Caroline Halliday '21 had her Hutchison social science certificate project all planned out. She wanted to start a Community Supported Agriculture vegetable subscription service for Hutchison families, but with a pay-it-forward twist: for every one purchased by a Hutchison family, she would provide one for a family in need in Memphis. Then the pandemic hit, and her plans got turned upside down.
But Caroline didn't let it stop her. She shifted course and developed a partnership with New Hope Christian Academy. Mary Riddle, our director of environmental education and sustainability, gave her a crash course in farm management, and Caroline got to work. She planned, planted, and cultivated the farm all summer long, and each week she shared the bounty of her harvest with families at New Hope.
Caroline said, "I went into this project with a certain idea of how I thought it would go, but everything changed. I ended up getting far more out of it than I expected. I was able to make meaningful connections with my community at Hutchison, as well as the people at New Hope. What I've come to realize is that changing my project and creatively addressing the constraints of the pandemic actually embodies the spirit of the social sciences. It gave me the opportunity to learn about the world, build new relationships, and do a small part to help bolster our local community food system."
David Vaughan, New Hope farm manager, talked about the success of the partnership and Caroline’s eagerness to help: "Caroline is an absolute delight. She has such a good spirit and a willingness to help in any way. I'm really glad we had the chance to partner!"
She has a full plate of academics, volunteer work, leadership responsibilities, and extracurriculars, and she has the work ethic to succeed in anything she puts her mind to. She credits Hutchison for instilling in her that anything is possible.
As with many academic adventures at Hutchison, a weeklong lesson on computer science and coding transformed into an interdisciplinary exploration for our girls as teachers from various subjects incorporated coding activities into their day-to-day lessons.
It's all about mental toughness... How you rise to accept a new challenge after you fall down. Make no mistake, these Hutchison girls are in it to win it this year.
This might seem like a silly question: Are you a dog person or a cat person? Why? Now imagine you’re a dog lover and you can’t understand the enthusiasm of a cat aficionado. Or vice versa. Suppose you have to explain your passion for your favorite pet to a person who disagrees with you. How do you communicate your beliefs civilly?
When Leah Grace Wolf is not thinking about solving a science problem or tinkering with a new invention, you can find her at the mixed martial arts gym, thinking about next steps to overpower her opponent. This National Merit Commended Student is the epitome of a Hutchison girl who enjoys exploring a variety of interests.
When Ms. Prewitt’s Pre-Kindergarten class went to the farm recently to look at carrots they had planted, Mrs. Riddle, the director of environmental education and sustainability, was in a bit of a pickle. She said she desperately needed help with her crop of cucumbers.
An outstanding student, avid reader, star volleyball player, and strong leader, Layla Truitt lives up to the Hutchison mission of showing girls they can go anywhere they can imagine.
Sophie Mansour ’21 wants to help young people see diseases and their impact more clearly. Whether it is a classmate with diabetes or asthma, or a family member with Alzheimer’s, Sophie believes everyone would benefit from a deeper understanding. So she created the Memphis Medical Awareness Club at Hutchison, and that’s just the beginning for this conscientious entrepreneur.
Think of them as warm-up stretches – for the brain. Each one of Joe Koelsch’s 7th grade math lessons begins with a “bell ringer.” It encourages the girls to “open up their brains” before class, he says.
Jamie Sokoloff’s '21 teachers describe her as bright and highly motivated. Those adjectives definitely fit this high performer who has her plate full with extracurriculars.
At Hutchison, a girl can explore her unique place in the world through the wonder of art. We're making sure that tradition continues, even in a pandemic.
Juniors and seniors in Deborah Brown’s Women’s History class commemorated Women’s Equality Day with a video confirming that their generation is a force to be reckoned with.
Celia Economides ’97 is well acquainted with persistence. As an executive at a biotech company in San Francisco, persistence is a trait that comes in handy. Fostering the development of new drugs for rare diseases often requires soliciting millions of dollars in investments, decades of trial and error in the labs, and lots and lots of patience.
Caroline Halliday '21 had her Hutchison social science certificate project all planned out. She wanted to start a Community Supported Agriculture vegetable subscription service for Hutchison families, but with a pay-it-forward twist: for every one purchased by a Hutchison family, she would provide one for a family in need in Memphis. Then the pandemic hit, and her plans got turned upside down.
As a very unusual school year comes to an end, Hutchison’s spring magazine celebrates our teachers, students, and alumnae who have stayed Hutchison STRONG. The magazine is now in the mail and available online.
Upper school history teacher Ronnie Robinson admits he had to re-think his teaching methodology to make sure students continued to engage in the distance learning environment, but he is up to the challenge.
Joy. It’s a word that is used often when people speak of Hutchison. It appears in our alma mater, and it’s the name given to the statue of a jubilant girl in the school’s courtyard. Laurie Fraser Stanton ’65 loves to see that statue when she walks through Hutchison’s courtyard daily. “It is such a symbol of the joy of this place,” she said. Joy is what has made Stanton’s work at the school over the past 50 years so meaningful. During her time as a student and then as a teacher and administrator, she has experienced a wealth of friendships and joy.
Distance learning had minimal impact on the “Memphis unit," a third grade tradition at Hutchison. Plans for a Living Museum had to be scrapped, but the girls moved forward with promotional brochures, as planned.
Early childhood teachers had to get creative to keep their young charges engaged while learning from home. Not to mention the challenge of hosting a Google Meet with twelve 2, 3, or 4-year-olds.