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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 Jan Healy, Dean of Academics—Congratulations to members of the Class of 2018, who were accepted to forty-two different colleges and universities. These students have been offered 1.8 million dollars in non-need based academic scholarships.
April is Autism Awareness Month. Autism is a wide-spectrum disorder, meaning every person who has autism experiences it differently. This Tuesday, Best Buddies hosted an assembly to educate our community about autism and people with disabilities, as well as to...
By Katherine Reardon, Director of Athletics—The season is off to a great start for APH athletics. Last Friday, our tennis team traveled to Newburyport Racquet Club where they faced off against Amesbury in their season opener. The 8 members of...
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...
The Academy at Penguin Hall was invited to participate in a National Public Gardens Day event with our neighbors The Trustees. A number of girls visited Long Hill, a former family retreat that has been renowned for its gardens for almost a century. They were...
Students in Mrs. Billings’ World Humanities class had a chance to speak with Jordy Mukania who was born in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Jordy visited APH for lunch on Thursday and chatted with students about what it was like to...
Recently, the students in Middle Eastern History and Voices in Literature traveled to Sharon, MA to visit the Islamic Center of New England (ICNE). Spirituality is one of our six core areas of study. We seek to create an understanding and...
Students from The Academy at Penguin Hall skillfully countered every examination and re-direct at the 32nd Annual Statewide High School Mock Trial Program. The Mock Trial Program is a challenging and rewarding experience, which provides not only a dynamic educational environment but also...
The Academy students Kathryn Ward, Kendelle, Cooper and Emma Fringuelli’s artwork was accepted and showcased at the 2017 Endicott College’s Superstar Art Competition. The girls incredible works were displayed at Walter J. Manninen Center for the Arts for the month of March. On...
As Junior Ruby D’Amico reflects on the incredible opportunity she is about to experience, she quotes her ballet teacher Denise Cecere, “It’s not if you can do it, it’s how you do it”. To say Ruby has taken this quote...
It’s been a busy month for APH’s Campus Ministry, with the first years, sophomores, and juniors all participating in their first-ever class retreats! On Friday, February 17th, the first years attended their retreat, which focused on the question of “Who...
The Academy at Penguin Hall is excited to announce our inaugural season of Heart & Sole, a Girls on the Run program designed specifically for girls in grades 6th-8th. Heart & Sole creates a positive, structured space for middle school...
National Girls and Women in Sports Day celebrates the incredible achievements of individuals who have helped to effect and create opportunities for women and girls in sports. On Friday, February 3, APH student-athletes Veronica S., ‘17 and Kathryn W., ‘18 participated...
As I see our students, faculty, and administration during the day, I am reminded of one of my favorite quotes about mission from Gandhi, “A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable faith in their mission can alter the...
At The Academy at Penguin Hall, we love to see our students excited about learning. When students in Sherry Cook’s Precalculus class couldn’t stop talking about their most recent creations, we knew it was something that needed to be shared. While...
Here at The Academy at Penguin Hall, we develop highly student-centered, interdisciplinary, courses. One of our courses this year, Drama of Politics, takes a look at different kinds of politics and political performances- from commercials, to architecture, to speeches, to the...
“Don’t be afraid to make mistakes.” “Be your authentic self.” “My closest friends are still the girls from my all girls high school.” “Take advantage of this experience.” These messages as well as the inspiring sounds of Yale’s premier all female a...
At the Academy at Penguin Hall, young women are given the wonderful opportunity to take risks, grow, and flourish in a safe and supportive environment. With a student-centered approach and interdisciplinary learning, students are encouraged in their pursuit of not...
The Academy at Penguin Hall was recently featured in the Salem Evening News after they visited our campus, attended classes, and spoke to members of our staff and faculty. Their article gives an overview of our curriculum, the mission of our school,...
“My favorite moments as a teacher happen when I discover a student’s relationship to reading,” said Humanities teacher Jenn Billings, “because it opens a window into their world.” Creating legacies that last is a very special and treasured responsibility at The...
International recording star and saxophone player for the Late Show with Stephen Colbert, Grace Kelly, recently came to APH, and our students were overjoyed. Whether she is playing the saxophone as part of the band on the Stephen Colbert Show...
On a recent evening seven girls from the Academy at Penguin Hall were honored to attend the Women in Journalism and Media event at The Boston Globe Headquarters. The room was almost completely packed with students and teachers from across the state,...
When APH students in Ms. Ali Souris’ Sociology class received a letter from Emily Karwoski, a social worker at a Partial Hospitalization Program in Beverly, they were challenged to consider the social issues present in America today.
Weekly Reflections November 18, 2016
APH students and faculty had the pleasure of experiencing West Side Story at the North Shore Music Theatre in Beverly, MA. Along with students from several other schools in the area, APH students immersed themselves in the classic story, seated in the signature theatre-in-the-round....
Historia est vitae magistra. “History is the teacher of life.” When the Latin classes from APH recently visited Reading Memorial High School to participate in their Classics Day celebration, they excitedly engaged in activities that harkened back to the times...
The Academy at Penguin Hall is the only college preparatory high school to offer Early Admissions to interested students. The Academy at Penguin Hall is pleased to announce that Early Admission for Fall 2017 is now open. As the only all-girls,...
Weekly Reflections 10/7/2016
This past week has been filled with many exciting activities as our community begins to find our rhythm. The girls are acclimating to PBL and all that it entails.
On Tuesday, September 6, 2016, The Academy at Penguin Hall celebrated our blessing and dedication of the opening of school. More than 60 students and over 150 families, local leaders and state officials were here to celebrate the opening of...
How can we, as a school community, use our reading of Malala to establish our culture at The Academy at Penguin Hall? Last week we introduced the girls to project-based learning. The week began with an entry event – A...
Reflecting on APH’s first ever community retreat. Unbridled Joy. Those are the two words that come to mind when reflecting on APH’s first ever community retreat. Today was spent laughing, sharing, and learning about one another’s gifts. Through this day-long...
Today I saw what experts and researchers have written about with regard to single-sex education -- it's different and the difference is palpable.
Our teaching staff has arrived at The Academy at Penguin Hall and the sound of spirited discussions around how best prepare our young women for college and beyond has filled the halls.