SVS Student Spotlight - Courtney Hahn, Class of 2022

Courtney Hahn is a senior in the Class of 2022 at Spring Valley School. Courtney’s SVS story began like most of her peers’. She felt herself falling quickly behind academically at her previous school, and dreamed of a learning environment where she could “feel smart and meet new friends who think more like her”.

“When I was twelve years old, I got a new school for my birthday! I came to Spring Valley in the 5th grade and had Ms.Smith as my teacher. Ms.Smith was the reason I fell in love with the Harry Potter series, and why I learned to love reading altogether. Audiobooks are one of the best tools that SVS provides,” Courtney explained. “The teachers and staff at SVS want to know you personally, and focus on your individual strengths and needs so that you can succeed,” Courtney said. “I also used to think that I would never be good at math, and then I was given the tools I needed - such as visual aids.”

At the close of her first year at SVS, Courtney had advanced far enough to jump to 7th grade the following academic year. Each year, she found another reason to be grateful to her teachers for teaching from a “not one size fits all” approach: “Ms.Smith has watched me grow up ever since the 5th grade, Dr.Jones has helped me become a more confident presenter, and Mr. Josh helped me strengthen my writing skills,” Courtney explained.

Her time at Spring Valley also helped reveal additional strengths and interests extracurricularly, such as theatrical arts. To close out her time at SVS, Courtney will be starring as the lead role of Mary Poppins in the spring musical.

“I will certainly miss being involved in the arts department at Spring Valley. However, I look forward to applying my gift of creativity in Culinary School upon graduating from high school,” Courtney shared, “I have always loved to bake, and this passion only grew stronger during recent time spent in quarantine because of how it allowed me to be hands-on in creating something that also brings joy to others.”

---