Congratulations are in order for Hathaway Brown seniors Madeline Howarth and Zoë  Solt, who achieved semifinalist status in the Regeneron Science Talent Search for 2017. These two members of Hathaway Brown's signature Science Research & Engineering Program are among only 300 Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars selected from 1,749 applicants hailing from 527 high schools in 46 states and seven American and international high schools overseas. The scholars were selected on the basis of their exceptional promise as scientists, excellent record of academic achievement and outstanding recommendations from teachers and other scientists. Regeneron STS scholars receive $2,000 and are in the running to become one of the top 40 Finalists, who will be announced on Tuesday, January 24. Only four Ohio students earned this scholar designation this year. (For the full list of scholars, please click here.)

Madeline conducts research in the Neurosciences Department at Case Western Reserve University under the mentorship of Dr. Richard Zigmond and postdoc Dr. Jon Niemi. Her research focuses on identifying cellular responses that occur after peripheral nerve injury in order to aid in recovery and how these responses could be used to aid in central nervous system recovery in the future.

Zoë has worked with Dr. Jesse Berezovsky and Robert Badea in the Department of Physics at Case Western Reserve University for two and a half years for her project on "Domain Wall Motion in Concave Ferromagnetic Nanowires." She studied various nanowire geometries to identify the best structure to facilitate spin-based electronics starting with computer simulations and progressing to actual fabrication of concave permalloy nanowires.

Results have been announced, and Hathaway Brown Upper School students had a phenomenal showing in the Scholastic Writing Awards, a longstanding, highly competitive local and national program. For 2017, 113 awards were earned by 58 HB girls in grades 9-12 in nine different writing categories. The faculty advisors for these award-winning students are Director of the Osborne Writing Center Scott Parsons, and other members of the HB Upper School English Department: Beth Armstrong, Michael Ciuni, and Marty Frazier

HB students earned 10 Gold Keys, 43 Silver Keys, and 60 Honorable Mention designations in Critical Essay, Flash Fiction, Humor, Journalism, Personal Essay/Memoir, Poetry, Science Fiction/Fantasy, Short Story, and Writing Portfolio. 

An Award Ceremony and Reception for Gold Key recipients will take place in the Peter B. Lewis Auditorium at the Cleveland Institute of Art on Saturday, January 14, at 1 p.m.; the Silver Key Winners Reception will be held in the Reinberger Galleries at CIA that same day at 3 p.m.; and the Honorable Mention Award Winners Reception will be in the Reinberger Galleries on January 14 at 4 p.m. 

Each Gold Key-designated work is eligible for the Scholastic national competition and will be sent to New York City for judging at the close of the exhibition. Click here to view a complete listing of HB winners, including award level, category, title of work, and faculty advisor. 

Congratulations to the following students:

Five members of the Hathaway Brown Class of 2017 are among the candidates under consideration for the 2017 U.S. Presidential Scholars program. Regan Brady, Arielle DeVito, Lina Ghosh, Lauren Gillinov, and Rachel Wang have been selected as nominees for their outstanding academic achievement. Participation in this program is by invitation only. Students do not apply individually to the program. These HB students were identified for the program based on their high ACT and SAT scores. 

All five now have the opportunity to be among a small number of American high school seniors who are named Presidential Scholars. Of the pool of roughly 4,000 candidates, approximately 800 students will be named semifinalists, at which point the U.S. Presidential Scholars Commission will further review the students' qualifications and up to 161 will be named U.S. Presidential Scholars. All Scholars are honored for their accomplishments through the National Recognition Program, held in June in Washington, D.C. The U.S. Presidential Scholars are guests of the U.S. Department of Education, and they enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to the nation's capital to meet with government officials and educators. To commemorate the achievement, the Scholars will be greeted by the President of the United States, and they will receive special Presidential Scholars Medallions at a ceremony sponsored by the White House. 

The United States Presidential Scholars Program was established in 1964 by Executive Order of the President to recognize and honor some of our nation's most distinguished students graduating from high school. The Scholars represent "excellence in education and the promise of greatness in young people." 

Hathaway Brown is proud to be the alma mater of eight U.S. Presidential Scholars: Kavya Ravichandran '16, Isabella Nilsson '16, Alyssa Bryan '13, Laney Kuenzel '08, Amy Hollinger ’05, Edith Hines Williams '00, Caroline Campbell '98, and Genevieve Mathieson Kilmer ’96.

Five Hathaway Brown Upper School students competed in the Veale Venture Challenge held on Thursday, February 9 in the school's Learning Commons at HB.

The purpose of the Veale Youth Entrepreneurship Forum is to enable high school students to recognize their full potential by experiencing all facets of entrepreneurship. The Form delivers on that purpose through high-value learning experiences and connections to the real world of entrepreneurship.

Students in the Center for Business & Finance have been working throughout the 2016-2017 school year on developing a business plan using the Lean Canvas Model. The initial pool of competitors included 50 students, and five made it to the semi-final round:

Gina Egan '18: H2Know
Lauren Egts '17: FoodForThought
Erica Kahn '18: No-Mess Necklace
Kalie Sommerfeld '18: Kalie's Cakes
Cynthia Wang '18: Filmzo

L-R: Lauren Egts, Cynthia Wang, Erica Kahn, Kalie Sommerfield, Gina Egan

Each student presented their business concept and plan in front of a panel of judges. At the end of the presentations, judges deliberated and a winning concept was selected. Kahn's No-Mess Necklace will advance to the final competition at Case Western Reserve University on March 14.

Funded by The Veale Foundation, the Forum is a growing network of high schools in Northeast Ohio that was founded in 2012 with assistance from the Young Entrepreneur Institute at University School.

The forum currently reaches some 3,000 students annually at 22 different private and public high schools that are invited for participation and to use the Forum's resources to equip students with an entrepreneurial mindset and essential skills. 

At a special surprise assembly on Thursday, February 23, Hathaway Brown junior Brice Bai of Hudson learned that she is the 2017 Doodle 4 Google winner for the state of Ohio. Google representatives delivered the news in person during a presentation just before lunch with the entire Upper School student body in attendance.

As Ohio's winner, Brice received a personal visit from two Google representatives who flew in from San Francisco for the occasion, and she was presented with a large poster and a t-shirt emblazoned with her winning design, along with a tablet device. Winners in the contest have been selected from 53 U.S. states and territories, and the field now will be narrowed to five finalists who will earn an all-expenses-paid trip to Google headquarters in Mountain View, Calif., along with a $5,000 college scholarship. The national winner will be announced on March 31. In addition to having his or her design featured on the Google home page that day, he or she will receive a $30,000 college scholarship, $50,000 for technology initiatives at his or her school, and other prizes. 

Finalists will be selected based on a number of criteria, including public voting, which will open in the evening on February 28 and run through March 6. Visit Doodle4Google.com every day to cast your ballot for Brice!

All 2017 Doodle 4 Google contestants were asked to create an original design that answers the question, "What I See for the Future." Brice made a digital image that focuses on the theme of female empowerment, featuring six women depicted as a scientist, a firefighter, a computer programmer, an athlete, a member of the military, and a singer. "What I see for the future is that everyone will be able to be what they want to be, and career choices will not be limited by gender," she said. 

We couldn't agree more. 

Please join us in congratulating Brice Bai and don't forget to vote for her amazing Doodle.

Watch the reveal:

Hathaway Brown School was pleased to once again host the annual Science Research & Engineering Program Poster Session and Reception. This year’s event took place on Tuesday, March 7 in the school's atrium with 133 students and 25 students participated in Advanced Judging or a specialized Computer Science judging. The following students will be representing HB at International Science Fairs in the coming months (or have been awarded a substantial computer science prize):

Intel ISEF Finalists:

Catherine Areklett, '17: Surface versus Bulk Chiral Orientation Effects in Liquid Crystals with Dr. Charles Rosenblatt at Case Western Reserve University

Ananya Kalahasti, '17: Presence of Plasmodium falciparum Gametocytes with Asymptomatic Malaria with Dr. Brian Grimberg at Case Western Reserve University

Isha Lele, '18: Investigating the Design of Nanoparticles to Target Difficult-to-Reach Tumor Sites with Dr. Efstathios Karathanasis at Case Western Reserve University

Maya Razmi, '18: Heteromultivalent Approaches to Clot-targeted Nanomedicine: Combination Targeting of Platelets and Fibrin with Dr. Anirban Sen Gupta at Case Western Reserve University

ISWEEEP Finalists:

Lina Ghosh, '17: Compartment-Specific Differences in Dendritic Spine Morphology in a Mouse Model of Rett Syndrome with David Katz at Case Western Reserve University

Intel Computer Science Award Winners ($200 prize):

Lauren Egts, '17: Reinventing Apollo Technology with Dr. Herb Schilling and Calvin Robinson at NASA Glenn Research Center

The Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) is the largest pre-college scientific research event in the world. Each May (this year from May 14-19 in Los Angeles), more than 1500 student finalists from local and regional fairs from roughly 70 countries and territories arrive to compete at ISEF for scholarships, tuition grants, internships, scientific field trips and the grand prizes, including one $75,000 and two $50,000 college scholarships. All prizes together amount to over $4,000,000. The International Science and Engineering Fair was founded in 1950 by Science Service (now the Society for Science & the Public) and has been sponsored by the Intel Corporation since 1997. As of 2012, seven ISEF alumni went on to win Nobel Prizes.

I-SWEEEP, The International Sustainable World (Energy, Engineering, and Environment) Project, is a groundbreaking science fair competition open to high school students organized by Harmony Public Schools, a K-12 Public Charter School System. With the support of leaders in industry and higher education institutions, I-SWEEEP works with local, national, and international science fair organizations to bring top-ranking participants and qualifying projects to Houston each year, this year from May 3-8. Student finalists from local and regional fairs are selected to attend this top international science fair.

Hathaway Brown is pleased to announce that six students have earned national recognition in The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards of 2017, and two students' work has been honored with Governor's Awards in Ohio.

HB's Scholastic national medalists are Catherine Areklett '17 (Silver Medal for Personal Memoir), Gina Egan '18 (Silver Medal for Comic Art), Molly Gleydura '18 (Silver Medal for Digital Art), Layla Najeeullah '20 (Silver Medal for Photography), Maria Perilla '17 (Silver Medal for Writing Portfolio), and Maya Razmi '18 (American Voices Medal for Personal Essay/Memoir).

Additionally, Gina Egan and Emma Borrow '18 have had their art work selected for display in the 2017 Ohio Governor's Youth Art Exhibition. From the 11,500 regional entries from the state's 15 regions, approximately 2,500 are selected to enter the state judging. State jurors then select 300 works for the actual exhibition, which will be shown at the James A. Rhodes State Office Tower in April and May.

Scholastic national medalists have been identified by panels of creative professionals as the most talented young artists and writers in the nation. This year, 330,000 works of art and writing were submitted by students in grades 7-12. Less than one percent of work was recognized at the national level. This is the first time that six HB students have earned national medals in one year. As a recipient of the American Voices Medal, Maya is invited to a special celebration at Carnegie Hall in New York City in June. Since 1923, The Scholastic Art & Writing Awards have recognized the outstanding work of teenagers from across the country. By winning a Scholastic Art & Writing Award, these HB students join a legacy of celebrated authors and artists including Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Richard Avedon, Robert Redford, John Currin, and Lena Dunham. 

Congratulations to these gifted writers and artists and many thanks to the HB faculty who continue to educate, inspire, encourage, and mentor them. For more information about the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, please visit the program's official website. To learn more about the Ohio Governor's Youth Art Exhibition, please click here. 

On April 21, nineteen Hathaway Brown seniors were inducted into the Cum Laude Society, an organization established to recognize academic achievement in secondary schools for the purpose of promoting excellence, justice, and honor.

Elizabeth Harding Gold '90, a New York City-based vice president and literary agent at Curtis Brown, Ltd., delivered the ceremony's keynote address. She described her path from Hathaway Brown to where she is today and she discussed the power and promise that lie in the stories we all have within us. The mother of four boys who professionally represents an award-winning world-class stable of middle-grade and young adult authors in a variety of genres also told the girls that individual journeys can and should be fluid. Defining "success" is truly up to you, she said, but if you are authentically devoted to the things that are important to you and you add in a fair amount of flexibility, you truly can have it all -- your all. 

The 2017 Cum Laude Society inductees are Catherine Areklett, Fiona Blumin, Regan Brady, Margaret Broihier, Alanna Brown, Maggie Cha, Lina Ghosh, Lauren Gillinov, Madeline Howarth, Kristina Mullen, Ally Persky, Rosalie Phillips, Gigi Protasiewicz, Leia Rich, Julia Sabik, Jasper Solt, Lydia Spencer, Rachel Wang, and Carly Wellener. 

Several HB alumnae also joined us for the program, and after the ceremony the newly inducted Cum Laude Society members gathered for a reception with their parents, HB faculty, and guests.

Two members of the Hathaway Brown Class of 2017 have been named U.S. Presidential Scholars. This prestigious honor is reserved for only up to 161 graduating high school seniors in the United States each year. Regan Brady '17 and Lina Ghosh '17 will be honored for their academic accomplishments through the National Recognition Program and they will be guests of the U.S. Department of Education at a special ceremony in June. They'll each receive an all-expenses-paid trip to the nation's capital to meet with government officials and educators. To commemorate the achievement, the Scholars will be greeted by the President of the United States, and they will receive Presidential Scholar Medallions at a ceremony sponsored by the White House. Each Scholar may select a teacher who has influenced her life to be part of the ceremony. Regan has selected Middle School History Department Chair and Speech & Debate Coach Jason Habig to join her, while Lina has chosen Director of the Center for Global Citizenship Joe Vogel for the honor.

Established in 1964, the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program was created by Executive Order of the President to recognize some of our nation's most distinguished students graduating from high school. The Scholars represent "excellence in education and the promise of greatness in young people."

Regan and Lina were identified for the program based on their high academic achievement. Remarkably, this is the second consecutive year that HB has had two students from the same class earn this distinction. Hathaway Brown is proud to be the alma mater of eight alumnae who were named U.S. Presidential Scholars in their senior years: Isabella Nilsson '16, Kavya Ravichandran '16, Alyssa Bryan '13, Laney Kuenzel '08, Amy Hollinger '05, Edith Hines Williams '00, Caroline Campbell '98, and Genevieve Mathieson Kilmer '96. 

To learn more about the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program and for the complete list of this year's Scholars, visit the U.S. Department of Education website: http://1.usa.gov/1beUJXq. 

Two Hathaway Brown students won all-expenses-paid trips to compete at I-SWEEEP as finalists by advancing through the Hathaway Brown 19th Annual Poster Session judging in March. HB has awarded spots to I-SWEEEP each year based on the quantity and excellence of the science and engineering research that comes out of HB year after year through the SREP.

Lina Ghosh '17, working in the lab of Dr. David Katz in the Department of Neuroscience at Case Western Reserve University, presented her research on neuronal abnormalities in a mouse model of Rett Syndrome, and won a Bronze Medal in the Environment category for Health and Disease Prevention.

Madeline Howarth '17 works on recovery after peripheral nerve injury in the Department of Neurosciences at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine with Dr. Richard Zigmond. She was awarded an Honorable Mention in the Environment category for Health and Disease Prevention at I-SWEEEP this year.

Congratulations to Lina and Madeline!

Hathaway Brown is proud to recognize six graduating seniors as Merit Scholar designees, each of whom won a $2,500 scholarship from The National Merit Scholarship Program. HB’s 2017 honorees are Lauren Gillinov, Lina Ghosh, Lydia Spencer, Jasper Solt, Gigi Protasiewicz, and Regan Brady.

According to its website, the National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test —a test which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.6 million entrants each year—and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements. All winners of Merit Scholarship awards are chosen from the National Merit Finalist group based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments—without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference. A variety of information is available for NMSC selectors to evaluate: the finalist's academic record, information about the school's curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores, the high school official's written recommendation, information about the student's activities and leadership, and the finalist's own essay.

Congratulations!

Hathaway Brown is proud to recognize seven graduating seniors as Merit Scholar designees, each of whom won a $2,500 scholarship from The National Merit Scholarship Program. HB’s 2017 honorees are Lauren Gillinov, Lina Ghosh, Lydia Spencer, Jasper Solt, Gigi Protasiewicz, Margaret Broihier and Regan Brady.

According to its website, the National Merit Scholarship Program is an academic competition for recognition and scholarships that began in 1955. High school students enter the National Merit Program by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test —a test which serves as an initial screen of approximately 1.6 million entrants each year—and by meeting published program entry and participation requirements. All winners of Merit Scholarship awards are chosen from the National Merit Finalist group based on their abilities, skills, and accomplishments—without regard to gender, race, ethnic origin, or religious preference. A variety of information is available for NMSC selectors to evaluate: the finalist's academic record, information about the school's curricula and grading system, two sets of test scores, the high school official's written recommendation, information about the student's activities and leadership, and the finalist's own essay.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the Hathaway Brown Class of 2017!

HB girls are impressive. We're biased, we know. But year after year, the best colleges and universities in the world tell us we're not the only ones who think so. In 2017, 82 percent of HB seniors were accepted to their top-choice schools, including all eight Ivies. More than half of the class was admitted to a U.S. News & World Report Top 30 College or Top 30 University as well, and nearly $11 million in merit and other scholarships, including full tuition packages, was offered to HB students.

Whether she chooses a college here in Ohio or one that's halfway across the globe, through a combination of immersive experiential learning and outstanding academic preparation delivered by the best teachers anywhere, each Hathaway Brown student is set on a path to find the campus that's right for her. Our girls are equally at home at historic Ivy League schools, top public and private universities, specialized conservatories, and small liberal arts colleges in the U.S. and abroad. We hate to see them leave, but we know it wouldn't be fair to keep them all to ourselves. 

Click here or see below for the complete list of college destinations for this year's senior class. 

Hathaway Brown's 141st Commencement Exercises will take place around the iconic fountain in the HB Courtyard in just a few short weeks, and we'll be "clapping out" the Class of 2017 for the final time. As we reach the end of another memorable school year, please join us in congratulating these amazing students and wishing them well as they get ready to make their own lasting marks on the world. 

Four Hathaway Brown students spent May 14-19 in Los Angeles, where they competed in the Intel ISEF (International Science & Engineering Fair), the largest pre-college science fair in the world. While they were there, Isha Lele '18 was awarded the Third Place Grand Award of $1,000 in the category of Materials Science, joining the ranks of only 15 HB students enrolled in the school's Science Research & Engineering Program in the past 19 years to win a Grand Award. Additionally, Isha and Ananya Kalahasti '17 were given special awards from the Naval Science Awards Program.

Students attending earned the right to compete at Intel ISEF 2017 by winning a top prize at a local, regional, state, or national science fair. Each year, approximately 1,800 high school students from more than 75 countries, regions, and territories are awarded the opportunity to showcase their independent research and compete for on average $4 million in prizes. The participating HB students won all expenses-paid trips to compete at ISEF as Finalists by advancing through the Hathaway Brown 19h Annual Poster Session judging in March:

Catherine Areklett, '17: Surface versus Bulk Chiral Orientation Effects in Liquid Crystals with Dr. Charles Rosenblatt at Case Western Reserve University

Ananya Kalahasti, '17: Presence of Plasmodium falciparum Gametocytes with Asymptomatic Malaria with Dr. Brian Grimberg at Case Western Reserve University

Isha Lele, '18: Investigating the Design of Nanoparticles to Target Difficult-to-Reach Tumor Sites with Dr. Efstathios Karathanasis at Case Western Reserve University

Maya Razmi, '18: Heteromultivalent Approaches to Clot-targeted Nanomedicine: Combination Targeting of Platelets and Fibrin with Dr. Anirban Sen Gupta at Case Western Reserve University

HB has been honored to award spots to ISEF each year based on the quantity and excellence of the science and engineering research being performed in partnership with Cleveland institutions like Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland Clinic, NASA Glenn Research Center, and the Cleveland Museum of Natural History.

We're thrilled to announce that for the second year in a row, Hathaway Brown has received top billing from Niche, an online platform that tracks educational institutions and provides research findings for public and private schools across the country. In its 2018 ratings, Niche lists HB as #1 in the category of Best Private K-12 Schools in Ohio and #1 in Best All-Girls High Schools in Ohio. We also earned statewide designations as the #2 Best Private High School overall and #3 Best Private High School for STEM. Visit Niche.com to check out all of the rankings and add your review of HB today!

August 21, 2017 WELCOME BACK LETTER TO THE HB COMMUNITY FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL FRAN BISSELLE:

Dear Hathaway Brown Community, 

We are very excited to welcome you to the 2017-2018 school year, our 90th in Shaker Heights and our 142nd in the history of our school! Our faculty and staff already have been hard at work preparing for the year ahead, and we look forward to welcoming all of our students back to campus beginning later this week.

#1 AGAIN!

We're thrilled to announce that for the second year in a row, Hathaway Brown has received top billing from Niche, an online platform that tracks educational institutions and provides research findings for public and private schools across the country. In its 2018 ratings, Niche lists HB as #1 in the category of Best Private K-12 Schools in Ohio and #1 in Best All-Girls High Schools in Ohio. We also earned statewide designations as the #2 Best Private High School overall and #3 Best Private High School for STEM. Visit Niche to check out all the rankings and add your review of HB today!  

INSTITUTE FOR 21ST CENTURY EDUCATION

This year marks a significant anniversary of our Science Research & Engineering Program under the leadership of Patty Hunt and Crystal Miller, as this program will celebrate its 20th year. We will use this anniversary occasion to celebrate the many accomplishments of HB alumnae in the fields of research, science, medicine, and engineering. In addition, our Center for Business & Finance will now have a full-time director, and Molly Krist looks forward to creating strong networks with businesses throughout Cleveland for our girls. And this year, under the guidance of Camille Lipford Seals '02, the Center for Multicultural Affairs will have a graduation designation for its scholars. Our centers continue to expand, providing our students with invaluable experiential opportunities that complement our rigorous curriculum.

CLASSROOM OF THE FUTURE

After in-depth research and visits to our local independent schools as well as Case Western Reserve University and Eaton Corp., we have transformed one of our classrooms to be a flexible collaborative modern learning space of the future. We look forward to teachers and students using the space and giving us feedback as to how it works best. We hope to use this feedback loop to refresh other areas around school, as the classrooms are critical tools for teachers to use in setting up an inspiring learning environment.

THEME FOR 2017-2018

As I mentioned in my July letter, this year’s theme is Courage, Character, and Kindness. These virtues are critical as our girls and young boys in ITC and EC develop, and we want to be both academically rigorous while also caring and compassionate. Our teachers are excited to operationalize the Social and Emotional Learning curriculum we have developed, and having two full-time counselors, Lisa Lurie and Rebecca Biggar, on campus to support this effort will be wonderful. I am thrilled that Amy Speidel will also continue her work as a parent and teacher coach in the Early Childhood program.

BLAZER COVENANT

One of the trustee initiatives this summer, and consistent with our theme of Courage, Character, and Kindness, was to design a sportsmanship covenant that reflects HB’s core values. This includes character, sportsmanship, excellence, teamwork, and perseverance, which when practiced in union, are Blazer Pride.

Character 
Character matters most, both on and off the field. We are committed to the development of ethical behavior, integrity, and kindness.

Sportsmanship 
We are committed to an atmosphere of honorable competition and respectful communication. We learn to handle success with grace and acknowledge failure with dignity, appreciating the challenge the opponent provides.

Excellence 
We are committed to achieving our utmost potential in our pursuit of learning not for school but for life.

Teamwork 
We are committed to strengthening individual skills through dedication and diligent preparation to contribute to the success of the team and whole sisterhood.

Perseverance 
We are committed to having a positive attitude, knowing our best efforts for continuous improvement will build competence and confidence as we pursue personal and team goals.

I look forward to our many fall athletic teams as well as our robotic and debate teams, practicing these important HB values.

PARENT ASSOCIATION

I am excited to partner with the HB Parent Association to enhance communication, to promote better understanding and greater unity within the HB community, and to provide a means whereby the parents/guardians may participate authentically in the life of our school. Toward that end, our HBPA presidents, Vicki Pietrick and Beth Anne Nettis, have been working with the communications department to update the HBPA portion of the website to make it easier to see the various volunteer opportunities and events. I hope you can join us for parent coffees throughout the fall and for Light the Night on Friday, October 6.

CURRICULAR INNOVATIONS, CURRICULUM NIGHTS

The faculty and staff read How Google Works this summer, and we have begun to provide support for every person on our team to become Level I and Level II Google certified educators. We will continue to be innovative in how we use technology as a tool, and how we teach technology and coding. We have an outstanding robotics team we are excited to continue to create and engineer in our IDEA lab maker space as well as expand our coding offerings. HB's CIO Barry Kallmeyer and his team will be expanding our computer science curriculum offerings at all levels, and we are excited for our girls to learn these skills.

I look forward to seeing you at each respective division’s curriculum night: 
Wednesday, September 6, 7 p.m.: Primary School Curriculum Night 
Wednesday, September 13, 6 p.m.: Middle School Curriculum Night 
Tuesday, September 26, 6 p.m.: Upper School Curriculum Night 
Wednesday, September 27, 7 p.m.: Early Childhood School Curriculum Night

SURVEY

The faculty, staff, and I will spend the fall making goals and addressing some of the perceived areas in need of attention that emerged from the summer survey results. This survey process was helpful in letting us know what you value as well as areas we can improve on as we work to fulfill our mission and give our students the very best educational experience we can.

The following are some of the highlights from the survey:

• Parents overwhelming believe that Hathaway Brown is delivering on its mission
• Parents gave the school high marks for satisfaction around their students' overall development, academic experience and leadership development
• Of particular note, the school’s academic programs are considered outstanding, rigorously preparing students to enter the next grade level ready to succeed
• The school’s 21st century curriculum is considered both innovative and progressive, offering students a rich mix of experiential and academic programming
• Eighty-six percent of parents feel engaged with school, believe they are treated fairly and with respect, are “extremely likely” to recommend the school to others, and feel proud to be part of the HB Community
• Overall exceptionally strong “top box” scores in many areas, affirming the school’s reputation for providing an exceptional education
• There is a perception that while most of the HB’s facilities are very good, some areas need attention
• Many parents stressed the desire to further tend to the emotional well-being of all girls by making sure the school has outstanding support services in place and by continuing efforts to optimally balance an achievement-oriented academic environment with a sense of community and “sisterhood.”
• Parents also want more consistency, fairness and transparency with disciplinary actions
• Parents rave about the variety of opportunities available at HB but want more opportunities in athletics
• Finally, many parents commented on the need to reduce the demanding and time-intensive homework load. However, in somewhat of a contradiction, it is very clear that the school’s rigor, expectations for achievement and ability to prepare the girls for the next grade level (including college) are highly valued. 

NEW FACULTY AND STAFF

Please give a warm welcome to our new staff and faculty members, listed below. Click here to download their biographies and learn more about each of these outstanding educators. 

Rebecca Biggar, Upper School Counselor
Caitlin Cahill, Upper School Mathematics 
Andrew Clifford, Upper School Science 
Kayleigh Dalton, Early Childhood Teacher 
Eric Dimitrov, Upper School Science 
Cristina Echeverria, Upper School Spanish 
Anass El Bekkari, Technical Support/Computer Systems
Julie Haffke, Annual Giving Coordinator 
Khaki Hermann '07, Drama Teacher
Elissa Hopson, Upper School History 
Deante Jones, Technical Support/Computer Systems 
Kayla Kelly, Assistant Aquatics Director
Johnny Kimani, Physical Education 
Melissa Nilsen, Middle School Art 
Jennifer Oakley, Middle School Math 
Elizabeth Pinkerton, Director of Enrollment Management 
Jasmine Rocco, Upper School Chinese 
Meghan Slanina, Upper School History 
Kristen Zajac, Librarian 
Libia Zapata, Primary School Spanish 

I look forward to welcoming everyone to HB’s 142nd year, to meeting new friends, and to seeing familiar faces.

Fondly,

Fran Bisselle
Head of School 

With the annual Convocation ceremony on Wednesday, August 23, Hathaway Brown's Upper School launched the 2017-2018 school year with all the pomp and circumstance befitting such an occasion.

Led by the strains of bagpipe music played by HB parent The Rt. Rev. Mark Hollingsworth, Jr., 9th- through 12th-graders marched together behind bright Legacy Day flags of their corresponding class colors through a sea of cheering parents and faculty and staff members who welcomed them back to the corner of Courtland and North Park boulevards for another year of learning and growth. The entire scene will be repeated in reverse when the Class of 2018 travels through a gauntlet of well-wishers who will clap them out into the world at the close of their Commencement ceremony next spring. 

The Convocation procession ended at The Ahuja Auditorium, where the Upper School student and faculty body gathered for the first Morning Meeting of the year. Head of School Fran Bisselle used the time to unveil the theme that will guide the school's work in 2017-2018: Courage, Character, and Kindness. Dr. Bisselle was followed by Hallie Ritzman, who has newly been installed as the Director of the Upper School after holding the role of Dean of Students. Both she and Student Senate President Isha Lele '18 delivered thoughtful and heartfelt remarks to set the tone for a year of leaning into challenges, becoming the best version of ourselves, and doing right by and for others. 

Ten Hathaway Brown seniors have been chosen as 63rd annual National Merit Semifinalists for their high scores on the preliminary SAT. Only one percent of high school seniors across the country are part of this prestigious list. The 16,000 Semifinalists may advance as Finalists and compete for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $32 million, that will be offered next spring. Roughly 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and half of those will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title. To learn more about the National Merit Scholarship Program, visit www.nationalmerit.org.

Congratulations to HB's 2018 National Merit Semifinalists: Archer Frodyma, Addie Klimek, Anne Lewandowski, Coralin Li, Lekha Medarametla, Danica Murthy, Ela Passarelli, Anika Rede, Sophie Sacks, and Crystal Zhao.