The Swellesley Report

More than you really want to know about Wellesley, Mass.

Dana Hall School Presents Annie Jr.

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The Dana Hall Middle School presents its spring musical, Annie Jr., on Wednesday, March 6, at 7:30 p.m., and Thursday, March 7, at 2 p.m., in Bardwell Auditorium. The performances are free and open to the public.

With equal measures of pluck and positivity, Annie charms everyone’s hearts despite a next-to-nothing start in 1930s New York City. Annie foils Miss Hannigan’s evil machinations, finding a new home and family in billionaire Oliver Warbucks. Based on the popular comic strip and adapted from the Tony Award-winning Best Musical.

Bardwell Auditorium is located on the Dana Hall campus at 37 Cameron Street. Please note that Bardwell is not handicap accessible. For more information, please call (781) 235-3010 ext. 2731 or visit www.danahall.org.

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Wellesley Youth Lacrosse

Dana Hall head of school stepping down in 2016

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Dana Hall Head of School Caroline Erisman has decided to move on at the end of the 2015-16 school year, citing family commitments, including taking care of elderly parents in New York.

Erisman, Dana HallThe announcement of her pending departure from the private girls’ school comes on the same week that Wellesley College’s president, Kim Bottomly, said she would be stepping down from the top post at the women’s college in July of 2016.

As with Bottomly, Erisman’s accomplishments included strengthening her employer’s endowment and technology underpinnings., including a one-to-one iPad program and enhanced STEM curriculum.

“My appointment as Head of School at Dana Hall was one of the greatest honors of my professional life, and my seven years here have been rewarding, challenging and memorable,” Erisman wrote. She pledged to continue working hard for the remaining period of her tenure, which will include the opening of a new student center in the fall.

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London Harness, Wellesley

Starting ’em younger at Dana Hall: 5th grade added to Wellesley private school

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dana hall logoDana Hall School, the all-girls day and boarding school for grades 6-12, announced Wednesday that it will be adding fifth grade to its Middle School for the 2016-17 academic year.

The fifth-grade curriculum “will focus on foundational academic skills and feature an interdisciplinary approach that combines traditional concepts with opportunities for experiential learning, both on Dana’s vast campus and in educationally rich locations across New England,” according to the school.

Bringing in fifth graders will enable the school “to reach girls at a crucial age in their development,” according to Caroline Erisman, Dana Hall’s Head of School, in a statement.

Located inside Dana Hall’s Middle School building, the fifth grade classroom will be situated in a dedicated first floor room.

The School will begin accepting applications in September 2015. There will be several upcoming events for those interested to learn more, including an informal coffee this spring for area parents, and open house events that will take place in the fall. If interested in learning more, please visit www.danahall.org or contact Director of Admissions Wendy Secor at [email protected].

RELATED: Dana Hall head on why single-sex education good for girls

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Dana Hall Dance concert open to public

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The Dana Hall School Dance Department presents March: Dance Concert in February on Friday, Feb. 27 and Saturday, Feb. 28 at 7:30 p.m. in Bardwell Auditorium. Admission is $10 for the public and free for members of the Dana Hall

The formal dance concert showcases work by student choreographers as well as faculty members Devon Fitchett and Elena Greenspan. The concert will feature dances in ballet, hip hop, jazz, modern and tap.

Bardwell Auditorium is located at 37 Cameron Street in Wellesley. For more information email [email protected]

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Two performances of A Midsummer Night’s Dream coming to Dana Hall

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The Dana Hall Middle School will present A Midsummer Night’s Dream at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 20 and at 2 p.m. on Friday, November 21 in Waldo Auditorium. The play, which we’re told features a very Downton Abbey style of dress, is open to the public and free of charge.

The play includes 15 actresses and a nine-member student-run technical crew. Waldo Auditorium is located in the Classroom Building on the Dana Hall campus in Wellesley.

For more information call (781) 235-3010.

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Free play in Wellesley: She Kills Monsters

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Dana Hall Upper School students will present the young adventurers edition of She Kills Monsters by Qui Nguyen, on Friday, November 7 and Saturday, November 8 in at 7:30 p.m. in Bardwell Auditorium.

The performances are free and open to the public.

This comedy tells the story of Agnes Evans as she leaves her childhood home in Ohio following the death of her teenage sister, Tilly. When Agnes finds Tilly’s Dungeons & Dragons notebook, however, she stumbles into a journey of discovery and action-packed adventure in the imaginary world that was Tilly’s refuge.

Bardwell Auditorium is located on the Dana Hall campus at 37 Cameron Street in Wellesley. For more information please call (781) 235-3010 ext. 2731or visit www.danahall.org/arts. Please note that some material may not be appropriate for young children. Bardwell Auditorium is not handicap accessible.

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Dana Hall exhibit features student art from South Africa

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The Dana Hall School Art Gallery presents Ubuntu: Art from Students at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls through November 21 with an opening reception Tuesday, October 28 from 5-7:30 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Over the past six years, Dana Hall has developed a relationship with the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls (OWLAG) in Johannesburg, South Africa. Dana Hall students and faculty visited the OWLAG campus during their spring breaks in 2009, 2012 and 2014. Similarly, OWLAG students spent time at Dana Hall while touring American colleges in 2011 and 2012.

While visiting South Africa in March 2014, Visual Arts Department Head Michael Frassinelli and Social Studies Teacher Heather Panahi, impressed by the artistic talents of the young women of OWLAG, thought of how to bring their work to the Dana Hall gallery. The result is this installation, which features photographs of student work in a variety of mediums—clay, acrylic paint, cloth, and wire, to name a few. Also included are poetry, essays and videos of musical and dance performances by OWLAG students.

In addition to works of art done by students at OWLAG, the show also features photographs by Dana Hall students and faculty members who have visited OWLAG.

The Dana Hall School Art Gallery, located on the Dana Hall campus on the second floor the classroom building, located at 45 Dana Rd. in Wellesley, provides a program of exhibitions by local and visiting artists for the Dana Hall and surrounding communities. The Gallery is open Monday, Tuesday and Thursday 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m. and Wednesday and Friday 9 a.m.-2 p.m. It is closed weekends and school holidays. For more information, visit www.danahall.org/arts or call (781) 235-3010.

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