Each spring, Dana Hall’s sixth grade students participate in the annual Solar Car Races. The races give students a chance to use their creative skills, as well as apply what they learned in science class, for friendly competition amongst classmates. Groups of students make up team names, wear matching outfits or costumes, and cheer for each other.

The Dana Hall School Art Gallery will conclude the 2012-13 season with the exhibit Alumna Art Show 2013 through June 15. An opening reception is scheduled for Tuesday, May 14 from 5 to 7:30 p.m., with a special alumnae reception during Reunion Weekend Saturday, June 15 from 6-7 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

On Tuesday, May 7, the Dana Hall Chamber Singers performed the National Anthem at Fenway Park prior to the Red Sox game against the Minnesota Twins.

Dana Hall School, along with students from Belmont Hill School, will present the musical The Wiz at 8 p.m. on Friday, May 17 and Saturday, May 18 in Bardwell Auditorium. The performance is free to members of the Belmont Hill and Dana Hall communities, and $10 for the general public.

Eight members of the Class of 2013 and 10 from the Class of 2014 were inducted into the Dana Hall Cum Laude Society on Monday, April 22. 

The Class of 2013 members are A. Bertelson, J. Choi, N. Hampton, M. Hoar, S. Jeon, S. Jobarteh, K. Ohl and X. Shen. Class of 2014 inductees are H. DeNoble, M. Dickey, C. Jahrling, E. Lavine, J. Novakoff, M. Sang, J. Sheffels, B. Song, S. Wong and Y. Yoon.

Dana Hall’s Model UN team attended their final competition of the year Friday, April 5-Sunday, April 7 at Dartmouth College in Hanover, N.H. The team competed against 526 students from more than 40 different schools from seven states.

On Sunday, April 7, Dana Hall was honored with Cradles to Crayons’ Youth Engagement Leadership Award, at the organization’s 2nd Annual Volunteer Appreciation Celebration. The award honors “outstanding individuals or groups that think outside the box to engage youth in the Cradles to Crayons mission. These volunteers have become role models of excellence for fun and meaningful volunteer opportunities for students that make a hard-hitting impact on the youth volunteers as well as on the children they serve.”

Dana Hall School has kicked off its new artist-in-residency program with mixed media artist Virginia Fitzgerald. For two weeks, Fitzgerald worked collaboratively with students to create two pieces for display at Dana.

On Saturday, April 27, Dana Hall will host She Sails: Inspiring Dana Hall Women, the school’s second annual conference on women and leadership. The goal of the event is to create connections among all constituencies, learn from one another, share stories and encourage one another to be bold and dream big.

Dana Hall School is preparing to welcome newly admitted students to Dana Days and Discover Dana. The programs are designed to share the Dana Hall experience with girls who have been accepted for the 2013-14 school year.

The Dana Hall Middle School will present the musical Godspell, Jr. at 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 13 and at 4 p.m. on Thursday, March 14 in Waldo Auditorium. The musical is open to the public and free of charge.

Dana Hall’s winter athletic teams concluded an exciting 2012-13 season with first-time champions, and undefeated season and two coaches of the year. On February 25, the School recognized teams and individuals for their dedication and accomplishments. 

The Dana Hall Dance Department presents Paragon on Friday, March 1 and Saturday, March 2 at 7:30 p.m. The concert will take place in Bardwell Auditorium. Admission is $8 for the public and free for members of the Dana Hall community.

On Thursday, March 7 at 7 p.m., Dana Hall will hold its second Wannamaker Lecture of the 2012-13 school year. The program will celebrate the 40th anniversary of Title IX. Professional soccer player Kristine Lilly and paralympian Maureen Mckinnon-Tucker will discuss the many achievements, both on and off the field, that women and girls have made over the last 40 years. 

For the second year in a row, S. Hall '13 represented Dana Hall School in the semifinals of the English Speaking Union's (ESU) 30th Annual Boston Shakespeare Competition for High School Students. In the semifinals, Hall performed a 20-line monologue and recited sonnets from Shakespeare's works before a panel of judges. Out of a group of students from 28 schools, Hall was chosen as one of 10 finalists, also for the second consecutive year, who participated in the finals on Sunday, February 3 at Emerson College.

The Dana Hall School Art Gallery presents Fashion and Fiber Arts, an exhibit featuring a variety of clothing-inspired artwork, wearable garments and fiber-created sculpture. The show features the work of fashion designer Sara Campbell P12, 14, fiber artist Merill Comeau, sculptor Virginia Fitzgerald and felt artist Tia Pinney ’70, P06. Fashion and Fiber Arts will run through March 15. An opening reception will take place on Tuesday, February 12 from 5-7:30 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Twenty-two Dana Hall students stood out from thousands of entries and received awards and honorable mentions in the 2013 Boston Globe Scholastic Art Awards. Each piece of artwork was reviewed by a panel of arts professionals for originality, technical skill and emergence of personal vision or voice.

From December 5-8, Dana Hall students K. Clarke ’13, A. Crayton ’13, D. Musni ’14, C. Thomas ’13 and A. Waye ’13 attended the National Association for Independent Schools (NAIS) Student Diversity Leadership Conference in Houston, Texas. The theme of the conference was “Energizing our Future Through Refining our Shared Sense of Community.”

The Dana Hall Middle School will host its annual Valentine’s Day Tea on Thursday, February 14 from 2:15-3:30 p.m. Wellesley senior citizens are invited for an afternoon of entertainment, refreshments, music and dance.

Dana Hall School presents its annual Choral Concert on Saturday, January 26 at 7:30 p.m. The concert, a choral tribute to the women of soul music, will feature the Upper School Chorus, the Chamber Singers and audience sing-a-longs. Songs will cover artists from Aretha Franklin to Adele. The show is free and open to the public.

The Dana Hall School Art Gallery will showcase “A Girl and Her Room: photographs by Rania Matar” through February 8. An opening reception will take place on Tuesday, January 15 from 5-7:30 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

On Monday, January 7, Dana Hall welcomed five alumnae to Dana’s sixth annual Middle School Career Day. Groups of sixth, seventh and eighth grade students spent 25 minutes with each alumna as she spoke about her experiences in school and the workplace.

On Wednesday, December 19, the Dana community gathered once again to watch the Class of 2014 perform their version of one of Dana’s most time-honored traditions: Revels. Dana’s Revels play was first performed by faculty and students from Dana Hall, Pine Manor and Tenacre in 1921. The show celebrates the Winter Solstice, the holiday season and the start of Winter Break.

Students from Dana Hall’s Model UN team and club attended their third competition of the year on Saturday, December 8 at St. John’s Preparatory School in Danvers, Mass. More than 300 students from over 20 schools attended the one-day conference.

The Dana Hall School Art Gallery will showcase work by the school’s first artist-in-residence, Goce Davidov, through December 19. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

Davidov, who is originally from Macedonia, is exhibiting new work in ceramics, created especially for this exhibit and fired in the Dana Hall ceramics studio. He also is showing paintings, drawings and photographs which touch on historical and contemporary imagery. Davidov is working in the gallery every day until December 19, spending time with Dana Hall ceramics students and talking with visitors to the gallery.

On November 29 through December 2, Dana Hall’s Model UN team attended their second competition of the year at Princeton University’s Ivy League Model UN Invitational. The program hosted more than 1,000 students from across the United States and the world.

The Dana Hall Chamber Singers traveled to Washington, D.C. on Thursday, November 29 to perform as finalists in The Association of Boarding Schools (TABS) first a cappella singing competition. After two performances – “In My Eyes” by Johnny Priano and “Bohemian Rhapsody” by Freddie Mercury – the Chamber Singers emerged victorious, clinching the top spot in their first national singing competition.

Dana Hall’s Varsity athletes completed another successful fall season. Two teams advanced to post-season tournaments, and individual athletes were honored by the EIL (Eastern Independent League), their teammates and coaches. 

Dana Hall’s Varsity Volleyball team lost a close match to Sacred Heart in the first round of Wednesday’s New England Preparatory School Council (NEPSAC) tournament. Varsity Field Hockey beat Pingree 3-0 and advanced to the semifinal round, which is scheduled for Saturday, November 17 vs. Gunnery at Deerfield Academy at 2 p.m. If field hockey wins on Saturday, the final game will be held on Sunday, November 18 at Deerfield at 11 a.m.

On Sunday, November 4, 22 delegates from Dana Hall’s Model UN team attended their first competition of the year at Phillips Exeter Academy in Exeter, N.H. The team had an extremely strong showing, taking home awards in every room in which they competed.

The Dana Hall Middle School will present the play The Iliad, The Odyssey, and all of Greek Mythology in 99 Minutes or Less at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, November 15 and at 2 p.m. on Friday, November 16 in Waldo Auditorium. The play is open to the public and free of charge.

Dana Hall School, along with students from Roxbury Latin School, will present Pride’s Crossing by Tina Howe  on Friday, November 9 and Saturday, November 10 in at 7:30 p.m. in Bardwell Auditorium. Admission is $10 and free for Dana Hall students and employees.

During November, Dana Hall’s young alumnae are taking part in a giving challenge against five other Eastern Independent League (EIL) schools: Winsor, Newton Country Day, Pingree, Beaver Country Day and Concord Academy. The six schools will compete to raise funds and increase young alumni/ae participation for their Annual Funds.

The Dana Hall Dance Department will host a fall dance showing on Thursday, November 1 at 5 p.m. The showing will feature class demonstrations and works in Ballet, Modern, Hip Hop, Tap and Jazz choreographed by Dana Hall Dance faculty.

Each fall, members of the Dana Hall community collect lightly used children’s items to be redistributed to children in need through the Cradles to Crayons organization. Cradles to Crayons supplies children ages 0-12, living in homeless or low-income situations, with the essential items they need. With Cradles to Crayons anticipating 17,000 requests for winter coats in the coming months, the Dana community is holding a coat drive to help fill this urgent need.

Social Studies teacher Heather Panahi wants to make sure that students who are too young to vote in the presidential election have a way to voice their opinion. Through a mock election, policy presentations in Social Studies classes and volunteering at Wellesley voting centers, students at Dana are learning there are many ways to be a part of this year’s electoral process.

Dana Hall will host Parents’ Weekend beginning Thursday, October 25 with a reception and dinner for all parents at 6:30 p.m. in the Shipley Center. Parents’ Weekend gives families the opportunity to meet their daughters’ teachers and connect with other parents.

The Dana Hall School of Music will hold its second annual Halloween Open House with Musical Trick-or-Treating on Sunday, October 28 from 2-4 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

Newbery Award-winning author Lois Lowry will speak at Dana Hall on Monday, October 22 at 7 p.m. in Bardwell Auditorium. Lowry is the author of The Giver and 30 other books for children. Her latest book, Son, the final book in The Giver quartet, was published earlier this month.

The Dana Hall School Art Gallery will showcase sculptures and paintings of a variety of birds by artists Donna Dodson, Suzette Jones, Andy Moerlein and G.A. Scattergood-Moore. Birds of a Feather will run October 15 through November 20. An opening reception will take place on Tuesday, October 16 from 5-7:30 p.m. The exhibit is free and open to the public.

One night after President Barack Obama and Governor Mitt Romney participated in a nationally televised debate in Denver, Colorado, two of their supporters took to the Bardwell Auditorium stage to continue the conversation about the important issues of this election season. In the first Wannamaker Lecture of the 2012-13 school year, entrepreneur and former candidate for U.S. Senate Alan Khazei and Ambassador Paula Dobriansky shared their views on the federal deficit, the role of the United States in the world, and the definition of leadership.

Five Dana Hall School students have been named Commended Students in the 2013 National Merit Scholarship Program. A. Bertelson ’13, S. Daniels-Young ’13, M. Hoar ’13, L. Knebel ’13 and A. Nectow ’13 will receive a Letter of Commendation from Dana Hall and the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC).

On Thursday, October 4 at 6:30 p.m., Dana Hall will hold its first Wannamaker Lecture of the school year. The program will focus on the issues of the upcoming presidential election. Ambassador Paula J. Dobriansky will represent the positions of the Romney campaign, and entrepreneur Alan Khazei will represent the positions of the Obama campaign. Dobriansky and Khazei will discuss issues including the deficit, foreign affairs and the definition of leadership.

On Friday, September 21, Dana Hall’s Parents’ Association and Booster Club are hosting a pep rally to kick-off the fall sports season. Spirit Night is an opportunity for new and returning Dana families to meet and socialize, as well as wish their daughters luck as they head to Newton Country Day for their homecoming on Saturday, September 22.

The Dana Hall Admission Office will hold its fall Open House on Sunday, October 14, from 1 to 3 p.m.

The Dana Hall School Art Gallery kicked off its 2012-13 season with a fundraising exhibit by local illustrator and graphic artist Mark Campbell. Campbell’s illustration show, which raises money for his foundation Limes for Life, will run through October 5.

Registration is open for The Dana Hall Dance Studio with session one beginning September 15. An Open House will be held on Sunday, September 9, 12 – 3 p.m. Interested families will have a chance to watch performances by Dana Hall dance students, meet instructors, ask questions and register for classes.

Registration is open for the fall semester at The Dana Hall School of Music. The School of Music offers individual and group instruction for children, teens and adults. With more than 30 music faculty members of the, the School offers instruction in a wide variety of instruments and voice.

Twenty new faculty and staff members have joined the Dana Hall community and are ready to contribute their talents during the 2012-13 academic year. With previous work experiences that include the International School of Kigali and the NASA Johnson Space Center, this group promises to add significant value to Dana’s vibrant learning environment.

The second year of Dana Hall’s Girls Summer Leadership Program (GSLP) begins Saturday, June 23 with 32 girls arriving for the eight-day, seven-night program. GSLP is open to girls who have completed eighth grade and will enter any high school in the fall.

Dressed in white with crowns of flowers in their hair, the 90 members of the Class of 2012 said goodbye to Dana Hall on Sunday, June 3 as they took part in the School’s 131^st Commencement Exercises.