Mead Hall Episcopal School

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A Bird, A Plane...A Book! Get ready for a reading adventure! The Scholastic Book Fair is on the way to save the day. Fly into the Mead Hall gym to check out the selection of super books. This thrill will only last from September 30 through October 6, so click on this link for more information.

In addition to the standard red shirt with logo, Mead Hall students also have the option of wearing various plaid items. From jumpers to skorts and ties, there are many options for the plaid uniform. All items can be purchased from The Curiosity Shop in downtown Aiken. Contact Amy Neely for details at 803-644-0004.

Congratulations to the Mead Hall boys' tennis team! The Panthers won the Augusta/Aiken Middle School Athletic League tennis tournament. The boys entered the championship as the number one seed, and won the tournament with a well-fought 3-2 victory. Go, Panthers!

This year's Strawberry Festival will be held on Saturday, April 24th from 10am - 3pm (rain or shine) behind Mead Hall on Greenville Street.

For more information, please call our school office at
(803) 644-1122. The Strawberry Festival is an annual fundraising event for Mead Hall.

The newest member of the Mead Hall Alumni Hall of Fame was honored at the 10th Annual Evening of Dinner and Jazz on February 5, 2010. Joined by her family, Bonnie Dietz Coward was stunned and surprised when presented with the award.
Mrs. Coward attended Mead Hall from 1955 to 1958 when the school was located at The Pillars estate on Coker Spring Road. She later received degrees from Aiken High School and Presbyterian College and a masters degree in Librarianship from Emory University.
The former Mead Hall student then became a teacher at her alma mater and also spent 25 years with the Aiken County school system, 20 of which were as the librarian for Oakwood Windsor Elementary School. She has been a member of St. Thaddeus Episcopal Church and its choir for over 33 years. She is a member of the Junior Student Club and a board member of the Aiken Center for the Arts. She serves on the Presbyterian College Fine Arts Advisory Committee and remains a faithful supporter of Mead Hall.

The tenth annual Evening of Dinner and Jazz is sure to be grand! This year's theme is "Black and White and Jazz All Over." Guests will enjoy hors d'oeuvres, drinks, dinner, live music, and dancing. Fabulous gifts, services, art, and antiques will tempt bidders in the live and silent auctions. The evening will get underway at 6:30 p.m. If you still need tickets, call the Mead Hall office at 644-1122.

Do you want to say thank you to a special teacher? An item from the teacher's wish list is a gift that keeps on giving. Select a Christmas present that she and her students will enjoy for years to come. And when you grant a wish, be sure to let Dana Massey, PTO secretary, know that the wish has been fulfilled. (You can e-mail her at danamassey@atlanticbb.net) Thank you for supporting our teachers! And have a merry Christmas!

Mrs. McMichael's and Mrs. Montgomery's students recently enjoyed a visit to Phinizy Swamp Nature Park, located just outside of Augusta. The fourth-graders come to learn about the crucial role that water plays in our environment and the ways that we can protect this important natural resource. The second-grade students learned about animal habitats and were able to observe many creatures who make their home in the swamp.

October 30, 2009 -- There was nothing ordinary about this day! At morning carline all manner of costumed fifth-graders were out greeting students and collecting canned goods for the "It's Spooky to be Hungry" food drive. The arriving students did not come empty handed. They brought food, they brought costumes for the fall carnival, and they brought great pumpkins for the annual pumpkin contest. Over 100 pumpkins lined the Greenville Street wall all day and caught the eye of everyone passing by. Some slowed their cars to have a better look; some parked their cars for a leisurely stroll by the incredible display of decorated pumpkins. Later in the day students donned their costumes for a visit to the Fall Carnival where there were plenty of games and treats for everyone. Many thanks to the PTO volunteers for a wonderful day!

If things tend to get lost at the bottom of your child's bookbag, now you read the "Mead Hall News & Notes" on our website. Simply select "Newsletter" from the navigation column to the left, and then choose the edition you'd like to read. Send grandparents and friends a link to the website, and they can read the newsletter, too!

Officers and representatives for the Mead Hall Student Government Association were installed on Wednesday, October 7. The installation ceremony was followed by a reception which probably spoiled everyone's lunch! The student government meets on the second Tuesday of every month. Faculty sponsors are Catherine Beadles, Dawn Koger, and Joseph Whitehurst.

A big thank you goes to the parent and student volunteers who helped to spruce up the playground on Friday, October 2. The Mead Hall PTO ordered a truck load of wood chips, and helpers of all sizes came out to lend a hand. Dirt was brought in to fill in under the swings. Wheelbarrows and rakes were used to distribute the new wood chips. Playground sand was added to the sand area. It was hard to tell if this was work or play!

The Mead Hall Panthers opened their season September 2 with an afternoon match against Aiken Prep. Aiken Prep enjoyed the home-field advantage, and the defense of both teams held their opponents scoreless through the first half.

Petar Zotovic scored a goal for Mead Hall a few minutes into the second half. Adam Lee booted in another for the red team, and Mead Hall was leaning toward a victory. Aiken Prep's offense came on strong with two quick goals, and the referee's whistle signaled the game's end.

The 2-2 tie with Aiken Prep will mean both teams will be looking for a victory when they meet again. The Panther's next regular season game is a home game against Aiken Prep. The match will be played September 18 at 4:30 at Citizen's Park.

The start of a new school year is a great time to meet up with old friends and make some new friends. These two Mead Hall students were classmates last year and are in different classes this year. They are happy to see each other at recess!

Our wonderful Mead Hall cafeteria staff has good reason to be smiling! On our first day of school they received an A rating from the Department of Health and Environmental Control (DHEC). A DHEC inspector makes two unannounced visits each school year to check the cleanliness and safe food-handling techniques of our cafeteria. Thank you, for a great job and delicious lunches!

Third Grade Wax Museum
The pouring rain didn't deter the many famous visitors who came to Mead Hall on a dreary February morning. Abraham Lincoln, George Washington Carver, Leonardo da Vinci, Laura Ingalls Wilder and others told students about their fascinating lives. Rosa Parks explained the difficulties of living in the segregated south, and about her fight to win civil rights for minorities. Thomas Edison "enlighted" the audience about his many inventions.

Portrayed by the students in Mrs. Carroll's and Mrs. Segres' third-grade classes, the honored guests shared lessons in history, science, determination, and hard work. They were quite a lively group, considering the fact that they were part of the wax museum!

Mead Hall's third-grade students enjoyed a visit from Representative Skipper Perry. Mr. Perry read "Woodrow, The White House Mouse" which told of the inauguration of one diminutive and furry Woodrow G. Washingtail, while providing a storybook tour of the White House. Afterwards, the students were able to ask questions of Mr. Perry. "What do you do in your job?" "How long have you been doing your job?" "How do you make laws?" "How many people serve South Carolina?" Mr. Perry answered these questions and many more, and then graciously donated "Woodrow, The White House Mouse" to the Mead Hall library.

Kindergarten Students Celebrate Johnny Appleseed's Birthday!
Johnny Appleseed was born in 1774. He was an American pioneer who introduced the apple to large parts of Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois.

These little Appleseeds made paper hats that looked like the pot Johnny Appleseed was said to have worn on his head. Then they went to the church yard to plant seeds.

Mead Hall is now an accredited member of the Southern Association of Independent Schools (SAIS) and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). This dual accreditation validates the well-known quality of Mead Hall's academic program, and will serve the school community in a variety of ways. In today's world of accountability, accreditation serves as a critical component of a school's demonstrated effectiveness and ability to provide successful schooling for children. A school that is able to achieve accreditation demonstrates a commitment to a process that requires the school to meet a set of rigorous, research-based standards; to engage in a program of continuous school improvement; and to demonstrate quality assurance to its stakeholders.

On Friday, January 26, 2007, Dr. Myron Bell became the 7th inductee into the Mead Hall Alumni Hall of Fame. Myron attended Mead Hall from 1966 to 1972 where he was an Honor Roll Silver Cup recipient. At Aiken High School Myron lettered in baseball and football, served as student body president, was a member of the National Honor Society, and was named a National Merit Scholar.
Myron received his undergraduate degree in chemical engineering from Yale University, and his medical degree from Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York. Dr. Bell completed his residency in Internal Medicine, followed by a Cardiology Fellowship at Emory University.
Dr. Bell currently lives in Columbia with his wife and children, and practices cardiology with the South Carolina Heart Center.
Congratulations, Dr. Bell!