Overview
Dating form 1894, Chatham Hall Is an All-Girls' School Valuing Honor, Mutual Respect, and Rigorous Academics
Chatham Hall, an Episcopal all-girls boarding school in Chatham, Virginia, opened in 1894 as the Chatham Episcopal Institute. Chatham Hall has a long history of providing young girls with all the tools necessary to succeed in the world as challenging academic program prepare them for college and productive and fulfilled lives. Chatham Hall esteems the intellect and character of each student and places a dual focus on academics and personal responsibility. The rigorous educational program encourages intellectual growth, creative development, and personal responsibility.
Chatham Hall's Episcopal heritage builds a community of honor and trust that welcomes students from diverse backgrounds. All students, teachers, and staff are expected to live by the system of shared values encompassed by the Honor Code and Purple and Golden Rule. Members of the trust-based community vow not to lie, cheat, or steal, and to live each day with integrity.
The overall Chatham Hall philosophy emphasizes respect, responsibility, citizenship, and trust. The mutual respect within the Chatham Hall community makes it easy for teachers to get personally involved with assisting student growth. Amidst the challenging academics and numerous extracurricular activities, the girls find a very close-knit community.
Campus Life Focuses on Residence Life, Weekend Activities, and the Close-Knit Chatham Hall Community
In southern Virginia, only a three-hour drive from Washington, D.C., Chatham Hall enrolls 130 students on its 362-acre campus. The student center, known as "the Niche," offers numerous activities on weekends and weeknights, ranging from movie nights and pumpkin-carving to gourmet cooking sessions. Residential students in the close-knit community tend to develop lifelong friendships. Although the school is a community of friends, students also learn independence and time management in a safe, supportive, nurturing environment, preparing them to be more self-sufficient in college and through the rest of their lives. Dorm parents help organize activities on campus and plan trips to malls, concerts, movies, restaurants, plays, and, of course, dances with boys.
Students Can Take Advanced Placement and ESL Classes and Build Connections with Committed, Mentoring Faculty Members
Chatham Hall, accredited by the Virginia Association of Independent Schools (VAIS), is a community that combines learning with personal connections. Faculty members aren't just teachers, they are also mentors. They live on campus and often invite students into their homes for dinners or other events. The curriculum is challenging, but the small class size ensures that students receive the individual attention required for success.
Students are given a wide range of options beyond the core curriculum as they prepare for their college career. Electives are available in numerous areas ranging from creative writing to veterinary medicine. In addition, thirteen Advanced Placement courses are available to students who qualify. Chatham Hall girls have opportunities to do things normally reserved for college students, such as working with a faculty member in independent study, research, or studying in a different country.
For ESL training, international students meet in small 4-6 student classes five times a week. The ESL teacher also is a dorm parent, ensuring that personal attention and support is always available to a student in need.
Extracurricular Activities, Leadership Programs, Social Service, and an Array of Special-Interest Clubs Are Offered
Realizing that a girl's education isn't confined to the classroom, Chatham Hall offers a wide variety of extracurricular activities ranging from traditional activities, such as the drama club and the literary magazine, to clubs like the modern dance troupe and the robotics team. Students can sing in the choir, meet people of differing cultural perspectives, or even study cooking. In the unlikely event that a student cannot find enough clubs to join, the Student Life staff assists students in forming new ones.
One of the unique features of Chatham Hall is the Leader-In-Residence Program in which Students learn about the larger world through guest speakers. Through this program, some of the world's powerful women meet with students in intimate settings. Past luminaries include Benazir Bhutto, Jane Goodall, and Liberian President Ellen Johnson-Sirleaf, the first acting female leader of and African Nation. Its alumnae (including renowned artist Georgia O'Keefe and Pulitzer Prize winning poet Claudia Emerson) are at the forefront in business, media, education, the arts, and philanthropy.
Chatham Hall students are members of the Service League, lending a hand to help local food banks, Habitat for Humanity, and other groups. Chatham Hall's most expansive outreach opportunity sends a yearly delegation to South Africa to work with community action groups and collaborate with local schools. Through this program, 1 in 4 Chatham Hall girls has worked in the townships of Cape Town. Study-abroad programs in France, Spain, and Italy are available.
Chatham Hall's Special Programs Include Unique Riding Camp, Science, and ESL Summer Camp Opportunities for Girls
Chatham Hall's summer residential riding camp welcomes riders of all ability levels, age 9-14. Riding facilities on campus include forty stalls, one indoor and two outdoor arenas, several fields, and acres of wooded and open trails. Campers take trips to horse shows, visit veterinary schools, watch horse movies, and go on midnight trail rides. Unique science and ESL summer camp opportunities are also available.
One Third of Chatham Hall Students Receive Some Sort of Financial Assistance, Making It an Affordable Choice
Chatham Hall offers financial aid to families who demonstrate need under the School and Student Service (SSS) Guidelines for Financial Aid. Students who receive financial aid are expected to maintain satisfactory academic standing and demonstrate commendable behavior, effort, and citizenship. At this time, international students are not eligible for financial aid.
