Harpeth Hall School

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Harpeth Hall School is an all-girls private school for grades 5-12 in Nashville, Tennessee.

[edit] History

Harpeth Hall’s history dates back to 1865 with the founding of Ward Seminary for Young Ladies. The school eventually merged with Belmont College for Young Women in 1913 and formed Ward-Belmont, which continued the tradition of academic excellence established by its predecessor institutions. In the spring of 1951, Ward-Belmont was forced to close when the board of directors transferred ownership of the school to the Tennessee Baptist Convention. A group of concerned citizens organized to see that a quality educational opportunity for girls continued locally. This group purchased the 26-acre Estes estate at the corner of Hobbs and Estes Roads. One of the founders suggested the name of the new school be Harpeth Hall, because an early settler in Middle Tennessee had given the name Harpeth to the sloping hills and little river valley to the south of the campus. The original home on the property, now called Souby Hall, served as Harpeth Hall’s first school building. In the fall of 1951, the new school opened with 161 students in grades nine through twelve, almost all of whom transferred from Ward-Belmont. The first head of school, Mrs. Susan S. Souby, had previously headed the high school department at Ward-Belmont. Additionally, the first administrators and all but two members of the faculty were former members of the Ward-Belmont staff. By the next year, in December 1952, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools accredited Harpeth Hall. Early in its history, Harpeth Hall also gained membership in the National Association of Independent Schools, the Southern Association of Independent Schools, and the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools.

During the School’s first decade, the facilities were expanded to include additional classroom space, an auditorium, gymnasium and cafeteria. The student body also grew from 161 to 277, and the original staff of eighteen grew to 23. When Miss Idanelle “Sam” McMurry became the second head of school in 1963, the board of trustees agreed to raise the maximum enrollment to 320 as long as additional faculty could be secured to keep the average class size no greater than sixteen students. In 1968, Miss McMurry oversaw the opening of the Daugh W. Smith Middle School The 1970s saw a period of additional changes and growth on campus. Due to reorganization in Nashville’s public school system, Harpeth Hall decided to add sixth grade in 1971 and a fifth grade in 1993.

When Ann Teaff became head of school in 1998, Harpeth Hall made further strides in integrating technology into the classroom. In the fall of 2000, the school introduced laptop computers into the curriculum. Community service work also became a meaningful component of students’ years at Harpeth Hall. The school added a faculty position dedicated to the development of this aspect of the curriculum. In the spring of 2000, Harpeth Hall was one of only 66 schools nationally, and the only one in Middle Tennessee, to be given the National Service Learning School award recognizing the School’s outstanding community service program.

In 1998, a strategic plan was developed to address future program, faculty and new facility needs. In 2000, a five-year $42 million capital campaign entitled The Campaign for Harpeth Hall was launched to address these needs. Thanks to the overwhelming success of the capital campaign, by 2005, significant improvements to facilities were completed including the new Ann Scott Carell Library, the Dugan Davis Track and Soccer Complex, Patton Visual Arts Center, and Daugh W. Smith Middle School. In addition, the following facilities were renovated: the Jack C. Massey Center for Mathematics and Science, George N. Bullard Gymnasium, Frances Bond Davis Theatre, Marnie Sheridan Gallery, and Souby Hall. Another goal met during the capital campaign was more than doubling our endowment— from $9 million to over $21 million. Another milestone occurred on January 23, 2007, with the dedication of the Hortense Bigelow Ingram Upper School. With more than 35,000-square-feet of renovated space, the Hortense Bigelow Ingram Upper School provides the academic facilities needed to support the rigorous college preparatory program of today and tomorrow.

[edit] Academics

As were our predecessor schools -- The Ward Seminary For Young Ladies and Ward-Belmont -- The Harpeth Hall School is committed to creating a challenging, enriching educational environment that encourages every girl to realize her highest intellectual ability, become fluent in the sciences, the humanities, and the arts, and discover her creative and athletic talents. Our strong college preparatory school for girls and young women in grades 5-12 is focused on how girls learn, how girls grow, and how girls lead. Research tells us what we already know from first-hand experience: Girls learn most effectively in a single-gender environment. In fact, the results of a study released last June by the University of California at Los Angeles (UCLA) and supported by the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools validates our experience.

Our middle school program takes a cooperative, interdisciplinary, technology-based approach to learning. Girls are engaged in hands-on projects in state-of-the-art classrooms and learn from experts in their disciplines. Small classes enable each girl to have individualized attention and learn in a nurturing environment that explores the “hows” and “whys” and not just the “whats.” The Harpeth Hall middle school is a community of learners, students, teachers, and parents working together to foster independent thinkers, prepared to take responsibility in the larger world.

The college preparatory academics in the upper school focus the student on doing her best, learning to work both as an individual and with her peers, while striving to uncover her true talents. Our courses challenge the student in an effort to provide a solid college preparatory program while encouraging her to explore her own areas of interest. Harpeth Hall's requirements for graduation coincide with generally accepted college entrance expectations. Most Harpeth Hall students pursue a course of study that provides them with twenty academic credits upon graduation, and every student exceeds the minimum requirements in at least one of the academic disciplines. Planning an individual high-school curriculum is indeed a difficult task; therefore, each student receives the advice of her teachers, advisor, college counselors, and the Director of the Upper School on the development of a personalized four-year plan.

All students complete four years of English, at least three years of mathematics (two years of algebra and one of geometry or one year each of geometry, algebra, and precalculus), at least three years of science (one course each in biology, chemistry, and physics), a minimum of three years in one foreign language or two years of Latin and two years of a modern language, and two years of history (one of American History and one of Modern European History), in addition to two electives from any of the above disciplines.

To ensure a well-rounded education, each student must take physical education or dance every year, must complete one full credit in the fine arts (studio art, photography, drama, chorus, or art history), and must gain computer and communication skills. Harpeth Hall keeps class size small, down to an average of fourteen students per section.

Upper School students also participate in Harpeth Hall’s signature program called Winterim. Begun in 1973, Winterim is a three-week program of on-and off-campus opportunities meant to broaden the intellectual horizons of our students. Taking place every January, Winterim offers students the very best in experiential learning, creating for them a chance to see their academic studies take a tangible, dynamic form. They are immersed in environments where they use language skills during a home stay in France or Spain, math skills to design a model home, analytical and science skills in a CSI course, or writing and communication skills at a local or national news station.

Harpeth Hall boasts a 100 percent college matriculation rate, offers 21 Advanced Placement and Honors courses, and a 9:1 average teacher-student ratio.

Our academic and co-curricular programs continue to receive state-wide and national recognition. In 2007, the Ann Scott Carell Library won the 2007 National School Library Media Program of the Year Award from the American Association of School Librarians, a division of the American Library Association. This award recognizes school districts and single schools for exemplary school library media programs that are fully integrated into the school's curriculum. In 2008, The Harpeth Hall School was recognized by the state of Tennessee with the 2008 Governor's Environmental Stewardship Award in the Green Schools: K-12 Category. The Governor's Environmental Stewardship Awards program recognizes exemplary voluntary actions that improve or protect our environment and natural resources with projects or initiatives that are not required by law or regulations.

[edit] Student Body

Harpeth Hall comprises 645 students who arrive each day from 39 different zip codes throughout the Middle Tennessee region. Of this student body, 118 are new students for the 2009-2010 school year and came from 43 different schools (23 public/18 private/two homeschools) and nine new students are from other states and one foreign country: Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Missouri, Texas, South Korea; 12.6 percent of the student body are students of color; and 16 percent of all students are on financial aid.

[edit] Campus

The Harpeth Hall School sits on 39.5 acres rolling acres in the heart of a residential neighborhood in Nashville, Tennessee. In 2005, significant improvements to facilities were completed including the new Ann Scott Carell Library, the Dugan Davis Track and Soccer Complex, Patton Visual Arts Center, and Daugh W. Smith Middle School. In addition, the following facilities were renovated: the Jack C. Massey Center for Mathematics and Science, George N. Bullard Gymnasium, Frances Bond Davis Theatre, Marnie Sheridan Gallery, and Souby Hall, the administrative building. Since the opening of Harpeth Hall’s Ann Scott Carell Library in 2002, more than 5,000 books have been added to the collection, more than 21,000 books have been checked out, and more than 2,500 classes have visited the library with their teachers to receive instruction in the use of the library and its resources. More than 24,000 materials are housed in this 25,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art library. In 2007, the Hortense Bigelow Ingram Upper School was renovated. This 35,000-square-feet of renovated space provides the academic facilities needed to support the rigorous college preparatory program of today and tomorrow. Additionally in 2007, the school was the first girls’ school in Tennessee to install a synthetic playing surface and the first school -- girls, boys or coed -- in Tennessee to install a synthetic field specifically for soccer and lacrosse, To date, Harpeth Hall has won the following:

[edit] Athletics

Superior coaching, state-of-the-art facilities and unmatched team spirit have earned Harpeth Hall its winning legacy. More than 52 percent of upper school and 90 percent of middle school students compete on an athletic team. Harpeth Hall fields 11 interscholastic sports in the upper school and 10 in the middle school. Harpeth Hall has garnered: •85 State Champion athletes in individual sports •46 State Championships in eight sports •37 total upper and middle school teams •20 All American Athletes •6 Coach-of-the Year recipients •3 Olympic Athletes •1 Robert Inman Award for Girls All-Sports Harpeth Valley Athletic Conference (Middle School) Champion •11 students from Class of 2009 are competing at the collegiate level.

[edit] Traditions

Several of the traditions established at Ward-Belmont were carried over to Harpeth Hall. • Lady of the Hall: The May Queen at Ward-Belmont evolved to become the Lady of the Hall, a senior elected by the student body most representative of the ideals of the school. •George Washington’s Birthday Celebration: Since 1922, Harpeth Hall, and its predecessor Ward-Belmont, have marked George Washington’s birthday with a celebration. Today, the George Washington Celebration is performed by the 7th-grade class as its American history studies curriculum coincides with the pageant. Every member of the class participates as a sailor, soldier or minuet dancer. In fact, ask any Harpeth Hall alumna and she can quickly recall what role she performed during the George Washington Celebration. The 7th-graders also choose two members of the eighth-grade class to play the roles of George and Martha Washington. • Step-Singing, is a long-established year-end event that began at Harpeth Hall's predecessor school, Ward-Belmont in the 1900s. Seniors lined the steps of the academic building to sing traditional songs a capella, hence Step Singing. These days, both the senior and junior classes participate in Step Singing and will sing their class songs in front of the Ann Scott Carell Library. The Step Singing ceremony begins with the presentation of the Lady of the Hall and class representatives. The Lady of the Hall gives a speech, and later the junior class is officially recognized as the new senior class and joins in reciting the pledge to the school. • The Four Clubs (Angkor, Ariston, Eccowasin and Triad) also had their roots in Ward-Belmont. During Ward-Belmont time, the clubs were social clubs for the day and boarding students, similar to sororities. In the early years of Harpeth Hall, (and pre Title IX), the clubs competed against one another in athletic competitions. Today, every girl is placed in one of the four clubs and students of alumnae are placed in the same club as their mothers, grandmothers or aunts. Today’s clubs serve as spirit and community service clubs. •In the early years, Harpeth Hall established its own traditions, songs and emblems. English teacher Martha Gregory wrote the school’s alma mater (see page 5) with help from her students, who also insisted that the school colors be magnolia green and silver gray, not just ordinary green and gray. To this day, the Lady of the Hall and her court carry a single magnolia blossom during their presentation to the student body. • Mrs. Susan Souby (Harpeth Hall’s first headmistress) and Latin teacher Pat Ottarson developed the emblem and motto for the school. The finished design pictured a lamp of learning at the center in front of an open book encircled by the Latin phrase Mentem spiritumque tollamus, “Let us lift up the mind and the spirit.” • The Katie Wray Award, established in the 1950s, is a prestigious award bestowed upon a senior at graduation. The Katie Wray Award, named for Ellen Kathleen Wray who died of cancer in 1955 during her last semester in high school, is presented to the senior with the highest academic average.

[edit] Notable alumnae

Famous Harpeth Hall alumnae include:

• Tracy Caulkins, 3-time gold-medal-winning Olympic swimmer
• Amy Grant, singer and songwriter
• Reese Witherspoon, actress
• Sarah Cannon, "Minnie Pearl", country entertainer
• Marguerite Weaver Kondracke, national business/political leader
• Dr. Mildred Stahlman, neonatology trailblazer and medical inventor
• Alana Grace, singer and songwriter
• Susan Gregg Gilmore, author
• Margaret Groos Sloan, Olympian, marathon
• Linden Wiesman, Olympian, equestrian

[edit] Affiliations

Founding member of the Online School for Girls. Also a member of the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools, National Association of Independent Schools, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, Southern Association of Independent Schools, Council of Spiritual and Ethical Education, Tennessee Association of Independent Schools, Association of College Counselors in Independent Schools, National Association for College Admission Counseling, Southern Association for College Admission Counseling, and the College Board.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Harpeth Hall homepage