Hutchison Juniors Get Hands-On Experience in Politics Through Youth in Government
Note to the State of Tennessee: If you want to get legislation passed, put Hutchison girls in charge! Seventeen juniors wrote and presented six bills at the YMCA Youth in Government conference in Nashville. All of the bills made it onto the Senate and House dockets, and one was signed into law.
Seventeen Hutchison juniors rose to the challenge of running the State Capitol at the Youth in Government Tristar Conference in Nashville. Part of the Tennessee YMCA Youth in Government Program, the annual Tristar Conference is designed to offer high school and middle school students a hands-on experience with state government. Students roleplay and take the places of real government officials.
As state senators and House representatives at the conference, Hutchison participants wrote and presented six bills, all of which made it through committee and onto the Senate and House dockets. Topics included mandating zoo accreditations, preventing addiction in schools, ending child abuse, raising salaries for social workers, fixing chronic absenteeism, and funding shelters for the unhoused population. A bill written by Izzy Ellis ’24, Caroline Kim ’24, and Sakshi Singh ’24 was signed into law after passing in both the Senate and the House. The legislation made Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA) accreditation required for Tennessee zoos. Hutchison students also argued cases in the Supreme Court and served on the Governor’s Cabinet.
In addition to these successes, Kate Anderson ’24, Adela Calzada ’24, Blair Mellone ’24, and Shifa Qureshi ’24 received Outstanding Statesperson awards. Kate was invited to attend the YMCA Conference on National Affairs in July. Izzy Ellis ’24, Caroline Kim ’24, and Sakshi Singh ’24 received an Outstanding Bill award for their bill mandating AZA accreditation in Tennessee zoos. Hutchison girls were also selected to leadership positions for next year’s conference: Ayrah Kashmiri ’24 will serve as an associate justice in the Supreme Court, and Sakshi and Caroline will serve as court clerks. Congratulations!
The following students participated in the Youth in Government Tristar Conference:
- Kate Anderson ’24
- Sophie Boeving ’24
- Adela Calzada ’24
- Zelia Cedeño-Avila ’24
- Lauren Coleman ’24
- Izzy Ellis ’24
- Noorain Gill ’24
- Hira Janjua ’24
- Ayrah Kashmiri ’24
- Caroline Kim ’24
- Maddie Lee ’24
- Olivia Lester ’24
- Blair Mellone ’24
- Shifa Qureshi ’24
- Sakshi Singh ’24
- Alex Wallace ’24
- Melanie Woodbury ’24
We are proud of our girls' hard work and civic engagement during this wonderful learning opportunity. Through programs like Youth in Government, Hutchison educates young women for success and lives of integrity and responsible citizenship.
Read More
-
Middle School Girls Explore Interests through Excursions Activities
As our middle school girls lead their parent-teacher conferences, we provide them with unique opportunities to expand their horizons.Read More -
Hutchison Earns Top AP School Honor Roll Distinction
Hutchison received Platinum distinction on the 2024 AP School Honor Roll, a recognition given by College Board.Read More -
Catherine Bowie ’28 Wins Golf State Championship
The standout Hutchison freshman is the first golf state champion in school history.Read More -
Vanessa Ross ’91: Raising Her Voice to Empower Women to Live Their Best Lives
If you have ovaries, you can learn a lot from spending time with Vanessa Ross, CNM, MSCP, Class of 1991. Let’s say hormones are wreaking havoc with your life and your doctor dismisses the symptoms with “it’s all in your head.” According to Ross, you should respond with: “Yes. You’re right. My brain is literally changing, and my body is reacting. My symptoms are real.”Read More -
Astronaut Hayley Arceneaux’s Visit Was Out of This World
The youngest American to orbit the Earth and a St. Jude physician assistant and cancer survivor spoke with our fourth and fifth graders after they read her memoir.Read More -
Hutchison Senior Receives City of Germantown Award
Anna Catherine Brickey ’25 received Germantown’s first Youth Excellence Award of the 2024-2025 school year.Read More -
Hutchison Senior Organizes Voter Registration Drive to Encourage Civic Engagement
For her myExperience capstone project, part of the Institute for Responsible Citizenship, Millie Malone ’25 held a voter registration drive where a representative from the League of Women Voters assisted our girls in registering.Read More -
Neuroscientist, Hutchison Parent Talks Impact of Technology on Students
Parents heard from Eraina Schauss, Ph.D., one of the nation’s leading experts in the field of pediatric mental health, about the evidence that supports Hutchison’s new cell phone policy.Read More -
Elizabeth Gonda ’16 Discovered Her Love for Nonprofit Work at Hutchison
Hutchison Now highlights graduates early in their careers who embody how a Hutchison education can lead anywhere you can imagine. We spoke with Elizabeth Gonda ’16, a care manager at Healthfirst based out of New York who serves over 130 people and helps them with healthcare.Read More -
Hutchison Senior Recognized for St. Jude Fundraising Efforts
Eliza Flores ’25 is on a mission to make a difference for St. Jude patients, and the hospital is celebrating her work and success.Read More -
Dr. Ring Appears on WREG to Discuss Importance of Hutchison’s New Cell Phone Policy
Head of School Dr. Kristen Ring was interviewed by “Live at 9” host Kontji Anthony about how Hutchison’s new cell phone policy will help our girls.Read More -
A Tradition of Light: the Number Five Award
Spring is a time of traditions at Hutchison. Some, like the celebration of May Day, have been around for a century or more. And some, like the Number Five Award, are brand new.Read More -
Civil Discourse: Bearing the Fruits of Four Years of Constructive Conversations
Empathy. Discomfort. Controversy. Curiosity. Perspective. Engagement. These six words encompass a wide range of emotional and intellectual ideas. In the fall of 2020, when the Class of 2024 were freshmen, they started attending sessions to learn about civil discourse. While the world was still navigating the pandemic, it was a great time to practice how to have constructive conversations about things we agree on… and things we disagree on.Read More -
Hutchison Students Participating in Bridge Builders Program
Girls from rising 7th grade to 9th grade attended the Bridge Builders Summer Leadership Conference, which begins a year-long commitment.Read More -
Two Hutchison Students Conduct Graduate-Level Research through St. Jude Program
As part of the St. Jude High School Research Immersion Program, two Hutchison rising seniors have been gaining experience in medical research.Read More -
Two Hutchison Artists Participate in Summer Fellowship Program
Hannah Pollard ’25 and Nailah Woods ’25 spent the summer growing their skills through the Contemporary Arts Memphis summer fellowship program.Read More -
Nine Upper School Students Serving Memphis through Church Health Youth Service Council
Nine Hutchison upper school girls served the Memphis community during the Church Health Youth Service Council’s inaugural year and will continue to serve on the council next school year.Read More -
Two Hutchison Artists Receive National Honors
Maya Pentecost ’26 and Blair Mellone ’24 earned national medals in the 2024 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards.Read More -
Rising Juniors Learn and Explore on myExperience Trips to Chicago and Washington, D.C.
Rising juniors who are part of four myExperience cohorts in Hutchison’s Institute for Responsible Citizenship – global civic engagement, entrepreneurship, STEM, and art and design – explored their respective fields of study on trips to Washington, D.C., and Chicago.Read More -
With Help from Hutchison, Alexis Parent ’24 Will Achieve Her Naval Academy Dreams
For a long time, Alexis Parent ’24 had a big goal in mind: to get into the United States Naval Academy. Hutchison helped make it happen.Read More
1/20
Hutchison School
Connect
Hutchison is the leading private girls school in Memphis for ages 2 years old through twelfth grade.
