Welcome, Alumni

Almost five years after releasing our first-ever podcast, Rowland Hall is excited to announce the newest addition to our audio offerings: Rowland Hall Stories.

Featuring audio versions of the articles published in Fine Print, our digital magazine, Rowland Hall Stories will allow us to share what’s happening at the school with a wider audience.

“We know there are folks who love to read Fine Print on their computers or phones, but we also know that format isn’t for everyone,” said Ashley Atwood, content associate. “By launching Rowland Hall Stories, we’re hoping to make it easier for even more people to keep up with the amazing things our students and teachers are doing.”

Rowland Hall Stories listeners can also look forward to a new tune—the podcast features an original theme song composed by Sam Morse ’24. The young alum said the upbeat, energetic piece symbolizes how he felt when he walked down an Upper School hallway, greeting friends, seeing teachers in their classrooms, and feeling connected to the community.

I hope that people who listen to this podcast take away the fact that people at Rowland Hall are doing exceptional work. This isn’t an ordinary school.—Sam Morse ’24, Rowland Hall Stories theme song composer

“I’m excited and honored to have worked on this project,” said Sam, who has played piano since kindergarten and began writing his own songs four years ago. Sam credits Rowland Hall’s jazz and pop band director, Dr. Bret Jackson, for helping him hone the improvisational skills he’s needed to write music. He also expressed his appreciation for the school’s small band classes, which allow for more individual attention as well as opportunities to play solos.

“That really helps with songwriting because you get used to flowing with your instrument,” said Sam, who, even as a biomedical engineering student at the University of Utah Honors College, finds time every day to play. (He stores his keyboard from under his dorm bed.) “If I don’t go a day without playing the piano at least once, that’s a bad day,” he remarked.

And Sam is thrilled that one of his pieces will play a role in welcoming people to Rowland Hall Stories, where listeners will learn about the extraordinary happenings at Rowland Hall. As a former Advanced Research Chemistry class member himself, Sam knows the opportunities Rowland Hall provides students are unlike what many have seen.

“I hope that people who listen to this podcast take away the fact that people at Rowland Hall are doing exceptional work,” said Sam. “This isn’t an ordinary school.”

Check out Rowland Hall Stories, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update.

Podcast

As a person who’s always wanted to work with kids and mentor other educators, it seems only natural that alumna Harper Lundquist ’16 would end up in a position like director of SummerWorks.

A Rowland Hall Lifer (she attended from 4PreK through 12th grade), Harper got to know the school’s day camp program when she was hired as a counselor for summer 2016. That season, she discovered a fondness for SummerWorks, and she chose to return as a counselor, then a program lead, every summer while attending the University of Utah. She loved the continued connection to her alma mater and, as an elementary education major, that the program allowed her to work with kids and hone her educational and teaching skills under the expertise of the program’s then director, Beth Ott, and assistant director, Alec Baden.

“I learned so much from them that helped me not only as a counselor, but during my time in the classroom as well,” said Harper.
 

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Harper’s positive, can-do attitude, her care for every student, and her appreciation of the SummerWorks program has been a joy to watch and support.—Jennifer Blake, associate head of school

After graduating from the U, Harper taught fourth grade at Plymouth Elementary, where she’d done her student teaching. But during her second year at the school, she recognized that kicking off a full-time teaching career during a pandemic was burning her out, so she decided to take a breather from the classroom. She continued to work with children as a part-time tutor and in various roles at Rowland Hall, including equity and inclusion intern. It was while in this role that she learned Rowland Hall was looking for a new SummerWorks director.

While many of Harper’s coworkers, who knew her history with the program, encouraged her to apply, she remembers feeling nervous about pursuing the directorship. She worried she didn’t have enough experience. But after conversations with trusted colleagues, Harper realized that the value of her SummerWorks knowledge could benefit the program, and that she could build other skills as she went. She decided to apply, and when she was named director in January 2024, Harper quickly learned that her experience was indeed the asset the program needed.

“Harper's long history at SummerWorks was invaluable in her approach to planning and iterating for the summer of 2024,” said Associate Head of School Jennifer Blake, who met with Harper weekly to plan for the season and said Harper’s deep knowledge of SummerWorks enabled her to jump into that planning without missing a beat. “She had experience working with the last three directors of the program and had ideas about what was worth keeping, shoring up, or creating, and she did all of that work thoughtfully and inclusively.”

And as a former counselor and program lead herself, Harper can relate to her counselors, allowing her to build a close-knit team. Like her own SummerWorks directors, she focuses on helping her staff grow as teachers and mentors. She’s also pulling from her other experiences as a Rowland Hall team member in shaping the future of SummerWorks. This includes her time as equity and inclusion intern, where—under the guidance of Dr. Chandani Patel, whom Harper called a trusted mentor who models diligent and thorough work—she learned to think about DEI in all aspects of the school, and where her confidence and courage grew. She continuously taps into these qualities and experiences in her new role to further benefit SummerWorks—and is already making an impact.

“Harper’s positive, can-do attitude, her care for every student, and her appreciation of the SummerWorks program has been a joy to watch and support,” said Jennifer.

We recently sat down with Harper to chat about her first summer as program director and what she’s looking forward to in summer 2025.

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What appealed to you about becoming SummerWorks director?

I have a lot of fond memories from working at SummerWorks, and I realized that for my career I wanted to work with kids and be able to teach and mentor others to work with kids, so this seemed like an amazing opportunity that combined both of these things.

What are you most proud of from your first summer as director?

I am most proud of the amazing team of folks I got to work with—I couldn’t have done it without them! From the admin team to the counselors, we all worked well together.

What did you learn about yourself this summer?

I learned that I am more capable than I give myself credit for (I tend to be my biggest critic). I think we all have moments of imposter syndrome, and I had these feelings come up throughout the summer. I also learned that I can delegate tasks better than I thought I could—I was worried about that initially!

What do you want others to know about making the move to a higher-level position (especially if they, too, may be dealing with imposter syndrome)?

I think we can talk ourselves out of applying for something new when we don’t meet all the requirements. When I was contemplating whether to apply or not, I asked Ryan Hoglund for advice and he helped me understand that meeting 60% to 70% of a job description is totally fine—the employer knows you’ll need to learn some tasks on the job and will grow into the role. My advice is, if you’re interested, go for it! Who knows where it’ll take you? Even if you don’t get it, you’ll have valuable interview experience. It’s a win-win situation.

I love to see kids having fun, but it’s the best to see when kids are anxious or shy on their first day of camp and make new friends by the end of the week, or are nervous to try something new and discover that they love it! I love that kids get to have these experiences at SummerWorks.—Harper Lundquist ’16

What do you want people to know about SummerWorks that they may not already be aware of?

A question I get asked a lot is if SummerWorks is just for Rowland Hall students, and no, it’s not. We have students from all over! We have even had families join us from out of state and internationally. Our camp welcomes kids from ages four through 13, and we have wonderful counselors who are enthusiastic and excited for each day.

What do you look forward to doing with the program in the future?

I have several ideas that I would love to implement in the program that I didn’t have a chance to do last year. I got lots of helpful feedback and suggestions from campers, families, and staff. I would love to offer a wider range of special activities that special instructors would lead.

Why is summer camp important, and what does it mean to you to bring this kind of experience to kids?

I believe summer camp allows kids to be kids and have fun. Our philosophy at SummerWorks is that kids build curiosity, confidence, and character. SummerWorks is a fast-paced environment that always keeps you busy and guessing, and it always makes my day when I get to check in on age groups and chat with the campers. I love to see kids having fun, but it’s the best to see when kids are anxious or shy on their first day of camp and make new friends by the end of the week, or are nervous to try something new and discover that they love it! I love that kids get to have these experiences at SummerWorks. 

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 Interested in SummerWorks? Visit the camp website to learn more about the program, and keep an eye out for announcements—registration will open in early 2025.

   Alumni