Harpeth Hall School - Milestones Iris Yearbook (Nashville, TN)

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Polly Fessey: Director of the Middle School Throughout her fourteen years of service to the Middle School, Miss Fessey has been continually supportive of the students, faculty, and opportunities offered there. She is a pillar of the administration, directing all the activities, counseling students, and researching changes in curriculum. Working closely with the Upper School, she upholds the standards of the school in the interest of providing students the best possible preparatory education so that they might fully benefit from their future opportunities at Har peth Hall. While Miss Fessey is a person of diverse interests, she is extremely dedicated to each of her priorities. She not only oversees the Middle School but also plays an active role in her church and community. She has contributed to the maintenance of high standards at Harpeth Hall, as during the extensive re- evaluation of the school last year. She has served as both treasurer and secretary of the Mid-South Association of Independent Schools, which has awarded her a special Honorary Citation. She is also a leader in the Cumberland Valley Girl Scout program. The endearing qualities of Miss Fessey are many, but most students best remember her caring attitude and encouraging smile. Her dedication and skill as an administrator make Miss Fessey a vital force in the Middle School; as a result, her work is always evident in the Upper School as well. 20

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Joanna Rutter: Director of the Upper School In her first year as Director of the Upper School, Mrs. Rutter has filled a crucial position. From her headquarters in Souby Hall, she meets a great variety of responsibilities given her by Harpeth Hall. To some students, she is best recognized in her necessary role of school disciplinarian. To those students who are fortunate enough to get to know her on a less formal basis, she reveals a warmth of caring and a delightful sense of humor. Besides ensuring adherence to the rules, Mrs. Rutter also handles all class scheduling and excused absences. She advises students about any problems they may have with their schedules or with particular classes or teachers. She also mediates parent- faculty relations as well as those between students and faculty. Mrs. Rutter attended the Universty of Alabama, Stratford, and Winthrop; after beginning to raise a family, she returned to the classroom to graduate from Stratford at the age of thirty- two. A former Director of Admissions and Financial Aid at Stratford, she then became Head of Guidance at the Charlotte Latin School in North Carolina. Having moved to Nashville, she is adjusting to her new position at Harpeth Hall and is proving to the community her talent for organizing the activities and day-to-day administraton of the Upper School. 19

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Jane Berry While an alumna, Miss Jane Berry is a new face on campus as College Counselor and Dean of Students in the Upper School. When she is not busily advising seniors concerning their choices of and applications to colleges, she also is available to counsel students in all grades. She sponsors the Student Council and is a co-sponsor of the Junior Class. As Dean of Students, she strives to further the development of the well-rounded education of the students so that they can meet any challenge they set for themselves. Miss Berry is more than well-qualified to fulfill her responsibilities. After graduating from Harpeth Hall, she earned her Bachelor ' s and Master ' s degrees from Vanderbilt University. Upon completing her formal education, she taught history at Franklin Road Academy, where she also assumed responsibility for the college counseling. Now applying her knowledge at her alma mater. Miss Berry has offered a number of contributions and new ideas; her work on a summer program, for which she will serve as director, is in the early stages of planning. This program may one day include a limited summer school in required courses at Harpeth Hall and could be expanded to offer more classes in the arts or other fields. She is extremely enthusiastic about the many- faceted excellence of the school; like her peers in Souby Hall, Miss Berry is more impressed than ever with Harpeth Hall. Polly Nichols As Director of Development, Mrs. Polly Nichols heads the area of Harpeth Hall ' s financial advancement. In these times of economic uncertainty, nothing is more vital to the continued stability of an independant school than a broad-based support plan spearheaded by a well-established annual giving program. Mrs. Nichols has been in charge of annual giving for three of it s four years as a Harpeth Hall program. Development involves building not only financial support, but also Harpeth Hall friendships. Every effort is made by the Development Office, with the help of the other administrative staff, to create good relations with all members of the school and community by keeping them well-informed about the programs and activities of the school through personal contact, letters, and publications. Harpeth Hall ' s constituent groups — trustees, parents, alumnae, faculty, and friends — with whom Mrs. Nichols works closely to obtain both unrestricted annual gifts and gifts from individuals and foundations, are vital to the school. Through the area of development, Mrs. Nichols assists in maintaining the high quality of education which Harpeth Hall offers to young women.