Ashley Hall
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Ashley Hall is a girls' school in Charleston, South Carolina, founded in 1909 by Mary Vardrine McBee, who headed the institution until 1949. It is the only girls' college-preparatory school in the state. Charleston legend has it that the original owner of the McBee House, the mansion on the school property, was the man on whom Margaret Mitchell based the character Rhett Butler in her novel, Gone with the Wind. Up until the 1950's, Ashley Hall was a boarding school, and since then has served as a day school.
The school's motto is Possunt Quae Volunt, or “Girls who have the will have the ability.” (This was changed in regard to a senior and AP Latin student's suggestion in 2003; the previous motto was Possunt Qui Volunt, or “They who have the will have the ability.”) The school has been noted throughout the Southeast U.S. in the past decade for its championship-winning varsity and junior varsity volleyball teams.
Students
The student body population is 613 students, 90% of whom are white. This number includes students from the age of 2 years old to seniors in high school. Preschool (ages 2-4) is co-educational, and from kindergarten until senior year the school body is all-girls. The school claims that 100% of its graduates go on to college.
Notable alumnae
- Barbara Bush (Class of 1943, née Pierce), former First Lady [1] (http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/firstladies/bb41.html)
- Madeleine L'Engle (Class of 1936), author [2] (http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/living/11474919.htm)
- Josephine Humphreys (Class of 1963), author [3] (http://www.dukemagazine.duke.edu/dukemag/issues/030401/love.html)
- Alexandra Ripley, (Class of 1951, née Braid), author [4] (http://www.ashleyhall.org/prospects/alumnaeprofiles.html)
External links
- Ashley Hall website (http://www.ashleyhall.org/)
- Article about Ashley Hall (http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/living/11474919.htm) from The State