Winterim Adventures Recalled Alumni and faculty share memories from 50 years of Winterim trips by Joe Sheppard
Winterim has been part of the Lawrence Academy experience for half a century, and it’s safe to say that almost every LA graduate during that time learned from or was somehow affected by at least one of their Winterim courses. Since the beginning of the program, some people have viewed the existence of Winterim’s big “travel programs” alongside usually lessexpensive, campus-based courses as a conflict between the “haves” and the “have-nots.” While financial considerations do figure into many students’ Winterim plans, the real — and important — difference between the options is not one of value or prestige, but of purpose. The travel programs are certainly educational; they must meet strict criteria in order to be approved. Campus-based Winterims, on the other hand, have always been designed to teach a new skill or explore a particular area of knowledge in depth.
Peter D. Onanian ’73 shares this story of a 1972 Winterim trip to Greece with classmate Anna Koules: My favorite Winterim memory is of the trip to Greece and Crete in ’72 with co-leaders John and Marylou Curran. It may have been in Athens that Anna Koules and I noticed some handmade wool sweaters being sold in an open market, and we wanted to take one home. Anna spoke Greek but was hesitant to barter with the ominous-looking shopkeeper. She asked if we could do it together, and I agreed. I said, “Look, I’m Armenian and I don’t think I have paid retail for anything in my life, so I will negotiate and you translate.” So we selected our garments and Anna asks, “How much?” I don’t recall the exact amount, but let’s say he wanted the equivalent of $50. I said “Bulls--t!” Anna, looking worried, said she didn’t know how to translate it into Greek. I said, “Don’t worry, it’s universal and he gets it.” So we left the sweater shop paying $10 each. Anna and I should have partnered after high school — we would have owned half of Groton by now!
Over the years, Winterim courses in quilting, bookmaking, television production, and EMT training have done the former, while new knowledge has been gained through courses on choosing a college, exploring New England history, local forestry management, and more. All that said, a high point of many an LA student’s high school years is the Winterim program. To help celebrate Winterim’s anniversary, we’ve collected memories and anecdotes from both alumni and faculty who traveled during Winterim. As you read them, we hope you’ll gain a new appreciation for this unique program and, perhaps, rekindle a few memories of your own Winterim experience. 2 4 LAWRENCE ACADEMY SPRING 2022
A fish market in Athens
