Asheville School

Congratulations to Sophie Lankarani ‘26, who earned first place in the North Carolina Poetry Society’s annual student poetry contest for her poem, “Dear Iran.”

Sophie wrote the poem for her Advanced Contemporary Global Literature class after studying Iranian-American writers Dina Nayeri, author of The Ungrateful Refugee, and Sholeh Wolpe, author of “Dear America.” Drawing on her own connection to Iran, she created a thoughtful reflection on identity and belonging.

As the contest’s first-place winner, Sophie received the Sherry Pruitt Award on May 16 at the Weymouth Center for the Arts and Humanities in Southern Pines. Her poem was also published in the North Carolina Poetry Society’s anthology, Pinesong. We are so proud of you, Sophie! 💙

The life of this community is driven by those who believe in its purpose.

Make your gift by June 30, and help ensure that the Asheville School experience endures for generations to come.

Give now at the link in our profile. Go Blues!

At Asheville School, the Honor Code serves as the foundation of our community. It calls on every student to act with integrity, earn the trust of others, and take responsibility for their actions. These values help create a culture where students are known, respected, and accountable to one another.

A unique strength of our Honor System is that it is stewarded by students themselves. Members of the Honor Council serve their peers and the school by helping uphold the standards that make our community strong, respectful, and worthy of trust.

Congratulations to Kennedi Bell, Belay Cross, Asyn Su, Bo Cowan, Duka Vuksanovic, and next year’s Head of the Honor Council, India Sessions, on their election to represent the student body on the Honor Council for the 2026–2027 school year.

Congratulations to Asheville School’s 2026 – 27 Senior Prefects! We look forward to the service and leadership they will bring to our community in the year ahead.

Alice Welder, Head Prefect
Duka Vuksanovic, Head Prefect

Nicole Marmann, Lead Lawrence Prefect
Maddie Gilson, Lead Kehaya Prefect
Hunter Winston, Lead Anderson Prefect
Belay Cross, Lead Day Prefect

Addison Pagano-Hopkins
Andy Guo
Anshi Gottipati
Asyn Su
Carson McLeod
Damien Danavall
Doun Lee
Eeli Jarvinen
Ellie Mitchener
Evan Jaudon
Griffen Stringfellow
Heidi Xin
Isiah Wallace
Jack Li
Jude McCarroll
Juliette Allen
Kennedi Bell
Lucy Lyman
Lydia Zhang
Najeh Saunders
Nathan Sumner
Nate Hubbard
Nola Ellington
Porter Rebol
Rain Li
Sara Wan

Commencement has come and gone, yet the words of our senior chapel speakers still echo across our campus. With their thoughtful remarks they reminded us what it means to live with character and purpose. Their voices will remain part of Asheville School long after our final chapel service. 💙

Cohen Dunstan
Shepherd Ricks
Juvea Smith
Jonas Howard
Yancy Gong
Annie Taubner
Juliette Parkhurst
Olivia Drew
Jasmine Shen
Yoga Wang
Aileen Wu
Killian Sareault
Prim Ngamsirijit