In a Reggio Emilia–inspired classroom, children are understood to have many languages for expressing their thinking and emotions—movement being one of the most powerful. Young children communicate, regulate, and make meaning through their bodies long before they can fully articulate their feelings with words. When we honor movement as a language, we create space for children to develop self-regulation in ways that feel natural, joyful, and deeply connected to their learning. This inquiry into birds and feathers offers a beautiful example of how physical movement and social-emotional growth are thoughtfully woven into the everyday life of our pre-Kindergarten classrooms. 

Elizabeth Johnson ’95, Early School faculty member and pre-Kindergarten teacher, offers a window into this work through her classroom’s recent inquiry into birds and feathers—an exploration that beautifully illustrates how movement, observation, and social-emotional development are woven together in the everyday life of our Early School.

Over the past few weeks, the children in our pre-Kindergarten class have been deeply engaged in studying birds and feathers. They have been watching how birds move, where they rest, how feathers respond to wind and water, and how wings help bodies lift, glide, and pause. Feathers have become a powerful material for observation, inviting children to notice texture, lightness, pattern, and movement. What may appear to be joyful observation and imaginative play is also meaningful work in developing self-regulation.

As children watched birds flutter, perch, and take off, they began to notice that movement is thoughtful rather than random. Birds flap their wings, rest, shake off water, or allow the wind to carry them—each action serving a purpose. Feathers play an important role in this process. Children observed how feathers flicker in the wind, fall slowly to the ground, or shift with a gentle touch.

Through these experiences, children explored their own bodies in similar ways. They flapped their arms, wiggled, slowed down, and tiptoed carefully so as not to scare a bird. In these moments, children were practicing listening to their bodies, adjusting their energy, and responding thoughtfully to their environment.

This kind of learning supports self-regulation in powerful and developmentally appropriate ways. Rather than asking children to sit still, we invite them to move with intention, just as birds do. Movement, drawing, storytelling, and working with materials like feathers allow children to practice shifting between excitement and calm, action and rest. Watching a feather float slowly or settle gently on the ground offers children a visual and sensory reminder that slowing down can feel good and purposeful.

As the children flap, spin, and release feathers, their bodies begin to find rhythm and calm. These playful movements help children release energy, settle themselves, and build emotional balance. Through this sensory play, children practice regulating their emotions in ways that feel authentic and embodied.

“If I flap like this, I can fly! Watch me—flap flap!”

Families can support this work at home by noticing birds together, collecting fallen feathers, or observing how the wind moves leaves and other lightweight objects. Gentle questions, such as What do you think the bird needs right now? How does the feather move? or How does your body feel when you move fast or slow? help extend children’s awareness and reflection.

We are excited to continue this inquiry alongside another pre-K classroom and to extend it during our upcoming field trip to Mulberry Pond Park, where children will observe birds, feathers, and habitats firsthand. On February 10, Birds of Prey will visit the Early School for a demonstration lesson. We can’t wait to see how the children’s thinking, curiosity, and self-awareness continue to take flight!

Elizabeth Johnson ’95

Pre-Kindergarten Teacher

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!

Ashley Hall students continue to distinguish themselves on the stage and in the studio, earning recognition at the local, state, and even national level for their remarkable musical talents. Whether composing original works, performing in elite ensembles, or receiving prestigious certifications, our students are rising stars in the world of music—and they’re doing it with grace, dedication, and heart. 

Music lessons are offered as an extracurricular option at Ashley Hall, and the number of students choosing to pursue private instruction is growing. This year, the results speak volumes—not only in accolades but in the passion and discipline our musicians bring to their craft. 

All-State Orchestra Honors

After an incredibly competitive audition process, three middle school students earned their place in the South Carolina Music Educators Association 6–8th Grade All-State Orchestra:

• Sky Malloy ’28 (cello)
• Ruby Ghatnekar ’29 (violin)
• Adya Sharma ’29 (cello)

These talented young musicians spent a weekend in Spartanburg rehearsing with top student musicians from across the state, culminating in a powerful full-orchestra performance under the baton of a renowned conductor. Special thanks to their private lesson teachers—Zoe Walker, Aubrey Goio, and Cameron Williams—for helping them prepare for this honor.

Royal Conservatory of Music Recognition

Congratulations to Pearson James ’34, who earned a Royal Conservatory State Certificate of Excellence in piano—an Ashley Hall first! Pearson’s dedication and artistry were celebrated at a Lower School Assembly this year.

Also deserving applause is Beatrice Watson ’31, who received the highest mark in South Carolina for Level 2 Piano from the Royal Conservatory of Music.

Carnegie Hall Appearance

A special bravo to Adya Sharma ’29, who recently performed at Carnegie Hall with the Charleston Symphony Youth Orchestra (CSYO). Sharma has been an active CSYO member and string quartet performer, joining the orchestra onstage alongside the College of Charleston Orchestra and the Charleston Symphony Orchestra—an ensemble that includes several of Ashley Hall’s own string faculty members: Ben Weiss (viola), Frances Hsieh (violin), and Maggie Gould (violin).

Charleston Achievement Day Accolades

Seventeen Ashley Hall pianists participated in the Charleston Music Teachers Association’s Achievement Day at Charleston Southern University this March. This event challenges young musicians to showcase their skills in performance, technique, sight reading, and music theory. Ellie Murphy ’32 was named an alternate for her level and recognized in the Honors Recital program. Sriya Banik ’30 received the Crescendo Award and a trophy for consistently high scores. Thanks to our outstanding piano faculty—Anna Brock, Dan McCurry, Jan Smith, and Dr. Sooyun Yun—for their mentorship.

Charleston Achievement Day Participants:

• Naomi Grek ’33
• Sophie Deupree ’35
• Charlotte Deupree ’33
• Katie Solomon ’34
• Ellie Murphy ’32
• Sriya Banik ’30
• Jaalah Brown ’26
• Lucy David ’28
• Ella Donohoe ’31
• Annie Donohoe ’33
• Emilia Goodwin ’32
• Elly Middleton ’33
• Madeleine Kopf ’29
• Rhetta Lowndes ’31
• Sidney James ’36
• Pearson James ’34
• Suzanne Groat ’27

Composition Competition Triumphs

Our students aren’t just performing—they’re creating. This year saw an impressive sweep across composition contests, from local to international stages.

Highlights include:

Charlotte Deupree ’33, whose original work “Night Waves” won 1st place in the NFMC Junior Composers Contest (South Carolina), Winner in the Southeast Regional round, and Winner of the South Carolina Music Teachers Association Composition Competition (Elementary Solo). She also received Honorable Mention in the International Piano Composition Contest.

Naomi Grek ’33 composed “Bunny Rabbit Hare,” which placed 2nd in the Charleston Sonatina Festival, won in the International Piano Composition Contest, and received Honorable Mention in the Piano Inspires Kids Magazine “Movie Score” Contest.

Eleanor Gilliespie ’35 earned Runner-Up in the SCMTAC Composition Competition (Elementary Solo) for “The Cave.”

Camila Zuniga ’28 was named Runner-Up in the Piano Inspires Kids Magazine “Movie Score” Contest (13–15 age group) for her piece “Mysteries.”

We are incredibly proud of these students—and the dedicated faculty who guide them—for representing Ashley Hall with such talent and determination. Their achievements show just how far music can take you when passion meets opportunity.

Bravo to all!

Rooted in inquiry-based learning and transdisciplinary exploration, the PYP empowers and invites students to be active participants in their own educational journey. In our recent Perspectives feature, we introduced readers to the IB framework and its impact on student learning. Now, we invite you to take a deeper dive, pun intended, into one vivid example: the Third Grade Biome Project.

Exploring “How We Organize Ourselves” Through Oceans

This year’s third grade students embarked on a powerful exploration under the PYP transdisciplinary theme “How We Organize Ourselves,” centering on the central idea: “Interactions between the natural world and human societies impact biomes.”

Through an inquiry lens, students investigated:

• Relationships within a biome
• How biomes sustain themselves
• The impacts humans have on these systems

After exploring a variety of global biomes, the class unanimously chose to focus on oceans—a rich, complex ecosystem teeming with life and deeply influenced by human activity.

Integrating Art, Science, Language, and Movement

This ocean biome study was not confined to textbooks or single-subject classrooms. In true IB fashion, it became a multidisciplinary, immersive experience that spanned the entire campus:

Art 

Students studied the work of Courtney Mattison, a renowned artist and ocean advocate. Inspired by her sculptures and mission, students reflected on the role of advocacy. Their voices were poignant:

“She’s translating what the coral reef needs.” – Amélie

“An advocate is a politician for the ocean…not making laws, but encouraging people to care.” – Olive

From these reflections, students began to understand their own roles as stewards and communicators of environmental responsibility.

STEAM Lab

With creativity and engineering at the helm, students constructed a detailed, walk-through installation of the ocean zones. The lab transformed into an underwater world featuring:

• A 3-D coral reef and underwater volcano
• Giant squid and a cookiecutter shark
• Hanging jellies, plastic bottle trash, and pufferfish 
• A stop-motion film depicting the human impact on the ocean

These tactile experiences made abstract scientific concepts tangible and memorable.

Movement and Music

In dance class, students listened to ocean-inspired compositions and created interpretive dances to express their emotional responses. Music and French classes added another sensory layer, where students created original ocean soundscapes and stop-motion films narrated en français.

Bringing It All Together

The project culminated in a full-room installation, a fully immersive experience. Students guided visitors through and excitedly explained which parts they worked on, why they made the choices they did, and how it all came together for them. Through movement, sound, visuals, and conversation, guests were invited to “jump into the water” and reflect on their own relationship with the ocean.

The Ocean Biome Project exemplifies what the IB PYP does best: it fosters curious thinkers, creative problem solvers, compassionate communicators, and globally minded citizens. By combining academic depth with expressive freedom, the project helped students understand their world better, gather context on their role in what they were studying and organically present ways to improve it. 

As one student so wisely put it: “The ocean can’t talk, but it can wave!” – Caroline T.

During the 2024–25 school year, Ashley Hall’s long-standing Pop Tab Collection initiative experienced a meaningful transformation as it aligned with the School’s United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDG) project. The project invited students in Grades 1–12 to see a familiar activity in a new light, as the school community collectively focused on Goal #3: Good Health and Well-Being, to ensure healthy lives and promote well-being.

With the added context, the Pop Tab Collection project took on renewed purpose. Students gathered the aluminum tabs from beverage cans to benefit Charleston’s Ronald McDonald House, helping offset operational expenses through recycling revenue. While small, these pop tabs add up quickly—over 1,200 make a pound—and are far easier to clean and store than full cans, making the campaign both manageable and effective.

Tyler Moseley, Community Partnerships and Global Education Coordinator, shared her enthusiasm for the initiative’s evolution, noting that the UNSDG connection offered students a deeper global context: “Through the UNSDG filter, we’re able to give our students a global perspective and also help them understand that small actions within their community can have real impacts. That’s what the UNSDGs are all about—concrete ways to make the world a better place.”

This year’s program also benefited from the enthusiastic involvement of the Big Sister Little Sister program, which added a collaborative and competitive spirit to the effort. Upper School students teamed up with their younger “Littles” to collect tabs together, sparking cross-divisional camaraderie and grade-level challenges that boosted participation across the Lower School.

By linking a well-known tradition to a globally recognized goal, Ashley Hall gave new meaning to a beloved service activity. The 2024–25 Pop Tab Collection was a powerful example of how small, everyday actions, when framed by broader values, can become transformative educational experiences.

Looking ahead to the 2025–26 school year, Ashley Hall is excited to expand this work by taking a more holistic and integrated approach to the UNSDGs. With an eye toward exploring the interconnectedness of the goals, the school community plans to broaden its lens, encouraging students to examine how health, sustainability, equity, and innovation can intersect in meaningful ways. This widened focus will continue to empower students to think critically, act locally, and engage globally in making positive change.