Salmagundy Winter 2022

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Layout by: Jianing (Jennifer) Lin ’24

SALMAGUNDY The Official Student Newpaper of Miss Porter’s School Winter 2022

NEWS SALMAGUNDY

INSIDE THE BUBBLE

2023 National Girls and Women in Sports Day: Mercedese E. “Ellie” Large ’81

By Lucy Newmyer ’23 Inside the Bubble News Editor On Wednesday, February 1st, the Miss Porter’s School community gathered in the Hacker Theater to observe the 37th annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day (NGWSD). In her opening remarks, Head of Athletics Ellen Jacobson ’23 shared that the day is recognized to encourage girls to play, be active, and realize their full potential while honoring the achievements of women in sports and their ongoing struggle for equality. Jacobson also reminded the audience that the 50th anniversary of Title IX, prohibiting discrimination based on sex in educational programs, was celebrated only last summer. She emphasized that while not all Porter’s students participate in athletics on campus, everyone benefits from Title IX and the commitment of NGWSD founders. For the first in-person NGWSD celebration since before the pandemic, Porter’s welcomed back Ancient and 2021 MPS Hall of Fame inductee Mercedese E. “Ellie” Large ’81. A devoted student-athlete (and Squirrel!), Mrs. Large played varsity soccer at Porter’s and tried numerous other sports in her time in Farmington. Though she was cut from the MPS varsity lacrosse team, she went on to play both soccer and lacrosse for Tufts as well as squash and track and field. In 1985, she led the Tufts women’s lacrosse team to an undefeated season and became their first lacrosse player to score over 100 goals.

Students with Mercedese E. “Ellie” Large ’81 Photo Credit: Emma Thrugood via Miss Porter’s School dents are expected to avoid extremes of either casual unconcern or ostentation”—though there was a required athletic uniform of a “royal blue kilt, white blouse, team sweatshirt, navy blue sweatpants, team or white socks and white tennis sneakers.”

Even as she eventually turned her attention to her athletic career, Mrs. Large continued to focus on sports as a tool for connection, friendship, and healing after personal tragedies. She advised students to “never stop moving,” whether or not that includes competitive sports, and to “look around and make sure you know that you have friends who care Mrs. Large prefaced her presentation with general information on her for you,” because Ancients are “everywhere.” time at Porter’s, including photos of her friends, campus, and the handbook. The audience erupted with laughter at photos of Porter’s students Mrs. Large truly embodies the spirit of National Girls and Women in smoking in their dorm basements in the late ’70s, a $6,300 yearly tu- Sports Day. Athletes and non-athletes alike were captivated by Mrs. ition, and traditions like the Old Girl-New Girl Field Hockey Game. Large’s story and the honesty and humor with which she shared her Mrs. Large’s MPS dress code was not too different from today’s—“Stu- Porter’s, Tufts, familial, and professional experiences. After playing four sports competitively in college, plus participating in skiing, rowing, and ice hockey, Mrs. Large suffered an ACL injury and turned to golf. Now, she is an accomplished amateur golfer and consistently ranks high on the women’s master circuit in New England.

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

By Elizabeth Cargan ’23 Opinions Editor On January 16th, the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Community Day took place. The planning committee created the day around Black joy, titling it “Breaking Down Barriers and Building Black Joy.” The day began with performances, which were followed by workshops and a master class, and finally finished off with an OEI photo shoot and special treat. Princess Moore ’26, Genesis Lewis ’26, and Summer Bell ’26 kicked off the day with a show-stopping step performance. Next, Head of Diversity Zoe Brown ’23 introduced Gené Jones, who joined the community for the second MLK Community Day in a row, this time hosting a

“I Have a Dream Mural” Photo Credit: Stephen Wang via Miss Porter’s School

live performance. Gené led the audience in a meditation, and focused on her higher vibration in her music. Gené had an interactive performance, using polls to get the audience involved. In addition to a master class led by Gené Jones, there were a variety of workshops in the afternoon including: -“Who did it first?” with Nyla Liburd ’24, Savannah Smith ’24, Alyssa Idusuyi ’23, and Nora Jean-Jacques ’23, to shed light on innovation Princess Moore ’26, Genesis Lewis ’26, and Summer Bell ’26 created by Black people. They explored cultural appropriation, and the (Not Pictured) Photo Credit: Stephen Wang via Miss Porter’s School difference between cultural appropriation and cultural appreciation.


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Salmagundy Winter 2022 by Miss Porter's School - Issuu