At the beginning of a new school year, everything feels fresh and new. When it includes the exciting redesign of Ashley Hall’s main campus entrance and a beautiful renovation of Lower School, what’s not to be excited about?! Over the summer, work was done on campus including a complete makeover of our Smith Street campus entrance so that it can now fully function as our main campus entrance. (Don’t you just love the new water feature?!) The Pardue Hall entrance has also been reconfigured to serve as the campus’s visitor reception area. Don’t forget all visitors must enter campus through the Smith Street Gate. 

The Lo Dome for the Lower School
A few steps from the Smith Street gate is Pardue Hall with its new and impressive glass roof and enclosed breezeways. Lovingly called the Lo Dome to honor Ashley Hall’s longest active and much beloved faculty member, Lois Ruggiero, the glass enclosure adds over 2,000 square feet offering additional collaboration and learning space for programs such as the school’s ever-growing STEAM curriculum of science, technology, engineering, arts, and math. Needless to say the girls are loving the new space. We can’t wait to see it fully come to life this year! (Parents from all divisions are encouraged to stop by and see the new space in Pardue Hall.) 

As soon as school was dismissed in early June, Ashley Hall embarked on a project to beautifully enclose Pardue Hall that will effectively create an additional 2,000 square feet of multipurpose space for collaboration and increased building safety. The School has lovingly named this new structure and place the Lo Dome in honor of the school’s longest active and universally admired teacher, Ms. Lois Ruggiero.

Research shows that girls must be encouraged to explore STEAM curriculum before the crucial middle school years in order to pique their interest in pursuing degrees and careers in science and engineering-related fields. For precisely this reason, Ashley Hall has dedicated a science teacher for the Lower School supporting the development of STEAM and computer coding initiatives. The Lo Dome will offer our students much-needed climate-controlled space for the girls to build, code, create, and collaborate. If all goes as planned, the Lo Dome will be in place and operational for the August opening of the 2017–2018 school year.

For more information on supporting the Lo Dome project, contact Director of Institutional Advancement, Suzie Smith, at [email protected] or (843) 720-2886.

Rendering by Walker Concepts Architecture.

Ashley Hall is pleased to announce that Polly Rainey will assume the position of Director of Lower School, covering our Kindergarten-6th Grade. A familiar and well-respected face on campus, Polly has been on faculty at Ashley Hall for 16 years with experience in nearly all facets of campus life, and, in particular, elementary education. She has taught 3rd and 4th grades, and she also has held the position of Literacy Programs Coordinator and Lower School Library Director. Most recently, Polly served as Dean of Students for the Intermediate Program. We are thrilled to see her leadership continue to grow and expand at Ashley Hall! PQV, Polly!

With Ashley Hall’s individualized approach to education, your daughter is recognized, respected, and ready for success. The School’s enduring mission, crafted in 1909, is how we continue to define student achievement: producing educated women who are independent, ethically responsible, and prepared to meet the challenges of society with confidence. It drives everything we do. As you can see, it’s much more than a test score. It’s how we live our life throughout campus.

Ashley Hall’s exceptional program is intentionally tailored to the way girls learn best—through collaboration, discussion, and individualized attention. The results are remarkable. Our graduates continue to impress with more than $14 million in merit scholarships garnered over the last five years, including three University of North Carolina Morehead Cain Scholars, one of the most prestigious scholarships extended.

Younger students begin to fully embrace the school’s mission through their dedicated work with long-term community partners such as the South Carolina Aquarium’s Sea Turtle Hospital and Water Mission International’s annual “Walk for Water.” Our STEAM curriculum begins in Lower School with creative approaches to coding while Intermediate Program girls design, build, and sail their own hand-engineered wooden boats in a unique boat building project with the Lowcountry Maritime Society.

The Ashley Hall curriculum is rounded out with one of the strongest arts program in the state, including visual and performing arts, and an athletic department known for its sportsmanship and prowess on the field.

Come see the excitement for yourself and bring your daughter along! Financial assistance is available. Click on the button below to inquire.

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In true Ashley Hall form, Panther Athletics experienced an extraordinarily successful spring in several areas which was celebrated at this week’s Spring Sports Award Program. An impressive season all around, eight of eleven Panther Varsity sports teams were State Champions or runner up. Including Bantam teams (grades 5 through 8) 66% of girls in our Intermediate Program and Upper School participated in athletics this academic year. PQV to all our student athletes, including the following spring team successes:

Archery, SCISA State Runner-Up | Varsity Lacrosse, SCISA State Runner-Up  
Varsity Soccer, SCISA State semi finalist and SCISA All Region Team Members and All Stars 
Varsity Track, SCISA State Runner-Up and SCISA All State and Region team members

An additional PQV goes to Elyssa Sterneck ’17 who received the Silver level Graduating Seniors Award by U.S. Figure Skating. 

With blue skies above and the smooth water of the Ashley River below, a gleeful group of Ashley Hall fifth graders launched their wooden boat fleet from the banks of Brittlebank Park last Saturday. Over the school year, the girls have worked diligently with the guidance of the Lowcountry Maritime Society (LMS) on a unique STEAM project designing, building, and now sailing their own hand-engineered wooden boat.

The girls were guided through the process reading scaled plans and transforming those plans into wooden boats they built themselves. And now it was time to put the boats to the test on the water with passengers! Throughout the year, students also explored local maritime history and seamanship skills as part of this comprehensive project. Research shows that girls decide as early as fifth grade if they will consider careers in the areas of math and science. Ashley Hall is doing its part to pique that interest! Thank you to current parent, Margie Barham ’86 for capturing this wonderful day! 

View Pictures from the Boat Launch