THE ADMISSIONS MAGAZINE OF EMMA WILLARD SCHOOL Spring/Summer 2024
Honoring our founder’s vision, Emma Willard School proudly fosters in each young woman a love of learning, the habits of an intellectual life, and the character, moral strength, and qualities of leadership to serve and shape her world.
<< May Day on Mount Ida marks a quintessential springtime rite. For the Class of 2027, it’s one of their first traditions—weaving memories as they dance around the maypole!
Willard
HEAD OF SCHOOL JENNY RAO
The spring and summer months on Mount Ida are truly special to behold. There’s an ethereal quality to campus as the cherry blossoms bloom and then carpet the ground in pink flowers, giving way to the bright greens of trees against grey stone walls. It’s an experience I’ll never tire of and one I hope will be shared by all future generations of those who would call Emma Willard School home.
“An extraordinary home deserves extraordinary care” is a phrase I’ve adopted since outlining the mounting needs of Emma Willard’s physical plant as part of our five-year strategic plan. Over a century ago, leaders of this school wrestled with similar challenges of how best to structure the living and learning environment of a new campus. Today, we know their efforts and investments stood the test of time, for we are the beneficiaries of their work, living in the home they built. As we collectively work to preserve the historic character of this campus for the future, we have to ask ourselves this question: what does it mean for us to be good stewards of this place and the world around us?
“Sustainability” has become dangerously close to a buzzword for many different agendas, ideologies, and interpretations. However, in the simplest sense, being sustainable means having the ability to maintain. Said another way, being good stewards requires us to plan for the needs of today without sacrificing those of tomorrow. I believe this philosophy applies as much to this institution as it does to the natural world around us—our commitment to environmental sustainability is intrinsically tied to the future success of Emma Willard.
The Leading with Purpose strategic plan challenged us to “define our environmental philosophy to incorporate environmental stewardship into our curriculum and practices.”
In this issue of Signature magazine, you will read more about the team of Emma Willard faculty and staff who gathered this year to define our objectives and outline the principles that will guide our growing sustainable practice, including examining curriculum and developing a Climate Action Plan.
Recognizing the age and intricate construction of our facilities, many of the most obvious and efficient technologies are not available to us as turnkey solutions. That’s why the new construction and renovation efforts underway
are doubly exciting: at the same time that we imagine new places and spaces on campus, we can also search for sustainable solutions that minimize our environmental impact. As you read this issue, you will learn we have embarked on a compelling project to centralize and modernize our faculty housing with a key part of that effort being the pursuit of “passive building” techniques and technology. Similarly, the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts has offered an opportunity to repurpose the existing space of our Alumnae Chapel while being intentional with our choices to build a below-grade facility with a green roof for the attached annex.
Both of these projects reflect one of the most vital aspects of our sustainable practice: alumnae and donor support. The inspirational investment that Olivia Slocum Sage, Class of 1847, offered Emma Willard School in 1906 is what made possible the purchase and construction of our Mount Ida campus. Similarly, we take true inspiration from those like Vicky Winterer ’61, members of the Hyde family, and the 50th Anniversary Reunion Class of 1974, who are making these initiatives possible through their support.
As educators, our optimism for the future is fueled by the bright minds and bold voices we witness at Emma Willard every day and see in the passionate work of our alumnae. Members of our extended Emma community are doing important work in this space, and we are excited to introduce you to just a few of them in this issue.
From a focus on environmental issues during our inaugural Jestermester this spring, to clubs like Emma Green or our long-standing “Fair Trade” standard, we know there is an awareness and appreciation by our students for their impact on the world around us. As we challenge them to imagine the ways they will serve and shape that world, we are equally committed to ensuring they’ll have the resources to do so.
Lastly, by now you may know that this coming academic year will be my last as Head of School at Emma Willard as I transition to Brearley School in July of 2025. However, for all the reasons I’ve shared and so many more, imagining the coming year fills me with excitement given all we are poised to accomplish together as a school community. Part of being good stewards means we must work wisely today in order to proudly revel in our rewards tomorrow, knowing that we’re securing a firm foundation for future stewards who will take our place.
This May, after more than seven years leading Emma Willard School, Head of School Jenny Rao announced that she will assume the headship of the Brearley School after the 2024–2025 school year. I know you all join me in recognizing Jenny for her dedicated leadership of our beloved school and the work still to come in the year ahead. We have already begun the process of finding our next head, with a search committee formed from members of the Board, Alumnae Association Council, and current Emma Willard faculty and staff. The search committee will be co-chaired by trustees Wendy Graham ’85 and David Howson.
For more information about the search and ongoing updates about the transition process, please visit: emmawillard.org/ hos-transition
“The Class of 2024 high school journey has been filled with challenges. However, those challenges have shown how strong and resilient our class is. Throughout these four years, we have supported each other, risen to the occasion, and set a high standard for classes to come. My classmates are all wonderful and brilliant in their own ways, and I am so proud of each and every one of them. I can’t wait to see what is in store for their futures because they are bright.
“Our class has undergone every possible schedule change, starting off with a pandemic. We’ve seen it all, but what this showed about our class was our resilience. This has taught us about life beyond Emma. We’ll be faced with curve balls, but we will always be adaptable and do so with a smile on our faces. I am so proud of our class! We had the most memorable Revels, which will remain in everyone’s hearts. We shared in our happiness, sang, danced, cried, and now, as we go off into different parts of the world, we’ll have a string connecting us all: Emma!”
Though every Revels is unique and delightful, the Class of 2024 delivered a performance truly unlike any other: devilry abounded, with what might be the largest-ever contingent of devils streaming into Kiggins from every angle to captivate the audience with their rendition of the “Thriller” dance. The jesters were emotional, the falconer had wings, and every moment was one we wish we could experience just one more time.
1. The Class of 2024 makes their way around the Senior Triangle at the end of the commencement ceremony.
2. Ceci Christian ’24 receives her diploma from her sister Hannah Christian ’15.
3. Lucia Castro Bigelow ’24 offered the senior remarks to her classmates and the campus community during commencement. *
4. Suki Zhang ’24 and Krisha Jeevarathnam ’24 show off hearthands as they head to their place along the Senior Triangle to greet faculty.
5. Rear Admiral (RET) Dr. Estella Jones ’76 delivered the 2024 commencement address. *
7.
8. Zaniyah
smiles into the crowd during the 2024 commencement ceremony.
9. The Class of 2024 sings the alma mater, with an extra loud “shall be!” at the very end.
By Maci C. ’25
Will there be a flurry of snow days or soggy trudges to class for the community in the coming months? The year 2023 has seen a rise in harsh weather events and extreme temperatures. The average temperature last year in the month of September was the highest on record in North America. But
how does this affect the community and its precious snow days? Climate change intensifies significant weather events by making them more extreme, but this only happens in places that have had significant weather events in the past, according to Megan L. ’25, a co-head of Emma Green. Troy has not experienced extreme weather in the past, which means the outlook on snow days is looking soggy. The community has seen a decrease in its already few snow days as significant winter storms that result in more than a few inches of snow have become increasingly rare across upstate New York. Meg recalls “getting four feet of snow and two days off of school” when they were younger, but now the largest amount of snow they can remember recently getting is 11 inches. As the temperature increases, the school’s precious snow days will likely continue to decrease. Though the loss of snow days is a sad thought, the school and Emma Green have been working to make sure the school plays its part in protecting the environment. After traveling to the Youth Climate Summit, Emma Green has come back with a plan. They are working with Mr. Kosnick to look at the possibility of implementing geothermal heating, and they have also added compost bins across campus while continuing to educate the school about climate change. Even though snow days in the school will likely continue to dwindle, some small flurries and storms have brought back hope for the community in recent weeks.
Geothermal energy is the thermal energy, or heat found deep inside the Earth. Because it is constantly produced, it is a renewable energy source. It is mostly found near the edges of tectonic plates, where there are volcanoes, geysers, or hot springs. In the US, some states, like California, use geothermal power plants to generate electricity. Using geothermal power is a much greener option since geothermal electricity emits very small amounts of carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide. Geothermal heat pumping is a method of heating buildings by pumping water into them from hot springs or reservoirs. It uses the constant temperature of the ground to cool and heat buildings. Geothermal heat pumps are energy-efficient and cost-effective. As for New York State, there is still heavy reliance on natural gas, but major clean energy sources such as hydroelectric power plants are working to combat the pollution that accessing natural gas causes. There are wind power plants being constructed off the coast of New York City and Long Island, and there is a nuclear power plant south of Troy. However, geothermal heat pumps are becoming more common as state restrictions on geothermal drilling are lowered, perhaps signifying a new era of green energy. For more information, click on “geography” on www.eia.gov to view energy sources in specific states.* Blizzards or Bust?
“You could use [geothermal energy] in the summer to cool [the] water that cools [the] buildings [and] in the winter…you can use [it] to…heat [those] buildings,”
Mr. Kosnick elaborates. While there are plans to experiment with both solar and geothermal power as a campus energy source, focusing on reducing energy waste, in general, seems to be the most achievable step forward.
The building of the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Performing Arts Center has opened up an opportunity for the school to make large-scale steps toward creating a greener campus. The subterranean architecture of the arts wing, as well as the green roof, will allow for temperature preservation so that, ideally, less energy will be used to power the buildings. The Wallace Center also has implemented greener heating and cooling systems, sourced from an electric power chiller and a heat pump along with a backup coming from the school’s boiler plant.
“That’s the direction I see a lot of the facility’s energy consumption is going,”
Mr. Kosnick predicts. “We will electrify to the greatest extent possible, and ultimately, [we hope] to improve the grid system and where we draw our energy from so that it becomes a green source.”
“The main focus of cleaner energy is to distance ourselves from fossil fuels,” Megan L. ’25, co-head of Emma Green, adds. Meg also mentions the appeal of converting to geothermal energy or solar panels as potential possibilities for sustainable change on campus.
“The thing [the school is] struggling with is [that] some of [the sustainable energy sources are] new technology, so they can be expensive,” Mr. Kosnik acknowledges. While creating and maintaining an environmentally sustainable campus is no easy task, the numerous options of new energy available point towards a greener future.
What’s That?
Geothermal Energy By Coco Y. ’25
The breakthrough in fusion energy in 2022 has sparked discussions around the implications of new clean energy sources throughout the world as well as within the school. Especially as the weather gets cold and students and faculty alike crank up their radiators, conversations are prompted surrounding greener alternatives for keeping the community warm—but the question of how still remains. “What we’re looking at now is maybe [installing] some smaller [solar] panel farms in different areas [on campus],” Director of Facilities Construction Management & Planning Mr. Scott Kosnick says. One of the most likely areas for installation is the gym roof—in part because it’s already due for a replacement. Converting to geothermal energy is also a possibility. Used in heating systems and in generating electricity, geothermal energy is the heat radiating from within the earth at a constant temperature of about 55 °F.
In this issue of Signature, we’re taking a deep dive into the world of sustainability as we revisit this priority of our strategic plan. But adults aren’t the only ones thinking about it. Sustainability has become a top priority and conversation among students, as is evidenced by the fact that four articles along this theme were written for the February 2024 edition of The Clock , the student-led newspaper. Here’s what our student writers had to say:
sition to more sustainable energy sources such as geothermal energy on campus, although this would involve significant time and resources. Until that day, Emma Green has been actively promoting sustainability on campus through initiatives like the Revels Attire Swap, sustainable gift-wrapping stations, or Emma Green’s Morning Reports announcements to share environmental news or PSAs. “Last time we [talked] about fast fashion and how to avoid buying [from] fast fashion [brands],” Levi comments on the success of the bi-weekly features. She cites the club’s members as being “very passionate about educating the community.”
When asked about personal opinions on actions the school could take to improve its sustainability, Levi suggested introducing solar panels, though she understands that it might not be a likely option.
“The school tries to preserve its aesthetic, which is obviously solid. But like, fields, and maybe on the roof of the gym [could accommodate solar panels].”
The impact of the Youth Climate Summit will continue as Emma Green engages the community in understanding how to be “S.M.A.R.T.” about sustainability.
By Nini Y. ’25
Youth Climate Summit Impact: Emma Green’s Steps Towards Campus Sustainability By Tracy Cao ’24, Section Editor
The annual Adirondack Youth Climate Summit at the Wild Center took place in early November over the span of two days, featuring large group sessions and workshops to address topics such as climate change, energy justice, and sustainable agriculture. In attendance representing the school were three members of Emma Green, the environmental advocacy club, who returned to campus ready to share their new knowledge. “Every person eats a credit card of microplastic per week!” Carly H. ’25 says, imparting a piece of information she learned while in attendance. “[This] was very shocking…[but it] made me more aware of what I’m consuming.” She also brings up the emphasis the Youth Climate Summit sessions placed on community engagement in environmental activism. “Collaboration is key [to] fighting climate change…places with a lot of money and a lot of resources need to be willing to share those resources…to make sure that everyone [can have] access to [these] climate change prevention methods.”
Following the event, Emma Green has launched a new plan to enhance the school’s recycling and waste program. They started by counting the number of recycling bins located on campus, and were dismayed at the results. “It was definitely surprising how low the numbers [were],” Levi L-A. ’25, co-head of Emma Green reflects, but adds that “many people in this community wish they had more education on [sustainability].”
Emma Green’s plan, called S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Timely), is based on improving the accessibility of greener disposal through educating the community on proper waste sorting and introducing more compost bins onto campus.
“The only [compost bin] we have is in the dining hall, and…one Slocum classroom that has a place for compost,” Carly laments. Over the next few years, Emma Green plans to work with administration to tran -
We are pleased to announce that Prince Botchway has been appointed as Emma Willard School’s Head of Institutional Equity and Inclusion. With deep experience as a Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) practitioner in independent schools, Mr. Botchway most recently served as the Dean of DEIB and Associate Director of Admissions for the Millbrook School in Millbrook, New York. Prince will join the senior leadership team on July 1, 2024.
“I am thrilled to welcome Prince to the Emma Willard team. He is an experienced leader that brings deep knowledge and expertise in DEI that will continue to strengthen the Emma community,” said Head of School Jenny Rao. “Prince’s warmth, curiosity, and ability to create communities of belonging won us over immediately. We are lucky to have him and his family joining our school!”
A nationally certified SEED (Seeking Educational Equity and Diversity) facilitator, Mr. Botchway has held leadership positions for private primary and secondary schools in Virginia and New York. During his tenure at Millbrook, Mr. Botchway led key community engagement initiatives, including the creation of affinity groups, the Dr. King Day of Service program, a Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) tour, and BIPOC faculty gatherings. His experience spans from physical health and health education to navigating the complex landscape of DEIB, promoting empathy, bravery, and respect among diverse individuals and communities.
Mr. Botchway received his bachelor of science from Averett University, a master of science from Southern New Hampshire University, and a graduate certificate in diversity, equity, and inclusion from Cornell University.
“My family and I are beyond thrilled to join Emma Willard, embarking on this exciting new chapter with eager hearts and open minds,” Mr. Botchway said. “As I assume the role of head of institutional equity and inclusion, my dedication lies in cultivating an environment where every voice resonates, every perspective is acknowledged, and every individual finds a profound sense of belonging, both despite and because of their uniqueness.”
Originally from Accra, Ghana, Mr. Botchway moved to the United States at the age of eight and settled in Prince George’s County, Maryland. It was there that he met his partner, Maya, and together they homeschool and raise their four children: Madeleine (age 9), Prince III (age 7), Preston (age 5), and Paxton (age 3).
Please join us in welcoming Mr. Botchway and his family to the Emma Willard community!
“My dedication lies in cultivating an environment where every voice resonates, every perspective is acknowledged, and every individual finds a profound sense of belonging, both despite and because of their uniqueness. ”
GirlSummer, Emma’s signature summer program, welcomes girls to our vibrant campus for an enriching, personalized, and fun summer experience! Over a two-week adventure, girls discover the joy of persuing new friendships and deepening their personal interests.
emmawillard.org/girlsummer
BY JULIA GABRIELE
Dr. Alexandra Grimm
The physical sciences can be a daunting subject for any student, but Science Department Chair Dr. Alexandra Grimm strives to make this area approachable and enjoyable for all students who walk through her classroom doors.
Originally Dr. Grimm’s career plan was to go into industry work, but after a teaching requirement in her PhD program, she chose an alternate route. She taught at the college level for one year but ultimately decided that wasn’t for her. “I liked college, but teaching at college is more difficult in the sciences,” Dr. Grimm reflects. “They want you to do research; they want you to publish; they want you to run the research lab. And I just wanted to teach.” She decided to apply for jobs at private high schools and landed at Emma Willard School in 2018, where she instantly fell in love with the mission, community, and students.
Dr. Grimm recalls the transition of her teaching style between the two levels, with college students doing more independent exploration and high school students requiring more instruction and time to digest the information. Every student is on their own learning journey as they all come to Emma with different educational experiences and backgrounds. Embracing Emma Willard’s intellectual flexibility pillar, she works through the challenge with each individual student. “Science might not be their passion—this is a graduation requirement—but I want them to
love it. I don’t want them to struggle, so I do what I can to help and meet them where they are.”
Students take Introduction to Chemistry during their sophomore year, which can be intimidating for those who aren’t passionate about science. Dr. Grimm does her best to relate to this feeling, as she was once in her students’ shoes. One method she utilizes is taking chemistry concepts and comparing them to real-world situations. When describing electrons, she explains that they like to spread out, just like siblings when they move into a new house. They don’t share a space if they don’t have to; they disperse and take their own rooms. While it may be a simple comparison, she finds those types of analogies most resonate with students.
Passionate students continue to upper-level courses, like Advanced Studies (AS) Chemistry, where Dr. Grimm gears students up for the college atmosphere with more applied questions and independent study. Donning her bedazzled safety goggles, she opens the AS titration lab with light-hearted jokes before giving instructions on the experiment titled “Determination of the Ksp of Calcium Hydroxide.” The
objective is to determine the amount of calcium hydroxide dissolved in a given volume of solution. Students do this by performing an acid/ base reaction between the calcium hydroxide and hydrochloric acid. When the students add the necessary amount of acid to the calcium hydroxide solution, an added color indicator changed from bright pink to clear, letting the students know their reaction was complete.
Students are then partnered up via matching playing cards—a common tactic at Emma Willard to ensure students are integrating with the entire class—and sent off to the lab benches. Students are drawn to the balance of independent learning and hands-on work in Dr. Grimm’s teaching style. “She creates a conducive learning environment where we aren’t afraid to make mistakes,” Krisha Jeevarathnam ’24 shares.
“When I solve a problem on the whiteboard in front of the class, she encourages us to try, even if we know we’ll make a mistake. ‘That’s how we all learn,’ she says.” There is a consistent thread of empowerment and confidence-building within her classes—in part due to her own education, where she didn’t have a female chemistry or physics
teacher until college. That lack of representation propelled her further into the field, wanting to follow in the footsteps of her college advisor, who was the first woman she had met who had gone through a graduate program for physical sciences. Now with three young daughters of her own and a career at Emma, it’s ever important for Dr. Grimm to demonstrate female representation in the field. “I tell my students that you can do anything. I didn’t get straight A’s in high school and I didn’t get straight A’s in college, and
I’m doing perfectly fine. And they think that’s amazing. I know things are a little bit different now with grades in colleges, but I try to bring it to their level. Anyone can do anything they want; you just have to set your mind to it.”
Empowering students to be unafraid of mistakes, having confidence in and out of the classroom, and preparing them for the college environment have solidified Dr. Grimm as a beloved Emma teacher.
“Science might not be their passion—this is a graduation requirement—but I want them to love it. I don’t want them to struggle, so I do what I can to help and meet them where they are. ”
INTERVIEW BY KAITLIN RESLER
French instructor, Emma Green club advisor, outdoor education instructor, and sustainability task force member Manon Sabatier’s multifaceted teaching approach helps students—and adults—find the connections to build lasting opportunities for change on campus and in our world.
Your approach to teaching mirrors the many roles you take on at Emma Willard. Why is that important to you? I’ve been teaching for so long that now I need to have this multifaceted aspect of teaching; how many times can I just teach conjugations? Since I arrived at Emma I have really found the ability to create opportunities and connections for myself and for students. It fills my cup, but I also think that the more connections we can make as individuals helps us not just to be super smart, but to be better rounded as humans: whether it’s live talks with students from the Ivory Coast, or connecting with somebody who grew up in Haiti while we are studying Haiti in class, or a connection to the environment through the outdoor education class. Sustainability is one of those areas, too. It’s a blanket over so many departments, so many aspects of the community, so many aspects of life. So, I ask, “What kind of opportunities and connections can I help facilitate for the students?”
What has Emma Green been up to this year? I want to make sure that I am building on the path other people have created, and that’s true with Emma Green (as well as with sustainability on campus).
The students feel strongly—really strongly—about the environment and the world they are inheriting. They are thinking about how we can shape it differently, both on the small scale and in the much wider world. This year we participated in the Climate Change Youth Summit at The Wild Center (a natural history center in Tupper Lake, New York), and we’ve been talking with other departments to make our recycling, garbage disposal, and compost systems more sustainable and constructive on campus. At one point in the year, the club members were feeling in a slump, and that their work was going in all these different directions, so we looked at everything they did this year in the direction of making our campus more sustainable. Sustainability and climate change are permeating every part of our media
right now, so they need tangible things to feel that little bit of a win. Having something to hold on to that is manageable is really important because I think a lot of them really struggle with feeling like everything is so big and you have to do huge things to have an impact. The Wild Center was phenomenal; they gave the students very clear steps to achieve their goals in their communities. It was very empowering.
What is the outdoor education (after-school physical education class) like? Outdoor education is appealing, especially if you’re a kid who doesn’t want to do a sport. You have the option of getting outside, moving around, and engaging with your community, your environment, and your body in a different way. We look at how we can care for the Back 40 and think about how we can develop a relationship with the outdoors.
In the beginning, we did a very simple activity for learning to read a map by orienting yourself on campus using maps and critiquing
them: if I put a marker at the corner of the little indent of Slocum, that’s not quite at the front door, so how do you find it? In the winter we organized a luminary walk to try to entice the community to be involved in being outside in a festive way (and then food, of course—we made it enticing with s’mores!).
How do you see sustainability as a theme in classes at Emma? It’s so important that we explore sustainability not just in one elective that some students will take in 11th or 12th grade. We ask how sustainability can permeate throughout many
“The students feel strongly—really strongly—about the environment and the world they are inheriting. They are thinking about how we can shape it differently, both on the small scale and in the much wider world. ”
courses so that students think of it as a part of their real life. For example, in French class, we’re going to start a unit on the environment and ecology. The students will research a topic to debate with another student in French. Afterwards, we will have them reflect and give us their own opinion in writing: all in French. It’s hard, but it’s really using the language. And we tell them, you are welcome to go and talk to other experts and teachers on campus to get the content of the argument in favor or against, but when it comes to actually debating, it’s going to have to be in French.
How does the work with the students intersect with the work of the Environmental Sustainability Taskforce at Emma? There are a lot of people who have been doing this work for a long time: Jon Calos, Megan Labbate, Gina Egan, and Katie Holt are just a few. It made me realize we have many partners in the community, but it’s really a matter of coordinating, and following the steps that had been created previously but realizing that if now is the right time to work on a project, then go for it! Scott Kosnick and I went to the Saratoga Sustainability Fair at Skidmore College, and honestly, I did not know until then that he was also interested in it as a topic! We started talking more and more, and then we started talking to those people who had done some of that work previously and building on those conversations. But I think as the adults on campus, I certainly see it as a great responsibility to find a way to create connections or open the window into them with students. And then what they’ll do as young adults is not up to me.
If you walked onto the Emma Willard School campus just a couple of years ago, you might not have seen many visible indicators of efforts toward sustainability, beyond recycling bins here and there. If you actually talked to people, however, you would find many students and employees who are passionate about reducing environmental impact. You would find faculty teaching lessons on water quality, the Emma Green club selling reusable bamboo utensils, and the dining hall using compostable napkins. Grassroots efforts toward sustainable practices and education have been growing for some time, and when the school wrote its strategic plan, Leading with Purpose, they became ingrained in our vision for the future.
“Our community cares deeply about being part of the positive change we would like to see in the world by advocating for environmentally conscious practices. We have our own work to do to achieve true environmental stewardship.”
Thus read the directive in the Emma Willard 2021–2026 strategic plan, which would set the school on a trajectory for future conversations about sustainability and environmental stewardship. In the past year, this strategic directive has become the charge of the Environmental Sustainability Taskforce, whose first task was to create an environmental philosophy to guide the school’s work.
This spring, the group introduced this statement (see sidebar p. 23) of philosophy to the internal community, marking the beginning of an effort to codify a movement that has been at work on Mount Ida for many years.
Associate Head of School Dr. Meredith Legg, who chairs the task force, notes that much of the work was underway, even though the guiding philosophy had not yet been adopted. “There are some places where we’re already doing a lot more environmentally than we even realize because different offices have done this work,” she says, citing examples like the dining hall’s shift toward all things compostable and departments using reusable
supplies for events. “We want to have something that provides guidance that’s more all-encompassing.”
The wheels are in motion for the next steps of the work: the climate action plan, which focuses on the physical plant, and the scope and sequence, which focuses on the implementation of environmental sustainability in the Emma Willard curriculum.
From exploring the possibility of geothermal energy to finding just the right location for solar arrays, Director of Facilities Construction Management & Planning
Scott Kosnick is leading the charge to find green solutions that fit Emma Willard. Each option has costs and benefits that factor into the equation. Some of the solutions can be utilized in new construction, like the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts and the proposed new faculty housing (see p. 40). Others must be manipulated to retrofit buildings that are over a hundred years old.
To help decipher the puzzle, the Environmental Sustainability Taskforce has engaged a consultant who will assess our current infrastructure, guide a discussion to establish goals for the future, and make a plan to achieve them. “It’s a very important plan,” Mr. Kosnick shares. “It will allow us to formalize our thoughts and then allow others to see what we’re trying to achieve and encourage them to support us in the process.”
In the meantime, the facilities and operations teams aren’t waiting to get started. Over the past few years,
all of the school-owned exterior lighting on campus has been swapped out for more energy-efficient LEDs. Electric vehicle charging stations have been installed on campus. The school has engaged National Grid, our local energy provider, in a Strategic Energy Management Partnership that has precipitated an energy audit and ideas to minimize electrical usage. Replacements of electrical and mechanical systems have allowed a transition to higher energy and more efficient equipment, providing rebates that incentivize reduced energy usage. Additionally, the new Wallace Center is partially subterranean to control indoor temperatures, with a green roof for added insulation and electrical systems that are built with sustainability in mind—ready for a green source of electricity to feed a green piece of equipment. Plans for new faculty residences focus on strategies used in passive houses, like ventilation optimization, solar control, and sustainably sourced, high-performance building materials.
Emma Willard School’s commitment to environmental sustainability is alive in our culture, curriculum design, and historic campus. Across the gamut of the Emma Willard curricular and co-curricular experience, we challenge students to understand and address the effects of climate change, encouraging them to become future leaders and problem solvers for environmental action.
PRINCIPLES:
We educate students about the science and impact of climate change throughout our curriculum, including issues of social justice and the unique effects of climate change on girls and women globally.
We empower students to explore personal and collective responsibility to find practical and concrete solutions to combat the effects of climate change and lessen its causes.
We empower and support students to engage in leadership and collaborative roles related to environmental action both on and off campus, through participation in clubs, volunteerism, and more.
We work proactively to measure and reduce the environmental impact of our own campus operations and to ensure the future of our historic campus.
We partner with the local, regional, and alumni community to further the collective work of climate change mitigation and sustainability.
What would it take to optimize a greenhouse to promote profitability and organic plant growth? Math
Instructor Brett LaFave put the question to his calculus students and invited his wife, organic farm manager Lucy LaFave, to provide the class with insight into
factors impacting greenhouses and important considerations for running an agribusiness. The students applied their math prowess to create and present proposals, complete with true-to-scale models of their greenhouse designs.
Across the way, French instructors Manon Sabatier and Eloise Bérerd are preparing their students to debate either side of environmental issues such as sea level rise, air pollution, deforestation, fertilizer use, and more. They will research the position they’ve been assigned, regardless of their own personal opinion on the topic, and be prepared to make their arguments entirely in French.
The coming year’s course catalog will include classes on environmental justice and marine biology that focus directly on climate science and related concerns.
Faculty are furthering their knowledge through professional development, such as the Global Summit on Climate Education held earlier this year at Columbia University. Language Instructor Guangyu Hao took advantage of the opportunity to learn more about how environmental issues can be addressed in her own classroom. One of her take-aways was how much language can impact a person’s relationship to an issue. Even the very basics of how language is formed involve the human relationship to the environment. One workshop in particular illustrated how the language of indigenous peoples are formed around what is found in nature, whereas modern languages center the human, and all words are used to reflect how things relate to humanity.
“Through the exercises, we realized that we (humans) think we are the center, and everything else is ‘added on.’ Later, we realized we were the add-on.” This sort of reflection can help people see their interdependence with nature and the importance of exploring issues related to preserving it.
These practical applications, course designs, and continued education are all ways the Emma faculty are embedding reflections on environmental sustainability into their curriculum. It’s exactly what the
Environmental Sustainability Taskforce hopes to see incorporated in the proposed scope and sequence called for in the school’s new environmental philosophy.
“We have knowledgeable faculty who have been able to create individual courses or particular units in a class, but we haven’t established a set of standards by which we would expect it to be in the curriculum,” Dr. Legg shares. This will be the work of a team of faculty who will spend time this summer and into next year discovering what is already built into the curriculum. The group will then outline what we want every graduate of Emma Willard School to know or understand regarding environmental sustainability and articulate where it will be embedded into the curriculum.
Students are leading by example, feeling an urgent need to invest in learning all they can about ways to combat climate change and encourage sustainability. With the liberty to choose their own path through programs like the Signature capstone, many are opting to devote their time to environmental studies, and clubs like Emma Green are taking action.
Last fall, a group of students from Emma Green attended a conference where they were encouraged to create a climate action plan of their own (see p. 12 for the article from The Clock). This student-created plan may not be as in-depth as the proposed institutional climate action plan, but it spurred Emma Green toward their own work for the school year. Co-heads Megan L. ’25 and Levi L-A. ’25 have focused the club’s efforts on improving recycling on campus.
Noting that not all trash bins are accompanied by a recycle bin, and the recycle bins themselves are labeled inconsistently, the group researched the costs for possible solutions. They first considered a tri-bin system that would also include compost, but in conversation with Mr. Kosnick and Director of Facilities Ken McGivern, the students discovered that compost can attract pests and be difficult to control. They adjusted their plan to isolate compost and focus on consistency with trash and recycling bins across campus. “We also acknowledge that there’s a lack of education around what goes in which bins,” Levi says. “So Emma Green will be educating the community more on how to sort waste when our new system goes into play.”
“Rearranging and buying new bins isn’t the difficult part,” Meg adds. “It’s making sure that the community understands why we’re doing this and making it more enticing for them to put more thought into how they dispose of their waste.”
Emma Green is also committed to helping educate the community about reducing. Given the number of water bottles and empty boxes from online shopping disposed of on campus every day, they see an opportunity to encourage the community to reduce these practices. “I think that some people don’t even realize that they could be reducing, and that reducing is even more effective than recycling,” Levi notes.
Waste disposal is one of many areas of awareness that students are focused on. At the beginning of the school year, Emma Green posted tips in each bathroom stall and other public spaces, asking the community to consider reducing their water, paper, and electricity usage. In the spring, informational posters about sustainable clothing and shopping practices popped up as well (see article p. 39 about the Sewing and Sustainability Jestermester). When it came time for Spring Showcase, Signature presentations included research on organic fertilizer, preserving coral reefs, reusing e-waste, creating sustainable paint, and much more!
Roz K. ’25 is among the many students whose interest in sustainability guides her Signature work, as well as her extracurricular activities. Her podcast on environmental justice and equity included research about systematic injustices that have placed heavier environmental burdens on certain populations. In her interview with Alanah Keddell-Tuckey, director for the Office of Environmental Justice at the Department of Environmental Conservation, Roz learned more about what’s being done to ensure that all residents of the State of New York have fair and meaningful access to processes that uphold principles of environmental and climate justice.
In her free time, Roz has been busily collecting and converting empty soda cans to soy candles, which she sold at the Saratoga Sustainability Fair to raise money to support composting projects at two local middle schools. After reaching out to a professor in the environmental sustainable engineering department at the University at Albany, she set out to write an article for online publication focusing on being proactive versus reactive in creating solutions to sustainability issues. Roz and Levi also collaborated with their classmate Carly H. ’25 in presenting a workshop called “Breathing While Black: Confronting Environmental Racism and Injustices” during this year’s MLK Day observances.
“The realization that not that many people are as aware of how important environmental sustainability is—and how scary it can be—encouraged me to try even harder to raise awareness,” Roz explains. “We need to find a way to look at our practices and see how we can make them more sustainable so we don’t just destroy all of our natural resources.”
Students have been encouraged by the work of the Environmental Sustainability Taskforce, feeling that it allows groups like Emma Green to put their ideas in front of adults who have the power to take action. “Just being around people who think similarly to you—we just all want to combat climate change,” Meg reflects on the collaborative work that’s being done. “It’s really empowering and inspiring to be around people who haven’t given up and are really trying hard to fix things.”
Dr. Legg hopes that the curriculum work, student work, and climate action plan can bring everyone together, allowing students to continue to be a part of the solutions without overburdening them with the anxiety of such big issues. “One of the challenges when you’re talking with young people about things like climate change is there can be so much fear and anxiety,” she says. “We know that for young people in this generation, it can compound mental health struggles and can be so anxiety-producing. One of the best things we can possibly do is to lean into talking about it.” Whether it’s activism, science, writing, art, or some other forte, Dr. Legg wants people to find their niche in the work. “Our Purpose & Community pillar focuses on being able to make learning relevant to students and help them feel a deep sense of purpose and an ability to have an impact, even in the face of overwhelming problems,” she concludes. The task force is counting on the entire Emma community to lean in, using their own skill sets to further the cause.
Whatever name the phenomenon goes by— sustainability, ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance), Corporate Social Responsibility, stewardship—concern for the environment is broad and deep among Emma Willard alumnae. Anisa Kamadoli Costa ’93 grapples with the issue at the corporate level through her work as a chief sustainability officer; Alexandra Harrington ’98 seeks to move the needle on the global policy stage as an international lawyer; and Ariel Trahan ’03 confronts the matter at the community level through her work as an environmental protection specialist with the federal government. Despite their diverse approaches, however, all agree: their time at Emma Willard was instrumental in shaping their view of the world.
As a young Barnard graduate, Anisa Costa set her sights on a career at the United Nations. “I’ve always been inspired by a global mindset and interested in how different sectors come together to affect positive change,” she says. But a decision to enroll in graduate school at Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs (SIPA) soon set her on another path.
While earning a master’s degree in international affairs and international economic policy, Anisa became intrigued by the ways in which government, nonprofits, philanthropies, and businesses can collaborate for the greater good. Eager to put her theories into practice, Anisa initially explored opportunities to link positive social change with business performance and shareholder value in the banking sector, then moved on to roles at the Rockefeller Brothers Fund (RBF).
“The Fund is committed to making a positive impact on society in a variety of areas, which I found inspiring,” she says. “And on a personal note, I also treasured the connection between Emma Willard and the Rockefeller Fund that Bill Dietel represented.” (Dietel was a former principal at Emma and the president of the Rockefeller Brothers Fund from 1975 to 1987.)
While at the RBF, Anisa met then Tiffany & Co. Chairman and CEO Michael Kowalski, whom she would join at the company in 2003. She began working at the Tiffany & Co. Foundation and Tiffany & Co., ultimately serving as Chairman and President of the Foundation and as the company’s first-ever Chief Sustainability Officer. “I was initially brought into Tiffany & Co. to develop the foundation, but during my nearly two decades with the company, I also had the privilege of building out the organization’s sustainability and ESG effort,” she explains. “It was a tremendous opportunity to work in a burgeoning field.”
In April 2022, Anisa shifted gears when she was recruited to join electric vehicle maker Rivian Automotive as chief sustainability officer and trustee and president of the Rivian Foundation. She is now applying her formidable talents and experiences to crafting the company’s global sustainability and philanthropic agenda.
And it was her days at Emma Willard, says Anisa, that in part equipped her to meet this moment. “To be
successful in the sustainability space, you need a global mindset and the ability to find areas of synergy, and these are all key elements of an Emma education,” she observes. “The school is a global community—from the student body to the faculty—and there is a prevailing emphasis on identifying ideas that lend themselves to synergy and collaboration.”
This emphasis on collaboration is mirrored in sustainably sensitive corporations, Anisa continues. “The ability to work in partnership, both within a company and outside it—with NGOs, investors, stakeholders, customers—is critical to one’s long-term success.”
This is especially true in the luxury space, she says. “Luxury goods are focused on permanence and durability and demand a synergistic relationship between producer and consumer. At Tiffany & Co., for example, we were committed to engaging with clients, demonstrating the power of transparency, and ensuring that our multiple stakeholders had a voice and a place at the table. We were committed to extracting the highest quality materials through responsible mining practices to create pieces that would be passed from generation to generation. At Rivian, we’re committed to a collaborative culture and sustainability strategy that will help us to achieve our long-term goal of transforming the transportation and energy sectors. Be it luxury jewelry or a luxury vehicle, these are significant purchases in one’s life, and people are thinking about them more than ever before. Companies must be equally thoughtful in encouraging a creative core that facilitates meaningful impact for business and the world.
“There was a similar emphasis on quality, durability, and collaboration at Emma,” Anisa continues. “I was keenly aware of the history within the space as well as the values being passed down from generation to generation.
“In any successful enterprise—be it Emma Willard, Tiffany & Co., or Rivian—there is a caring that is brought to bear in the system,” Anisa concludes.
“It’s a belief in stewardship and community that is unmistakable.”
While Alexandra Harrington can’t say with certainty when her passion for environmental work first took shape, she has a fairly good idea: March 24, 1989. On this day, the oil tanker Exxon-Valdez ran aground in Alaska, spilling 11 million gallons of oil into the pristine waters of Prince William Sound and killing hundreds of thousands of seals, whales, otters, and seabirds. “I remember seeing news of the disaster on television,” she recalls. “When I was a kid, my father insisted I watch the news every evening. Even at that early age, I was interested in the environment and loved animals—we had two dogs that I adored—and when I saw all the wildlife impacted, it really upset me.” The disaster also sharpened Alexandra’s determination to be a good steward of the natural world.
“The event stuck with me over the years as something very important,” she observes.
Today Alexandra honors that childhood commitment through her work as an attorney with a specialization in international law and a focus on environmental issues. After earning a bachelor’s degree in politics and history at New York University, she completed her doctorate in civil and international law at McGill University and was subsequently awarded two Fulbright terms in Canada at the Balsillie School of International Affairs, where she focused on global governance issues. Now a resident of the United Kingdom, Alexandra serves as a lecturer in environmental law at Lancaster University and the Executive Director of the Center for Global Governance and Emerging Law (CGGEL). For the past two years, she has dedicated herself to the work of the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s World Commission on Environmental Law (IUCN WCEL) Agreement on Plastic Pollution Task Force, which she chairs.
“In 2022, the United Nations’ Environmental Assembly authorized the idea of trying to create an international treaty to regulate plastic pollution at a global level,” Alexandra explains. “We’re trying to stop the manufacture of single-use and hazardous plastics.”
The five-person task force comprises a small, highly specialized group of academics, civil society members, and practicing lawyers, and Alexandra is one of the group’s two appointed spokespersons. “I am charged with speaking for the IUCN and advising countries
on any questions they might have about the plastics treaty,” she says. As a subset of that work—aided by a grant from the Norwegian government—Alexandra and her team are also advising a group of five African nations on how best to implement the recommendations that the plastic pollution task force has put forth. The challenges facing those seeking to address global environmental concerns are daunting, Alexandra concedes, but small, recurring victories allow her to remain optimistic. “Every time I walk into the classroom to teach, the energy that comes from my students restores me,” she says. “They are energetic and enthusiastic, and they give me hope.”
Alexandra also draws inspiration from her work with disadvantaged countries struggling to address issues of pollution and climate change. “The African nations I’ve been dealing with have historically enjoyed precious little attention or support with respect to environmental issues, so every piece of action on their behalf gives them hope,” she explains. “Every time I realize a small victory that helps someone, my sense of optimism is renewed.”
This desire to have an impact on a global scale links back to her days at Emma Willard, Alexandra continues. “The environment on campus was rich and diverse—we had many international students,” she recalls. “I always found it valuable to get their perspective on the way that people in the United States consumed things…the size of our homes, our portions, etc. Their observations made me realize that the US tends to be an over-consuming nation, which in turn, made me ponder the ramifications of that behavior. Environmental law is a different world than activism,” she concludes, “but policy work offers me the opportunity to have an impact in a different way.”
Although it sounds clichéd, Ariel Trahan truly can’t remember a time when she wasn’t immersed in nature. “I grew up in Michigan and was outside all the time,” she recalls. “We had a cabin in the woods, and I attended wilderness adventure camp every summer from age eight to age fifteen.” Her parents were environmentally conscious, she says, and gave their children a keen sense of responsibility for the natural world.
That love affair continued at Emma, where Ariel participated in the Outing Club and ran cross-country in the Back 40. It’s hardly surprising, then, that she has made environmental work her career, a labor of love that represents a natural extension of a childhood steeped in nature.
Ariel is particularly drawn to water. “Growing up, I took clean water for granted,” she admits. “I swam freely in lakes and streams, never worrying about pollutants. It was a gift. Now I want to do whatever I can to give everyone access to clean water.”
Ariel wasted no time in making her dreams a reality. After completing a bachelor’s degree in history and environmental studies from Minnesota’s Macalester College in 2007, she accepted a job at a residential environment center in New Hampshire’s Lakes Region. “It was seasonal work,” she explains. “We took kids out of the city and into nature, with the goal of showing them that nature is part of daily life, rather than something to be experienced occasionally.”
After three years, she realized that she wanted to meet kids where they were and accepted a job as an environmental educator with the Anacostia Watershed Society (AWS) in Washington, DC. “I was responsible for getting kids excited about nature; it was a dream job,” she enthuses. “Many of the kids we worked with had grown up near the Anacostia River but had never been in or on the water, so there were lots of opportunities to engage them.”
Ariel spent the next 14 years with AWS, advancing to manager of education programs and then to director of river restoration programs. “I oversaw all educational programming as well as river restoration initiatives. We did everything from trash clean-ups and tree plantings to school rain gardens and wetlands restoration projects.”
She is particularly proud of AWS’s Meaningful Watershed Educational Experience. “We would go into classrooms and talk about issues facing the river and then arrange to take the kids out on the river to see the plants and animals they had just learned about,” she explains. “We then took the kids out on the water a second time to engage in a restoration project. It was incredibly rewarding to see them get excited about restoring and preserving our waterways when many of them had previously never given the river a minute’s thought.”
In 2023, Ariel decided another change was in order and accepted a position as an environmental protection specialist for the Department of Energy and Environment (DOEE). Her focus: wetlands restoration. “This position allows me to focus on largescale restoration projects,” she explains. “I’ve shifted from public education to more behind-the-scenes design and permitting. I worked on the community scale for many years; now I’m committed to accelerating large-scale change.”
While energized by the opportunities inherent to her DOEE work, Ariel underscores that educational initiatives must continue. “In an urban setting, the natural environment is not always top of mind,” she says. “People are often focused on socioeconomic issues, which is understandable. So, I try to determine what resonates with people; for example, people may be motivated by living in a clean neighborhood or by a river that’s free of trash. I want people to love nature as much as I do, which means I must meet them where they are. When we find that common ground, results follow.”
IF YOU COULD STUDY ANYTHING, WHAT WOULD IT BE? IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE, WHERE WOULD YOU GO? When challenged to take an intellectual risk and design a new experiential learning opportunity for their students, many faculty members first thought of their passion for all things green.
The introduction of the Jestermester mini-term to the Emma Willard School curriculum this spring provided a time for many in the Emma community to revel in teaching and learning more about how each person’s choices impact the planet. You could see threads of this passion for conservation both in the descriptions of the experiences as they were presented and in the photos on display after the groups returned to Mount Ida. Some Jestermester experiences stayed right here in Troy, like one focused on sewing for sustainability, or ventured right up the road to the slopes of Lake Placid. Others traveled to tropical rainforests in Guadeloupe or to the clean streets of Singapore.
Are the Winter Olympics Melting?
This compelling question, along with the promise of a week packed with winter sports activities, inspired Science Instructor Megan Labbate and English Instructor Mary Hunter to design a Jestermester experience that would take a dozen students to Lake Placid, New York, the home of the 1932 and 1980 Winter Olympics. Little did they know that this particular year, snow would be so nonexistent as to seemingly offer an easy answer to their central question.
“Obviously, our theme of the Winter Olympics melting was in our faces because on day two, we tried to go skiing, and the bottom was slush,” Ms. Labbate shares. “When we wanted to go Nordic skiing, it was not possible. We went on a hike instead.” Although they created a fun time in spite of the lack of snow, the group had really looked forward to a time of cold-weather activity.
The irony of this year’s unseasonably warm winter was not lost on this group of learners.
Dr. Jay Curt Stager, a professor in the Natural Sciences Department at Paul Smith’s College, was invited to
share his concerns and hopes for the future of climate change research.
“What really stood out with Dr. Stager was that he was a critic,” Ms. Hunter shares, regarding the professor’s early observations related to climate change. Dr. Stager told the students that he wanted to see the facts—wanted people to prove to him that climate change was a humancreated event, not just the regular cycles of the planet’s environment. After this experience, Dr. Stager dedicated his life’s work to climate research, even taking part in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. “I think it was a different perspective than what we were accustomed to,” Ms. Hunter adds.
The group also met with local historian Tony Goodwin, who was part of the planning team for the cross-country ski events at the 1980 Olympics, as well as managers from the Olympic Regional Development Authority, which owns and operates all of the Olympic venues in Lake Placid. They addressed the challenges of having enough snow and what that meant for holding winter events. How do you manage to keep
artificial snow on a hilltop that has a steep angular pitch? What is the cost-benefit of keeping an outdoor ice rink artificially frozen when the temperatures are in the 60s? Among the efforts at artificially creating cold spaces, the venues have recently installed environmentally-conscious refrigeration systems to reduce their consumption. But it’s not a permanent solution.
In between efforts to educate Emma’s students about the serious impact of climate change, Ms. Labbate and Ms. Hunter led the group through the always-educational process of simply having fun! From ice skating to skiing to curling, the two found it invigorating to experience life with the students outside of the classroom. “It was such fun because all of these activities are things that I love,” Ms. Hunter, who is originally from Switzerland, shares.
how much waste is produced by something as simple as packing your own lunch. Snack wrappers, singleuse plastic containers, and disposable utensils all can be avoided—I made sure to add reusable lunch bags and utensils to my list of what to bring to college to ensure I continue limiting my waste beyond Emma.”
sonally passionate about sustainability and teaching students how to become environmentally conscious citizens of the planet. As a result, much of the work of weaving a thread of sustainability into the experience began behind the scenes.
“Even if it was just hanging out in the kitchen, making food, laughing, dancing—it was just so fun!”
Dia Krylova ’24, a day student, embraced her first glimpse into these joys of community life. “Aside from the plethora of sports I had never tried before, like curling and skiing, the general experience of living in a lodge with a big group of other students was new to me,” she shares, noting that she gained new perspectives that she’ll carry to college in the fall. “I have become a more open person and one who feels more comfortable living and working as a unit.”
Throughout the trip, even in the daily routines of cooking, eating, and drinking, students were receiving instructions about proper recycling, utilizing reusable products, monitoring their consumption, and reducing their own personal footprint. Dia took note. “I began thinking about
One of Ms. Hunter and Ms. Labbate’s goals for the week was to help overcome any defeatism that the students might feel about their ability to impact their environment. In conversations with experts, students learned how they can make a difference by participating in advocacy work, using their voices, and planning to vote in ways that enact change. “The ability to balance fun with a really sobering topic is important,” Ms. Labbate says. “I hope that our students walked away recognizing that it is something that’s real, but it’s also something that’s actionable.”
Two thousand miles south of Lake Placid, 15 Emma travelers joined Language Instructors Manon Sabatier and Charlie LeBel and Houseparent Sydney Doornbos for Voyage en Guadeloupe. An island known for its incredible biodiversity and lack of exploitation by tourists, the group enjoyed grassroots experiences while also putting their French skills to the test.
Mme. Sabatier, who advises the Emma Green club on campus, is per-
One of Mme. Sabatier’s childhood friends is a doctor in Guadeloupe who had warned her that they shouldn’t plan to be able to drink the water on the island. “The French media had been reporting on this,” Mme. Sabatier explains, “because every time it rains—and with climate change, you can’t quite predict when you’re going to have heavy rains—the water level rises so much that the brown waters get mixed with the drinking water.” With this knowledge in hand, Mme. Sabatier set out to make sure the group was equipped with reusable bottles with straws that contained a specialized filter. “We didn’t have to buy dozens—hundreds, really—of plastic bottles that would be single use.”
After these preparations, the group arrived in Guadeloupe ready to immerse themselves in the native culture. From learning a traditional African dance called Gwoka to discovering the significance of different foods and spices, Bhoomika “Bhoomi” Lingappa ’24 described the experience as simply “lovely.” Whether visiting with park rangers in the tropical forest, snorkeling among the fish in the Jacques Cousteau Reserve, or kayaking
through Le Moule Mangrove, guides explained the importance of preservation. “It was just stunning to see how intricate the survival of the ecosystem is there, how trees and roots have evolved to adapt to saltwater and how they are going to develop so they can survive,” Mme. Sabatier shares.
“We had multiple conversations with the locals about how tourists haven’t really been respecting nature and the animals,” Bhoomi explains. She was especially impacted by her conversations with park workers.
“They were very passionate about their work,” she says. “I am going into environmental studies, and this experience gave me a little bit more hope for the future. When you have such a beautiful space, you learn that it is up to you to respect that place and to make sure that you maintain that level of beauty and leave it untouched. I learned a lot of good values from the locals.”
Bhoomi noted signs posted everywhere declaring, “La Guadeloupe est trop belle pour devenir une poubelle (Guadeloupe is too beautiful to become a trashcan)” to encourage visitors to be mindful of the impact they have on the delicate island ecosystem. Because there were no recycling containers where they were staying, the group from Emma made
their own recycling boxes to use during their stay. Mme. Sabatier carried a stash of reusable bags along on the trip with this in mind. “Just like I do at home, I was very mindful of packaging, what we were buying, and how much waste we were creating.”
At the end of the trip, they made a special stop to deliver their collection to the recycling center.
Like Ms. Hunter and Ms. Labbate, Mme. Sabatier hopes that students pick up on that thread of consciousness that what we each, as individuals, do has an impact on other people and on the planet.
“We really need to shift the level of awareness about habits around consuming—throwing away willynilly, not recycling. How can we help our students really see the impact of human activity in general and create healthy habits?”
A Shining Example Cev Shan ’24 and Ryder C. ’26 think they may have found the answer. When they signed up for the Jestermester trip to Singapore and Malaysia—led by Language Instructor Guangyu Hao, Dean of Students Shelley Maher, and Houseparent Genesis Villar—they expected to practice their Chinese skills and have a fun trip outside of the country. What they found was remarkable: a pristine city where the people have made healthy conservation habits the social norm.
“We’re both from New York City,” Cev explains. “We see so much trash on the ground, and the air quality is not very good. But Singapore is one of the biggest cities in the world, and it’s so clean. It was really shocking to us.”
On their trip to the Singapore City Gallery, Ryder and Cev uncovered the history behind what they saw on the streets. This interactive space introduces visitors to the city systems and how they work. “There was a lot about energy and water conservation, and we really weren’t expecting that,” Ryder says. “Because of how much of Singapore City is a garden,
they have to conserve water, which is very expensive there.” Cev describes one activity they found interesting that allowed visitors to uncover how much water they use for showering or washing dishes. The display would then reveal how sustainable they could be versus how they are. Similar exhibits explored the impact of recycling and information about the impact of highways and traffic.
“Singapore has no traffic,” Ryder adds. “It’s insane.”
Although Ms. Hao’s design for the trip was centered around uncovering Chinese influence in the cultures of Singapore and Malaysia, they continued to discover ways in which the culture worked to conserve natural resources. “When we visited Pulau Ubin, the students learned about the protection of the land, natural resources, and animals,” Ms. Hao says. “When we visited the local village in Malaysia, they had an immersive experience, participating in local life and staying with local families. Considering the limited resources and the importance of sustainability there, students could compare and analyze all the differences between living in high- and low-sustainability modes.”
Ryder recalls this example: “When we showered. The water would be hot at the beginning and slowly cool down so that you kind of get the effect of hot water, but you’re not wasting as much energy as having extremely hot water all the way through. And I didn’t really mind it at all!”
A final observation from Cev and Ryder provides poignant commentary on a sustainable way of life. They noted a feeling of safety, a culture of respect, and a sense of trust among the people they observed and met. “This sense of security and trust people have,” Cev begins. Ryder finishes the thought, “And just respect for the common society...I feel like it would be really hard to clean up the streets and implement sustainability in a place without first implementing that sense of trust and respect.”
BY LUCIA CASTRO BIGELOW ’24
Our first day began with making style mood boards, getting to know each other, and discussing the “Big Bad” of the fast fashion industry: Shein. The group’s general and quicklyreached consensus of Shein’s immorality, from environmental harm to labor law violations, was affirmed by the investigative video on the company from Germany’s Deutsche Welle YouTube Channel entitled “If you think fast fashion is bad, check out SHEIN.” Awesome, I thought, patting myself on the back. I didn’t shop on Shein or order unnecessary clothing hauls from sketchy drop shipping retailers; I was ahead of the game in the “green living” department.
I quickly realized I was wrong as we transitioned into our next activity: looking up our favorite brands on Good On You, a fashion review website that rates and ranks clothing companies’ ethics and sustainable practices. My groupmates and I laughed awkwardly around our table as we were met with the uncomfortable truths of our most-loved brands. Urban Outfitters, Zara, Brandy Melville—just because they were well-established retailers with in-person stores did not mean they couldn’t be just as bad as Shein.
On Day 2, we learned about clothing landfills—namely, Chile’s Atacama Desert and the beaches of Accra, Ghana—swaths of land covered with mountains of unsold or secondhand clothes. In Atacama, for example, 39,000 tons of clothes get
discarded yearly and are left to decompose and release their toxins into the air and water. At Kantamanto in Accra, one of the largest secondhand clothing markets in the world, more and more clothes being imported from other countries are being deemed unsellable by vendors. Fast fashion culture— making cheap clothing to last as long as a trend does—has severely lowered clothing quality while severely increasing clothing quantity.
Of course, it’s nearly impossible to forgo fast fashion brands entirely, especially because most clothes from “environmentally friendly” companies are much more expensive than the average retailer. However, learning about the price of fast fashion has made me a much more thoughtful consumer. Now that I know about American Eagle’s lack of adherence to their greenhouse gas emissions goal—and what that means for the planet—I won’t be running to fill my cart with items when they drop their spring sales. Instead, I’ll buy what need and what know I’ll wear for years to come instead of something I’ll throw out after the latest style trend ends. Besides learning about the environmental impact of fashion, we also had the opportunity to make some of our own. Over the course of the week, we made tote bags using a simple pattern and the sewing machines the school provided for us. Over old episodes of Project Runway and a class-made playlist, and with the invaluable help and guidance of Dr. Dettmar and Ms. Egan, we went from cutting huge, raggedy squares of canvas fabric to sewing the last details on our very own totes. It was such a rewarding experience to get to wrap up class on Friday with real, tangible proof of what I had learned over the week. Not only did I now feel entirely more educated and aware of fast fashion’s effect on the environment–and ways to combat one’s contribution to those effects–but I also had a super cool bag that I had made entirely by hand. It felt way more satisfying than just buying a thirty-dollar tote from Amazon.
Upon returning home for spring break, I proudly presented my dad with my handmade tote bag, walking him through every step of the process in exhaustive detail. “No paper bag, please,” I can now say to the supermarket cashier, sliding my masterpiece across the conveyor belt. When one of the straps of a well-loved tank top broke, I sewed it back together when otherwise I would have begrudgingly thrown it away. Plain black backpacks and jean pockets have become canvases for my endeavors in embroidery.
finished my Jestermester with a new, useful skill and a new awareness of my ability to affect the environment for the better or the worse. Being a more informed consumer, I can now actively make decisions when shopping for clothes that will lessen the negative impact—even if just a tiny bit—that fashion production has on the environment.
A commitment of $5 million has been made to the Infinite Horizon campaign by Vicky Thompson Winterer, Class of 1961, to reimagine Emma Willard’s faculty and staff housing. The project is anticipated to include two phases and the first will add 10 new dwellings to the northwest corner of campus.
“As long as Emma Willard offers a residential boarding experience, there will be a need for amazing teachers and other adults to be present on campus around the clock,” said Winterer of the inspiration for her gift. “I hope this initiative will make the Emma living and learning environment that much more attractive to those who might call Mount Ida home!”
A renovated and expanded housing offering was identified as a key priority in the Leading with Purpose five-year strategic plan to enhance Emma Willard’s already dedicated and diverse faculty. At the core of any residential campus—and especially at Emma Willard—is the belief that having teachers and their families present on campus strengthens the living and learning environment for students writ large. Adding 10 new faculty homes will expand Emma Willard’s residential team and enrich the on-campus community responsible for creating a “home away from home” for all students but especially boarding students.
2,718 DONORS
The initiative has also emerged as an important part of Emma Willard’s environmental sustainability efforts, with architects and campus planners exploring the most efficient options for new construction. Including the planned second phase, the complete faculty housing initiative will add approximately 50,000 square feet to the school’s physical plant. Bringing this amount of space online has spurred the school to consider “passive building” strategies to ensure the lowest environmental footprint and the most sustainable operations. Approaches to passive building include features such as design envelope (i.e. continuous construction to reduce losses associated with heating and cooling); sourcing of low-embodiedcarbon materials; high-efficiency lighting and HVAC
$166,003,381 OF $175,000,000 GOAL
CAMPAIGN TOTAL AS OF 4/30
systems; and utilizing existing topography and tree canopy to provide natural ventilation and solar control, respectively. The vision for these dwellings is to make them as efficient as they are attractive to future residents.
“Expanding our faculty housing is a key objective in our strategic plan and it will allow us to fully realize our objective to create a vibrant and engaging residential experience for Emma Willard,” shared Head of School Jenny Rao. “Moreover, having more faculty homes available gives Emma Willard a recruiting advantage in being able to attract talented faculty from across the country and globe whose move to Troy can be made easier when we can offer a place for they and their families to live.”
Site plans for the new faculty housing units offer a park-like vista looking north, surrounded by a grove of pine trees and maple-lined pathways. Both the first and second phases of construction will put the new dwellings in proximity to existing housing in the Duplexes, Manchester, Simpson, and Wilson. Achieving the balance of personal privacy with the feeling of a close-knit neighborhood was identified as a desired attribute by faculty through the initial design phases.
“When I think back to my time as a student, the opportunity to interact with faculty and their families was one of the standout experiences for me as a boarder,” explains Vicky. “It’s not just about being exposed to a wide variety of people, although that is important; it’s the enriching experience of getting to know someone through the daily interaction you have in a residential campus community.”
Vicky Winterer—who served the Emma Willard School community as a Board Trustee from 1986 to 2000 and was co-chair of the Campaign for Emma Willard in the 1990s—now helps lead the Infinite Horizon campaign as one of its honorary co-chairs. Vicky’s combination of volunteer and philanthropic experience in education has helped the campaign move steadily toward its lofty goals.
“My passions and pursuits remain primarily educational. I think that’s probably due to the richness my own education has brought to my life, and I want to ensure that richness continues in the lives of others. Emma Willard really opened the whole world to me, and that’s why I’m eager to help out in any way I can.”
The first phase of the faculty housing initiative has begun with initial site planning and design concepts completed. A goal of $10 million has been set for phase one with philanthropy to the Infinite Horizon campaign making progress possible on this important initiative. Available funding at the time of construction will determine Emma Willard’s ability to achieve the milestone of constructing the school’s first truly “passive” building.
A generous gift has been made to Infinite Horizon:
The Campaign for Emma Willard School by the estate of Joyce Wyman Hyde ’42, her daughter Peg Hyde Wachtel ’72 and her granddaughter Sarah Hyde ’05. The Hyde Family’s roots run deep at Emma Willard with three generations of alumnae joining together (one posthumously) to support this most important faculty housing initiative. Peg shared a bit about the inspiration for these gifts:
“My mother was a staunch supporter of education and Emma Willard School during her lifetime. It was her wish to make one last gift to the school she loved after her passing. For me, it was important to support this campaign to honor my mother, as well as to support the school that did so much for making us the women we became and because of our strong belief in the importance of a good education. The school’s ability to provide appealing, ample faculty housing is crucial to acquiring, supporting, and retaining the type of excellent teachers needed to provide a high-quality education to Emma girls for generations to come. I can’t think of a better way to honor my mother and our alma mater.”
Emma Willard School’s Class of 1974 made their 50th Anniversary Reunion gift in support of sustainability initiatives in the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts.
The class gift will be applied to key environmental sustainability features for the Wallace Center, including high-efficiency lighting and HVAC systems, open space preservation, native plantings around the building, an “energy recovery wheel” (for heat and humidity exchange), and comprehensive water conservation systems. The Class of 1974 Reunion Committee shared the following:
Our class enrolled at Emma soon after the first Earth Day. Our air and waterways were polluted, but we were cautiously optimistic with the creation of the EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) and citizens’ efforts to clean up our environment. Now the Climate Crisis is upon us and there is an urgent call to action on many fronts.
With our class gift to the school, we combine two of our passions: the environment and the performing arts.
One classmate recalls our principal, Dennis Collins, explaining the difficulty of implementing energy-conservation protocols in old buildings with only two heat settings: On and Off. We hope the Class of 1974 gift supports a significant step toward a sustainable campus with a net zero impact on climate.
1974 Reunion Committee Members:
Martha Armstrong
Anne Bray
Marcia Brooks
Cary Helme Bruestle
Ann Chappell
Ann “Mina” Kuppe
Carla Sabloff Smith
Ann Doyle Thurlow
Judy Briggs von Bucher
Carol Hillman Van Dyke
OR RECOGNITIO
ADD YOUR NAME TO THE LEGACY OF THE WALLACE CENTER WITH A GIFT OF $500 per seat
Each seat in the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts represents a life that is touched by the Emma Willard experience.
To make a gift, scan the QR code, contact the Office of Advancement at 518.833.1831, or visit: infinitehorizon.org/seats
We invite you to be a part of that experience by giving a gift of $500 to the Wallace Center, which will be recognized on nameplates placed on the back of the padded benches that make up the fixed seating in the Klingenstein Concert Hall.
Named seats are limited. Don't miss this opportunity to leave your legacy in this breathtaking space!
BY MELISSIA MASON
Judy Price, Tony Holston, and their children, Sol ’24 and Sarah ’20, reflect on their life-long connection to the Emma community
A fortuitous panel discussion at Union College in 1988 launched a lifelong connection to Emma Willard School for Mathematics Instructor Judy Price. Emma Willard Principal Philip Deely was featured as a panelist that evening, and Judy, a soon-to-be Union graduate, handed him her résumé for an opening in the Mathematics Department.
When she came to Mount Ida to interview, Judy was first struck by the amazing architecture, and quickly thereafter by the feeling. “I could see the sense of community right away,” Judy recalls. “That’s also the piece that’s kept me here.” Judy immediately integrated herself into that community. Over the years she has worn many hats: dorm affiliate; faculty advisor to Friday Night Ski Club, Black Latinx Student Union (BLSU), and PRIMES (the math club); department chair; and assistant tennis coach.
For Tony, the first draw to Emma was Judy. While attending law school at Western New England University in Springfield, MA, he visited Mount Ida frequently. When Judy and Tony married in 2000, his was a natural transition into the Emma community. The couple lived in the Bridges, and Tony later joined the Emma faculty as a track coach and, shortly thereafter, basketball coach. “I have had the opportunity to coach and meet so many different Emma Willard community members since I first came to visit—over 30 years ago now,” Tony says. “What has struck me the most about Emma is the people of so many unique and different backgrounds.”
Judy and Tony’s two children, Sarah ’20 and Sol ’24, spent their childhoods immersed in this eclectic community, performing in Revels and attending GirlSummer. “When I was a kid, I would pretend it was a castle,” Sarah recalls. “It was my playground, and I absolutely loved it! I had a really active imagination as a child, and I think part of it is because I spent so much time at Emma—everything felt really whimsical.”
When considering whether to attend Emma or a well-regarded public school, Sarah and Sol each had
their reasons for choosing Emma. Sol leaned into the familiarity. “I’d been going to Emma since I was little, so it felt like a second home to me,” Sol shares.
Sarah chose Emma because it would be a different experience than what she was accustomed to in middle school. “When I became a student at Emma, it felt like I rediscovered the place, which was also why I never got bored of it. It was always constantly changing,” Sarah says. Making the most of their time here, Sarah and Sol exemplified the spirit of Emma Willard School, both receiving an EW Award in their senior years.
Working at Emma has afforded Judy opportunities to pursue one of her personal passions: travel.
Having spent a year on a Fulbright teacher exchange in Blandford Forum, England, Judy traveled around the British Isles, Greece, Turkey, and the Netherlands. She led spring break trips to Thailand, Cambodia, and Uganda and spent three weeks on a teacher exchange in Australia (plus an extra week seeing sights while Sarah completed her four-week exchange through Emma).
Now a staff vice president in the appeals department at Carelon Behavioral Health, Tony manages legal specialists and appeals coordinators across the US, in addition to managing the training of Emma’s track and field athletes. At his core, Tony is a lifelong learner. “I love to learn, and meeting so many amazing people at Emma over the years has really inspired me in the way that I view the world and the way that I think about myself and others around me.”
Beyond the personal rewards of being part of such a dynamic community, Judy and Tony have seen the impact it has had on their children’s education. “We live in a good school district,” Judy points out. “If they went to that high school, they would have been just fine. But we think they got more leadership opportunities at Emma Willard—things like Speaker Series, personalized care, and getting to know teachers better.”
“What makes Emma so great is the people,” Sol affirms. “I’m in a community where I’ve been supported to be myself and grow into the person I am.”
With the leadership experience of Science Olympiad, Emma Genius, Coding Club, Crew, and Indoor Track at Emma under xir belt, Sol is headed to Rochester Institute of Technology in the fall to study electrical engineering. “RIT has campuses abroad, and one of them is in Dubai. I think it would be amazing if I could do a study abroad there.”
Now a graduate of American University with a degree in international relations, Sarah is on her way to a cultural and educational exchange with the US State Department in Morocco to spend the summer learning Arabic. Her willingness to try new things is a spirit she credits to her time at Emma. “The most random things would pop up that I would think, sure, why not? It would end up taking me places and connecting me with people that I never imagined. It makes life worth living to have those random things that bring you happiness. That’s probably one of the best things that I learned from Emma.”
Although so much of life has revolved around Emma Willard, Judy, Tony, Sarah, and Sol still have robust interests outside of “ye grey walls.” From kayaking to pickleball to travel to theatre (both film and live), the family loves spending time together pursuing their passions. Judy has developed an affection for pickleball, and Sol and Tony love amusement parks and anime, in addition to the movies that they enjoy with Judy. Sarah is looking forward to the travel opportunities afforded by her time in Morocco, and might even convince Tony and Judy to come visit!
Now that both kids have “left the nest” of Mount Ida, Judy and Tony are excited about the opportunities ahead for their children and the prospect of spending more time together. “We’ve had great quality time with our girls over the last eight years,” Tony shares, adding, “I really enjoyed working with so many students, and it’s amazing to see what they’ve done after Emma Willard.” But he’s also ready to spend more time with Judy. “We’re looking forward to doing some of those things that you don’t get a chance to do when you’re raising kids, going through school, and supporting them.”
Judy shares the same vision of their future: “I love my husband very much and enjoy his company. So we’re looking forward to having more couple time. Of course, we love our kids to death. But parenting… you’re all in and sometimes your own schedule has to take a backseat. So now we’ll totally be able to just go do what we want to!”
Reflecting on her years at Emma, Judy holds her hands up in the shape of a heart and says, “It’s been a fun place…I have great affection for the school, and I go back to that sense of community. It’s been awesome to have students from all over the world. When people come back and talk about how you helped them through tough teenage years…just last year at Reunion some kids told me that Emma Willard was their safe haven in a way that I didn’t know at the time. You don’t always know how your kindness has affected them.”
The Emma Willard Admissions Team is dedicated to finding the next generation of brilliant minds who will bring their unique perspectives, backgrounds, and talents to our community. We asked them some questions to help you get to know them. Contact us at admissions@emmawillard.org to find out how we can help you on your journey to Emma Willard School!
1. What inspires you about being at Emma?
2. What’s your favorite candy?
3. What advice would you give Emma applicants?
Kristen Mariotti Head of Enrollment Management
1. The diversity of the students. I feel lucky every day to be a part of a community with students from across the US and from every corner of the globe. Their unique experiences, identities, and perspectives enrich us all so much!
2. Haribo Fizzy Cola gummies
3. Come as you are and be yourself—we want to know all the things about you that make you unique!
Jing Benavot Director
of International Recruitment & Retention
1. EMMA’s community, history, and its values of true education
2. Lemmon drops
3. Be yourself, and be proud of yourself!
Katie Myer P’26
Director
of Admissions and Recruitment
1. I find the history of this school very inspiring. Emma Hart Willard was a pioneer in girls’ education, founding this school at a time when higher education for girls did not yet exist in the United States. Over 200 years later, we are still following Emma Willard’s vision.
2. Swedish Fish
3. We are not looking for perfect; we are looking for what fuels you! Be yourself!
Molly Riley
Assistant Director of Admissions
1. The passion students and adults have for their work and for this community.
2. Sour gummy worms
3. Be yourself! There is nothing more exciting than being in a space where you can be genuinely “you,” and the Emma community will welcome you with open arms to be exactly who you are.
Michele Solimeno Associate Director of Admissions/ Director of GirlSummer
1. What inspires me about Emma is how supportive the community is for students to try something new and different that they might not have tried before! It inspires me to step out of my comfort zone as well!
2. Sour Patch Watermelon
3. To be authentically yourself! We want applicants who want Emma and that the mission serves them.
HB Tompkins
Assistant Director of Admissions and GirlSummer
1. There are a multitude of things—I feel excited walking
in from the parking lot each morning seeing the architecture and students scurrying to music classes. I feel grateful to be a part of such an intentional and uplifting community.
2. I go through phases of candy and chocolate. My ‘go-to’s’ are OG Twizzlers and Take 5.
3. I think in applying to anything— school, a job, an internship—you have to manage your expectations. I always try to remember two things: First, it is okay to not know exactly what you want. Second, you will end up where you are meant to be, so instead of stressing over the ‘right’ place, pay attention to the moments you most enjoy, make you feel most comfortable, and motivate you.
Mari Elizabeth Webb Admissions Event and Visit Manager
1. Our students inspire me every day. I especially love working with our EMbassadors. It gives me great joy watching them share their love of Emma with prospective families and alum who come back for a visit.
2. I love CHOCOLATE! I always have a box of chocolate from Krause’s Homemade Candy in Albany on hand when have a craving.
3. I would say be yourself and ask our current students lots of questions, whether on a tour, through Peerpal, or at one of our events. Our students are your best resource for learning about all things Emma.
*Head EMbassadors: Emma Willard School’s student EMbassadors work with the Admissions Office to introduce prospective families to the school by leading campus tours and engaging with those who attend our on-campus and virtual events. You can look forward to seeing these faces when you come to Mount Ida to Experience Emma!
Eleanora Bennett
1. Seeing how much people grow over the years inspires me. I see people finding new interests, using opportunities to further them, learning who they want to be, and just growing into their own.
2. can’t choose between gummy snakes, Starburst sour gummies, or peanut butter M&Ms.
3. Figure out what makes you fit in and stand out in the community. There are so many amazing people and spaces at Emma; figuring out what you like, where you fit, where you diverge, and what you might bring to Emma can be so crucial in the application process and just being at Emma.
Nadia Mitic
1. Being at Emma has changed me in so many ways. What inspires me the most is the unique and tight-knit community we have, and how many opportunities and resources students have as well! All of my teachers are very approachable, so I can ask for help or just to meet. There are so many things to do on campus during the day as well as traditions throughout the year that I am so grateful to be a part of.
2. I absolutely love anything chocolate. Not extremely dark chocolate or extremely milk chocolate, but
something like Twix or Hershey’s is my favorite.
3. CHOOSE EMMA!! Everyone is different, and just being your authentic self in your application will go a long way. And, being confident in what interests you or what you are good at would be great to share. Having new experiences reflect our student body is what I really love!
Motunrayooluwa Ogunwusi
1. At Emma, I’m surrounded by driven teachers and peers, so that makes me motivated to push myself to accomplish greater things. Emma is a place where learning is celebrated, challenges are embraced, and every failure is just one step closer to success.
2. Twix ice cream bar or Sour Patch Kids
3. Make your application about what makes you special and unique.
Maggie Russell
1. Getting to have conversations and work with my peers, both in and out of class. They all inspire me to work toward being the best version of myself that I can be!
2. Nerds Gummy Clusters
3. Find things about Emma to be excited about (there is so much to choose from!)—it helps take stress off of the whole process.
Helen Yang
1. Being at Emma is inspiring because of the opportunity to empower women and girls. The focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) creates an environment where everyone’s unique perspectives are valued and celebrated. Seeing the impact of initiatives to support and uplift women and girls and foster a culture of inclusivity is incredibly motivating and fulfilling. Contributing to creating a more equitable and empowering world for all is rewarding. I have become more open-minded and inclusive during my years at Emma. learned about different cultures and learned to appreciate them.
2. Skittles
3. For Emma applicants, authenticity and passion are paramount. Research Emma thoroughly to understand its mission and values, aligning your application with its goals. Highlight relevant experiences and skills that showcase your commitment to empowering women and promoting diversity. Tailor your application to demonstrate your unique perspective and strengths. Prepare for interviews diligently, expressing your enthusiasm and readiness to contribute. Stay positive and persistent in your pursuit, knowing that your genuine dedication will shine through.
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The Admissions Team at Emma is eager to learn more about you! We are here to assist with the application process every step of the way. This process includes the following:
Demonstrating a commitment to equity and inclusion, Emma Willard School is pleased to offer a free application for admission for both domestic and international candidates. Please apply here: emmawillard.org/admissions
Should be completed by a school official and contain a minimum of two years of credits as well as the first semester or trimester of the current academic year.
■ English Teacher
■ Math Teacher
■ Principal/ Guidance Counselor
We will be conducting all interviews via Zoom in order to provide equal access to all of our applicants.
Application deadline:
International
■ January 15
Domestic
■ February 1
Financial aid application deadline:
■ February 1
Admissions decision:
■ March 10
Enrollment contract and deposit due:
■ April 10
Emma Willard School is test optional and does not require the SSAT, PSAT, or SAT as elements of the application process. Instead, we ask applicants to submit a graded writing sample and a graded math test. For our international applicants, we also require the TOEFL or Duolingo test results to assist with understanding English proficiency. More information can be found at emmawillard.org/admissions
