Hutchison Honors Nine Retiring Faculty and Staff

5/20/2022

They have a combined total of more than 250 years of service to the Hutchison community!

Hutchison is celebrating nine retiring faculty and staff members who have dedicated 252 years to our wonderful school. We thank Hong Lin, Missy Prewitt, Loraine Galbreath ’67, Grace Anne Morrison, Virginia Baird, Gloria McKinner, Margaret Bell, Pam Shumake ’88, and Henry Hampton for inspiring and influencing generations of Hutchison girls!

All of our retirees had an impact on Hutchison students past and present. Here is what people said on social media:

Marion McDonald '82
Wow! Thank you for your many years of service to my alma mater. Hutchison is a better place because of devoted staff like you.

Tracey Rice Magnus
Congratulations Grace Anne. I can’t imagine Hutchison without you and your sweet smile.

Kaia Starks '18
Lin Laoshi had a monumental impact on my life. No one deserves retirement more.

Katie Estes '17
I bragged to a co-worker about Ms. Baird baking a cake for Latin students who made 100% on tests. I was never one to get one, sadly, but now I fully understand the Traditional Latin Mass without a translation card/ missal!

Arax Ross '99
Ms. Baird, Mrs. Galbreath, and Ms. Prewitt, you all have meant so much to my family over the years. I wish you a wonderful relaxing retirement. You have poured yourself into your students and the school. Hutchison was so special because of you. You will be missed. Ms. Galbreath, I love that you taught me, but most importantly the huge impact you had on Zabelle. She loved you more than any teacher to this point. You made a tremendous impact on her. I will always be grateful to you.

Mary Holland Morris '07
What an incredible group of women! I rejoice in your new adventures and delight in memories with many of you as my teachers! Your dedication to the mission of Hutch made a difference in so many girls’ lives, and we thank you!

Beverly Rutana '05
Wow wow wow! Hutchison campus is REALLY going to miss this crowd. Many of these women had a tremendous impact on my life. They will be missed.

Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement!

Back

Elizabeth Hays Taylor ’94: A Leap of Faith Leads to a Distinguished Career

Elizabeth Hays Taylor ’94 moved to D.C. right out of college and worked for 10 years on the Hill before moving into advocacy for the private sector.
Read More
Senior Fights Blood Shortage by Organizing Hutchison Blood Drive

Eleanor Merchant '23 wanted to find a way to help fight the national ongoing blood shortage, so she organized a blood drive at Hutchison. With her efforts over the past two years, blood donations at the Hutchison blood drive could have saved as many as 192 lives.
Read More
Allison Blankenship ’12: A View from the Hill

Allison Blankenship ’12 has committed her 10 years since graduating from Hutchison to working in the political arena, spending the last five years working in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Read More
Becca Coopwood ’27 Speaks Up for Her Peers As National Ambassador

Becca Coopwood ’27 serves as a student ambassador for The Social Institute, an organization that works to empower students to use social media and technology in a positive way. In her role, she helps produce blog posts from the perspective of students.
Read More
Maxine Engel ’21: Bigger Than a Basketball Player

If you want to see Coach Thomas Jones light up, ask him about Maxine Engel ’21 and her journey from a rising ninth grader with a broken leg to a senior walking away as a State Champion. “You know how most coaches say, ‘I helped a kid?’ Well, she helped me. Helped me grow as a coach.
Read More
Seniors Reflect on Behind-the-Scenes Tour of New Tom Lee Park

Seniors had a lot to say about the Tom Lee Park redevelopment after a recent Rogers Scholars excursion. And that's the point of these forays into the community. “They keep us aware of what is happening in our city, ultimately making us more well-rounded citizens,” said Emma Couch ’23.
Read More
Katie Davis Aims to Build Confidence in Her Girls

Meet Katie Davis, one of Hutchison's third grade teachers. Ms. Davis enjoys taking on a challenge in the classroom and the freedom to follow her students' interests. She encourages her students to become lifelong learners.
Read More
Antonella Lejwa ’23 Named National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar

The College Board has named Antonella Lejwa ’23 a National Hispanic Recognition Program Scholar, an honor reserved for a select number of outstanding students. She has proven herself through academic achievement and various extracurricular activities.
Read More
Hutchison Math Teacher, National Expert in Illustrative Math, Explains the IM Advantage in Classroom

Middle school teacher Joe Koelsch loves quadratic equations like only a math teacher can. He wants his students to spend time understanding the equations before they rush to solve them. Koelsch, a national expert in Illustrative Math (IM), wrote in a leading blog for educators that IM’s focus on understanding processes, not just the pursuit of a right answer, can be a game-changer for math students.
Read More
Middle School Girls Learn About Solving Global Issues Through Model UN

Solving global issues requires research, critical thinking, proposal crafting, and challenging discussions, and our 7th and 8th graders are honing their diplomacy skills through Model United Nations. The YMCA Middle School Model UN Conference provides an opportunity for students to practice their debate and public speaking skills in a formal setting while encouraging them to find ways to join together as a community to solve current global issues.
Read More
Hutchison Ballet Dancers Spread Holiday Cheer in “The Nutcracker” Performances

If you are planning to attend a production of "The Nutcracker" this holiday season, you might see a Hutchison girl in the performance!
Read More
Hutchison Lacrosse Coach David Gearhardt to be Inducted into Tennessee Lacrosse Hall of Fame

Hutchison Lacrosse Head Coach David Gearhardt has been selected as an inductee into the Tennessee Lacrosse Hall of Fame. The longtime Sting coach is in the inaugural class of four, one of a very select group of historically significant contributors to lacrosse in the state of Tennessee.
Read More
Little Hive Explores the Mysterious World of Forests

Mrs. Shortridge and Mrs. McKnatt followed our youngest girls’ interest in forests to expand their imagination and creativity.
Read More
Upper School Students Receive Youth Philanthropy Award

Four Hutchison students accepted the award for Outstanding Youth in Philanthropy at the AFP Memphis Crystal Awards.
Read More
Berklee Scifres ’23 Signs to Play Basketball For Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University

The career of Berklee Scifres ’23 is only going in one direction – up! Scifres is signing a college scholarship to play basketball at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, Florida, where she also plans to pursue a career in aviation.
Read More
Morgan Simmons ’23 and Kolby Cohen ’23 Receive College Athletic Scholarships

Two Hutchison seniors signed to continue their athletic careers at the collegiate level and received athletic scholarships after terrific high school careers. Morgan Simmons ’23 and Kolby Cohen ’23 were honored at a signing ceremony held at the new Keras Complex.
Read More
Lorraine Gagliano Inspires Students to Love Latin

Meet Lorraine Gagliano, Hutchison's Latin teacher. Mrs. Gagliano enjoys seeing individual students' English vocabulary and confidence grow. She hopes to spread her passion for the language and culture with her students.
Read More
Dot Jones Hammons '76: A Lifetime Devoted to Service

On Christmas morning of December 2021, Dot Jones Hammons ’76 noticed there was one last gift under the Christmas tree. It changed her life.
Read More
Two Seniors Named National Merit Semifinalists

Sarah Bartusch '23 and Eleanor Merchant '23 have been named National Merit Semifinalists based on their junior year PSAT scores.
Read More
Lynn Witte Rodriguez ’78: Embracing the Turns and Living a Life of Purpose

It is a vivid memory for Lynn Witte Rodriguez ’78. She was a sophomore at Hutchison and on a field trip with her biology class, taught by Elsie Yeates, at the Veterans Administration Medical Center. “They packed us into this little room to watch hemodialysis,” she recalled. “I was horrified by the experience. The whole thing scared me to pieces. I remember sitting there, and someone told me not to lean on one of those little silver instrument trays they put out. All of a sudden I woke up in another room. I had completely passed out.”
Read More