Miss Hall's School
Encyclopedia
Miss Hall's School, located in Pittsfield, Massachusetts
, is a highly selective independent school for girls aged 14–18. It was one of the first girls' boarding school
s established in New England
.
Miss Hall's School was founded in 1898 by Mira Hinsdale Hall
, a graduate of Smith College
.
Today, Miss Hall's School offers a sophisticated college preparatory curriculum
augmented by two innovative, nationally acclaimed programs, Horizons and the Girls Leadership Project. Horizons is an experiential learning program in which all students do volunteer work in the community. Through Horizons, girls work in one of 72 off-campus sites to hone their communication and problem-solving skills, refine ethical positions, strengthen financial literacy, and explore interests for college majors and careers. Through the Girls Leadership Project, young women conduct research and design programs and workshops around the themes of "voice" and personal authority and leadership.
The school mission statement says that it "inspires and encourages each girl to pursue the highest standards of learning and character; to contribute boldly and creatively to the common good; and to seek a purposeful life based on honor, respect, and personal authenticity."
Average class size: 10; students of color: 22%; international students: 24%; 20 states and 18 countries; faculty with advanced degrees: 75%.
The School held, in 1906, certification in the New England Entrance Certificate Board, which allowed students who satisfactorily completed the College Preparatory Course to be admitted to Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Vassar, Wellesley, and Wells "without examination."
In 1908 Miss Hall bought the Colonel Walter Cutting Estate at the present location of the School, 492 Holmes Road. The School was officially moved to the new location in 1909, and the coeducational day school was discontinued. While still offering two courses of study, the "general academic" and "college preparatory," the School grew in reputation, and Mira Hall was well established nationally as a progressive educator of young women.
In February 1923 tragedy struck when a fire broke out in the ceiling of the school's gymnasium. All of the students and faculty escaped safely, but the fire took the life of one employee and destroyed the estate. Miss Hall, then 60 years old, chose to rebuild and in October 1924 the school's current Georgian building was completed. At that time that the school incorporated as a non-profit educational institution and established a self-perpetuating board of trustees. Winthrop M. Crane Jr. became the first board president. Miss Hall's School continued to grow in reputation, and became a nationally recognized college-preparatory school for girls. In 1931 Fortune Magazine, reporting on the modern trend in feminine education in private schools, listed Miss Hall's among the nation's top ten schools.
Mira Hall died suddenly on August 25, 1937, while on vacation in Maine. In the words of students who wrote a tribute at the time of her death, she "inspired in us the will to live our lives well and to make them worthy of her confidence in us."
College counseling is offered for all students. According to school officials, recent college placements include: Boston University; Boston College; Bryn Mawr; Chicago Art Institute; Clark University; Colby; Colgate; College of Charleston; Cornell; Dartmouth; Georgetown; George Washington; Hamilton; Harvard; Lafayette; Lehigh; Middlebury; The New School; Northeastern; NYU; RISD; Saint Michael's College; Salve Regina; Smith; Trinity; Union; William & Mary; Williams College; Wellesley; Yale; Emory; and the Universities of California Davis, Massachusetts, Southern California, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Winter Teams
Spring Teams
Non-Interscholastic Offerings
-style, 90000 square feet (8,361.3 m²) Main Building was built in 1923. It underwent an eight-year, renovation and expansion that began in 1996. In this building are classrooms, laboratories, choral and instrumental music rehearsal space, administrative offices, the Humes Euston Hall Library, and residential hallways. Other campus sites include the Anne Meyer Cross Athletic Center, Ara West Grinnell Teaching Greenhouse, Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Arts Center, and Jessie P. Quick Ski Chalet.
Pittsfield, Massachusetts
Pittsfield is the largest city and the county seat of Berkshire County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the principal city of the Pittsfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area which encompasses all of Berkshire County. Its area code is 413. Its ZIP code is 01201...
, is a highly selective independent school for girls aged 14–18. It was one of the first girls' boarding school
Boarding school
A boarding school is a school where some or all pupils study and live during the school year with their fellow students and possibly teachers and/or administrators. The word 'boarding' is used in the sense of "bed and board," i.e., lodging and meals...
s established in New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
.
Miss Hall's School was founded in 1898 by Mira Hinsdale Hall
Mira Hinsdale Hall
Mira Hinsdale Hall was the founder of the Miss Hall's School in Pittsfield, Massachusetts.-Early life:Mira Hinsdale Hall was born to Charles and Elizabeth Wing Hinsdale Hall in Leroy, New York, on the twenty-first of April, 1863. Her father died when she was very young...
, a graduate of Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
.
Today, Miss Hall's School offers a sophisticated college preparatory curriculum
Curriculum
See also Syllabus.In formal education, a curriculum is the set of courses, and their content, offered at a school or university. As an idea, curriculum stems from the Latin word for race course, referring to the course of deeds and experiences through which children grow to become mature adults...
augmented by two innovative, nationally acclaimed programs, Horizons and the Girls Leadership Project. Horizons is an experiential learning program in which all students do volunteer work in the community. Through Horizons, girls work in one of 72 off-campus sites to hone their communication and problem-solving skills, refine ethical positions, strengthen financial literacy, and explore interests for college majors and careers. Through the Girls Leadership Project, young women conduct research and design programs and workshops around the themes of "voice" and personal authority and leadership.
The school mission statement says that it "inspires and encourages each girl to pursue the highest standards of learning and character; to contribute boldly and creatively to the common good; and to seek a purposeful life based on honor, respect, and personal authenticity."
Average class size: 10; students of color: 22%; international students: 24%; 20 states and 18 countries; faculty with advanced degrees: 75%.
History
Miss Hall's School has chosen to date its founding from 1898, as that is when Miss Mira Hinsdale Hall began her forty-year leadership of the School, an era that brought the School to the forefront of women's independent secondary education. A broader historical view would be that the present school is a successor institution to one founded in 1800 by Miss Hall's great aunt, Nancy Hinsdale. That was the first girls' boarding school established in Massachusetts and the first attempt to provide advanced education for young women in the town of Pittsfield. The School evolved through various owners throughout the 1800s and was known at one point as the Pittsfield Young Ladies' Seminary. In 1898 Miss Hall bought the school that was sitting at South and Reed streets and began to apply her many talents to its expansion. For the next nine years, Miss Hall not only enrolled high school girls but also incorporated a coeducational primary day program into her school.The School held, in 1906, certification in the New England Entrance Certificate Board, which allowed students who satisfactorily completed the College Preparatory Course to be admitted to Mt. Holyoke, Smith, Vassar, Wellesley, and Wells "without examination."
In 1908 Miss Hall bought the Colonel Walter Cutting Estate at the present location of the School, 492 Holmes Road. The School was officially moved to the new location in 1909, and the coeducational day school was discontinued. While still offering two courses of study, the "general academic" and "college preparatory," the School grew in reputation, and Mira Hall was well established nationally as a progressive educator of young women.
In February 1923 tragedy struck when a fire broke out in the ceiling of the school's gymnasium. All of the students and faculty escaped safely, but the fire took the life of one employee and destroyed the estate. Miss Hall, then 60 years old, chose to rebuild and in October 1924 the school's current Georgian building was completed. At that time that the school incorporated as a non-profit educational institution and established a self-perpetuating board of trustees. Winthrop M. Crane Jr. became the first board president. Miss Hall's School continued to grow in reputation, and became a nationally recognized college-preparatory school for girls. In 1931 Fortune Magazine, reporting on the modern trend in feminine education in private schools, listed Miss Hall's among the nation's top ten schools.
Mira Hall died suddenly on August 25, 1937, while on vacation in Maine. In the words of students who wrote a tribute at the time of her death, she "inspired in us the will to live our lives well and to make them worthy of her confidence in us."
Academics
As part of its college preparatory curriculum, the School offers classes in math, science, history, English, foreign languages (including French, Spanish, Latin, Chinese, and English as a Second Language), the arts, and athletics, as well as an off-campus experiential learning program called Horizons. Students generally take 5 to 6 classes per semester and must complete at least 18 credits to graduate. There are seventy-six different courses offered in total. Currently, fifteen Advanced Placement courses are offered, with at least one in each discipline.College counseling is offered for all students. According to school officials, recent college placements include: Boston University; Boston College; Bryn Mawr; Chicago Art Institute; Clark University; Colby; Colgate; College of Charleston; Cornell; Dartmouth; Georgetown; George Washington; Hamilton; Harvard; Lafayette; Lehigh; Middlebury; The New School; Northeastern; NYU; RISD; Saint Michael's College; Salve Regina; Smith; Trinity; Union; William & Mary; Williams College; Wellesley; Yale; Emory; and the Universities of California Davis, Massachusetts, Southern California, Vermont, Virginia, and Wisconsin.
Extracurricular activities
There are many clubs and programs, including:- Vocal Ensemble
- International Student Alliance
- Grace Notes
- Essence
- Instrumental Ensemble
- Jazz Band
- Rock Band
- PAaLS/Girls Leadership Project
- Theater and Technical Theater Ensembles
- Hallways - The MHS newspaper
- SoL - The MHS literary magazine
- Hallmark - The MHS yearbook
- Latin Club
- French Club
- Spanish Club
- HIFA - Halls is for Animals
- Z-Club - community service
- HEAT - Hall's Environmental Action Team (Environmental Club)
- Gay-Straight Alliance
Athletics
Fall Teams- Cross Country V
- Soccer V/JV
- Volleyball V/JV
Winter Teams
- Skiing V/JV
- Basketball V/JV
Spring Teams
- Lacrosse V/JV
- Softball V/JV
- Tennis V
Non-Interscholastic Offerings
- Aerobics
- Movement and Dance
- Recreational Tennis
- Recreational Running
- Fitness
- Recreational Skiing
- Intro to Sports
MHS Terminology
- Spoon - Witherspoon Dorm (Seniors live there)
- The Klein - Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Arts Center
- The Cross - Anne Meyer Cross Athletic Center
- The Chalet - Jessie P. Quick Ski Chalet
- Jeans Day - Certain allocated days when students can donate $1 toward a specified charity in order to wear jeans to class
- BLR - Book Locker Room, where students and faculty pass through many times during the day and where the booklockers are located
- Hallmark - Miss Hall's School yearbook
- Hallways - School newspaper
- Fob - electronic key needed for entrance to all campus buildings and dormitories
- One of Us - Special assembly in which an alum comes back to speak to the girls about what they have done since graduating
- Morning Meeting - All school assembly held twice weekly for 30 minutes in the dining hall
- Horizons - Community service program built into the regular curriculum
- OD Office - On Duty Office
- The OD - The faculty or staff member On Duty
- Pledge - Must be written by students on all pieces of work turned in to attest to academic honesty (I have not given not receive help on this test/quiz/paper)
- Proctors - Seniors who live in the dorms with underclassmen and check them in at night
- Judicial - Issued for minor disciplinary infractions, the student must appear before an elected committee
- SFAC - Student Faculty Advisory Committee deals with major violations of school rules
- First/Second Bridge - Used to mark distance in off-campus runs down Pomeroy Avenue
- Ring Dinner - Formal dinner in the fall when the seniors receive their class rings
- Awards Banquet - Biggest formal dinner the year, the night before commencement with the awards for the year are announced
- Snake Dance - On the last night of school, right after the awards banquet, when the juniors receive their senior blazers
- Senior Garden - A special garden that only seniors are allowed to sit in, unless they invite an underclass girl to join them
- Hall Parents/Dorm Parents - Faculty that live in the dorms
- Groves - Development office and houses faculty
Campus
The GeorgianGeorgian architecture
Georgian architecture is the name given in most English-speaking countries to the set of architectural styles current between 1720 and 1840. It is eponymous for the first four British monarchs of the House of Hanover—George I of Great Britain, George II of Great Britain, George III of the United...
-style, 90000 square feet (8,361.3 m²) Main Building was built in 1923. It underwent an eight-year, renovation and expansion that began in 1996. In this building are classrooms, laboratories, choral and instrumental music rehearsal space, administrative offices, the Humes Euston Hall Library, and residential hallways. Other campus sites include the Anne Meyer Cross Athletic Center, Ara West Grinnell Teaching Greenhouse, Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Arts Center, and Jessie P. Quick Ski Chalet.
Notable alumnae
- Jean ErdmanJean ErdmanJean Erdman is a dancer and choreographer of modern dance as well as an avant-garde theater director.-Early years:Erdman was born on February 20, 1916 in Honolulu, Hawaii...
, influential figure in the world of modern danceModern danceModern dance is a dance form developed in the early 20th century. Although the term Modern dance has also been applied to a category of 20th Century ballroom dances, Modern dance as a term usually refers to 20th century concert dance.-Intro:...
and part of the Martha GrahamMartha GrahamMartha Graham was an American modern dancer and choreographer whose influence on dance has been compared with the influence Picasso had on modern visual arts, Stravinsky had on music, or Frank Lloyd Wright had on architecture.She danced and choreographed for over seventy years...
Dance Company