Get ready to learn, connect, and be inspired during Harpeth Hall’s Winterim for Adults program. Led by talented alumnae, faculty, and local professionals, these engaging classes are designed to spark new passions, teach valuable skills, and provide plenty of fun along the way!
Winterim for Adults 2025 Classes
- Beginner Pickleball
- Intermediate Pickleball
- The Art of Flowers
- Heart Centered Yoga
- Book Talk: Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises
- Ukraine: The Burden of the Past
- Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis and the Prospects for Peace in the Middle East
- 2025 Vision: Finding Your Calling in a Rapidly Changing World
- Cheers to Cheese and Wine
- Money Talks: Creating a Legacy of Financial Confidence
- Introduction to The MELT Method
- Story Basics
- Book Talk: William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury
Beginner Pickleball
Beginner Pickleball
Instructor: Stephanie Shouse Lane, IPTPA Certified Instructor & Master Teaching Professional
Dates: Mondays, Jan. 27, and Feb. 3, 10, 18 (note a Tuesday), 24, and March 3
Time: 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: Athletic and Wellness Center, Gray Gymnasium
Cost: $120 for the series
Class is limited to 20 participants
About the Class
Want to learn how to play the fastest growing sport in America? It’s called pickleball. New to pickleball – a beginner? No problem. This beginner’s class is for those who may or may not have played before, but don’t know how to keep score, have no court positioning knowledge, and hit the ball at one speed: hard!
PLEASE NOTE: This is an extremely popular class. If you sign up, you are committing to all six classes. No cancellations accepted after Jan. 20, 2025.
Intermediate Pickleball
Intermediate Pickleball
Instructor: Stephanie Shouse Lane, IPTPA Certified Instructor & Master Teaching Professional
Dates: Mondays, Jan. 27, and Feb. 3, 10, 18 (note a Tuesday), 24, and March 3
Time: 7:30 – 8:30 p.m.
Location: Athletic and Wellness Center, Gray Gymnasium
Cost: $120 for the series
Class is limited to 20 participants
About the Class
Is the intermediate class for you? Have you already played before and know how to keep score? This class will have you learning that grip pressure is different depending upon what shot is being hit, and it will help you understand that keeping the ball “unattackable” for opponents is the goal… even though you may not play points from the kitchen line consistently… yet!
PLEASE NOTE: This is an extremely popular class. If you sign up, you are committing to all six classes. No cancellations accepted after Jan. 20, 2025.
The Art of Flowers
The Art of Flowers
Instructor: Carmen Noel, Upper School Visual Arts Teacher
Dates: Tuesdays, Jan. 28, Feb. 4, 11, 18, 25, and March 4
Time: 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Location: Patton Visual Arts Center, Upper Studio 1
Cost: $200 (includes all supplies)
Class is limited to 14 participants
About the Class
Join Harpeth Hall visual arts teacher Carmen Noel for a flower arranging and printmaking class where participants will create beautiful floral designs while exploring printmaking techniques blending nature with artistic expression. No artistic experience necessary, just bring your creativity!
Heart Centered Yoga
Heart Centered Yoga
Instructor: Grace Rich French ’04, Vinyasa Yoga Instructor RYT 200, Sanctuary for Yoga
Dates: Wednesdays, Jan. 29, Feb. 5, 12, and RESCHEDULED to Feb. 26
Time: 5 - 6 p.m.
Location: Athletic and Wellness Center, Yoga Studio
Cost: $75 for the series
Class is limited to 15 participants
About the Class
Heart Centered Yoga is a 4-week series of classes designed to move with strength and softness through intentional sequencing of yoga postures. We will play and explore on the mat to music, guiding students to connect deep with their breath and heart. Grace hopes all will leave feeling balanced with a new sense of curiosity of self on and off the mat. All levels are welcome!
Book Talk: Ernest Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises
Book Talk: Ernest Hemingway's "The Sun Also Rises"
Instructors: Joe Croker and Randall Pippenger, Harpeth Hall Upper School Teachers
Date: Wednesday, Jan. 29
Time: 6 – 7:30 p.m.
Location: Ann Scott Carell Library (upper level by the fireplace)
Cost: $10
About the Class
Ernest Hemingway, Nobel laureate and strongman of American letters, was in some respects a Midwestern-born contradiction. An artist of the first rank, Hemingway was also a deeply competitive man who could be juvenile, posturing, bullying, and full of false bravado. Despite this and his tremendous appetites, in his best work Hemingway was capable of brilliant self-analysis and trenchant self-critique. One of his wives said, he was hard on everyone, not the least himself. It’s also fair to say that Ernest Hemingway was obsessed with masculinity and death. In the end, all of his brilliance could not save him from the alcoholism and depression that would lead to his suicide in 1961.
The seeds of the unravelling are all present in his brilliant first novel, "The Sun Also Rises." Heavy drinking, skepticism about the permanence of love and of faith, and wayward sexual escapades all outweigh the rare glimpses of peace and stability that the novel offers. Summing up the young men and women that had survived World War I, Hemingway’s friend and mentor Gertrude Stein told him, “You are all a lost generation.” This epigraph—which fronts the novel—is born out in spades in the book. Hemingway claimed that he learned something new with every work. From "The Sun Also Rises" he said it was this: “Promiscuity: no solution.”
Please join us for an evening of lecture and conversation. Hold the whiskey!
Ukraine: The Burden of the Past
Ukraine: The Burden of the Past
Instructor: Trevor Erlacher, Ph.D., Upper School Social Science Teacher
Dates: Thursdays, Jan. 30, Feb. 6, 13, 20, 27, and Wednesday, March 5
Time: 6 - 7 p.m.
Location: Patton Visual Arts Center, Richards Room
Cost: $40 for the series
About the Class
We must look to history to understand the causes and potential consequences of Russia's war against Ukraine. Unfortunately, many Western politicians, journalists, and academics have a tenuous grasp on modern Ukraine, viewing it through the distorting lens of Russian imperialism and propaganda. With the aim of countering common myths and misconceptions about Ukraine, this course will uncover the entangled historical roots of the worst conflict in Europe since World War II. Armed with a deeper knowledge of Ukrainian history, politics, and culture, we can better understand what Ukrainians are fighting for and how their struggle affects the rest of the world.
Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis and the Prospects for Peace in the Middle East
Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis and the Prospects for Peace in the Middle East
Instructor: Dr. Art Echerd, Harpeth Hall Upper School Social Science Teacher
Dates: Feb. 4, 12, and RESCHEDULED to Feb. 25
Time: 6 - 7:15 p.m.
Location: Patton Visual Arts Center, Richards Room
Cost: $35 for the series
About the Class
Militant Islamist organizations such as Hamas and Hezbollah have been a feature of Middle Eastern and world politics since the 1980s, but the war in Gaza has brought renewed attention to these groups, who, along with the Houthis in Yemen, have been the most important components of what Iran calls “the Axis of Resistance” to Israel. Israel, for some time now, has viewed its conflicts with Hamas, Hezbollah, and the Houthis as facets of a single, multifront war with Iran. This class will look at the origins of these three groups and examine the nature of their relationship with Iran. We will then consider the challenges facing the United States in its attempts to bring some sort of resolution to a conflict that has escalated in recent months and has the potential to become the world’s first nuclear war.
2025 Vision: Finding Your Calling in a Rapidly Changing World
2025 Vision: Finding Your Calling in a Rapidly Changing World
Instructor: Jessica Kinnard ’04, Life and Purpose Coach with Jessica Kinnard Coaching
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 5
Time: 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Location: Ann Scott Carell Library (lower-level board room)
Cost: $20
About the Class
Join Harpeth Hall alumna and life coach Jessica Kinnard for an inspiring workshop on navigating to your life's calling in times of rapid change. Make 2025 the year you find Your Calling. In today's world, it feels like time is speeding up, change is constantly upon us, and it is easy to lose ourselves and what we are truly meant for. This class will introduce you to the "Change Cycle" (a 4-step process of transformation) and how to use it as a roadmap to find your purpose.
In this class, you will learn:
- How to navigate the 4 Squares of the Change Cycle: 1) Death & Rebirth; 2) Dreaming and Scheming; 3) The Hero's Journey, and 4) The Promised Land
- Where & Why we get stuck on the path to pursuing our purpose and tools for overcoming the 4 most common obstacles
- How do we define a Life Calling and how do we use the Change Cycle to excavate and start living yours!
Cheers to Cheese and Wine
Cheers to Cheese and Wine
All the tips and tricks you need to build a beautiful cheese board and what to drink while enjoying it!
Instructor: Maggie Johnson Higgins ‘15
Date: Monday, Feb. 10
Time: 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Location: Bullard Bright IDEA Lab, Teaching Kitchen
Cost: $75
Class is limited to 20 participants
About the Class
When it comes to hosting, having the perfect lineup of snacks and beverages is the name of the game. What to serve and how to tell people about what they're eating and drinking can be intimidating- especially when the aim is to impress! Maggie Higgins is here to help with a class all about how to build the perfect cheese board – AND pair the perfect wines.
Since moving back to Nashville in September, Maggie has been working at Woodland Wine Merchant and learning all about the wide and wonderful world of thoughtfully produced wines. You'll walk away from this class with a beautiful charcuterie board creation to take home as well as some new knowledge about the best wines to pair with it and to serve at your next gathering!
Money Talks: Creating a Legacy of Financial Confidence
Money Talks: Creating a Legacy of Financial Confidence
Instructors: Ryan McLaughlin Wood ’05 and Ellen Green Hoffman '04, with Katie Williams (Harpeth Hall current parent), and Alicia Jayo
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 12
Time: 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Location: Ann Scott Carell Library (lower-level board room)
Cost: $10
About the Class
How do you prepare children and grandchildren for a lifetime of financial confidence? Join us for an engaging session where we explore strategies to teach children about money at every stage of their lives. Learn how to address common concerns, approach conversations intentionally, and introduce age-appropriate lessons and activities. You will leave equipped with insights to nurture financial responsibility and independence in your family. Perfect for parents and grandparents ready to make “money talks” a meaningful part of their legacy.
This conversation will be led by a team from UBS Financial Services featuring Ryan McLaughlin Wood '05, market executive, and Ellen Green Hoffman '04, senior wealth strategy associate with The Wallace Group (led by alumna Mimi Wallace ’75). They will be joined by Katie Williams, discovery strategist with the chief investment office, and Alicia Jayo, executive director of family advisory and philanthropy. Together, they will share proven strategies and personalized insights to help you build a financial legacy that reflects your family’s values and aspirations.
Introduction to The MELT Method
Introduction to The MELT Method
Instructor: Luci Crow, Certified MELT and Pilates Instructor
Dates: Tuesdays, Feb. 18, 25, and March 4
Time: 6 - 7:15 p.m.
Location: Athletic and Wellness Center, Yoga Studio
Cost: $70 for the series
Class is limited to 12 participants
About the Class
Join Luci to experience and learn simple self-treatments you can do at home to reduce inflammation and “stuck stress,” i.e., dehydration in your fascial tissue, which contributes to joint and body pain and stiffness, unwanted signs of aging, fatigue, and mental stress. In this all-level workshop, you will use specialized MELT soft rollers and MELT Hand & Foot Treatment Balls that simulate manual therapy to rehydrate your fascia and release tension throughout your body and nervous system using gentle compression techniques.
In this 3-part series, you will learn MELT techniques to target your hands, neck, shoulders, feet, legs, and lower back, along with the MELT Rebalance Sequence- a quick, 10-minute stress relief practice that supports your body's stability and nervous system health. Participants often report feeling more at ease, experiencing pain relief, and noticing a sense of calm, balance, and even renewed energy after each session. You will also enjoy immediate results as you track your progress throughout the series. MELT rollers and therapy balls will be provided.
Story Basics
Story Basics
Instructor: Katie McDougall ’88, Co-Founder and Co-Director of The Porch
Date: RESCHEDULED to Wednesday, Feb. 26
Time: 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Location: Ann Scott Carell Library (lower-level board room)
Cost: $45
About the Class
This two-hour class is designed for people new to fiction writing. Perhaps you’re a reader who’d like to try your hand at being on the other side. Perhaps you have a story in your head and need a jumpstart to get it down on paper. Or perhaps you simply like to try new endeavors. In this workshop, we’ll consider the basic ingredients of fiction—characters, plot, setting, and dialogue—and we’ll put the ingredients to work with story-starting writing prompts.
Katie McDougall is the co-founder, co-director, and a regular instructor at The Porch, Nashville’s nonprofit center for writing whose mission is to inspire, educate, and connect writers of all ages and stages through classes and literary events. Prior to The Porch, Katie spent fifteen years as a high school English teacher in Colorado, Nashville, and The Bahamas. Her short stories and essays have appeared in "Hippocampus," "Litmosphere," "Chaper16" and others. She splits her time between Nashville and Sewanee, where she can often be found trotting on the trails with her Golden Retriever, Homer.
Book Talk: William Faulkner's The Sound and the Fury
Book Talk: William Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury"
Instructors: Joe Croker and Kristen Meltesen, Harpeth Hall Upper School English Teachers
Date: Wednesday, Feb. 26
Time: 6 - 7:30 p.m.
Location: NOTE CHANGE - Patton Visual Arts Center, Richards Room
Cost: $10
About the Class
Join us for an engaging discussion of William Faulkner's "The Sound and the Fury," a Southern Gothic masterpiece that challenges readers with its groundbreaking narrative structure and deeply emotional story. Explore the struggles and secrets of the Compson family, unravel the layers of time and memory, and dive into the complex themes of identity, loss, and decay.
