Following the announcement of Mrs. Mayer’s resignation, the leadership search committee began looking for her successor. An impressive frontrunner quickly emerged: Agathe Crouter, the headmistress of Springside School in Philadelphia and former English teacher at The Spence School. With her extensive experience in program development and fundraising, Mrs. Crouter was an excellent choice to lead Hewitt through the new decade. In her first year, she introduced three new division heads: Mrs. Anne B. Moss as head of the lower school, Miss Mary Emerson as head of the middle school, and Dr. Ronald P. Huff as the first head of the upper school as well as the first male administrator at Hewitt. Understanding the need to foster a sense of community among students in the upper school, Dr. Huff had already organized two early fall trips: Frost Valley for the ninth grade and a special retreat for the seniors. In her first year, Mrs. Crouter had also founded a distinct creative arts department and named Rebecca Strum as chairperson. Performing arts education had previously been strictly extra-curricular.

 

In May of 1982, Mrs. Crouter announced the first full-school evaluation, required for membership to the New York State Association of Independent Schools (NYSAIS). She wanted the period of introspection and self-study to help identify areas of necessary change. In the school year 1982-83, faculty and staff committed themselves to committee meetings, report-writing, and reflecting on various aspects of school life. In her Headmistress’s Report, Mrs. Crouter explained: “These studies combined with our self-evaluation will tell us what we may practically hope to achieve for the School in the next five to ten years.” After sending their self-report to the NYSAIS committee of educators, Hewitt received the official Accreditation Report in 1984, which complimented Mrs. Crouter for being “a motivating force in changing the academic image of the school while losing none of the inherited grace.”

 

In January of 1986, Mrs. Crouter and board members launched the Campaign for the Future, which they described as a $3 million capital campaign for building renovations and additions as well as increased endowment and faculty salaries. It was the largest campaign that Hewitt had ever undertaken. The architect’s plan sought to transform the first floor and garden into a conference room, administrative offices, and a faculty room. The outdoor terrace on the second floor would give way to science labs, an art studio, and a computer and photography lab. For the first time, the Stillman and Gregory Buildings would connect through an interior corridor on the second floor. The cafeteria would be remodeled with a new kitchen. Previously, staff members had to lower food down to the cafeteria using an old dumb-waiter system. The project also called for the ambitious addition of a two-story performing arts center, or the PAC. It was a black-box space with professional lighting and a stage that opened to the existing gymnasium.

 

When students returned to school in mid-September of 1987, the building was still under construction. The demolition crew had experienced a setback at the beginning of summer after discovering an old building foundation. The school adjusted to their limited space; the library doubled as a computer classroom and students ate lunch in classrooms. By February of 1988, the new faculty room, art room, and PAC had opened. By April, the remaining renovations finished. A new Hewitt had emerged.

 

Along with the physical building transformations, the mid-eighties brought changes in Hewitt’s faculty and staff. Most of the personnel changes marked the progress of esteemed school figures moving onto new life stages. Some departures proved more difficult. In May of 1986, longtime friend of the school Esmé O’Brien Hammond died of illness. Mrs. Crouter remembered her: "For almost fifty years as an alumna and trustee, Esmé guided and sustained the Hewitt School. Serving in many capacities on the Board of Trustees, finding the current school building, working with each Headmistress, supporting the faculty, and leading The Campaign for the Future, Esmé cared for her school. Her spirit lives here in what the school is today and in the award given each year at Commencement in her memory, but her loss is still profound for us all."

 

Then, after forty-four years instructing Hewitt’s Glee Club, Dr. Hugh Ross retired in 1987. He had become a beloved school figure. After serving in France during World War I, he studied at the Royal College of Music and at Oxford University. He was one of Miss Hewitt’s personal hires; she first approached him after seeing him conduct at Carnegie Hall in 1943.

 

Regular school uniforms remained much the same throughout the eighties. Lower school girls wore a blue-and-white striped jumper. Middle school girls had a plaid kilt with a white line through it. They had the option of wearing white, navy blue, or yellow shirts. Upper school students also wore kilts with the same shirt choices plus black. Catherine Davis, Class of ‘91, remembered the popularity of rubber bracelets, worn up the arm, inspired by Madonna. Generational attitudes had changed dramatically. Lower and middle school students no longer curtsied, nor did classes stand up when a teacher entered the room.

 

Under Mrs. Crouter’s leadership, the Hewitt community of the eighties addressed the lack of racial and socio-economic diversity. Joanna Delson, who graduated early in the decade, noted: “There was no diversity in our grade. It felt, compared to the school I had been to before, much less diverse, and more just girls who lived on the Upper East Side. Much preppier.” By the late-eighties, Hewitt had a more diverse student body. Catherine Davis noted: “Because we were in New York, we had an ethnically diverse class—maybe not as financially diverse as it should have been—just because people from all over the world come to live here.”

 

Another type of social change arose during the mid-eighties: new technologies. In June of 1984, Hewitt hosted its first computer workshop for parents, allowing them to explore what their daughters had begun learning: beginning programming in BASIC and graphics programming in LOGO. At the time Hewitt owned eight Apple computers and one printer. The school welcomed a new staff member, Karen Rieger, who worked to coordinate computer activities and work with personnel.

 

In July of 1990, Mrs. Crouter had officially resigned from her position as headmistress. Her legacy lives on through the school’s improved facilities and expanded campus. She strengthened academic offerings, supported teacher development, and worked toward a more diverse student population. Thanks to her guidance, The Hewitt School greatly evolved over the decade.

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