On Friday, Ashley Hall recognized its 2018 graduates during “The Spiral Walk,” a campus procession through each division that celebrates not only the wonderful young women the graduates have become but also the bright future that awaits them. A new tradition established last year, “The Spiral Walk” began at the Shell House, where each senior received a small conch shell with her graduation year written inside as a symbol of both the spiral curriculum and the conch shells on the Shell House. “I was walking across senior lawn last spring and looked to my right and saw first and second grade girls walking to the Ingram Arts Center,” said Upper School faculty member Chris Hughes, who created “The Spiral Walk.” “I then looked to my left and saw seniors hanging out on senior lawn—where else can you see who you were and who you will become in one glance? I started thinking about how the girls move through the buildings on campus by starting with the Early Education Center (EEC) and ending in the Upper School.”
After Head of School Jill Muti read aloud the poem “The Chambered Nautilus” by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Sr., those seniors who started in the EEC initiated the walk and stopped at each division to pick up their classmates where they had commenced their Ashley Hall journey. Girls in each division sang a special song to honor the seniors, and as the entire senior class entered Davies Auditorium, the rest of the Upper School stood and greeted them with the song “Oh Ashley Hall.” “I think this is a meaningful walk because it gives all the younger girls the opportunity to not only pay homage to the seniors but also to get a glimpse into who they will become as Ashley Hall girls,” said Chris. “For the seniors, it is a trip down memory lane and a visual reminder to reflect on their time spent here and the wonderful teachers they had along the way. It is a circle of endings and beginnings.”
On Tuesday, Ashley Hall’s Investment Group celebrated a successful inaugural year! Part of the School’s financial literacy efforts for students, the Investment Group gives members in tenth through twelfth grades the chance to be empowered and informed about finances and to gain some real-world, hands-on experience. “We took our own interests in the world and knowledge of current events and applied them to the stock market,” says senior LouLou Byars. Group advisors include Chief Financial Officer Mark Semo, Director of the Upper School Mary Schweers, Director of Student Life Carrie Singh, and Upper School faculty members Chris Frisby and Grant Vatter.
Since its inception date of October 24, 2017, the Ashley Hall portfolio has gained approximately $950 or 10.67 percent. In addition, the Group used the Russell 3000 as a benchmark; if it had invested the same amount of money on the same date in the Russell 3000, the Group would have gained $395 or 4.46 percent, thus beating its benchmark by almost 2.5 times. Says tenth grader Hannah Lipschutz, “In a male-dominated world, this gives women a chance to see the different functions of the stock market and how trading works.”
Attendees of this year’s String Fling at the Cathedral Church of St. Luke and St. Paul weren’t prepared for the heartwarming and emotional program that unfolded. In addition to performances by the Kindergarten and Pre-First Strings as well as the Lower School Orchestra and Fifth through Eighth Grade Orchestra, Upper School students played a superb rendition of Bohemian Rhapsody and selections from the Lion King. Interspersed between the music selections, sixth graders served as emcees.
Particularly inspiring in their performance was the Senior String Quartet, and senior Loulou Byars gave a moving presentation to Head of School Jill Muti. As Byars said, “Fourteen years ago Mrs. Muti arrived at Ashley Hall and quickly became an important part of our family. The following year, the Class of 2018 entered kindergarten, and Mrs. Muti implemented the new strings program, a program that has had an immense impact upon my own life and the lives of countless others in the Ashley Hall community.”
Afterward, there wasn’t a dry eye in the church as Performing Arts Chair Liz Dinwiddie and the Upper School Chamber Ensemble played for the four graduating seniors of the Senior String Quartet. These girls have been a part of something special that Mrs. Muti started fourteen years ago and represent the limitless possibilities for everyone at Ashley Hall. PQV!
A Midsummer Night’s Dream
presented by the Performing Arts Department
An Ashley Hall tradition, presented on the lawn in front of the Bear Cave!
Thursday, April 19 at 7:00pm | $5 performance only (online tickets for this performance are now closed, please purchase your tickets at the door)
Saturday, April 21 at 7:00pm | $5 performance only or $15 performance and BBQ
Shakespeare (the Bard!) returns to the lawn of the Bear Cave with the Ashley Hall Performing Arts Department’s lively production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Saturday’s performance will feature a pre-performance “BBQ with the Bard Picnic” on the lawn beginning at 5:00pm. Click on the button below to purchase your tickets.
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Grab your boots and join us for Square Dance at the Hall, hosted by the Class of 2018! Festivities will include live music, dancing with a caller, and more! A dinner of chili, mac-n-cheese, corn on the cob, and cornbread will be served. All students, parents, alumnae, siblings, and friends are welcome! Bring your whole family down to Ashley Hall and celebrate with the senior class! In case of rain, the event will be held in Davies Auditorium.
Online sales are now closed for this event. Tickets will available at the gate.
As part of Ashley Hall Travel Programs, Upper School string students spent a week of their winter break touring the Umbrian-area of Italy. The girls played two public concerts, one in Trevi and the other in Spoleto, sharing the stage with 3 Italian musicians, 2 high schoolers and 1 adult amateur.
Time on the trip was also spent exploring historical sights in Rome, Siena, Perugia, and Spoleto as well as enjoying Italy’s culinary offerings. In the picture above, the group—including faculty members, Liz Dinwiddie and Aubrey Gray, along with Jill and Lorenzo Muti—enjoy an authentic multi-course Italian meal to ring in the new year.
This spring includes trips to India, Mexico, and West Africa.