News

This summer Eva Melendrez ‘23 attended the Summer Science Program (SSP) Astrophysics program at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. This highly selective program has only a 10% acceptance rate of students from across the country. Below is her reflection:

Chatham Hall introduced its new turtle logo in July 2022 with a lighthearted social media campaign of voting on an official name.

Two Chatham Hall coaches will be serving on Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association (VISAA) state-level sports committees in the 2022-2023 school year.

Chatham Hall’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Jennifer Hiltwine has published “An Evolving Risk Registry” in the July/August 2022 issue of Net Assets magazine.

When Virginia Lee Wulsin Roberts ‘69 graduated from Chatham Hall, she embarked on a life of possibilities.

Chatham Hall will host five athletic tournaments in the 2022-2023 academic year.

Paula Stewart ‘04 and Imani Brooks ‘16 began their terms on the Chatham Hall Alumnae Council in July 2022. Learn more about our newest members:

This summer, Avery Deigl ‘23 spent a week at Virginia Tech’s School of Architecture + Design camp, Inside Design. Below is her reflection:

The spring season saw many successes across each of our five sports.

Letitia “Tish” Berlin ’78 has been selected to receive a 2022 American Recorder Society (ARS) Distinguished Achievement Award. This award honors individuals who have made extraordinary contributions to development of the recorder movement in North America.

Why teach at Chatham Hall?
I had a passion for Chatham Hall the first five minutes after stepping on campus. The atmosphere is steeped in tradition and a sense of belonging. Hearing the faculty and staff express their love for what this community offers made me realize Chatham Hall was a special place. But, what really convinced me that Chatham Hall was the place for me was its students. The scholars here are eager to learn, curious to share and explore their own interests, and thankful for what I have to share with them. You cannot ask for a better teaching experience than that.

What brought you to Chatham Hall?
I initially came to Chatham Hall in 2014 while working for a private security firm. Soon after that, I developed a sense of belonging and admiration for the School. Even though I was not directly employed here, I never felt like an outsider. The community soon became family and it felt amazing to be a part of that. There are several people with whom I grew especially close, and I will always give many thanks to Cathy LaDuke who was not only a mentor but a dear friend. I continue to cherish the connections that I have made with faculty, staff, and students. A couple of years later, an opportunity became available for me to officially become part of this wonderful community that I love so much - and of course I took it!

Piloted in the 2019-2020 school year, the Global Scholars Program has seen rapid growth since its inception. From three students obtaining the Global Scholars Certificate in the first year, to one the second, the program is now on track to have six graduating seniors this year with 10 juniors and two sophomores involved as well.

The 2022 Chatham Hall yearbook, the Chathamite, has been recognized in Jostens’ National Yearbook Program of Excellence at the gold level, one of only 11 award-winners nationwide.

The Global Entrepreneurism Program hosted its third annual symposium on May 11. On display were student ideas to enhance Chatham Hall, the Chatham community, and the wider world.

Acclaimed pianist Dr. Jeannette Fang performed Folk Songs from Afar for the campus community on May 11. The concert theme was the influence of folk songs on the work of Amy Beach, Karen Tanaka, and Bela Bartok. 

The Spring Collaborative is an opportunity for students to both lead and express their creativity through the performing arts, and this year’s students rose to the occasion.

From April 29-May 1, more than 100 alumnae from the Classes of 1957-2017 returned to Chatham Hall for Reunion 2022.

Eva Melendrez ‘23 has been accepted to the Summer Science Program (SSP) Astrophysics program at the New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology. This highly selective program has only a 10% acceptance rate of students from across the country.

Pianist Jeannette Fang will be performing a short recital for the campus community at 2:00 p.m. on May 11 in St. Mary’s Chapel.

Zhaojiayi “Tina” Zhang ’23 has been accepted to the Wharton Global Youth Program, a summer program hosted by the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School of Business. The program offers seven on-campus business experiences, and Zhang will be attending Leadership in the Business World (LBW).

Sustainability, a new one-semester science elective, not only brings environmental science to the Chatham Hall curriculum but was designed to use the School campus as the students’ laboratory. 

Spoken-word poet Phil Kaye was on campus in April as Chatham Hall’s 2021-2022 Writer in Residence. His visit included workshops with Advanced English students and the Classes of 2024 and 2025, a session with theatre students about performing on stage, and a keynote presentation.

The Virginia Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association (VIAAA) has announced Cathy "La" LaDuke as one of its 2022 Distinguished Service Award winners.

Forensics debuted in spring 2022 as a science elective with an inaugural class of 10 students. Focused on the scientific techniques used in the detection of crimes, Amelia Kolach led the class in using laboratory and project-based techniques in the areas of forensic theory, evidence collection, forensic tracing, and the legal system.

Ellie Larsen ‘22 has been named a National Merit Finalist by the National Merit® Scholarship Corporation due to her outstanding high school academic record, endorsement and recommendation by Chatham Hall leadership, and SAT or ACT score.

On March 23, the Living Well Alumnae Speaker Series officially debuted with a talk about women’s health from Taylor Nyberg Taliaferro '06, M.D. Dr. Taliaferro currently serves as an OB/GYN resident physician at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) Health.

Congratulations to Sherley Young ‘57 on being selected as the 2022 Distinguished Alumna Award recipient and Imani Brooks ‘16 named the inaugural Leader on the Rise Award recipient!

This winter season saw a record number of students participate in basketball, the addition of diving as a sport, the swim team head to the Blue Ridge Conference (BRC) Championships and the state meet, and one of our beloved members honored through our robotics team.

Bella Dunn ‘24 has founded a new club at Chatham Hall, LIGHT.

For the fourth year, Chatham Hall’s annual GIRLS’ Day saw students take on the role of teachers to share more about their passions.

FaFo, an online gallery, will soon launch and exhibit the original artwork and publications of Chatham Hall students. Short for “Fashion Information,” the FaFo site will provide a widely accessible platform that extends beyond the School to celebrate the diversity of Chatham Hall artists.

For three nights in February, the Winter Musical cast and crew performed their rendition of You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown. This charming musical comedy written by Clark Gesner is based on the beloved characters of Charles M. Schulz’s iconic Peanuts comics. It features songs about school and friendship.

On Saturday, Feb. 12, the Chatham Hall IEA team hosted the Region 8 Regional Finals in the Mars Arena. The day consisted of both team and individual competition, with six high school teams and more than 60 individual rides.

One hundred and fifty-five Valentine’s Day cards were delivered to the residents of Chatham on Feb. 13 & 14, courtesy of the Chatham Hall community.

The $ Club, also known as the Money, Money, Money Club, is a student body investments-based entrepreneurial club launched last year intending to offer student-investors a way to fund on-campus businesses and learn more about what makes any venture profitable.

Zoey Horn ‘22 has committed to ride as part of the University of Lynchburg’s equestrian program. Lynchburg riders compete in both the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) and the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), and Horn expects to first compete within IHSA.

Chatham Hall is pleased to announce the addition of two new competitive spring athletic programs. Golf, which will now join interscholastic competitions, and track & field will join the spring lineup with lacrosse and soccer.

Chatham Hall students and faculty spent the first month of 2022 exploring a host of new subjects during the School’s first January Term.

On Jan. 22, the Riding Program hosted their final home show of the season with the IEA team finishing as Reserve Champions out of seven competing teams!

Sunny Xu ’23 recently won a Gold Key Scholastic Art & Writing Award presented by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers.

Chatham Hall is pleased to announce Jessica Gray as head lacrosse coach for the 2022 spring season. Gray, who recently moved to the area, comes from Drew University where she was the assistant director of athletic communications and head field hockey coach.