Be Curious and Verify

When she returned to campus for the December Board meeting, Caroline Amory ’76 had coffee in the Living Room with Director of Philanthropy Jennifer Kerwood P’21 and had time to talk about her memories as a student and what it’s like re-joining the Board after a ten-year hiatus.

Tell me about your background and journey to finding Miss Hall’s.

The schools in Tuxedo Park, New York, only went to ninth grade, so everyone had to go somewhere. I think I only looked at Miss Hall’s and Dobbs Ferry. My father also might have known Don Oakes, who was the MHS Head of School at the time. It was only after I enrolled that I learned that my grandmother, Marion Renee Charhart Amory, attended MHS and graduated in 1913. Unfortunately, all of her records were destroyed in the fire in 1923.

What are your favorite memories from your time as a student?

Grace Notes was huge! I remember the sports — field hockey and skiing. Honestly I don’t remember much about the academics. Mr. Buerger was my advisor, and Mrs. Thorne was the school nurse. I made lots of good friends.

Why do you value single-sex education?

I believe in this very strongly, and rejoining the Trustees has helped to sharpen my focus on this. In a single-sex environment, girls have so much opportunity to be authentic, and they lose that in a co-ed environment. It never occurred to me as a student that I was any gender, but I knew that I felt safe in a girls environment. Others in my family were very into men — and the men in their lives had all of the power. The single-sex environment gets rid of distractions. It’s not about sexuality but power. And I found my power at Miss Hall’s.

What is the biggest difference you see in Miss Hall’s today compared with when you were a student?

Miss Hall’s is much more challenging academically. I did not develop good study habits or learn how to take notes in class at MHS. Miss Hall’s is also much more focused on diversity and global citizenship now, which is a plus.

Now that you have rejoined the Board after a ten-year break, is anything different?

Miss Hall’s was always serious, but it is a much more serious school now. The Board is more serious about why excellence is important. At MHS today, a girl finds excellence and not just her footing. The work we are doing on the Board is hard. When schools are trending away from traditional classrooms and away from college prep, we have the opportunity to differentiate and keep the world interested in our program. We have to be sure we are not jumping on a trend, and this Board is very intentional.

Anything you want to share about serving in this particular time of sexual misconduct investigation?

I believe, as does the rest of the Board and the school leadership, in tackling this head-on. We have the opportunity to lead the charge and address publicly why this happens everywhere, and how we can all change for the better.

Knowing what you know now, what advice do you have for your teenage self?

Be curious. Have curious conversations. If you are learning something, never pretend to understand because you are afraid of being seen as not knowing. Say, “I think I got it,” and then verify. Because if I did that earlier in my life, I would have learned that education is for gaining knowledge and not for being judged on performance.