From June 15-19th, Morgan Austin '15 and Isha Lele '18 both represented Hathaway Brown and the North Coast District at the 2015 National Speech and Debate Tournament in Dallas, Texas. These two HB students were among a small handful of students from the Cleveland area to qualify to Nationals from the more than 100 who participate in Congressional-style debate.

Competing against more than 250 of the best Congressional debaters from around the United States, both Morgan and Isha made it to the semifinals. Morgan was named Best Presiding Officer in the semis and she advanced to the final day of the competition, placing in the top 24 congressional debaters nationwide. This is the best finish by any debater in the history of Hathaway Brown School. Congratulations!

HBBH Newsletter- Week 2

Camp Notes:

Please stay in your cars during pick-up time and a camp faculty member will come to your car.  If you need to get out of your car, please park legally do not disrupt the traffic flow. 

Also, please make sure you send your child to camp with a lunch, if not purchasing one from the school, and a water bottle labeled with your child’s name.

Music:  Campers explored the magical music-making qualities of a variety of objects and materials.  They interacted with xylophones, scarves, and many other items to figure out how music can be made and the tones of various objects.

Lanyard:  Girls are mastering their basic lanyard skills, and some girls are challenging themselves by working on more complicated lanyards, such as the Corkscrew, DNA, and many more!

Duckland:  We read, I Wish That I Had Duck Feet, and then made our very own duck feet.  Some groups even made their own duck wings.  What a transformation!

Fairyland: The fairies in training went on a quest for magical leaves.  They then took these magical leaves and turned them into fairy wands.  So magical!

Mermaids:  Wednesday was National Fairy Day.  In honor of this day, campers went searching for fairy and mermaid treasures.  They had to brave the magical, yet treacherous waters to retrieve the treasure receptacles and then open them to reveal their magical treasure. 

Urban Adventures:  Campers spent a day at the spa this week!  They pampered themselves with manicures and pedicures.  The girls also spent some time participating in team-building games and activities to continue to build trust within the group.

Edible Concoctions:  Campers made Flubber this week.  Flubber is a classic camp favorite and campers loved playing with this interesting concoction.

Challenge:  This week, each group continued to work on building trust among the campers.  The girls participated in some low ropes activities, such as All Aboard and Walk the Plank.  These were fun, yet challenging activities!

Improv:  Younger campers spent time making animal puppets out of paper bags and then used these puppets to create improvised plays. Older campers chose an idea from a hat and had to instantly improvise a play based on this topic. 

Games:  Older campers enjoyed playing Sharks and Minnows this week, while younger campers played Guess the Animals.  Clearly, there was an animal theme this week!

Table Top Challenges:  In Table Top Challenges, campers have access to various games, including cards, puzzles, math games, collaborative games, and board games.  This week, some new games were added and some became instant favorites.  The newest game, Hedbandz, has been a great game for all age groups and using team work and creativity.  The Game of Life was another popular game this week, and provided a great opportunity to work on collaboration.  Some campers learned some math and dice games, such as Sudoku.

Crafts: In crafts this week, campers went outside and had fun with bubbles.  They had access to a variety of bubble wands and other items out of which they could create bubbles.  Some of the bubbles they created looked incredible!

Ink: Campers participated in a variety of games and activities focusing on letters and words.  Younger campers played letter bingo, while some older campers played Hedbandz, which built their descriptive abilities and vocabulary.  The oldest campers played a game where they tossed scrabble tiles into a bucket and then had to make words out of them.  This was physically and mentally challenging game!

Spa:  At the spa this week, campers create the world’s best odor-fighting lemon sugar foot scrub.  This scrub is perfect to refresh tired and stinky feet after participating in all the campers’ favorite summer activities.

Art:  It was a busy week in art!  The youngest campers made circle drawings, while other campers made their own game boards and spinners, and others sketched the clouds and outdoor scenery, which they will later turn into water colors.  Look for their gorgeous works of art coming home!

Recycle:  Campers finished their all about me collages this week.  They are also being challenged to use their creativity to come up with unique and innovative creations using water bottles and egg cartons.

Kindergarten (Mouse Trap):  The kindergartners have been having a great time this week participating in a wide variety of activities.  The campers are especially loving the pool and sprinklers.  They just love anything having to do with water!

The three-year olds (Candyland and Chutes and Ladders):  This week, the three-year olds participated in an exploration of the ocean and all of its inhabitants.  Campers also made crabs out of hand prints.  For a special snack this week, they made Jell-O and added fish to it.  It looked like a fish bowl! 

The four-year olds (Hi-Ho! Cherry-O and Don’t Break the Ice):  The four-year olds participated in an exploration of the ocean and all of its inhabitants.  Campers listened to the book “Fishy Facts” and learned great information about ocean life.  They also made beautiful fish tanks out of paper plates and a variety of other materials.  For a special snack, they made a delicious and “fishy” gold fish trail mix.

HBBH Newsletter- Week 3

Camp Notes:

Please stay in your cars during pick-up time and a camp faculty member will come to your car.  If you need to get out of your car, please park legally do not disrupt the traffic flow. 

Also, please make sure you send your child to camp with a lunch, if not purchasing one from the school, and a water bottle labeled with your child’s name.

Start to plan ahead for Lip Sync!  You are invited to attend the annual Lip Sync performance on the last day of camp, Thursday, July 23^rd.  The performance will begin at 2:00pm, so you should arrive around 1:45pm to ensure you are here for the start of the performance.

If you have a camper in the EC, Pre-K or Kindergarten groups, come to the annual picnic on Thursday, July 16^th from 11:30 to 12:30 in the Atrium.

Music:  Campers continued to explore the magical world of music.  They engaged with different musical instruments, songs, and used movement to express themselves, too.

Lanyard:  Girls are mastering their basic lanyard skills, and some girls are challenging themselves by working on more complicated lanyards, such as the Corkscrew, DNA, and many more!

Duckland:  This week, we read the book Sitting Ducks, about ducks being created in a factory run by alligators and how an unlikely friendship between a duck and an alligator helps free the ducks from Ducktown.  We then did a relay race that simulated the book’s plot.

Fairyland:  Campers continued to listen to the riveting story of Ellen and Sophie and their adventures in Wish Away Woods.  The fairies in training also learned some new spells, including the Invisibility Spell.  Parents, don’t fret if you can’t find your camper; they are probably just practicing this new spell!

Mermaids:  The Mermaids used their imagination this week.  They swam in the magical waters and retrieved some buried treasure.  Until they described what they hoped to find in their treasure, they could not reveal the real treasure.  When they finally opened their treasure, they found beautiful mermaid hair!

Urban Adventures:  The older campers spent a day at the bakery this week!  They made and decorated cupcakes.  For the decorations, they used marshmallows and sugar to create beautiful floral designs.

Edible Concoctions:  This week, campers made delicious cinnamon and sugar tortilla chips.  Simple and tasty!

Challenge:  Campers continued to work on building trust among their groups and participated in fun and difficult activities, including the Wild Woozy, Mohawk Walk, and All Aboard.

Improv:  In Improv this week, older campers played the Dating Game.  In this game, campers assumed the identity of a potential date for a bachelorette, and through a series of questions the bachelorette had to guess the identity of her dating candidates. Younger campers read the story Ten Little Monkeys and then acted out a version of the story, which they called Ten Little Campers.

Games:  This week was campers’ choice in games.  Some of the favorite games were Capture the Flag and Mister Todd.  Younger campers played a version of the classic game Red Rover.

Table Top Challenges:  In Table Top Challenges, campers have access to various games, including cards, puzzles, math games, collaborative games, and board games.  This week’s favorite games include Yahtzee and the Game of Life.  Campers worked on learning and following the rules for the games, as well as game-playing etiquette.  Younger campers are loving the game Guess Who?

Crafts: In honor of Summerween this week, we made a Sparkly Gooey Monster in a cup.  It was slimy and scary and awesome!

Ink: Campers participated in a variety of games and activities focusing on letters and words.  Some of the activities included Letter Bingo, creative spelling games, and making handprint giving trees.

Spa:  Campers pampered their lips this week by making chocolate mint lip gloss.  Campers had a choice of adding spearmint or peppermint into their gloss.  Which one did your camper choose?  Can you tell just by smelling it?

Art:  It was a busy and creative week in art!  The kindergartners did bubble painting, while the first graders made their own sketch books.  The second graders decoupaged flowers, and the rest of the campers painted water colors from outdoor sketches they made last week.

Recycle:  In Recycle this week, campers made creations using Modge Podge and water bottles.  Many campers chose to make vases with these materials, while other campers came up with other creations.  The youngest campers made beautiful flowers out of egg cartons.

Kindergarten (Mouse Trap):  The kindergartners continued to have fun at camp.  They participated in a wide variety of activities, and focused on listening to and following directions. We especially enjoyed playing with the parachute during games!

The three-year olds (Candyland and Chutes and Ladders):  This week the focus for the three-year olds was seeds, bugs, and America’s birthday.  We read books about planting seeks and even planted our own seeds!  Other books we read were about July 4^th and we made our own firework art using paint and glitter.  The special snack this week was mud pies.  What a fun week!

The four-year olds (Hi-Ho! Cherry-O and Don’t Break the Ice):  The theme this week for the four-year olds was red, white, and blue, in honor of July 4^th.  We made our own firework art using straws, paint, and glitter.  Another festive art project was making finger-paint flags.  A highlight from the week was this week’s storytelling, which was all about owls.  Campers got to compare three different kinds of owls, and it was fascinating!

The MBS Virtual Bookstore will open on Friday, July 10, 2015. Log on using your daughter's schedule and purchase her books for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year. The MBS website is http://bookstore.mbsdirect.net/hb.htm. You can also order by phone at 1.800.325.3252, but please note the prices will be slightly higher. All purchases of $99 or more made July 10 through July 23, 2015 ONLY will receive free UPS Ground Shipping.

MBS Direct will be able to answer any questions you may have by calling 1.800.325.3252, but if you run into any difficulty, feel free to contact Regina Gray at Hathaway Brown by calling 216.320.8105 or email rgray@hb.edu.

Thank you.

Hathaway Brown Theatre Institute continues its 2015 summer season of hits with the family-friendly play Little Women, in a fresh adaptation of Louisa May Alcott's famous novel by Scott Davidson, presented at Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights, Ohio, from July 17 to July 26.

Set during the American Civil War, this timeless and enduring classic traces the March sisters’ journey from childhood to maturity as they experience life's joys and disappointments. Audiences of all generations will enjoy acquainting — or reacquainting — themselves with the sisters: Meg, the eldest; Jo, the high-spirited tomboy; Amy, the self-centered beauty; and gentle Beth, as well as their beloved Marmee and Father. Penned by Louisa May Alcott 140 years ago, this much-loved classic tale’s message is still relevant for audiences today.

Performances are Friday, July 17 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday July 18 at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, July 19 at 2 p.m., Friday July 24 at 7:30 p.m., Saturday, July 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, July 26 at 2 p.m. The show is presented in the Black Box Theatre at the Hathaway Brown School, 19600 North Park Blvd., Shaker Heights, Ohio 44122. Tickets are $11-15 and can be purchased online at www.hb.edu/hbti_tickets, by calling 216.932.4214 ext. 7270 or at the door (if available) the day of the performance. Seating is limited in the Black Box Theatre, so reservations are encouraged.

Directed by India Burton, Little Women will also feature properties by Lydia Chanenka, costumes by Jackie Guerra, lights by Scott Chapman and sound design by Andrea Nemeth. The show includes a cast of talented young HBTI students, including Riley Firehammer and Ryan Kacmar as Josephine March, Grace Wilkinson as Meg March, Marina DeNunzio as Beth March, Emma Blemester as Amy March, Josephine Reynolds as Marmee, Casey Wilcox as Aunt March, Gabe Griswold as Theodore Lawrence, Nathan Keller as John Brooke, Emmie Ferguson as Hannah, and more.

Now in its third year, The Hathaway Brown Theatre Institute was created by the Performing Arts Department of the Hathaway Brown School in Shaker Heights for students 1st grade through college. HBTI offers three sessions (June 15-July 2, July 6-24 and July 27-August 7) with coursework in drama, dance and music. HBTI provides high-level training from working artists to young people interested in the performing arts, as well as professional-level production experiences. Students of HBTI's staff of professional artists have gone on to perform on Broadway, in regional theatre, and in film and television.

Visit www.hb.edu/summer for complete description of dates, courses and registration as well as a listing of HB's many other summer offerings. In addition to Little Women, HBTI will present the musical Oklahoma!, directed and choreographed by Bebe Weinberg Katz, from July 31-August 9.

HBBH Newsletter- Week 5

Camp Notes:

Please stay in your cars during pick-up time and a camp faculty member will come to your car.  If you need to get out of your car, please park legally do not disrupt the traffic flow. 

Also, please make sure you send your child to camp with a lunch, if not purchasing one from the school, and a water bottle labeled with your child’s name.  If packing a lunch that requires utensils, please include them as we do not always have extras to give.  Also, please remind your camper that there is to be no sharing of food with other campers.

Next week is Lip Sync!  You are invited to attend the annual Lip Sync performance on the last day of camp, Thursday, July 23^rd.  The performance will begin at 2:00pm, so you should arrive around 1:45pm to ensure you are here for the start of the performance.

Music:  Campers continued to explore the magical world of music.  They engaged with different musical instruments, songs, and used props and movement to express themselves, too.  This week, campers chose a pop song and then used different movements to keep the beat.

Lanyard:  Girls are mastering their basic lanyard skills, and some girls are challenging themselves by working on more complicated lanyards, such as the Corkscrew, DNA, and many more!

Duckland:  This week, we read Q is for Duck.  The campers used their logical reasoning to decode the riddles of each letter of the alphabet.  We then made our own duck crowns and became queens of Duckland!

Fairyland:  The fairies channeled their inner fairy queens and created beautiful and decorative fairy crowns.  The flowers might even attract some fairies!

Mermaids:  The mermaids-in-training went diving for magical water bottles this week.  They then embellished them with a variety of magic, including magical colors, and magical dust.  This magic can be used against any enemies they might encounter!

Urban Adventures:  The campers harnessed their inner chefs this week as they created their own pizzas.  They had access to a wide variety of ingredients, some of which they combined in unique ways!  Others, chose to take a creative approach to their pizza dough, molding it into different shapes, such as hearts.  Most of all, they were delicious!

Edible Concoctions:  This week, campers made a classic snack: Rice Krispie treats.  Sometimes a challenge to stir all the ingredients, campers got in a good arm workout and enjoyed these tasty treats.

Challenge:  This week, campers went “Whale Watching.”  No, not at the ocean!  This was a challenging activity that tested campers’ communication, listening, and patience.  Campers needed to listen to one voice and move together in order to accomplish the task.

Improv:  Campers in improve needed to use their creativity to act out an entire play based on only one sentence stories.  Given only one sentence, campers had to come up with their own details to create a full play.  This was tough sometimes, but really fun!

Games:  Younger campers played the fun and classic game, Red Light, Green Light, while the older campers played another classic, Dodge Ball!

Table Top Challenges:  In Table Top Challenges, campers have access to various games, including cards, puzzles, math games, collaborative games, and board games.  The games of the week were Yahtzee and Uno.  These games focused on number sense and logical reasoning.

Crafts:  Campers created adorable clothespin dolls.  These dolls had decorations that included feathers and yarn.  The older campers pampered themselves by doing paraffin wax hand molds.

Ink: Younger campers went on letter and color scavenger hunts, while the older campers utilized their vocabulary and creativity to play Catch Phrase.

Spa:  Campers learned how to relieve tension from their hands at the end of the day by being taught how to give hand massages.  After their relaxing hand massages, they laid down and through guided meditation found their zen place, while they had cucumbers on their eyes. 

Art:  Campers at all ages used their creativity and artistic ability to create and finish amazing art pieces!  The Kindergarteners did water balloon painting, while the First graders finished making their journals from last week.  The Second graders finished their decoupaged flowers, and the remainder of the campers finished their water colors from the other week by mounting and framing them.

Recycle:  After five weeks of guided instruction and specific activities, campers were given the control this week to create their own pieces using the recycled materials available.  While challenging for some girls to create without a given direction, others were thrilled to have total creative control.

Kindergarten (Mouse Trap):  The kindergartners continued to have fun at camp.  They participated in a wide variety of activities, and focused on listening to and following directions.

The three-year olds (Candyland and Chutes and Ladders):  This week’s theme was lady bugs!  Campers listened to many lady bug stories, sang songs about lady bugs, and even made their own lady bugs using paper plates, black and red paint, and googly eyes.  The special snack this week was smoothies.

The four-year olds (Hi-Ho! Cherry-O and Don’t Break the Ice):  This week’s theme was farm animals.  Campers did crafts that focused on several farm animals, including pigs and sheep.  They learned about different animals that live on a farm, as well as what grows on different farms.  A special matching game using eggs also helped campers learn about and recognize different emotions.

Wow! We are so very proud to announce that 88 of our Upper School students have earned AP Scholar designations from The College Board, which administers Advanced Placement testing. This includes 35 AP Scholars, 15 AP Scholars with Honor, 38 AP Scholars with Distinction, and two National AP Scholars: Tessa Murthy ’15 and Kavya Ravichandran ’16, who both were named AP Scholars with Distinction as well.

These young women have demonstrated outstanding college-level achievement through AP courses and exams. Each will receive a certificate and acknowledgement on any AP score report that is sent to colleges after the award has been conferred.

Congratulations to this year’s AP Scholar Award Recipients:

AP Scholars (Score of 3 or higher on three or more AP Exams)

Bridget Babcox ’15, Talia Bhaiji ’15, Amanda Brady ’15, Regan Brady ’17, Kayla Briskey ’15, Clara Butler ’16, Caroline Carulas ’15, Elizabeth Cha ’15, Maddelana Chesler ’17, Emily Coffey ’16, Aubrey Cornwell ’15, Megan Dorogi ’16, Zoe Farkas ’15, Sarah Fiscarelli-Mint ’15, Debolina Ghosh ’17, Lauren Gillinov ’17, Kaitlyn Glasener ’15, Abigail Halter ’15, Teresa Iemma ’15, Danielle Immerman ’15, Marguerite Irefin ’16, Madeleine Kattan ’16, Prathna Kumar ’17, Abigail Langenderfer ’15, Katherine Ma ’15, Kavya Menon ’16, Gracie Mowery ’15, Kathleen Phifer ’15, Jordan Purpura ’15, Jamie Spain ’15, Taylor Tamang ’15, Gabriella Valdivieso ’16, Claire Xu ’16, Amanda Zeilinger ’15, Caroline Zuchold ’15

AP Scholars with Honor (Average score of 3.25 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on four or more of these exams)

Emily Bederman ’16, Amanda Bingaman ’15, Isabel Catanzaro ’16, Madeleine Danes ’16, Allison Doak ’15, Julia Felderman ’16, Faith Griggs ’15, Rebecca Lambright ’15, Alexandra Margulies ’16, Catherine Mullen ’15, Kelsey Rich ’16, McKenna Ritter ’16, Madeleine Schroedel ’15, Molly Sharpe ’16, Morgan Sutton ‘15

AP Scholars with Distinction (Average score of at least 3.5 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 3 or higher on five or more of these exams)

Kate Agan ’15, Emily Amjad ’15, Alexis Anderson ’15, Mary Austin ’15, Marta Baker ’15, Emma Bryan ’15, Elisabeth Crotty ’16, Jordan Doak ’15, Christine Espinosa ’15, Brady Furlich ’15, Kacey Gill ’16, Janavi Goldblum ’15, Mackenzie Hridel ’15, Emily Imka ’15, Caroline Jobson ’16, Lauren Kahn ’15, Samantha Keum ’15, Ariana Kian ’15, Anna Lietman ’16, Maaryah Malik ’16, Alison Martin ’15, Gabriel Moss ’15, Laura Mueller ’15, Tessa Murthy ’15, Isabella Nilsson ’16, Elizabeth Poulos ’15, Kavya Ravichandran ’16, Sophia Richards ’16, Sanjana Roy ’15, Susmita Roy ’15, Aarathi Sahadevan ’16, Anisha Sehgal ’15, Emily Spencer ’15, Nitya Thakore ’16, Elizabeth Toohey ’15, Charlotte Tse ’15, Rebecca Weinberger ’15, Hannah Yahraus ’15

National AP Scholars (Average score of at least 4 on all AP Exams taken, and scores of 4 or higher on eight or more of these exams)

Tessa Murthy ’15, Kavya Ravichandran '16

The HB Upper School Vocal Arts and World Languages programs are proud to announce a very special spring residency. On March 5, world-famous musicians Cyrille Aimée and Diego Figueiredo will visit HB to share their talents after their March 4 performance at Nighttown. Tickets for that program are available here.

During the pair’s visit, Ms. Aimée will conduct a French immersion conversation with HB French AP and post AP students functioning as translators. Then she will offer a Vocal Master Class with the Solo Voice students. This residency is made possible through the generosity of the Goldblum family.

The following events are open to the HB Community:

March 5

11 a.m.-12 p.m.

French Immersion Conversation with Student Translators in the Anne Cutter Coburn Reception Room

12-1:30 p.m.

Vocal Masterclass with Solo Voice Jazz Students in the Black Box Theatre. 

All are welcome to attend as audience members.

About the Artists

Cyrille Aimée’s unique blend of French gypsy jazz and Dominican rhythm and spice combine to create an unmistakably smooth and driving vocal style. Growing up with the French Gypsies in Samois-sur-Seine brought her into the musical mentality that produced such legends as Django Reinhardt. While being trained at the conservatory of SUNY Purchase, Cyrille Aimée competed in the famous Shure Montreux Jazz Festival Voice Competition, where she was awarded first prize as well as the public prize. It was there she first met Brazilian guitarist Diego Figueiredo, who was also a finalist in the Montreux Guitar Competition. Click here to hear Aimée’s unique voice.

Diego Figueiredo is considered one of the most talented guitar players in the world today. He is the winner of several important competitions including the Montreux Jazz Competition and the VISA Prize. Diego has released more than 19 albums to date, three DVDs, and several instructional books. His music is a fusion of jazz, bossa nova and classical. He has performed in over 40 countries around the world.

For questions please contact Upper School Choral Director Laura Webster '91 at lwebster@hb.edu or 216.320.8796 ext. 7214. Visit this link to purchase tickets to Ms. Aimée and Mr. Figueiredo’s March 4 performance at Nighttown.

Hathaway Brown School is pleased to announce that thanks to the generosity of numerous donors, several new construction projects are now in process on campus. Each of these new initiatives will improve and enhance the learning environment for students across divisions. All are expected to be completed during the first part of the 2015-2016 school year.

Learn more about each of these projects by following the links below, where you'll find detailed descriptions of the newly created spaces, along with Frequently Asked Questions. As construction continues, photos and videos of the progress will be added as well.

• TURF FIELD
• IDEA LAB
• LEARNING COMMONS

In October 2014, HB's Board of Trustees approved a new Strategic Plan, which went into effect in January 2015. Among the directives outlined in that plan was Strategy #4: Optimize Our Campus for 21st-Century Learning. 

HB will update and modernize the campus to ensure that the School’s physical spaces optimally support its educational mission and programs while also providing a comfortable and inspiring setting that enables faculty and students to perform at their best. Our facilities should enhance our effort to maximize interdisciplinary collaboration among departments and divisions, and energize and showcase the spirit of innovation for which HB is known. Our campus should also demonstrate our commitment to sustainability and energy conservation, functioning as laboratories that help us educate girls to be prudent stewards of the global ecosystem.

We are grateful that the foresight of our Board of Trustees and the generosity of parents, alumnae, and other friends of the school have made these exciting new initiatives possible so that we may continue to give our students the tools they need to learn and grow together in mind, body, and spirit. 

With the annual Convocation ceremony on Wednesday, August 26, Hathaway Brown's Upper School launched the 2015-16 school year - HB's 140th - with all the pomp and circumstance befitting such an occasion.

Led by the strains of bagpipe music, 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 2016 travels through a gauntlet of well-wishers who will clap them out into the world at the close of their Commencement ceremony next spring. Head of School Bill Christ also will be “graduating” from HB when this school year comes to an end, as he will retire in June after 29 years of service. 

WATCH: Video of the 2015 Hathaway Brown Convocation Ceremony

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. Mr. Christ used the time to unveil the theme that will guide the school's work in 2015-2016: Lighting The Way, Leaving Your Legacy. This theme, he remarked, was preordained by the five audacious and inspirational young women who marched up the steps of the all-boys Brooks Military Academy in 1875 and made the case for high-quality education for girls. One-hundred-forty years later, their passion project has become Hathaway Brown School. “When you ‘light the way’ as these five girls did,” said Mr. Christ, “you illuminate a path not only for yourself, but for those who will come after you. What a powerful way to leave your legacy.”

Next, Student Senate President Morgan Whaley ’16 took the podium to deliver a thoughtful and beautifully written speech about the school theme and the way she hopes that she and her classmates will be able to put the idea into action throughout the year and throughout their lives. (Read the full text of her remarks here.)

Finally, Upper School Director Sue Sadler warmly welcomed all of the new and returning students, saying how proud and grateful she is to be starting her 30th year at HB surrounded by so many remarkable young women who will most certainly leave individual and lasting legacies everywhere they go. Ms. Sadler explained to the girls that when it comes to embracing the concept of “lighting the way,” HB is in fine company, with visionaries as esteemed as Plato, William Shakespeare, and even the Dalai Lama having invoked that same symbolism in their work. (Read the full text of her remarks here.)

Before she closed and dismissed them to their first classes of the year, Ms. Sadler also reminded the students that easy access to quality education is something that's not afforded to millions of girls around the world. She said she has no doubt that HB girls understand and appreciate that reality, and that they will use their time at HB to make the most of the learning environment and avail themselves of an array of exciting opportunities so that they may maximize their own potential to make real and lasting differences in the world.

 Hathaway Brown is proud to unveil HBlog, the school's new blog and source for stories from students, staff, faculty, community members, and beyond. 

Bookmark hb.edu/blog, and follow HB on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest for updates as they occur! 

Have a story idea or interested in contributing? Let us know!

Congratulations to HB's 2016 National Merit Semifinalists: Caroline Jobson, Anna Lietman, Maaryah Malik, Isabella Nilsson, Kavya Ravichandran, Kelsey Rich, McKenna Ritter, Aarathi Sahadevan, Nitya Thakore, and Claire Xu.

Nearly 4,400 students around the world took the Avogadro Exam this May, and three HB students -- Kelsey Rich '16, Aarathi Sahadevan '16, and Lina Ghosh '17 -- scored in the top five percent. Kelsey Rich has the additional distinction of placing in the top ten of all test takers, in ninth place. This is the highest ranking ever achieved by an HB student. She is in rare company, among only 280 of the 139,000 test takers in the program's 28-year history. 

The Avogadro Exam, created and overseen by the University of Waterloo, asks students to demonstrate their knowledge of various chemistry principles and vie for prizes, which are awarded to those who score in the top five percent. The test is given to students who have completed no more than 100 hours of instruction in chemistry. 

Congratulations to Upper School Science Teacher Don Southard, and to Kelsey, Aarathi, and Lina. These students will receive a prize and certificate for their achievements, and their names will be listed in an upcoming issue of CHEM 13 NEWS Magazine.

Light the Night at Hathaway Brown
Friday, September 25, 2015: 5:30-8 p.m. 

Bring the family and a picnic blanket and join us around the fountain for a good time connecting with other Hathaway Brown families. Pack a picnic or visit one of the three food trucks that will be on campus serving up a variety of delicious fares. The HBPA will provide East Coast Custard cones. After dinner, we'll have a hootenanny sing-along led by student musicians and Middle School Performing Arts Department Chair Deb Southard and a live DJ. The Brown Bag will be open to purchase Blazer gear, plus meet the Blazer fall athletes!

Don't miss Light the Night!

RSVP here.

Presented by the HBPA.

In partnership with the University School Parent Association, the 
Hathaway Brown Parent Association is proud to present

Brian Matters

An Honest Discussion about Drinking and Driving

Monday, October 5, 2015

6:30 p.m.

Conway Hall
University School Shaker Campus 
20701 Brantley Road
Shaker Heights, Ohio
parking available in the school's front circle and behind the building 

In 2013, Brian and Cindy Hoeflinger lost their 18-year-old son Brian in a car accident. Brian was driving. And he was drunk.

Brian Hoeflinger was a smart, kind, thoughtful, and hardworking young man. He was an avid and accomplished golfer who carried a 4.5 GPA. He was a senior at Ottawa Hills High School who hoped to attend the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill when he graduated. His UNC acceptance letter arrived at his Northwest Ohio home shortly after he died.

Brian's parents say that their son made a lifetime of good decisions, then he made one bad decision. As a result, their lives are forever changed. But Brian and Cindy have made it their mission to share their message with parents and students to prevent more drunk driving accidents. Their son's life may have been cut short, but he still can make a difference. 

The Hoeflingers have spoken at schools and community organizations throughout the Midwest. Their organization has been featured in numerous publications and on television programs, including The Katie Couric Show. And on Monday, October 5, Brian and Cindy will offer a presentation for Northeast Ohio parents and students. We hope that you'll join us for this honest discussion about why Brian Matters, and why every other teenager matters too.

This program is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Click here to sign up now. Please feel free to share this information with anyone who might be interested in attending.

Prior to the evening presentation on October 5, Brian and Cindy Hoeflinger will speak to students at Hathaway Brown and at University School. Special thanks to the parent associations at HB and US for making this program possible. 

To learn more about the Brian Matters nonprofit organization, visit the official website or click below to watch a short segment from Cleveland NBC affiliate WKYC-Channel 3.

Questions about the October 5 event may be directed to Lisa Mortimer at wcem@aol.com. Register at www.hb.edu/BrianMatters.

October 1, 2014 - WKYC-Channel 3

Twelfth Annual TAAL Performance Brings World Dance to the School Stage 

Hathaway Brown School is proud to share the most recent awards and acknowledgments of some of its students!

Six HB students have been named Melvin Scholars by the Ohio Academy of Sciences for 2015. They are: Olivia Asmar '16, Madeleine Ference ’16, Lina Ghosh ’17, Halle Leneghan ’16, Maaryah Malik ’16, and Nitya Thakore ’16. These students published abstracts in the Ohio Journal of Science this year and presented at the Annual Meeting in the spring. Each student completed Melvin Scholar Reports and were selected as this year's Melvin Scholars.

Hathaway Brown's students make up six of the 14 students selected this year. Selected students will attend the Association for the Advancement of Science Meeting, a professional scientific conference, in Washington, D.C. in February 2016 to present their research. 

They will be joined by Kavya Ravichandran '16 (also pictured at right), who with Olivia Asmar, qualified as Melvin Scholars in 2014. Congratulations students!

Additionally, the Case Western Reserve University Chapter of Sigma Xi is proud to award a $500 scholarship to attend the Sigma Xi Annual Conference in Kansas City, MO in October to Ghosh. She will present her research on Breathing Disorders in a Mouse Model of Rett Syndrome during a student poster session during the conference. She works in the lab of Dr. David Katz in Case Western Reserve University's Department of Neurosciences as part of the Science Research & Engineering Program at HB. Congratulations, Lina!

HATHAWAY BROWN SCHOOL APPOINTS
DR. MARY FRANCES BISSELLE 14TH HEAD OF SCHOOL

Media Inquiries: Contact Kathleen Osborne, director of marketing & communication, at 216.320.8785 or kosborne@hb.edu

On Friday, October 2, 2015, the Hathaway Brown School Board of Trustees announced that Dr. Mary Frances Bisselle will succeed Bill Christ as the 14th Head of School. After 29 years in the position, Mr. Christ will retire at the close of the 2015-2016 school year. An announcement was sent to the HB community from Board President Paul Matsen, along with an introductory letter from Dr. Bisselle, and a video interview expressing her excitement about joining the HB community. Those pieces of communication are posted below. 

• Announcement from Board of Trustees President Paul Matsen 
   
• Letter from Dr. Mary Frances Bisselle 
   
• Video Address to the HB Community

Announcement from Board President Paul Matsen

October 2, 2015

Dear HB Community,

I am extremely proud to announce that the Hathaway Brown School Board of Trustees has today unanimously and enthusiastically endorsed Dr. Mary Frances Bisselle as HB’s 14th Head of School, with a term of service to commence July 1, 2016.

Fran Bisselle comes to HB armed with an impressive résumé of professional achievements, an outstanding and proven track record of innovative leadership, and an undeniable passion for girls’ education. The HB Head Search Committee has worked tirelessly for the last 10 months to locate the ideal candidate to lead the school forward in its next chapter, and I am abundantly grateful for their successful efforts. They have been thoughtful, distinctive, and admirable representatives of HB, and their devotion to the school and the process has been unflagging. I’m thankful as well to the school’s faculty and administration, parents, alumnae, and my fellow Trustees who have been so gracious, insightful, and supportive throughout. It has been my great honor to serve as the President of the Board of Trustees during this pivotal moment in our school’s history and I couldn’t be more pleased to introduce Fran and welcome her to this incredible community.

Fran holds a Bachelor of Arts in History from Boston College; an M.A. in Liberal Studies with a concentration in History from Wesleyan University; and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies with a concentration in Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment from the University of Vermont. She has served for the last nine years as Head of School at Maple Street School, a K-8 independent school in Manchester Center, Vermont. Maple Street was founded by bestselling novelist and Academy Award-winning screenwriter John Irving and his wife, Janet. Fran deftly succeeded Maple Street’s founding director, and she ushered the school through an economic downturn and saw enrollment increase by 20 percent during her tenure. No stranger to hard work, Fran has had a career that has included positions as a classroom teacher, dean of students, coach, dorm parent, educational consultant, and teaching fellow. She has been a member of the faculty and administration at The Taft School in Connecticut, and she developed and redesigned the curriculum for the Master of Arts in Teaching degree at the University of Vermont. She also has shared her expertise with Camp Dudley, a 130-year-old YMCA overnight camp for boys in the Adirondacks. In 2006, Fran spearheaded efforts to establish Camp Kiniya, a high-quality sister camp for girls, even raising $12 million for the cause and procuring the camp’s bucolic grounds on the shores of Lake Champlain.

A graduate of the prestigious Klingenstein Head Fellowship program at Columbia Teacher’s College, Fran now serves on several high-profile boards of trustees, including as a New England Association of Schools and Colleges commissioned board member for the last five years, and as a trustee for the National Association of Independent Schools—which provides services and oversight for more than 1,800 schools in the United States. She also is the currently installed president of the Vermont Independent Schools Association.

One of 15 siblings with 11 sisters and with two teenaged daughters of her own, Fran knows and understands girls. Her daughter Lucille is a freshman at the University of Vermont, and her daughter Agnes is a high school senior at Burr and Burton Academy. Fran was a lifer at Merion Mercy Academy, a K-12 school for girls located outside of Philadelphia. An avid athlete, she was a Division I college field hockey player, and she’s a marathon runner who today also plays ice hockey, tennis, and golf. Fran plans to relocate to Cleveland this summer with her significant other, Dr. David Vincent, who has been a chiropractor for 24 years and is the past director of both the Dartmouth Health Alliance, and Complementary and Alternative Medicine at Kaiser Health Plan.

Special thanks are in order for Helen Rankin Butler ’87, who chaired the HB Head Search Committee with masterful efficiency, extraordinary attention to detail, and with great respect for the seriousness of this responsibility. I am tremendously appreciative as well for our search partners at Carney, Sandoe & Associates; and for Head of School Bill Christ, who has helped us to make this transition seamless. Once again, I extend my heartfelt gratitude to the Head Search Committee—made up of 13 appointed and invested faculty members, alumnae, parents, and Trustees—and to the entire HB community for your flexibility, insight, and hospitality during this important and exciting process. The HB Head Search has been defined by its inclusivity and transparency, and today is a proud day for us all.

Fran Bisselle embodies the ideals of visionary leadership, commitment to excellence, and joyful engagement that define the HB experience. Please join me in congratulating her and warmly welcoming her to her new home.

Sincerely, 

Paul Matsen
President, Board of Trustees

Letter from Dr. Mary Frances Bisselle

Dear Friends,

It is a tremendous honor to become Hathaway Brown’s 14th Head of School. HB’s 140-year commitment to high academic achievement and to educating young women to become independent thinkers who value character and public service, and who are confident to be creative and socially conscious is closely connected to my core beliefs. It is a privilege to be invited to lead this inspiring school community, and my family and I are looking forward to being part of the next great chapter in the HB story!

In my visits to campus this past fall, I have met exceptional educators, sagacious Trustees, passionate alumnae, deeply caring parents, and immensely joyful students. Clearly, HB is a community that lives its mission daily and embraces the value of lifelong learning, engendering in girls (and Early Childhood boys!) a strong sense of independence, initiative, and unfettered intellectual pursuits. HB is recognized nationally for being an extraordinary girls’ school, no doubt due in part to the excellent leadership of Bill Christ for the last 29 years. I am thrilled to carry the torch forward, and—together with the school’s unrivaled faculty and administration—continue to light the way for future generations of students.

I have been so impressed with the poise and enthusiasm of the girls I met during my visits to HB, and I enjoyed hearing their astute observations and hopes for the future. It was great fun to join the school community last week and be immersed in the sisterhood, service, and spirit that define Legacy Day, and I so enjoyed seeing and interacting with the hundreds of families who gathered around the iconic fountain in the courtyard for the Hathaway Brown Parent Association’s Light the Night picnic and celebration. I look forward to participating in many more HB traditions in the years to come. It is a tremendous honor to join a vibrant team dedicated to visionary teaching, thoughtful innovation, and learning for life.

For the past nine years, I have cherished each and every day at Maple Street School. Nestled in the Green Mountains of Vermont, Maple Street School unites academic excellence and joyful learning in very much the same way that HB does. In fact, both communities seek to be known as beacons of excellence that cultivate curiosity, and they both approach education with an eye toward innovation and bringing learning beyond the school doors. I will certainly miss my dear friends and my time in Vermont, but I can’t wait to make HB my new home.

I’m so grateful for the faith that the HB Board of Trustees has placed in me. I look forward to meeting all of you and to embracing the energetic spirit of Hathaway Brown School.

Fondly,

Dr. Mary Frances Bisselle
Hathaway Brown Head of School Appointee

Video Address to the HB Community