Striving to be the first to complete something historic could be a pressure-packed experience.
But it can also be an honor.
The Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls 2021 senior class accomplished that mission as the first group of young ladies to graduate from the institution.
Eight graduates walked across the stage during a small in-person ceremony May 25 that was socially distanced and live streamed from The Big Top in the Grand Center Arts District.
“My favorite thing about the school is the girls and the friendships I’ve built with them,” said graduating senior Terre Burks. “It’s definitely one of those things where you’ll still be friends after graduation.”
Burks will attend Clark Atlanta University in the fall with criminal justice and business administration majors.
“I’ve had people in my family that have been to jail, seeing their experience with the criminal justice system made me want to enter that line of work,” Burks said.
With about 110 students enrolled, Hawthorn is a college preparatory school for girls in grades six to 12 that specializes in the STEM field (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics).
Daphne Robinson, Hawthorn’s head of school since 2019, said STEM allows students to utilize the practical skills they gain while learning.
“We’ve had numerous women, especially women of color, who have come to speak to our students, telling them their day-to-day experiences and explaining why this field is so important,” Robinson said.
Smaller than many schools in the area, Hawthorn offers reduced class sizes, which means the student-teacher ratio allows for more close-knit interaction.
“Hawthorn is a good school, it’s a small school, which is what makes it so great,” Burks said. “I’ve never had a problem with the relationship with my teachers. I’ve always had a good relationship with them. They’re nice, very open and always willing to talk.”
Being a small school also allows students and staff to “feel like family,” where everyone can be open and honest with each other about almost anything, according to Robinson.
“Hawthorn is a family,” said Tashia Rush, an English teacher with ninth- and 10th-grade students.
“I love the fact that my (head of school) knows how to approach her staff and she gives us a voice.”
Robinson and Rush agree that Hawthorn’s all-girl student population creates a sisterhood in which students learn from one another.
“Our girls have relationships with staff and we hold the girls up to high expectations, but we do it with love and care,” Robinson said.
“We’re a sisterhood, there’s just something about being in an environment with other young ladies.”
Like most schools, last year’s classes became virtual or hybrid, the three days students and staff met in person while two were remote.
Robinson said she and her staff were proactive in meeting the needs of students’ technology based education.
“We moved very quickly into making sure that we access the needs of our families in making sure that they have access to the hotspots or the computers that they need,” Robinson said.
Robinson added the staff became more dedicated to building community with students during the pandemic by having weekly checkups, standby counseling sessions and an all-school assembly on Fridays.
“We want to keep some traditions and cultural expectations in terms of celebration moving forward even during the pandemic,” Robinson said.
Hawthorn Leadership School for Girls has taught girls in the city of St. Louis since 2015 and now serves grades six through 12.
Students and parents interested in enrolling at Hawthorn can contact Estitia Stone, director of recruitment and engagement at estone@hawthornschool.org.
Learn more about Hawthorn, here: https://www.hawthornschool.org/.
