Finding Her Place

Ariel Sims ’05 enjoys behind-the-scenes roles. “I’ve always been a better spectator than an athlete,” says Ariel, who, as E-Commerce Assistant at the Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art in Amherst, enjoys being part of the effort that goes into making someone’s day when they receive their order from the museum’s store. “But, I’m also a big proponent of doing things that make you uncomfortable and doing them with people who help and support you.”

It was a lesson Ariel learned early on at Miss Hall’s, where she found the community she was looking for, coupled with just the right amount of challenge and opportunity. “That really sticks with me,” she says, “having room at Miss Hall’s to explore things we liked, or even things that made us uncomfortable, in smaller groups where we could support each other and cheer each other on.”

Ariel’s Miss Hall’s journey began with the desire to find a school where she could find stability. Moving from Oklahoma to Pittsfield in 1999, on the day before her 12th birthday, and starting a new public middle school was stressful enough, she explains. That the school was in a temporary home while undergoing renovations added to the unease.

When Ariel spotted an MHS Plant Sale advertisement, complete with a note at the bottom about scholarships for accepted students, she eagerly applied, and found a place where she could settle in and be challenged.

“The biggest things that stand out to me from my time at Miss Hall’s are the people — friends, teachers, staff — and lots of little things,” says Ariel. They include managing the 2003-04 volleyball team that played in the New England Championships and joining the Technical Theater crew, working on five productions in all.

The work accommodates her love of reading, allows her to be creative, and is the type of supporting role Ariel enjoys. “I like the anonymity of working behind the scenes, but I also like making someone’s day, like when a 4-year-old receives a surprise bundle of books,” she says.

Ariel has also hosted MHS students at the museum, which was part of a weekend activities outing connecting them with alums in the Amherst/Northampton area. While sharing about Eric Carle and the museum, Ariel also shared a message of resilience, an important skill in today’s world.

She fondly recalls Chemistry Teacher Gary Gray inviting advisees to Witherspoon, where Katie Ross ’03 made pizza. She remembers Latin Teacher Mary Quirk jumping on a table and barking like a dog to make class a little more fun, and that Math Teacher Paul Van Sickle was always available for extra help. “I took math all four years, even though didn’t have to, in part because I could do something that made me uncomfortable, like math, but I could do it in a safe space and succeed,” she adds.

After Miss Hall’s, Ariel attended Richmond American University in London, learning partway through her first semester that her financial aid did not come through as expected. She returned to Pittsfield and enrolled at Berkshire Community College. “It was not what I had envisioned, but it was the right place for me to be at the time,” notes Ariel, who earned her Associate’s Degree in Human Services and a certificate in Social Work, then went on to Mount Holyoke College, majoring in psychology.

After college, she took a position at the Odyssey Bookshop in South Hadley, then joined the Eric Carle Museum in May 2012, discovering another community that offered challenge and opportunity. She started out assisting with orders, then, in 2016, became E-Commerce Assistant, running the museum shop’s online sales.

“I told the students about my winding path, and I wanted them to know that it’s okay if things don’t work out exactly as planned, if you can find the place you need to be,” she says. “You don’t have to ‘get it’ right away, it’s okay to not be exactly where you want to be, and it’s okay to take a break, if that’s what you need to get where you want to be.”

Looking back, Ariel credits MHS with putting her in positions to succeed. “Miss Hall’s made me confident taking calculated risks and putting myself out there — more than I would have on my own — whether it was mixing with others to work on a project or finding a group I could connect with and try new things, like Vocal Ensemble,” she says. “There is also comfort in knowing who you are and in knowing who other people are.”

Editor’s Note: The Lenox School Alumni Association annually awards the Mansfield Pickett Scholarships, named in memory of Mansfield E. (Peter) Pickett, a longtime teacher at the former Lenox School and Miss Hall’s School. The scholarships are given to two students who exhibit outstanding performance in academics and extracurricular activities. This occasional feature will provide updates on Pickett Scholars and their achievements. Ariel received a Pickett scholarship in 2005.