Senior Project at Ashley Hall is one of the school’s most distinguished programs. This student-directed, year-long class is a synthesis of intense research, critical thinking, and targeted community outreach allowing students to delve deeper into a specific topic of interest. Selected through a competitive application process the prior spring, Senior Project girls begin researching their proposed topic over the summer months. This research then fuels their work over the course of the school year as the projects evolve. During April of the following year, the girls present their Senior Project research findings to the Upper School student body along with distinguished guests.
Below you’ll find a brief overview of current Senior Project topics. We plan to follow the girls’ work throughout the year via social media and various school communications pieces so stay tuned to learn more.
Carter Bitter: Human Trafficking
Elise Coleman: The Long-Term Effects of Slavery
Erin Goedecke: Preventing Sports Injuries for Adolescent Girls
Anna Hildebrand: Sustainable Technology
Lauren Marshall: Mind-Body Connection in Trauma Recovery
Emily Ockerman: Meat Consumption in the US
Elizabeth Puckette: History of Charleston
Sophia Yao: Cyber Security
Zoe Watson: Diversity in Literature
Class of 2016
The Class of 2016 has officially taken their place as the newest members of the Ashley Hall Alumnae sisterhood.
- With a class totaling 53, nearly half of our seniors accepted merit scholarships for academics. Many more students earned scholarships but chose to attend other institutions offering a better fit, substantial needs-based aid or instate tuition.
- Cumulatively, the class garnered more than $3.1 million in merit scholarships to colleges and universities around the country.
- Our graduates are attending 35 different colleges and universities.
- Class members were accepted into 5 Honors Programs: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (Morehead-Cain Scholar), Clemson University, University of South Carolina and College of Charleston.
Congratulations to the Class of 2016. We could not be more proud of these young women and all they have accomplished at Ashley Hall. Look out world, here they come.
To view a comprehensive matriculation list for the Class of 2016, click on the button below.
Class of 2016 Matriculation List
Ashley Hall is pleased to announce that Lizzie Russler ‘16 has been awarded the prestigious Morehead-Cain Scholarship at the University of North Carolina. Next fall she will join Ashley Hall alumnae and Morehead-Cain Scholars, Rossi Anastopoulo ’13 and Caroline Lowery ’12 in Chapel Hill. The Morehead-Cain is one of the oldest and most distinguished merit scholarships in the nation, with accomplished students from around the world competing to earn a four-year full-ride to UNC with generous stipends for summer travel, research, internship and service opportunities, and entrée into the elite Morehead network. It’s a coup for any school to have a Morehead Scholar among its graduates, let alone three in five years. Ashley Hall is proud of this remarkable accomplishment—PQV, Lizzie!
Advertising legend and grandmother of Jenna Maas ’18, Jane Maas wowed Upper School girls at recent assembly. During the 1960s, Jane was one of the first female advertising executives to make a name for herself crafting the iconic “I Love New York” campaign. She regaled the girls with stories of how the agency old boys club treated the “fairer sex” and shared her thoughts on how things have changed for females in today’s corporate world. “There’s still work to be done!” she added. Oh, and she’s written a book call “Mad Women.” Check it out! PQV, Ms. Maas!
College Counseling at Ashley Hall is more than a student resource—it’s an area of significant emphasis woven into the school’s Upper School program. One of the three components of the Personal Awareness and Wellness Seminars (PAWS) program, college counseling focuses on identifying the best college or university fit for each student and ensuring the search and application process is carefully approached and not anxiety filled. “The pursuit of college acceptance is a very stressful time, especially for girls,” says Director of College Counseling, Amanda Murrell. “We begin working with our students and their families early in the Upper School so there is time to explore and vet different options.”
Beginning in 9th grade, students are encouraged to reflect upon themselves and their roles in their own school community. The next step is having the girls envision themselves in their next community, which, for a college preparatory school like Ashley Hall, is a college or university campus setting. A crucial aspect of the PAWS program—and why it supports college counseling so effectively—is the use of self-awareness skills instilled in those early years, making junior and senior girls more informed and thoughtful participants in the college search process. They have a clear understanding of who they are and where they would like to attend school—and how to juggle the pressures of getting there.
Beginning in 8th grade, Upper School students participate in Harkness discussion classes. Developed at Phillips Exeter Academy in 1930 to engage young boys to collaborate with teachers in classroom discussions and idea sharing, Harkness teaching is now embraced as a wonderful way to strengthen confidence, critical thinking skills, and reading comprehension through the in-depth discussion of topics in English or history. Students gather round a circular table so that everyone is seen and heard. The teacher begins the discussion with an essential question and then lively conversation takes flight being led by students. Each person must participate in the class providing thoughtful contributions to the discussion. Harkness is a favorite class among the Upper School girls.