The Ellis School is pleased to announce the appointment of three new trustees to the Board. Effective July 2021, these new appointments will work with Board Chair, Elizabeth Riordan, to guide The Ellis School’s strategic vision for the future.

The Ellis School is pleased to announce new faculty members for the 2021–2022 school year. The School is thrilled to add these passionate intellectuals, scholars, and leaders to our team. Please join us in welcoming these talented educators, coaches, and staff members to our community.

Ellis alumna Maria KOVALCHUK ’10 has been awarded a Fulbright grant to conduct research focused on translation and society in Ancient Rome at the University of Heidelberg in Germany. The United States government’s flagship international educational exchange program, Fulbright grants fund 12 months of international educational experience and facilitate cultural exchange through work in the classroom and in the community.

The Ellis School honored members of the junior and senior classes with awards honoring their outstanding academic achievements, athletic contributions, and service to the community at Closing Exercises. Please join us in congratulating these students for their commitment to scholarship, service, and sportsmanship.

For the past four decades, Ceil (Leeper) Sturdevant’s clay studio has been a safe haven for Ellis students. Tucked in the back corner of the Fine Arts Building with a “Caution: Pyros Within'' sign on the door, her room has been a sacred hideaway for scores of Ellis artists over the years who have discovered the beauty of molding and making within its walls. And while the studio holds significance to Ellisans, it’s really Ms. Sturdevant herself and the impact that her teaching style and talent have had on the entire community that will leave a lasting impression when she retires at the end of the 2020-2021 school year.

Twenty-eight Upper School students have been inducted into National Honor Societies for world languages. Ten students were inducted into Société Honoraire de Français, nine students were inducted into Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica, and nine students were inducted into the National Latin Honor Society.

Ellis alumna Heather HANCHAK Moss '97 has been elected to the Pennsylvania High School Track and Field Hall of Fame. An outstanding sprinter at Ellis, Heather’s athletic accomplishments include:

Three Ellis Upper School students were recognized for their scientific investigations at the 82nd Annual Pittsburgh Regional Science & Engineering Fair (PRSEF).  At this year’s virtual competition, Eleanor Barth Wu, Class of 2022, Viola Haggerty, Class of 2023, and Erika Rispoli, Class of 2022, were honored by judges for their research, findings, and presentations at the annual fair.

Jenn Moynihan has been appointed Ellis’ next Middle School Division Head, effective July 1, 2021.

Outside of the second grade classrooms, the walls are lined with black and white photos and short essays written by students. Each one has a different title—My Hands, My Arms, My Neck, My Hair, My Brain—and explains what second grade girls believe is the best part of themselves. Inspired by the book, The Best Part of Me by Wendy Ewald, which features a similar style, students celebrated the different ways they were unique by writing about their favorite attribute and sharing it with the class. 

Amanda Finigan has been appointed Ellis’ next Upper School Division Head, effective July 1, 2021.

Ellis students don't fit into a box. Their interests are wide-ranging, their skill sets are far-reaching, and their passions are ever-evolving. From pre-kindergarten to grade 12, you’ll find brilliant problem-solvers, community-minded collaborators, ambitious voices, and courageous changemakers filling our classrooms, learning how to shake the world.

On Friday, January 15, high school students gathered virtually for The Ellis’ School’s 17th annual student-led diversity conference, Culture Jam. Led by students in the Student Diversity League (SDL), Culture Jam is the largest and longest-running student-led diversity conference in the region.

Erika Rispoli, Class of 2022, has received a National Center for Women & Informational Technology (NCWIT) Award for Aspirations in Computing (AiC). Her recognition, a national honorable mention, puts her among the top 400 student awardees in the country. 

Ellis students and faculty virtually attended the National Association of Independent Schools Student Diversity Leadership Conference and People of Color Conference in December.

No biology lab? No problem. In place of a traditional lab to learn about cellular respiration, Upper School biology students took matters into their own hands and made bread at home during their final day of remote learning. 

Girl Talk is moving from the written word on our blog to the spoken word with our new, free webinar series, Girl Talk: Conversations for Parents. A parent's guide to raising girls who become bold, vibrant changemakers, Girl Talk brings families, educators, and experts to explore issues and ideas related to raising school-aged daughters.

One of the perks of virtual learning is that Ellis students have the chance to connect with experts and professionals from across the country—no plane ticket or road trip required. Whether it’s a university professor or a popular journalist, these experiences give girls the opportunity to learn about different careers and professions as they themselves consider what they want to be “when they grow up.” For the Class of 2033, their opportunity came in the form of an artist talk with Laura Berman, a printmaker who often draws inspiration from the natural world, whose work they have been studying.