Nikki and Stephanie

Mrs. Lopez teaches an ESL class.

The rolling hills of Central Pennsylvania provide a safe and healthy living environment for Grier students.

Letter from Andrew Wilson, Headmaster December 11, 2007 Dear Parents, Today is an exciting day for all of us at Grier. This is the last day of Mid-term exams. Some girls have already started to leave and by tomorrow at noon the campus will be quiet. Within a few days I will begin missing the company of all the students. The Christmas vacation is always a little too quiet for me. The school, in the interest of conserving fuel, turns the temperature down a notch. We work on despite the chill. There are days when I wear a wool hat on my bald head to keep comfortable. But, for now the building is toasty warm and the kids are off at their 6th period exam. I enjoyed breakfast today with Isa, one of our 11th graders from China. We talked about life in China and all the changes of recent years. She comes from a city in the south known for its great beauty and clean air. But now, she says, the city is getting crowded. When her parents, who are 43 years old, were young a sign of affluence was that a child could have an apple to eat at lunch-time. Isa said that some families went without meat for much of the year except for the celebration of New Years. These stories, told to her by her parents, sound to me like they are from the distant past. Amazingly enough, the memories of her parents for these things date back to only the 1970’s and 1980’s. In the intervening years, China has entirely transformed itself while Birmingham and the culture of Grier School have changed very little. Though we have built some nice new facilities, I would like to think that the current Grier Girls still benefit from a clean living environment in a peaceful setting. Isa seemed content to be here in her home-away-from-home, enjoying breakfast with me. The time seems to have passed so quickly this fall. I recall being nervous before the start of school as the days ticked past to Opening Day. Once the girls were all here, things became much more enjoyable. It seems to me that the anticipation of something new and different is often more stressful than the actual event. We have a fabulous faculty here and everyone settled into school very quickly despite the changes in our administration occasioned by the retirement of Andrea Hollnagel. The kids have, as a group, been wonderful. There have been the usual flurry of dramas but that is to be expected with a school full of teenagers. These dramas actually serve to provide the girls with lifelong tales of adventure. I know this from personal experience. When it comes to bedtime stories, my own daughters love to hear the stories from my boarding school days, embellished as only time can do. We wish you a very happy holiday together with your daughter. I am sure that you will notice some changes in your child brought about by the maturity and independence that have developed in the past couple months. My first Christmas home from boarding school was memorable in that I actually sat and talked with my parents and enjoyed the experience. Before boarding school, it seemed like our only conversations revolved around daily chores and logistics. Please feel free to write to me anytime over the coming weeks. Life here at Grier will be very quiet so I will welcome the contact with the outside world. Fondly, Andrew Wilson These best friends come from Germany and Washington State. AN ARCHIVES OF ANDREW'S LETTERS June 8, 2003 - February 12, 2004 June 4, 2004 - November 2, 2004 November 22, 2004 - March 21, 2005 April 19, 2005 - October 6, 2005 October 26, 2005 - June 30, 2006 September 1, 2006 - October 31, 2007

Grier School Wish List! Grier appreciates donations of new materials intended to improve the quality of the educational experience in our school. Gifts In Kind, physical objects given to The Grier School, are also valued. Many items that friends of Grier have in their possession, but currently have no use or meaning to them, may be useful and desireable to Grier. These donations enrich the lives of present and future students. When a gift is received by Grier, a receipt of the donation is sent to the donor for use in tax reporting. For more information, please contact: Andrew Wilson Bleachers Bridles of good quality Camera - Canon GL2 Mini-DV Three Smart Boards (Interactive White Boards) for classrooms. ($2,000 each) Dump Truck Exciting gifts to raffle for student organizations 14 Computers for the Computer Lab. ($1,350 each) “Four-wheeler” for the equestrian program Grill for barbecues with six burners Jumps of all kinds including "Chicken Coops," tables, etc. Keyboards - Four CPL Yamaha Electric Keyboards Laptop computers for the art department Opportunity to use large cruising sailboat for weekend on the Chesapeake Bay. Pool Cover to permit winter use of outside pool Prizes for Green and Gold games Road paving to the upper ring Saddles (Crosby or Collegiate, not synthetic) Skid Loader with backhoe attachment String Bass Sunfish class sailboats Weekend at Pennsylvania ski lodge for students Portable set-up for 12 wireless earsets for use in Grier's Performing Arts Center. Body pack transmitter with ME2 omni lavaliere and rack mountable receiver. Countryman Isomax E-6 earset microphone -10db for Sennheiser Evolution series Wireless Passive Antenna RF splitter and DC distribution with NTI 120 power supply. Front mount antenna. Rack mount kit for G2 EM receivers and SR transmitters 4 space rack to mount 4 wireless units so they don't get lost or damaged. Value of entire system is approximately $15,000. Many Thanks for These Gifts Received! “Benjamin” (Horse) – Gift of Beyaert Farm, Inc. “Carlos” (Horse) – Gift of Veris Yordy “Chocolate Mousse” (Horse) – Gift of Karen Shepherd Nine Dell computers for Mrs. Johnson's Math Classroom. (Family of Kristine, Class of 2008) Three Celestron Astonomy Binoculars (Family of Kristine, Class of 2008) New 4/4 cello (Family of Kristine, Class of 2008) New student flute (Catherine Reyes, Class of 1987) New violin with case (Catherine Reyes, Class of 1987) Robotic swimming pool cleaner (Family of Kristine, Class of 2008) Two Horse Trailer (Family of Kristine, Class of 2008) Telescope(Family of Kristine, Class of 2008) Student Center (Barbara and Jennifer Rexroad, Class of 1985) Yamaha Drum Set (Family of Kristine, Class of 2008) Yamaha Stage Professional Keyboard (Family of Kristine, Class of 2008) Yamaha Drum Set (Jeong-Hee Lee, Class of 2007)

Miss Watters in her 3rd period Biology class.

Alejandra, seen here with faculty member Mike Peachey, caught a rainbow trout in the Little Juniata River.

2007-2008 FAST FACTS 211 full-time boarding students 24 states of the USA and the District of Columbia represented 10 foreign countries Four new buildings completed since January, 2001! 155 years of continuous operation! Distribution by grades: 7th grade - 17 students 8th grade - 12 students 9th grade - 36 students 10th grade - 43 students 11th grade - 56 students 12th grade - 47 students

New Construction! Grier's new Indoor Riding Ring opened in January, 2007, and has been used for some large home horse shows.

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ACCREDITATION

The Grier School is accredited by the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools and recognized by the Pennsylvania Department of Education. Grier is a member of the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS), the Secondary School Admission Test Board (SSATB), the National Coalition of Girls' Schools (NCGS),the Pennsylvania Association of Independent Schools (PAIS), the Small Boarding Schools Association (SBSA) and Six Middle Atlantic Boarding Schools (SMABS).

The Grier School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion or national origin.

MEMBERSHIP

The Grier School is active in the following national and regional organizations:
NAIS - National Association of Independent Schools
SMABS - Six Middle Atlantic Boarding Schools
TABS - The Association of Boarding Schools
NCGS - National Coalition of Girls Schools

IMPORTANT! Grier girls are at home in the world! One of the best things about Grier School is making friends with students from all over the world. Some of the girls are international students who have come to the USA to study. Others are Americans whose families live overseas. The contacts made here will help Grier students to feel comfortable around the world later in life. If you have any nice photos of your daughter during any of the vacations, please send the digital file to Andrew Wilson so that he may add the image to the Photo Gallery display of vacation photos!

Happy spectators at the Faculty-Student volleyball game of October 31, 2007.

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THE GRIER SCHOOL participates in the school fundraising program run by TARGET called, "TAKE CHARGE OF EDUCATION." If you make purchases using a Target Visa or a Target Guest Card you may designate Grier School as the recipient of a gift made by TARGET. This is a fabulous program for Grier which costs the shopper nothing! To designate Grier, simply phone 1-800-316-6142 and follow the instructions given.

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Early departures and late arrivals require the permission of Gina Borst, Headmistress.

A Big Sister/Little Sister group during orientation.

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School Year Calendar	2007-2008
Opening	September 7
Parents' Weekend	October 20-21
Thanksgiving	November 17 - November 25
Mid-Term Exams	December 8 - 11
Christmas Vacation	December 12 – January 6
Spring Vacation	March 8 – March 24
Commencement	May 24
Final Exams	May 26 – May 29

Major Events Calendar
Date	Description	Chaperone	Cost
Sep 1, 2007	Rock Fest	All Faculty
Sep 15, 2007	Hershey Park with Carson Long	Schmitle/McClellan	$75
Sep 22, 2007	International Club trip to New York	Lamberts	$300
Sep 22, 2007	Lancaster Outlets	Kingera	TBD
Sep 29, 2007	Dance with Kiski		$50
Sep 29, 2007	Renaissance Faire	Alberico/Gerber	$75
Oct 6, 2007	Dance at Carson Long		$50
Oct 13, 2007	Open Mic Night	Cole
Oct 19, 2007	Parents Weekend - thru 10/21
Oct 27, 2007	New York Weekend - thru 28	Lamberts/Paynes	$300
Nov 3, 2007	Fright Fest @ Six Flags	Pugh	$75
Nov 9, 2007	One Act Play (w/Kiski)	Cole
Nov 10, 2007	Carnegie & Andy Warhol Museum	Nelson	$75
Nov 10, 2007	Dance at Grand River	Barr	$50
Nov 17, 2007	Thanksgiving Disney thru 11/25	Burkey/Borst	$1,800
Nov 17, 2007	Thanksgiving Homestay thru 11/25	Kelley	$800
Dec 1, 2007	King of Prussia Mall	Lawler/Silverman	$75
Feb 15, 2008	Washington D.C. thru 2/17	Lamberts/Paynes	TBD
Feb 22, 2008	Dance Competition thru 2/24	Hrzic
Mar 1, 2008	Dance Fest at Grier
Mar 8, 2008	London - Paris - thru 3/24	Lamberts	$3,750.00
Mar 8, 2008	Spring Break - (SPAIN) thru 3/24	Silverman	$3,750.00
Apr 5, 2008	Grier Music Festival	Lang
Apr 11, 2008	Weekend Camping thru 4/13	Drake	TBD
Apr 19, 2008	Spring Dance Recital
Apr 25, 2008	New York Weekend thru 4/28	Lamberts	$300
May 3, 2008	SAT Testing
May 10, 2008	Grier Musical
May 17, 2008	Prom
May 23, 2008	Hershey Park	Jennings/ Pugh	$75
May 24, 2008	King of Prussia Mall	Kelley	$60.00

The costs listed for each trip are estimates. The final cost is subject to change based on the number of students attending the activity. Dances and other activities may be scheduled on short notice so this is not a complete list of all activities which will be offered.

Opening Day - 2007

Grier's French teacher, Remy Du Pasquier, sent this photo from Switerland where he is hoping to take a Spring Break ski trip in Spring Break of 2009!

Bank Wire Instructions If you wish to send payments via BANK WIRE, please contact Marlene Halbedl. Personal Accounts: If you have questions regarding your daughter's Personal Allowance account, please direct them to Sue Burkey. Activities Account: If you have questions regarding your daughter's Activities Escrow Account, please direct them to Marlene Halbedl. Tuition, Room and Board: If you have questions regarding your daughter's Tuition, Room and Board (TRB) account, please direct them to Marlene Halbedl.

Tea Hee Koo's image titled "Dancing On Thorns" was selected by the AP testing service as an exemplary study of positive/negative space in pen and ink.

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In Yong Sook's class, the pumpkin carving day is very popular.

Parents and grandparents are always welcome to visit the school. Grier's wonderful conference room, the "Elizabeth Straight Conference Room," provides a secure and private place for meetings to take place.

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Grandparents are always welcome at Grier!

Requirements For Graduation | Frequently Asked Questions

Grier School's Discrimination Clause The Grier School is open to all female students regardless of race, creed, religion, or national origin.