Director of Admissions at Hanger Hall Danielle Parrish Looks Back on Her Legacy By Meg Hale Brunton

After spending 30 years as an educator in Ohio, Danielle Parrish was surprised to discover that joining the team at Hanger Hall School felt to her like the first day of school. Prior to every new school year, Hanger Hall schedules Kick Off Camp for the girls and the staff to get to know each other at Camp Tekoa in Hendersonville, NC. When Parrish got the job as Director of Admissions and Marketing, she was invited to join them. “I remember going to camp and feeling like I was just like [the new girls] were –- worried and scared,” she recalls. Now, having been in her role for five years and on the precipice of retirement, Parrish finds she may have a hard time saying ‘Goodbye.’

Hanger Hall was founded in 1999 by a minister named Howard Hanger who wanted a different educational experience for his two daughters. Originally operated out of the basement of Hanger’s Victorian home, the school is now located on W.T. Weaver Boulevard in Asheville, NC, and has grown to 84 students. Part of Parrish’s job is connecting with families and finding out if they are a good match for Hanger Hall. “We’re looking for families focused on their education and supporting the whole child,” she says of the school, adding that Hanger Hall creates a community in which kids and parents all get to be involved with their curriculum. “We’re looking for kids who are excited about school and learning.” 

The school also offers tuition assistance programs and accepts the NC Opportunities Scholarship. Because the school is so small, they are able to offer individual attention to their students. During Camp Week, each girl is paired with a ‘sister’ in an upper or lower grade that she maintains throughout the year. “The sixth graders can see how the eighth graders carry themselves and what they’ve learned,” she says. “When girls are in middle school, it’s a really good time to build positive friendships.”

The girls also each receive a faculty advisor that they meet with once a week. Parrish loves that everyone on the staff has worked as a professional in the field they teach. “The science teacher has been a researcher, the art teacher is an artist, the drama teacher acted in New York,” she explains. “They’ve all continued in the fields they love. It’s so good for girls to get to see strong women doing the things they love.”

Parrish admits she was hesitant at first at the thought of working at an all-girls’ school, but she quickly found that the girls were more likely to be comfortable discussing a wide range of topics, as well as to be more engaged in class without the distraction of boys. “When you take boys out of the mix, a lot of that drama goes away,” she says. She also thinks the school uniforms help to rein in comparisons among the girls, and help them feel more confident. Confidence and a healthy self-image are big priorities for the girls at Hanger Hall. Parrish says that it was incredibly difficult for the girls to strengthen their social skills while attending school remotely during the COVID-19 pandemic. “During COVID, it was a challenge for teachers to teach that,” she says of self-esteem, “to help them to know that they can be confident.” The school had a hybrid schedule so students could still be on campus with their teachers part of the year to help the girls stay on track academically.

Though Hanger Hall has a reputation for thinking outside the box, their students continue to get high scores on standardized tests and grow into confident learners. Their graduates often go on to take advanced courses and are placed in honors programs. Parrish says she doesn’t put much stock in standardized testing and admits that she wouldn’t mind seeing them done away with altogether. “One test doesn’t show you much about a child,” she says. “We focus on the progress of each student, helping them along their educational journey. They leave here as confident and independent learners.” 

Parrish also says the involvement of the teachers is really what makes Hanger Hall special. She says the teachers are always staying late with a student, or bringing lunch to a girl who’s had a tough week. “They truly care,” she shares. “We always have alumni coming back to visit their teachers.” 

As a child, Parrish was a track runner. She was a high jumper at Ohio State and went on to win a Big Ten championship. During her career, Parrish was a physical education teacher, coach, health teacher, and athletic director before becoming school principal. She says that her background in athletics taught her a lot about what a child needs to be successful. “Being practiced and prepared helps you feel confident,” she explains. “Preparation needs to happen for you to be good at something. It’s nice to show kids that.”

When they graduate, each girl at Hanger Hall gives a speech at their graduation ceremony. This year, Parrish says she feels as though she is graduating with them. She is retiring and turning the reins over to a new director, Christie Stillwell. While Parrish is sad to leave, she says she is excited to get to spend more time with her husband and family. “I’ve loved this place,” she says of Hanger Hall. “This is the best place to be and to find a family after you’ve been somewhere for thirty years.” 

Parrish feels that the experience for a girl at Hanger Hall is nothing short of magic. She says part of what has always attracted her to private schools is that they can remain true to their original purpose and mission, whereas public schools have to constantly change with the times. “We’re a place that’s good for everyone,” she says of Hanger Hall. “I’m leaving the legacy that was already here. That is what’s so special about this place.”

For more information on Hanger Hall, visit their website: www.hangerhall.org