She established financial aid programs and additional scholarships, initiated the school's first campus master plan, developed teaching excellence awards, the aquatics and admissions departments, and added to the physical property of the school. MacDonald, along with the school's Board of Trustees, also helped create the 2003–2008 Strategic Plan. This comprehensive blueprint outlines the future goals of the school as they relate to academics, student and faculty recruitment and facilities enhancements. Student publications  Development publications  Ashley Hall participates in the South Carolina Independent School Association (SCISA). The school is famed for its excellent varsity volleyball and tennis teams. It has rivalries with Porter-Gaud School and Bishop England High School. Charleston legend has it that George Trenholm, a resident of the McBee House, the mansion on the school property, was the man on whom Margaret Mitchell based the character Rhett Butler in her novel, "Gone with the Wind".