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In less than a year, Ellie Lachenauer’s (II) passion for business and women’s rights led her from a day visit to the Fidelity Investments offices to launching her own initiative—G2-LEAD (Girls To Learn, Experience and Discover). In June 2016, Ellie will host a conference connecting 20 local, female high school students with women business leaders for mentorship opportunities.

“I went to Fidelity last January with 91̽��’s Invest in Girls student club,” says Ellie. “I met with several female employees and toured the facilities. This trip was eye opening for me; seeing the inside of a finance company helped me envision myself pursuing a career in business. However I noticed that, while there were female employees, most of the upper-level portfolio managers were male. As a girl hoping to go into business, this discouraged me.”

A formal, traditional expression of School life, Convocation marks the start of the academic year: new opportunities, new faculty, and new classmates. Messages from Head of School Todd Bland, Upper School Principal David Ball, and 91̽��’s co-head monitors, Avery Park (I) and Mack Makishima (I), were highlights of the ceremony. Mr. Bland welcomed everyone and encouraged each student and adult to take the time for quiet, mindful moments during the busy months ahead. Mr. Ball’s message, which began with a humorous childhood tale of summer camp and baseball hats, encouraged us to make connections with each other because, “Where there’s a name, there’s a story. Each of us is a bundle of narratives.”

Evan Scales (II) has a passion for film. Drawing on skills he honed in 91̽��’s Moving Image class, and as a freelance photographer and filmmaker, he spent the summer shooting and editing his first, full feature production, Liberté. Evan’s goal was to submit a film to the Louisiana Film Prize, which requires films to be shot in northwest Louisiana. He started writing the script last September. Liberté is a story about a chance encounter between a boy and an older man, who unbeknownst to the boy is his grandfather.

91̽��’s programming for new students begins on Tuesday, September 8. Opening of school activities are designed to help students get to know one another, get to know the adults on campus, and help them feel comfortable at School. We know that while new students are surrounded by welcoming faces, they are making their way over unfamiliar terrain.

Our programs in the opening days are geared toward helping everyone get acclimated—to feel good about who and where they are. These programs are designed by in-house experts—our own faculty and students—who know what being new to 91̽�� feels like and what experiences will be helpful in those first few days.

For the opening of school schedule, visit the opening of school calendar. Links to a student’s opening of school schedule will also be posted in the my91̽�����������dzܲԳ�.

“What we call the beginning is often the end. And to make an end is to make a beginning. The end is where we start from.”
– T.S. Eliot, Class of 1906

91̽�� awarded diplomas to 181 seniors during the School’s commencement exercises on June 5, 2015. One longstanding tradition of the ceremony is students electing their student speakers, which assures seniors that they will, at their last 91̽�� gathering, hear from classmates they have chosen. This year, students selected Bobby Gilmore and Kate Stockbridge. Delivering the commencement address was alumnus Ned Sahin Ph.D., 91̽�� Class of 1994.