Senior Stones: Every Stone has a Story

Every Stone has a Story

In 1947, Wilbraham Academy Headmaster Charles Stevens sought a way for graduates of the Academy to leave a piece of themselves for posterity. For many years, students had engraved symbols into the foundation of Fisk Hall. Mr. Stevens’ idea resulted in the creation of the Alumni Wall, which is now a series of walls in various parts of the campus on which graduating classes leave their Senior Stones.

From “The Hill” to the front of Rich Hall, along Main Street, down Faculty Street and now past the Athletic Center, Academy alumni have designed and left their own, unique 10-inch-by-7.5-inch mark on our campus. All told, approximately 6,500 Senior Stones are permanent fixtures of both individual and Academy history.

• Magin Schantz ’97, Senior Stone W

hen you walk along Faculty Street from Rich Hall to the Athletic Center every day, it can be easy to no longer take notice of the stones lining the sidewalk. However, in this particular stretch of senior stones that line the

Athletic Center parking lot, there is one that stands out. From December through

March, the oval center of the stone is often filled with ice, which shimmers in the winter sun to catch the eye. Upon closer inspection, the relief of a face is visible, sometimes just under a frozen leaf. “Thinking about it now, it’s a fairly confrontational stone. Putting your own face into something like that, it was a bold move!”

Magin Schantz ’97 laughs about her “confrontational” Senior Stone, but notes that it is a good reflection of her presence at Wilbraham & Monson Academy. “It’s my nature to break form,” she said. “I was often pushing the limits of the dress code and dying my hair crazy colors. The stone was a way to continue to make that mark.”

The eldest of four siblings to attend WMA, Ms. Schantz entered the Academy in Grade 6.

“WMA was appealing because of the well-rounded curriculum. They required that you have a multidisciplinary experience,” she recalled.

Well-rounded is an apt description of Ms. Schantz as a

Every stone has a story, and we want to hear yours! Email us at alumni@wma.us to share your Senior Stone story and maybe you’ll see it in future issues of Academy World.

WMA student. She was MVP and Co-Captain of the Girls’ Lacrosse team her senior year, MVP of the Swimming team in her junior and senior years, and an avid member of ARC (Academy Repertory Company), which offers conservatory training in the art of acting and all facets of the production of live theater. “I think I was in about 20 plays during my time at WMA,” Ms. Schantz said.

In fact, even though she was a day student, Ms. Schantz was often so busy at school that she felt more like a boarder, remaining on campus well into the evening on most days. “The school is so great at encouraging kids to try different things, and I really wanted to do my best at anything that I could.”

After graduating from WMA, Ms. Schantz earned a bachelor’s degree in theater at New York University and spent about a decade in the industry in New York City. Now, she operates Supermoon, a community art center, daycare and gathering place in Queens, N.Y. Describing the transition from theater, Ms. Schantz noted: “The arts can be a really insular world and I wanted to connect with people, to try to bring people together through the arts. People need to connect, so creativity and collaboration are important, even virtually.”

• Magin Schantz ’97 is executive director of Supermoon Art Space in Queens, New York.

• Magin Schantz ’97, senior portrait at WMA. As far as the logistics involved in bringing her Senior Stone idea to life, Ms. Schantz was able to call upon the help of her father, artist Jim Schantz, and his friend who was a ceramist. Together, they made a mold of her face and sent it to the ceramist to do a cast. “The stone company left a space in the center and my dad and I put the mold in. It was a collaborative effort!” Ms. Schantz described.

Like many alumni, Ms. Schantz did not limit her carving to the top of the stone. She and her friend Melissa (Cormier) Desimone ’97 carved “Partners” and “In Crime” into the front of their stones, which were placed side by side.

The quote, “We’ll see how brave you are,” is from the Tori Amos song “Yes, Anastasia.”

“I was totally into her music and I thought it spoke to the experience of graduating and moving on to something new ... a sense of bravery and bold spirit,” Ms. Schantz said.

Some of her former teachers and advisors at WMA have influenced Ms. Schantz’s life well beyond high school, including John Sbordone, Gary Cook, Don Kelly and Charlie “Mr. D” D’Avanzo, whose energy she sought to emulate when she went into teaching herself.

“Jane Kelly, in particular, stands out,” said Ms. Schantz, with emotion in her voice. “She was my advisor and swim coach, and was just an amazing person. She taught me what it means to be hard-working and strong.”