Holton-Arms Admission Videos!

Our new admission videos premiered this week and we are delighted with the response from our faculty and students. Now it's your turn. Watch your division's video (or all three) and share them, like them, tweet them, and pin them...but most of all show them to friends and family who would like to learn more about this amazing community!

PJ Day!

What could be more fun than playing and studying with your best friends? Studying and playing with your best friends...in pajamas!
Holton-Arms Spirit Week continues and the girls took full advantage of PJ Day! Flannel, footie, cotton, and velour...they enjoyed a little time out of their typical plaid skirts and jumpers to celebrate being a panther!

Go Blue! Go White!

It's SPIRIT WEEK at Holton-Arms and even though it's a long-standing tradition, nothing can prepare you for the scene in the dining room on Blue/White day! The entire Holton community represents their team color by dressing in blue or white and celebrates with a fun-filled lunch.  A deejay, dancing, laughter, and enough blue and white iced cupcakes to satisfy over 600 screaming girls...it's quite a party. Ask your daughter about it tonight at dinner, but don't be surprised if she busts a move at the dining table.
>>View the Blue/White Day media gallery

A hAPPy bunch of girls!

Look who got their iPads today! The Holton fifth grade students were giddy with excitement as they awaited their new iPads.

The students have been waiting patiently and after several lessons covering the basics, including digital citizenship and the care and keeping of their new devices, they are now ready to receive this fabulous little nugget of technology genius. Have fun girls! And remember...with great technology comes great responsibility (or something like that).

And parents don't forget all of the resources we have for you on the parent portal including links to helpful articles from Common Sense Media - one of the best resources you can have raising these little digital natives of ours.

Pedals with a Purpose

Lower School has just completed its donated bikes collection for Bikes for the World.  They donated over 25 bikes to other kids around the world who can use them to change the momentum of their lives. Lower School Division Director Patrick Bane and Lower School Administrative Assistant Helen Poon showed this video to the girls during LS Gathering to inspire them to make a difference in the lives of someone else simply by donating the bikes they have outgrown. 

Mr. Bane and Ms. Poon also gave bike lessons in exchange for a $10 donation to help defray the cost of shipping the bikes overseas. They were able to contribute $80 to go along with the 25 bicycles. Way to go Lower School!

Find a Snack or Make One!

Did you know that The Panther Pantry has grown quite a bit since its inception last year! In fact, it’s literally taken off...The Panther Pantry is now mobile!

Keep an eye out for them at athletic events and on the car pool line. The mobile Panther Pantry is freshly stocked with snacks and ice cold drinks daily. Come check it out. We’d love to see you!

In other Panther Pantry news, they are now serving soft serve frozen yogurt daily in the pool lounge at the original Panther Pantry. Top it with strawberries and agave and voila...a snack that is delicious and nutritious!

Best. Day. Ever.

LS teacher Carol Baker and her reading celebration group.

The Lower School Reading celebration proved to be just that...the best day ever. In fact, Lower School Counselor Julie Rodriguez had this to share with the staff at the Scene:

The girls were so proud they were able to get everybody’s observation into writing.  They thought it was very important that everybody’s name was mentioned not only since each person contributed to the team and the success of the day, but also because it will be in each of their memories forever.

I had so much fun working with the group throughout such a variety of interactions.  The girls had so much fun throughout the day and enjoyed pulling it together in their own writing piece. (See below.)


My favorite quote was, "This was the best eyes-on learning day ever.  I am an outdoor kind of person and I wish we had more of these eyes-on types of activities with all the grades, lots of talking and outdoor cooperation.”

“THE BEST DAY EVER”
Twisting and turning around many plants;
Would have been a good thing if we had worn pants.

Slowing down for wobbly rocks;
Paying careful attention to avoid wet socks.

Girls laughing with faces towards the sun;
Everybody working together to get the job done.

Slippery rocks must be passed along;
To build a path that seems a mile long.

Keshini, Tess and Zada too;
Must lead the way to avoid the goo.

Sarah and Isabel stray away;
To find sea glass that has come from the Bay.

Hailey turns around to wave;
Please come join her in the darkest cave.

Paige and Priyanka strongest from the end;
Quiety lead the way around the last bend.

Mrs. R’s group loving their observation;
Feeling that today was the very best invitation.

Read the complete Lower School Reading Celebration story on our Holton News page.

Hit me with your Best Shot!

Good luck getting that song out of your head. (Sorry, we couldn't resist such an easy Pat Benatar reference on a Friday afternoon.) 


Eighth grade students spent the day learning how to hit and heal while the seventh grade students were away at outdoor education. Middle School Health Teacher Carrie Braun and Middle School Counselor Kristen Edma brought in Defend Yourself - a local company committed to empower girls to recognize, prevent, and/or defend against a possible attack. The girls learned that they always have a choice...in fact they have five.

• Run

• Yell 

• Tell 

• Hit

• Go Along 

Those all sound like good choices to us at Scene headquarters and don't worry - go along just means to give the attacker the purse or phone or whatever item it is the s/he wants...it doesn't mean to go along with the attacker. (Which we all know from watching Oprah that you should never go with an attacker to a second location.) 
After the lessons in self defense in the morning the girls were trained and became certified in First Aid by Rescue One Training for Life in the afternoon. Wow, what a day! Good to know that these girls are prepared no matter what comes their way. 

The Five Choices of Self-Defense:

A History Lesson From Mrs. Jones

The Class of 2023 was in for a special surprise today as they received a history lesson about Holton-Arms from Head of School Susanna A. Jones in the Simms Reception Room. 

Third grade is such a special year for so many reasons, but one is the unique interaction they get to have with members of the Holton community. This history lesson remains a favorite of the girls as they learn that they are part of something much bigger than themselves. They are now part of a community of students and alumnae with amazing stories that span over 112 years of finding a way or making one.   

POP QUIZ: Do you know what Mrs. Holton wanted the School to resemble when she worked with the architect who designed 2125 S Street? Watch this short clip to find out!

In Honor of 9/11

From Mr. Kenny Bryson:

"In honor of the Twelfth Anniversary of the September 11th attacks, the Holton-Arms Community will recognize this solemn day by flying our flags at half-mast. This is also a National Day of Service and Remembrance and we proudly acknowledge the efforts of our Lower School girls and other community members who are supporting this special day of recognition."

Oh no, they didn't...

Oh yes, they did!

No, you are not seeing things and yes, those are Middle School faculty members in Holton plaid. Well, not in plaid the way we are supposed to see it, but dressed as "over-the-top" Middle School students in their highly-acclaimed, annual "What Not to Do" skits. MS Counselor Kristen Edma explained, "Each year, we demonstrate our acting genius and review the handbook for the students by basically 'breaking all the rules.'" The performance is happens during Middle School study hall and is a one-time only engagement. Mrs. Edma went on to share that the faculty "dress up in Holton 'uniform' (out of uniform), talk back to the teacher, come to class late, forget our homework, chew gum...you get the idea.  The girls LOVE it!"

Sixth Grade Hits the Trail!

The sixth grade went out on a limb this year and planned the first Outdoor Ed experience for the first week of school at Adventure Links at Hemlock Overlook. Lower School Director Patrick Bane said, “This trip is a wonderful way to begin the year as the entire grade has a common experience to launch them into an amazing year ahead.”

The girls most definitely had a blast while they tackled various challenges as individuals and as groups and accomplished the goals set forth for them by the Hemlock Overlook staff which included:
• Develop group values, problem solving tools, individual reflection and goal setting
• Leadership development
• Targeted challenges that optimize your team’s effectiveness
• Taking appropriate risks
• Stepping outside of the everyday comfort zone in a supportive, healthy environment

The most important question we asked the sixth grade class was "did you have fun?" And, though exhausted, we got a resounding "YES!" And they had a question for us, as well. “Is the Panther Pantry still open?” Holton girls...they love their adventures and their snacks.

The Scribbler has a fresh online presence

Editor-in-Chief of the The Scribbler Susannah Bane '13 and her staff spent the summer building a beautiful new website to serve the students of the Holton-Arms School. In a recent e-mail to the community, Susannah explained, "Now you can access your favorite Scribbler articles anywhere you want and also enjoy extended slideshows and polls."

The staff at the Scene is excited to see more Holton publications going digital. Susannah also reminded the community that they can visit the Scribbler on their smartphones. (By the way...does anyone use their phone to make calls any more?)

Congratulations to the entire Scribbler staff! Check it out today!

What did you do over summer break?

Science Research interns present their findings each fall.

It's the number one question heard all over the Holton campus the first few days of school. What did you do? Did you read any good books? Go on any adventures? Learn anything new?

We really like to ask questions around Holton and most of all we like to be together as a community, so when we are apart you better believe we are going to ask a plethora of questions when we are reunited. Like the Alma Mater says, Be we far or nigh...

So...to answer the question for a large part of our senior class they probably either participated in the Holton Science Research Internship Program or a Junior Journey - the culminating travel experience in our Global Education Program. We know these young ladies are preparing to make a difference in a complex and changing world when they graduate, but it looks like these students started by leading from where they are. Like the Director of Global Education Melissa Brown often states, "In order to change the world, we must first let the world change us."

Over half of the class of 2014 participated in a Junior Journey.

Want to learn more? Check out the impressive list of the Science Research Internships and peruse the Junior Journey and Language Immersion blogs completed in the summer of 2013!

Language Immersion Trip Blog:

• France    

Junior Journey Blogs:

• Costa Rica   
• Belize   
• Rwanda   
• India Group 1   
• India Group 2   

Let the School Year Begin!

Welcome to the 2013-14 school year at Holton-Arms. We can hardly contain the excitement at Holton Scene headquarters, as we know that with each new school year comes a fresh energy that is almost palpable. The girls arrived in their Holton plaid, carrying their new bags, and all I could think about was that I wanted to give them all bouquets of freshly sharpened pencils. Of course, the Class of 2014 cheered us on in grand style as parents, students, faculty and staff drove past. (Don't be alarmed if this is your first "first day" of school at Holton...the seniors won't be doing this every day, but the senior class will do it every year.)

After settling in, the girls gathered by class to march across the famed bridge to the amphitheater for our community-wide convocation. We did a little research at the Scene and discovered that former Head of School Charlie Lord began the tradition of convocation as we now know it in 1989. Thanks, Mr. Lord for beginning a cherished tradition for us at Holton. Be sure to check out the full story of convocation including links to the speeches from students, faculty, and our Head of School Susanna A. Jones. Happy New (School) Year everyone!

>> Photo gallery of the first day