the program on July 24, and are headed for high school. It was an emotional day, one full of pride and excitement for what comes next. When asked if she planned to return as a Horizons Assistant Teacher (or a HAT, as they’re known), eighth grade graduate, Aniya, responded with a resounding yes and a huge smile. “It was always the plan to be a HAT,” she said.
The program is not just a summer initiative—it is a long-term investment in the future of our young people, and a shining example of what can happen when a community commits to equity, education, and opportunity for all.
The Upper School Writing Center is a hub of creativity, collaboration, and leadership at Ashley Hall. In less than two years, what began as a small initiative with just two teachers and seven students has transformed into a dynamic, student-led operation with all-day availability and a team of 17 peer consultants. The Writing Center now stands as a model for innovative academic support, embodying the School’s goal of cultivating confident, capable leaders.
“This team of students is a powerhouse of creativity, discipline, and curiosity, and they embrace risk-taking and challenges of all sorts. They have been model leaders in the Ashley Hall Writing Center since its inception last year; now, they can share their findings and strategies nationally.”
– Chris Hughes, Upper School Librarian
The Writing Center’s remarkable growth has been driven by student leadership from the very beginning. While three faculty members provide valuable support, the students run the show, spearheading initiatives, building community partnerships, and ensuring the Center remains a dynamic, student-centered space. The Center’s leadership team includes:
Charlotte Torrez ’25, Director of Logistics Miya Brown ’25, Director of Teaching Assistants Sadie Cowan ’25 and Clara Kirchner ’26, Directors of Development Grace Taylor ’26 and Gemma Williams ’26, Directors of Marketing Callie Richards ’25, Director of Communications
Director of Logistics, Torrez, led the facilitation of projects like a Calendly-based scheduling system, an informative website, and a dedicated email contact point, which became operational realities this year. These tools made the Writing Center more accessible and broadened its reach across campus.
In her role, Brown was excited to help shape the Center’s classroom integration efforts. She shared, “I’ve always gravitated toward the humanities, so when I was asked to join the Writing Center—to surround myself with other students who share my love of writing—it was a no-brainer.”
As Director of Communications, Richards ensured that every meeting and initiative was communicated clearly and effectively, and for her, the Writing Center’s impact goes beyond academic support. “The Center is such a vital part of our School because it provides a place of support and fellowship for all students,” she said, “I loved being able to see how creative our younger students are, and to support them in finding sources or transitions or new techniques.”
Cowan, who co-Directed Development, emphasized the community spirit that anchors their work: “The future of the Writing Center is something I think we are all excited for, even if we will not be there to see it. We all agree that the girls involved in this project are some of the most passionate, intelligent, and motivated people who truly strive for greatness. They are dedicated to helping their peers and helping each other, so I can only imagine what’s to come for the Writing Center.”
The leadership of Torrez, Brown, Cowan, and Richards has redefined what it means to run a Writing Center. Their combined efforts have built a space that fosters confidence, creativity, and community—a legacy that will continue to inspire future generations of students at Ashley Hall. “I’m so glad I was able to be a part of this supportive community this past year,” shared Richards. “I’ve loved seeing younger girls find joy in completing their first research projects or excelling in their final essays.”
* This article appeared in the 2025 issue of Perspectives magazine. To read the issue in full, please click here.
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.