Westminster Bulletin Fall 2022

Westminster

BULLETIN | FALL 2022

On the cover: Students head to classes during a crisp fall morning. Photo by Wendy Carlson.

Building Belonging

Horizons at Westminster

From the Head of

Dear Westminster School Community,

The scene is absolutely idyllic: It is an early morning in late August and I am sitting on Keyes Porch as the sun comes up behind Pratt House and lights the canopy of Talcott Mountain. The birds chatter to one another, accompanied by the cicadas’ drone. Commencement Lawn, green and lush, spreads before me, and for a moment I can hear the revelry of last June when many, many alumni gathered on the lawn to celebrate our mega reunion, throwing off the restrictions of COVID, embracing the beauty of lifelong Westminster friendships and dancing until early in the morning. I know, too, that in a few short days Commencement Lawn will be the site of kickball games and cookouts and meeting of new friends as we welcome students to campus, and there will be neither peace nor quiet for nearly another year.

But for now, it is quiet, and I am deep in thought about the needs of our students. I wonder, too, how many of my predecessors sat on this porch and looked out over the campus as the new school year dawned and measured the beauty of the campus and the hope of a new school year against the backdrop of our world and our country. William Cushing himself must have wondered from this very spot if his little school would even take root and blossom.

As I told the faculty in my opening address, there is so much that easily derails our students. We are fighting a torrent of bad examples, poor behavior and vitriolic commentary in this country. Our students have access to all of it, and they don’t know a life without it, or without the skewed representation of life through social media. They have lived through a pandemic that has taken more than a million lives in the United States alone and disrupted schools, businesses, families and social lives. We know that students — more than ever — need caring, engaged adults who will encourage them and support them as they learn and push themselves out of their comfort zones. They need adults who will provide structure, offer clear expectations, and hold them accountable. They need adults who will help them

to understand — and practice — what it means to have grit and show grace.

And they also need to encounter and embrace gratitude, the unspoken third word of the Westminster motto, as an essential component of their daily lives.

This is both a challenging and exhilarating moment for us on Williams Hill. It is a daunting task, and at times there seems to be so much seen and unseen conspiring against us, not the least of which is the terrific and terrible power of technology. And yet, we are absolutely prepared to meet these challenges; indeed, the value and manifestation of grit, grace and gratitude are the heart of our work, and our incredibly committed faculty and staff build and implement programs and experiences in classes, in dormitories and on the fields and stage purposefully designed to reinforce those values. We keep our doors and hearts open to students, and we don’t hesitate to walk into their rooms and engage them in conversation and reflection. We live with grit, grace and gratitude every day, and we pass on those lessons to our students. That has been the work of this school since its inception. That knowledge of the power of grit, grace and gratitude to counterbalance pusillanimity, arrogance and selfishness must have kept William Cushing’s fears at bay, and those of Pete Keyes or Don Werner or any other Westminster head of school. I am grateful to share in that inheritance. The dawn is bright here, and the day promising. We had best get to work.

With Grit, Grace &

Gratitude,

Elaine White Head of School

Visiting Speakers Inspire Students

Adversity can be a runway to success rather than a roadblock, motivational speaker Aaron Golub told students during a special presentation to the community Oct. 5.

Golub became the first legally blind athlete to play football in a Division I game when he was at Tulane University. He was a captain in his senior year and went on to become an NFL free agent.

He never let his limited vision get in the way of his success. In fact, it was because of his adversity that he succeeded in achieving his goal.

“I am a strong believer that things don’t happen to you; they happen for you,” Golub told the community. Through his grit, determination and effort, he earned a spot on the Tulane team as a long snapper, who snaps the ball on a punt or field goal kick.

He began playing football in seventh grade and his hard-won success, he said, underscores that it doesn’t matter what obstacles you face, or what others say about your chances, your goal is achievable with hard work and tuning out the judgment of others.

“What are the greatest adversities, challenges and obstacles you face on a daily basis?” he asked students.

“They are going to be different for every one of you. Each of us has challenges and they aren’t easier or harder than mine; they are just different and unique to you,” he said.

“But that’s where hard work and determination come in. When you are truly willing to find that goal, and go after that vision relentlessly, you can achieve anything you want,” he said.

“When you think about my adversity and my story, the common factor is gratitude and perspective. The challenges you are facing right now, they are there for a reason — for you to grow, for you to learn and for you to get better over time. It is okay if they are hard now, because they won’t always be, and if you look at them from a perspective of gratitude, life will get easier.

“I am so thankful and so grateful that I was born legally blind. It has allowed me to do incredible things, meet amazing people and to build the life and business I have today.”

During a special presentation Oct. 20, Maggie Doyne recounted how the journey from her suburban New Jersey home to a rural Himalayan village changed her life. Doyne is the founder of BlinkNow, a nonprofit that funded the construction of a children’s home, women’s center, health clinic and school in Nepal.

In 2005, Doyne took a gap year after graduating from high school to travel the world. She spent time volunteering at a children’s home in northern India, where a visit to a rural village in the Himalayas changed the trajectory of her life. There, she saw a young girl breaking rocks into gravel, which she sold to help support her family. Distraught by the situation, Doyne used her own money to pay for the girl’s school tuition, uniform and books so she could attend school. She later used $5,000 she had saved for college to buy a piece of land and open a children’s home in Nepal. That home became Kopila

Valley Children’s Home. The nonprofit she launched, the BlinkNow Foundation, funded the Kopila Valley School, which provides tuition-free education for more than 400 students.

Doyne’s recently published book, “Between the Mountain and the Sky: A Mother’s Story of Love, Loss, Healing and Hope,” underscores that the power to change the world exists within everyone.

Since founding BlinkNow, she has devoted her life caring for children in Nepal. In addition to being the mother of two children, she is legal guardian to more than four dozen children in Nepal. She urged students to find their own purpose in life, to follow their heart and to be careful not to chase someone else’s dream.

“Change is possible. You don’t have to go 8,000 miles away from where you live,” she told students. “You have the opportunity to be the drivers of the world. You can look for moments when it is appropriate to step in and act.”

Performing Arts Concerts

Students in the Dance Ensemble, Chamber Choir, Chorale, Concert Band and Jazz Band performed last spring and during Parents and Family Weekend this fall in the Werner Centennial Center.

Scan to watch a video of the Fall Performing Arts Concert.

Williams Hill Comes to Life During Opening Days

Opening Days began Sept.1 as a caravan of cars turned onto Williams Hill. Families were greeted by the smiling faces of Dean of Admissions Miles Bailey and Dean of Student Life A-men Rasheed, as well as members of the security team. When they reached the top of the Hill, the Prefect Board waved “Welcome Marlets” signs, rang cowbells and cheered them on as they drove past.

It was a seamless start to Westminster School’s 135th school year. The campus welcomed 435 students, a 5% increase from last year. Of the 435, 161 are new students. They hail from 26 states, including California, Idaho, Missouri, Texas, Vermont and Wyoming, as well as 19 countries, including Australia, Bermuda, Colombia, Liberia, Thailand and the United Kingdom.

Ten new faculty members starting this year include an economics and an architecture teacher and a mental health programming coordinator, as well as other new hires.

The student body is roughly 77% boarding, 23% day, 25% students of color and 14% international students. There are a total of 120 Sixth Formers, 112 Fifth Formers, 111 Fourth Formers and 92 Third Formers.

Students moved into their dorms in stages; by about 1 p.m. on Sept. 2, most of the new and returning boarders had hung up their clothes, made their beds and greeted new and returning day

students. There was time for a hike at nearby Penwood State Park or a visit to the grill in the Brockelman Student Center.

By late afternoon, students met with advisors and eventually attended a cookout and prepared for the all-school event, which took place Friday night and included kickball and an ice cream social. Saturday’s activities included trips to the local stores, games on the quad and a test of knowledge with school-wide trivia.

On Saturday, Sept. 3, Head of School Elaine White welcomed everyone to the assembly in Armstrong Atrium of Armour Academic Center. White explained that “Westminster taps a student to give the first address of the year to the entire school community. Not a faculty member, not the head of school. Students are at the core of our community, and your voices are powerful and strong. Use them well.”

In his address, Head Prefect Kade Smith echoed White’s message: “Attending Westminster isn’t like attending any other school. When you applied for a spot here, the admissions team reviewed your application and they saw your potential. Something captured the admissions office’s attention, and they knew you would improve our community in some measurable way.”

“This year, we will hear a great deal about belonging,” he continued. “One small idea with an enormous impact. Belonging is important, for many reasons. Seniors, it’s our job to pave the way

and make sure every student on campus feels like they belong in our community. I know when I arrived at Westy as a freshman, which seems like eons ago, I was petrified as anyone would be. Being new is uncomfortable, it’s nerve-wracking, it can be overwhelming. I was feeling exactly the same way so many of you are feeling right now — but fear not, we got you!”

During his Third Form year, then Head Prefect Scott Wilson ’19 would check up on him and a few other day students in the Gitterman Family Student Lounge. It was a simple, “Hey, what’s up?” or asking a question about classes or how the students were doing, but it made a big difference.

“Someone was checking in on me. Scoobi [Scott] extended himself. And with his small gesture, I knew that someone genuinely cared about me,” said Kade. “Now let’s multiply that gesture by 500-plus — including faculty — and imagine what we can create at Westminster. In the end, we are the sum of our parts, and I hope that returning students and faculty will all extend themselves. Kindness, gratitude and empathy are simply immeasurable and invaluable qualities we all contribute here. Be kind, be inclusive, help everyone belong in our community.”

After he made his remarks, it was time for the Pin Ceremony, which celebrates the Sixth Form. Former Head of School Graham

Cole began the practice as a way of recognizing the Sixth Form and emphasizing their responsibility as leaders to uphold the core values of character, community, involvement and balance. Sixth Formers wear their pins all year as a reminder of that responsibility.

Underformers are expected to commit themselves by living up to the community standards and embrace that commitment when they sign the school ledger, another tradition begun by Graham Cole, at the new student Sign-in Ceremony, which occurs in the chapel immediately following the pin ceremony.

The Sixth Form class designs its unique pin in the spring of their Fifth Form year. That design is also emblazoned on their Sixth Form flag, a practice begun by former Head of School Bill Philip. The flag then resides in the head of school’s office for the year, unless, of course, it is needed to call a Hill Holiday.

Scan to view a gallery of photos from Opening Days.

Building Belonging

For students, belonging is a nuanced and complex experience.

By Wendy Carlson

At Westminster, a sense of belonging is at the heart of the community, a place where every student has a voice and can express their authentic self in the classroom, on the athletic fields and in every corner of the campus.

But what does it mean to belong at Westminster? What does it look like? And how can Westminster support a sense of belonging in the school community?

Those questions became more relevant this fall, when “belonging” was selected as the theme for the academic year.

Broadly speaking, belonging at Westminster means that “every student, whether new or returning, feels that this is their school,” said Dean of Student Life A-men Rasheed.

“We want our students to recognize who they are, and to be comfortable in their own skin when expressing who they are.

“What makes this academic year different is how intentional we are as a whole school and how committed we are to this theme of belonging. We’re planning programming and experiences that promote belonging, because ultimately we need to be better about making students feel like they have a place, they have a voice and they’re valued,” he added.

The pandemic also disrupted campus life, weakening social bonds. “And this is something that happened everywhere, not just at Westminster,” Rasheed noted. “We lost a degree of interpersonal connection. One of the big things that we were adamant about as we planned for this school year was continuing the work in rebuilding our community.”

Before students arrived on campus this fall, the school developed initiatives aimed at fostering belonging and supporting community. Over the summer, members of the faculty and the administration worked to create social and emotional learning (SEL) programs for the academic year. The Deans Office, with the help of student leadership and some faculty, developed the Westminster Character Statement. The offices of Student Life and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and the Health Center focused on programs that serve the health and wellness of students and develop their character and leadership skills by partnering with the Anti-Defamation League, the National Alliance on Mental Illness and the YWCA. In addition, Student Activities Directors Mary Kennedy and Nick Cary designed and organized weekend programming for students centered around the theme of belonging.

Peer Leadership Training

The real game changers are the students who have taken a leading role in the effort. In late August, the Prefect Board and Peer Facilitators, or peer leaders, completed four days of intensive training with the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) to equip them with the skills they need to work with faculty and students in debriefing SEL programming — and for them to think deeply about what belonging at Westminster means to students.

“One of the first things that we asked our peer leaders to do was to lay the foundation of our goals for the school year,” said Rasheed. “Exploring this concept of belonging is one that students will revisit over the course of the school year. It is going to be the footprint of how we live in our dorms, how we coexist with each other and the community. And our day students need to be a part of that, as well, because they too are a vital part of these initiatives and our program.”

Left, students gather in the Armour Academic Center to sign up for student clubs. Above, right, student leaders attend a peer training session prior to Opening Days.

For students, belonging begins at orientation as they are welcomed into the community with the reassurance that they are fully appreciated, regardless of their identities, beliefs, culture and background.

Peer leaders, such as Beck Hanypsiak ’23, agreed that belonging is the best theme the school could have this academic year. “As a person who has often been left out, I never want that to happen to another student,” they said. “As facilitators, we have to solve conflicts, bring students together and make Westminster a safe place for all. The ADL training is really important for this in order to confront biases and preconceived notions that some students may have. We learned how to address these behaviors as well as how to respect all identities. The training really set the guidelines for how we should treat everyone and show them how their thinking might be hurtful to someone else.”

Emma Mason ’23 agreed that the training helps new students adjust to life at boarding school.

“The past few years have been turbulent,” she said. “It’s especially scary for new students for whom boarding school is a new experience. Belonging is an overarching umbrella word; it means comforting and welcoming.”

Wills Erda ’24 added that creating a sense of belonging on campus is especially necessary this year, in part, because of the political and social division in the country.

“It’s important that Westminster feels like a place where everyone is welcome. We need that in order for us as a community to grow,” he said. “Many of the issues that face Westminster are ones that I have never had firsthand experience with, so my knowledge of these problems is incomplete. I joined the ADL training program not just to help people, but also to first try to better understand the struggles that some in our community face.”

Kalilah Akbar ’23 remarked that the discussions that leaders facilitate have an impact on the entire school. “These conversations are going to help the school embody the idea of providing a space of belonging for everybody,” she said.

Peer leaders are responsible for “home groups,” in which student-led conversations and activities take place in smaller group settings. In home groups, peer leaders guide discussions about empathy, active listening, social justice issues, consent and belonging. They also support their peers in building agency, communication skills and partnership with the adults in the community, and work in partnership with corridor supervisors, form deans and the health center.

No Place for Hate

In September, the Anti-Defamation League instructors returned to campus to provide additional training for a group of 30 students, staff and faculty members who are charged with facilitating community activities aimed at building inclusivity and understanding with the goal of establishing Westminster as a “No Place for Hate” school. The national movement includes more than 1,800 participating schools that are committed to creating inclusive learning environments.

At the end of the year, the ADL will review what the school has accomplished. If it qualifies, Westminster will become an official “No Place for Hate” school, and the entire community will sign a pledge.

Above, Student Activities Directors Mary Kennedy and Nick Cary meet with students during Opening Days. On right, Westminster offers many clubs that promote mental and physical wellness.

This is just one part of a longer process as Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Devonna Hall P’25 noted. “It’s important for the community to understand that this work doesn’t end with accreditation,” she said. “We can’t say we’ve solved that problem and let’s move on. There’s always going to be a situation in which some students feel like they can’t be their true selves. And that

may come through in many ways, but I think we have to get to a place where we’re willing to change and do whatever we need to do to make every student feel like they have opportunities to have real, intentional conversations with people that aren’t necessarily from their friend group.”

Fostering a Sense of Belonging in the Dorms, Classrooms and Clubs

Rasheed and Hall serve on the faculty committee for “No Place for Hate,” but their roles also include overseeing student clubs and affinity groups and planning the school’s SEL objectives.

The year’s presentations by the National Alliance on Mental Illness, YWCA, Courage to Speak Foundation, and One Love are powerful ways to reach students, but a more personal and far-reaching goal is “to bring more social emotional learning into our corridors and into all facets of student life,” said Rasheed.

“Ideally, we will promote belonging in our classrooms as another way to help our students be themselves. They need to know who they are. They need to figure out who they are in everything that we do. And I think the more conjoined it is throughout the school, the better. In Dramat, for instance, we always practice inclusivity and belonging. And I think across the board in our visual and performing arts curriculum, it’s all about who you are as an individual and what you bring to the table.”

Westminster’s civic engagement courses, which teach students that they have an obligation to engage in their community, are another example of a curriculum that supports this effort.

Through civil discourse, students learn to listen, consider opposing views, and honor the conventions of courtesy and respect, which prepares them for discussion groups outside of the classroom and in the dorms.

Affinity groups play a major role in promoting inclusivity and celebrating diversity. At last summer’s mega reunion, Rasheed, Hall and other faculty met with many alumni of color and members of affinity groups during a roundtable discussion where they learned how far the school has come –– and has yet to go.

“Think of the affinity groups that we have now: the Black Affinity Group, Ladies of Color, HOLA for our Latinx students, Gender and Sexuality Alliance and others that did not exist for many alumni when they were students. Everyone in the

discussion group spoke of how grateful they were for their Westminster experience, but they also said it would have been so much more enhanced if they had those opportunities,” said Rasheed.

Student clubs strengthen community connections by celebrating identities, championing causes, sharing passions, and supporting mental and physical wellness. The aim of One Love Club, for example, is to encourage positive and healthy communication, said Tyler Watson ’23, a certified One Love Foundation ambassador. “I believe promoting healthy relationships are key to building a sense of belonging,” said Watson. “In One Love club,

work to increase awareness of how people communicate and build skills to improve dialogue, word choice and body language.”

Community Conversations, Chapel and the Dining Hall

Last fall, Hall launched Community Conversations to provide a space where all students could voice their concerns, experiences and share their identities openly.

“Essentially, everyone wants to feel like they belong. What that means is that whatever space they walk into, they can

we

“We’re planning programming and experiences that promote belonging because ultimately we need to be better about making people feel like they have a place; they have a voice and they’re valued.”

— A-men Rasheed Dean of Student Life

Student facilitators brainstorm during a peer training session last August.

bring their authentic selves. But what we learned last year is that some students weren’t comfortable sharing their identities openly,” said Hall. “I wanted to create an environment where our students can feel like they can share all parts of themselves, where they can just be themselves –– whatever that may look like. Community Conversations is one place that offers students who aren’t the leaders of the school an opportunity to stand up and use their voice.”

Chapel talks, a long tradition at Westminster, are another positive way to strengthen community by giving students or faculty members an opportunity to share their personal stories.

“Every student at Westminster has a beautiful story to tell,” said Shana Russell, chapel coordinator, associate director of college counseling and John Hay advisor. “Some are bold. Some are sad. Some are very funny, but they are all inspiring for our community. These stories bring us together and allow us to find commonality in differing experiences.”

Westminster also instills a sense of belonging through familystyle lunches, which take place four days a week and provide an opportunity for students and faculty to get to know one another and to engage in meaningful conversations. Campus events like stickball games, Hill Holidays, dorm feeds, and other school traditions further serve to build connections.

On and Off the Field, Belonging in Athletics

The whole premise of sports, whether team or individual, is predicated on the athlete feeling a sense of belonging when they train, practice or compete, according to Director of Athletics Timothy Joncas.

“Without it, athletes are detached from the greater good of the team, which limits the team’s potential significantly and consequently limits athletes’ personal growth and development within that sport,” he explained.

To that end, the athletic department partnered with coach and communication specialist Betsy Butterick, who will work with coaches and captains throughout the school year.

“Betsy is particularly excited about our theme of belonging as it relates to teams, coaches and athletes,” said Joncas.

With a background in athletics, Butterick offers an experiential approach toward learning and development to improve communication while strengthening relationships and working collaboratively to create positive change.

“Given that our teams are only selected at the start of their season, coaches and captains have a shorter window to bring everyone together. Betsy is going to help coaches and captains define what belonging entails to them and what they can do daily, weekly [and] monthly to ensure that all members of the team, from players to coaches, feel they have a space within the team and have a sense of belonging or connection to the team,” explained Joncas.

Belonging for International Students

“Many international parents drop their child off and may not be back on campus until the end of the year, and their interactions with the school are often through email and Zoom,” said Cara Hugabonne, director of international student programming.

This fall, she concentrated more on making parents and families feel like they’re part of the school community by increasing events in which they can participate remotely or in-person.

Girls’ Varsity Soccer team members wear “Everyone Belongs” t-shirts during practice.

The school expanded the Opening Days parents’ reception, which had previously been limited to day student families, to include international families. The following day, international students joined families on Keyes Porch; Westminster also has a dedicated day of orientation for international students.

“In addition to campus tours, there are discussion-based workshops on academics, mental and physical wellness and culture to illuminate as best we can the transition new students are making,” said Hugabonne.

In past years, Hugabonne’s role was more administrative. She made sure that international students had a place to stay during dorm closures and that they knew what to expect when they arrived at Westminster.

“And all of that work still continues, but we are shifting the programming to become less instructive and more discussion-based, because it’s just as important for these students to share what their own experiences have been,” she said.

In the past, there was a presumption that international students attended Westminster to “enrich the experience of the dominant boarding school culture by their mere presence on campus,” she said. “The way things have been reframed and better articulated in recent years is that we are really helping to guide the international program toward a much more inclusive direction so that these students are seen by all as the deserving, talented, multi-dimensional individuals they are.”

The International Student Organization also plays a role in helping international students feel included. Co-heads Oleh Atamaniuk ’23, from Ukraine, Chiamaka Kanu ’23, from Nigeria, and Annie Kim ’23, from South Korea, are creating opportunities that amplify the voices of their international peers.

“Since so much of our sense of belonging starts with sharing our stories, we are currently planning a Culture Night series to give interested students a platform for sharing aspects of their home country and culture to the community whether through food, film, music, history, current events or their personal stories,” said Hugabonne.

Looking Forward, Preparing Students for the Future

Adolescence is a time of self-discovery and of coming to terms with the social and emotional challenges that students will face in the wider world. Understanding and learning about the differences in

opinions, viewpoints, and beliefs help students build the skills they will need to navigate life after graduation.

One of the life lessons students will take away from their time on the Hill when they graduate, attend college and enter the workforce is how to address issues, conflicts and uncomfortable situations. Understanding what it feels like to actively belong in a community helps students gain the agency and autonomy they will need to carry their voices into adulthood.

“A sense of belonging, of being comfortable in one’s own skin, is something that we’ll always be focusing on at Westminster,” Hall said. “It is something we’re going to build into the fabric of this school.”

“It’s our goal as educators,” Rasheed added, “to equip students for the larger world, and give them the confidence to partake and engage in it.”

Dean of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Devonna Hall P’25 (on left) and Dean of Student Life A-men Rasheed have central roles in fostering belonging.

Student leaders are the game changers in promoting belonging on campus.

Kaitlyn McQueeney ’24 works one-on-one with a Horizons student.

Volunteers Get as Much as They Give

Horizons at Westminster allows students to develop their leadership skills by fulfilling a goal of service beyond self.

By Wendy Carlson

Lauren Valenti ’22 was shepherding a group of Horizons fifth graders in the science wing of the Armour Academic Center one afternoon last summer when a trio of boys made a beeline for the fish tank. Before they had time to dip their hands into the tank, Lauren was on it, steering them back into line.

Last summer was Lauren’s second year working with Horizons at Westminster, and she echoed what many of her peers have said about volunteering. Despite how hectic it can get, she finds the challenges rewarding. One day she might be playing kickball with the young students; another day she might be helping them with a math problem or learning a hip hop dance along with them. Most of all, she has come to appreciate the impact the program has on Horizon students from one year to the next.

“When the first graders arrive, they rely a lot on volunteers for guidance. But by the time they are fifth graders, they are more interested in having conversations, they’re more independent and they can be a handful,” said Lauren, who started her freshman year at Fairfield University this fall.

She and her twin sister, Lindsay ’22, are two of 30 Westminster students who volunteered with Horizons at Westminster last summer, fulfilling a goal of the school’s mission statement to live “a life of service beyond self.”

Horizons at Westminster started in 2018 and is part of a national network of K-8, tuition-free summer enrichment programs that serves students from under-resourced communities on more than 63 independent school, college and university campuses across the country. The program has developed a unique partnership with Moylan Elementary School in Hartford, offering students a comprehensive experiential-learning sixweek curriculum that focuses on literacy, STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art and math) and social emotional learning (SEL). Last summer, Horizons at Westminster marked its

“If you ask a Horizons student what their favorite part of the program is, sometimes they will say swimming, sometimes food, sometimes theater or dance, but every single one of them will say it is the volunteers.”

— Kathleen Devaney Executive Director of Horizons at Westminster

Morgan Curtis ’24 helps students solve math problems.

fifth anniversary with an enrollment of 75 Hartford elementary students from first to fifth grade. Next summer, the program will reach a milestone when fifth grade students return as sixth graders, and the program expands to include middle schoolers. By 2025, the program will have reached its maturity, serving 120 students in grades one through eight.

Classroom sizes are small, usually 15 students, and are taught by Hartford teachers. But Westminster staff, faculty and especially student volunteers play a huge role in the program’s success. They not only serve as a bridge between the Horizons students and their teachers; they teach them respect, responsibility, compassion and empathy for others.

“And they help bring it to life; without them we could not deliver the quality

Emmett de Kanter ’19 enjoys circle time with his students.

program that we do,” said Kathleen Devaney, who has served as the executive director of Horizons at Westminster since its inception. “If you ask a Horizons student what their favorite part of the program is, sometimes they will say swimming, sometimes food, sometimes theater or dance, but every single one of them will say it is the volunteers. They absolutely love them. And the volunteers love them.”

It is a two-way street, with student volunteers benefiting as much as their charges.

“Westminster student volunteers have learned and grown alongside the Horizons students,” said Devaney. “They develop lesson plans, help Horizons students learn to swim and create science labs, master an academic subject well enough to teach it, shore up their water-safety skills and hone their own STEAM skills of problem-solving, critical thinking and communication. This strong partnership has served as an important catalyst and incubator for Westminster students in their growing commitment to service.”

The experience can be transformative for Westminster students, helping them to widen their global perspectives, deepen their habit of service and develop an essential understanding of the structural inequalities that plague under-resourced communities, she continued.

Adrienne Hall ’25 experienced that as a first-time volunteer last summer. “What I like about the Horizons program is that it offers kids an environment to do things they may have never done before,” she said. “So some of them have never been in a pool, climbed a mountain or been in a beautiful building like Armour Academic Center, and I find it rewarding being able to share those new experiences with them.”

Tommy Cramer ’23 enjoys a joke with his students during lunch.

An older Horizons student helps a newcomer during breakfast, where students enjoy socializing with peers and volunteers.

David Suit ’24 learned about the opportunity to volunteer over the summer through the Horizons Student Club, which invites Horizons at Westminster students to campus for three Saturday academies a year.

Initially, Suit saw volunteering as a simple way to give back to the community. He wasn’t expecting to receive anything in return. But he found the experience has given him leadership skills and an ability to collaborate, which he thinks will be useful when he attends college to study pre-med. “A lot of the colleges I visited for pre-med emphasized the importance of collaboration,” he explained. “My goal is to be a surgeon, so collaboration is key when you are in an operating room.”

Harrison Lehman ’21 has been volunteering since the program’s inception. Last summer, Lehman, a sophomore at the University of Richmond, found the experience as a third grade teacher’s assistant so rewarding that he is now considering a career in education.

“I think my future has to be working within a community, and building a strong community starts with our youth,” he said.

Lehman has seen how Horizons students have progressed from year to year — not just academically, but socially as well.

“We do academic testing and you see their performance improve. But that doesn’t tell the whole story. I’ve seen these kids blossom from little first graders into great young adults. They have grown exponentially socially, and their confidence has soared.”

For his part, Lehman said it is the small achievements in the classroom that he finds most rewarding.

“One minute students might be struggling to understand long division, then suddenly a light bulb goes on and they get it. They have the confidence to do it on their own. It’s those kinds of small victories,” he said, “that are the most fulfilling.”

Scan to watch a video about Horizons at Westminster.

Lauren Valenti ’22 finds Horizons students become more engaged each year they return.

When Equals Art

By Wendy Carlson

Can math be beautiful?

Students in AP Calculus classes put that question to the test last spring by turning mathematical equations into works of art.

Math teacher Peter Doucette was looking for a two-week project to occupy his students after they completed their AP exams at the end of last term.

He landed on the idea of asking his students to use algebraic curves to design three-dimensional solids that could be created with a laser cutter.

In calculus, students often find it challenging to visualize 3-D objects, particularly when calculating volume, he explained. So with architecture teacher Rebeccah Tuscano-Moss, he developed a project to help students have fun with calculus and learn that it can be a creative endeavor at the same time.

“In the process of designing their objects, they saw that math can be hands-on and far less abstract –– and it can be art,” said Doucette.

where they are asked to calculate the volume of solid objects. The students learn two ways it can be done, Doucette said. One is taking a region in the plane and revolving it around an axis to calculate volume; another is to take the cross-sectional area of an object and integrate it over an interval.

Students were able to create the physical model of their solids in the architecture studio by slicing the volume into one-eighth-inch sections, drawing them proportionally with a 2-D software application called AutoCAD, then laser cutting each section out of plywood. Finally, they assembled and glued the pieces into their respective shapes.

By the end of the project, the class had produced a group of sculptural objects in which no two were exactly alike. Some resembled vessels, pyramids, spiral doughnuts or towers; others defied description.

– Math teacher Peter Doucette

Hands-on projects that involve practical applications help to foster students’ spatial skills and comprehension of the connection between mathematics and architecture, explained Tuscano-Moss.

Each spring term, AP Calculus students complete a unit

The project also introduced students to real-world applications in architecture. Jacob Osborn ’21 designed a two-inch tall object that was inspired by the Crescent Moon Tower in Dubai. The design, a down-turned half-moon, symbolizes the Islamic insignia of a crescent moon, which when built will be one of the tallest skyscrapers in Dubai.

“This spring, we are planning a more complete project that shows students initial drawings of the objects, the mathematical dimensions, and finally the solid object. We may even create objects in plexiglass so the curves are visible.”

A quirky geometric-shaped hourglass was the work of Maris Cathcart ’23. Her favorite part of this project was finally seeing how the calculus that she was learning throughout the year could create her one-of-a-kind object.

John Li ’23 enjoyed the process of synthesizing mathematical generation and artistic expression — and deriving a physical object out of pure theory.

His detailed description captures the complexity of the process: “My object was generated by a fixed cross section scanned across a predetermined path. The scanning path was generated by different degrees of the Taylor polynomial of the hyperbolic sine function, and the shape of the solid generated revealed the divergence of different degrees of Taylor polynomials out of the interval of convergence.”

Annie Kim ’23 said the project helped her to better visualize some of the topics that she learned throughout the year. “For example, I used two trig equations, each varied by its period (width) and amplitude (height) and let them intersect each other to create an area between point A & B. Then, I rotated that area around the x-axis, creating a solid with a hole in the middle. Mrs. T helped me to put in the coordinates on AutoCAD and the next day I received a model divided into 19 plates, which I glued together to create a single piece.”

“It was something different from our usual classwork, where we primarily focused on preparing for the AP exam. It required us to use certain parts of the course in real life, and I thought it was a great opportunity for us to wrap up the year,” she added.

Both instructors plan to expand on the project this spring.

AP Calculus students will learn how to create more complex, representative volumes that go beyond the common pyramid or cloister vault. They will ultimately be able to produce architectural

(At top) Students in AP Calculus completed a project last year turning math equations into objects using a laser cutter. (Above) Annie Kim ’23 said the project helped her visualize what she learned during the year. On right, she used the app GeoGebra to graph her designs.

structures like the Heydar Aliyev Center by Iraqi-British architect Zaha Hadid. The Center is a building complex in Baku, Azerbaijan, noted for its distinctive architecture and flowing, curved style that eschews sharp angles.

“This spring, we are planning a more complete project that shows students initial drawings of the objects, the mathematical dimensions, and finally the solid object. We may even create objects in plexiglass so the curves are visible,” said Doucette.

In the math wing, creative classroom projects like this work to seed opportunities for Westminster students to express their

thinking creatively and differently, opening doors to engagement, wonder, beauty –– and, of course, art.

It can also be an inspiration for teachers. For Doucette, the project fulfilled a dream he has had for a while. “Working with Ms. Tuscano-Moss made it come to fruition. Her passion for the project and willingness to help students made it all possible,” he noted.

“Calculus is always abstract when we teach it, but this project made it more concrete. It becomes something tangible that students can hold in their hands.”

FROM THE SIDELINES: Spring Season Highlights

Boys’ Varsity Baseball

It was a banner year for Boys’ Varsity Baseball. Head Coach Tyler Wosleger led the team to a 14-5 record and a second-place finish in the Founders League. The year started with a spring break trip to Vero Beach, Fla., where the Marlets played four games, practiced daily and attended a Division I college game. Once the boys were up north, they lost in their opener, on a cold day, to Kingswood Oxford before reeling off seven straight wins. During the streak, the boys beat Avon Old Farms, Loomis Chaffee and Williston in their final at-bats. After getting to 7-1, the Martlets went 7-4 over their final 11 games to finish the year.

Highlights from the regular season included sweeping Loomis Chaffee and beating every team in the league at least once. The boys secured the No. 2 seed in the first annual Founders League Tournament and hosted Avon Old Farms on a warm day in May. The boys did not play their best that day and ultimately fell before rebounding to finish the year with a win over Kingswood Oxford. The Class of 2022 has changed the culture of the

baseball program, and returning players and future Martlets will expect to win and contend for the league championship. Tyler Gutsfeld ’22 was named to the AllLeague first team, Rowan Masse ’23 made the second team as a shortstop and Jake Pisano ’22 and Easton Masse ’25 were named honorable mention. Four members from the Class of 2022 have gone on to play college baseball.

Girls’ Varsity Softball

Determination and spirit characterized Girls’ Varsity Softball last spring. The team had a very successful season, achieving a record of 12-6 and advancing to the semifinal round of the Class A Western New England Tournament. Led by the outstanding play of Cammi Ahern ’22 and the pitching talent of Marleigh Monroe ’24, the Martlets finished the season winning five of their last six games. Highlights included a 5-0 victory over Loomis in the New England quarterfinal contest. Mia Magriz ’25 excelled behind the plate, while

Tyler Gutsfeld ’22

Annabel Brawn ’23

Ahern, Hailey Tullo ’23, Catie McGuigan ’23 and Olivia Gordon ’24 were especially strong in the field. Monroe, Magriz and Emily Ginter ’24 provided power hitting in a talented Martlet lineup. During the 5-4 tournament semifinal contest against Choate, Westminster showed grit and determination by scoring three runs in the final inning and fell just short of advancing to the New England final. The coaches were extremely proud of the team’s effort and achievements. Special recognition went to Marleigh Monroe ’24 and Mia Magriz ’25, who were each selected for the All Star Team and were also named All-League in Western New England. Team captains made strong contributions at the plate and in the field. The players and coaches will miss the seniors but look forward to another very promising season with a fine returning group in 2023.

Girls’ Varsity Track and Field

Girls’ Varsity Track and Field displayed true grit and grace last spring. After the first meet of the season, the team was often outnumbered by competing teams, and it had to pull together and work extra hard during competitions. But the Martlets forged ahead, persevered and emerged victorious on several occasions. In particular, the team was

successful in setting many personal records each week: Elysse Cumberland ’24 broke the 200-meter dash record; Blessing Kieh ’24 broke the 100-meter dash and 300-meter hurdle records, and the team of Priscilla Ameyaw ’22, Blessing, Adrienne Hall ’25 and Cumberland broke the 4x100-meter relay record twice. After a solid season, the team looks forward to building on its success in the coming year.

Boys’ Varsity Track and Field

The Boys’ Varsity Track and Field went into every meet last spring at a numbers disadvantage. The limited number of team members hampered its ability to claim victory in many meets, but it did not impact the team’s commitment or drive in the field and on the track. Additionally, the team set multiple personal records and had good showings at the Founders League Championship and the New England Championship. Gabe Mays-Sanchez ’23, Oliver Fenner ’22 and Ronaldo Fatolou ’24 each placed in the top six of their events at the Division II Championships. Despite fewer athletes, the team worked together and competed hard, which set it up for a good start for the next season.

Girls’ Varsity Tennis

Last spring marked the first regular season for Girls’ Varsity Tennis in three years. The Martlets worked on rebuilding their strength with a goal toward reaching their strong pre-COVID season standing. Led by Sixth Formers Mae Cilmi ’22 and Elise Strawbridge ’22, the younger team members learned a lot about their strengths and weaknesses over the course of the season. The girls improved their movement and learned to become aggressive at the net. Several close matches could have gone either way, but in most cases the win went to the opponents. Nonetheless, the team fought hard from the beginning of the season to the end and had fun competing. With its talent and energy, the team’s future looks bright for next season. Sixth Formers Mae Cilmi, Elise Strawbridge, Eliza Breen, Olivia Olney and Margot Douglass will be greatly missed.

Boys’ Varsity Tennis

Boys’ Varsity Tennis kicked off with renewed energy and passion, bolstered by the addition of younger and newer students. Co-captain Keegan Bankoff ’22 was the only Sixth Former, with four of the top six singles positions on the team held by Fourth Formers for most of the season.

Blessing Kieh ’24

Gabe Mays-Sanchez ’23

The squad worked through hard practices and matches against strong teams, which included contests against Choate, Hotchkiss and the two-day Kingswood Oxford Invitational. Beyond the goal of finishing the year with a winning record, another goal was winning a majority of “50-50” matchups, ones in which the team played against opponents relatively equal in skill. Westminster finished 3-1 in these matches, beating Kingswood Oxford, Pomfret and Avon Old Farms.

Matches against Berkshire, Kent, Salisbury and Williston could have easily gotten away from the team, but the young group of players became experts at closing at the first opportunity, which in tennis, especially, is easier said than done. As a result, the team earned a 10-win season for the first time in recent memory. Alex Chen ’24, Will Whiting ’24, Logan Sun ’24, David Suit ’24, Jay Henry ’23, Oliver Hocking ’23 and Keegan Bankoff ’22 played a role in laying the groundwork for the

varsity tennis team to become a consistently strong program. Co-captains Henry and Hocking will help lead the charge forward in the 2023 season.

Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse

Hard work, accountability and trust were the core values of Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse in the 2022 season. The team applied these values in its practices and games and off the field throughout the season. Highlights of the season included a strong team performance against rival Deerfield in the annual LBC Bowl Game honoring former coach Lindsay Crosby. Although the Martlets lost the game by one point, the trust and level of lacrosse played as a team on all ends of the field was exceptional. Captains Nina Ahl ’22, Caroline Pratt ’22 and Margaret Sadak ’22 led the team to the inaugural Founders League Tournament, where the top four teams in the league competed for the title of Founders League champions. Due to COVID-related cancellations, it was the first lacrosse season for Sixth Formers since their Third Form year, and for some seniors, it was their first and only full season as a Martlet. Many underformers made a huge contribution during the season: Olivia Fernandez ’23 led the team in goals, Mariama Camara ’23 led the team in assists and goalie Elizabeth Symonds ’23 was stellar

Emily Ginter ’24

Olivia Fernandez ’23

Will Whiting ’24

in the goal all season. Fourth Formers Margee Mahoney ’24 and Olivia Emerson ’24 made a significant impact for the Black and Gold on the draw circle, and Fifth Formers Ruthie Haims ’23 and Ava Lynch ’23 were consistent all season on the defensive end of the field. The Martlets will welcome back a strong group of players for the 2023 season and are looking to make another run for the Founders League title.

Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse

Last spring was the highly anticipated return to “normal” for the Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse team. The season started with the team’s first spring break trip since 2019. The team traveled to Philadelphia in early March for a training camp, where they worked with a wellestablished group called NXT, which hosts camps, tournaments and recruiting events.

The season started quickly as the team took on perennial powerhouse Georgetown Prep just days after returning from break. Prep was one of five top 15 programs the team played, including Deerfield, which ended its season ranked No. 1 in the country. The team also competed in the first Founders League Tournament.

Although the season was full of ups and downs — big wins, tough losses, injuries and plenty of inspiring performances — Sixth Formers were strong leaders and created a fantastic culture going forward.

Captain Cooper Kistler ’22 received AllFounders League and All-New England West I Honors. Co-Captain Jeremy Hopsicker ’22 also received All-Founders League and All-New England West I Honors and led all players in goals, assists and points.

Girls’ Varsity Golf

Girls’ Varsity Golf had another strong campaign during this past spring, battling inclement weather on many days. Led by veteran co-captains Bennett Ghriskey ’22 and Ellie Cramer ’22, along with Sixth Formers Shelby Oken ’23, Hannah Schuler ’23 and Margaret Kennedy ’23, this group had high expectations and committed to achieving them. Setting a positive and inclusive tone early, team members enjoyed developing their skills and being together while readying themselves for competitive matches in the Founders League. With a host of new players, including three skilled and ambitious Third Formers, the Martlets were highly competitive in every match. Highlights included some wonderful back and forth matches with rival Loomis, as well as tight contests with the perennial powerhouses of Taft and Hotchkiss. Along the way, the girls befriended familiar opponents throughout the season, while playing hard and enjoying Founders League golf. Even with the departure of strong Sixth Form athletes,

the returning Martlets are a skilled group, prepared and ready to compete once again next season.

Boys’ Varsity Golf

Boys’ Varsity Golf enjoyed a wonderful spring season as the team returned to a full schedule of competition for the first time since 2019. The team finished the season with a solid 10-10 record in regular season matches, including a big win over Kent, Kingswood Oxford and Loomis with a score of 203 at the challenging Bulls Bridge golf course. The team also played well in the 23-team Kingswood Oxford Invitational Tournament, earning an 11th place finish with a score of 405 that included all five players shooting in the low 80s. The junior varsity team also had a very strong season, finishing with an 11- 4 record in their matches, highlighted by a big win over Choate and Hotchkiss with a score of 211 at Hotchkiss.

Although the program lost nine Sixth Formers to graduation, the team has a strong nucleus for the spring 2023 season. Returning players include Ethan Cramer ’23, voted most valuable player, along with varsity members Ryan Flam ’23, George Hartmann ’23, Brian Judge ’24 and Will McCarthy ’25.

Cindion Huang ’25

Brian Judge ’24

Kade Smith ’23

Olé! Soccer Teams Travel to Spain

Westminster boys’ and girls’ soccer headed to Barcelona, Spain, for a special preseason trip last August. The Martlets spent nine days in Spain, where soccer –– or fútbol as it is called –– reigns supreme. The teams watched the country’s top professional players compete in a La Liga match held in a world-class stadium. The teams also visited historic landmarks, trained at local facilities and made new friends with players on the club teams they competed against.

The girls’ team, coming off a 14-3 season last fall, played four matches and finished the trip by winning a round robin event. It was a great opportunity for new players to bond with returning players before the team headed into the regular season. The boys’ team, coming off last fall’s 13-4-3 season in which they finished as New England Class B runner-up, were able to play three matches and get in several training sessions over the nine days. Players on both teams honed their skills and gained confidence on the field.

Girls’ co-captain Jillian Gregorski ’24 found playing soccer in Spain was a completely different experience. “The Spanish team’s style of play is very technical, whereas the United States is known for being very physical. It was great to experience it because I want to try to implement the things they did well into my game,” she said.

“The players, coaches and fans all take fútbol very seriously and for many it is a big part of their life,” she added.

Other highlights of the trip included visiting La Sagrada Familia, touring Camp Nou and taking a guided tour of the city of Tarragona. The student-athletes and coaches stayed in Calafell, where they had the opportunity to take a dip in the Mediterranean and visit seaside shops and cafes.

The teams returned Aug. 23 and enjoyed a few days off before heading back to campus to officially begin the fall season.

Scan to watch a video of the trip.

The Class of 2022 Celebrates Commencement

The forecast called for a torrential downpour, but clear skies prevailed for Westminster’s 134th graduation held May 28 on Commencement Lawn.

In her opening remarks, Head of School Elaine White welcomed the 123 members of the Class of 2022 and reminded them to share their gratitude for those who have made the day possible with their love, support and guidance, including parents, family members, trustees, faculty and staff members.

Head Prefect Cooper Kistler, who led the commencement procession, felt bittersweet about the day: “It’s just crazy to think my journey here is coming to an end, but I am also really excited to be sharing all the precious moments leading up to graduation with my classmates,” he said.

Salutatory Address

Following White’s remarks, Cooper recapped the Class of 2022’s journey in his Salutatory Address, beginning with their Third Form year, when, he said, “We all went from having braces when we arrived to meeting people from all over the world and expanding our social circle.”

He described how, by Fourth Form year, just as members of the class were beginning to develop their own sense of independence, it was curtailed with the arrival of the pandemic. “Between quarantine every time we returned to campus and social distancing all the time, our junior year was far from normal,” he said.

A sense of normalcy returned in the Sixth Form year. Over the past four years, the “class created a legacy that matters through relations and individual memories,” Cooper continued.

Sung Min Cho ’22, Outstanding Scholar

Head Prefect Cooper Kistler and Junior Prefect Bella Tawney

He also talked about how during the school year, he ended every Monday assembly with the phrase “dare to be great,” a call to action for students to strive to be their best selves.

Cooper adopted the adage from Will Rizzo ’21, the previous head prefect, who advised him on his new role as head prefect and told him to “dare to be great.”

“That four-word quote stuck with me,” said Cooper. “I thought it was the perfect way to start each week. By being great, you are constantly pushing yourself to change and develop over time.” He urged his classmates to carry the motto with them as they depart Westminster and embark on their next journey.

Outstanding Scholar Address

With humor and wit, Sung Min Cho ’22 delivered the Outstanding Scholar Address, poking fun at his own sloppy handwriting and poor note taking, which he said led to some of his best scholarly exploration.

“Excellent handwriting and note taking are essentially feats of inefficiency,” said Sung. “A popular idea is that if you improve either, you become a better student, and you’re able to do more in less time.”

In his view, the world is always asking everyone to optimize. But speeding along faster and faster doesn’t always lead to the best results.

“My very best thoughts were born out of deliberate inefficiency; my best growth came when I was browsing

leisurely and taking too much time,” he said. “Do our ideas improve just because we write faster? Do we discover the greatest solutions to our greatest problems racing against the clock?”

He added: “Those who can carve pockets of inefficiency into the inherently efficient schedules at Westminster are those among us who find the most growth and success. They balance the worldly expectation for speed with the natural slowness and unpredictability of the creative process.”

He told his classmates to find their own balance, adding wryly: “Treasure inefficiency because no one else will treasure it for you. Let the world spin and spin itself in insanity — but you stay grounded and wise.”

Keynote Address

The address by keynote speaker Martha Debayle, stepmother of Juan Garibay ’20, Andres Garibay and Matteo Garibay ’25, culminated a year of celebrating the 50th anniversary of coeducation at Westminster.

Debayle is one of the most influential voices in Mexico, an entrepreneur, a broadcast media mogul and personal lifestyle brand. “Apparently, I am a superbrand,” she joked. “I am not sure what that means, I think it’s like Oprah, except Latin, and I only wish I could be giving you all a free car!”

The president and founder of The Media Marketing Knowledge Group, which holds four brands, Debayle has received multiple awards for her work promoting women’s empowerment.

In her address, she told her story of struggling to become successful in broadcasting, and she urged students to start making their own mark in the world. “This is it; you’re in control,” she said. “You’re in charge of your life.”

She told the graduates that regardless of the challenges they will have to face in the world, they have a precious opportunity: a chance to write their own magnificent story. “And there is no greater gift in life than time and a blank page,” she said. “Your story is not even going to be typewritten; it will be scrawled out in your own, uneven, messy handwriting that is probably only legible to you.”

In that spirit, she gave each student a parting gift, a special Class of 2022 pencil with the inscribed words, “You are the author of your own story.”

“Whether it turns out you’re a child prodigy or a late bloomer like me, if you mess up, just erase it and keep going,” she concluded. “But don’t stop writing.”

Keynote Speaker Martha Debayle P’20, ’25

Awarding of Diplomas, Closing Remarks and Diploma Passing

Head of School White and Chair of the Board of Trustees Brad Raymond ’85, P’19, ’20, ’24, ’24 presented diplomas to members of the class.

In her closing remarks, Head of School White congratulated the Class of 2022, saying, “You are officially alumni, and while you will venture far and wide on your journey, please know that you always have a home on Williams Hill.”

Following the ceremony, the graduates participated in the Westminster tradition of passing their diplomas on the Sixth Form Lawn. They formed a circle and passed the random diplomas they received during the commencement ceremony until they received their own diploma. They then stepped out of the circle, signifying their graduation.

View more photos of commencement weekend on our Flickr account.

Student Prizes

Ganzenmuller-Buckey Award is given to the student who contributed the most to Admissions at Westminster. Sawyer Von Jess ’22

Outstanding Community Service Award is presented to a student who demonstrates extraordinary commitment and service to our community. Isabella Mattson ’22

Horizons at Westminster Award for service was presented to: Keegan Bankoff ’22 and Samantha de Kanter ’22

Edward Scull Jr. ’71 Award for Excellence in Architecture

Richard Mugler IV ’22 and Isaac Mullen ’22

Cowing Art Award Bennett Ghriskey’22

The Gretchen Hupfel ’82 Art Prize Priscilla Ameyaw ’22

Excellence in Dance Titiana Restrepo ’22

The following student prizes were awarded:

J. Lawrence Gilman Award for Achievement in Music and Participation in Musical Activities Ashlyn Clapprood ’22 and Molly Rubin ’22

Lewis J. Powers Photography Award Elizabeth Cramer ’22 and Tyler Gutsfeld ’22

Dramatic Award for Service and Leadership in Theater Olivia Olney ’22 and Ariel Seidu ’22

Critchell Rimington Creative Writing Award Lara Connor ’22

Gordon McKinley Award for Excellence in English Sung Min Cho ’22

Peter Briggs Prize for Excellence in Economics Sung Min Cho ’22

Class of 1941 Peter Mars Memorial History Prize Sung Min Cho ’22

Burdett Prize for Excellence in the Study of French Kristina Oganyan ’22

Moncada Prize for Excellence in Spanish Lillian Marvin ’22

Kevin Kwok-Fun Chau ’79 Prize for Excellence in Chinese Christian Yalda ’22

The Richard P. Hopley Excellence in Latin Prize Samuel Obeng ’22

Joyce Wilson Prize for Excellence in Mathematics Serin Lee’22

Excellence in Physics Isaac Mullen ’22

Excellence in Science Isaac Mullen ’22

Adams Bowl

This award is presented to a member of the Fourth Form who best embodies the qualities of Richard and Barbara Adams, who gave devoted service to Westminster for over 40 years, showing outstanding personal qualities and concern for the community and unwavering dedication to students. Barbara served on the faculty from 1995-2011, and Dick served on the faculty from 1970-2013.

Wills Erda ’24

Wilbraham Bowl

This award is given to a member of the Fifth Form who best embodies the qualities of Geoffrey Wilbraham, who gave distinguished and loyal service to Westminster from 19581994: high personal standards, consistent respect for others, unswerving commitment to the common good, steady insistence on fair play and abiding human decency.

Magdelaine McCarthy ’23

Richard K. LeBlond II Honor Award

This award is given annually to a member of the Sixth Form who exemplifies dedication to academics and loyalty to the school.

Shelby Shaw Oken ’22

Brian T. Bruyette ’77 Senior Athletic Award

This award is given annually to the Sixth Form boy and girl who best exemplify excellence in athletics and who contributed to the character of the team. It is given in memory of Brian T. Bruyette ’77, who in his enthusiasm, sportsmanship, effort and skills, represented all that is best in this school.

Max Larock ’22 and Margaret Sadak ’22

Faculty Awards

The Swayze Award

Presented annually in honor of distinguished alumnus, trustee and former chair of the Board of Trustees Townsend Swayze ’55, this award is given to a member of the faculty for outstanding contributions to leading the school.

Charles Griffith P’11, ’14, ’17

The O’Brien Award

Paul Winship ’35 Alumni Book Prize

This book prize is awarded to a Sixth Former who has made an unusual commitment in both breadth and depth to the school’s programs and activities.

Priscilla Ameyaw ’22

Outstanding Scholar Award

This award is presented to the Sixth Former who, in the opinion of the faculty, is the outstanding scholar of the class. The award is not necessarily determined by rank in class but is based, rather, on the attributes of the true scholar: curiosity, imagination, power to associate new observations with prior experience, thoroughness, appetite for ideas rather than for grades as an end in themselves and the ability to move easily in the realm of concepts.

Sung Min Cho ’22

Keyes Bowl

Established by the Class of 1966 and recognized as the school’s most prestigious commencement award, the Keyes Bowl is presented annually to a member of the Sixth Form and recognizes the qualities of loyalty, courage, leadership and humility.

Sawyer Von Jess ’22

Butler Bowl

The faculty presents this award to a member of the Third Form for character and leadership.

Charles Genung ’25

This award is presented annually in honor of Marianna and Junie O’Brien P’81, who devoted their lives in service to young people and to schools. It recognizes a member of the faculty who has, over the course of the year, been especially selfless and generous with time and care in the nurture and support of students and whose extraordinary, ongoing personal commitment to young people sets an example to the Westminster community.

Amy Stevens P’07, ’09, ’12

Service Pin Jane Toner P’21

Twenty-Year

With Much Fanfare, the Lawn Ceremony Ushers in the Class of 2023

Martlets from the Fifth and Sixth Forms gathered the evening before commencement for the annual Lawn Ceremony. In this long-standing Westminster tradition, members of the graduating class individually invite Fifth Formers onto the Sixth Form Lawn, signifying that members of the Class of 2023 are now leaders of the school. The ceremony reaches a crescendo when the Sixth Form Prefect Board members escort new board members onto the lawn, often carrying them aloft.

This year’s Prefect Board members are Oleh Atamaniuk, Ava Beckford, Oliver Hocking, Ryan Jainchill, Maggie McCarthy, Tia MacDonald, Gabe Mays-Sanchez, Josh Mason, Catherine Rodrigues and Wade Volo. Kade Smith, a day student from Simsbury, was named the Head Prefect and Emma Mason, a day student from Canton, Conn., was named the Junior Prefect. Retired photography teacher Jane Toner was named an honorary member of the Class of 2022.

Cammi Ahern

Endicott College

Nina Ahl

Middlebury College

Priscilla Ameyaw Connecticut College

Emma Audi St. Lawrence University

Junyoung Bak Syracuse University

Keegan Bankoff

Santa Clara University

Victor Barakett Jr. Hockey

Peter Barrett The University of the South

Aldiyar Beisenov Syracuse University

James Beit Georgetown University

Tsheann Benjamin Boston College

Eliza Breen

Southern Methodist University

James Breen

United States Air Force Academy

Justin Chaput Jr. Hockey

Sung Min Cho

Brown University

Mason Cilmi

Wake Forest University

John Clofine

Loyola Marymount University

Caroline Cochener William & Mary

Lara Connor Georgetown University

Michaela CrabtreeCrowley

Tulane University of Louisiana

Elizabeth Cramer Union College

Grace Cristini University of Richmond Earle Cutler University of Richmond

Sofia Daniele George Washington University

Jackson Davies Oberlin College

Samantha de Kanter Boston College

Luca de Sanctis University of Denver

Kara Dominick St. Lawrence University

Tyler Donegan Providence College

Ellen Dorrian Villanova University

Margot Douglass University of St. Andrews

Alexa Dwyer

Southern Methodist University

Benjamin Fenner Gap Year

Oliver Fenner

The University of Texas at Austin

Thomas Feroleto Purdue University

Class of 2022 Matriculation

John Oliver Frantzis

University of Denver

Alexander Gardner Chapman University

Bennett Ghriskey Southern Methodist University

Arin Goldberg Syracuse University

Tyler Gutsfield Illinois Institute of Technology

Taylor Hill Tufts University

Luke Holyfield Jr. Hockey Yufei Hong

Carnegie Mellon University

Jeremy Hopsicker University of Notre Dame

Kayla Ireland Western New England University

Amelia Jansing University of Denver

Carlos Jimenez Gap Year

Ava Johnson

Tulane University of Louisiana

Daniel Judge Wesleyan University

Jackson Kane Princeton University Owen Kaplan University of Colorado Boulder

Jack Kelly Boston College

Margaret Kennedy

Roger Williams University

Cooper Kistler

Princeton University

Spencer Kwan Oberlin College Jackson Lages Jr. Hockey Max Larock Georgetown University Serin Lee

Case Western Reserve University

Zachary Lewin Queen’s University

Raymond Liu Northeastern University Devon LLano Jr. Hockey

Daniel Lurie Wesleyan University

Jake Lyon Gap Year

Anany Marcano

SUNY Buffalo State

Lillian Marvin New York University

Isabella Mattson

Mount Holyoke College John McMahon Franklin and Marshall College

Benjamin Michaud William & Mary

Benjamin Mihailovich The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Jamai Miller Occidental College

Peter Miller

Indiana UniversityBloomington

Qifei Min University of Virginia Baker Morton Vassar College

Richard Mugler, IV University of Mississippi Isaac Mullen Dartmouth College Owen Murphy Westminster PG

Thomas Nugent University of St. Andrews

Samuel Obeng, Jr. Duke University

Kristina Oganyan Skidmore College

Shelby Oken St. Lawrence University

Kelechi Okworogwo Austin Peay State University

Olivia Olney University of St. Andrews Jacob Osborne Jr. Hockey

Cecilia Owen George Washington University

Gabriela Palmowska Denison University

Charles Pappas Wake Forest University Jasper Paul Quinnipiac University

Charles Perks Georgia Institute of Technology

Paris Pescatore Chapman University

Jefferson Peters College of Charleston John Picard Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University Jake Pisano Southern New Hampshire University Caroline Pratt Trinity College

Jonah Prentiss University of Virginia Tatiana Restrepo University of Miami Molly Rubin University of MichiganAnn Arbor Ethan Ruller

Cornell University

Margaret Sadak Connecticut College Hannah Schuler Marquette University

Kellen Seeley Dartmouth College

Ariel Seidu University of Richmond Zhenxuan Shao Vanderbilt University Margaux Sorenson The New School

Molly Standish Colby College

Elise Strawbridge Wake Forest University

Carolyn Sutro Trinity College

Niclas Swahn Gap Year

Pattarapongpun Tantichot Purdue University

Hannah Tarazi Clemson University

Isabella Tawney Vassar College

Alexander Tonioni Bentley University

Lauren Valenti Fairfield University

Lindsey Valenti Trinity College

Sawyer von Jess George Washington University

Jonathan Wainwright, III Bucknell University

Davis Wallon University of Richmond

William Warner Purdue University Jan Wechsler George Washington University

Bryce Wood Sacred Heart University

Benjamin Wurts, Jr. Southern Methodist University

Christian Yalda Villanova University

Janessa Yan Dartmouth College

A Well-Deserved Celebration for the Class of 2020

Under picture-perfect skies, members of the Class of 2020 gathered on Williams Hill June 4 for a long-awaited celebration honoring their graduation from Westminster.

In 2020, the on-campus commencement was canceled due to the outbreak of the pandemic. Instead, diplomas were mailed to Sixth Formers, and a video tribute was held virtually. Finally, over two years later, more than half of the 102 members of the class who attended the celebration had an opportunity to experience some of the pomp and circumstance they had missed.

Proud parents, too, had a chance to join in the celebration and to snap keepsake photos of their children who are now young Westminster alumni.

As the class assembled on the Sixth Form Lawn, they exchanged hugs, handshakes and high fives. For many in the class, it was the first time they had seen one another since they departed campus in March 2020.

The virtual graduation was “personally really hard for me because when we left in March, I just thought we were going to be coming back

to campus,” said Kyani Jemmotte, a sophomore at Lehigh University.

When she received the school email that on-campus graduation was canceled, she realized she missed an opportunity for final goodbyes.

Kyani’s mother, Kemba Jemmotte, noted the significance of the celebration for graduates. “It meant a lot emotionally for the students, for them to have some closure,” she said.

Following a Westminster commencement tradition, the class walked to Commencement Lawn and paraded through a gauntlet of cheering faculty and staff members before taking their seats in front of the stage. Head of School Elaine White welcomed them, saying that although she was not at Westminster during their tenure, she shared their pain as “COVID disrupted all of our lives in March of 2020.”

She added: “I know, too, the silver lining of those many challenging months, and I appreciate the way in which, even as we return to a more normal state of affairs, we cherish our moments with family and friends. Today is one of those moments.”

In his address, Grant Gritzmacher, the Class of 2020 Sixth Form Dean, praised the class for its tenacity through a difficult time. “You learned from each other, you respected each other and you helped each other when the going got rough, which it did in March 2020 when the rug was pulled out from under your senior spring and the world went into disarray,” he said.

“Your vision of what you had worked for and waited for was suddenly clouded by an uncertain future,” he continued. “When the decision to close the school was announced on the Ides of the fateful March, we looked ahead to plan this very gathering for June 2020. Worst case August 2020. How naive we were. But here we are finally together again.”

He concluded by reminding members of the class that Westminster’s imprint on their lives and way of thinking will continue to reveal itself to them in the years ahead.

“Conversely,” he said, “your imprint on Westminster is not complete. You will be remembered and celebrated.”

Class of 2020 Head Prefect Megan Rittenhouse, a sophomore at Colby College, poignantly recalled her Westminster years. “To this day,” she said, “whenever anyone asks me what makes Westminster so special, my answer never changes. Simply put, the people are what make this place so special. My time at Westminster was made great because of all of you. Having an abrupt ending didn’t make moving onto the next chapter

of our lives easy, but when I look back at my time at Westy and beyond, I am so grateful for the wonderful people that I met along the way.”

Following the addresses, a name of each member of the Class of 2020 was read, and those present walked on stage to receive a medallion engraved with the school’s crest on the front and their name on the back. The class then recessed to the Sixth Form Lawn, where the traditional

diploma passing ceremony was recreated with the medallions.

Ryan Messina, currently a sophomore at Boston University, joined with other classmates in expressing gratitude for the celebration. “I am just so super grateful Westminster hosted this for us,” he said.

Scan to view a video from this event.

An Epic Reunion on Williams Hill

More than 500 alumni converged on campus June 10-12 for the largest multi-class reunion in the school’s history. Westminster welcomed back classes ending in 2 and 7 and those classes ending in 0, 1, 5 and 6 that had missed an in-person reunion in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic. Alumni reconnected with classmates, teammates, former teachers, coaches and advisors and joined in a gamut of activities from lawn games to dancing under the stars.

The mega event kicked off Friday afternoon with the annual Alumni Art Exhibit in Baxter Gallery in Armour Academic Center. The exhibit featured works by Sarah Alibrahimi ’16, Alex Boyden ’82, Adriena Baldwin ’01, Gretchen Cummins Hupfel ’82, Jennifer Keeney-Bleeg ’95, Tricia McLaughlin ’82, Tori Pizzuto ’10, Ali Reboul ’01, Susie Wilcox White ’74, P’05 and Yilun Zheng ’17.

Later that evening, alumni from all classes gathered for a cocktail reception on Commencement Lawn, where Head of School Elaine White welcomed them with a toast: “To good friends and good fun, to old and new Martlet memories, may this reunion weekend bring you joy and happiness.”

“It feels like home,” said Bianca Tennyson ’97, who returned for her 25th reunion along with classmates Lauren Bontecou Reichart and Carolyn Cordner LePage. Carolyn explained that there were only 87 students in her class, and only 15 girls were boarders. Westminster was like family to them, a sentiment that was echoed by many alumni over the weekend.

Following cocktails, alumni celebrating their 50th reunion dined in Adams Dining Room in Armstrong Dining Hall, while the 25th reunion class gathered on Keyes Porch. On Commencement Lawn, the remaining classes dined al fresco choosing entrees from wood-fired pizza, barbecue and Mexican fare from food trucks.

While members of all the classes enjoyed live music under the Commencement Lawn tent, Eric Fris ’60, took advantage of the clear night sky to stargaze in the Barnes-Bristow Observatory. “I am a techno geek, and the observatory is the most amazing piece of technology I’ve seen on campus,” commented Eric, who visited the facility with several Seventh Formers –– the title of a newly-minted group of alumni who graduated 50 years or more ago from Westminster.

On Saturday, reunion continued with the Memorial Service in Andrews Memorial Chapel. Head of School White shared remembrances of longtime faculty member Ann Gilman P’78, ’80, a beloved member of the Westminster community, who died last spring.

Director of Alumni Engagement Cris Gomez ’10 and Director of Advancement Newell Grant ’99 read aloud the names of 81 alumni who have died since the last in-person reunion in 2019.

Chapel speaker Priscilla Ameyaw ’22, the 2022 Alumni Association Scholar, spoke about how Westminster became her second home after she arrived on campus as a scholar-athlete from Ghana. The disruption caused by the pandemic instilled in her the value of her connections with classmates and teachers. “The entirety of my senior year taught me how to cherish every moment of my life and not take anything for granted,” she said.

Following the service, a bagpiper led the Grand March to Werner Centennial Center for the dedication of the Booker T. Bradshaw Jr. Stage. Bradshaw was the first Black student to

graduate from Westminster. He went on to have a famed career in music production and management and in the performing arts.

After the dedication, Head of School White spoke about how she spent much of her first year at Westminster learning about the school’s past. Given the impact of the pandemic on Westminster, she felt compelled to ensure that students understood the school’s background and conventions. “We found our grounding in history and tradition this year,” she said. “It is one way in which we chased away COVID. Our students needed to be schooled in tradition, in the rhythms and patterns of chapel, assemblies, family-style meals and study hall, in the connection and commitment of faculty to students, and in the ethos of grit and grace.”

“I inherited a school that is in great shape,” she continued. “But it is a tricky balance to hold on to everything that has defined Westminster and still evolve to meet the needs of current and future generations of students.”

To older alumni, much of the campus looks different, she noted. But she assured them that the “school that they knew and loved is still operating under the same promises — run by incredibly dedicated faculty and teaching the lessons of grit, grace and gratitude to the next generation of Martlets.”

Throughout the weekend, alumni had an opportunity to pore over yearbooks in Hinman Reading Room, meet in affinity groups, attend classroom lectures and nature hikes, relax in lawn chairs on the Sixth Form Lawn and peruse the archives, where they sleuthed out souvenirs from their school days.

There, Arch Montgomery ’71 unearthed a box of his athletic trophies and photographed them for his own personal archive. “My kids see me as this old guy, and they don’t believe I was once a scholar-athlete, so now I have proof,” he said with a laugh.

Nearby, Matt Swenson ’17 and his brother, David Swenson ’15, studied the architectural model for Armour Academic Center, completed in 2009, and browsed through a collection of quirky Westminster water bottles.

Other alumni trickled down to the athletic fields to watch the alumni lacrosse game or partake in coed soccer before they attended the final evening of dinner and dancing.

Whether they were recent graduates or Seventh Formers, alumni expressed gratitude for the enduring friendships and connections they formed during their time on the Hill. “We’re like a band of brothers,” Jim Mendillo ’67 said of his classmates. “When you spend four years of your life in an intimate setting, you form a bond, and I think that is something that translates across every class.”

View more photos of Reunion weekend on our Flickr account.

The 2022 Mega Reunion was so successful that the school has decided to follow that model for the next reunion. Instead of having a traditional reunion in May 2023 for classes ending in 3 or 8, the school is planning another opportunity for multiple classes to reunite June 7-10, 2024. This will include classes ending in 3 and 8, 4 and 9 and 0 and 5, allowing attendees to gather with alumni from other class years. See page 80 for more information.

Dedication of the Booker T. Bradshaw Jr. Stage

During reunion weekend, Westminster held the dedication of the Booker T. Bradshaw Jr. Stage in Werner Centennial Center, honoring the first Black student to attend and graduate from Westminster.

In 1953, Booker Bradshaw ’58 arrived on Williams Hill as a 12-year-old and quickly made his mark by excelling academically and athletically. After completing his studies at Westminster, he graduated from Harvard University in 1962, and from the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London in 1964.

As one of the few Blacks in show business at that time, Bradshaw broke many barriers in the industry. He was a record producer and folk singer, served as an executive at Motown in Detroit and acted in film and in television, where he starred in the original “Star Trek” series as Dr. Mbenga. He was a screenwriter for several television series, including “Colombo,”“The Rockford Files,”“The Jeffersons,”“Sanford and Son” and “The Richard Pryor Show.”

“As we looked around campus and contemplated ways to honor Mr. Bradshaw’s legacy, it seemed fitting that we place his name on the stage in Werner Centennial Center, where we not only celebrate and enjoy artistic performances at Westminster, but where we also gather as a community to have conversations, meetings, assemblies, guest speakers and performers,” said Director of Advancement Newell Grant ’99. Bradshaw’s daughter, Alaiyo Bradshaw, a painter, printmaker and professor of fine arts at the Parsons School of Design in New York, attended the dedication. In her address, she thanked the school community for its recognition and special acknowledgement of her father, who died in 2003.

“It gives me an enormous amount of pride to attend this event and stand on the stage dedicated to a trailblazer,” said Alaiyo. “I truly admire how this former Westminster student was given the opportunities to succeed.”

As a young man at Westminster, Booker distinguished himself as an honor student, president of the choir, captain of the debate team, editor of the school newspaper, manager of the tennis team and captain of the hockey and football teams, she said.

In doing so, “he created a path for Black youth at Westminster and others who follow in his footsteps,” said his daughter. “I know he would be proud and touched by this honor, and I am sure that the theater will be enjoyed by generations of talented students, including people of color.”

Bradshaw’s entry in the 1958 Spectator

Mega Reunion 2022

Class of 1952 Tad Harvey and Nic Cooper

Class of 1955 Alan Brooks, Dave Allen, Hal Anthony

Class of 1957 Marty Farr, Ned Gow, Peter Palin, Bob Wing

Class of 1960 Sitting: Eric Fris, Bill Johnston

Standing: Toby Kent, Bill Carey

Class of 1962 Tim Stevens and Barry Stratton

Class of 1961 Tom Turton, Derby Anderson, Chandler Saint

Class of 1956 Pete Perry

Class of 1966 Front row: Jody Vaill, Scott Glickenhaus, Reg Morgan, Peter Marschalk, Will Holbrook, Derek Fahey. Back row: Greg Islan, Bob Hawes, Chris Williamson, Brian O’Donnell, Jeff Cook, Glenn Craft, Don Geissler.

Class of 1967 Dick Bondy, Stephen Foehl, George Carlson, Joe Pratt, Evan Boenning, Jim Mendillo, Jeff Bishop, Jim Ladd, Tom Garfield

Class of 1971 Back row: Bill Bartholomay, Bob Chew, Abram Claude, John Collins, Bill Coleman, John Lummis, Piper Stevens ‘70, Harry Seidel, Tim Hughes, Olle Lundberg, Doug Hansen, Chris Beale, Doug Dobbin, Bill Rolfing, Jack Westerfield, Arch Montgomery, Don Werner, Todd Pinter

Front Row: Andy Wile, Jim Steers, Peter Briggs, Jeff Sturman

Class of 1972 Gary Madeira, Tony Howland, Robert Douglass, Steve Smith, Donald Hinson, Dave Griffith, Robert Golia, Jeff Artis, Steve Scott, Doug Davie, Dave White, Jerry Glover, Robert Burke, Rob Kurtz, Tucker Robbins

Back

Class of 1982 Adam Gordon, Andrew Brickman, Rennie Wilson Washburn , Shadi Mirfendereski, Julie Morris Ogden, James Winokur, Mark Nielsen, Stuart Valentine, Ted Wood-Prince

Class of 1981 Front row: Alex Durrell, Kim Wilkes Tirrell, Nancy Urner-Berry, Lou Shipley, David Rodney

Row: Tony McClellan, Bruce Carter, Liz Brown, Evie Locke, Russ Burgess, Wendy Stone Niskanen, Anastasia Roccas, Peter Newman, Carrington Clark, Frankie O’Brien, Peter Buckey, Bobby Knowles, Tom Nelson, Molly White Herzog, Carol Daukas ‘83, Natalie Kirschner Tallis, Stan Keating, Tim Blair

Class of 1977 Hunter Millington, David Hays, Peter Baldwin

Class of 1980 Marie-Noelle Serafini Siegel, Becky Armour Stevens, Lars Noble, Amanda Clarke Shipley

Standing:

Class

Back

Class of 1985 Stewart Walker, Jennifer Powers, Jeff Lynch

Class of 1987 Dave Kistler, Scott McCausland, Ian Morton, Kristen Huey Mattson, Karen Burgess, Beth Raymond McDermott, Cynthia Mueller Donley, Andrew McCullough, Rob Malin

Class of 1990 Veronica Flores, Savannah Riveron, Tim Frahm, Harvey DeMovick, Jen Bihldorff, Aileen Daversa, Will Foy, Suzanne Jarrett Melan, Betsy Cameron, Daphne Watson Ely

Class of 1995 Juliana Bontecou Pecchia and daughter, Harper

of 1997 Front Row: Lauren Bontecou Reichart, Bianca Tennyson

Row: Todd Jeffery, Tate Curti, Rob Moran, Carolyn Cordner LePage

Class of 1986 Sitting: Tuey Connell, Paul McLaughlin, Curt Brockelman

Andrew McCullough ‘87, Hunter Kellogg, Merrell Stout, Kristen Huey Mattson ‘87, Andrew Shiftan, Moy Ogilvie, Diana Wishard Clemente, Sally Richards Lehr, David Lemire, Dave Kistler ‘87, Heather Frahm, Paul Gitterman, Geoff Hanson, Scott McCausland ‘87

Class of 1991 Mark de Kanter, Christopher Campbell, Jeff Bush

Class of 1992 Kirsten Slusar Bossin, Robin Herrick Tesoro, Jamie Adams

Class of 2005 Don Reeves, Ned Reeves

Class of 2006 Luis Quero, Alex Lavoie, Cam Scott, Sofi Garnett Keller, Lane Bodian

Class of 2007 Olivia Robinson Reighley, Caitlin Romaniello Whitcomb, Chelsea Hall Anderson, Melissa Haynes, Elsie Swank, Heidi Bitter, Sky Miers

Class of 2000 Michele Wiernasz Puopolo, Tom Jacob, Kate Hastings Bahnemann

Class of 2002 Julia Sullivan Rouse, Katherine Claude, Brooke Nentwig Orr, Kristyn Keene Benton, Kathleen Devaney, Elizabeth Botcheller Weisberger, Lizzy Dickson, Heather Wright Vickery, Katherine Decelles, Maika Takita, Tara Borawski Miranda, Susan Fuchs Gardner, Hallie Preston Greene, Becky Schaffer

Class of 2001 Ali Reboul, Margaret Pierson, Barbara Adams, Lindsay Leal, Mercedes Fernandez-Edge, Julia DeCiantis Lyon, Lara Glaister Ferrarone, Courtney Dow Sullivan, Kate Parker, Chance Thompson

Class of 2010 Win Hotchkiss, Maddie Garnett, Margaret Miller, Colby O’Neil, Isabelle Hill Perkins, Charlotte O’Herron, Cris Gomez, Kevin Boyle, Peter Michailidis

Class of 2011 Front Row: Whit Powel Holmes, Steph Werner, Matt Leach, Grant Kugler

Back Row: Claire Hodson, Kathleen Devaney, Ashley Mercede, Kathryn Griffith, Andrew Marco, Jake Benedict, Taylor Paul, Charlie Geitz, Hayden Radovich, Tommy Kirsch, Alex Gould, Kevin Hope, Tyler Mink

Class of 2012 Natalie Biedron, Ben Hill, Mimi Ryan, Tyler O’Neil, Ellie Baker, Rachel Kennedy, Amory Beldock, Emily Moran, Jake Cahill, Meaghan O’Herron, Maggie Hark, Jeff Smolens, Jay Attys, Dietrich Ryan

Class of 2016 Front Row: Tim Sanford, Jacqui Richard, Dave Gollenberg, Declan Horrigan, Julia Carter, Addison Cilmi, Paige Brackett, JP Schuhlen

Middle Row: Ellen Gyasi, Mike Ventricelli, Ashley Carbone, Brecky Huth, Michelle Sclafani, Preston Eppler, Eliza Mell, Kevin O’Leary, Tommy Jacobs, Wonjune Kang, Remy Mason

Back Row: Stephen Gaisor, Brian Smyth, Brett Roenick, Jayme Stepto, Ted Sirbaugh, Ben Sudduth, Katherine Berry, Chris Connal, Emma Merlin, Taggart Corriveau, Kait McCausland, Bryan Yekelchik, Ricardo Vasquez

Class of 2017 Front Row: Fraser Allen, Kylie Murphy, Leta Giordano

Middle Row: Cynnie White, Madie Bologa, Ally Lynch, Kendall Brown, Chris Hark, Annie Ogden, Leah Klassen, Shanntal Morel, Arthur Renehan

Back row: Jack Griffith, Maddy Paro, Yuki Mitsuda, Matthew Swenson, Merlin Ennis, Delando Clarke, Cam Gould, Annie Hicks, Sam Monte, Jeffrey Guiliano, Adrian Enchill, John Rao, Declan Horigan ’16, Alexa Green, Nathalie Madrid, Ray Rivers

Class of 2015 Back Row: Ryan Seymour, Stina Ladd, Julia Cooper, Bryson Tomcik, Derin Ozturk, Elizabeth Foster, Kate Breed, Nick Rocco, Katie O’Connor, Megan Richard, Phil Morin, Teddy Swenson, Will Brophy, Mary French, and Katie Savage

Front Row: Alyssa DiMaria, Georgia Morley, Margot Frank, Annie Mayer, MacKenzie Hawkes, Ashton Kille, Olivia Bey, Eliza Christman, Susie Carter, Phebe Huth, and CC Lynch

For Grandparents, A Slice of Student Life

More than 200 grandparents visited Westminster Sept. 28 for an opportunity to experience a day in the life of their grandchildren. They sat in on classes, attended a Chapel talk, ate lunch in Armstrong Dining Hall, toured the campus and spent the afternoon watching athletic games.

John Curtiss, who was visiting his grandson, Evin Curtiss ’24, joked that one of his most memorable visits to Westminster was when he was a student at Williston Northampton School and he lost a lower tooth playing hockey against the Martlets. He and his wife, Sue Ellen, come to campus often to visit Evin ––and to watch hockey games.

Hans and Terry Carstenson, who were visiting their grandson, Chip Genung ’25, marveled at how much the campus had changed since their son Ted Carstenson ’95 and daughter Lee Carstenson Genung ’93 attended.

“The campus is so beautiful, I hadn’t been back since our son graduated; the change is just amazing,” said Hans.

Shellye Davis, who was visiting grandchildren Evan ’26 and Nyla Francis ’25, attended French class. While she didn’t parle français, she was impressed at how engaged the students were in class.

In the morning, Head of School Elaine White welcomed grandparents for what is one of the school’s favorite days of the year.

“We love having grandparents on campus for three reasons,” she said. “First of all, you are happy to be here and have this moment to be at the center of your grandchild’s world. You are excited to be in class and participate, and you don’t bring nearly as much embarrassment as your own children do. You do not come with expectations of perfect grades or reminders about seeing a teacher for extra help. You fill our spaces with love and pride that is tangible.

“Secondly, your grandchildren listen to you better than they listen to us or their parents, so if you wouldn’t mind slipping in a reminder to clean their room or get a haircut, we would be ever so grateful.

“Lastly, you understand the value and privilege of education. As you share your wisdom and life experience, you help your grandchildren to understand the remarkable opportunities at their fingertips. We are so grateful for your perspective.”

An Evening on Williams Hill

Westminster trustees, alumni, parents, faculty and guests gathered on Sept. 23 at Armstrong Dining Hall for dinner during “An Evening on Williams Hill.” Head of School Elaine White welcomed guests to the dinner and spoke about the unique model of boarding school education and the challenges faculty face.

“We are doing the work that matters — the work of educating young people so that they — in the words of the Westminster mission — “reach well beyond the ordinary, live with intelligence and character, and commit to a life of service beyond themselves,” and we are doing that work in partnership with every single person in this room,” she said.

“Educating adolescents must be done in concert with as many resources as possible — parents, alumni, trustees, faculty, staff. Even the students themselves — they are crucial in this work — as they cheer, push, prod, encourage, support, or even challenge the ideas, commentary and actions of their peers.

“Educating young people requires presence and engagement, which is the very model upon which we at Westminster rely and have relied on for the past 134 years. It has a name — the ‘triple’ threat, although these days it is multiples of that triple, given the many hats that faculty wear. It requires teaching a student in the classroom, directing them on the stage or the field, sharing a meal together, or catching up in the dorm over a feed. It requires watching carefully, hearing the catch in the voice, or noting the silence. It means reaching out to other adults — including parents — to compare notes and creating a plan that builds confidence and supports growth.”

Hunter Wallace Smith ’68, Recipient of the Distinguished Alumni Award

During “An Evening on Williams Hill” held Sept. 23, Hunter Wallace Smith ’68 was awarded the Alan F. Brooks ’55 Distinguished Alumni Award. Established in 2013 and endowed by the Class of 1966, the award is presented annually and honors an individual who exemplifies, in thought, word and deed, the school’s mission and who practices Westminster’s core values of community, character, balance and involvement.

In presenting the award, Head of School Elaine White said, “Hunter’s record at Westminster captures his commitment to building community.”

Smith is one of the school’s longest serving class agents, a role he assumed after his 1968 graduation. He has served on the executive committee of the Alumni Association twice, first in the 1980s and then returning in 2019. He attended his 25th, 35th and 40th reunions and served as a reunion committee member in 2013 and 2018.

While a student at Westminster, Smith was a member of the John Hay Society, Dramat, Yearbook, Choir, Harmonaires, Connecticut Valley State Hospital volunteers, St. Michael’s Tutoring Program and Kitchen Crew. He played football, ran track (co-captain), and skied.

“He had a stellar three years on the Hill, which laid an excellent path for his brother, Stephen P. Smith ’72, to follow,” said White.

Smith received his bachelor’s degree in architecture from Kent State University School of Architecture and Environmental Design in 1974. He has been engaged in the field of architecture since 1976, designing for both residential and commercial projects. He started Hunter Smith Associates in Hamden, Conn., in 1981 and grew his business to a 14-person company focused on both new construction and renovation. Smith is now operating the company as a sole practitioner in order to focus his attention on design work and construction management.

Smith currently lives in Hamden with his wife, Sally Roumanis. He has two sons, Hunter Smith Jr., and Brett Smith; Sally and he share four grandchildren. They are beekeepers and enjoy biking — including when traveling throughout the U.S. and Europe.

“Hunter is not the type of person who is perfunctory in his involvement; he commits his whole self to each committee and each reunion,” said White. “He is dedicated to his class and to this school. He has juried student architecture shows. He made blown-up cardboard cutouts of the faces of his classmates on Popsicle sticks for their 45th reunion, and when shortly after that 45th, classmate Doug Griffin ’68 was seriously injured in a car accident, Hunter led a class effort to buy him a 21-speed tricycle to help with his physical therapy. Hunter even gathered the local classmates and delivered the bike, jumping out of the delivery truck with balloons. In the lead-up to and during his 50th reunion, he partnered with Porter Berry ’68 (co-class agent) to encourage

their classmates to gather, resulting in 90 percent of their class returning to Williams Hill. Indeed, they are the heart and soul of the class. In the spring of 2021, Hunter spearheaded the two Zoom gatherings for the class of 1968, he has motivated his classmates by offering challenge gifts on giving days and he has been a member of the Thring Society since 2021.

“In every moment when his classmates or the school needed him, Hunter Smith has responded, and this commitment to our community is nowhere more evident than in his foundational role as Head Prefect for the Seventh Form,”said White.

Smith thanked the Westminster community for the award, commenting: “My dad, who lived until 97, passed away a little over a year ago. I wish I could call him up and share this with him. When I was at Westminster, the bulk of the conversations we had usually happened at the end of the marking period when we were having discussions about me being on the edge academically — and that was not on the leading edge!”

He spoke about his appreciation of his Westminster education. “It takes a while to really recognize how much — and what — we learned here at Westminster. It takes the perspective of time. We learned teamwork from participating in sports, we learned to excel at those things we have talents for and how to find passion. “There have been dozens and dozens of times in my life where I had to put the effort out, work harder, go the extra mile –– all that I learned here,” he said.

He noted that the connections he has made with his class continues to grow. “It’s something that is really extraordinary, and it comes from having been up here on the Hill, spending your life with so many who have become friends for life,” he said.

Frank Walton ’76 : A Gift That Gives Back

After graduating from Westminster School in May of 1976, Frank Walton, a Simsbury native, left for the warm beaches and sunny skies of Florida, where he earned his math and economics degrees from Stetson University. Instead of returning to the Northeast, Frank built his life in Florida. While he’s never regretted leaving Connecticut, he has always been grateful for how his time on Williams Hill prepared him to think critically, consider others in his choices, and to connect with his community.

In 2008, through a gift in his will, Frank joined the Thring Society. More recently he and his wife, Alison, visited campus and learned about charitable gift annuities (CGA). This type of gift appealed to the couple because of the upfront income tax deduction and ability to defer payments to lock in a higher annual payment.

After an unexpected investment return, Frank decided this was the time to take action. He chose to defer his CGA payments for five years to get a higher rate of return and align the income with his targeted retirement date. Frank signed and mailed the CGA contract and a check to the school; the process was complete within a few days.

“It has always been our intention to leave a gift to Westminster School but that may not be a reality. Our parents are in their 90s and facing the possibility of outliving their savings. A deferred charitable gift annuity is a great solution. It provides a gift to Westminster in the future and gives us the added benefits of a tax deduction now and a retirement income stream when we are ready.”

With a recent increase in charitable gift annuity rates, now is a great time to ask what your rate would be.

In Frank’s

CGA

a great

at the right

Your situation will be different, but a CGA might be the ideal way for you to make a gift that gives back.

Visit the new planned giving website https://giving.westminster-school.org to see how CGAs can work for you. For more information, contact: Jennifer Keyo Director of Legacy and Leadership Giving jkeyo@westminster-school.org or (860) 408 -3039

Alison and Frank Walton ’76

Keeping in Touch with Young Alumni

Colby Colby Martlet dinner at Front & Main on April 10, 2022 (L to R): Amanda Busky ’21, Casey Winslow ’21 and Megan Rittenhouse ’20

Tufts Tufts Martlet dinner at Five Horses Tavern on April 6, 2022.

(L to R): Justin Schuster ’19, Jeevan Palaniyandy ‘19, Jimmy Zhang ’18, Eda Chen ’20, Brennan Horn ’21 and Kendrick Freeman ’21

Wake Forest Wake Forest Martlet dinner at The Old Fourth Street Filling Station on April 20, 2022.

(L to R): Dylan McLamore ’21, Mary Dutton ’20, John Stevenson ’18, Elizabeth Murphy ’19, Olivia Goldstuck ’21, Mac Dye ’20, Christina Zahringer ’20, Sophia Coumantaros ’21

Colgate Colgate Martlet dinner at Good Nature Farm Brewery on April 19, 2022.

(L to R): Campbell Swift ’21, Warwick Carter ’19, Jane Ogden ’19, Elizabeth Casey ’18, Elisabeth Morin ’18, Morgan Pineault ’21 and Susanne Mahoney ’20

Harvard Harvard Martlet dinner at Alden & Harlow on April 12, 2022.

(L to R): Emmett de Kanter ’19, Daniel Pinckney ’20 and Teagan Stedman ’18

Throughout the year, the Advancement Office keeps in touch with young alumni in college.

Walter E. Edge Jr.’35 spent only a postgraduate year at Westminster; having failed French, he did not receive his diploma. Yet, despite his short time on the Hill, he developed a deep and lasting fondness for the school and became its largest benefactor. When he died in 1996, he left his entire estate –– $33 million –– to Westminster School, the largest gift in the school’s history, and at that time the second largest given to any independent secondary school. His gift more than doubled the school’s then-$20 million endowment.

Edge donated his family albums to the school archives. The newspaper clippings, letters and photos provide a snapshot of his early life. His father, Walter E. Edge, was a diplomat and politician who served two terms as the governor of New Jersey, from 1917 to 1919 and again from 1944 to 1947, during both World War I and World War II. He also served as the U.S. Senator for New Jersey from 1919 to 1929 and as the U.S. Ambassador to France from 1929 to 1933. As a result of his father’s government positions, young Walter traveled extensively with his family.

Edge attended the Lawrenceville School before enrolling at Westminster at age 19. At Westminster, he was on the school newspaper and the yearbook boards, and he competed on the soccer, swimming and track and field teams.

After he graduated, Edge worked at Chemical Bank in New York City and later served as a captain in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II, earning seven battle stars.

After the war, he moved to Florida and established

Landfall Farm outside Miccosukee, where he grew watermelon and corn and raised cattle. His farm was wedged between some 20,000 acres owned by his uncle, Walter Teagle, and another 20,000 acres his father owned.

In Florida, Edge lived alone and once fought off a house burglar with the help of his dog, Zipper. He had no children of his own. However, he financed the education for the children of his farm manager, Sylvester Wommack. Wommack’s son, Walter, attended Westminster for a year, and his daughter, Sylvia, went to The Ethel Walker School for three years.

Edge’s gift to Westminster was his way of thanking the school for changing his life in one year. In a 1981 letter to then-board Chairman Townsend Swayze ’55, Edge wrote: “They did a lot for me when I was a scholastic basket case. They, alone, took me on when all others scrambled to find reasons, of which there were ample, not to. I feel it is again one of the great small schools as it was in [school founder] Mr. [William Lee] Cushing’s day. I hope my contributions current, and in the future, will allow them to salvage other wrecks for productive lives.”

Westminster was Edge’s legacy, and his enormous generosity transformed the school. The Walter E. Edge Jr. ’35 Master Chair that bears his name is given every five years to an exceptional teacher at the school. Edge House, named in his honor, was completed in 1996 and designed by Graham Gund ’59. It became the model for future student housing.

Edge House named in honor of Walter E. Edge ’35 became the model for future student housing.

Edge House, circa 1997

Edge

Edge in later years served as captain in the U.S. Army Air Force during World War II.

The portrait of Walter Edge Jr. is by John St. Helier Lander, a portraitist to the Royal Family through George VI. The portrait of Edge is dated 1936, the year after he departed from Westminster.

Edge sitting on his father’s lap.

Senator Edge, Walter Edge Jr. and Ogden Hammond

as a young lad dressed in a formal Scottish costume.

SEGREGATION BY DESIGN

Adam Paul Susaneck ’10 has carved a niche where politics, graphics and architecture collide. As a project manager for transformative infrastructure with AECOM, a global construction engineering firm known for prioritizing the environment and social justice in its work, Adam creates designs and research for presentations with institutional, political and other community-based stakeholders.

“I was always interested in architecture. I was also overly idealistic,” said Adam. “I thought politics was a good means to an end to get things done, but found that architecture is a more direct means

to solve problems, particularly problems related to climate change. So much transportation and development lead to high levels of emissions and greenhouse gases.”

He said that his observations of public transit in Europe inspired his work. “I was lucky enough to travel frequently as a young person. I always loved trains and wondered where the trains were in the U.S. The car-centered nature of American cities was always interesting to me,” he said. “Architecture school gave me the ability to critically study auto-based infrastructure, right down to the nature of curb heights.” His studies would also lead Adam to examine the racial motivation behind major public works developments.

Adam has undertaken an ambitious personal project titled “Segregation by Design”, which was conceived to illustrate the destruction of communities of color due to redlining, urban renewal and freeway construction. Using aerial photography images and historic maps, Adam’s website documents the human and architectural impact of redevelopment in communities that received federal funding from the 1956 Federal Highway Act.

“I intend this project to be a sort of visual companion to such works as Richard Rothstein’s “Color of Law,” and Heather McGhee’s “The Sum of Us”, going city-by-city to see how the tactics of segregation played out on the ground,” explained Adam. To date, he has examined a dozen of the roughly 180 cities that were impacted by the interstate highway system, and in September, The New York Times published Adam’s opinion piece, “Mr. Biden, Tear Down this Highway,” which was accompanied by maps and photos from “Segregation by Design.’”

While a student at Westminster, Adam studied architecture for three years and worked on state and federal political campaigns as both a volunteer and paid staffer. In 2008, Adam traveled to Keene, N.H., with fellow students from Betsy Heckman’s comparative government class to conduct canvassing for former President Barack Obama’s campaign.

“I learned how to organize volunteers,

Adam with his wife, Emma, and their son, Nathaniel, on a recent trip to Chicago.

even if the volunteers were my friends,” he said.

He also served as a volunteer intern in the office of Simsbury’s then- first selectwoman Mary Glassman. “I could walk to town hall. It was good to get off campus,” he recalled. “It was like the show “Parks and Recreation.” I saw government work. It made it less abstract.” Glassman would later run for statewide office in 2010 and place Adam on her campaign communication staff.

In addition to his off-campus activities, Adam was a school prefect and dorm prefect, served as opinion editor of The Westminster News and was co-president of Eco Club. He was twice the recipient of the Headmaster’s Award and was also the recipient of numerous academic awards, including AP Scholar, AP Scholar with Distinction, winner of the WALKS Constitutional Essay Contest and the Edward Cull Jr. Award for Architecture.

“My architecture studies at Westminster were memorable and formative for me,” recalled Adam. “We studied old-school drafting methods. It was a foundation for what we do, what software is built upon.”

Adam holds a B.A. in political science from the University of California, Berkeley. Midway through his studies, he left school

Martlets on the Move

for what was to be a semester to serve as a volunteer field organizer with the Obama campaign in south Florida.

“I ended up taking the whole year off and interned at the Senate Office for Legislative Affairs at the White House,” said Adam. The interruption did not delay his graduation. He completed his coursework in three years.

In 2020, he earned his master of architecture from Columbia University Graduate School of Architecture, Planning & Preservation, and his “Segregation by Design” project was awarded the school’s 2021-2022 Incubator Prize, which was dedicated to supporting new forms of anti-racist professional practice and to funding alumni-led initiatives that critically redefine community engagement and participation.

While a graduate student, Adam joined HDR, a global infrastructure engineering corporation, as a transit architecture intern. He remained with HDR as an architectural design coordinator, where he worked on design and retrofit projects for public transportation systems in multiple east coast cities before joining AECOM in 2021.

Adam recently married Emma Rogers, whom he met while still a student at Westminster. “We both attended a philosophical skepticism summer program at Brown. We got together five years later,” he said. They are parents to one-year-old Nathaniel.

A return visit to Westminster was on Adam’s agenda in 2020 prior to the pandemic. “We had even booked the Simsbury 1820 House,” he said. Adam and his family will soon relocate to the Netherlands as he pursues a Ph.D. from the Faculty of Architecture and the Built Environment at the Delft Institute of Technology. “It’s going to be tough getting the dog over there!,” he said.

“I intend this project to be a sort of visual companion to such works as Richard Rothstein’s “Color of Law,” and Heather McGhee’s “The Sum of Us,” going city-by-city to see how the tactics of segregation played out on the ground.”

Through colorization of black and white photos, Segregation by Design highlights the violent nature of so-called “urban renewal” projects.

Comments on the redlining maps reveal the federal government’s contempt toward diverse neighborhoods.

Martlets on the Move

Creating Innovative Art Programs for Girls

Museum educator and arts administrator Jennifer Patton ’90, P’21 is bringing innovative arts programs to young girls at a network of sites called Historic Artists’ Homes & Studios, a program within the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Through a STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics) curriculum that integrates stories of women in art history, students apply scientific skills to artistic media.

“The program provides public school art teachers resources to collaborate with science teachers,” explained Jennifer. “At the same time, they are teaching history and elements of the artists’ stories.” Funding provides for teacher training, transportation and hands-on programs for students. Developed primarily for early childhood and primary education students, participants might examine aspects of light and dark in silhouetting, the physics of sculpture or architectural elements within two-dimensional compositions.

“Women are often overlooked in history,” said Jennifer. “This program gives context and a back story to important women in art.” Jennifer was previously executive director of the Edward Hopper House in Nyack, N.Y., which is part of the network of Historic Artists’ Homes & Studios. She cites as an example Josephine Nivison Hopper. Though an accomplished watercolor artist in her own right, Josephine would become known as “Edward’s Muse.”

As she consults to help launch the STEAM program, she is also completing her tenure as deputy director of Basilica Hudson, a nonprofit multidisciplinary art center located in Hudson, N.Y. Beginning in the summer of 2020, when many arts and performance spaces faced pandemic-related closures and cancellations, Jennifer worked with the organization to secure grant funding.

Jennifer earned a B.A. in art history from Dickinson College in 1994 and joined Smithsonian Associates, where she administered public programs for museums across the Smithsonian system. “Smithsonian Associates is headquartered at the S. Dillon Ripley Center, a neighbor to the Smithsonian Castle,” she recalled. “I got to take the escalator down under the National Mall. It was like walking in catacombs!”

After working at the Smithsonian, Jennifer said she knew she wanted to teach and returned to school, earning a master of museum education from The George Washington University in 1998. While a student at GW, she married her former husband and relocated to Miami, where she was curator of the Lowe Art Museum, followed by a move to Boston, where she worked as a consultant for White Oak Associates, a strategic museum planning firm. As a member of a small team, she planned education and community outreach for several specialty museums in the U.S. and Canada.

She continued consulting part time as she began work on her Ed.D. in community education from the Teachers College at Columbia University. When her daughter Grace Rabley ’21 was just eight months old, the family relocated to Zurich.

““I was trailing my spouse doing a doctorate,” recalled Jennifer. Her focus of study was District Six, an area of Capetown, South Africa,

where during apartheid, more than 60,000 people were forcibly removed. “The District Six Museum is part of the International Coalition of Historic Sites of Conscience. They are sites that commemorate upsetting moments of history. I could access data from Europe, and flew back and forth to work with my advisor and defend my dissertation.”

Jennifer said, “Westminster formed who I am, not just academically. Scott Berry, as a soccer coach, teacher and advisor was my most influential teacher. If not for him, I would not have found my way with ease at Westy. And Grace loves that we both had Scott Stevens as an English teacher, and we loved his class.”

As a student, Jennifer played varsity soccer, basketball and lacrosse and played varsity volleyball her Third Form year. She was a member of Black and Gold, Language Club and Chorale and was voted most valuable player in girls’ lacrosse.

Jennifer established the Patton Fund, an annual gift to Westminster earmarked for teachers to use to bring students into the museums and arts organizations in greater Hartford, following her graduation from Dickinson. “I took art history at Dickinson and wondered why we had not visited these places when I was at Westminster,” she said. “I was 25 years old when I started the fund. My father had died, and we created a family foundation in his honor that allowed us to give. I chose Westy. As a museum educator, I know how important informal learning is to complement formal learning. I wanted faculty and students to have access to area partnerships.”

Jennifer and her partner, Benjamin Levy, now reside in Great Barrington, Mass. with her children Justine, 18, and Owyn, 15. Grace is a student at the Tisch School of the Arts at NYU. “We love the Berkshires,” said Jennifer. The family is resuming travel this year, both for leisure and college visits. “Owyn is going to Ireland, Justine to Italy, and Grace to Rome, Florence and Venice.”

From Hockey Goalie to Lawyer

Phil Lauderdale ’02 is assistant general counsel and lead of the general counsel’s office technology and managed services team at Ernst & Young (EY) in the U.S., putting him in the center of the company’s managed services and technology business. Phil heads a team of lawyers that provides primary legal and contract support for EY’s technology offerings such as software as a service, blockchain and artificial intelligence, as well as EY’s technology and managed services business.

“I find my job is comparable to team sports in a way. There is a rush, camaraderie with the team — lawyers, sales and financial professionals, software architects,” said Phil. “I’ve always had a natural defensive posture. I went from hockey goalie to lawyer. As a lawyer, if there is a dispute, I am the last line of defense. From Westminster through college, hockey was good training for that environment.”

Phil says that the structure and attention from teachers at Westminster served him well. “At the time, I needed that. The time management requirements, with days being so full, from school in the morning, to sports in the afternoon, to working in the kitchen, study hall — it all benefited me,” he recalled. “Dedication to academics was instilled in me at Westminster whether my teachers knew it or not.” As a student, he played varsity football and baseball in addition to hockey.

During Phil’s Sixth Form year at Westminster, he left campus fall term and attended public school in order to continue his hockey development in Chilliwack, British Columbia. He returned to Westminster and graduated with his class — something that Phil says is not the typical course of action in competitive hockey.

“When I was at Westminster, I was being recruited by Eastern College Athletic Conference and Hockey East Association schools,” said Phil. His mind was set on attending college in a different part of the country, however. Phil played junior hockey with the New Hampshire Junior Monarchs for one year before beginning college at The Ohio State University, where his father had attended college. He played for The Ohio State Buckeyes Division I hockey program all four years while earning his B.A. in economics and continued playing as a first year student at The Ohio State University Moritz College of Law.

“I had told myself I didn’t want to be a lawyer, but the summer before my senior year, I did an internship with IBM, where both of my parents worked. I loved the environment,” said Phil. “I took the LSAT, did well, and it seemed like the next thing I knew, I was in my first year of a contract law course.”

Balancing Division I hockey and law classes proved difficult. “I practiced with the team twice a week and was a backup goalie. I would study in between periods,” he recalled. “I had to be very regimented, and I had a very successful first year of law school academically. I was used as an example for my teammates.”

Phil studied professional sports law and had intended to put his degree to work as a player agent representative. “A professor put me in touch with a player representative in Toronto, and I worked with his agency to scout junior hockey and college teams in the Midwest,” said Phil.

After earning his J.D. in 2010, Phil instead returned to IBM as an attorney, where his work on high-value global technology and services engagements led to his recruitment to EY in 2018. Throughout, he continued scouting and was an agent and adviser for young hockey players navigating the junior hockey and college process. “As I became more advanced in my career, it became more difficult to do both. I traveled to tournaments for more than a decade,” he said. “The pandemic put an end to it.”

Phil lives in Greenwich, Conn., and continues to play hockey recreationally weekly at the Brunswick School in Greenwich, Conn., along with Mike Kennedy ’00 and Jack Kennedy ‘98. And though he missed reunion in 2022 due to COVID, he recently virtually attended Westminster Today and visited campus for the Williams Hill Society dinner. His work to support young people extends beyond Westminster. For the last 12 years, Phil has been part of a group of 40 African American men who together host an invitational golf tournament at Pinehurst, N.C. “We are business leaders, board members, CEOs, and sports figures,” said Phil. “We raise funds to provide for the local community and scholarships for local students.”

Martlets on the Move

Strengthening Community Connections

Erin Hynes Naspo ’93 is a familiar face in the Simsbury public school system, where she has worked as a social worker since 2015.

A Simsbury native, Erin attended Tariffville School, as did many children of Westminster faculty and staff throughout the years. In her current role, she is working to further strengthen Westminster’s connection with the community through the Grit & Grace Club.

Together with Westminster history teacher and learning specialist Kelly Curtis P’24, Erin founded the student club at Tariffville School. Twice a week, Westminster students visit the school to meet with students whom Erin thinks would benefit with some extra homework help and in participating in group activities and games. Pre-pandemic, the Tariffville students also attended Dramat’s presentation of “The Little Mermaid” and dined in Armstrong Dining Hall.

“Grit & Grace Club is all about training on building confidence and making connections,” said Erin. “It’s my favorite program because it connects both of my worlds from my personal educational experiences.”

After graduating from Westminster, Erin attended Bowdoin College. She earned her master of social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago, and began her career as a child and family therapist at the Home for Little Wanderers, an outpatient clinic in the Boston area. She returned to Connecticut in 2002 and joined The Village for Children and Families in Hartford, first as a therapist and subsequently as director of child guidance. She transitioned to public school service in 2006 as a social worker in New Britain, Conn., where more than half of students come from economically disadvantaged families.

“Working in Simsbury was a big change in demographics. In my previous district, there were many students with complex trauma histories and food insecurity issues. There were lots of kids in the same boat,” said Erin. “In Simsbury, the students facing such insecurities can potentially be sitting next to the children of the wealthiest families in the state. It is rewarding for me to be able to help families navigate that stress.”

Prior to the pandemic, Erin noted an increase in student needs related to anxiety and executive functioning. “Now, we are seeing needs in the areas of group socialization, and coping and conflict resolution skills in addition to academic weaknesses. After extended periods of distance learning, students need time to get those skills reinforced again,” she said.

Erin was encouraged to work in the school district by her children, both soccer players, who were at the time attending another one of the town’s public elementary schools. “They actually wanted

me to work in their school. I was working long hours and coaching their soccer teams. They wanted me to be more available,” Erin recalled.

Though her children are now older — Connor is 17 and Brady is 14 — she only recently stopped coaching. “Coaching soccer, I used many of the same skills I use at work in a different location,” said Erin. “I saw my students at soccer, at church and at baseball. It was a nice connection.”

The experience was similar to her time at Westminster. “Teachers always knew what you were doing on the field and knew the families. It was so important during my adolescence,” said Erin. “I am able to provide the same experience in my community. It is meaningful to me.”

Erin attended Tariffville School with Jill Adams ’93, daughter of retired Westminster teacher and former Dean of Faculty Dick Adams. “Because of our friendship, I spent tons of time at Westminster, and when the time came for high school, I asked, ‘Aren’t I coming here with Jill?’ Mr. Adams helped convince my mom that it would be a good thing,” said Erin.

As a student, Erin immersed herself in athletics, academics and student life. She played soccer, basketball and lacrosse all four years, performed with Chorale Third and Fourth Form years, and was the recipient of the Academic Book Award and the Butler Bowl her Third Form year the Squibb Bowl and Williams Book Award Fifth Form year, and was a finalist in the WALKS Constitutional Essay Contest. She was co-president of Black and Gold, vice president of John Hay Vestry and a student council officer all four years, serving as president Fifth Form year. She also served as a church/youth officer. In the community, Erin was active in her church’s Pilgrim Fellowship and volunteered at Governor’s House, a local rehabilitation center.

Erin and her husband, David, whom she met at Bowdoin, have a goal to travel to all of the major league baseball parks with their children, though their efforts were interrupted by the pandemic and the children’s baseball schedules. “We are diehard Yankees fans,” said Erin. “The boys love to see the Yankees play in other major league parks.”

Aside from those travels, Erin is also looking forward to having more time to reconnect with her Westminster classmates. “We are almost done with the phase of driving everyone everywhere!”she exclaimed.

Psst! Are you a Seventh Former?

If you have already celebrated your 50th reunion, you are officially a Seventh Former, which allows you to attend a series of virtual and in-person gatherings offered exclusively to members of the classes of 1939 through 1972.

The idea of creating a Seventh Form was one of the unexpected silver linings of the pandemic, explained Jennifer Keyo, director of legacy and leadership giving.

In 2020–21, when the school held virtual reunions due to COVID, some adjacent classes opted to collaborate on a joint reunion. The class of ’50 joined with ’51, and the class of ’55 gathered with ’56 in celebrating their reunions over Zoom.

The classes were close enough in years that many alumni shared similar memories, which sparked the idea of the Seventh Form. It not only breaks down the barriers of class lines; it builds on one of Westminster’s core values of community, Keyo said.

Though it launched as an experiment in the fall of 2021, the Seventh Form has been enthusiastically embraced, with nearly 25% of those eligible attending at least one of the four virtual programs offered that year.

Hunter Smith, a class agent for class of 1968 for nearly 45 years and a member of the alumni association executive committee, is the public face of the Seventh Form. “When Jenn Keyo asked me to be involved and jokingly said I could be the Head Prefect, I was all in,” said Smith, who was instrumental in planning virtual events for the 2022-23 year.

“Through the virtual programming, alumni find themselves having a conversation with members of adjacent classes, with guys they hadn’t seen for 50 years that they had grown up with on the Hill,” Smith said. “We’ve had alumni participating from around the globe because it is easier for them to hop on Zoom ––

one of the things we can be thankful for because of COVID.”

Programming focuses on shared interests and experiences, providing opportunities for those older classes to make and renew connections within and across class years and learn from each other. The first virtual event was a conversation with Head of School Elaine White discussing the school motto Grit & Grace.

In another virtual event, faculty member Sara Mogck reviewed her elective course Forgotten History and gave a lesson on the sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff, the World War II maritime tragedy that was six times deadlier than the Titanic. That conversation led to a discussion among alumni about their experiences in history classes at Westminster and about the current curriculum.

A lively alumni-led round table program included a conversation on bourbon with architect Olle Lundberg ’71, who is the co-owner of a whiskey bar in San Francisco. Joe Gitterman ’55 led a discussion that explored the ways we create and express creativity. John Beinecke ’65 spoke about travel adventures and playing golf around the world.

Seventh Formers often find they have more in common than they realized, said Keyo. An alumnus who spoke about his many visits to Nordic countries sparked an unexpected response from another alumnus who had been a frequent visitor to the same countries. Soon one was speaking in Norwegian and the other in Swedish.

“Even though they had not known each other at Westminster, they were connecting as alumni for the first time,” she said. “It is those kinds of ‘a-ha’ moments that help to build relationships between alumni in a very deep and meaningful way.”

For information on future events, please visit: https://www.westminster-school.org/seventh-form

A group of Seventh Formers gathered for lunch on Aug. 17 at Stonebridge Restaurant in Milford, Conn. Front row, left to right: Tom Turton ’61, Jerry Glover ’72 and Evan Stewart ’70. Back row: Hunter Smith ’68, Jim Mendillo ’67, Tucker Tobins ’72 and Durbin Hunter ’63.

Class Notes

Send alumni news and class notes via email to Cris Gomez ’10, Director of Alumni Engagement: classnotes@westminster-school.org Send updates to contact information to spierson@westminster-school.org

1955

David Allen writes that his health has improved since a bad fall when he broke five ribs and a scapula bone. “I am now back playing golf — not very well — and feel so much better.” He and his wife, Sally, were on campus in June for the Mega Reunion weekend.

1962

Ken’ichi Matsumura received “The Order of the Sacred Treasure, Gold Rays with Neck Ribbon,” for the Spring Conferment of Decorations, which was announced April 29. He taught English, Irish literature and Celtic culture for 41 years at Chuo University in Tokyo. He retired from Chuo as Professor Emeritus 10 years ago.

1968

Jock Tate rebuilt a 1952 Chevy 3100 pickup from scrap with upgrades, leather seat, straight six (250ci), five-speed transmission, nine-inch rear end and AC to mention a few. The truck ended up being a 10-year project for his wife Kathryn.

1969

Rich Porth and family spent a magnificent three weeks in India this past May, traveling to Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Madurai, Kochi, Aurangabad and Mumbai. Highlights were the Taj Mahal, riding an elephant in Amber, sipping tea in Darjeeling, and houseboating through the backwaters of Kerala in the south. He writes: “Indian food is the absolute best! May was also a great month for the family as daughter Rachel graduated from Tufts Medical School.”

1972

Steve Scott writes: “Memorial Day weekend welcoming the new firefighters to the Point O’Woods Fire Company with Cameron Scott ’06 and Tom Eaton ’85. Old guard ’72. Very proud.”

2019/2020

Two Martlets in action: John Devlin ’20 (Wesleyan) and Walker Stevens ’19 (Middlebury) faced off in a college lacrosse game.

1986

Four members of the Class of 1986 joined each other for golf on Fishers Island, N.Y., in July 2022. From the left: Peter Upson, Geoff Hanson, Mal Miller and Tuey Connell.

1995

Sarah H. Booth ’95 and her husband, Armando Inarritu, welcomed a son, Sebastian Inarritu Booth, born March 22, 2022, in New York City.

2006

Lane Bodian ’06, Andy Gomez ’06 and Lina Giraldo Gomez caught up in the Capitol Building.

2010

Maddie Garnett ’10 and Alex Cushman were married Oct. 9, 2021. More than 30 of their guests were Westminster alumni, former faculty members and parents of alumni! After two postponements due to the pandemic, they were able to celebrate with their loved ones at the Garnett’s home in Cornwall Bridge, Conn., on a perfect autumn day.

2013

Westminster welcomed to campus Mark Ellis ’13 on Sept. 23. Mark spoke to students about his Westminster experience and how it changed his life. He encouraged students to write their own story during their time on the Hill. Mark is an assistant strength coach with @putigerperformance.

Ann Mather Gilman

Longtime former Westminster faculty member Ann M. Gilman died May 11, in Simsbury, Conn. She had an illustrious 45-year tenure at Westminster that began in 1956 as organist, choir accompanist, voice coach, music director for Dramat and choral arranger. She served on the Westminster faculty from 1972 to 2001.

Just before her death, Ann attended Westminster’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of coeducation on campus April 22, where she had lunch, attended a student and alumnae panel discussion and the alumnae art show and visited with alumni and current and former faculty. She was in great spirits.

Ann earned a B. Mus. in piano performance from Boston University, and while studying there, she met her future husband, J. Lawrence Gilman. After courting for five years, they married a month before arriving at Westminster School in 1956, when Larry was appointed music director and an English teacher, and Ann served as chapel organist, accompanist and coach for small singings.

Larry served as a member of the teaching faculty from 1956 to 1995,

when he became Westminster’s archivist, a position he held until his retirement in 2016 on the 60th anniversary of his appointment. Ann retired in 2001. They had been a constant presence on campus and had an impact on generations of Westminster students. They also raised their children, Lawrence ’78 and Suzanne ’80, on campus.

The Gilmans lived in Graduate House for 14 years and then moved to another faculty home, where they lived until 1995, before relocating off campus in Simsbury.

Following Ann’s retirement from Westminster, the Ann Gilman Organ Maintenance Fund was established for the school’s organ in Andrews Memorial Chapel in recognition of her loyal service to the school. She was very fond of the inscription on the plaque that recognizes the fund that reads: “Just as her fingers on these keys made music, so those self-same sounds on our spirits made a music, too.”

The Gilman Music Lesson Scholarship Fund honors Ann’s and Larry’s service to the school.

Ann was preceded in death by her husband of 60 years, Larry, in 2017,

and her son, Lawrence Collier Gilman, in 2018. She is survived by her daughter, Suzanne Gilman (Gena Taylor) of New York City; daughter-in-law, Susan Apling-Gilman of Delta Junction, Alaska; grandson, Aaron Apling-Gilman (Kayla Weller), and great-grandson Landon Hayes Apling-Gilman, of Anchorage, Alaska; sister-in-law, Anne Collier, of Wakefield, Mass.; niece, Elizabeth Collier, and nephew, Matthew Collier, of Wakefield, Mass.; and nephew, David Collier, of Wildomar, Calif. She was predeceased by her brother, Edmund James Collier.

TRIBUTES

Dick Adams, former faculty member

A pillar of the Westminster community has left us. Ann Gilman was quietly and unassumingly teaching music at Westminster for over 40 years. She brought her love of music to us and set a wonderfully high standard for her charges to perfect each performance, as she spent hours rehearsing with choral groups and individuals. Ann once said to me, “Chapel was the best thing we do at Westminster,” bringing our community together and providing an opportunity for any student or faculty member to express what is uniquely important to them.

What we too easily forget is that music is such an integral part of each service, and Ann provided that music three times a week in my early years on campus — from her rousing rendition of the Westminster recessional to her carefully chosen preludes and postludes. But Ann also made me realize that music is a lonely endeavor, that we see and hear only the product of what has taken hours of dedicated practice, and her dedication is something we can all learn from.

Ann possessed incredible discipline and joy in preparing for each service. As my wife and I assumed a more active role in the chapel program, we would frequently encounter Ann at what seemed odd hours rehearsing the music for each service — music that she could play in her sleep but she nonetheless felt needed to be flawlessly presented. Only now it occurs to me that Ann was the quintessential accompanist — others took the bows, but Ann did not. The students got the attention, as they should, but behind them was a very caring and dedicated woman.

Pam and Nick McDonald, former faculty members

Ann was so lively and engaging when we reminisced with her at Westminster’s 50th anniversary of coeducation celebration last April. Our family will always be so grateful to her and to Larry for all the joy they brought to our lives. In particular, Ann’s encouragement and commitment to developing Jenn’s ’96 and Amanda’s ’06 singing voices made a huge difference in their lives on the Hill and later in college singing groups. But more than that, she and Larry were such a team, generousspirited, welcoming, drawing out the best in their students and fellow faculty. They were key players in building the nurturing community that is Westminster.

Charley Zimmer ’59

I remember Ann well, both as a student of hers and as a colleague when I returned to teach at Westminster in the late 1960s. She was a wonderful lady, full of “grit and grace!” We were a better school through her presence!

Derek Fahey ’66

Fifty-nine years ago, I ventured up Williams Hill. The school looked somewhat different in those days, and I believe only

about 140 or so boys lived up there. The newest building on campus then was the handsome chapel, and we were required to pay respects to God, Country and School quite often. And one of the benefits of having to go was to listen to its magnificent organ.

In that House of God, there was a bespectacled lady, a faculty wife, whose head we could just barely see over the organ. Mrs. Gilman was her name. That was virtually my only memory of her for the four years I was at Westminster.

I was not in the choir. I didn’t make the cut. I didn’t have Mr. Gilman for any English classes. They didn’t have a corridor assignment for their residence; he was not a coach of any team I was on. I just don’t recall ever having any substantive conversations or encounters with either Mr. or Mrs. Gilman during my years there. Surely, I must have sat at their table in the dining hall. But I just don’t remember really having a chat with her.

Then, somewhere in the 1990s when I returned for another reunion with my Band of 40+ brothers, I chanced upon Mrs. Gilman walking close by. She stopped, smiled and said: “Hello, Derek. Very nice to see you again. How are you doing?”

My reaction was immediate! I thought: Are you kidding me! How does she know, much less remember, my name? How is that possible?

Let us do the math — 25 to 30 years had passed! I was absolutely stunned and amazed and, of course, terrifically impressed. Amazed, a more appropriate word. Hundreds upon hundreds, certainly thousands, of students had passed through Westminster for all the many years she had been (in the background) at school. Just simply amazing!

That started me thinking about the women who were the wives of our masters back then. The ladies who quietly supported and cared for us, who we would see walking the quad with their own children and dogs, in the stands at athletic events, at table in the dining hall, at the end of our corridors, being there for us, making us their extended family. Those women were as much a part of the soul of Westminster as were the men who comprised the faculty.

Years passed, and as I would take note of the names of these special, kind and selfless ladies who were passing away, members of the Class of 1966 thought to try to thank them for all they had done for us, for the school and what a significant part they played in our lives and the character of the school.

So, basically, because of Ann Gilman, we created a plaque that now acknowledges the “Moms of Williams Hill,” and it is prominently displayed in the new dining hall. Additionally, we crafted a more personal card that tried to express our gratitude to them. (Do take note: The only role women had at school then was that of a wife. Only men got a paycheck.) The card was sent to the four remaining ladies who were at Westminster for us during the years 1962 to 1966 and, also, and importantly, to their grown children and grandchildren.

Ann Gilman represented so much of what makes Westminster School so special, so unique, and its legacy is surely built upon the shoulders of a small community of remarkable and enduring women.

Peter Wenigmann ’69

I came to Westminster as an eighth grader in the fall of 1964 and graduated in 1969. There were so many members of the faculty and staff who were important for me during those five years, and for their support I will always be grateful. Perhaps, surprisingly, Mrs. Gilman also became an important part of my life at the school, not as a teacher but in her role as organist for our chapel services. With chapel coming before dinner on five of the seven days of the week, I found that Mrs. Gilman often came to the chapel early before worship, just to play the organ. In time, I also began to come to the chapel early — to just sit and listen. I found a wonderful peace within myself during those times, and looking back, they became my first experiences with the spiritual side of my life. It also became a kind of therapeutic experience, sitting still and listening to the beautiful music, in the midst of a life that was seemingly always busy and always surrounded by teachers and other students. I cherish and will always be grateful for these gifts that Mrs. Gilman unknowingly gave me.

Evan Stewart ’70

I was deeply saddened by the news of Ann Gilman’s death. Unfortunately, my wife and I somehow missed seeing Ann on her last visit to campus in April of this year. During my four years at Westminster (1966–1970), Ann and her husband, Larry, were fixtures on the campus, not only as caring and nurturing husband and wife, but also as the faculty’s driving force in all things musical. I remember distinctly how Ann, as faculty adviser to the Harmonaires, handled the suggestion of the group’s leader, Buzz Hartshorn, that one of the songs we should record on our 1969 album be a cover of the Beatles’ “Why Don’t We Do It In the Road.” Ann very calmly, but definitively, told a disappointed Buzz that would not be appropriate and that was that! Years after graduation (during my years on the Board of Trustees), on a number of Ann and Larry’s trips to New York City to visit their daughter and go to musical events, I would take them to my club for lunch. These were delightful reunions with two very special people who influenced my life in many significant ways.

Mike Jackson Jr. ’75

I am writing to remember my godmother, Ann Gilman, and her remarkable tenure and dedication to Westminster School. The Gilmans and Jacksons started their working lives together, living in Graduate House. My earliest memory of Mrs. Gilman is over the edge of a sandbox where I was digging holes with Larry Jr. She had a wide, genuine smile and bright laugh, and maintained her enthusiastic “Hi, Mikey” greeting through the last time I met her on campus. I will miss her and the love of a godmother.

Jennifer O’Brien ’78

I knew Mrs. Gilman from the perspective of a faculty brat in the 1970s, and just thinking of her makes me feel good. She was such a kind, warm, intelligent woman. My lasting impression of her is her beautiful smile. She radiated warmth. I’m grateful to have known her.

Adam Gordon ’82

In my first week as a Fourth Former in the fall of 1979, I auditioned for choir. I can’t remember if everyone was obliged to or if I actually signed up, but either way, I showed up and sang. Since my voice hadn’t changed, I could sing the highest notes in the repertoire without effort, and I suspect Ann Gilman was pleased to find a first tenor.

However, between the audition and the first rehearsal something must have gotten into my head that maybe choir wasn’t for me, so on the appointed day, instead of heading over to Andrews Chapel at the end of the class, I headed over to the dining hall instead. My lunch tray full, I found a spot at one of the round tables, and just as I was about to tuck into a chicken patty sandwich, I felt a firm hand on my shoulder. It was Ann Gilman. I can’t remember exactly what she said to me, but I received the clear message that choir rehearsal had started, and my attendance was not optional.

Before I knew what had hit me, I was in three choirs: the concert choir, the chapel choir and a male a cappella group. Though Larry would conduct our concerts, it was Ann who led all the rehearsals. In my mind, she was the choir director, and she nurtured in me a profound love of choral music. I have sung in choirs nearly every year since then. It has been a cornerstone and one of the central joys of my life.

Last week, in my small church choir, I thought of Ann as we sang this verse:

O breathe on me, O Breath of God, fill me with life anew that I may love the things you love and do what you would do.

Thank you, Ann, for the enduring gift you gave me when you wrangled me in the dining hall that day.

Erin Corbett ’95

The loss of Mrs. Gilman is devastating to all who knew and loved her. She was my advisor for a short time, and every time we met to check in, she would bake me a chocolate, chocolate chip cake for us to share after “business” was done. When I assumed co-student leadership of Chorale my senior year, we spent even more time together, and she never failed to brighten even the darkest of days. Mrs. Gilman was and is a treasure, and I will love her always.

Jeremy Cramer ’96

Ann Gilman was the most influential teacher I ever had. I was blessed to have many extraordinary educators at Westminster and beyond, but it was she who taught me a love for music and singing that I never knew existed.

I first knew Mrs. Gilman from afar. Upon arriving in Simsbury for my Fourth Form year, I watched her play the organ in the chapel with passion and skill each week. She always

had a smile on her face, and she seemed to know each student by their first name, but when it was time to play the organ a sense of commitment and devotion took over. I admired her focus on her craft.

When I was selected for Chamber Choir that same year, I really got to know Mrs. Gilman. I thought it was so special that she took an interest in me. She cared about the music I was interested in, she was invested in my development as a vocalist and she encouraged me to take ownership of the music we performed for the school community each year. She taught me to advocate for things that were important to me, to lead by example and to listen more than speak to others.

During my Sixth Form Year, Mrs. Gilman was generous enough to be my teacher for an independent study course on music theory. We sat together in the chapel each week discussing music; she taught me the basics of music theory and arranging and she challenged me with interesting, thought-provoking homework assignments. I will forever cherish the time that Mrs. Gilman spent with me that year. Her kindness was truly unmatched.

Near the end of my Sixth Form year, I asked Mrs. Gilman if she would be willing to arrange a song that my classmate Bethany Tracey Rodrigues ’96 and I could sing on the day of our graduation in 1996. She quickly arranged a traditional Irish Blessing that I believe is still performed by each graduating class, and I remain so grateful to have shared that beautiful tune with our friends and beloved faculty members.

My friendship with and love for Mrs. Gilman lasted until the day she died. We spoke on the phone every year, and my classmate, Allie Blais ’96, joined me for dinner with Mrs. Gilman in Simsbury every so often. A highlight of the last few years was meeting Mrs. Gilman’s daughter, Suzanne, a principal violinist with “Phantom of the Opera” on Broadway, with my oldest son, Jonah. Suzanne gave Jonah a backstage tour, introduced us to her colleagues and shared the same hallmark Gilman generosity of spirit. The apple certainly didn’t fall far.

I was privileged to speak with Mrs. Gilman a few days before she passed away, and I only wish I had the strength to remind her of the Irish Blessing she introduced me to more than 25 years ago:

May the road rise up to meet you. May the wind always be at your back. May the sun shine warm upon your face, and rains fall soft upon your fields.

And until we meet again, May God hold you in the palm of His hand.

May God hold Ann Gilman in the palm of His hand, and may her memory forever be a blessing.

OBITUARIES

1945Daniel C. Elkin Jr. died Jan. 10, 2022. A veteran of the U.S. Navy and a graduate of the University of Virginia, Dan was a postal employee for over 30 years in Garrard County, Ky., where he also operated a family farm and served for many years in the volunteer fire department.

For more than 50 years, he was scoutmaster with the Boy Scouts of America for a troop in Garrard County, whose racial integration he supervised. He led his scouts to many national jamborees and to the Philmont Scout Ranch. He received many regional and national Scouting awards, including the Silver Beaver, the Order of the Arrow, the District Award of Merit and the Scouters Key. He treasured his friendships with former Scouts and scoutmasters throughout his life.

Dan loved to play golf and bridge with his many friends. An animal lover, he was an expert horseman as a young man, and no account of his life could fail to mention the many dogs he loved over the years: Whiskey, Sweetie, Little Bit, Digby and Gracie, among others. He was a member of the Lancaster Christian Church. Everyone who knew Dan will remember above all the big, warm smile he shared generously, right up to the end of his life.

He is survived by his wife, Mary Lou Bean Elkin, his three children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, stepchildren, step-grandchildren and a step-great-grandchild.

Freeborn Garrettson Jewett died June 24, 2022. One in a long line of F.G. Jewetts, Garry grew up in Philadelphia, New York, Chicago and finally Southport, Conn., with his parents and his two brothers, (Richard) Kirk ’44 and Frank. In Southport, at the Pequot Yacht Club, Garry learned to sail as a boy, and that became his lifelong passion.

After Westminster, he attended Yale College, though his undergraduate years were interrupted by service in U.S. Army Counter Intelligence Corp in Korea. He attended Yale Law School and went on to have a long and interesting career in law, first with Simpson Thatcher in New York, and then in various legal department roles with the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB). He retired in 1990 as general counsel. While at IADB, Garry traveled extensively throughout Latin America before international travel was common, enriching his world view and bringing a better understanding of the region to policymakers in Washington, D.C.

He met Joan Sanford Lewis through Yale-Vassar connections, they were engaged on the porch at the Pequot Yacht Club, and married in 1952 in Warwick, N.Y. Together, they created a family of six children.

Garry moved his family from Manhattan to McLean, Va., in 1960 to join the IADB. Garry and Joan developed a life pattern which included McLean during the school year, with Warwick, N.Y. in the summer, and regular visits to the coast of Maine and the Adirondacks. Garry loved being on the water. His favorite place was probably Stonington, Maine, and the rocky coastline of Little Coombs Island.

Garry Jewett was a tireless advocate for the environment. During his career and for decades following his retirement, Garry worked in board and volunteer roles for multiple environmental groups including Defenders of Wildlife, Environmental Defense Fund, World Wildlife Fund, the Nature Conservancy and World Resources Institute.

Garry is survived by his wife, Joan, their six children and their respective families (13 grandchildren and six greatgrandchildren), by his older brother, Kirk, and by a legion of nieces, nephews and a few dear friends.

1949

David Martin died March 15, 2022. He was valedictorian of his graduating class and accepted to both Harvard and

Yale with a full scholarship. David chose Yale, graduating with “highest orations” and a full scholarship to Yale School of Medicine, graduating in 1957. David completed his surgical residency at Tufts in Boston and a post doctorate master’s in surgery.

He moved to Minnesota to pursue a life of fishing and boating on the Mississippi. He referenced Tom Sawyer in many of his antics. He enjoyed golf and became the club champion. In Wabasha, David was the only surgeon in two counties. He was a member of the American College of Surgeons and the Minnesota Surgical Society.

He had dreams of ocean sailing and moved to South Carolina. David has sailed more than 50,000 blue water miles aboard his sailboat, the Chasse Maree. He enjoyed many years of laughter, friendship and worthy tales with family and friends aboard his sailboat.

David practiced general surgery in Abbeville, S.C. from 1988 to 2003. He retired from surgery at the age of 72 but remained active in his sailing endeavors until the age of 90. He is responsible for introducing laparoscopic surgery to Abbeville Hospital and was a member of the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES).

He is survived by his wife of 23 years, Sharon; his seven children, including Westminster graduate David E. Martin, IV, ’83, six grandchildren and one greatgranddaughter.

Tim Mead Smith died March 29, 2022. After graduating from Westminster, he attended the N.Y. State Forest Ranger School and served in the U.S. Army Signal Corps during the Korean War. After graduation from Syracuse University in 1958, Timothy was employed by J.H. Monteath (exotic wood products) for many decades. He retired to Heritage Village in Southbury, Conn., in 2013. Timothy is survived by his sister, Susan Henry, and brother, Christopher Smith ’54.

1954Gregory Neal died July 11, 2022. Husband of Stephanie Bigelow for 64 years, he is survived by son, John Bremer Neal; daughters, Stephanie Brooks Neal and Penelope Neal Whitlock ’83; sonin-law, Matthew Whitlock; daughterin-law, Nancy Kimmerly; and two granddaughters, Abby and Julia.

Richard Cuyler writes: “Greg and I spent five years together, starting as a band of 13 Second Formers. I think some of us sensed that Greg was a leader then. That was certainly borne out by his Senior Prefect. He was natural and we had a smooth last year. Greg and I were both nuts about hockey. It seemed so natural that Greg would be the captain our Sixth Form year. He was a fierce and determined competitor and helped us skate as well as we could. His leadership was a factor in our having an astonishingly good season. No artificial rink, and the rink in the back of Pettee Gym was on a red clay surface and exposed to the sun all day. We all took hour-long flooding shifts during many nights to get the rink playable, and as often as not we’d see our efforts melt away during the day. How did we practice if we could not skate on the rink or on the pond at the foot of the hill? Greg led us on long runs, and on the playing field we’d shoot pucks off the boards at Greg as goalie. He would taunt us to get one past him and he was a very good keeper. It must have been our Fourth Form year. Greg was minding the net for the First Team, I believe the only one of our form to play First Team that year. No red lights to signal goals so some of us were corralled to act as arbiters. One game, I was stationed behind Greg, and I raised my hand at goal. The puck was more than halfway over the goal line. Greg was furious at me! He claimed I was mistaken and made his point known in vociferous language! Soon after the game, he acknowledged my call and apologized. That was the Greg I knew. I respected Greg and was pleased to know him as a friend.”

Charles “Quince” L. Quaintance died July 21, 2022. Following Westminster, Quince served in the U.S Navy as a meteorologist and attended the New York National Academy of Art, before beginning a career in retail. He leaves behind two nieces, two brothers-in-law, two sisters-in-law and their families. He was predeceased by his wife Margaret Quaintance. In 2014, he contributed paintings for display at the Alumni Art Exhibit.

1955

Townsend Swayze died Aug. 4, 2022, in the company of his wife, Felicity Swayze, his son Peter Swayze ’86 and his daughter India Swayze. Following Westminster, Townsend attended Harvard College where he began rowing and was a captain of the undefeated 1959 heavyweight crew. Townsend remained a loyal member of the Westminster alumni community serving as chair of the board of trustees and was a member of the Centennial Campaign Committee. The Swayze Award is named in his honor and given to a member of the faculty for outstanding contribution to the life of the school. Townsend’s brother is Henry Swayze’59.

Alan Brooks ’55 writes: T’s schoolmates knew him as a standout (not just because he was 6'5") school leader. A guy with a big laugh, but with a gentle, confident and patient manner. His Westminster teachers knew him as a dyslexic, curious and conscientious honors level student. Westminster coaches knew him as a modest athlete at best who worked himself into becoming a superb rower, captaining the storied 1959 Harvard crew, arguably the finest in the school’s history. For most of his life thereafter, T rowed competitively, always at the top of his game.

Fellow Westminster trustees knew and respected T for his statesman-like and principled leadership of the board and for his devoted support of the faculty, students and staff.

For much of the long time I have known T, I have thought of him as my best friend. I am sure some others have

felt the same. T and I shared many memorable moments.

Here is just one:

In the summer of 1955 following our Westminster graduation, T and I drove cross country in his mother’s old woodpaneled station wagon to work in his uncle’s orange groves outside Riverside, Calif. (On T’s insistence, I think we visited every known cave between New Jersey and New Mexico!). Each evening after a hot day’s work, T and I cooled off in a nearby reservoir. On our last day there, we got trapped by a clearly angry rattlesnake at the wrong end of the lake. You never saw two more terrified big fellows run so fast, feet hardly touching the ground, to reach the safety of that station wagon. Later, we learned that the reservoir was known for its infestation of rattlesnakes. Just one of several close calls with T. I will miss that guy with the big laugh.

1956

Robert S. Morgan died Aug. 12, 2022. He is survived by his wife, Eleanor Morgan, brother Reginald H.T Morgan III ’66, son Brett Morgan and daughter Cara Morgan.

1959

Wistar Cave Silver died April 29, 2022. Born Dec. 15, 1940, in Philadelphia, Pa., Wistar was the son of the late John Archer Silver and Pamela Nicholson Wright. Wis, as he was known, grew up in Chestnut Hill, Pa., Fort Bend, Ind., and Pipersville, Pa. After graduating from Westminster, where he co-captained the football and baseball teams, Wis attended Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Va., before deciding to enter the U.S. Army. He was stationed at Fort Bragg, N.C., in the 82nd Airborne Division, then served in Frankfurt, Germany.

Wis was married for 53 years to Rachel Ann (Scarborough) Silver when she passed June 7, 2017. They were married in Basel, Switzerland and Frankfurt, Germany, while Wis was stationed abroad, then moved to Doylestown in 1964.

Wis worked his early years at Hull Corporation in Hatboro, Pa., then at Ellsworth Adhesives in Germantown, Wis., as a manufacturer’s representative, and the rest of his professional career as owner of Wistar Silver & Associates in Doylestown. He and Rachel had lifelong friendships in Doylestown, many of which revolved around seasons spent on tennis courts together. Wis was a decades-long member of Doylestown Presbyterian Church and Jesus Focus Ministry’s Dawn Patrol men’s Bible group, where he served as treasurer for many years. Wis’s biggest passion was spending time on Conowingo Lake, Md., with his family.

In 2018, Wis moved from his Doylestown home of 54 years to Pine Run Retirement Community, where he was, as always, friendly and helpful and volunteering in many areas, notably the Parvee Foundation that provides monthly assistance for residents who are no longer able to pay the monthly fees and the Scholarship Committee that raises funds within Pine Run to provide higher education opportunities for its young employees.

Lee Dunham writes: “Wis expressed his natural leadership upon joining our class in the Fourth Form and continued to serve Westminster throughout his life. His leadership was founded on his faith, maturity, optimism and empathy. Although he understood and was amused by our highjinks, Wis stood above the fray and was kind to and treated all classmates equally. Not surprisingly, Wis captained sports teams, served as Junior Prefect and presided over the John Hay Society which seemed to give him the most satisfaction. Our reunions will not be the same without him.”

Philip Kerr writes: “I’ve often thought that classmate Wis Silver might have been inspiration for the school motto. Wis was captain of the football team, a school prefect, on the dance committee and presided over the John Hay Vestry in the chapel. He was ever fair, wise, kind and a good listener. When a problem arose, one felt better with Wis dealing with it. If indeed our life is an orchestra, he would have been the cello. His life was full, his memory is a blessing.”

1960

John ‘Jack’ Van Nest Jr. died Feb. 26, 2022. His wife, Lynn, preceded him in death. Jack was a devoted husband and father. He is survived by a brother, sister, two daughters and a grandchild.

Jack was a lifetime member of the Jaycees, active for many years with the Dearborn Heights Spirit Committee and an elected official of numerous community offices. His career was with Ford Motor Co. and upon retiring he traveled the world with his wife. He was an avid genealogist tracing his ancestry back to the 1600s.

He loved to garden with Lynn. He was passionate about Operation Smile and its mission. He was dedicated to Ford Motor Co. his entire life. Most of all he loved his family.

1963

Samuel “Spike” Hunter Richey II died June 4, 2022. Spike was born Jan. 18, 1944, to John M. Richey ’39 and Catherine Buff Scott in Biloxi, Miss. After graduating from Westminster, he attended Boston University and enlisted in the U.S. Navy serving two tours in Vietnam. He was finishing his term of service in Coronado, Calif., when he met the great love of his life, June (Jaye) Alling in the summer of 1969. They were wed in Bronxville, N.Y. in September 1970 and went on to have two children, Catherine (Katie) and Elizabeth (Beth) Cristini ’94 and several Boxer dogs. His career in textiles moved them from New York to Atlanta, Miami, St. Louis and back to New York. Spike was a force of nature and his family meant more to him than anything else in the world. He was a man of many hobbies; passionate about music, boating, golf, skiing and gathering with friends. He enjoyed singing with the Off Sounders, St. Paul’s Choir, and the Greenwich Choral Society, where he served as president. Spike graduated from sail to power at Riverside Yacht Club, feeling it was no longer the journey but the destination that counted. He served there in many capacities including Commodore and was

awarded the Trenary Trophy in 2012 “... for meritorious service to RYC.”

Spike was predeceased by his father, mother, brother (John M. Richey Jr. ’66), and sister (Susan Rowland). He is survived by his stepmother, Barbara Richey, devoted wife and daughters, their husbands, his grandchildren, including Grace Cristini ’22, his sister-in-law and his nephews.

1965

Jeffrey K. Silverthorne died June 4, 2022. Since childhood, photography was the constant choice for his artistry. He was active up to a few weeks before his death. Throughout his four years at Westminster, he greatly appreciated William Cowing’s art classes. Jeff earned bachelor’s and MFA degrees from Rhode Island School of Design. There he was mentored by Harry Callahan. He became tenured on faculty at Roger Williams University, R.I., teaching art history, related subjects and photography. Before then, he had become internationally recognized with sales of his art photography, particularly in France, Germany and Denmark. A film and several books have featured his work including “Directions for Leaving” with an introduction by Annie Proulx.

He once said that some of his two daughters’ casual snapshots were as good as or better artistic images than his serious work. Only partly joking, he added, “Thank goodness they’re not going to turn professional.” He is survived by his wife, Michèle Provost, and three generations of family, including brothers Robert ’61 and James ’60.

Members of the Westminster Community

Former trustee (1978-1984) Lawrence M. Noble Jr., P’80, ’82, GP’05, ’11, ’18, ’20, died Feb. 21, 2022. Lawrence was born in New Haven, Conn., March 28, 1931. He graduated from St. Paul’s School in 1948 and spent the following year at

the University of Lausanne, Switzerland. He received his bachelor’s from Yale University in 1953 and then joined the U.S. Marine Corps.

He joined Aluminium Ltd. in 1956, and attended the company’s International Management Institute in Geneva, Switzerland. He received a business degree a year later and was sent to the company’s affiliate in New York City, Aluminium Ltd. Sales, Inc. He worked in sales until 1962, when he left to attend the Harvard Business School. After business school, he was employed by Yale University for 18 years as associate director of admissions, director of financial aid and associate secretary. In 1981, he founded an educational counseling practice in New Haven, advising students and their families on admission to secondary schools and colleges. In 1996, he retired to concentrate on writing.

Lawrence’s primary interest was his family. He was a devoted husband to his wife, Joanna, who predeceased him. He was also a devoted husband to his first wife, Helen, before her death in 1995. In addition, he was very close to his children and their families. They had many reunions over the years in Vermont, Connecticut and at their summer home in Northport Point, Mich.

He was a trustee of many educational institutions and organizations, including Foote School, Westminster and Suffield Academy. He was also secretary-treasurer of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, and a fellow of Saybrook College at Yale.

He leaves three children: Lawrence R. Noble ’80, Holly N. O’Brien ’82 and Daniel S. Noble. Also surviving are 11 grandchildren — including graduates Lindsay O’Brien Bababekov ’05, Kelsey O’Brien ’11, Grant Noble ’18 and William Noble ’20 — and three great grandchildren.

Former Westminster faculty member August “Tuck” Ganzenmuller III, who served as director of admissions from 1983-1990, has died. The GanzenmullerBuckey award, named after Tuck and Arlene Buckey, lives on thanks to their

incredible legacy on Williams Hill, and remains a huge point of pride for the admissions team and the student body. This award is given annually during Commencement weekend to the student who contributed the most to admissions at Westminster.

Aishling Peterson ’89 writes: “Mr. Ganzenmuller is quite possibly why I chose enrollment as a profession. It was his enormous smile and his incredibly firm handshake that put me at ease when I first entered Keyes House as an awkward 13 year old. I knew, in that instant that Westminster was where I wanted to be. He encouraged me to become a tour guide, motivated me to be a candid and charismatic ambassador, and was always an active and supportive listener. I try to channel his warmhearted and generous presence when I welcome families to campus. He was a genuine role model. I will forever be grateful for the guidance and encouragement he offered me as a student at Westy.”

Mary Peck ’90 writes: “I knew the Ganzenmuller family first at Graland Country Day School in Denver. Tuck was the head of Upper School, and their son Austin was in my class. When Austin and I were in first grade, my father took a few of us, including Austin, to see our first movie, “Pete’s Dragon.” The Ganzenmuller family moved away from Denver after the death of their other son, Timmy, so you can imagine my father’s and my delight when Tuck greeted us in the Westminster admissions office during our visit in the winter of 1986. His warm welcome was certainly an important part of my first impression of Westminster as well as during my three years on the Hill.”

Elizabeth (Williams) Bogunieck ’93 writes: “When I was just 13 my mother took me on a trip to the East Coast to tour a few prep schools. I had pleasant visits at all of them, but as we approached the Hill, I had no idea Westminster would be so much different from the others. The first face I remember seeing is Mr. Ganzenmuller’s — his warm smile put me at ease immediately. I was predictably

nervous as we sat down for the interview, but the butterflies didn’t last long. My mother has told the story of my exit from the interview room countless times, where I said to her “Mom, I just spilled my guts.” If not for Mr. Ganzenmuller’s knack for getting to the heart of a kid, I fear I may have ended up at Pomfret! Anyway, I am so very sorry to hear about his passing. He holds a very special place in my heart since he was a huge reason I chose to attend Westminster.”

Douglas Knight ’93 writes: Mr. Ganzenmuller “accepted me to Westminster School, and in doing so changed the trajectory of my life. My admissions visit was amazing. Mr. Ganzenmuller took me on a tour of the campus and talked and listened to me as if I was the most important person in the world. I am sure he did this for all of his tours, but his ability to make me feel special had a lasting impact. I employed this technique in my seven years as an admissions officer at a private school as well as currently as a camp director at Camp Tecumseh. It was also really neat to bump into Mr. Ganzenmuller in college at UVa. when his wife was officiating field hockey and lacrosse games. I think about him often and will continue to do so.”

John Ryan ’93 writes: “We never would have made the decision to attend Westminster if he hadn’t spent hours in the interview with me and my parents. The positive impact the school has had on my life likely would not have occurred.”

Former faculty member Dick Adams writes: “In remembering Tuck, I can’t help but think he was such a wonderful introduction to Westminster for so many students and their families. He was their first impression as they came through the admissions doors. He radiated a warm smile that easily put one, even a nervous candidate, at ease. These qualities made him a wonderful friend and colleague as well. Westminster was so well served by Tuck and the admissions staff he led during his years with us. He is greatly missed.”

The Meaning of Belonging

By Kelly Wosleger Westminster Instructor in Math, Fourth Form Dean

As I reflect on my first year as a dean — welcoming 70 new students to campus for their Third Form year on the Hill and this fall, adding 40 new Fourth Formers to the group — I can’t help but think about the meaning of belonging, our school’s theme for the year. This summer, belonging seemed to follow me everywhere I turned. Perhaps it was a sort of Tetris effect, but the themes of belonging appeared in the books I read and in the shows I binged. It was evident in every classroom and lunch table during our six-week summer program, Horizons at Westminster. I even had a front-row seat to watch belonging unfold as I helped shepherd the boys’ and girls’ soccer teams on a preseason trip to Barcelona. Here are a few lessons I have learned about belonging.

1. Belonging requires courage and vulnerability, a vulnerability that I had no idea could exist in a first grader. Horizons at Westminster is a six-week summer enrichment program that leverages a unique public-private school partnership to close opportunity gaps for students from Hartford. I have had the honor and privilege of being the program director for the program and last summer, we welcomed 75 elementary school students to campus for our fifth year of the program. In keeping with Westminster tradition, Horizons students eat breakfast and lunch in a “family-style” fashion: One student from each grade is assigned a table along with a Westminster student volunteer and a Horizons teacher. During the second week, I joined table 11, eager to devour my cheesy scrambled eggs, French toast and sausage patty. There wasn’t much chatter, so I casually threw out there, “What’s everyone’s favorite breakfast?” Crickets. I chalked the silence up to Monday morning exhaustion and a long bus ride. About halfway through the meal, first grader Jess Marie, the youngest at the table, said, “Hey, none of us know each other. How about we play the name game. Say your name and your favorite ice cream, and if you don’t like ice cream, say your favorite dessert.”

First of all, Jess Marie for president. Second of all, I failed to realize that the table was silent because no one knew each other. Most importantly, talk about the courage and vulnerability it took for Jess Marie, the youngest at the table, to unite the group. For the rest of the week, conversation was buzzing, and every student felt comfortable sharing their voice.

2. Belonging is so much more than inclusion. Inclusion is a one-way street and usually relies on the “includer(s)” welcoming someone into their world. Belonging, however, is a two-way street and depends on both the individual(s) and the community. On Aug. 15, the girls’ and boys’ varsity soccer teams headed to

Barcelona, Spain, for a nine-day preseason trip. Twenty-five girls and 16 boys hit the international scene to play a little fútbol, tour the historic city of Barcelona and hopefully sneak in time for the beach. Sounds like a dream, right?

I have yet to mention that eight of these players are new to Westminster, five of which are 14 years old or younger, and two of them have never left the country … talk about vulnerability (see #1 above). I could have not asked for a better group of returning players to welcome the new players with open arms. However, it is human nature to spend time with people who you already know and who are most like you. While the older girls had certainly established a welcoming, inclusive environment, everyone seemed to be taking the path of least resistance. During our first meeting on the trip, we challenged the girls to get outside their comfort zone and to spend time with people they did not know yet. This took tremendous courage and intention on both

the part of the new and returning girls. Night after night, I loved seeing the texts and photos with the most random mix of girls. These at-first-uncomfortable moments turned friendships will be the building blocks of a successful season. They will be the difference between players feeling like they truly belong versus just simply being included.

3. True belonging relies on interdependence. Now let’s get to a few topics we can all relate to from the summer –– the Netflix series “Stranger Things” and last summer’s all-school read “Where the Crawdads Sing.” In “Stranger Things,” season four, episode three, there is a scene that shows the main character El (Eleven) upset after realizing more and more that she doesn’t belong at her new school. Little do her classmates know she has incredible superpowers that could save their lives and change the world, but no one is willing to take the time to get to know her (see No. 2 above). Her classmates have no idea that they desperately need each other in order to survive.

I am sure Kya, the main character in “Where the Crawdads Sing” can relate to El. Kya is forced to fend for herself in the marsh after her family members abandon her one by one. She learns to survive on her own, but deep down, Kya yearns to be loved and to belong to the greater community of Barkley Cove.

Much like El, the residents of Barkley Cove have no idea how much Kya has to offer because no one has taken the time to get to know her. They’ve created a false narrative about her life and ostracized her for being different. When Kya goes on trial for murder, her lawyer says in his closing argument, “We labeled and rejected her because we thought she was different. But, ladies and gentlemen, did we exclude Miss Clark because she was different, or was she different because we excluded her?” Both El and Kya have so much to offer to their communities, but no one has made the effort to discover these gifts. Communities can only thrive when all members can offer their true selves, and people can only do so if they feel like they belong.

Much of our work as educators is centered around helping our students discover and shape their identities, helping them to discover their superpowers. This is where we begin. Only then can our students be vulnerable and offer their true selves to the community. Only then can they get outside their comfort zones to get to know people who are different from them. Only then can we belong. Aristotle once said, “The whole is greater than the sum of its parts.” What this great philosopher failed to mention is that the whole is only greater because of each individual part. The Westminster community can only be whole when every member truly belongs.

Welcome to Our Newest Trustees

Suzanne Melan ’90 is president of the Alumni Association, serving a two-year term as a trustee ex officio. The founder and president of A&P Learning Consultants, LLC, Suzanne is a blended learning and design professional who works with industries to design and develop customized learning solutions. After spending over two decades working in performance and process improvement for one of the largest department store chains and financial institutions in the United States, she formed her own learning and development consulting company in 2020.

Suzanne holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Rollins College and a master’s in instructional systems from the University of Central Florida. She lives in Atlanta, Ga., with her husband, Mitch Melan, and their two children, Payton and Addison.

Julie and Benjamin Wurts P ’22,’24 serve as ex officio members of the Board of Trustees. They live in New York and Maine and have three children, Benno, Class of 2022, and twins, Nicholas and Emma. Nicholas is Class of 2024 at Westminster and Emma attends Aiglon College.

Julie earned a B.A. in English from William Smith College and works in residential real estate in Manhattan. She is a board member of Last Resort Foundation, which focuses on education. She is also a member of the Parent Action Committee for Aiglon College. Ben is a graduate of Hobart College, where he earned a B.A. in History. He works in investment banking and is director at Trust Capital Management.

As a student on Williams Hill, you created friendships with Martlets in other class years — teammates, prefects, club members and classmates. Those relationships may have been some of the most memorable and enduring of your time at Westminster. To capture that feeling of togetherness, Westminster School introduces “Flight Reunions”, which allow more Martlets to gather and reconnect on Williams Hill!

Suzanne Melan

Julie Wurts

Benjamin Wurts

John S. Armour ’76 Emeritus Palos Verdes, Calif.

Elisabeth M. Armstrong P’04, ’06, ’07 Emerita Dallas, Texas

Jeffrey H. Artis ’72 Atlanta, Ga.

Stephen W. Bailey ’89, P’21 McLean, Va.

Elisabeth Gailun Baird ’98, P’26, ’26 New Canaan, Conn.

Christopher M. Beck P’08, ’13 Ex officio Harpswell, Maine

William L. Beckford ’89, P’23 Baltimore, Md.

William D. Brewer P’17, ’21 New York, N.Y.

Christopher J. Campbell ’91, P’24 London, U.K.

Renée Lynch Carrel ’84, P’19, ’21 Vice Chair of the Board Boston, Mass.

Edward V. Dardani Jr. P’14, ’18 Waccabuc, N.Y.

John H. Davis P’05 Emeritus Longmeadow, Mass.

Harvey C. DeMovick III ’90, P’24, ’26 Westerly, R.I.

William C. Egan III ’64, P’92, ’95, ’00, ’02 Emeritus Jackson, Wyo.

TRUSTEES 2022–2023

Madeleine Ekholm P’19, ’20 New York, N.Y.

Joseph L. Gitterman III ’55, P’86, ’86, ’90, GP’24 Emeritus Washington Depot, Conn.

Eunice J. Han-van Vredenburch ’84, P’21 White Plains, N.Y.

Powell W. Holly III ’82 Fredericksburg, Va.

David H. Hovey Jr. ’78, P’09, ’11, ’14 Chatham, Mass.

Martin R. Irani ’83 Encino, Calif.

Martin Kelly P’22 New York, N.Y.

Katherine B. Kelter ’14 Ex officio Bozeman, Mont.

David W. Kistler ’87, P’22 Tiburon, Calif.

Bryan R. Martin ’86 Larchmont, N.Y.

Thomas W. McCargo ’82, P’21 Sewickley, Pa.

Suzanne N. Melan ’90 Emeritus Dunwoody, Ga.

T. Treadway Mink Jr. ’77, P’11 Emeritus Greenville, S.C.

Ian M. Morton ’87, P’22 West Hartford, Vt.

Moyahoena Ogilvie ’86 Emeritus Bloomfield, Conn.

Mary Minns Peck ’90 Denver, Colo.

C. Bradford Raymond ’85, P’19, ’20, ’24, ’24 Chair of the Board New York, N.Y.

Thomas D. Sargent II ’77, P’10 West Hartford, Conn.

Helen Sun Lin P’24 Wanchai, Hong Kong

Samuel Thorne ’46, P’74, ’76 Emeritus Bedford, Mass.

Kirsten Sichler Webb ’98 Greenwich, Conn. Elaine White Ex officio Simsbury, Conn.

Sara L. Whiteley ’91 West Chatham, Mass.

Benjamin D. Williams IV ’81 Carpinteria, Calif.

Julie Wurts P’22, ’24 Ex officio Stanfordville, N.Y.

Ben Wurts P’22, ’24 Ex officio Stanfordville, N.Y.

Westminster Bulletin

FALL 2022

Published by: Westminster School 995 Hopmeadow St. Simsbury, CT 06070 (860) 408-3000

This magazine is produced twice a year by the Marketing and Communications Office.

Send Class Notes via email to Cris Gomez ’10, Director of Alumni Relations: classnotes@westminster-school.org

In keeping with our support for a diverse community, Westminster abides by all applicable federal and state laws and does not discriminate on the basis of any protected characteristic, including race, color, religious creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry and/ or disability.

Editor Wendy Carlson Associate Director, Publications & Communications wcarlson@westminster-school.org

Director of Marketing and Communications Jeff Kennard P’19

Photography Seshu Badrinath, Wendy Carlson, Jeff Kennard and Tyler Wosleger

Design John Johnson Art Direction & Design Riverton, Conn.

The Trustees of Westminster School, Inc. 995 Hopmeadow Street Simsbury CT 06070