Signature Magazine - Fall 2022

REV. CYNDI SKRIPAK ’78 Infinite Horizon Campaign Steering Committee

Describe Emma in three words Challenge. Growth. Connection.

How did your experience at Emma shape your career as a minister? I didn’t consider becoming a minister until years after college. But my confidence to succeed academically in seminary, and my comfort level while working in a male-dominated profession came from the strong feminist foundation I formed at Emma.

What is your favorite Emma tradition? Revels! I loved performing as a Morris dancer and musician, then seeing my sister as Lady of the Manor in 1979 and my niece as a Morris dancer 35 years later.

In what ways do religion and spirituality contribute to people’s sense of well-being? Religion and/or spirituality connect us to a force greater than ourselves, and to a community that exists to make the world better. Religious rituals elevate moments in our lives by making us aware of what is transcendent and sacred; When we glimpse what is sacred, timeless and life-affirming, we realize we are each a precious part of creation, beloved and unique.

MISSION

Describe Emma Willard in three words. Supportive. Adaptable. Remarkable.

What do you love about being an Emma athlete? I love being an Emma athlete because of the team aspect. Emma has supported me through learning sports that I had never played before and the coaches took the time to encourage me along the way. The teams I’ve been on have brought so much joy.

What is your favorite Emma tradition?

Ring Siblings. It is a time to show appreciation for a senior who has been important to you. I remember proposing to my Sibling and I am so grateful to them.

How do you feel sports and athletics contribute to people’s wellness? I believe that sports can help someone’s wellness because it is an outlet for emotions that are building up and you can be fully present, not thinking about the things that are clouding your brain.

PRAIRIE G. ’23 Varsity athlete: basketball, field hockey, lacrosse

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.

FALL 2022

Jenny Rao

Head of School

Meredith Legg, PhD

Associate Head of School

Virginia Arbour

Chief Financial Officer

Ann Dejnozka

Head of Advancement

Christine Gilmore

Head of Institutional Equity and Inclusion

Shelley Maher

Dean of Students

Kristen A. Mariotti

Head of Enrollment Management

Luke Meyers Chief Communications Officer

EDITORIAL STAFF

Luke Meyers, Melissia Mason, Kaitlin Resler, Sandra Santana Editorial Team

Lori Ferguson, JoAnn Gometz, Robin Prout

Contributing Writers

Kaitlin Resler Photography

Margaret Clark ’98 and Eve Tolpa ’88 Class Notes

Lilly Pereira www.aldeia.design

Designer

R. C. Brayshaw & Company www.rcbrayshaw.com Printer

Please forward address changes to: Emma Willard School 285 Pawling Avenue Troy, NY 12180 866-833-1814 alumnae@emmawillard.org or emmawillard.org/alumnae

Signature, the magazine of Emma Willard School, is published by the Communications Office two times each year for alumnae, parents, grandparents, and friends of Emma Willard School. The mission of this magazine is to capture the school’s values and culture through accurate and objective stories about members of the Emma community, past and present, as they put Emma Willard’s mark on the world.

Emma Willard School is a nonpartisan organization. In the spirit of honoring the individuality of our community members, we encourage featured individuals to share their authentic selves. Views expressed are entirely their own.

PHOTO BY ERIN COVEY

Leading In

HEAD OF SCHOOL JENNY RAO

Wellbeing

Everyone at Emma Willard School—students, faculty, staff, and alumnae—is by nature hard-working and ambitious. We are a community of people who are serious about our work and our learning. I have no doubt that each of us knows how to rev up our engines, but I am not as sure that we always know how to take things down to a lower gear. As COVID-19 pushed us all to the red line, these last two years have been a reminder of the importance of attending to our wellbeing.

Wellbeing is a term we hear often, and it seems straightforward. But what is wellbeing, truly? If it were easy to define, wouldn’t it be easy to achieve? We often talk about a balanced life as a part of wellbeing. Is balance the right objective when seeking to cultivate wellbeing in our lives? We must be wary of confusing wellness with comfort. Don’t we grow stronger when we step out of our comfort zone and work to overcome challenges? Is it realistic to assume that our wellness will come without challenge?

Well before the pandemic, we were actively investigating student wellbeing at Emma Willard. What we observed in our students is a mistaken belief that in order to be successful one must forgo personal care and wellbeing. Even when our students felt depleted, rattling off a long list of commitments and little rest seemed to fuel a sense of worthiness. As we gained insight into our students’ beliefs and habits, we made a decision to address the wellbeing of our students head-on.

In 2018, faculty and parents read Enough As She Is by author and educator Rachel Simmons. Simmons argues that girls have developed unachievable definitions of success which they are pursuing with a perpetual feeling of failure. While the world has witnessed an opening of more doors for girls and women, girls have heard an unintended message in the process: we said they can be anything; they heard that they should be everything.

To address this misconception, we realized we must examine our students’ wellbeing and definitions of success. Nurturing wellness and strengthening resilience are vital to the delivery of our mission: Our students’ learning, creativity, and full engagement in and outside of the classroom depend on it. Therefore, student wellbeing is a key priority in both our Leading with Purpose strategic plan and in our Infinite Horizon campaign. Our work

on this critical area has begun in earnest and we have early progress and successes to celebrate. Here are three decisive steps we’ve taken that are already positively impacting our students.

First, we have moved our curriculum beyond the Advanced Placement™ (AP) courses into our own unique Advanced Studies (AS) curriculum. AS courses maintain the rigor that AP courses are known for while focusing on what matters most in learning—relevance, understanding, and multidisciplinary connection. At their core, AS classes fuel a love of learning which nurtures students’ wellbeing. Second, we have redesigned our daily schedule with a later start time for classes that better aligns with the sleep patterns and biorhythms of adolescents—students feel and focus best when they are well-rested! Third, we have expanded our READY program to all grade levels as a small-group seminar series. Our READY curriculum helps build students’ understanding of personal and community wellbeing, while the small-group setting fosters deep connections and a healthy exchange of ideas.

In addition to changes to our program and schedule, our student body also took part in Authentic Connections, a national survey of wellbeing for teens in high-achieving schools. The survey assesses mental health and modifiable aspects of personal and community life that can be targeted to improve wellbeing. A team was established to examine the results of our investigations and make recommendations to continue to strengthen our support for mental health and wellbeing in our students and community.

I look forward to the road ahead as we continue to pursue holistic student wellbeing, both personal and communal. You can read more about our growing efforts in that direction in this issue of Signature magazine. Paying attention to our wellbeing is essential to success, and perhaps most importantly, it will allow us to be present and enjoy the wonderful journey of lifelong learning.

From the Triangle

The advanced ballet class performs during the Spring Dance Recital.

HIGHLIGHTS

1. The Emma crew team works together to learn how to properly load and unload as they travel for practice and meets!

2. With ribbons and flowers, Abby A. ’25 waits for the moment when the ninth grade class will take to the senior triangle to dance around the maypole on May Day.

3. Chelsea Yang ’22 and Cassandra Carraher ’22 pose for a selfie together at Senior Tea.

4. Katie Everett ’22, Eva Sterthous ’22, and Nikki Buhac ’22 pose together in hats and sweatshirts from their colleges on chalk day.

5. For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic began, the full choir performed in concert alongside members of the Emma Willard dance classes during Spring Showcase.

6. The annual Apollo talent show, presented by the Black Latinx Student Union (BLSU), returned to campus festival-style for another year of great performances!

7. Bernice U. ’25 performs during the MIASU International Student Expo event to celebrate various international cultures.

8. Zihan Helena Liu ’22, MIASU club co-head, performs at the International Student Expo.

9. Zara Song ’22 poses with her large-scale piece during the Senior Art Show.

10. Nora B.’25 and Tess Johnstadt ’22 give emotional performances in The Giver

1 2 3 4

AWAY to the National Parks: Nature’s Conservatory

BY SANDRA SANTANA

As the third-largest state in America, California boasts a unique ecological and biodiverse presence. Represented by pristine coastlines, lush forests, snow covered mountaintops, and unforgiving desert sandscapes, nine of the 423 National Parks established in the United States can be found here.

Through the AWAY program Spring Break learning experience, 23 Emma Willard School students flew across the country to understand the conservation efforts at Joshua Tree, Death Valley, and Yosemite National Parks.

At the base of our first stop on our National Park swing, we stopped inside the Joshua Tree Visitor Center. Between the pockets of souvenirs and park maps, students were immersed in exhibits displaying the history of the land, topography maps of over 100 hiking trails, and information on the effects of climate change in the park. Here, we learned the annual precipitation has dropped by 39% and the average temperature increased by 3°F (2°C). Currently, research suggests that under these conditions, it could eliminate nearly all suitable habitats for Joshua trees and reduce habitats in the Southwest by 90%.

Straddling the Mojave Desert and the Colorado Desert ecosystems, Joshua Tree is the size of Rhode Island, yet roughly 800 species of vascular plants can be found within the rugged canyons and exposed rock. Home to some of the most interesting geologic features found in California’s deserts, nearly 800,000 acres protect the rare assembly of natural resources brought together by the ecosystems. Through challenging hikes on trails like Skull Rock and the Lost Palms Oasis, students identified “jumping” cholla cactus, California fan palm, and the famous Joshua trees.

To the north of Joshua Tree, Death Valley National Park presented an other-worldly batch of elements. Most notably famous for being the hottest place on earth and driest place in North America, temps stayed well above the 90 degree mark for our two-day stay. Despite the ominous-sounding namesake and blazing temperatures, this national park is quite lively. Hiking the below-sea-level basin introduced our troop to various plant and animal species, some of which are found nowhere else in the world, and even produced a

campground coyote sighting after returning from a sunrise stargazing activity.

Home to sizzling sand dunes and salt flats, Death Valley is one of nature’s best classrooms, displaying most of the earth’s geological eras and the forces that expose them. During our exploration and connection to the land of extremes, we were joined by two Death Valley National Park rangers for a day trip through the Salt Creek Trail to learn how agents of weathering, erosion, and deposition annualy constantly change the surrounding landscape.

While receiving only two inches of rain on average, water shapes the canyons of Death Valley National Park. Through controlled experiments created by our Park Rangers, we demonstrated how floodwaters from rainstorms carry rocks, gravel, and sand down from surrounding mountains and deposit them on the valley floor. Desert soils are usually hardpacked and are not as water-absorbent as other surfaces, along with the steep slopes in Death Valley that shed rainwater. This overflow channels into low spots such as canyons and can cause flash floods which create incredible damage to roads and infrastructure. On August 5, 2022, unprecedented rains caused severe flash floods across Death Valley National Park creating large flows of debris across roads, damaging and ultimately closing all roads in the park.

In what felt like a complete 180, we ventured north to a chilly Yosemite National Park. Designated a World Heritage Site in 1984, Yosemite is known for its granite cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, giant sequoia groves, and biological diversity. Spanning 747,956 acres, Yosemite National Park is nearly 95% designated wilderness and home to hundreds of wildlife species, and over a thousand plant species.

Driving into the massive park, charred trees dot the vibrant green landscape, highlighting one of the many ways’ climate change is altering Yosemite’s ecosystems. Some natural cycles like wildfire, seasonally dry waterfalls, and tree death already take place but are exacerbated by the rapid changes we are seeing throughout the parks. Researchers connect these large-scale shifts with a jump in wildfire activity in the 1980s. Across the western US, fires burned four times as frequently, six times the total area, and lasted five times as long

during 1986–2003 compared to 1970–1986. A study looking back to 1916 found that climate was the main factor determining the extent of burned area across the western US.

Sitting under bright star-studded skies with our ENVOYS tour guides, we explored light pollution. A “natural lightscape,” such as a dark night sky, is an environment that is undisturbed by light and air pollution. The primary cause of light pollution is artificial light, particularly outdoor lights that are aimed upwards or sideways. Any light that escapes upward without being blocked will scatter throughout the atmosphere and brighten the night sky, diminishing the view. Besides spoiling the sights and harming wildlife, inefficient lighting wastes energy and creates glare, which reduces nighttime visibility. Air pollution particles also increase the scattering of light at night, just as it impacts visibility in the daytime.

Wildlife is impacted by light pollution because animals often depend on darkness in order to hunt or conceal their location. Light pollution can also bring habitat disruption for nocturnal animals and disruptions to the natural cycles of plant species. Currently, two-thirds of Americans cannot see the Milky Way from their backyard, and if current light pollution trends continue, there will be almost no dark skies left in the contiguous United States by 2025. Many people seek national parks to experience this vanishing resource, setting up telescopes to observe the action behind the night skies.

Although the sights of nature’s classroom were one to behold, our team of guides emphasized the importance of understanding the challenges the parks are facing and doing our part to combat what we can. During our stay in the National Parks, we were mindful to stay on marked trails to prevent further disruption to plant life and leave our campsites trash-free, the way we found them. Camping at sites without shower access and turning off faucets while cleaning meal utensils were other small ways to contribute to a water conservation practice. We also sought to combat light pollution by turning off lights, when we had access to electricity. What seemed like inconveniences to our daily lives were in fact eye-opening lessons into the growing effects of climate change and other pollutants to our world.

Commencement

1. Commencement speaker Mónica Guzmán celebrates with the class of 2022 at the start of her remarks. 2. Chaehyeon “Mia” Pang ’22 and Carolina O’Malley ’22 joyfully take their seats after receiving their diplomas. * 3. History Instructor Isabell Shields and daughter Ashley Shields ’20 stand with Emma Shields ’22 on stage after she received her diploma. * 4. Dean of Students Shelley Maher hands a rose to Nicola Burgess ’22 before the procession on inner campus begins. * 5. Megan Chivers ’22 embraces Athletic Director Liz Parry during the ‘Wailing Wall’ following the commencement ceremony. This marked a return to the Wailing Wall tradition that had been paused during the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. 6. Ari Ismail ’22 delivers an address to the class of 2022. * 7. Meli N. ’23 bears the torch to lead the class of 2022 around the Senior Triangle to their seats at commencement.

8. Olivia Mundhal ’22, Sophia Mazzariello ’22, and Eaint May ’22 pose with roses outside Slocum Hall as they prepare for the commencement ceremony. *

See more photos online: emmawillard.org/commencement *

Taking Notice

Emma Willard Students Launch Mobile App

BY KAITLIN RESLER

This fall, Emma Willard seniors Manu B. ’23 and Karissa G. ’23 are launching the product of their joint Signature project: Notice Volunteer, a mobile app that helps bridge the gap between organizations and individuals hoping to offer their time and skills for a mission. The school’s capstone program, Signature, allows students to deeply explore a personal project or passion outside of the traditional classroom. For Manu and Karissa, it’s allowed them the time and space to collaborate on their vision for the app.

Coming out of the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic Manu noted that it was a struggle to find connections, not just during the transition from middle school to high school, but also in the wider community: “So, volunteering is a great way to find and make connections, and to help find out what kind of work you like to do,” she says. “You get to build a stronger connection with yourself and others through volunteering.”

Discovering those opportunities can prove tricky as individuals rely on a patchwork of social media, websites, and community notices to figure out where their skills might be best engaged. Through a mobile app, information can be synthesized into an easily accessible place so that a person might quickly match their talents or abilities with an organization’s needs.

Consistently building community has been a theme throughout the project. Though Manu knew she was capable of the coding necessary to build Notice Volunteer, collaboration was a necessary component in seeing the project through. Karissa, the team’s graphic designer, credits their partnership with the success of the project overall.

“It’s about having a goal to work towards,” she says. “Often with a project, I might drop it halfway through because I can’t see the result. But with a partner you can see the end product.” The team eventually expanded to include several other students as well as adult managers and contacts who helped them to: organize database work through coding and front-end development; establish community contacts; and begin work on the promotional stages of their launch. The full team includes President and CEO Manu B. ’23, President Karissa G. ‘23, Chief Operating Officer Angel W. ’23, Chief Financial Officer Soumya B. ’23, Head of Security Robyn W. ’24, and Social Media Specialist Emilia T. ’23.

“They were amazingly optimistic about all challenges. Every time something new came up, this team just said ‘oh, we can do that!’” says Signature Manager and Mathematics Instructor Laszlo Bardos, who worked with the pair throughout their project.

“I’m most proud of them for overcoming other hurdles,” he continues. “They were very comfortable with the technical and the artistic side, but when they realized they had to go out into the public, that was unfamiliar for them. They learned a lot about themselves and they stretched themselves; they are supporting each other to push each other.”

Manu and Karissa know that the development of those skills is an invaluable part of their experience. “We’ve learned how to make an impact with the different skills we have, and also to have an open mind to learn whatever you need to learn to make something happen,” says Manu. This flexibility is an integral component to the Signature program, where the journey is just as important as the end product.

This fall, the team will host a launch party on the Emma Willard School campus to celebrate Notice Volunteer for iOS and Android devices. But the noticing doesn’t end there. With an eye towards the next hurdle, Manu is hoping to keep improving and growing Notice Volunteer

“I am someone who, when I do have a vision, it will always keep growing. It’s looking back at where a project began and realizing, if you got here you can get somewhere else!”

“They were amazingly optimistic about all challenges. Every time something new came up, this team just said ‘oh, we can do that!’”

LASZLO BARDOS, Signature Manager & Mathematics Instructor

The Classroom

BY MELISSIA MASON

Brett

LaFave

Thinking Mathematically

Statistics with Discrete Math. The course title alone may seem daunting, but Math Instructor Brett LaFave is on a mission to guide students toward the true goal: thinking about the world in a way that is informed by a deep understanding of mathematics.

When he first prepared to teach Statistics with Discrete Math at Emma Willard School, Brett considered discrete math to be a fairly advanced category of mathematics for high school. What he discovered in the textbook was a series of skills that are vital in interpreting the plethora of information that bombards us.

“There was a chapter on logic, and another on set theory. It’s about looking at the way we categorize and organize information—that has become so important,” he explains. “Students are learning to interpret what they hear in the real world.”

Not every student has a positive feeling about math, sometimes presuming they’re simply not good at it. Brett has found that a focus on thinking mathematically can change that perception. “A field like logic or set theory looks different—no plus signs, multiplication symbols, or even that many numbers—but you’re still using the same critical reasoning skills,” he explains. “It’s a different language that students can learn, and it’s amazing how it allows kids to shine in the classroom.”

In the curriculum, students still build on the rules of algebra, look into probability, and delve into statistics, but Brett’s class allows

students to get there from a different path. “I really love how taking the back door into traditional math curriculum allows more kids to thrive and show their critical thinking skills,” he enthuses.

In addition to traditional math skills, Brett’s focus on thinking mathematically has pushed Emma’s young mathematicians out of the classroom to see the real-world implications of what they’re learning. Through a connection with Emma Willard parent Kevin Lanahan P’20 ’23—a senior leader in corporate affairs and communications at New York Independent System Operator, Inc.—students have been thinking critically about decision-making, risk, and reward as it pertains to environmentalism.

Anne McEntee P’24—CEO of digital services at GE Renewables— also welcomed Brett’s class. Brett says of the visit, “We talked to several female engineers about their work to not only produce wind turbines, but also to handle data from wind and solar assets around the world.”

These conversations—like learning what happens when it’s not sunny in a certain part of the world, and what happens when it’s not windy, and what different perspectives on nuclear

energy may reveal—are not necessarily subjects that are addressed in a typical math class. They can be eyeopening and challenge one’s world view. “Some of the things students think are true they should think deeper about and look at available solutions,” Brett notes. His students are faced with the question, “What’s the best way to balance conflicting challenges in the world?”

Brett’s perspective on the impact that math can have on our understanding of the world is backed by unique insight into math throughout history. “Math is a pure discipline that doesn’t necessarily evolve with time in the same way that other disciplines do. One plus one is always going to be two. But the discipline does grow,” he shares. Brett notes the evolution of an unsolvable mathematical problem: calculating the square root of a negative number. Mathematicians devised imaginary numbers to solve for the square root of negative numbers. A number of years later, engineers took the invention of those mathematicians and used imaginary numbers to describe how electrical fields and magnetic fields interacted. “I think that’s something that’s really amazing—math is a pretty static field, but it’s a leading

indicator of what’s possible in other fields.” Brett adds, “There’s so much that mathematicians have already produced that has the capacity to change the world.”

This capacity to change the world and our view of it is one thing that inextricably links Brett’s classroom with the Emma Willard School mission to educate future leaders who will serve and shape their worlds.

Although some find math to be unrelated to their personal real-world experience, Brett contends that wrestling with mathematics is a uniquely human experience. “For an aseptic discipline that often has almost nothing to do with humanity in the actual material, mathematics becomes all about how I relate to students and how they relate to me,” Brett notes. “It becomes about emotions and wellbeing. Our strongest positive or negative emotions can often be elicited from math.”

He goes on to explain that whatever a student is feeling any given day—whether anxiety or joy or frustration or hopefulness—is often amplified in the solving of a mathematical problem. A correct answer intensifies positive emotions just as missing the mark can heighten previously existing negative ones. “You go to more advanced levels of abstract thinking because you’re free of the complexity of the real world,” Brett says. “It pushes the intellect—to be purely in your mind—which can feel good when you figure things out, but horrible when you can’t.”

Brett finds that working through those moments of perceived failure can develop a skill set that has more far-reaching implications. “Many times, the only way that you can find a good approach when you’re struggling with a math problem is talking through it with a classmate or asking a question in class,” Brett explains. “I

have gratitude for the students being brave enough to grapple with these abstract, complicated concepts.”

Brett reflects, “Really no human being in the world could do what we do in a precalculus class until relatively recent history. So it’s really amazing how much progress we’ve made as humans.” Brett tries to put this history in perspective for students, showing them that they are really tackling something that is extraordinary in the greater scheme of human history. “It’s really important to me that students feel recognized when they are willing to venture a guess even when they might be wrong. That takes some amount of courage, and it is the only thing that moves the classroom forward.”

In moving his own classroom forward, Brett is adding a new dimension of real-world application to the math curriculum by offering a class on financial literacy, a personal passion of his. “I feel very lucky that my parents talked about money,” Brett shares. “I understood how compound interest works and that you can’t wait until you’re 55 to start saving for retirement. How you are with money is as important as how much money you make.” He hopes to pass this knowledge on to his students, from teaching how college loans and taxes work to how jobs compensate you in different ways. “The more students can be free to make their own financial decisions, the better.”

In all ways—from solving challenges like environmental change to more personal concerns like wellness and finances—Brett hopes to encourage students who come through his Emma classroom to think, not just mathematically, but also critically.

Faculty Voices

INTERVIEW BY KAITLIN RESLER

Dr. Esther Dettmar

Old Tales, New Vision

Dr. Esther Dettmar, English instructor and department chair, leads students through the magnificent and challenging worlds of fairy tales and, in a new Advanced Studies class, Modernism.

How did you decide to move from teaching in higher education to high school? I figured out that I wanted to teach at the high school level a few years into my graduate program, working as a teaching assistant at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. In fact, a lovely story is Leslie Coffey ’00 and I were in the same program (she was ahead of me; we didn’t really know each other at the time). She returned to U of I and gave a talk about teaching in independent schools and I thought: yes, that’s the thing I want to do!

How is teaching high school students different from college? It’s better! When I started I was nervous about that–I had plenty of teaching experience, but not with high school students–I was like, how do I translate what I’ve been doing? The answer was that I didn’t have to at all in terms of rigor, and I found that the students were more engaged! Some of that was a result of being at a big university and teaching things like Freshman Composition, but I found that the discussion was good or better from the start. The only shifts I made

were to be a better teacher, to be more engaging, and try different kinds of activities rather than sticking to any single method or discussion for too long.

Your class on Fairy Tales is very popular, how did that class come about? I pitched that class in my job interview for Emma Willard actually! It was with Meg McClellan, and she asked me what my dream class would be. I talked about doing a course on fairy tales. I kind of interrupted myself and asked if that would be okay because of how, well, disturbing some of the content in fairy tales can be. She said that it would totally fit!

When I interviewed I was still a graduate student finishing my dissertation on fairy tales and gender in particular, to a lesser extent on fairy tales and sexuality. I was already teaching a similar class at U of I, and it seemed like the best opportunity to really teach it was at a school with younger students who primarily identify as girls or as non-binary. As long as no one minded that it might shatter their illusions of fairy tales–Disney in particular–but in a way that I think is really cool.

This semester you’re teaching an Advanced Studies (AS) class on modernism. Is that another dream class? It’s close to a class I pitched for my second year at Emma that didn’t happen. It was on WWI literature, and didn’t have enough students signed up for it at the time. While I wrote my dissertation on Fairy Tales, initially I thought I was going to be a modernist! I still love that literature so much. I taught Mrs. Dalloway once at U of I, and all I wanted was to teach it again, but in a course that had a broader scope. In developing AS courses we’ve talked about them being college level work, and this is absolutely a course you would take as an English major in college.

It involves a unit on WWI, which is not considered modernism, and we’re going to talk about why it doesn’t get that fancy label. It’s an idea I’ve had for a while but this course is bigger and harder in a way that I hope will be good!

How is this class harder? What makes it different from a regular class on the topic? Modernist literature is hard on purpose, so for this course it’s going to be very focused on the context and history. Right

now the class is finishing up our first unit, pre-modernism, looking at what kind of world created the conditions for modernism. We think of Ezra Pound’s famous use of “make it new” and the idea that what writers and artists were doing wasn’t working, that it couldn’t capture what was real, or what life was surrounding the horrors of the World Wars. It’s challenging, but I think in a way that’s exciting.

The other thing found in both AS courses in our department this year is an emphasis on research. That’s not something the English depart-

ment has been focusing on in recent years. It’s been done historically, but not as much during the time I’ve been here. We’ve heard from recent alums that it’s something they want to be better prepared for coming out of our department and heading to college. For me, college-level work means you no longer read a poem and just say what you think about it: you’ve got to be immersed in the scholarly discourse. So, we’re trying to fit a lot into a year-long class. The end goal is getting to an 8-10 page paper, and maybe having never read a scholarly article about a piece of

literature but getting students to a point where they’re using several to bolster their own arguments. The most important skill I’m teaching is how to do a close reading, but there is value in doing that outside a vacuum and seeing how the lens you already know informs your reading. What are some of your favorite texts to teach? My favorite, I think my number one, is Toni Morrison’s Beloved. It’s not at all modernist, but it is similar to modernism in that you read the first chapter and have no idea what’s going on–you have to work, keep reading, and you start to untangle the story and meaning. There is something so satisfying about that. Morrison intended a challenging experience for readers, and it’s gorgeous writing. So it is just the most amazing book to teach!

My favorite fairy tale to teach is “Bluebeard.” I structure the course saying we’ll start with men as princes, finish with men as predators, and in the end we’ll find out that it’s all mixed up the whole time. It’s this very feminist course and I think students get a feel for that lens. They’re seeing patterns, but then you get to “Bluebeard” and you’re not ready for it (it’s probably the tale they most likely haven’t had previous exposure to in the Western tradition). We ask: How does this story even exist? How is this a fairy tale? Why does it count as one? And I’m also very excited to teach Mrs. Dalloway this year!

(Be Well)

EXPLORING WELLNESS ON MOUNT IDA

STORY BY MELISSIA MASON / OPENING

BY KAITLIN RESLER

PHOTO

PRIOR TO THE PANDEMIC, conversations about student wellbeing were commonplace on Mount Ida. Since the upheaval, these conversations have become even more critical to adjusting our minds and practices to make sure that the Emma Willard community is supported and thriving.

Lingering questions and uncertainty echo in our minds related to what the days ahead will bring; most certainly, these questions are top of mind among those tasked with caring for the community’s wellbeing.

As we began the 2022–2023 school year, student Wellness Advocates—Wellies—and their adult counterparts in the Health Center, Counseling Center, and Student Life paused to reflect on the current state of wellness on campus: How are students feeling about their own wellness and the start of the new year? What is the impact of COVID for us this year, right now, and moving forward? What is the state of student wellness at Emma Willard School? What can be done to support and improve it?

WELLNESS FIRST

When the Wellies greeted their classmates during Opening Week, they wore sky blue shirts with “Wellness First” emblazoned on the back. Knowing these first moments of a new school year can be laden with anxiety and uncertainty, the Wellies aimed to put their peers at ease. Throughout the year, Wellies make it their business to promote personal wellbeing, educate the community on how to best care for oneself, and offer opportunities to do just that. They also have their fingers on the pulse of the student body. This year, they’re noticing a few key areas where student wellbeing is challenged: dealing with change, finding the time to do and be and accomplish all that they want to, and handling the physical impact of the current COVID variants.

The Challenges

(CHANGE)

The first stressor noted among the Wellies was the sheer number of things that are perceived as changing this school year: A new schedule (which has been different every year since they began their Emma experience), new faces among the faculty (both in classrooms and in the dorms), and a return to pre-pandemic rules (some of which were relaxed during the strain of dealing with COVID, including no phones in the dining hall, no phones while walking through inner campus, and sticking to the dress code).

“Any change, regardless of whether it’s about school, changes how you take care of yourself,” the Wellies explain. What adults in the community may perceive as “a return to normal,” for students represents a series of changes, which they then search for ways to cope with, alongside all of the other newness of classes, making friends, and participating in extracurricular activities. Some changes are more appealing than others, yet any alteration can cause increased anxiety, and each person deals with change in a different way.

“Even the weather impacts the mood of the campus,” the Wellies observe, while looking out the window on a dreary day. “Stepping out of the ‘COVID nature’ of campus is certainly exciting, but it also takes a lot of courage and adjustment—stepping out of the comfort zone that COVID created for us in one way or another.”

(TIME & ACHIEVEMENT)

The current generation of students at Emma is keenly aware of conversations about balance, wellbeing, and taking time for yourself. But the problem is just that: time. Students feel pressure to make the most of the time they have. They will never get to relive the Emma experience, so they are anxious to squeeze every possible experience into these four (for some, less than four) years on Mount Ida.

“Time is limited . . . it’s so limited,” one Wellie shares. “Last night I was playing with my schedule and from eight to six, I couldn’t do anything except schoolwork. Outside of those times I still have to take time to do homework. And then there are some friends that want to hang out with me and do other projects together…if they all come at the same time, what should I do? That stresses me out. I don’t know how to say no to them. I would just have to rotate—I could hang out with you tonight, if you want to hang out alone, then tomorrow I’ll probably do another art project with another person if you want to join us. I just don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Time is my greatest enemy.”

“We don’t prioritize wellness enough because academic success and success overall seems to be more prioritized, more prevalent, and more relevant in society,” the Wellies explain. Because students are looking at the apparent priorities of the world around them, it can seem less important to focus on good mental and physical health.

“We all made a decision to come to Emma. By choosing that, we also now have the responsibility of all the things that come with that,” the Wellies acknowledge. “Lots of people want to go above and

Wellie Evangeline W. ‘23 welcomes Anna K. ‘25 to campus on Opening Day 2022.

beyond because we are all good students…because you decided to come to Emma and you decided to have a rigorous schedule or rigorous classes.” While adults may try to help by giving them guidelines—for example: don’t spend more than 45 minutes on this homework assignment—they still feel a responsibility to complete that homework, because if they don’t, they will feel unprepared in class.

Anxiety around achievements related to the college search also has a huge impact on wellbeing for juniors and seniors. “The uncertainty in the whole process gives us a lot of anxiety,” the Wellies point out. “It’s difficult to ask for support from others when you’re all going through this thing individually. There’s also a lot of competition among students related to this process.”

Setting aside dedicated time to fully research their college options and dealing with the struggle of meeting college application deadlines makes it that much harder to dedicate time to take care of themselves.

(PHYSICAL WELLNESS)

While attempting to step out from under the mental impact of COVID, the Wellies find that many in the student community are still dealing with the actual disease itself. Their physical wellbeing is still greatly influenced by the constancy of the virus. Whether they have recently recovered or are currently experiencing a COVID diagnosis, students are enduring physical health challenges alongside their daily workload.

Director of Nursing Jen Bliss has observed a general lack of care for one’s own general wellbeing resulting in illness. “What ends up happening is we have kids who are catching every cold—not even necessarily COVID. I ask them to tell me about their sleep schedule, how they’re eating. The great thing is we have some kids who come back saying, ‘I started sleeping and going to bed and I made sure I ate’—they stopped getting sick, felt better, and didn’t have the constant headaches.” Overlooking the basics of sleep, food, and hydration is working against everything students are trying to achieve.

Meeting the Challenges

As the Wellies work alongside adults in the community to improve the sense of wellbeing at Emma, they are promoting practices they have found helpful for their own wellbeing.

(PRACTICING BALANCE)

An oft-used phrase on Mount Ida is “balancing rigor and wellbeing”—a seemingly elusive goal. Director of READY Programs Evangeline Delgado finds herself searching for a better word to use than balance, explaining, “I don’t think there is a balance, in the traditional sense that everything you’re juggling is equal at one time—at the same time. What we’re striving for is more like a practice of rigor and wellbeing, developing the skills to negotiate situations where one priority must take precedence over the next.”

The Wellies find it helpful to develop a practice of focusing on the balance between school work, time for friends, and time for yourself. One of Evangeline’s favorite activities with students utilizes a wellness wheel, which divides aspects of wellbeing into wedges of emotional, social, physical, intellectual, occupational, environmental, spiritual, mental, and financial considerations. They rate each aspect of wellbeing between one and ten, typically finding that some are lower, some are higher. “People can look at that visual practice and recognize that something’s out of alignment,”

Director of READY Programs Evangeline Delgado and her pup Jurgie provide a special connection and welcoming presence in the READY Center.

Evangeline explains. “When you put that in context of what time you have in your day, you can focus on what’s realistic to change.” For example, if you focused on bringing your occupational wellbeing up to ten, would you still be able to maintain your awesome social relationships in the same way? “I think a wonky wheel is fine sometimes,” Evangeline laughs. “Like the juggling of objects, sometimes they fall and you just have to pick them back up.”

The Wellies stress that finding time for this type of selfreflection and appreciating the work they’ve achieved is key to energizing themselves to keep moving forward. They are starting to learn some useful skills in READY seminars. “The first time I heard about setting boundaries was in a READY seminar,” one student shares.

“I think there’s a lot more for me to learn about saying no to people and setting boundaries to help make myself well.”

READY is also helping alleviate some of the strain of college preparation for seniors. As a part of their READY seminar curriculum, seniors now have 70 minutes each week set aside to work with their college counselor.

(A CHANGE OF SCENERY)

“I live on campus, which is a constant reminder of academic work and the path to success,” another Wellie shares. “Changing my environment—leaving campus completely—helps me leave that pressure for a while.”

Taking advantage of opportunities to relax or step outside the academic environment, even if they remain on campus, is vital to students’ sense of wellbeing.

“We go sing songs together in Lyon-Remington, or I go find a book in the library with my friends,” another Wellie explains. “It’s about how to maneuver within your environment and find your place in this academic environment while still enjoying what you’re doing.”

Among Emma’s new staff members this year are Director of Student and Community Life Emily Carton

How

to

Human

The unique curriculum of the READY program hinges on providing space for students to practice the skills of wellbeing. As a pilot program in the ninth grade starting fall 2020, the READY program sought to help students develop the skills necessary to take advantage of the learning that follows in subsequent years. READY proved an essential connection point for students during the first full pandemic school year, although the Zoom screen with 75-100 kids made for particular challenges. With a plan to extend READY throughout the full four years of a student’s Emma experience, Director of READY Programs Evangeline Delgado knew that the program would need restructuring to make it a true source of support to the students.

The classes now span all four years, and are structured with small groups which allow deep connections between students and their instructors. The expansion of the program allows important conversations that were once occurring within the residential life program to extend to all students, both day and boarding.

This year, the curriculum looks markedly different than last. “One of the most joyful things in my life is that I have an incredible group of adults now who help support READY,” Evangeline shares. Among those who will guide the READY program sessions are Athletic Director Liz Parry, Dean of Students Shelley Maher, Director of Student and Community Life Emily Carton, and all of the house parents. “Every one of us will have a classroom of students who we get to work with—nine to 18 students in each class all year. So we have that small group to develop relationships with. They get to know us, they get to know each other and build trust, communication skills, and have a healthy exchange of ideas,” Evangeline explains.

“What I hope is that READY will allow students to be active participants in their wellbeing and find their own balance with the academic experience that they have here,” Evangeline continues. “The READY curriculum is all about being fully human. To me it is essentially a class on ‘how to human.’ Part of that is being a student when you’re at Emma. Part of that is being a friend. Part of it is being a child to your parents. It’s questioning the greater world and institutions. When we engage in these conversations, we explore the richest things about ourselves and other people.”

From a new staff member’s perspective, Emily Carton is impressed with the way the READY curriculum is designed. “I think it’s a really healthy way of looking at things,” she enthuses. “It’s unique in that it has integrated health and wellness and metacognition and goal setting and leadership development and DEIJB work (diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, belonging). It’s everything together, which is really unusual and feels really natural.”

“thinkng of ways that we can helP students embrace joy as Part of a healthy lifestyle is something I’m excited to do.”

and Student Activities Coordinator Mariah SanfordWhite ’97. One of the key areas of improvement they are focused on is creating more dynamic and engaging weekend activities. “There’s definitely room for more robust programming on the weekends, even on campus, as we rebuild our weekend activities program coming out of the pandemic,” Emily recognizes. “So thinking of ways that we can help students embrace joy as part of a healthy lifestyle is something I’m excited to do.”

(RELATIONSHIPS)

A common theme between students and adults alike is the importance of developing and prioritizing quality relationships. The Wellies share that connections with their friends and classmates do wonders in bolstering their sense of wellbeing. Even in a moment as simple as getting a reprieve from a dreaded quiz, they find comfort in being able to exchange a knowing smile with a peer from across the room.

Beyond their peer connections, the Wellies note that having relationships with faculty outside of the classroom is a source of encouragement. “What makes me feel great is when teachers are interested in me and my origin,” one

shares. “They want to know how I am doing, not just as a student, but as a part of the community, as another person here.” That sense of belonging that comes with being truly known is key to everyone’s wellbeing.

Dean of Students Shelley Maher notes that one of her goals with student interactions is that they see the adults as whole people who can have fun (and, yes, be serious at times). “We can actually be like teenagers, and adults can have fun,” Shelley laughs. “Adults actively participating in student activities sometimes means more than you realize. At the end-of-year party, a couple of kids said, ‘Ms. Maher, can you go and get Ms. Rao and Dr. Legg onto the dance floor?’ When they invite adults to have fun with them, adults can do our part by saying yes and participating in the community alongside our students.”

(KNOW YOUR rESOURCES)

Wellies encourage their peers to get to know the resources that are available to them and learn what works best for their needs. “We want to remind the community to check in with themselves throughout the year,” the Wellies share. “Find self-care routines or habits that make us feel better and understand our own needs, whether

Wellies

physical or emotional—what we need nutrition-wise, how to feed our mind, find time and energy to do things that make us happy.”

They note that there are resources in the form of counselors, nurses, advisors, and faculty that are available for support. For mental health, that support is managed by Director of Counseling Jamie Murray. In her second year at Emma, she reflects, “I think we are prepared in a way that we didn’t have the knowledge to be prepared [before COVID].” While counselors are trained professionally and clinically to manage the different kinds of things that students are struggling with, they learned much from last year’s experiences. “I’m really thankful for the school’s responsiveness in hiring a third full-time [counseling] staff person and adding nursing staff. We also have an intern joining us this year. Our counseling department feels prepared and at ease to navigate our way through this school year.”

Emily notes that a new addition to the support tools for students this year is a Wellness Day they can take at their own discretion. “Students can now choose a day—no questions asked—one time each semester and say, ‘I just need this day to myself.’” Emily explains. The Wellies note this Wellness Day as a welcome addition that will help with students’ feeling of wellbeing and relieve some of the pressure from the constant demand for more time.

The Wellies themselves are planning programming for the year that they hope will help make wellness a priority. Their plans include a session in the gym learning how to use the exercise equipment, a training on first aid and responding to emergencies, a community art project creating a collage of positivity, and a dance workshop to help improve self-confidence through movement.

The state of student wellbeing on Mount Ida is much like other places and spaces in our society: a mixed bag. There are stressors, for sure. Change and uncertainty are ubiquitous, and create additional anxiety on top of the rigors of academic life. The pandemic lingers, both physically and in our understanding of what it takes to maintain mental health. Yet our resources are many, and our commitment to the health of the community remains strong. Together, we are learning practices that strengthen ourselves physically and emotionally, and finding joy in the journey together.

AUTHENTIC CONNECTIONS

Last year, Emma Willard School contracted with Authentic Connections to survey the student body on a range of issues related to their experience of belonging and wellbeing. The survey of students was conducted both in the fall and spring. Director of Curriculum and Innovation Peter Hatala managed the survey results and noted that students reported improvements in many of the areas of focus from the fall semester to the spring semester. For example, one marker of wellbeing was the amount of emotional support felt from faculty. Student responses indicated a slight improvement from fall to spring.

One key aspect of the survey is that it compares each school’s results to their peer schools. In many cases, Emma’s responses were more positive than the average reports from other schools. When answering the same questions related to faculty emotional support (described above), Emma’s responses showed a higher level of support than what was reported on average from peer schools. While the comparison helps put things into perspective, the practice still demonstrates where there is room for improvement.

Emotional support was one of several areas that the Authentic Connections survey revealed as areas in need of additional focus. Others included the volume of homework assignments, relationships with parents, feelings of equity and inclusion related to diverse perspectives and socioeconomic status, responsiveness to concerns, and structured/ scheduled time for breaks throughout the day.

As a result of Authentic Connections, the school has initiated a variety of new practices to help increase student wellbeing. Faculty have worked to generate a revised homework policy for the 2022–23 school year. A new academic schedule was implemented, allowing students more free time throughout the week. Student Life introduced the Wellness Day referenced in the article, revised attendance policies, and made significant revisions to student medical leave policies.

The Authentic Connections survey will be repeated regularly going forward, becoming an important tool that will allow Emma to monitor its progress on key indicators of belonging and wellbeing

For more information about Authentic Connections, visit authconn.com

hosted an Open House in the READY Center during opening week, leading games, crafts, and conversations about transitioning to Emma.

EMoving Toward

WELLNESS

WHETHER A STUDENT IS AN ATHLETE OR SIMPLY INTERESTED IN PHYSICAL HEALTH, EMMA WILLARD ENCOURAGES HER TO FOLLOW HER OWN PATH.

STORY BY JOANN GOMETZ AND LUKE MEYERS

“

We are teaching how to establish the foundation of good, healthy, life-long pursuits,” says Dean of Students and Varsity Lacrosse Coach Shelley Maher. “Yes, there are many health benefits of movement or physical activity, but we know that value extends far deeper—we know students’ mental health is also better as a result.”

IIn Maher’s 10 years at Emma Willard, she’s witnessed both an expansion in the number of athletic teams as well as a general shift to accommodate interests beyond just traditional, American school sports. Along the way, she’s seen confidence build among students who participate in many ways.

“I come from a community-based sports background, a participation-based sports culture,” explains Maher, who was born and grew up in Australia where club teams and regional athletic leagues are the bedrock of local communities. “That approach makes it inherently central to how people live their lives. You play at eight, you play at 38 and you still play at 68. We are bringing that kind of access and lifelong opportunity to our Emma students and it allows them to explore sport and physical activity from a different vantage point.”

TRY

At Emma Willard School, athletics and movement gives students the chance to try new sports, build skills, and even apply for Division 1 athletic scholarships. For every student, the intent is to introduce lifelong practices of physical health and perhaps they may have an experience at Emma that comes back to them years later, opening the door for them to continue their involvement in that activity as an adult.

“Even in my first years here, we had activities like trampoline,” says Athletic Director Elizabeth Parry, who is in her fortieth year at Emma, where she is also a health instructor and head varsity field hockey and lacrosse coach. “Or we made good use of the pool in the Chapel. We have always been creative about providing accessible forms of physical activity.”

Parry remembers the shift in the 1980s from physical education as a class during the day to offering a variety of options after school. Since then, faculty, staff, and students alike have led the introduction of golf, table tennis, archery, spin classes, self-defense, conditioning, power lifting, ultimate (Frisbee disc), yoga, cross-country ski racing, and more.

“An Emma adult had experience in circus skills,” Maher says. “She ran an after-school PE with a focus on circus. We have eight unicycles at this school!”

For three-sport athlete Prairie Gunnels ’23, who plays basketball, field hockey and lacrosse, that diversity matters. “Emma is an amazing place that wants you to try new things and will be there to support your understanding and growth. If sports aren’t your thing, find a movement that you’ve never done before, or one that sounds interesting, and give it a shot!”

LEARN

“We offer a range of physical activity options. We recognize dance for both movement and academic credit,” Maher explains. “For those students who can’t find their niche at Emma, we facilitate practicum opportunities. If a student wants to pursue horse riding, or a martial art, or fencing, anything that is not on campus, we find it off campus and see if we can fit that into their three hours of movement requirements.”

The goal is to help students build a foundation for healthy, lifelong pursuits. As Maher explains, “People’s mental health is generally better if they have an outlet, emotionally and socially. Who are the people that you hang around with outside of your academics? If you’re involved in a sport, it’s often teammates and that is an incredible support network.”

Gunnels agrees: “I think that movement—whether a PE class like ping-pong or an athletic team like field hockey—fosters connections between people within the community. And movement helps me clear my brain and focus on what’s currently happening in front of me.”

About 220 students in the fall participate in a sport. The activities serve as places where new students meet one another and interact across grade levels. “You may be a freshman, and you are learning very quickly how to converse and engage with seniors,” Maher says. “We elevate younger students to think more independently when they’re playing a sport.”

Parry explains, “You’re getting a shot. You’re competing. You’re learning about your own self. Our students like a challenge. Even during the pandemic, when we didn’t have sports, they were working out in the gym and weight room, using apps to create and track their own workouts. It’s an important outlet for students, especially in times of high stress.”

One of the most important lessons Emma students learn is how to balance physical activity and schoolwork, something that Gunnels says can take a couple of seasons, since sports take time each week and the academic workload is substantial.

“I often see a student-athlete better managing their time and commitments,” Maher says. “And they learn the skills a little bit sooner. How do I look after my own sleep patterns? How do I look after my nutritional demands? Am I learning how to hydrate? Am I learning how to recover? If my body’s sore, what’s that telling me? These are all beneficial lessons from sport.”

Maher credits the high-quality coaches at Emma with facilitating that process: “We have coaches here who role model. They are very caring about their athletes. And they do it not because they have to do it, but because they really want to do it.”

“I don’t have a particular favorite team or coach,” Gunnels says. “They have all created a really good

Mika Ferrell ’22, shown above playing field hockey, is an Emma Willard School die hard: an athlete who participated in every eligible season over their four years at the school.

“

For those students who can’t find their niche at Emma, we facilitate practicum opportunities. If a student wants to pursue horse riding, or a martial art, or fencing, anything that is not on campus, we find it off campus and see if we can fit that into their three hours of movement requirements.

SHELLEY MAHER , Dean of Students

Below:

environment for me while helping me grow as an athlete. My field hockey coaches helped me learn and love a sport I’d never even watched before last year. My basketball coaches helped me improve a sport that I’ve been playing since I was a little kid. My lacrosse coaches helped me learn a sport in which I had very little previous experience. All of them have pushed me to be better and supported me through both good and bad games.”

COMPETE

Emma Willard competes in the Wasaren League, often against larger schools, after years of competing across leagues and facing the challenges posed by being a girls’ school surrounded almost entirely by co-ed public or private high schools. The stability has been helpful for coaches preparing their teams for contests. For lacrosse and tennis, the teams play in the Colonial League, where those sports are offered. The crew and indoor track-andfield teams compete independently.

“There was a time when it was said at Emma that we competed with other schools,” Maher says. “I want us to be humble. I want us to be positive. I want us to be supportive. But it is also important for our students to know you don’t compete with anybody; you compete against them. It is okay to learn to be competitive.”

“In lacrosse, we even have shooting competitions,” Parry adds. “We’ll put up targets with Starbucks cards on them once or twice a season. The players get to show off

Above: Roya S. ’24 smiles during a swim meet as part of the Emma Willard School Swimming & Diving team.

Badminton is one of the many options available to students to compete in at Emma Willard.

Right: The Emma Willard School crew team gets out on the water every afternoon for practice.

their shooting skills and they love that because they like the competition.”

“I think everybody would love for that win to happen more than the loss. But what was the process for the kids to actually get there? That’s what we’re focused on here,” Maher says. “That the lifelong skill of giving it your best and even if you’re not doing as well as what you’d like, the awareness is really important. And being able to push yourself. Did I give it everything I possibly could? That’s the key to our approach.”

STRIVE

In the secondary school environment, it is as much about the instruction of students as it is the clear reinforcement and modeling by adults in the community. At Emma Willard, there is an inherent understanding that faculty, staff, and administrators will model a willingness to participate and even to strive.

“We’re doing the Ragnar New England again this year in May. We’ve done three of them in my time here,” Maher says. “It’s a 24-hour road race. We have 12 seniors; two vans each with six kids. Runner one gets out of the first van, runs five miles, gets back in the van. Runner two gets out of the second van, does the same. And you do that for 200 miles nonstop. It goes for 36 hours, all through the night.”

The Ragnar relay experience is legendary among Emma students. The school pays for the team’s registration, but students are responsible for recruiting the 12 runners and planning their training—including the critical middle-ofthe-night runs on campus.

In addition to Maher, the support crew will include two familiar faces, exemplifying Emma Willard’s hands-on approach to leadership: Head of School Jenny Rao and Associate Head of School Meredith Legg, “Our own head of school is going all-in here, how cool is that?” Maher exclaims. “And that means so, so much to the students. This is all part of their development as a kid. They might be scared or intimidated but, at the same time, they’re exhilirated and they know they have our support. It’s about giving them the ownership and control.”

For Maher, the relay is an opportunity for students to represent their school, be part of an entity larger than themselves, and build character. It uniquely encapsulates Emma Willard’s approach to sports, movement, and physical activity as a lifelong source of learning. “I have one student who doesn’t often come to campus on weekends. “She signed up for the Ragnar and I said, ‘Why are you doing this?’ She said, ‘Miss Maher, I’m getting outside my comfort zone!’”

THE KEY TO SUCCESS? Invest In Yourself

WELLNESS FOR WOMEN & GIRLS

Wellness is something of a buzzword these days, yet for many it remains a fuzzy concept. For some it connotes a commitment to clean living and a dedication to self-care practices like yoga and meditation. For others, it’s as straightforward as a good night’s sleep, three meals a day, and an annual physical.

STORY BY LORI FERGUSON

ILLUSTRATION BY STEPHANIE DALTON COWAN

As recent conversations with three Emma alums who are medical practitioners—an energy healer, medical intuitive, and OB/GYN—reveal, there’s no ‘one-size-fits-all.’ There is, however, a unifying theme: a belief that everyone deserves to enjoy a sense of wellbeing and an insistence that the earlier one embraces that attitude, the better.

SHURA GAT ’87 WORDS OF WISDOM

“For all populations, internal agency and self-empowerment are key. When we learn to develop a dialogue with our own body and spirit, we can cultivate the joy, resilience, and radiance that are essential for wellness and wellbeing.”

From the Triangle

BALANCING MIND, BODY, AND SPIRIT

SHURA GAT ’87

To capture the fullness of Shura Gat, one might envision a fulcrum—a point of serenity and balance for the students and clients she serves in two distinct aspects of her profession as an educator and healer.

As associate dean of students and director of the Women’s Resource Center at Cornell University, Shura assists students with crisis management and gender justice issues. And as a complementary

energy healer, she helps private clients find a sense of balance through such tools as hands-on energy healing, Reiki, Yan Xing Qigong, crystal therapy, and sound baths.

In every instance, Shura seeks to help clients reinitiate what she believes is the crucial dialogue with respect to wellness—our conversations with ourselves. “For all populations, internal agency and self-empowerment are key,” she explains. “When we learn to develop a dialogue with our own body and spirit, we can cultivate the joy, resilience, and radiance that are essential for wellness and wellbeing.”

Personal wellness is predicated on a kaleidoscope of influences, an interplay of mind, body, and spirit that can shift daily, Shura explains, and maintaining balance between these elements requires atten-

If you can equip your personal toolbox with things that make you feel good, you’re setting yourself up for future health and joy. That’s the brilliance of preventative care… you don’t have to be trying to fix something to invest in your wellbeing.”

“

tion to energy. “Physical health is important, but mental and emotional health and resilience are equally significant.” And that, she says, is where energy comes into play. “Energy is the piece that bridges the space between body and spirit, and keeping it balanced is an ongoing practice that requires mindfulness and self-awareness.”

Allopathic medicine—conventional medicine in which healthcare professionals treat symptoms and diseases—does important things, Shura allows, but it places the locus of power outside the individual. Energy work, conversely, puts the individual in control. “By learning to focus on specific energetic flows, people can move away from an acute attention to physical wellness to a more holistic view of themselves,” she notes. “For example, by learning to manage her energy, a cancer patient may say, ‘Yes, there are abnormal cells growing in my body, but I can still feel joy.’ And that is incredibly empowering.”

Developing these wellness practices in adolescence is especially important, Shura observes, because it represents an investment in the future. “It’s incredibly rewarding to have the opportunity, whether through conversations or energy work, to say to someone, ‘Yes, this is hard, but rather than stay stuck, let’s move through the challenges and help you regain your sense of wellbeing.’”

And for Shura, offering guidance to women and girls—a demographic that is subject to both cumulative and systemic stressors—is essential. “Showing girls that they can shift the dial towards greater wellness and balance while they’re young creates the potential for stronger, healthier women down the road.” And today’s young women are interested in doing the work, she insists. “They’re eager to explore opportunities to move their energy and take steps towards wellness.”

Women must deal with many societal pressures, including the impact of social media, Shura continues, which makes it doubly important that they have the tools necessary to combat the negativity they encounter. “There’s so much masking that takes place on these platforms—girls are constantly told that they need to present a polished image to the public and the pain of always falling short is incredibly impactful.

“The potential for complementary healing methods such as mindfulness and energy balancing is profound and incredibly democratizing because people can do it for themselves,” says Shura. “Developing wellness practices that make sense for yourself is powerful preventative care.” And that is something people can carry with them throughout their lives.

“If you can equip your personal toolbox with things that make you feel good, you’re setting yourself up for future health and joy,” Shura concludes. “That’s the brilliance of preventative care . . . you don’t have to be trying to fix something to invest in your wellbeing.”

EMBRACING AN ATTITUDE OF SELF-CARE

DR. ZOE MCKEE ’97

When it comes to the definition of wellness, Zoe McKee admits she hesitates a bit. “To be honest, I struggle with the term. Wellness is a bit of a buzzword that’s thrown around a lot, but it’s tough to know what it really means. In my mind, wellness goes beyond basic physical and mental health to thriving in physical and mental health.”

Still Zoe, a board-certified obstetrician and gynecologist at Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge, MA, is dedicated to helping her patients attain wellness…whatever their definition. She concedes that the road is sometimes rocky. “One of the challenges of this country’s healthcare system is that it’s not centered as much on prevention as it is on disease treatment,” she explains. “Sadly, our system really isn’t designed for wellness, so as much as I’d love to focus on overall wellbeing with my patients, the constraints of our system require that I primarily concentrate on specific issues.”

Larger societal issues also impinge upon people’s overall wellbeing, she continues. “When people discuss health and wellness, especially among women, a lot of

“Quite simply, start as you mean to go on. The earlier you can create healthy habits that you do routinely, the better off you will be. It’s really embracing an attitude of selfcare—once you realize that is important, you’re on your way.”

Dr. Zoe MCKEE ’97

WORDS OF WISDOM

PHOTO: ROBYN WISHNA

the emphasis is on personal responsibility, with comments like, ‘You would feel better if you got eight hours of sleep or exercised an hour every day,’ rather than ‘Your wellness would increase if you had affordable childcare or more vacation days.’” Individual responsibility is important, Zoe affirms, but it’s just one step. A mother with young children and no access to childcare doesn’t have the luxury of a daily trip to the gym or spa. “Wellness is more than yoga, massages, and smoothies—they’re nice, but to really improve people’s wellness requires greater systemic change, and that’s difficult to achieve,” Zoe asserts.

Societal changes have also made the quest for wellness more complicated, she argues. While awareness of the importance of wellbeing has increased, there are also more forces working against people, particularly young girls. “Being at Emma for reunion, it seems like there’s much more nuance and knowledge in the school today with respect to educating young women about all aspects of healthy relationships than when I was in school,” Zoe observes. But social media frequently works against those healthy messages, she continues. “Social media is the most anti-wellness creation in the world,” states Zoe. “I have a 12-year-old daughter and I’m working hard to instill good health practices and a positive body image, but it’s an ongoing struggle.”

“I remember when I had my daughter, I read a book called The Baby Whisperer Solves All Your Problems by Tracy Hogg and I remember the author wrote, ‘Start as you mean to go on,’ Zoe recalls. “At the time, the phrase didn’t really resonate, but I came to understand what the author meant—she was essentially saying that every bad habit you create is one you’ll have to break,” she observes with a chuckle.

The same could be said for instilling habits of wellness in young girls that will serve them well over the long haul, Zoe concludes. “Quite simply, start as you mean to go on. The earlier you can create healthy habits that you do routinely, the better off you will be. It’s really embracing an attitude of self-care—once you realize that is important, you’re on your way.”

A REVELATION, AN UNDERSTANDING, AND A HABIT

JENN TY ’77

Jenn Ty hails from a medical family. Her father, brothers, and uncles were all traditional physicians, and her paternal grandmother and godmother were alternative healers. It’s surprising, therefore, to learn that it was only two years ago that she embraced her identity as a medical intuitive, someone able to feel what is happening in others’ bodies both energetically and physically.

“I’ve been able to see people’s difficulties since I was a little girl,” Jenn explains, “but for a long time I brushed the ability off.” Instead, she pursued a financial career on Wall Street, a path that ultimately left her unfulfilled and seeking alternatives. “I began working with a life/ business coach to help me transition to a new career,” she recalls. “She encouraged me to send an email to ten friends and ask them what they envisioned me doing— they all wrote back and said alternative medicine. That opened my eyes.”

A decade of experimenting and learning followed, and in 2020 Jenn found herself in a class with internationally renowned intuitive medium Susan Grau. “She looked at me and said, ‘You’re a medical intuitive, so own it,’” Jenn recalls. “And from then on, everything changed.”

Wellness is more than yoga, massages, and smoothies— they’re nice, but to really improve people’s wellness requires greater systemic change and that’s difficult to achieve.”

“

Nowadays, Jenn helps people struggling with a host of issues, from Alzheimer’s and cancer to strokes and sports injuries, using intuitive abilities and manual manipulations to pinpoint difficulties and remove physical soft tissue blockages. “I absolutely enjoy a messed-up body,” she confesses with a chuckle.

“There are two things that motivate me,” she continues. “I love puzzles, and in my view, our bodies are puzzles that have been adjusted, tweaked, and manipulated by circumstance since birth. I love putting the pieces back together. And I love complainers. A person who’s complaining is someone actively engaged in their wellness and seeking a solution.”

And finding that solution demands attention and commitment, Jenn argues. “I believe that the more aware a person is of the clues her body gives her daily, the more successful she will be in preventing challenges in the future. We need to listen to our bodies for clues to how they feel and function; our bodies are intricate and complex systems and they talk to us about maintenance all the time.”

And what does wellness mean to Jenn? “Wellness is about how you feel…today. It’s about feeling comfortable in your own body and taking preventative action towards living your best life…today, tomorrow, and always.”

Wellness begins with three simple steps: a revelation, an

understanding, and a habit, she continues. “The revelation is, ‘I matter.’ The understanding is, ‘I can do things differently, ask questions at any time, and be the master of my own health destiny.’ And the habit is, ‘I can take one small step, change, and do better, and then another and another and another.’

“One of my mottos is ‘I teach first, I heal second,’” Jenn observes. “When I work with people, I lay out a roadmap and tell them why I’m doing what I’m doing. My aim is collaboration; I encourage people to think for themselves. I teach them to recognize their feelings and then take care of what they feel.”

Securing health and wellness is a conscious choice and need not be costly, Jenn insists. In fact, she says, most good practices are free. “It starts with the individual making one crucial statement: ‘I am the most important person in the world.’” Many women struggle with this simple pronouncement, she concedes, but honestly loving oneself is key. “If you’re not committed to self-care, your body knows it down to the molecular level.”

And the sooner that young women learn to value themselves, the better off they will be, Jenn asserts. “Achieving good health—mental, physical, emotional—is a cumulative endeavor, and the earlier we begin listening and asking questions, the better we are able to cope and live healthy and fulfilling lives.”

JENN TY ’77 WORDS OF WISDOM

“I believe that the more aware a person is of the clues her body gives her daily, the more successful she will be in preventing challenges in the future. We need to listen to our bodies for clues to how they feel and function; our bodies are intricate and complex systems and they talk to us about maintenance all the time.”

Below: Jenn, Shura, Dean of Students Shelley Maher, and Zoe joined together to present a panel on wellness at Reunion 2022. Read more about Reunion on page 102.

The revelation is, ‘I matter.’

The understanding is, ‘I can do things differently, ask questions at any time, and be the master of my own health destiny.’

And the habit is, ‘I can take one small step, change, and do better, and then another and another and another.’ ”

From the Triangle BUILDING MO

EMMA WILLARD SCHOOL’S HISTORIC CAMPAIGN CELEBRATES

EARLY PROGRESS AND THE TRANSFORMATION OF AN ICONIC BUILDING AT THE HEART OF CAMPUS

Less than six months from the public launch of Infinite Horizon: The Campaign for Emma Willard School in May of 2022, this ground-breaking fundraising initiative has drawn early support from throughout the school’s alumnae community. The campaign steering committee has announced gifts totaling $125,052,245 toward a campaign goal of $175 million by 2026.

“This magnificent and unprecedented philanthropy will secure the future of our school for the next two hundred years,” said Linda GillAnderson ’77, Infinite Horizon campaign co-chair. “We have so much to do in the months and years to come, and I hope each of you will join us in meaningful ways to support this campaign.”

The total funds raised to date include support for faculty programs and resources, increased access to financial aid, additional funding for endowment, and more than $5 million in unrestricted giving from Emma Fund annual gift and pledges. With the lead gift of $30 million that ignited this campaign, the construction of the eponymous Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts is also well underway at the heart of the Emma Willard campus.

The Center for the Performing Arts is set to transform the Alumnae Chapel into a concert hall and central hub of a connected art and music complex that will link Snell-Dietel-Maguire with a new, below-ground performing arts “annex.” The groundbreaking ceremony for this new facility was held on October 21, with members of the Board of Trustees present at the construction site.

“Through this cornerstone project, we will not only strengthen our facility and capacity but will help to re-engage alumnae and inspire them to return to Mount Ida for performances, gatherings, and symposia,” said Lisa Allen LeFort ’72, chair of the Board of Trustees, during the groundbreaking event.

Read on for additional updates about other early support for the Infinite Horizon campaign.

THE CAMPAIGN FOR EMMA WILLARD SCHOOL

MENTUM Infinite Horizon

BY LUKE MEYERS

INSET IMAGES

Top-Left: The new glass walkway and connector between Dietel-Snell-Maguire and Chapel.

Top-Right: The Wallace Center will also serve as a community gathering space.

Bottom-Right:

Bottom-Left:

The north-facing aerial view of the new arts annex and renovated Chapel

The beautiful east view from the Chapel will be maintained in the enclosed portico.

Teaching inn

Infinite Horizon: The Campaign for Emma Willard School has received an exceptional investment from Susie Hunter, class of 1968, to strengthen and enhance teaching and learning initiatives. Susie’s commitment of $5 million to Emma Willard will endow funding to create the “Curriculum Innovation Project” as part of the new Center for Teaching and Learning (CTL). Fostering creativity, experimentation, and innovation in and out of the classroom is the key aim of the Curriculum Innovation Project, and it will fundamentally shift the way faculty develop pedagogy and instructional techniques for the school.

As immediate past chair of the Emma Willard School Board of Trustees, Susie was keenly aware of the competing priorities that impact professional development opportunities for faculty. Rigorous classroom instruction and co-curricular commitments are key tenets of the Emma Willard teaching experience, and have been since its founding, yet Susie realized what faculty needed most of all was time.

“I believe Emma Willard is the best school out there for girls’ education,” shares Susie. “So I asked myself, ‘How do we keep this moving forward?’ I knew we needed the best curriculum and the best faculty but there was still this issue of time—finding time in the demanding schedule of faculty for innovation and creativity in their instruction. And then I had this ‘ah ha’ moment: I realized what I could provide was the gift of time.”

Her support for the Curriculum Innovation Project will generate funding to hire an additional full-time faculty member in each academic department (a total of six new positions) within the next three years. This added academic support in turn creates the free time needed for other instructors to innovate in their own fields. It also provides other opportunities to research and develop new pedagogy, including through funded conferences and workshops, cross-disciplinary collaborations, and partnerships between Emma Willard and other schools, consortiums, and associations. These pathways to excellence are all built with the idea that “stretching” oneself, as Susie identifies it, is how innovation and creativity truly begin.

ovation

“We talk a lot about the importance of vulnerability for adolescent girls: We want to teach young women to be willing to try and, yes, sometimes fail,” says Susie. “And if we’re saying this to our students then the same idea should apply to faculty. They need that opportunity to reach and to stretch, too, and to have the space to try without the fear of failing.”

A sense of fearlessness, both in pursuit of life’s adventures and in service to one’s community, is clearly a valued trait in the Hunter family. Yet another is leadership. Irene Mennen Hunter ’35, Susie’s mother, is well remembered at Emma Willard for a legacy of leadership—President of the Alumnae Association, Alumna Trustee to the Board, Trustee of the Board, Honorary Trustee, and at the helm of countless key fundraising efforts—that spanned from 1965 until her passing in 2008 and ultimately bolstered the school into the 21st century.

“My mother felt a sense of belonging at Emma Willard that she simply did not feel anywhere else,” explains Susie of the deep roots her family shares with the school. “Mom would say her two favorite places in the world were at the public library and on Mount Ida. That gives you a sense of the power places of learning had to her. She felt enormous pride for what Emma Willard stood for, what it still stands for today.”

It is the vitality of Emma Hart Willard’s vision and the enduring integrity of the school’s mission— not as a “finishing school” but as a place of purposeful higher learning for young women— that Susie credits with the ongoing success of an institution entering its third century. Emma Willard School offered the opportunity to intrinsically see herself and other girls as leaders, competitors, and agents of change, which propelled Susie forward into her lifelong role as a civic leader and what she describes as a “professional volunteer.” Her leadership and service to Emma Willard as an alumna includes membership on the Board of Trustees, Chair of the Board, Honorary Co-Chair of the Infinite Horizon campaign, and chair of the search committee that brought the school its 17th head, Jenny Rao.

Infinite Horizon

“ “

Susan “Susie” Hunter ’68

“Susie's pursuit of excellence in girls' education is so inspiring,” enthuses Ms. Rao. “She is bold in her thinking and is a galvanizing force for our school. She listens with care and has a unique ability to cut through the noise and get to the heart of the matter. It is no wonder she is supporting the school in a way that further enhances the excellence of our faculty.”

For Susie, the act of giving back is not a “duty” but an expression of gratitude:

“I found my wings at Emma Willard and that is pretty hard to forget, so I keep flying back to the nest,” reflects Susie. “I fly back with gratitude, not out of some sense of duty. I was raised that if you’re grateful for something you give back, and I have some skills that I’m able to give back with and I have some treasure to give as well.

“In a lot of ways, what Emma Willard gave me is me. It gave me the woman I became. And the woman I am is giving back in the ways that I can.”

Visit infinitehorizon.org to learn more about the Curriculum Innovation Project and the Center for Teaching and Learning, Emma Willard’s focus on faculty and excellence in teaching, and Susie Hunter’s role as honorary co-chair of the Infinite Horizon campaign.

In a lot of ways, what Emma Willard gave me is me. It gave me the woman I became. And the woman

I am is giving back in the ways that I can.

THE CAMPAIGN FOR EMMA WILLARD SCHOOL

Wellness & R

“What I believe remains a constant at Emma Willard is that the community embraces women and girls as whole people first and foremost,” says Liz. “And in an academically rigorous environment like Emma, it’s vital that our students are not just seen for their strengths but also recognized and supported in all the ways that make them individuals.”

Individualized support and equal access to services are a central aim of the Toohey family’s funding for wellness and resilience initiatives at Emma Willard. It comes at a critical time when academic research and medical experts alike point to mounting stressors in the development of adolescents, especially among adolescent girls. The National Institute of Mental Health estimates between 25 and 32 percent of adolescents aged 13 to 18 experience anxiety disorders, with a much higher prevalence (38%) among young females than males (26%). Many stressors to student wellbeing are relatively new, such as social media and the ubiquity of digital devices. However, it is a shift in society at large that has helped destigmatize the discussion of mental health needs and build better awareness of what is clearly a long-standing issue.

The Toohey Family Endowed Fund for Wellness Programs has been established with a generous gift of $2 million by Linda Toohey and her daughters, Megan (“Meg”) and Elizabeth (“Liz”). This support will substantially advance plans for a Student Wellness and Resilience Center on the Emma Willard School campus and fund an expansion of mental health programming, counseling and nursing services, and access to support for students. Achieving a balance between individual development and the collective health of students has been identified as a crucial component of the school’s Leading with Purpose strategic plan launched in 2021.

“I am encouraged by the fact that there is now an openness in the Emma Willard community to address wellness, since this was a subject we didn’t talk about when I was a student,” explains Linda. “I imagine many of us faced the same anxieties as students do today— worrying about grades, preparing for tests, navigating friendships and relationships, and more but we did not have obvious access to counseling or a natural willingness to speak openly about these issues. Fortunately, today our ultimate goal is to ensure that any student can make an appointment to see someone anytime they need.”

This ubiquitous support paired with the benefits of an Emma Willard education is something Linda, Liz, and Meg agree is worth extending to as many young women as possible.

“I believe that every single person deserves access to a high quality education. I also believe it is imperative that we do not sacrifice placing a priority on mental health and wellness in the pursuit of an excellent education,” notes Meg. “I credit my self-confidence, love of learning, and sense of purpose to my time at Emma

esilience

Willard and feel this is a common thread among many alums. It is my sincere hope that the Emma Willard students of today and tomorrow leave with that same sense of self-worth and purpose which can only come if continued focus is placed on building resilience and wellbeing.”

Meg’s commitment to providing access and developing self-confidence extends into her career. As President and CEO of Special Olympics Colorado, Meg uses sports as a catalyst to break down barriers for and shatter stereotypes about the 16,000+ individuals with intellectual disabilities that the organization serves. She is also a member of the Emma Willard School Board of Trustees and the current Chair of the Advancement Committee, which led the effort to launch the Infinite Horizon campaign alongside with the Office of Advancement.

Liz also exhibits these same qualities of leadership and service in her professional and personal pursuits, working as area manager for community relations and local government affairs with Xcel Energy and as board chair for Girls Inc. of Metro Denver. Founded in 1864, Girls Inc. advocates “a world in which every girl values her whole self, discovers her inner strengths, and achieves her goals,” a vision which has clear parallels to the enduring mission of Emma Willard.

Beyond their time at Emma Willard, the common source of Meg and Liz’s passions and pursuits is, of course, from their mother. Since 1978, Linda has served in many leadership and volunteer positions for the school, including as chair of the Board of Trustees, as a Board Trustee, and as an Honorary Trustee of the Board since 2001. Her professional career included serving as President and Publisher of Saratoga Springs, NY, newspaper The Saratogian. She later retired as Executive Vice President of the Saratoga County Chamber of Commerce, where she passed on her penchant for leadership and volunteerism to countless professionals in the Capital Region while running the “Leadership Saratoga” program. Linda continues to volunteer for many organizations in the Saratoga Springs community, most recently at Wellspring (domestic abuse and sexual assault services) and the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC).

“My hope for Emma Willard is simply this: that enough support and investment comes in to fulfill the vision of this campaign,” Linda shares. “Every single element of this fundraising effort is important to the future of our school— from the students to the facilities to the teaching and residential staff, this campaign affects everyone. And we need everyone’s support!”

Infinite Horizon

SCHOOL LEADER INVESTS IN WELLNESS INITIATIVES

The pursuit of health and wellness at Emma Willard will take support from every member of our community. Wendy Graham ’85, an Emma Willard Trustee, has pledged her campaign gift specifically to advance the goals of our wellness program.

“Initially, I had thought I would make my contribution to the campaign to benefit access and financial aid— it's so important to me that Emma remain accessible to all talented students,” said Wendy. “But as I thought more about my own experience as a student, how that has carried with me through life, I was reminded how critical those coping skills and sense of resiliency have been for me—and I knew I wanted to be part of providing that for others.”

Wendy notes that her philanthropy joins that of others, like the Toohey family, and hopes that the showcasing of broad support for wellness initiatives will have a synergistic effect, drawing in other donors to fulfill wellness funding goals for the campaign.

“This program is very much still taking shape, but I love to see it developing and growing before us—it’s exciting to be a contributor to something big and bold like that."

Along with her support of wellness, Wendy is joined by her father, David Graham, and sister, Ginger Livingston �83, in providing funding for faculty development in memory of her mother Jean, who was a third-grade teacher in their home town of Skaneateles, NY.

“My mom was an educator and both of my parents believed so strongly in the power of education; my dad wanted faculty to have the resources to travel and gain experience outside the classroom so that they can feed that back into their instruction.”

Wendy Graham is co-chair of Infinite Horizon: The Campaign for Emma Willard School and continues to champion wellness and student resilience in her role representing the campaign at events, in conversations with other alumnae, and through her own support.

THE CAMPAIGN FOR EMMA WILLARD SCHOOL

Wendy Graham presents to alumnae and parents at the Capital Region campaign launch event in September

The FromClassroom the Archives

A history of transformation

Reverend Cynthia “Cyndi” Skripak ’78 details her archival research into the shifting role of the Emma Willard Chapel over the last century and into the next.

BY CYNDI SKRIPAK ’78 (AS TOLD BY LUKE MEYERS)

I’ve always loved the tower and archway of the chapel on the Emma Willard campus, and the inviting steps leading up to it. I only recently realized that, as one of the three original structures on the Mount Ida campus, what we now call “Alumnae Chapel” has overseen the passage of every single student crossing the inner campus or, with permission from the seniors, sitting upon the Triangle since 1910. It was three alumnae from the Class of 1917 who, in a handwritten note from August 1944, shared their “consternation” at having learned from Miss Wellington of plans to make “this radical change” of the campus gymnasium, as they had known it, into a chapel building “set apart from the daily routine.”

As we witness the $40 million renovation and expansion of our chapel into the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts, my thoughts go to a neatly typed (with a typewriter, mind you) invoice I found in the Emma Willard School archives that details the costs of a similar renovation from the 1940s. Wall treatments, floors, windows, lighting features, and a new roof made up some of the costs for the proposed change of the current gymnasium into a chapel. The total estimated amount for the project? Forty thousand dollars.

However, for the current students of that day, the need was clear. During the midst of World War II and the many pressures and anxieties faced by those at home, there was a desire to create a place to seek spiritual support in community, reflection, and worship. It was the Class of 1943 that played a special role in the conversion of the building with the initiation of the “Chapel Fund” through their senior gift of $650. Donations from subsequent graduating classes toward the “Alumnae Chapel” were received up until 1960.

In 1947, with the renovation well underway, the opening service was held at the chapel and that same year the original organ was given as a gift from Miss Julia Howard Bush. As verified by the archives, the first “Christmas Vespers” happened in 1949 and in 1950

the stained glass windows of “Christ, The Teacher” were installed. A column in the June 8, 1950, issue of The Clock called “Chapel Circle Corner” stated, “For all of us, this window brings nearer our dream of a beautiful chapel set apart for worship.”

It was not until 1954 that the Alumnae Chapel was formally dedicated during Commencement—one can find the original program in the archives today—and throughout the following years many further additions and renovations were made, including a nave, lectern,

Clockwise: School Government president Sue McKeehan ‘48, left, and study abroad student Florence Vester of Hague, Netherlands, right, stand in front of the newly renovated chapel, 1948. Co-chaplains Catherine Kotfila and David Kotfila (whose daughter, Charis, now works as a Resident Faculty member at Emma) perform their first service together at Academic Convocation, 1981. Worshipers stand in the chapel chancel and surround the front altar, 1975.

The Classroom

FROM

clergy seats, reredos partition, chancel, leaded glass panels, and an oratory screen. Chief among the chapel updates was a new, baroque-style pipe organ built by Fritz Noack Organ Company and dedicated in 1970— seven years before Fritz Noack’s daughter, Wiebke, would graduate from Emma Willard herself.

It was not only the features of the building that changed with the needs of students and alumnae of that time; there was a long list of chaplains who served the school up until the mid 80s. A partial list can be pieced together from the archives, including: Miss Harrie Taylor, a religion teacher, who served as surrogate chaplain throughout much of the 1960s, Reverend Robert Hammett (the last full-time chaplain) from 1967 to 1972, co-chaplains David Kotfila and Kate Kotfila (notably the first formal female chaplain) from 1981 to 1985, and finally Reverend Maria LaSala from 1985 to 1987. Many theologians throughout the Northeast and other chaplains from regional colleges and universities were guest speakers or preachers at Emma Willard over the decades.

My research this year in the Emma Willard archives has revealed many interesting details and led me down more than one rabbit hole, but a constant I found in regard to the chapel is change. From its initial construction as a gymnasium in 1910 to its ongoing evolution as the Alumnae Chapel throughout the 20th century, this structure has changed with the needs of students and Emma Willard School writ large. Over the decades, the interior space has housed special events, Vespers, Baccalaureate, concerts, classrooms, Bible studies, dance studios, offices, memorial services, and even weddings (including mine).

Although our founder never had the opportunity to see “ye old grey walls” of today’s chapel raised in her

Although our founder never had the opportunity to see “ye old grey walls” of today’s chapel raised in her honor, I feel she may have appreciated the ingenuity and resourcefulness of those who applied its physical spaces and features to their needs as they were.

CYNDI SKRIPAK ‘78

New Trustees

BOARD OF TRUSTE ES

Elisabeth “Lisa” Allen LeFort ’72 Chair

Megan Toohey Scremin ’00

Chair-Elect

Ann Gambling Hoffman ’70

Secretary

Elizabeth “Betsy” Gifford Gross ’72

Treasurer

Linda Gill Anderson ’77

Katharine “Kate” Berry ’76

Rachel Birnboim ‘93

Karen Brifu-Lacy ‘04

James Dawson

Stephen Gonick P’16 ’20

Valerie Gonyea ’82

Wendy S. Graham ’85

James Hackett P’20

David Howson

Susan “Susie” Hunter ’68

Samantha Jones ’92

Sharon Khanuja-Dhall ’89

Wendy Shuang Liu ’95

Eleanor H. Lumsden ’94

Sarah “Sally” Klingenstein Martell ’85

Denise Mormino

Betts Howes Murray ’73

Elizabeth “Lisa” Radcliffe ’82

Jennifer Schmelter ’85

Roger Tennent P’24

Timothy Winstead

HONORARY TRUSTEES

Jameson “Jamie” Adkins Baxter ’61

Anne N. DePrez ’73

Thomas S. Halsey

Douglas E. Hart P’01

Wendy Pestel Lehmann ’64

Erica Ling ’75

Ian B. MacCallum Jr.

James E. Morley Jr. P’87

Kendra Stearns O’Donnell ’60 P’88

Linda Glazer Toohey ’66 P’00 P’03

Michal Colby Wadsworth ’65

Victoria “Vicky” Thompson Winterer ’61

Karen Brifu-Lacy ’04 is an advisor in the Markets Group at the Federal Reserve Bank of New York and serves as the chief of staff to the portfolio manager and head of market operations. She holds an MBA in international business and information systems from the Zicklin School of Business at CUNY Baruch and a BA in mathematics and economics from Fordham University. Karen is active in initiatives related to diversity, equity and inclusion, girls’ education, and equitable health services, including as a supporter of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and HelpMeSee, a non-profit dedicated to eliminating cataract blindness. While at Emma, she was a Proctor and recipient of the EW Award. Karen served as Reunion Giving Chair in 2013–2014 and a member of the Alumni Association Council (AAC) from 2016–2018. She most recently served as a member of our DEI Alumnae and AAC Task Force in 2020–2021.

Roger Tennent P’24 is head of counterparty risk for Millennium Management, a global alternative investment management firm where he manages $47.1 billion in assets. He previously held vice president positions with State Street, D.E. Shaw & Co., L.P., Lehman Brothers, Inc., and Deutsche Bank, AG. Roger attended Phillips Exeter Academy and earned a BA in English literature from Dartmouth College and his Executive MBA in finance from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. His spouse, Alison Foster, works as a senior content marketing manager for Kenna Security (part of Cisco), an enterprise leader in risk-based vulnerability management.

David Howson is a senior teaching professor and the Arthur Zankel Executive Director of Arts Administration at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY. At Skidmore, he founded the Arts Administration Program where students combine a passion for the arts with business acumen. His research focus is on non-profit arts organizations in New York’s Adirondack region. David is in his 11th year as a trustee of The Hyde Collection museum in Glens Falls where he was chair during a leadership transition in 2018 and 2019. He was also a trustee for six years at the Depot Theatre in Westport, NY, on Lake Champlain, where he was president for three years and led the 44-year-old organization through a financial recovery and leadership transition. Previously, he served on the boards of Saratoga Arts and Saratoga Shakespeare Company. David regularly speaks with and advises organizations on matters of accessibility and inclusion, governance, and leadership. David holds an MFA in theater management from the David Geffen School of Drama at Yale University, a master of liberal arts degree and a BA from the University of Richmond, and is a graduate of Leadership Saratoga.

Samantha T. Jones ’92 is vice president for strategy and business development at Pitney Bowes, where she leads partnership development and implementation for their financial services division to accelerate its growth trajectory. She previously served as vice president of marketing and communications for the financial services division and in the same role for their small medium business growth initiatives. Samantha holds a BA in political science from Williams College and an MBA in General Management from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Samantha has several family members who also attended Emma Willard School: Rebecca A. Jones ‘88 (sister), Hilary Jones-Danziger ‘86 (sister), and Sydney H. Danziger ‘18 (niece).

Head of School Jenny Rao and members of the Board of Trustees celebrate the public launch of Infinite Horizon: The Campaign for Emma Willard School, the largest known fundraising campaign in the history of girls' secondary schools.

Photo credit: Erin Covey

Admissions

How to Apply

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:

APPLICATION

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: www.emmawillard.org/admissions

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. RECOMMENDATIONS

TESTING

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

INTERVIEW

For the 2023–2024 application season, we will be conducting all interviews via Zoom in order to provide equal access to all of our applicants.