From the Triangle

FROM THE TRIANGLEFrom the Triangle

Ashfia A. ’22 and Abby G. ’22 as the Drag Queen and Drag King in the 107th Revels performance. See page 6 for more Revels.

FROM THE TRIANGLE

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HIGHLIGHTS

2022

The 2021–22 school year’s return to campus also meant a return to many Emma Willard in-person traditions. From opening days to Morning Reports in Kiggins to theatrical performances, we’re happy to be together in community once more.

1. Bella D. ’22 greets a friend as they return to campus on Opening Day in September.

2. Nettie Sweeney & Hugh Thomas Miller Instructor in Languages Sabra Sanwal explores the check-out process in the new Language Library, located in Slocum.

3. Emma S. ’22 achieved 1,000 career points in basketball during a sectional game. This makes Emma the leading scorer in Emma Willard School basketball history!

4. Starting in Fall 2021, Dietel Gallery is home to the work of artists Judith and H. Peik Larsen. The show features a wide range of work in various mediums, spanning several decades, and changed for the start of the Spring 2022 semester.

5. Arts Department Chair Dr. Debra Spiro-Allen looks on as students close out the Eventide tradition with a song on the Chapel steps.

6. The Emma Willard School Theatre Department presented its first in-person performance in over 18 months with their staging of In a Grove: Four Japanese Ghost Stories. The show was the first Emma production under the direction of Theatre Instructor Faith Lawson.

7. Morning Reports returned to Kiggins in September 2021. This was the first time since the start of the pandemic that the weekly gathering wasn’t virtual.

8. Sandglass Theater visits Emma Willard School for a series of workshops and conversations about their production of Babylon. The action-packed, high-energy production is a response to the worldwide refugee crisis and its impact on communities in the United States.

9. Head of School Jenny Rao greets new and returning students alongside student leaders for Opening Day. 2

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PHOTO BY LIZ LAJEUNESSE PHOTOGRAPHY ’91

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Revels

The much anticipated 107th Revels, performed by the class of 2022, was filled with the usual familiar faces—this time, in multiples. Two Chamberlains, five Jesters, and two Toms (well, Tom and Tim) graced the stage of the Manor House alongside some entirely new characters: Tara the Tarantella dancer, a Drag Queen and King, Leiges among the Lords and Ladies, and a cameo by the “Stratejik Plané.” As unique as the seniors, this Revels is one we’ll never forget.

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1. The Falconer, played by Tina Q. ’22, arrives to much applause. *

2. The students are paying attention: the Stratejik Plané makes an appearance in Revels!

3. Seeing Double: Tess J. ‘22 and Sallie R. ‘22 each took on the iconic role of The Chamberlain, this time as a duo.

4. The Lady of the Manor, played by Nicole B. ’22, welcomes guests to the Manor House. *

5. Cat S. ’22 performs as Tara the Tarantella dancer during the Mummer’s Play.

6. Played by Leah W. ‘22, the beloved character of Tom sets the tone and gets the audience excited at the start of the performance.

7. Two of the five Jesters cause mayhem and delight with their antics. *

* PHOTOS BY LIZ LAJEUNESSE PHOTOGRAPHY ’91

FACULTY BOOKS

The Emma Willard School community celebrates faculty members Jon Calos and Nancy Iannucci on their recent published work.

Jon Calos

Chair of Experiential Learning, Signature Director, Homer L. Dodge Instructor in Science

Capstone: Inquiry & Action at School

In leading the Signature program at Emma Willard School for many years, Jon Calos has developed a depth of knowledge that begs to be shared. First through involvement in the National Capstone Consortium, and now in the release of his first coauthored book, Jon has set out to make sure others feel empowered to bring a capstone program to their own schools.

Capstones are authentic and personalized academic research projects culminating in a formal community presentation that have the potential to be transformative educational tools. Over the years, Emma students have used Signature to promote local women-owned businesses, work on cutting-edge biotechnology research, create their own films, and more. Capstone: Inquiry & Action at School aims to serve as a published resource of best practices that are key to building and sustaining a capstone program like Signature. “It’s a book by teachers for teachers,” Jon shares. “Whether you’re just starting or you’ve had a program for a long time, the content is relevant and applicable.”

Jon and his co-author Nina Leacock, PhD, followed a fortuitous suggestion from Emma alumna and trustee Sally Martell ’85, sending their book proposal to John Catt Publishing, who became partners in the work. Their dream has now become reality as Capstone: Inquiry & Action at School—thought to be the only published book on creating capstone programs—officially released on September 20, 2021.

Nancy Iannucci

History Instructor, Archivist, and Poet

Goblin Fruit

Between the release of her first chapbook, Temptation of Wood (Nixes Mate Review 2018) and Goblin Fruit (Impspired 2021), Nancy Iannucci has taken audiences on an intimate ride through her world of literary magic. With her poems appearing in Allegro Poetry Magazine, Typehouse Literary Magazine, and Riggwelter Press, readers around the world have fallen deep between the realms of love and life, a place Nancy often finds herself, too.

Nancy uncovered her love of writing as a child, years before seeing her vibrant work published in magazines and online journals. Whether constructing the inner workings of a play, memorizing lyrics on the back of album covers, or scribbling away in her diary, the youngster found comfort in the flurries of words surrounding her. Poetry has always stood out to Nancy, sharing, “I gravitate towards that kind of writing. The short, potent, stories in a poem. I like to craft those the best.”

The craftsmanship behind Nancy’s work is intricately beautiful. Written as lyrical poetry, Nancy uses gentle visuals in her writing formats to guide readers on a spellbinding journey. “I look at poems as magic because it’s like you’re conjuring an intense feeling and emotion through brevity. It’s not a fiction piece, pages and pages long. It’s a powerful BAM in a few stanzas to make you feel, to put you in a time or a feeling that is quick, abrupt, and has just been conjured up. That’s how I look at poems, almost like magic spells.” If you are looking for your next enchanting read, Goblin Fruit is sure to feed your craving.

COVID Keepers

Seeing the pandemic as a portal to a better future

BY LUKE MEYERS

In April of 2020, during the earliest days of the pandemic, Indian author and political activist Arundhati Roy wrote of an unexpected but positive impact COVID-19 might have.

“Historically, pandemics have forced humans to break with the past and imagine their world anew,” Roy posited for the London-based Financial Times. “This one is no different. It is a portal, a gateway between one world and the next.”

So, nearly two years later, here we stand atop Mount Ida in a world reimagined. While none of us are wistful for the challenges brought on by COVID, we also recognize that Emma Willard School has evolved through this time. Some of what seemed like short-term solutions or operational detours at the moment have proved to be catalysts for reframing the educational experience of our students, engagement with our alumnae community, and ensuring access for the under-served.

These are elements of the pandemic and resulting remote or virtual experience that have proved net positives for Emma Willard. So we’ve dubbed them—only somewhat ruefully—our “COVID Keepers.”

FOR STUDENTS…

“Live streaming Emma Willard School’s key traditions and celebrations that occur on campus has allowed students with family members from across the country and world to be part of these special moments,” notes Head of School Jenny Rao.

Events like Eventide, Honors Convocation, and even Commencement will each maintain a virtual component for the foreseeable future, thanks to the way it grants ubiquitous access.

“The pandemic has also forever changed how we use our learning management system, MyEmma,” explains Meredith Legg, assistant head of school. “We’ve been able to improve the speed and clarity of our communication to students by centralizing the information in one place.”

Students and parents alike have benefited from the increased use of Zoom and Google Meet, making extra help more widely available outside of the classroom and strengthening the connections between parents and advisors.

And, in the classroom, faculty will maintain access to many of the technological enhancements that made the move to remote learning possible. A whole host of applications were put in place—EdPuzzle, FlipGrid, Padlet, PearDeck, Screencastify, VoiceThread, and more—to ensure teachers could translate their own teaching style into the virtual space. These shifts have the long-term benefit of increased familiarity and fluency with technology, which enriches the learning experience overall.

FOR ALUMNAE…

While the Office of Advancement eagerly expects a return to in-person events for this spring and summer, they also tout the increased engagement and access achieved through virtual programming.

“We will be keeping our virtual events, in addition to our return to in-person,” states Ann Dejnozka, head of advancement. “We’ve seen not only increased participation through virtual means but also been able to engage with alums from around the world thanks to the ease of access.”

Recent examples of alumnae engagement through virtual means include an alumnae panel as part of Martin Luther King Jr. Day celebrations with students, well-wishes from around the world shared on Lunar New Year, and a webinar presentation of Emma Hart Willard’s groundbreaking graphic mapping of history.

FOR ALL…

“The reach we’ve been able to achieve is priceless,” affirms Christine Gilmore, head of institutional equity and inclusion. “We were able to gain insight from consultants and colleagues in the diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) arena just by requesting a virtual meet-up.”

The Office of DEI has held key Zoom meetings with stakeholders like the Alumnae of Color (AOC) Network and brought to Emma Willard (virtually speaking) leading voices on topics of inclusivity and belonging, like Dr. Mahzarin Banaji, co-author (with Anthony Greenwald) of Blindspot: Hidden Biases of Good People.

This increased reach has also impacted recruiting efforts for future Emma Willard students. In 2020, the Office of Admissions shifted gears to offer its visit experience on Zoom in the absence of in-person events, but quickly realized the benefit of this change would outlive the pandemic.

“What stood out to the team was the access and equity offering such events created for our prospective families,” notes Kristen Mariotti, head of enrollment management. “In the past, these families might not have been able to engage with us on such a personal level.”

Luke Meyers Joins the Emma Administration

Chief Communications Officer Luke Meyers joined the administrative team at Emma Willard School in December—right in the middle of Revels week—and has been going full steam ahead ever since! With experience spanning two decades in the field of communications and marketing, Luke was most recently director of marketing and engagement at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, New York. He led Skidmore’s first-ever marketing unit and oversaw strategic communications for admissions, alumni and donor relations, athletics, digital engagement and social media, email marketing, print and digital design, and virtual programming and production. While at Skidmore, he worked on key diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, including the Higher Education Data Sharing Consortium (HEDS) Diversity and Equity Campus Climate Survey, and as a member of the College’s Institutional Effectiveness Committee.

Prior to Skidmore, Luke led communications for the State University of New York “Adirondack” campus in Queensbury, NY and, before his work in higher education, he worked in both non-profit and agency marketing and communications.

“It is the highlight of my career to have joined Emma Willard School at this incredible moment in its history and to have already met so many inspiring students and alumnae,” Mr. Meyers said. “Under the leadership of Jenny Rao and in close collaboration with my colleagues on the Administrative Team, we’ve already made leaps and bounds toward the vision set in our strategic plan; I can’t wait to witness what the years ahead will bring for this historic institution!”

Luke lives in the Town of Saratoga with his spouse Alyssa and their two daughters, Caroline and Alice, two dogs, two cats, and a large flock of pet chickens.

Explore. Play. Learn.

GirlSummer, Emma’s signature summer program, welcomes girls to our vibrant campus for an enriching, personalized, and fun summer adventure!

This summer, girls entering 2nd-9th grades are invited to spend a week at Emma exploring an expansive array of electives in the arts, science, athletics, and writing. Day Explorer electives and Writer’s Retreat programs combine for a uniquely tailored summer experience!

June 27 - July 15, 2022

THREE ONE-WEEK SESSIONS