Middle school director's educational philosophy was shaped by community connection and a hurricane

Elizabeth Townsend Ecker '00 brings resilience and confidence to Harpeth Hall’s middle school

This article appears in the Winter 2024-25 issue of Hallways, Harpeth Hall's bi-annual publication.

When Hurricane Katrina’s wall of wind and rain tore through New Orleans in 2005, Elizabeth Ecker — then a young teacher at St. Scholastica Academy — found herself grappling with the devastation and loss that followed. The wild waters leveled buildings and washed away the places where children slept and ate. Displaced students came to school without uniforms, books, or the comfort of their own belongings. Some students didn’t arrive at all.

“We didn’t know who would show up in the classrooms each day,” Ms. Ecker recalled. “All we could do was provide a warm and inviting place for them.”

Ms. Ecker, too, was not spared from the ruin of the storm’s wake. Her home was heavily damaged, leaving her to seek temporary housing by bunking up in a friend’s dining room. Yet, each day, she commuted to school to teach French and World History — and, even more than that, to be a source of comfort and stability for her students.

“It really spoke to the power of a school community,” Ms. Ecker said. “For so many of these families, all they needed was a place where they knew their girls would feel safe and welcome — a place where they could take their minds off everything else and just learn and be with other girls, even in unimaginable upheaval.”

The months that followed Katrina became foundational to Ms. Ecker’s philosophy as an educational leader. “I learned early on that you can’t go wrong if you keep the students at the center of your decisions,” she said. The experience also reinforced the importance of flexibility and empathy — qualities she has carried with her throughout her career from her early days at St. Scholastica to an 18-year tenure at Isidore Newman School and now to Harpeth Hall, where she is in her first year as director of the middle school.

In her role at Harpeth Hall, Ms. Ecker — a Harpeth Hall Class of 2000 alumna — combines her deep connection to the school with decades of experience as an educator. And she remains steadfast in her belief that “there’s so much more we can provide beyond academics.” She wants to provide for current Harpeth Hall students all that Harpeth Hall provided for her.

Shaped by creativity and connection

Ms. Ecker’s journey from Harpeth Hall student to educator reflects the power of those experiences.

She came to Harpeth Hall in 9th grade and quickly found connection through her creative interests. A graceful and talented ballerina who performed in Nashville Ballet’s “Nutcracker” for many years, she joined Dance Company at Harpeth Hall. She landed roles in Harpeth Hall and MBA’s first collaborative musical, “Guys and Dolls,” and then in “Grease.” She also worked on the “Milestones” yearbook staff, where she became layout editor her senior year, spending many memorable Friday afternoons on campus immersed in design.

“I wasn't a naturally outgoing kid when I was younger,” she said, “and to have a place where girls aren't just encouraged to lead, but where it is the expectation that every girl will take on some sort of leadership role, whether formal or informal, was incredibly helpful to me in my development as a teenage girl.”

Winterim also had a key part in shaping her future. As a high school junior, Ms. Ecker interned with the French teacher Pam Polk McKnight ’63 at her former elementary-middle school in Nashville. In the classroom, Ms. Ecker (then Ms. Townsend) clicked with the students, enjoying their humor, energy, and playfulness, which made teaching them feel natural.

“That was when not only did I recognize that I really did want to pursue education, but I also recognized that I really was passionate about middle school education,” she said.

To her Harpeth Hall classmates, that was no surprise. Close friends remember her rainbow array of pens and artistic handwriting, leaving her notes and agenda not only organized and color-coded but beautiful as well. She was also always willing to help a peer who didn't understand something in class.

“She was very smart and could often be found ‘teaching’ others, even as a high schooler,” classmate and close friend Laura Snyder Bonfiglio ’00 said. “Her leadership skills still stand out to me as she had many of the same characteristics in high school that she does now — good listener, patient, kind, and not afraid to speak up.”

Leading with purpose

Ms. Ecker’s passion for creativity, collaboration, and guiding others carried through to her professional life. After graduating from Harpeth Hall, Ms. Ecker attended Rhodes College. She began her teaching career at St. Scholastica Academy and then, in 2006, joined the faculty at Isidore Newman School.

In her third year at Newman, she took on the role of 6th grade class dean and team leader. She enjoyed thinking creatively about programmatic planning. She fondly remembers field trips to view the public art that brought the city back to life after the hurricane. One of the highlights was a piece by Banksy, one of the world’s most famous and illusive artists. She also recalls the fun projects she dreamed up to teach 11-year-olds about Louisiana and New Orleans history — including the study of a state museum display entirely dedicated to sports tailgating.

The class dean role allowed Ms. Ecker to more closely observe the responsibilities of the dean of students and division director, inspiring her to pursue her master’s degree in educational leadership at the University of New Orleans. In the years that followed, she became assistant head and then head of the middle school at Newman. Looking back now, she said, the skills and experiences she gained as a Harpeth Hall student became a common thread in the roles she took on throughout her career.

“The feeling of someone believing in me, my ability to step confidently in front of a group of people, all of the bits and pieces that I gained as a Harpeth Hall student coalesced as I was pursuing more professional leadership roles,” she said.

That belief in herself shapes the way she engages with students and colleagues today, helping them find and express the same self-confidence.

A full-circle moment

Ms. Ecker knows that having the opportunity to work at a school where there is such a personal connection doesn’t come around for

many educators. The foundational elements that defined Ward Seminary, Ward-Belmont, and Harpeth Hall through the generations remain as strong today as they were when she was a student.

“An all-girls education gives girls an inherent sense of value that they don’t always get at co-educational institutions,” she said. “We empower girls to find their voices, share those voices, and stretch and challenge themselves in a place where they feel supported. … In my years as a student, as an alumna, and, now, as an administrator, I know that Harpeth Hall will always keep pace with innovation, being intentional about integrating new technologies, new information, and new tools in a way that is deliberate and has the girls’ best interests in mind.”

As director of the middle school, Ms. Ecker prioritizes clarity, communication, and a people-first approach in her leadership. “Even when it’s hard, transparency about decision-making helps families, students, and faculty feel supported and aligned,” she said.

Her leadership style resonates with colleagues like Amy Campbell Pearson ’00, a middle school math teacher and former classmate. “Elizabeth is a quiet but strong leader who is living out the Harpeth Hall mission statement. She is an excellent listener, deep thinker, and strong problem solver. … She has always lived honorably. She is honest, kind, and cares about others. As a past student and alumna, Elizabeth already loves Harpeth Hall. Now, as the leader of the middle school, I know how much Elizabeth cares about each teacher, every student, and our school.”

Ms. Ecker has never forgotten what it means to have that kind of support — particularly in difficult times.

In her office in the Harpeth Hall middle school, Ms. Ecker has a framed photograph of the entire Isidore Newman School student body. The portrait was sent to Harpeth Hall from Newman after Hurricane Katrina as a gesture of gratitude for welcoming displaced students from New Orleans into the Harpeth Hall community following the storm. Though Ms. Ecker wasn’t yet teaching at Newman when the photo was taken, it is a reminder of the connectedness of her career — and of the kindness and care that carries through the generations at Harpeth Hall.

Through all she has experienced, one principle remains at the core of Ms. Ecker’s leadership: “A school is so much more than a place to learn. It’s a community, a refuge, and a foundation for growth — even in the most uncertain times."

SIX QUESTIONS with Elizabeth Ecker

1. As an alumna of Harpeth Hall, what is it like walking the campus now as the middle school director?
   It is familiar and nostalgic, yet exciting and new all at once! The community feel that I came to appreciate as a student is still very much present, and much of the physical layout of the campus is the same, but there are also some amazing, state-of-the-art facilities that have been added since I graduated in 2000!

2. If you could step back in time and have a conversation with your high school self, sitting in a Harpeth Hall classroom, what advice would you give her?
   Don’t squander these years and this amazing Harpeth Hall experience. Don’t hesitate to try something new, even if you have no prior experience with it. Never again will you have the opportunity to take risks in such a supportive environment.

3. What is something people might not know about you without you telling them?
   I’m typically a strong speller, but ever since my time as a student at Harpeth Hall, I always have to second guess myself on one word: is it barracuda or bearacuda?
    
4. Magnolia Green or Silver Gray?
   Magnolia Green!  
    
5. If you were to participate in the middle school talent show, what would be your go-to act?
   Lip Syncing? I’m sure that doesn’t count as a true talent, but it suits my strengths because, while I know a lot of song lyrics, vocals are not my forté.
    
6. What have you enjoyed most about being back at Harpeth Hall so far?
   The commitment that I see from students and faculty alike is incredible. I feel privileged to count myself as a member of this dedicated community