Bulletin: The Miss Porter's School Magazine, Spring 2023

Shaping

Some Porter’s alumnae are making their impact on the world by returning to Farmington, working in a variety of roles to help Porter’s grow and evolve through the generations.

When Lauren Melman, MD ’97 was at Porter’s, the school doctor was an older man, and the girls often had to go off campus to consult with him. Now she’s the school doctor and medical director, the Colgate Wellness Center sees most students on campus for their health care needs, and, she says, “We have made a lot of changes to keep up with what health care means for young women today.”

That means more mental health counseling and support, increased access to women’s reproductive health care and an emphasis on wellness. “We’re teaching our students to be their own health care advocates,” she said. “We’re impressing on them the importance of wellness, which is really important in a world where there’s a lot of stress.”

Director of Counseling Amanda Kice ’93 came back to Farmington in 2014. “I’m really proud of how far we’ve come in our department,” said the licensed social worker.

“When I started, it felt like we were doing good work with counseling, but now it feels like there’s a schoolwide interest and desire to have as much information about mental health as possible seeing it as a positive, a way we can really thrive and do well in all areas of our life.”

Kaitlin Faticoni ’07 , fre at M i ss P o r et r ’ .s

KAITLIN FATICONI ’07 Assistant Director of Alumnae and Parent Engagement

Miss Porter’s School

Ms. Kice and the department’s two other counselors have integrated themselves into all aspects of school life, serving as chaperones on international trips, helping out with sports and creating a relaxation room in the wellness center where students can unwind between classes. “When I think about being a student here 30 years ago, it is so different now, being open about mental health,” Ms. Kice said. “Our students today are grappling with a great deal of things that are so important and essential to their development in a healthy and productive way with supportive adults at Porter’s and at home.”

Associate Director of Admission Maya Silva Thompson ’17 said being an Ancient informs every aspect of her job. Being able to tell prospective students that it wasn’t so long ago that she was in their position is an icebreaker during interviews, and being Black empowers families of color to ask about her four years in Farmington. Back then, she said, “I felt a responsibility to educate adults and my peers about things that were going on, but now there’s an overall sense that it’s everyone’s responsibility to educate themselves especially the adults in the community. There’s so much more support, in my opinion, for students of every different background, whether it’s racial or religious or sexual identity.”

The 2022 graduation ceremony was dedicated to Assistant Director of Alumnae and Parent Engagement Kaitlin Faticoni ’07, who was honored for her positivity, humor and kindness traits the seniors got to see up close because she serves as a dorm affiliate for Humphrey Dorm.

Ms. Faticoni brings those same personal qualities to her work with Ancients, especially with those who have felt disengaged. “How do we repair the harm that has been done?” she asked. “How do we show Ancients that we’re doing the necessary work to fix some of the things that caused them to feel they don’t belong? There are actionable steps being taken to make sure that when we say we want to be an anti-racist institution, that this is happening.”

English teacher Alysa Auriemma ’03 looks back on the teachers who inspired her as a student and strives to emulate them. “If the students know you’re there for them, the difference is palpable. The tone is different, the energy is different I aspire to that kind of impact,” she said.

Being an Ancient is valuable in other ways, too. “It really informs my job. I am able to understand the way that life is here, when there’s a no-homework night because of a tradition or a program,” she said, noting that “school life now is really not that different, but at the same time everything’s different. There’s so much more focus on the learning that’s happening and also on supporting every learner.”

“When I started, it felt like we were doing good work with counseling, but now it feels like there’s a schoolwide interest and desire to have as much information about mental health as possible—seeing it as a positive, a way we can really thrive and do well in all areas of our life.”

AMANDA KICE ’93 Director of Counseling

The Power of Porter’s