Ashley Hall is a

private school A private school or independent school is a school not administered or funded by the government, unlike a State school, public school. Private schools are schools that are not dependent upon national or local government to finance their fina ...

located in Charleston, South Carolina, enrolling students in kindergarten through grade 12 with a co-educational pre-k program. It was founded in 1909 by Mary Vardrine McBee, who headed the institution for many years. It is the only all-girls' independent

in South Carolina.The school motto is ''Possunt Quae Volunt'', or "Girls who have the will have the ability." Ashley Hall's campus features numerous historic properties: James Nicholson House (McBee House), 172 Rutledge Avenue (c.1816-1820), Warren Street House, 89 Warren Street (c.1823), The Elizabeth Rivers Lewine ’54 House for Global Studies, 79 Rutledge Avenue (c.1876), and the Muti House for Performing Arts, 159 Rutledge Avenue (c. 1845).

History

In the spring of 1909, Mary Vardrine McBee bought the James Nicholson House at 172 Rutledge Avenue to found an independent

college preparatory A college-preparatory school (often shortened to prep school, preparatory school, college prep school or college prep academy) is a type of secondary school. The term refers to public, private independent or parochial schools primarily design ...

school for girls. She named the school Ashley Hall. During her 40-year tenure, the school grew from just 46 students in grades 10–12 to a much larger student body in Lower, Middle and Upper schools. McBee established the Alumnae Association, instilling many of the traditions that still exist today, and acquiring facilities that would serve as the foundation for the institution for years to come. Her school included the McBee House (now so named) and surrounding grounds, an indoor swimming pool, the "Old Gym" (Burges auditorium), kitchen and dining room, the Headmistress House and faculty apartments across the street from Ashley Hall. In 1948 the Ashley Hall Foundation was established. The Foundation purchased Ashley Hall from McBee in 1949, the year of her retirement. The Foundation's first move was to appoint William Piper as Head of School. He served as Head from 1949 to 1954. Caroline Pardue joined Ashley Hall in 1950 as the Academic Head of the Upper School and teacher of history. She was appointed Headmistress in 1954 and continued to serve in that capacity for the next 25 years until 1978. Her many accomplishments include the establishment of Pardue, Lane and Jenkins Halls to officially house Lower, Middle and Upper school classrooms, the construction of Davies Auditorium, and the incorporation of a kindergarten for boys and girls. It was also during her leadership that the school shifted its student base, eliminating boarding opportunities to focus on local students. In 1976 the school graduated its first African-American student. Upon Pardue's retirement, Marian Bell Leland assumed the role of Headmistress from 1979 to 1984. Leland was instrumental in and created the Capital Campaign, the Ashley Hall Fund, which funded the construction of the school's gymnasium. Margaret C. MacDonald led Ashley Hall from 1985 to 2004. She is credited for elevating the school's academic standards. She established financial aid programs and additional scholarships, initiated the school's first campus master plan, developed teaching excellence awards, the aquatics and admissions departments, and added to the physical property of the school. MacDonald, along with the school's Board of Trustees, also helped create the 2003–2008 Strategic Plan. This comprehensive blueprint outlines the future goals of the school as they relate to academics, student and faculty recruitment and facilities enhancements.

School publications

Student publications * ''Spiral'' – school yearbook * ''Acanthus'' – Upper School literary magazine Development publications * ''Perspectives'' – official school magazine, distributed to all alumni, families, students and faculty

Athletics

Ashley Hall participates in the

South Carolina Independent School Association The South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA) is a school accrediting organization. It was founded in South Carolina in 1965 to legitimize segregation academies. History SCISA was founded on August 10, 1965 with seven member schools ...

(SCISA). The school is famed for its excellent varsity volleyball and tennis teams. It has rivalries with

Porter-Gaud School The Porter-Gaud School is an independent coeducational college preparatory day school in Charleston, in the U.S. state of South Carolina. Porter-Gaud has an enrollment of some 1100 students, comprising a lower school, middle school, and hi ...

and Bishop England High School. * Fall sports: **Cross country (SCISA Class AAA State Champions 2010, 2015, 2016, and 2020) **Golf **Swimming **Tennis (SCISA Class AAA State Champions 2016, 2018, 2019, and 2020) **Volleyball (SCISA Class AAA State Champions 2007, 2008, 2009, 2018) * Winter sports: **Basketball * Spring sports: **Archery **Sailing **Soccer **Lacrosse **Equestrian **Track (SCISA Class AAA State Champions 2013, 2014) Zoom photo68 43151

Notable alumni

Madeleine L'Engle Madeleine L'Engle (; November 29, 1918 – September 6, 2007) was an American writer of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, and young adult fiction, including ''A Wrinkle in Time'' and its sequels: '' A Wind in the Door'', '' A Swiftly Tilting Planet'' ...

(Class of 1936), author *

Barbara Bush Barbara Bush (; June 8, 1925 – April 17, 2018) was the first lady of the United States from 1989 to 1993, as the wife of the 41st president of the United States, George H. W. Bush. She was previously second lady of the United States fr ...

(Class of 1943, née Pierce), former First Lady *

Nancy Stevenson Ferdinan Backer "Nancy" Stevenson (June 8, 1928 – May 31, 2001) was an American politician who served as Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina from 1979 to 1983. She was the first and only woman to be elected to statewide office in South Carolin ...

(Class of 1945, née Backer),

Lieutenant Governor of South Carolina The lieutenant governor of South Carolina is the second-in-command to the governor of South Carolina. Beyond the responsibility to act or serve as governor in the event of the office's vacancy, the duties of the lieutenant governor are chiefly ce ...

Nancy Friday Nancy Colbert Friday (August 27, 1933 – November 5, 2017) was an American author who wrote on the topics of female sexuality and liberation. Her writings argue that women have often been reared under an ideal of womanhood, which was outdated ...

(Class of 1951), author *

Alexandra Ripley Alexandra Ripley ( Braid; January 8, 1934 – January 10, 2004) was an American writer best known as the author of '' Scarlett'' (1991), written as a sequel to ''Gone with the Wind''. Her first novel was ''Who's the Lady in the President's Bed? ...

(Class of 1951, née Braid), author * Harriet McDougal Rigney (Class of 1956, née Popham), editor * Josephine Humphreys (Class of 1963), author *

D'Anna Fortunato D'Anna Fortunato (born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on February 21, 1945) is an American mezzo-soprano. She has long been an admired favorite on the American orchestral-concert scene, while establishing herself as a respected operatic artist as we ...

(Class of 1963), mezzo-soprano *

Martha Rivers Ingram Martha Robinson Rivers Ingram (born August 20, 1935) is an American billionaire businesswoman and philanthropist. In 1995, Ingram succeeded her late husband as chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of Ingram Industries, one of America's larg ...

, business leader, philanthropist *

Mena Suvari Mena Alexandra Suvari (; born February 13, 1979) is an American actress, producer, fashion designer and model. The accolades she has received include a Screen Actors Guild Awards, Screen Actors Guild Award, along with nominations for a Primetime ...

, actress *

Lisa Sanders Lisa Sanders (born July 24, 1956) is an American physician, medical author and journalist, and associate professor of internal medicine and education at Yale School of Medicine. In 2002, she began writing a column for ''The New York Times'' called ...

(Class of 1973), physician, medical author, and journalist *

Frederica Mathewes-Green Frederica Mathewes-Green (born ) is an American author and speaker, chiefly on topics related to Eastern Orthodox belief and practice. Mathewes-Green earned a MTS degree from Virginia Theological Seminary in 1977 and received an honorary Docto ...

, Orthodox Christian author *

Emma Navarro Emma Navarro (born May 18, 2001) is an American professional tennis player. She has a career-high singles ranking of world No. 8 by the WTA, achieved on September 9, 2024 and a best doubles ranking of No. 93, set in 2024. Navarro has won two sin ...

, professional tennis player

References

External links

Ashley Hall websiteAshley Hall Summer Camp Registration
from ''

The State A state is a political entity that regulates society and the population within a definite territory. Government is considered to form the fundamental apparatus of contemporary states. A country often has a single state, with various administrat ...

'' {{authority control Private elementary schools in South Carolina Private high schools in South Carolina Private middle schools in South Carolina Educational institutions established in 1909 Schools in Charleston County, South Carolina Education in Charleston, South Carolina Preparatory schools in South Carolina 1909 establishments in South Carolina