How are the Students and What do they Need?

The “New” Dorm, so-call since its 2016 opening, is now Mars Hall, honoring Miss Hall’s Emeritus Trustee Jacqueline B. Mars ’57.

The building was dedicated during December’s Trustee weekend, with Ms. Mars, MHS Board members, and Miss Hall’s students and adults attending a surprise ceremony in the dorm’s Alice Butler Burnham ’65 Common Room. Head of School Julia Heaton announced the news after a student panel about their Horizons internship and community service experiences.

“For any organization to thrive, it needs believers who genuinely value its mission, understand that mission’s relevance in the broader world, and couple their belief with a willingness to act,” said Ms. Heaton. “Ms. Mars has supported the School as a Trustee and Emeritus Trustee, always focusing on what’s most important — our purpose and our mission. Every time I talk to her, she asks, ‘How are the students, and what do they need, to have the most amazing experience possible?’”

Addressing Ms. Mars, Ms. Heaton continued, “In honor of all that you have done for Miss Hall’s, your support for students, and your belief in our mission, this building is now named Mars Hall.” The room burst out in applause, then quieted as Ms. Mars spoke, noting the importance of giving back and supporting causes one believes in — ethical cornerstones she nurtured as a Miss Hall’s student. Though times have changed, that ethos carries on in today’s students.

“What we are talking about is that I learned how important philanthropy is to support the causes that you believe in,” Ms. Mars noted. “Miss Hall’s is a cause I really believe in, and I learned — starting with our version of Horizons at that time — how important it is to give back.”

For more than 65 years, Ms. Mars has acted on those beliefs, supporting the Annual Fund for MHS and numerous campaigns, serving as a Trustee and Trustee Emeritus, graciously hosting events, and personifying the MHS mission far and wide. In 2012, she received the Barbara Humes Euston ’29 Distinguished Service Award, recognizing exemplary service to the School.

Mars Hall, on the north side of Perkins Pond, opened in August 2016 and is home to 30 students. The building includes two apartments for faculty families, and the Burnham Common area centers on a welcoming fireplace and a beautiful view of Perkins Pond.

“Miss Hall’s thrives because of people like Jacquie, whose unwavering belief in our mission to inspire and encourage bold and creative contributors to the common good is matched by her willingness to step forward and support that vision,” Ms. Heaton added. “We are deeply grateful to her for making it possible for future generations of students to benefit from our mission, and it is with great love and deep appreciation that we name this building Mars Hall in her honor.”