Welcome, Parents of Alumni!

Happy 2026!

As we embark on a new year of learning and growth, we’re taking a moment to look back at 2025 through the lens of five of our most exciting and well-received stories of the year. These stories highlight what makes Rowland Hall special: our incredible students, our talented faculty and staff, and our leading academic initiatives. (Want more? Visit Fine Print for all stories.)

Get to Know Assistant Head of School for Academics Brittney Hansen
In late summer we announced exciting administrative changes for 2025–2026: new Upper School and Middle School leadership teams, as well as Rowland Hall’s first assistant head of school for academics, Brittney Hansen ’02. While many in our community already know Brittney well (she’s a former Beginning School teacher and assistant principal, an alumna, and the co-host of The PrinciPALS Podcast), we loved introducing her to new families and previewing what she has planned for her first year in the role.

Meet the Emmy-Winning Filmmaker Leading Rowland Hall’s Media Arts Program
Some of the most talented educators in the world work at Rowland Hall, and we love to tout their accomplishments anytime we can. So when Danny Schmidt, our media arts teacher, won an Emmy for Outstanding Nature Documentary, we had to write about it. (Fun fact: While this was Danny’s first national Emmy, it’s not his first overall; he’s also won two regional Emmys.) We enjoyed talking to Danny about how he started making films, what inspires him, and how he’s mentoring middle and upper schoolers who are interested in this art form.

Upper School Students Take the Law Into Their Own Hands
Lots of schools participate in Mock Trial, but few schools provide law-focused learning like Rowland Hall. Led by talented political science and debate teacher Mike Shackelford, Rowland Hall’s pre-law education opportunities include classes like Mock Trial and the Supreme Court, complete with assignments you don’t often associate outside of law school, such as the chance to write for a law review. These experiences don’t just prepare students for possible careers; they also demystify the legal system for future leaders.

Junior Meg Hoglund Commits to Play Lacrosse for NCAA D1 Howard University
This story was only unveiled right before winter break, but it quickly became one of the year’s most-read pieces—and for good reason. It’s an inspiring look at how upper schooler Meg Hoglund made her dream of playing lacrosse at the collegiate level come to life, from how she worked to get on colleges’ radars to how she partnered with teachers to ensure she could pursue the sport she loves without giving up an exceptional education at Rowland Hall.

Upper School Independent Projects Expand Authentic Learning Opportunities
Did you know one upper schooler spent a year interning in a first-grade classroom on the McCarthey Campus, or that another spent eight weeks in France over the summer practicing the language and working at a bakery? Independent projects give students the chance to pursue their interests while earning graduation credit, and are part of our broad commitment to providing diverse opportunities for deep learning.

Community

Meg Hoglund knew lacrosse was the sport for her at age 8.

“That first game, I fell in love with it,” she remembered.

Just four years later, Meg was competing with club teams and had set a goal to play in college—an ambition she fulfilled earlier this month when she committed to Howard University, an NCAA Division I school in Washington, DC.

“I kind of can’t believe it yet,” said Meg. “I have to pinch myself. I get to go to this awesome school and play my favorite sport.”

Did You Know
Rowland Hall supports student-athletes across a wide range of sports, including those not offered on campus, so they can pursue high-level athletics while staying fully engaged academically. Learn more.

Meg’s journey to Howard started nearly a decade ago. An active child, Meg had participated in several activities by the time she was in third grade: basketball, soccer, dance, gymnastics. But none of those activities clicked like lacrosse, which she tried when a family friend started a team. Looking back, Meg thinks her connection to the sport was a combination of the confidence she felt on the field and the joy of being part of something gaining momentum in the state.

“It was the time lacrosse started becoming popular in Utah,” said Meg. “Everyone was so new at it, and we were all doing it together. No one was better than anyone yet. It was so cool to be doing something that was newer.”

By age 10, Meg had fully devoted herself to lacrosse and was playing up to two years above her age group. Salt Lake City didn’t have a lot of teams at the time, so she traveled across the valley to compete on the Olympus and Brighton lacrosse clubs. By 12, Meg was ready to take her play to the next level. “I wanted more competition, had decided I wanted to play in college, and started taking it very seriously,” she said.

As a prospective athlete in a state with fewer established lacrosse pipelines, Meg worked closely with her coaches and parents to ensure she’d be visible to colleges. She joined increasingly more competitive clubs and, because Rowland Hall doesn’t offer lacrosse, used the Utah High School Activities Association’s co-op rule to play for Highland High, her school of residence. She also attended showcases and tournaments, including high-level events where she’d be seen by coaches, and emailed coaching staff she wanted to build a relationship with.

Collegiate recruitment timelines vary by sport. For women’s lacrosse, much of the process takes place during a student’s sophomore year, when coaches begin identifying and tracking prospective players, and their junior year, when coaches can initiate recruiting contact beginning on September 1. Junior year is also the time when coaches, particularly at the highly competitive D1 level, begin extending verbal offers to their top recruits.

In preparation for the recruitment process, Meg spent her summers attending showcases and tournaments around the country, where she’d be seen by coaching teams. Her hard work paid off: on September 1, a school she was interested in emailed her. And while it was a good opportunity, said Meg, she wanted to wait until the end of the tournament season before making a decision.

Not long after, one of Meg’s coaches encouraged her to look at the fall tournament schedule for Howard, one of her top schools, and in late November she flew east to play in front of Howard assistant coach Abby Hampson. Meg couldn’t meet with the coach due to a Thanksgiving-driven recruiting shutdown, but she and her parents took advantage of the trip to explore the school’s stunning DC campus. They stopped by the admission office for a map and began chatting with two undergraduates in Meg’s intended major (biology, pre-med track), who offered to show them around.

“It was so unexpected and the first sign of the kindness of the community,” said Meg, who, as a Rowland Hall Lifer, cherishes a close-knit, supportive learning community. She also remembered how excited she felt when talking to the undergraduates about opportunities she’d have to deeply explore her cultural heritage, an incredible benefit of studying at one of the nation’s oldest and most prestigious Historically Black Colleges and Universities. As she walked around campus, Meg had a feeling almost identical to what she felt when she first played lacrosse. “I fell in love,” she said.

Things went quickly from there. The next week, Howard’s head coach, Karen Healy-Silcott, and Coach Hampson reached out requesting a video call with Meg and her family between December 1–20. They scheduled the call for December 1, and during the conversation Meg was invited to verbally commit by Christmas. She accepted on December 4.

Since committing to Howard, Meg has felt many emotions: excitement for reaching her goal, contentment about her college decision, and, of course, gratitude for the many people who supported this journey: her mom and dad, coaches, teammates, and friends. She’s also grateful to her teachers and the Rowland Hall community for helping her balance her athletic dreams with an exceptional education.

Rowland Hall has prepared me so well. There’s never been a time where I felt like I couldn’t get anything done because of my sport.—Meg Hoglund, class of 2027

“Rowland Hall has so much support worked in,” said Meg, including small classes and an emphasis on relationships with teachers who are well-versed in working with elite athletes, including those enrolled in Rowmark Ski Academy. Over the years, Meg has collaborated closely with instructors to set expectations, and has learned to communicate clearly and carefully manage her time—skills she’ll need in college.

“Rowland Hall has prepared me so well,” said Meg. “There’s never been a time where I felt like I couldn’t get anything done because of my sport, and I'm confident I'll be able to manage a high-level sport and classes at college.”

Meg’s story is a clear example of how Rowland Hall views athletics: as an extension of, not a trade-off from, academic excellence.

“Meg took full advantage of the best of both worlds, pursuing rigorous academic standards at Rowland Hall while competing in lacrosse,” said Athletic Director Zack Alvidrez. “She is a true success story of someone who reached her goals through hard work and by fully embracing the process of becoming great. It’s been amazing to watch her growth and passion, and I have no doubt she will continue to find success at Howard.”

Congratulations, Meg—we are so proud of you. Go Bison!

Athletics

Students at Rowland Hall’s Upper School are experiencing their 1L year—yet none of them has taken the LSAT.

Teacher and coach Mike Shackelford is providing a legal education for these students through a variety of courses. They cover the basics of court proceedings in the Mock Trial class, which culminates in a statewide competition. In the Supreme Court class, they look at the docket of the highest court in the land, how it deliberates, and the precedents it has set. They also take the time to dissect some of those legal precedents through law review.

Some kids want to be lawyers; they want to grow up and work in the legal field. These courses prepare them in the same way we are teaching scientists to do real lab work or teaching historians to publish research.—Mike Shackelford, political science teacher and debate coach

“Some kids want to be lawyers; they want to grow up and work in the legal field,” Mike said.  “These courses prepare them in the same way we are teaching scientists to do real lab work or teaching historians to publish research.”

The curriculum is about more than preparing students for their future careers. It’s also about making them aware of their constitutional rights, how to use them, and how to defend the civil liberties of others. “We are demystifying the legal system and teaching them how their rights might be applied in their own circumstances,” Mike said.

Since 2014, the law curriculum has been centered around the Political Science: The Supreme Court course taught by Mike. Here, students look at a variety of legal precedents and the arguments that led to their decisions. They have looked at cases like Miranda v. Arizona, which ruled that law enforcement must inform suspects of their constitutional rights.

“We’re looking at the actual legal proceedings that brought us these precedents, and the people who were involved,” said junior Luna Saad. “It makes you realize how important it is for the courts to get it right the first time because it is so hard to go back and change it later.”

In addition to studying the historical decisions of the high court, the class is charged with looking at the current issues facing it, the arguments being made, and the decisions being handed down. It brings immediacy to the lessons being taught that doesn’t exist in many other classes.

“It’s not just watching the court, but also politicians and how they are positioning themselves,” said junior Grey Obermark. “It’s interesting to try and predict what will happen next and where we should be directing our attention.”

This year, the class is taking on a new project: law reviews. Each student has chosen a case to put under the microscope and examine. The topics that have been chosen range from corporate political speech to Native American sovereignty, environmental justice, and intellectual property rights. It isn’t just about knowing the subject matter, though; it’s also knowing how to write in a way they haven’t before, formatting their thoughts in a style that’s acceptable as a legal document.

We are learning to construct a legal argument, which is a key skill to get this early in our education.—Baker Campsen, class of 2026

“It’s different in structure and the kind of evidence that you use compared to other writing that you do,” said senior Baker Campsen. “We are learning to construct a legal argument, which is a key skill to get this early in our education.”

When finished, all the papers will be collected into an online volume and submitted to the High School Law Review for possible publication. This is a national organization that is committed to the study of constitutional law and a deeper understanding of those principles.

“We are one of 20 schools in the nation involved in the High School Law Review,” said Mike. “It involves submitting our papers for review by other schools and reviewing their work. Putting that academic work that students really have a lot of pride in out into the world is valuable.”

While the Supreme Court class is looking at the law from its highest point, the Mock Trial team is putting it into action. This is the third year of the class in the Upper School, and the second year in the Middle School. In this class, students take on a variety of courtroom roles from lawyers to witnesses, and even bailiffs. They study every aspect of the case presented to them and then participate in tournaments where they argue both the prosecution and defense sides against other Utah schools.

“There is so much preparation that goes into it before we even set foot in the courtroom,” said junior Rana Rakib. “You have to know every part of the case and how to use them and be confident in what you are saying. And even then, the other side can take the advantage just in the way they make their arguments.”

Not a lot of teams were able to take advantage of the squads from Rowland Hall in last year’s competition. The Upper School team more than doubled their number of wins from the year before, finished 10th in the state, and won multiple awards, including “Star Witness” and “Star Attorney.” The Middle School team also finished 10th and won several awards.

“You can’t just throw everything at the wall and see what sticks,” said team co-captain Emery Lieberman. “You have to think strategically and be very composed, and we have gotten better at this as a team every year since we’ve been competing. It will be exciting to see what we can accomplish this year.”

Our goal as students is to participate in society in ways that matter and ways that help people. So to be able to see what’s happening and who needs help through a legal lens is really important.—Grey Obermark, class of 2027

All of this work, from Mock Trial to law review, isn’t just an academic exercise; it’s about making a difference in the world. The students are not only being encouraged to understand their rights and liberties, but how to help others understand them and fight for them as well.

“Being an activist is only so good unless you can change the law,” said Mike. “Knowing the law and understanding where injustice occurs and being able to speak the language of power helps people fight for a more just world.”

It’s a cause the students are eager to take on.

“Law pervades any successful society, and thus to be successful in society you need a fundamental understanding of the law,” said sophomore Gregory House. “There is a real necessity in knowing how the legal system works.”

Added Grey, “Our goal as students is to participate in society in ways that matter and ways that help people. So to be able to see what’s happening and who needs help through a legal lens is really important.”

These students aren’t just learning how the legal system works—they’re preparing to step into it with clarity, confidence, and a commitment to justice.

---

Banner: Members of the 2024–2025 Mock Trial team in the courtroom, March 2025. This year’s team is currently preparing for 2026 competition.

Experiential Learning

“Warning,” reads a new sticker recently spotted at the Middle School. “Social media is one of the most addictive creations that mankind has ever made. Exercise caution while using.”

Designed by sixth grader Ethan S. and created in the style of a surgeon general warning, this sticker is one of several projects produced this fall by students in Danny Schmidt’s Foundations of Media Literacy class (others include personal narratives, video reflections, and analog social media photos shot on a Polaroid camera).

“We top off the class with a media project—something fun that ties the learning together and lets students put something back into the world they find interesting,” Danny explained.

The Middle School is committed to helping students build practices that will help them stay safe online, understand the long-term consequences of digital footprints, and responsibly and skillfully navigate platforms and mediums.

Media literacy is a fundamental skill for today’s students, and while most sixth graders don’t yet have cell phones (Danny’s in-class surveys find it’s fewer than 20%), it’s inevitable that most will by the time they enter high school. Because of this, the Middle School is committed to helping students build practices that will help them stay safe online, understand the long-term consequences of digital footprints, and responsibly and skillfully navigate platforms and mediums, particularly in an age of misinformation and artificial intelligence.

“The point isn’t to scare the kids, but to let them know this is a big world,” said Danny. “I want them to be a little more self-aware about phones and what they do—and maybe more heads up and cynical.”

Through engaging discussion and activities, Danny prepares sixth graders to be critical thinkers online. They talk about safety and red-flag scenarios, and how to verify claims and find sources, whether they’re looking at a news story or TikTok video. One particularly eye-opening exercise happens during a discussion of AI, when students take the New York Times quiz “Which Faces Were Made by AI?” Everyone is surprised by how tricky it is.

Just as they build sharper critical-thinking skills online, students also learn how to protect their mental well-being in a digital world. Aware of how much sixth graders have going on in their brains, Danny encourages them to reflect on their values, both online and in real life, especially when it comes to friendship, a key part of adolescence. Students further explore how phones, apps, and digital platforms are designed to be addictive, and how they can reinforce thinking traps, or negative thought patterns.

“A constant use of tech puts things in our heads: inadequacy, constant comparison, shoulds,” said Danny. “We all fall victim to thought traps, but we can’t let them dominate us.”

Media literacy is one of four Foundations classes taken by every sixth grader at Rowland Hall. First introduced in the 2010s under the leadership of then Middle School Principal Tyler Fonarow, Foundations has become a major component of how the division prepares new middle schoolers for success, both instilling necessary skills and preparing them for secondary-level learning.

“The idea behind Foundations is to make the fifth-to-sixth-grade transition smoother and more welcoming to sixth graders,” said sixth-grade math teacher Chad Obermark, known as Mr. O.

The idea behind Foundations is to make the fifth-to-sixth-grade transition smoother and more welcoming to sixth graders.—Chad Obermark, sixth-grade math teacher

That’s because while seventh and eighth graders are ready to take more ownership of their learning, including by choosing several of their classes from the Middle School’s wide variety of extension and elective courses, sixth graders aren’t yet ready for as many choices. While their older peers choose up to six classes each year, sixth graders start by choosing only their world language and period 1 extension—an approach that bridges the elementary-style schedule they’re used to and schedules in grades 7–12. Foundations further ease this transition by giving students a glimpse of the elective experience, explored within a consistent cohort of peers.

“I felt like we all bonded,” said Elliot R., who took media literacy this fall, about learning with her cohort.

In addition to media literacy, sixth graders study computer science, which explores digital citizenship, computational thinking, AI, and coding, and health and wellness, which focuses on social and emotional growth and the development of interpersonal skills. The fourth area of study, debate, builds skills around public speaking, effective argumentation, and reflective listening—and has the added benefit of introducing students to one of the school’s signature programs.

“Rowland Hall has always valued the debate program because of its strong record of competitive success, but also because of how debaters perform in the classroom,” said Mike Shackelford, who has taught Foundations of Debate since 2014.

Like all Foundations topics, debate greatly benefits all students—in this case, shaping them into stronger communicators, researchers, thinkers, and advocates who effectively contribute across all their classes. Whether or not students choose to pursue debate after sixth grade, Mike’s goal is that everyone leaves the class feeling more confident and comfortable in public-speaking situations, knowing how to craft effective arguments and deliver them persuasively, and able to appreciate and analyze the perspectives of others.

It’s clear when talking with this year’s sixth graders that the goals of these classes are hitting the mark. The current group of debate students, for instance, is quick to call out the many things they’ve learned about themselves by taking the class. Pallavi L. said it helped her realize that she really enjoys public speaking, while Emily M. said it’s shown her she’s a good writer and strengthened her presentation skills. Many also talk about the transferable nature of the subject.

“It teaches many portable skills—skills that you can take with you and use for the rest of your life,” said Gavin F. “Debate enhances your confidence, improves your critical-thinking skills, teaches you how to research in depth, and makes you want to challenge yourself more.”

Importantly, sixth graders notice the care and intentionality behind Foundations, a program that’s designed to make them feel supported, understood, and ready to step into middle school with confidence. Student Christian S. may have said it best when expressing his gratitude for his first Foundations experience.

“I’d like to give a big shout-out to all the sixth-grade teachers for welcoming us into middle school with open arms and big smiles,” he said.

Academics