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(12/2008) - It came to a head early in the middle school years in the Texas public school system. Our daughter was in the Gifted and Talented program, getting mostly A's and a B or two, but doing no homework. Her mother and I both worried that later in life when she had a problem to solve, she wouldn’t have the tools to solve it.

We went online, found twenty-five schools, narrowed it down to twelve and finally six. We visited all six, with Miss Hall’s being the last. As we were leaving the campus our daughter said that this was where she wanted to be. She was accepted, and the ears of Director of Admission Kim Boland ’94 may never be the same after all that shrieking.

The adjustment in freshman year was difficult. The boarding process wasn’t that hard as our daughter is very gregarious, but she had not been prepared for the academics in a college prep environment. Ms. Pour’s World Cultures class, where girls were asked to determine whether a concept was of the Confucius or Daoist philosophy, was a wake-up call. Help was needed, and this was found in Study Skills with MHS faculty member Fredi Hungate.

From sophomore year forward, our daughter’s growth has been fantastic. She now has the skills to plan her time, and her grades have dramatically improved (which has given her pride and confidence). We especially appreciate the maturity she has gained from being in an environment that nurtures the individual to be the best citizen she can be in all the facets of her life.

Last spring our daughter made the varsity lacrosse team. The sport aside, the camaraderie and joint effort of a group with a single purpose is something everyone should be able to experience at least once, so I was grateful to Coach Pour.

As she relaxed over the summer, I thought that maybe I overestimated the success she had achieved. But getting back to Miss Hall’s this September put our daughter in the right place to move forward. It will be a busy year with the academics, getting into college, and the leadership responsibility of being in the graduating class of 2009.

I know that our daughter will be able to handle it because she is a Miss Hall’s girl.