State Champ & MVP Signs Her National Letter of Intent
Kaia Barnett '21 recently signed her National Letter of Intent to play for Clark Atlanta University. Our 2021 state championship basketball player and state tournament MVP was recruited as a dual-sport collegiate athlete for both basketball and track and field at Clark Atlanta, where she also plans to major in psychology.
Kaia's teammates, coaches, family members, and teachers joined her to celebrate with her at the signing ceremony. They spoke highly of her work ethic, dedication, and passion.
Head of School Dr. Kristen Ring said: "No one matches your hustle on the court and in the classroom. You are that ideal teammate because you care about every player around you and you work really hard - you put your head down and you get after it." She added: "We are so incredibly proud of you, and not just because you can throw really heavy stuff really far," referring to Kaia's shot put and discus skills.
At Hutchison, our student-athletes benefit from interacting with our teachers and administrators who are also former collegiate athletes. Kaia follows in the footsteps of women such as Dr. Kristen Ring and Athletics Director Catherine Chubb, both of whom were successful collegiate athletes.
We wish Kaia well on her collegiate journey beyond Hutchison. Way to go!
Fifteen-year student Emmy Walton ’23 has put her heart into becoming a rocket scientist one day. After developing her interests in science and math through various STEM opportunities at Hutchison, she will follow her dreams at one of the nation’s top schools for engineering, Purdue University.
The National Merit Finalist was challenged by Hutchison’s various academic and extracurricular activities. From the tennis court to the courtroom to the classroom, Sarah is a well-rounded, hardworking Hutchison student who lives up to the school’s mission of inspiring girls to go anywhere they can imagine.
Eve-Elyse Hall ’23 has been known for setting up her teammates on the volleyball court throughout an excellent high school career. Now she’s setting herself up for a bright future after choosing to sign to play volleyball at Asbury University in Kentucky.
Hutchison world language students participated in the 2023 U of M Language Fair, sponsored by The University of Memphis Department of World Languages and Literatures. Demonstrating their knowledge of Spanish and Chinese, Hutchison had a total of 21 students win awards at the fair.
Note to the State of Tennessee: If you want to get legislation passed, put Hutchison girls in charge! Seventeen juniors wrote and presented six bills at the YMCA Youth in Government conference in Nashville. All of the bills made it onto the Senate and House dockets, and one was signed into law.
JK girls aren’t scared of these bones! They were fearless and loved being scientists as they took a closer look at the animal bone collection of Lauren Pharr Parks ’02, alumna and mom to Patty Mae ’36.
Seven upper school students will participate in high-intensity summer programs in subjects including computational physics, international studies, and visual arts at universities across the state.
Kendyl Brown ’23 took a leap of faith in auditioning for her first production at Hutchison in middle school. That first step sparked a love of theatre, and now she is pursuing a career in acting thanks to encouragement and experience from Hutchison’s theatre department.
Dabney Roberts Ring ’90 joined Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland’s staff in January 2016. She is currently a Senior Policy Officer and the Federal Relations Lead on Mayor Strickland’s intergovernmental team. She helped build an immersive internship for Hutchison senior Katie Frazer ’23.
Each year, Hutchison seniors on the Philanthropic Literacy Board research community needs and decide how to allocate grant money to local nonprofits that focus on those issues.
As eighth graders study the Holocaust, they got a unique opportunity to hear from a Hutchison staff member and her father about her grandparents' story of survival.
Anna-Margaret Webber '23 became the latest member of the Hutchison lacrosse team to earn a college scholarship as she signed to play for Rollins College.
Natalie Alexander ’25 is the first recipient of the award. She was chosen because she exhibits characteristicsthe award’s namesake, Dot Jones Hammons ’76, has demonstrated throughout her life: intellectual curiosity, steadfastness, loyalty, kindness, and compassion.