Name of StudentP!"unt quae volunt

“The true spirit of the Ashley Hall family is the ability for a single girl to join others and feel welcomed and acknowledged.”

t Ashley Hall, each student’s firststeps on the path to higher achievementcontinue a journey begun a century agoby other young women who dared todream beyond the boundaries of theworld they knew.

“I don’t want to lose any part of who I was at Ashley Hall. It’s an essential part of who I am now. I don’t ever want to forgetsitting high up in the limbs of a live oak tree and readingTolstoy’s Anna Karenina.”

A

t Ashley Hall, each student’s firststeps on the path to higher achievementcontinue a journey begun a century agoby other young women who dared todream beyond the boundaries of theworld they knew.

“I don’t want to lose any part of who I was at Ashley Hall. It’s an essential part of who I am now. I don’t ever want to forgetsitting high up in the limbs of a live oak tree and readingTolstoy’s Anna Karenina.”

A

n the spring of 1909, MaryVardrine McBee, an iconoclastic pioneer in women’seducation, determined to create an independent college preparatory school exclusively for girls,purchased the old Spring -Witte estate at 172 Rutledge Avenue in the heart of historicCharleston, South Carolina. The school she envisioned would challenge students with rigorousand innovative academic curricula while honoring long-standing local traditions of civility andcommunity service.

Over the course of Miss McBee’s forty-year tenure as the school’s founding director,Ashley Hallgrew from a small nucleus of students in grades ten through twelve to a comprehensiveprogram embracing girls ranging in age from two to eighteen. Upon that solid foundation theschool has continued to grow and to mature.Yet never in its century of commitment to educatingyoung women has Ashley Hall lost sight of the radical faith that sustained Miss McBee: herunshakeable belief that girls who dare deserve and are worthy of every possible educationaladvantage and that, thus prepared, those same girls will become the women who lead byexample in the home, the community, the nation, and the world.

“As a student at Ashley Hall, I received a solid foundation with great emphasis on Latin, Math andShakespeare, which helped prepare me for the future.”

I

n the spring of 1909, MaryVardrine McBee, an iconoclastic pioneer in women’seducation, determined to create an independent college preparatory school exclusively for girls,purchased the old Spring -Witte estate at 172 Rutledge Avenue in the heart of historicCharleston, South Carolina. The school she envisioned would challenge students with rigorousand innovative academic curricula while honoring long-standing local traditions of civility andcommunity service.

Over the course of Miss McBee’s forty-year tenure as the school’s founding director,Ashley Hallgrew from a small nucleus of students in grades ten through twelve to a comprehensiveprogram embracing girls ranging in age from two to eighteen. Upon that solid foundation theschool has continued to grow and to mature.Yet never in its century of commitment to educatingyoung women has Ashley Hall lost sight of the radical faith that sustained Miss McBee: herunshakeable belief that girls who dare deserve and are worthy of every possible educationaladvantage and that, thus prepared, those same girls will become the women who lead byexample in the home, the community, the nation, and the world.

“As a student at Ashley Hall, I received a solid foundation with great emphasis on Latin, Math andShakespeare, which helped prepare me for the future.”

I

!e" is #e wisdom we have l$% in kno&ledge? !e" is #e kno&ledge we have l$% in i'fo(mati)n?

!e" is #e wisdom we have l$% in kno&ledge? !e" is #e kno&ledge we have l$% in i'fo(mati)n?

S. Eliot’s questions remind us of the obligation we face as educators and as studentsto bear always in mind that what we seek in all our studies is not the mere accumulation offacts, but the understanding that brings order, clarity, and purpose to that inchoate collectionof “information.” “Facts are stupid things,” the great 19th-century scientist, Harvard professor,and sometime Adjunct Professor at the Medical College of Charleston Louis Agassizremarked,“until brought into order by some governing principle.”The end and aim ofeducation is to insure that each student is capable of transforming the disparate knowledgeexperience gives her into the wisdom needed to act purposefully in the world.

The mission of Ashley Hall therefore is clear, and the means to achieve thatmission, though flexible and subject to constant refinements, remain fundamentally the same:we question, we listen, we lend a hand.We seek intellectual understanding by interrogatingexperience, by subjecting to close scrutiny everything that comes our way.We seekemotional understanding by attending closely to the responses our questions elicit, bylistening patiently to the voices of others – our contemporaries and our predecessors. Andwith the understandings thus gained, we lend our hands – and hearts – to the never-endingenterprise of creating a world in which the humane values we cherish can flourish from onegeneration to the next.

“I can assure you that the difference in the quality of education is phenomenal.”

T.

S. Eliot’s questions remind us of the obligation we face as educators and as studentsto bear always in mind that what we seek in all our studies is not the mere accumulation offacts, but the understanding that brings order, clarity, and purpose to that inchoate collectionof “information.” “Facts are stupid things,” the great 19th-century scientist, Harvard professor,and sometime Adjunct Professor at the Medical College of Charleston Louis Agassizremarked,“until brought into order by some governing principle.”The end and aim ofeducation is to insure that each student is capable of transforming the disparate knowledgeexperience gives her into the wisdom needed to act purposefully in the world.

The mission of Ashley Hall therefore is clear, and the means to achieve thatmission, though flexible and subject to constant refinements, remain fundamentally the same:we question, we listen, we lend a hand.We seek intellectual understanding by interrogatingexperience, by subjecting to close scrutiny everything that comes our way.We seekemotional understanding by attending closely to the responses our questions elicit, bylistening patiently to the voices of others – our contemporaries and our predecessors. Andwith the understandings thus gained, we lend our hands – and hearts – to the never-endingenterprise of creating a world in which the humane values we cherish can flourish from onegeneration to the next.

“I can assure you that the difference in the quality of education is phenomenal.”

T.

shley Hall produces an educatedwoman who is independent, ethicallyresponsible, and prepared to meet thechallenges of society with confidence.

And we b!gin with

A

shley Hall produces an educatedwoman who is independent, ethicallyresponsible, and prepared to meet thechallenges of society with confidence.

And we b!gin with

A

eal learning, for student and teacher alike, begins with aquestion.With the question we reach outward, extendingourselves into the world beyond the familiar, into the unknown.And on this fundamental act of inquiring Ashley Hall bases bothits academic curricula and its governing pedagogical philosophy.The educated woman is a questioning, questing human being.An independent woman who thinks for herself knows how andwhom and what to question. Inquiry-based learning is training inthe art of asking essential questions and seeking, compelled byone’s own appetite for knowledge, essential answers.

Questi!ningR

eal learning, for student and teacher alike, begins with aquestion.With the question we reach outward, extendingourselves into the world beyond the familiar, into the unknown.And on this fundamental act of inquiring Ashley Hall bases bothits academic curricula and its governing pedagogical philosophy.The educated woman is a questioning, questing human being.An independent woman who thinks for herself knows how andwhom and what to question. Inquiry-based learning is training inthe art of asking essential questions and seeking, compelled byone’s own appetite for knowledge, essential answers.

Questi!ningR

s a logical extension of that essential questioning,Ashley Hall’s independent youngwoman actively seeks out opportunities to explore the world and all its offers to enlarge ourperspective and enhance our understanding. Programs such as Spoleto Study Abroad,TheSpirit of South Carolina Leadership Course, the South Carolina Aquarium Project, JuniorInternships, Senior Projects, Community Action Initiative, language immersion programs inFrance and Spain, voyages of cultural, historical, and artistic discovery in Greece, CentralAmerica, Canada and elsewhere enable students to pursueexperiential learning in entirely new and surprisingenvironments. Such journeys provide a global context for thework done each day in classrooms and laboratories, and sobetter prepare students for the challenges of our world in allits infinite variety, even as they exemplify the transformation ofthe desire to learn into the will to act – or as Ashley Hall’smotto more succinctly puts it: Possunt quae volunt.

“Thanks to my Ashley Hall education, I’ve now graduated a semester earlyfrom one of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the country.”

A

s a logical extension of that essential questioning,Ashley Hall’s independent youngwoman actively seeks out opportunities to explore the world and all its offers to enlarge ourperspective and enhance our understanding. Programs such as Spoleto Study Abroad,TheSpirit of South Carolina Leadership Course, the South Carolina Aquarium Project, JuniorInternships, Senior Projects, Community Action Initiative, language immersion programs inFrance and Spain, voyages of cultural, historical, and artistic discovery in Greece, CentralAmerica, Canada and elsewhere enable students to pursueexperiential learning in entirely new and surprisingenvironments. Such journeys provide a global context for thework done each day in classrooms and laboratories, and sobetter prepare students for the challenges of our world in allits infinite variety, even as they exemplify the transformation ofthe desire to learn into the will to act – or as Ashley Hall’smotto more succinctly puts it: Possunt quae volunt.

“Thanks to my Ashley Hall education, I’ve now graduated a semester earlyfrom one of the most prestigious liberal arts colleges in the country.”

A

Li!"ning

Li!"ning

n classes which encourage continuous student engagement and participation, the spiritof inquiry necessarily fosters in each student a ready willingness to listen to the thoughts,observations, and concerns of others. Such a conversational context nurtures the individual’spowers of attention – for to attend a class means being attentive to the presence of others,whether they are there in the flesh or embodied in vital texts or works of art or thereasoned arguments of seasoned scholars.The work we do in the classroom prepares us formore advanced studies by expanding our intellectual understanding even as it cultivates asympathetic understanding that transcends all disparate academic disciplines. In the fullestand therefore truest sense, to be educated is to be drawn forth out of the isolated self intothe companionship and collaborative promise of others whose knowledge, abilities, andaspirations complement rather than contradict our own.

Thus, at every turning of our intellectual evolution – whether we are in a third-grade read-ing group or a senior seminar on Anna Karenina, whether we are installing ourhand-made bird feeders outside the first-grade classroom windows or we are working withthe AP Biology team to construct new genetic materials, whether we are skipping rope onthe playground or serving for match point in the state tennis tournament, we are constantlyattuning ourselves to the questing and questioning of others, constantly attending to thealways tentative, always provocative responses of others.

“What we learned at Ashley Hall played a part in who we were then and who we are today.The quality of and standards forlearning were high, and we were the beneficiaries of a dedicated and caring cadre of teachers.”

I

n classes which encourage continuous student engagement and participation, the spiritof inquiry necessarily fosters in each student a ready willingness to listen to the thoughts,observations, and concerns of others. Such a conversational context nurtures the individual’spowers of attention – for to attend a class means being attentive to the presence of others,whether they are there in the flesh or embodied in vital texts or works of art or thereasoned arguments of seasoned scholars.The work we do in the classroom prepares us formore advanced studies by expanding our intellectual understanding even as it cultivates asympathetic understanding that transcends all disparate academic disciplines. In the fullestand therefore truest sense, to be educated is to be drawn forth out of the isolated self intothe companionship and collaborative promise of others whose knowledge, abilities, andaspirations complement rather than contradict our own.

Thus, at every turning of our intellectual evolution – whether we are in a third-grade read-ing group or a senior seminar on Anna Karenina, whether we are installing ourhand-made bird feeders outside the first-grade classroom windows or we are working withthe AP Biology team to construct new genetic materials, whether we are skipping rope onthe playground or serving for match point in the state tennis tournament, we are constantlyattuning ourselves to the questing and questioning of others, constantly attending to thealways tentative, always provocative responses of others.

“What we learned at Ashley Hall played a part in who we were then and who we are today.The quality of and standards forlearning were high, and we were the beneficiaries of a dedicated and caring cadre of teachers.”

I

Lending a hand

“What Ashley Hall…instill(s) in women is difficult to obtain elsewhere…not only competence and confidence, but also withoutpretension…allowing us to appreciate other people and our differences, and acknowledge our equality.” “We are always comforted with that sense of community that surrounds every activity.”

Lending a hand

“What Ashley Hall…instill(s) in women is difficult to obtain elsewhere…not only competence and confidence, but also withoutpretension…allowing us to appreciate other people and our differences, and acknowledge our equality.” “We are always comforted with that sense of community that surrounds every activity.”

hat awareness of personal responsibility we cultivate in our studies and in our co-curricular endeavors inevitably leads to the desire to act beyond the boundaries of the campus.To that end Ashley Hall’s Community Action Initiative establishes close connections withcharitable and service organizations throughout the larger Charleston community, enablingstudents to lend a helping hand where it is most needed. Focusing on the needs of women andchildren, on environmental issues, and on improving educational opportunities for all children,the Community Action Initiative supports a wide array of projects and programs, ranging fromHabitat for Humanity to providing student tutorials at a neighborhood elementary school tocleaning up the litter on local beaches. Further afield,Ashley Hall students travel to Africa andGuatemala to work with children in orphanages in those countries. Annual events such asJump Rope for Heart,The Race for the Cure, Breast Cancer AwarenessWeek, as well ason-going fund-raising efforts for local, regional, and national charitable organizations and forunexpected emergencies services keep us reminded of our obligation to help those in need.The tradition of service as a concomitant privilege of learning lives on at Ashley Hall.

“What Ashley Hall and my parents gave me was the desire to learn.”

T

hat awareness of personal responsibility we cultivate in our studies and in our co-curricular endeavors inevitably leads to the desire to act beyond the boundaries of the campus.To that end Ashley Hall’s Community Action Initiative establishes close connections withcharitable and service organizations throughout the larger Charleston community, enablingstudents to lend a helping hand where it is most needed. Focusing on the needs of women andchildren, on environmental issues, and on improving educational opportunities for all children,the Community Action Initiative supports a wide array of projects and programs, ranging fromHabitat for Humanity to providing student tutorials at a neighborhood elementary school tocleaning up the litter on local beaches. Further afield,Ashley Hall students travel to Africa andGuatemala to work with children in orphanages in those countries. Annual events such asJump Rope for Heart,The Race for the Cure, Breast Cancer AwarenessWeek, as well ason-going fund-raising efforts for local, regional, and national charitable organizations and forunexpected emergencies services keep us reminded of our obligation to help those in need.The tradition of service as a concomitant privilege of learning lives on at Ashley Hall.

“What Ashley Hall and my parents gave me was the desire to learn.”

T

“I lea!n b" going#e$ I have to go.”Theodore Roethke

“The Spirit of South Carolina Leadership Program puts Ashley Hall at the forefront of the experiential education movement.I was so proud to see the pictures of my daughter climbing out over the water onto the head-rigging of the bowsprit.

That’s an independent young woman!”

“I lea!n b" going#e$ I have to go.”Theodore Roethke

“The Spirit of South Carolina Leadership Program puts Ashley Hall at the forefront of the experiential education movement.I was so proud to see the pictures of my daughter climbing out over the water onto the head-rigging of the bowsprit.

That’s an independent young woman!”

Ashley Ha!

Ashley Ha!

“Ashley Hall distinguishes itself as one of the few schools in the country that offers a traditional Classics curriculum, one in which allstudents; beginning in the seventh and eighth grades, study both Latin and Greek. Homer,Vergil, Herodotus, Livy, Ovid, and Horace –

these are some of the greats to which students are exposed at the higher levels.All of this augments the phenomenal HumanitiesProgram where all students in the higher levels study the history of Greece, Rome, and the Renaissance,

and read the pertinent works of Sophocles, Dante, and Shakespeare. Outstanding.”

Gi!ls with"e wi#,have$e a%lity.

Ashley Ha!172 Rutledge AvenueCharleston, SC 29403www.ashleyhall.org