Front row, left to right: Mia Chelsoi ’28, Molly Piper Spear ’27, Ella Ann Russell ’27, Abby Portnoy ’27, Madden Culpepper ’27, Kaitlyn Johnson ’27, Dottie Higginbotham ’27, Menaal Haris ’28, Eman Kadiro ’28 | Back row, left to right: Katie Phan ’28, Rowan White ’28, Abby Livingston ’28, Kelly Patterson ’28, Sienna Blaylock ’28, Eloise McDonald ’28, Layla Lee ’27, and seventh grade social science teacher Kollin Falk
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Middle School Girls Get Hands-On Experience in Politics Through Youth in Government
Middle school girls got a taste of what it’s like to be state legislators by drafting and debating bills for the Youth in Government Conference.
Sixteen Hutchison middle school students rose to the challenge of running the State Capitol at the Youth in Government Conference in Memphis. Part of the Tennessee YMCA Youth in Government Program, these annual conferences are designed to offer high school and middle school students a hands-on experience with state government. Students roleplay and take the places of real government officials. While the one-day middle school conferences are simplified compared to the larger-scale high school versions, the students benefit from the same valuable educational opportunities when drafting and debating bills.
As state legislators at the conference, Hutchison participants wrote and presented several bills. Topics included fighting youth delinquency, improving foster care, and helping children’s mental health. A bill by Molly Piper Spear ’27, Ella Ann Russell ’27, and Abby Portnoy ’27 went on to the General Assembly, and it passed. They received an Outstanding Bill award, along with another eighth grade group, Dottie Higginbotham ’27 and Kaitlyn Johnson ’27, and a seventh grade group, Mia Chelsoi ’28, Menaal Haris ’28, and Eman Kadiro ’28. Madden Culpepper ’27 also received an Outstanding Statesperson award.
The following students participated in the Youth in Government Conference:
Sienna Blaylock ’28
Mia Chelsoi ’28
Madden Culpepper ’27
Menaal Haris ’28
Dottie Higginbotham ’27
Kaitlyn Johnson ’27
Eman Kadiro ’28
Layla Lee ’27
Abby Livingston ’28
Eloise McDonald ’28
Kelly Patterson ’28
Katie Phan ’28
Abby Portnoy ’27
Ella Ann Russell ’27
Molly Piper Spear ’27
Rowan White ’28
We are proud of our girls' hard work and civic engagement during this wonderful learning opportunity. Through programs like Youth in Government, Hutchison educates young women for success and lives of integrity and responsible citizenship.
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.