The Ellis School is proud to announce the Class of 2023’s college matriculation list. The 38 members of this year’s graduating class will attend 30 distinct higher education institutions across twelve different states.
Kim Mechling’s classroom is full of the outdoors. Leaves and pinecones adorn a wreath at one end, while an ever-growing rock collection inhabits the other. All were gifts from students, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.
After a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ellis’ Fine Arts Festival returned in April with an evening of musical performances, dancing and singing, clay throwing, artwork, and more.
A few days before Seussical: The Musical hit the stage, the Ellis auditorium buzzed with activity from the smallest Who to the most sparkly red and blue fish.
Katie KOEPPL ’22 graduated from Ellis last spring ready to branch out and experience college life. Feeling excited and a bit nervous, she headed into her freshman year at The College of Wooster, a liberal arts college in Ohio. With her first year of college under her belt and studies in French and anthropology underway, she’s looking back at what she misses about Ellis, looking forward to all this summer has in store for her, and offering some advice for Ellis’ Class of 2023 as they prepare for their own first year at college.
The senior project is the capstone of an Ellis student’s experience, exemplifying the ways in which students turn their passions into projects for their communities. Once students pick a project, they must find a partner in the community—a person or an organization—that they can work with to carry it out. They make contact, follow up, work hard, and ultimately complete a project that enhances their own understanding of the topic while also benefiting the organization, and often the greater community.
If you’ve ever been curious about tea traditions around the world, or if you’re looking to plan an art installation or find a good read for your book club, just ask an Ellis middle schooler.
During the last four days of school, students in grades 6 through 8 will participate in Tiger Institute, a new program akin to the mini-courses that have long been held in Ellis’ Upper School at the end of the year.
Nineteen Ellis Upper School students have been inducted into the National Honor Societies for world languages. One student was inducted into the National Latin Honor Society, five students were inducted into the National French Honor Society (Société Honoraire de Français), and 13 students were inducted in the National Spanish Honor Society (Sociedad Honoraria Hispánica).
A school play is an exercise in collaboration; a shared experience that often unites a whole grade level in bringing a story to life. It can be a great vehicle for exploring classic theatrical tales—or, in Ellis’ case, a way for students to create a classic of their own.
For students like Ellis seniors Enysah Roberts and Nora Brown, who are both planning careers in a medical field, real-world learning experiences are everything. So when they found out they could take an anatomy course that included a visit to Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) to view an open-heart surgery, they jumped at the chance.
Learning how to study, manage time, and problem solve effectively are important tenets of Ellis’ Middle School and Upper School curriculum, but faculty and staff know that another lesson is just as important: learning when to rest.
What’s your favorite part of visiting Pittsburgh’s Strip District? For Ellis fourth graders, who visited the Strip District as part of a recent field trip, it’s quite a lot—everything from visiting new places to tasting new foods, like Mancini’s breadsticks and Mexican candy. Even better, the February trip experience was tied to some of the students’ favorite reading from this year. It’s all part of the class’s exploration of immigration and migration, an important section of study in the fourth grade curriculum.
Amelia Reines, Class of 2023, has been chosen to appear on an episode of From the Top, a National Public Radio (NPR) program and nonprofit dedicated to celebrating the stories, talents, and character of young classically-trained musicians. A classical vocalist, Amelia will record her From the Top segment this spring and be featured on show #436, airing October 2, 2023.
Two Ellis Upper School students were selected to perform in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) District 1 Senior Band. Hannah Pretter, Class of 2023, and Francesca LaRoche, Class of 2024, represented The Ellis School at the District 1 Senior Band Festival held on February 8–10 at Norwin High School.
Thirty Ellis students in grades 10–12 were recognized in the 2023 regional Scholastic Writing Awards. The official award ceremony honoring their achievements will take place at Point Park University on Saturday, February 25, 2023.
More than 80 works of art (including two portfolios) created by 61 Ellis students in grades 7–12 will be included in the 2023 regional Scholastic Art Awards exhibition. The exhibition and awards ceremony will take place at Carnegie Mellon University’s College of Fine Arts & Kresge Theater on Saturday, February 25.
Josie Nesbit, Class of 2025, has been selected to sing in the Pennsylvania Music Educators Association (PMEA) Region 1 Choir. Composed of approximately 180 students from five counties throughout western Pennsylvania, the choir will perform in the PMEA Region 1 Choir Festival on February 23 and 24, 2023, at Pine-Richland High School.
Eight Ellis grade 3 students were recognized for their literary talents in the Western Pennsylvania Council of Teachers in English (WPCTE) Flash Fiction Writing Contest, with one student taking home the grand prize for the grades 1–3 age group. Sadie A., Olivia B., Safiya E., Emerson O., Aura S., Silvia V., and Estella W. each received honorable mentions for their submissions, with Alexis P. taking home grand prize honors for her submission titled “Camp Evergreen.”
This year’s Heritage Day event inspired a common question, asked often throughout the day in hallways and around lunch tables, and always followed by excited conversation: Where is your family from?
Just before winter break began, The Ellis School held its first Gratitude Assembly, an event that will likely be held annually as part of Ellis’ winter holiday celebrations. The event featured student representatives from each division who shared what they are grateful for, including what they love about Ellis. Division Heads and Head of School Macon Finley shared the same.
After seniors Trinity Sims and Sreethi Ramineni attended the NAIS Student Diversity Leadership Conference (SDLC) in San Antonio, Texas with Ellis faculty and staff earlier this year, they came away feeling inspired.