Hathaway Brown is pleased to announce that senior McKenna Ritter, 18, of Aurora, has been awarded the Thomas Wolfe Scholarship from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. This prestigious honor has been given for the last 15 years to one incoming freshman at UNC who has demonstrated promise in creative writing. Akin to the university's Morehead-Cain Scholarship, the Thomas Wolfe Scholarship includes four years of full undergraduate support. Additionally, the award allows for stipends for travel and completing writing projects. 

McKenna, who serves as an editor for HB's arts and literary journal, Retrospect, is a gifted writer who has earned several accolades in the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards program during her time in high school. To be considered for the Thomas Wolfe Scholarship, she was required to submit a 50-page portfolio of her work and complete a 500-word "Why I Write" essay. She was selected from among three finalists after an in-person interview process at UNC. This is the second year in a row that an HB student has been interviewed for this scholarship, as Becca Lambright '15 was a finalist last year. 

The Thomas Wolfe Scholarship was conceived and endowed by the late Frank B. Hanes of Winston-Salem, NC. As a Thomas Wolfe Scholar, McKenna will either major or minor in creative writing at UNC when she enrolls there this fall.

To learn more about the Thomas Wolfe Scholarship program, please visit the official website for the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Department of English & Comparative Literature. Congratulations, McKenna! 

Hathaway Brown Upper School students set a new school record in regional commendations from the Scholastic Art Awards, a longstanding, highly competitive local and national visual arts program. For 2017, 51 awards were earned by 34 HB girls in grades 9-12 in seven different arts categories. The faculty advisors for these award-winning students are members of the HB Upper School Visual Arts Department: Jamie Morse, Shelly Ahern, and Tyler Zeleny. 

HB students earned eight Gold Keys, 15 Silver Keys, and 28 Honorable Mention designations in Ceramics & Glass, Comic Art, Digital Art, Drawing & Illustration, Painting, Photography, and Printmaking. 

VIEW A GALLERY OF GOLD KEY AND SILVER KEY WINNING WORK

All of the HB students' Gold Key and Silver Key award-winning work, as well as digital representations of the Honorable Mention work, will be on display at the Cleveland Institute of Art. An Award Ceremony and Reception for Gold Key recipients will take place in the Peter B. Lewis Auditorium at CIA 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:

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.

Hathaway Brown is proud to present Summerfest on Saturday, January 28th from 10:00-11:30 a.m. This free interactive event is the perfect way to beat the winter doldrums and let your children enjoy a morning of play. Escape from the winter weather in the HB Atrium with summer-themed music and food as you experience many of the diverse summer offerings that HB has to offer for children of all ages. With crafts, sports, theatre, Legos, and games, there's something fun for everyone!

This event is free and open to the public. Invite your family and friends to join us!

HB offers a wide array of co-ed and all-girls summer adventure, academic, and athletic programs for students in preschool through college. Whether you’re interested in exploring the city, digging for fossils, improving your corner kick, creating a perfect frosting rose, trying stand-up paddle boarding, or learning a new language, you’re sure to be inspired at HB. Choose one or several different programs and customize your own summer fun! Flexible scheduling is available for busy families. Registration will open soon at www.hb.edu/summer. 

We hope to see you at Summerfest! 

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:

I-SWEEEP, the International Sustainable World Energy, Engineering, and Environment Project, held its large annual multinational science and engineering competition April 27-May 1 in Houston, Texas. This year, there were 564 high school researchers with 385 projects from 62 countries participating. Students were exposed to a five days of scientific, cultural, educational, and social events with the main event being a full day at which each student's research project poster was judged in person by several professional judges.

Two Hathaway Brown students won all expenses-paid trips to compete at ISWEEEP as finalists by advancing through the Hathaway Brown 18th Annual Poster Session judging in March. HB has awarded spots to ISWEEEP each year based on the quantity and excellence of the science and engineering research that comes out of the school year after year through the Science Research & Engineering Program. 

Maaryah Malik '16 works in the lab of Dr. Hyoung-gon Lee in the Department of Pathology at Case Western Reserve University, with a focus on the contribution of cell cycle progression to Alzheimer's disease. She won a Bronze Medal in the Environment category.

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 a Bronze Medal in Engineering at ISWEEEP this year as well.

Congratulations to Maaryah and Madeline!

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.