About Penguin Hall
The Academy at Penguin Hall is an independent, college preparatory school for young women in grades 9-12. Our mission it to educate, enlighten, and empower young women to live and to lead exemplary lives.
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Written by Sam Jamison ’25 and Molly Tittemore ’25 2023 marked the first time our newly formed JCL chapter went to the Massachusetts State Convention. However, just because they were newcomers, did not mean that they were inexperienced. In fact,...
On Monday, Ms. Rangel and Dr. Al-Khalili took their Envisioning Information and G block Biology classes on a field trip into Boston to visit the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library and the Mapparium...
Written by Alexis Emerson, Kiera Hogan, Katie Hoskyns & Julia Valenzola In Latin IV, students have spent this semester reading stories from Ovid’s Metamorphoses that deal with transformations in mythology that silence women. This topic was inspired by our schoolwide...
Written By Molly Tittemore This fall, APH students braved the literary world of William Shakespeare and put on a production of his beloved, comedic play, Twelfth Night. The production started off on an intriguing note, complete with ominous, anxiety-riddled music....
This past semester, the students put their understanding of the fundamental engineering principles to use in their creation of a tension table - a table with no solid legs supported by the tension of chains. From planning the design, to...
Traveling this Spring Break? Staying in the area? Whatever you choose to do, this maybe the perfect time to visit a college either locally or on your travels. Here are 7 ways to visit colleges over break!
It is a crisp, breezy Saturday afternoon in October in Greenwich, a small, eerily quiet Connecticut town. My interviewee, Ms. Olivia Krebs, and I, are brought together by both the circumstance of a family reunion and our mutual affinity for...
Last week, Ms. Cook and Ms. Clarke took the Envisioning Information class on a field trip into Boston to visit the Norman B. Leventhal Map & Education Center at the Boston Public Library and the Mapparium at the Mary Baker...
Before the Thanksgiving holiday, a time of giving back and caring for others, the students in Ms. Rangel’s Introduction to Structural Design class took a field trip to the Habitat for Humanity house in Lynn, MA.
Exciting New Workshops Will Help Students Keep Skills Sharp all Summer Long!
Salem 8th-Grader is First Recipient of Ruby Boyer Miller Scholarship
Peabody 8th-grader Named Penguin Hall’s 2020 Student Life Scholarship Winner
Burlington 8th-Grader Named 2020 Dean of Academics Scholarship Winner
June 1, 2020 Dear APH Community, The end of the school year is upon us, and what is meant to be a joyous and celebratory time is undoubtedly impacted by the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and the tragedy of George Floyd’s...
This past semester, students in Mr. McLean’s Art of Diversity class looked at the many ways artists communicate diversity, and then created their own virtual art exhibits exploring the concept.
This week, APH shines a spotlight on Mathematics Teacher Mr. Borzi, a man of many talents and a self-described "enigma". Read to find out why!
Led by Penguin Hall Dean of Academics Jan Healy, APH Faculty Come Together to Create Distance Learning Curriculum for Student
Penguin Hall advances to the semi-finals round of the Massachusetts Educational Theater Guild’s (METG) High School Drama Festival for their mystical performance from Lois Lowry’s “Gossamer."
Penguin Hall's Symposium Week 2020 featured a variety of faculty- and student-led master classes, service treks, and inspiring guest speakers.
What kind of courage does it take to hike the Appalachian Trail? Sherry Cook, a former APH teacher, tells us in her inspiring Keynote Address during Symposium Week 2020.
APH Senior Jennifer Bloom Invites Holocaust Survivor to Campus as part of her Semester-Long “Capturing Oral History” Class
APH Music Department to Perform at Gordon College Chapel
Delpfine Welch of Boston Female Liberation visited The Academy at Penguin Hall — and her niece and student Elise Welch — for two days. This press release originally appeared in the Ipswich Local News on September 27, 2019.
Reading-native and Penguin Hall Senior Angela Mayes’ Artwork will be featured in Regional High School Art Exhibition!
APH Students and Wenham Seniors to Come Together for a Night of Food and Holiday Caroling.
Earlier this week, coaches, students, parents, APH Leadership and staff came together to celebrate our fall athletes during our Fall Sports Celebration.
Shadow Days are a fantastic way for you to get a true feel for what it's like to be a student at The Academy at Penguin Hall!
Fall 2019 APH athletics came to a close this week! Our teams went out strong this season. This week, athletes also celebrated their class of '20 teammates.
Recently, students from French IV, V and VI classes prepared meals at the French Cultural Center in Boston, Massachusetts.
Delpfine Welch, a women's rights activist with Boston Female Liberation, visited Academy at Penguin Hall students to discuss activism, art and literature.
Recently the APH community had the privilege of welcoming Dr. Whitney Battle-Baptiste to campus as part of our Women in Leadership Speaker Series. Dr. Battle-Baptiste is a member of the Department of Anthropology at the University of Massachusetts Amherst Dr....
Recently Michael Updike visited our Out of the Shadows class. Mr.Updike is a slate artist out of Newbury, Massachusetts. He will be engraving the headstone we are installing to honor former Andover slave Lucy Foster. A headstone is the last...
Recently the APH community welcomed Dr. Renée Richardson Gosline, a Senior Lecturer and Research Scientist at the MIT Sloan School of Management, to our Women in Leadership Speaker Series. Dr. Richardson Gosline has been named one of the World’s Top...
The season of basketball and swimming was an exciting one for The Academy’s athletics program The basketball team took the next step, playing a schedule that was split between half varsity opponents and half JV opponents. The team hung tough...
Spanish students in Dr. Barozzi’s classes have been hard at work (and play) on their mid-year projects. In Spanish 2 students wrote and illustrated their autobiographies. The emphasis was on the process involved in the creation of the finished product, which...
APH had the honor and privilege of hosting, Dominica Ribiero, Head of North America Institutional Marketing at State Street Global Advisors. She visited APH as part of our Women in Leadership Speaker Series and in conjunction with International Women’s Day....
To kick off March, Best Buddies month, the APH Best Buddies Chapter held an assembly on the meaning of inclusion. The club President, Angela Mayes ‘20, opened up by explaining that “Best Buddies is an international, non-profit organization and global...
When you are learning the different congruence postulates for triangles, why just write them on the board? Students in Mr. Borzi’s Honors Geometry class completed a much more hands-on project. The Academy’s covered walkway served as the testing ground for...
Students from the Academy at Penguin Hall have been taking part in a history elective called “Out of the Shadows”. Throughout the course of this school year, as a class, we have been researching forgotten enslaved women in Early New...
By Fiona Kelley ’19 Recently, the APH community welcomed Amy Danforth, currently executive vice president of Enterprise Services at Fidelity Investments as part of our Women in Leadership Speaker Series. Having attended a small all-girls high school herself, Ms. Danforth...
Students in Studio Art and Introduction to Art classes were recently given a unique assignment. They had to create a piece of art inspired by items they had seen during a recent trip to the Empresses of China’s Forbidden City...
On January 22nd, the first day of Intersession Symposium, students selected two of the following Master Classes taught by APH faculty and staff. These classes are designed for students to gain exposure to diverse topics and also to see how...
The inaugural APH Intersession Symposium will take place on Tuesday through Friday, January 22nd-25th. This kind of event is critical to students' professional and personal growth. Making intentional time for learning beyond the classroom and to help students envision their...
To better understand Lev Vgotsky’s theory of the Zone of Proximal Development, students in Cultural Psychology chose a topic they were interested in and worked with a partner to trace the history of their topic over a 100 year span...
The APH community recently hosted Amy Latimer, President of TD Garden as the first 2019 speaker for the Women in Leadership Speaker Series. During her high-energy talk, Ms. Latimer shared stories from her career, what she does in her role...
Recently, two faculty members hosted an interdisciplinary Master Class to discuss several scenes in the film Glory. Dr. Meditz in Humanities discussed the history of what it depicted in the film and Mr. Crowley in Theater and Film Studies helped...
On Monday, December 10th, The Academy was honored to welcome Mary Mazzio as the second guest in our Women in Leadership Speaker Series. Ms. Mazzio’s inspiring body of work extends from athletics (an Olympic rower) to the arts (an accomplished...
Each fall, an APH family hosts an exchange student from Guatemala and this year, we were delighted to welcome Claudia G. While she was with us during the past two months, Claudia did an excellent job of immersing herself in...
Article by Juliette Chait '20 - On Thursday, November 15, the junior class was invited to eat at first lunch and then was excused from classes for the remainder of the afternoon. We all bundled up and took the vans...
In a unique class called Out of the Shadows, students are learning about the lives of enslaved women in New England and the South. Under the guidance of faculty member Dr. Linda Meditz, the students are learning about several “hidden”...
The Academy at Penguin Hall Athletics teams had a strong Fall 2018 season. All four teams (soccer, cross country, volleyball, and field hockey) made great strides throughout the season, with each team improving their skills and ability to play well...
Article by Molly Geaney '19 - On October 24th, Mr. Williams’ 12th grade Writing to Change the World class attended The Peculiar Patriot, a one-woman show playing at the Paramount Theatre in Boston. The play, starring and written by Liza...
When you see a dancer performing with passion, it is truly mesmerizing. Each movement, gesture, and facial expression can convey so much. In Taunia Soderquist’s Choreography class, seven students are learning the power and grace of dancing individually and as...
In Craig Gorton’s Robotics class, six students are hard at work writing code using a program called Arduino to control robots. After moving from simple tasks to more complicated maneuvers such as completing a maze, the girls completed their greatest...
On an early, cool fall morning, eighteen students gathered to embark on a field trip to Steepletop, the home of poet Edna St. Vincent Millay. Each girl had her own unique reasons for being willing to spend a whole Saturday...
Recently, APH students and their teacher Emily Hewitt had the unique chance to speak with a leading expert on whales. Nick Pyenson, PhD, a paleobiologist who serves as Curator of Fossil Marine Mammals at the Smithsonian, is the author of...
Through Introduction to Russian Language and History, an elective course taught by Mary Richards, students are learning about the people and forces that have shaped Russian culture and daily life. After several classes where they explored the life of Peter...
Each week in Ms. Lake’s Portfolio class, students get to put down their books, put on music, and pick up a shading pencil or paintbrush. Her course is designed to support and encourage students who are interested in pursuing Art...
The students in Mr. Borzi's Geometry classes got to apply their understanding of the Segment Addition Postulate through an unusual, hands-on activity. Students acted as “building inspectors” and needed to determine the distance to the exit door from three different...
Sara Campbell, the designer, founder, and CEO of Sara Campbell Ltd., started this year’s Women in Leadership Speaker Series on a high note. She shared her story of professional and personal success and challenges as well as encouraging young women...
By Mary DeLorenzo, School Psychologist–Now that summer is in full swing, what will the rest of the summer break hold for you? Take time to relax, travel, create memories, and make an impact.
By APH Staff—The Honorable Paula M. Carey, Chief Justice of the Trial Court for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts shared words of wisdom with the APH community. She encouraged students to have their voices heard and dream of who they can...
By Hannah Kimberley, Humanities—Last Saturday, a group of our students met me in Gloucester to help in the National Association of Letter Carriers’ annual Stamp Out Hunger food drive,
Environmental Science students and Art History students collaborated with organizers from Salem Sound Coastwatch and Tidal Shift, an organization creating community created public art installations on the North Shore to communicate the negative impact of plastic bag pollution in the...
By Bryon Williams, Humanities—Juniors in Global Literature are currently showcasing their culminating projects in their study of Americanah, the award-winning 2013 novel by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. Students had already read Adichie’s short non-fiction book Dear Ijeawele, or A Feminist Manifesto...
The weather is finally warmer and our calendars are full this month with all the end of school year activities. This is especially true for me as my four children graduate (a daughter from college and triplets from high school)...
APH softball traveled to Rockport High School on Monday to face the Vikings’ JV squad. The Penguins continued their offensive dominance with a six-inning, 20-3 win over their hosts.
Shakespeare for Modern Actors culminated in its study of Much Ado About Nothing with a field trip to see an incredible performance of the play at The Actors’ Shakespeare Project in Cambridge
By Lily Johnson'20 and Ella Nazzaro '20—Hundreds of students from all around the Northeast take part in this event. Holy Cross undergraduates host popular contests during the day including an art challenge, a costume contest, a manuscript challenge, and, usually, a...
By Madeleine Mogavero '21 — Some auctioned off countries, while others made deals with opposing countries. The conference got heated at times, but the students learned the importance of diplomacy throughout the game.
By APH Staff–Kathryn Ward '18 and Lainey Turner '19 participated in the Student Government Day program held at the Massachusetts State House last Friday. On the train ride there both students exclaimed, “Thank you for bringing us, Ms. Zink. We...
Thanks to increased participation this year, our cross country runners were able to log the school’s first official meet results with a full team running. Not only that, but the girls earned the program’s first-ever wins at the varsity level.
Recently, Ms. Hewitt's Chemistry class investigated calorimetry by burning some of their favorite snack foods, like Doritos, Funyuns, and baked potato chips.
Coach Paige Eaton is returning to APH this Spring and is looking forward to working with a talented group of players as our team looks to make its mark on the softball scene.
One of our goals at APH is giving your daughters the opportunity to work things out and speak up for themselves. They don’t always get it right but it is all part of the learning process.
The message Ms. Ryan brought to the community was an inspiration, centered on taking chances, never knowing what exactly lay around the next corner, pursuing dreams, acting on personal principles, and holding fast to one's values. "If you can't own...
Olympic runner Abbey D'Agostino stopped by APH this week and gave a very interesting and inspiring talk to the school community about her experience as an athlete, her wins and also her losses. Her message was one of pursuing dreams,...
We really seemed to click and work together and we really just nailed the other team and caught them off guard. Two of our girls scored perfect 10s during this trial.
Given the recent tragedy in Parkland Florida, I want to offer some resources to help your daughters process these difficult events. As the nation’s long-running debate on gun rights continues, it has also sparked a youth-led gun control movement spearheaded...
How are you a 'Light in the Winter' for others? Our students in the Yellow House answered that question by having a menstrual product drive for homeless women as their community service project.
By Kate Reardon, Athletic Director—The Winter 2017-2018 season was another example of growth for the Penguin Athletics program, as each of our winter sports recognized new feats while continuing to display the teamwork and sportsmanship we expect of our student-athletes.
By APH Staff—This semester our 25 Play Production students will be participating in the New Noises Playwriting Festival at Boston Playwright’s Theatre of Boston University. Our students will be writing their own original 10 minute plays to be submitted for the festival.
At APH, we are always striving to expand the horizons of our students with new and interesting academic opportunities. The second semester is seeing important growth in elective courses which diversify and expand the classroom experience at APH. These courses...
By APH Staff—"Find your way in life, never say no to opportunities, and don't let others say no to you. Kick down shut doors, and "be exactly who you are" to be successful and change the world." —Maria Stephanos
APH came out with a win against Bishop Fenwick High School in the second of three meets on February 2nd, with the judge commenting that our APH students performed as well as any of the students he had taught at...
The young women in our Events and Traditions club organized an afternoon of reflection, an inspiration for service, and fun to help us to celebrate APH, the Light in Winter house service project.
During our recent Parent Coffee, the topic of technology came up. The world in which our teens live today is shaped by the smartphone, which has made it a challenge to create balance. In the September issue of the Atlantic Monthly,...
By Brigid Beckman, Campus Minister—Many local agencies and organizations work hard to ease a wide array of needs in our communities. Yet sadly, they often struggle to balance an abundance of help at the holidays with being largely forgotten throughout the year....
By APH Staff—We welcome Taunia and her breadth of musical talent and experience to our APH Community. She comes to us from Southern California where she was a Brass and Vocal Instructor.
By Kate Reardon—Many local agencies and organizations work hard to ease a wide array of needs in our communities. Yet sadly, they often struggle to balance an abundance of help at the holidays with being largely forgotten throughout the year....
The challenge helped the students understand the topic better: “When I heard about the issue I was very pro-regulation: you have one planet and you have to save it. When you hear that these regulations affect someone’s livelihood, you realize...
“Transitions in life can offer opportunities for discovery, provided we are open to random encounters and serendipitous events.” – Robbie Shell Research shows that if you expect your child to succeed, she is much more likely to do so. We...
Academy at Penguin Hall art students had an exciting opportunity for a real-world design experience. Each Mixed Media student learned about design, printmaking as well researching women in history.
The fall season is off to a great start for The Academy’s athletic program. Students have turned out in record numbers to play for the Penguins, especially the soccer team (which has doubled in size!). The soccer team has played...
“I’ve missed more than 9000 shots in my career. I’ve lost almost 300 games. 26 times I’ve been trusted to take the game winning shot and missed. I’ve failed over and over and over again in my life. And that...
Recently, first-year students in our World Humanities classes had the opportunity to speak with three students and their teacher via Skype at the Abaarso School of Science and Technology in Somaliland, which was featured on 60 Minutes on Sunday, May 1, 2017....
Mary Kiley from St. John’s Prep, visited the Academy on Wednesday to share the story of Sonia Schreiber Weitz, a Holocaust survivor who was born in Poland and emigrated to Peabody after World War II. Mary is Sonia’s Holocaust Legacy...
Kendelle Cooper, of Georgetown, created the work “Arctic Thaw” after discovering that Polar Bears may go extinct in her lifetime. Her work was honored at Endicott College High School Art Competition when she received The Dean’s Choice Award.
Students in the Voices in Literature Class went to visit a Kindergarten Class at Centerville School in Beverly. They went to see the spark of early literacy and what it means to begin a reading life and the kindergartners did...
2017 National Latin Exam Recognition In March, more than 149,000 students in 50 states and 20 countries took the National Latin Exam- including 22 students from The Academy at Penguin Hall. All First Years are enrolled in Latin and additional...