CELEBRATING
180 years of MPS
FALL 2023
www.porters.org
Ruth E. Mendes Associate Director of Digital Marketing and Communications
Diane R. Johnson, M.P.H. Chief Communications and Public Health Officer
communications@ missporters.org
Editor
Kathleen Clute
Stephen Wang
PRINTING
Ruth Mendes
Kirkwood
Jon Olson Micah Mingo
DESIGN
Moth Design
Emma Thurgood
Ben Gebo
NOVA 9 ILLUSTRATIONS
Jonny Ruzzo
PHOTO CREDITS
America by Design Kathleen Clute Communications
WRITING
Digital Content Strategist
Emma Thurgood
. ht ig Head of School
at n
Katherine G. Windsor, Ed.D.
n Pond fou nta Swa in
the aerating fountain’s colors to recognize important awareness days, cultural celebrations, and traditional holidays as requested by the Office of Equity and Inclusion and student organizations.
Miss Porter’s School
Porter’s recently revitalized Swan Pond, which is located near Sarah Porter Circle off Garden Street. This lush, green space now hosts native flora and an upcycled stone bench. The school’s buildings and grounds crew programs
60 Main Street Farmington, CT 06032
SWAN POND MAKEOVER AND FOUNTAIN
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Letter from
Katherine G. Windsor, Ed.D. Head of School
Women in leadership for 180 years! Miss Porter’s School Community, Sarah Porter opened the doors of her school at a time when educating girls and women was counter-cultural. She was a businesswoman and an entrepreneur long before it was a path a woman would even consider. While a trailblazer and renegade, she was also a woman of her era . . . one who did not believe women should have the right to vote and one who only admitted girls who looked and lived as she did. However, Sarah Porter also had the audacity and vision to impact future generations through access to formal education — the ripple effect benefits not just the girls but their families and broader communities. For 180 years, Miss Porter’s School has been an institution of education, learning, growth, impact, and change. Porter’s is a place where generation after generation, girls learn and lead — and when they leave Farmington, they shape a changing world. We have done much to shape our curriculum and invested in our campus
infrastructure and buildings. Our faculty are one of our most significant treasures — all these efforts promote our singular aim to create the space and opportunity to educate, prepare, and inspire women leaders of tomorrow. We know that educating girls is a global imperative. And we don’t do it alone. Whether the issue is climate change, women’s rights, or social justice, our network of students and Ancients are expected to lead with conviction. It is through your leadership, your philanthropy, and your impact that Porter’s continues to thrive. From the boardroom and the backyard, we look forward to the next 180 years of MPS leaders who impact our world in unparalleled ways.
In this issue
People
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22
34
Donor Profile
Nova 9
Ancient Profile
Maura Reilly Kennedy ’97 first visit to Farmington was love at first sight.
Meet this year’s student leaders.
Shani Sandy ’96: designer, executive, TV host.
On Campus
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A look at moments on campus.
Humanities teacher Katie Ayers shares history’s lessons for today’s world.
Seen & Heard
Sneak Peek
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Graduation
Then & Now
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Past meets present.
Ancient Census Takeaways from the survey of Ancients.
Regulars
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A letter from Head of School Katherine G. Windsor.
What our faculty members have been learning, doing and presenting.
Family weekend, Reunion, and more!
Miss Porter’s School
Head of School
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Class Notes
Faculty News
Looking Back
43
Remembrances
In this issue
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Trustees continue 180-year-old tradition of centering women in leadership.
Features
28
Impact Report
See the difference your dollars make.
• SEEN & HEARD •
ENCHANTED EVENING
Miss Porter’s School
The Riverview in Simsbury was the scenic setting for this year’s prom with Avon Old Farms on May 6; the theme was “Out of This World.” Porter’s students enjoyed an evening of dinner and dancing at the beautiful new venue located on the shores of the Farmington River.
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Student potters raised $2,775 for Connecticut Foodshare by selling 191 of their ceramic bowls at the annual Bowl-a-Thon in May. The nonprofit food bank distributes food through a network of more than 650 community-based hunger relief programs.
Th e
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BOWL-A-THON
• SEEN & HEARD •
Kitchen confidential Thompson Hospitality Executive Chef Kamal Rose dished up some delicious jollof rice (“pretty much a paella . . . but it has African influence based on the ingredients and the way it’s cooked”) and shared his culinary backstory during a Black History Month visit in February.
SPOTLIGHT ON ATHLETES
Photographer Stephen Wang spent a day in April capturing images of Porter’s student athletes, who compete in 18 sports as part of 33 teams. The Media Day photos will be used to spotlight the school’s unique sporting environment and recruit new athletes. Be sure to check out the students’ “Heroes” photo on the new Porter’s website!
Miss Porter’s School
Coffee, anyone?
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Lattes, cappuccinos and plain old cups of joe gave hardworking faculty an extra boost during Teacher Appreciation Week in May, courtesy of the Parent Leadership Committee.
BERLIN
“Art and Social Justice” was the theme of the Advanced Interdisciplinary Seminars’ Global Experience trip to Berlin in April. Juniors spent two weeks immersing themselves in the city’s rich contemporary art scene while learning about its complex history.
Way to go! Kudos to varsity lacrosse athletes Ellen Jacobson ’23 and Lilly Provost ’23, who were named All-NEPSAC All-Stars by the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council. Addy Boyd ’24 and Maddie BeVier ’23 received honorable mentions. In other sports, Sam Battle ’25 was a basketball All Star and Jaya Magavi ’23 was Founder’s League Diving Champion and named a member of All-NEPSAC Divers along with Zaria St. Clair ’25 and Sarah Cosentino ’23. Emma Andrews ’24 and Corri Howard ’24 played on the New England Prep School Girls Basketball Association All Star team.
PROTECTING THE PLANET
Student members of the Porter’s Earth Club collected an impressive 504 pounds of garbage during Farmington’s TownWide Clean-Up Day on Earth Day, April 22.
Seen & Heard
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• SEEN & HEARD •
Miss Porter’s School
THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS!
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Daisy cupcakes, daisy cookies and Porter’s punch were on the menu February 21 as seniors celebrated 100 days till graduation in the Dr. Glenda Newell-Harris ’71 Student Center.
Seen & Heard
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A RITE OF PASSAGE
Members of the Class of 2023 and Ancients gathered for the Senior Dinner and Ring Turning Ceremony on April 20.
S
en
ior ss how off their rings.
Sarah Porter painted by Robert Bolling Brandegee, 1896.
180 Years
Continuing a tradition of trustees centering women in leadership 10
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Left: 1940’s graduation. Right: 2023 graduation.
What does it really mean to be an institution that empowers girls and women? How can Miss Porter’s School best live out its mission of educating young women to become informed, bold, resourceful and ethical global citizens who will shape a changing world? These are the overarching questions that guide the 21 women and two men who serve as trustees and are responsible for everything from stewarding the $146.6 million endowment to making sure that the school lives up to its commitment to become an anti-racist institution. At the same time, the committee itself develops and nurtures female leaders.
“I didn’t graduate from Porter’s thinking I was going to be the next leader of anything,” said Nancy Klingenstein Simpkins ’73, who got married shortly after graduating from college and then volunteered and served on boards while raising her children. She was a Porter’s trustee from 2003 to 2009 and in June stepped down after another 10 years of service, having chaired the body during the onset of the challenging COVID-19 years. “It helped me be a leader to see Kate [Windsor] and her leadership team and how they operated,” she said. “I feel like the last 10 years have given me the confidence to take on things that I might not have before. It’s very rewarding to be part of a community that is so mission-driven, one where everybody knows the mission.”
Ancients learn about auxiliary programming during a visit to campus.
Board Chair Sarah Klish Liu ’90, a Chicago-based pharmaceutical company executive, was “looking for something bigger than myself” when she was approached about joining the board in 2018. She’d been student head of school in her senior year at Porter’s, but she’d had only peripheral contact with Farmington in the years since.
Sarah Klish Liu ’90
The school has been very intentional about creating a board with a “richness you wouldn’t necessarily have on a corporate board,” Ms. Liu said. “It’s a large melting pot of people who have a diversity of professional and personal perspectives that come together in the interest of one thing: providing the best educational and empowerment experiences for girls and women.” One of the trustees’ most important duties is stewarding the school’s endowment, which generates 25 cents of every dollar in the $27 million annual operating budget. In 2017, the school was searching for a new firm to manage the endowment when Investment Committee Chair Sarah Clark ’80 and Vice Chair Martha Kimball Pomerantz ’77 visited different candidate firms. “We noticed who addressed us and who only addressed the men in the room. So that was a factor in whom we chose,” said Ms. Pomerantz, a partner and portfolio manager at Evercore Wealth Management who now chairs the board’s Investment Committee.
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Nancy Klingenstein Simpkins ’73
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“It’s a large melting pot of people who have a diversity of professional and personal perspectives that come together in the interest of one thing: providing the best educational and empowerment experiences for girls and women.” — Sarah Klish Liu ’90, board chair
Who’s on the board of trustees? CHAIR
Sarah Klish Liu ’90 VICE CHAIR
Elizabeth “Liza” Denny Oneglia ’95 TREASURER
Claire Theobald ’84 SECRETARY
Amani Reed EX OFFICIO
Katherine G. Windsor Maura Cline ’11 One of the reasons the school ultimately selected Offit Capital Advisors, she said, was because “they looked directly at us and addressed us as substantial, serious people.” Since retaining Offit in 2018, Porter’s has encouraged the firm to elevate women and to find and invest in funds run by women and people of color. As of 2020, firms owned by white men were in charge of 98.7 percent of the $69 trillion managed by U.S. asset managers, Fortune magazine reported.
98.7
As of 2020, firms owned by white men were in charge of 98.7 percent of the $69 trillion managed by U.S. asset managers, Fortune magazine reported.
Christina “Chrissy” Cox ’93 Mishone Donelson P’23, 25 Clover Drinkwater ’64 Althea Beaton Ducard ’88 Sharifah Holder ’06 Maureen “Mo” Hunter ’74 Maura Reilly Kennedy ’97 Mimi Colgate Kirk ’57, GP’26 Lisa Kunstadter ’70 Cameron “Cam” Lanphier ’74 May H. Lee ’84 Ana “Annie” G. Méndez ’07 Pat Mueller ’74 Martha Pomerantz ’77 Dominique Casimir Stevens ’95 Janet Macomber Williamson ’81
“As an iconic American institution, we are saying that it matters to us to do two things: one, to increase the number of funds we invest in that have diverse ownership and diverse leadership, and two, to increase the number of diverse individuals — particularly women and people of color — who are in the investment field,” said Michael Bergin P’19, Porter’s chief financial and operating officer.
“Our perspectives are different, and different perspectives really matter, quantifiably so. It makes for better outcomes.”
Beginning in 2021, the school began sending a diversity, equity and inclusion survey to the managers of funds in which the endowment is invested. The business office aggregates the data, and Mr. Bergin and Dr. Windsor have been sharing the results with school leaders at conferences across the country. They want to encourage other independent schools to adopt pro-woman and anti-racist goals as they manage their endowments, estimated to collectively total $50 billion. “Diversity makes for a more robust decision-making process,” said Jessica Lin, the Offit Capital partner who helps manage the Porter’s endowment. She cited a study by Bain & Company showing that investments led by women outperformed those led by men by 12 percentage points. “Our perspectives are different, and different perspectives really matter, quantifiably so,” she said. “It makes for better outcomes.”
— Jessica Lin, Offit Capital partner
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According to a study by Bain & Company, investments led by women outperformed those led by men by 12 percentage points.
While on campus for the April board meeting, she and Laura Tao, another partner at Offit, spoke to the students and had lunch with those who were interested in finance careers. “To counteract implicit messaging in society, you have to be very proactive in engaging with these women and telling them you can be in finance, you can be a mother, you don’t have to act like a man to be in finance, and you can be very successful,” said Ms. Lin. “Miss Porter’s is proactive in making things happen for the benefit of the girls.” Board member and philanthropist Lisa Kunstadter ’70 recalled a somewhat different vibe during the years she was at Farmington. “Many people in my class didn’t want to have anything to do with the school once they graduated,” she said. “It was, of course, a different time and there was less understanding of what adolescent girls need. Many of us felt that we were raising ourselves in the relative scarcity of strong, understanding female role models.”
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Members of the Legacy Club in the 1920s.
But after hearing Dr. Windsor speak at an event about what the school was doing to encourage students to become global citizens, she decided to become more active, accepting an invitation to join the board and helping to organize her class’s 50th reunion.
Lisa Kunstadter ’70
“The ethos of the board is ‘Don’t say we can’t; say how will we?’ To me, the greatest strength of the school is being able to reframe the question and chart a different course.” — Sarah Klish Liu ’90, board chair
As someone who is passionate about education, particularly in helping to provide access and opportunity to underserved populations, “I didn’t want the board to forget how privileged Porter’s students are,” she said. “I want us to be thinking about how we share what we’re doing with those who don’t have access to a Porter’s education.” Board members say the diversity of voices and experiences, plus Dr. Windsor’s willingness to address tough challenges and have difficult conversations, makes the committee extremely effective. No matter what issue is at hand or how difficult it is, said Ms. Liu, “the ethos of the board is ‘Don’t say we can’t; say how will we?’ To me, the greatest strength of the school is being able to reframe the question and chart a different course.”
Class reps strengthen school Opportunities for leadership and service at Miss Porter’s School don’t end when a team captain hangs up her cleats or the members of the Nova Nine graduate — many Ancients support the school and stay connected to Farmington by serving as class representatives.
“Do you care about the school? Do you care about your class? Do you give?” asked Kate Osterman ’97, a class rep since she graduated. “You’re in. If someone wants to be involved with the school, it’s the very best way to start.” Class reps organize and support activities that keep classmates in touch with each other and Miss Porter’s, encourage giving to the MPS Annual Fund and act as conduits between their class and the Alumnae and Development (A&D) Office. “It can be a pipeline for deeper engagement,” said Marisa Feijoo, associate director of annual giving. Lucy Newmyer ’23 was the student second head of school — a member of the Nova Nine — during her senior year. She and a committee of classmates were responsible for successfully soliciting 100 percent participation for their senior class gift, which went toward helping to underwrite air conditioning for three undergraduate dormitories. They met with Ms. Feijoo on a weekly basis during the school year and all have committed to serving as class reps for the next five years. “It’s a good way to get involved at a basic level,” said Ms. Newmyer. “I don’t know what I want to do with my life after college, but I see myself on some sort of board in the future and connected to Miss Porter’s.”
Ancients enjoy the 2022 reunion.
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Katie Knauss Rosenblum ’74 is a class rep and a past and present member of the Alumnae Board. “I had really only kept up with one classmate since graduating,” she said. “We didn’t have the benefit of social media, long-distance phone calls were expensive, and trying to get somebody’s contact information was nearly impossible.”
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students. She has organized days of service for Bay Area residents and attended Worldwide Sit-Down Dinners. Being a class rep lets her stay close to Miss Porter’s, “sharing things that my fellow classmates will be interested in hearing” and encouraging gifts to the MPS Annual Fund.
Worldwide Sit-Down Dinner, London, in February.
But going to her 25th reunion “was like rediscovering our class,” said Ms. Rosenblum, a retired communications and marketing professional who lives in New Orleans. “I think we were all a bit surprised by the women we were becoming — or had become — and how our lives were continuing to evolve.” A stint on the Alumnae Board led to co-chairing the 40th reunion, and working on the 45th led to becoming a co-class rep with classmate Liz Gorman ’74. The pair started an email newsletter and organized regular class Zoom meetings that served as a lifeline during the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. They interview classmates and publish in-depth profiles for the newsletter. “People discover shared experiences, shared interests, shared passions — we surprise each other all the time,” she said. Being a class rep is a way to re-create the community — and a sense of closeness and engagement — that exists in Farmington, said Ms. Rosenblum, who is now working on next year’s 50th reunion. Class Rep Sarah Cummings ’07 is a San Francisco-based management consultant who at one point lived in China, where she enjoyed meeting many Porter’s Ancients and prospective
Trustees Pat Mueller ’74 and Sharifah Holder ’06. They are immediate past co-chairs of the Alumnae Board.
“I would hate for people to think that our class has only a few people who donate medium-to large-size gifts when really it’s the participation that matters,” she said. “That’s why I’m so passionate about getting everyone to donate — whether it’s $10 a month or whatever you can, it’s the participation that’s important.” The MPS Annual Fund provides 10 to 12 percent of the school’s operating budget each year, said Ms. Feijoo, adding, “Philanthropy is really why independent schools can remain open. For girls’ schools, it’s even more important, because less than 2 percent of all total philanthropic giving in the United States is directed to organizations supporting women and girls. Giving is a vote of confidence in the direction and mission of the school.” If you are interested in learning more about becoming a class rep, please contact Marisa Feijoo, associate director of annual giving, at mfeijoo@missporters.org or by calling 860-409-3623.
• FACULTY NEWS •
What our faculty members have been learning, doing and presenting Nelle Andrews P’22, dean of curriculum and instruction, worked as a member of an Action Research Program with the Tang Institute at Andover this past year. Her research focused on the why of school change, and she investigated how students were experiencing and making sense of shifts to feedback, assessment and reporting processes at school. Ms. Andrews also published a blog post and executive summary of her research, findings and next steps.
Humanities Teacher Dr. Katie Ayers attended The Educating Girls Symposium at the Nightingale-Bamford School in New York City. Sponsored by the International Coalition for Girls’ Schools (ICGS), the symposium had the theme “Meaning, Mission and Making Connections.” It focused on returning to best practices for educating girls after the pandemic. Technology, Innovation and Entrepreneurship Teacher Ryan Bliss attended the NuVuX Innovation Camp, which provided opportunities for educators to learn about NuVuX’s studio model and its framework of innovation, experience hands-on problem-solving using the iterative design process, and collaborate with other teachers in the field. Cheryl Costello, Porter’s director of information technology and a student advisor, was appointed to the Blackbaud K-12 advisory board in February for a four-year term. In this capacity, she will partner with Blackbaud product managers to provide feedback on the product road map and identify trends and practices observed in their schools.
Miss Porter’s School
Spanish Teacher Santiago Enrique and Sophie Paris, director of Porter’s Center for Global Leadership, presented “The Day After a Crisis: Managing the Aftermath of a Traumatic Event” at the Global Education Benchmark Group conference in Washington, D.C., in April.
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Chief Academic Officer Timothy Quinn earned his Doctor of Education degree from the University of Pennsylvania. His dissertation, “Equitable Elites and Exclusive Inclusivity: Examining the Pursuit of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Justice at Well-Resourced, Elite Private Boarding Schools,” was completed under the guidance of Drs. Charlotte Jacobs, Shamus Khan and Jonathan Zimmerman, dissertation committee chair.
Dr. Quinn, Ms. Paris and Ms. Andrews authored an article titled “Fostering Global Competency in Students: Shifting Curriculum and Supporting Teachers.” The piece appeared in “Interconnected: An Annual Report on Global Education,” a publication of the Global Education Benchmark Group, where Ms. Paris is a board member.
Mathematics Teacher Ian Rumsey earned his master’s degree in independent school leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University. He also worked in a consulting role to help the math department at Phillips Academy establish core competencies and learning objectives. English Teachers Melissa Schomers and Alysa Auriemma
‘03, History Teacher Dr. Ayers, and Penn Fellow in English Jamiah Bennett completed an asynchronous course
on Question Formulation Technique (QFT) at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. The course educated participants in formal QFT training and how to teach students to ask more effective questions.
Academic Dean Elizabeth Simison and Nelle Andrews led a three-hour preconference workshop at the ICGS conference in Cleveland, Ohio, in June. Their session, “Righting the Ship: Bringing Meaning and Purpose to Curriculum Design and Assessment Practices,” was attended by school leaders from around the country as well as from Australia, Canada, Iceland and South Africa. Mathematics Teacher Jessica Watkin attended the Mindfulness Strengths Retreat hosted by the VIA Institute on Character (formerly the Values in Action Institute). While there, she explored connections among the elements of VIA’s character strengths framework, mindfulness practices and nature. Ms. Watkin will bring this knowledge to student groups to help reduce unhealthy stress and develop healthy coping techniques in students. Language Teacher Kelly Woodbury attended the Classical Association of New England’s Summer Institute, which featured presentations on global and ethical topics that will help her develop students, including ways that women are involved in culture and literature.
Maura Reilly Kennedy ’97 Her first visit to Farmington was love at first sight
“I
have such fond memories of Farmington — laughing so hard my stomach hurt, being challenged and supported to dig deeper into topics, learning without fear of failing and speaking up without hesitation,” said Ms. Reilly Kennedy, who received a scholarship to attend Porter’s as a day student after being home-schooled by her mother for years. Now a managing director at the investment management firm Neuberger Berman and the mother of three young children, she is serving the school as a newly installed member of the board of trustees.
Joining the board means stepping into the “big shoes of the amazing women who have made sacrifices to help the school they love,” she said. Her plan for board service includes doing a lot of homework and using her experience and willingness to help “continue the great work that the board does.” Because financial aid enabled her to attend Porter’s, she regularly gives to the Annual Fund and to the Class of 1997 Scholarship Fund. “The generous scholarship I received changed my life,” she said. “I met lifelong close friends who are like family and I was able to attend a world-class school with global citizens. I learned from my brilliant teachers and from my interesting peers while also participating in the camaraderie of three team sports.” But that’s not her only motivation for decades of generosity. “I consistently give because I wish to further the mission of Miss Porter’s School — to enable our girls
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to shape a changing world,” she explained. “I also give to help girls feel empowered, strong, smart and successful so that they can carry those feelings throughout their lives to become confident, strong leaders.” Along with friendships that continue to this day, Ms. Reilly Kennedy treasures the many lessons she learned in high school. “I found myself leveraging the learnings and life skills I developed at Miss Porter’s to work smarter, not just harder,” she said of her years at Hobart and William Smith Colleges and Harvard Business School, where she earned an MBA. And she continues to use that knowledge every day in her very demanding job as a senior member of the private equity investment team. “I still keep coming back to these same concepts — critical reading, developing then proving a thesis, and communicating clearly,” she said. Despite an impressive resume, Ms. Reilly Kennedy says her favorite job title is a simple one: mom. After giving birth to her own children, she served as a gestational surrogate for her sister, Bridget Reilly Regan ’99, and brother-in-law, delivering a healthy baby girl in 2022. “It was hard, but I learned from my first day at Miss Porter’s that I can do hard things, especially when they are worth it,” she said. “So I guess now I’m an Ancient, a wife, a mom and a surrogate.”
• SNEAK PEEK •
THE CLASSROOM OF
Katie Ayers
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BOW TIES ARE FOR MONDAYS
A way to make Mondays more fun! 02
POSTER
This piece of visual art commemorates the first time in the newly formed women’s liberation movement that women marched in the street. 03
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WHERE IT HAPPENS
This table is the heart of my classroom. 04
TRAILBLAZERS
Posters of Malala Yousafzai, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stacey Abrams are inspirational! 05
AND BABY MAKES THREE
Here I am with my wife, Kelly McCray, and baby Zoë. 06
LITTLE LIBRARY
Miss Porter’s School
I keep an assortment of feminist and history books on hand for my students to borrow.
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Invest in girls.
<2%
of all charitable contributions are given to organizations that support women and girls! Let’s change that through the collective power of philanthropy with your investment in Miss Porter’s School. Together, we are cultivating strong, resilient students who are leading today and will be the change makers of tomorrow.
Give today at: porters.org/giving
21 Sneak Peek
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The thing humanities teacher Katherine “Katie” Ayers likes best about her classroom in Hamilton 202 is the huge oblong table around which she and up to 14 students can gather. “It provides the space for the teaching I love to do — discussionbased teaching,” she said, noting that sitting at the table with students lets her guide discussions while making the room feel less hierarchical.
She treasures the boarding school environment, which gives her the chance to know students outside the classroom. “Learning doesn’t just happen in a 90-minute bubble,” said Dr. Ayers, who enjoys hosting students for dinner at the home she shares with her wife, Language Department Chair Kelly McCray, their new baby, Zoë, and their 14-year-old goldendoodle, Cooper.
Dr. Ayers has taught U.S. history — including feminist and LGBTQ+ history — since arriving at Porter’s in 2020 after earning her doctorate in sociology from Virginia Tech. One of the most satisfying parts of the job is “helping my students see the throughlines in history,” she said, and “helping them learn from the past that people are resilient, that history is a pendulum, and that it’s possible to use what history has taught us has worked to fight back against whatever we don’t like.”
Around campus, Dr. Ayers is known for the bow ties she wears with her usual khakis-andbutton-down-shirt attire on Mondays. “It started as a way for me to make Mondays more fun for myself,” she said, but “it also catches people off guard. People expect queerness or gayness to look a certain way. I’m a 39-year-old woman who’s married to a woman and who just had a baby. Bow tie Monday is a way to show students you can be whoever you want to be and look however you want to look.”
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Leaders belong here: The Nova Nine
Miss Porter’s School
The student leaders in this year’s Nova Nine are building community with creativity, passion and team spirit. They are prepared to think differently about showcasing the MPS culture in a way that celebrates all identities, and they are working to align the school’s mission with their collective vision for the 2023–24 academic year.
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HEAD OF SCHOOL ⁄ EthiopiAset Garvey
02 SECOND HEAD OF SCHOOL ⁄ Kathryn Dowling 03 CO-HEAD OF MAIN ⁄ Nina Carvalho 04 CO-HEAD OF MAIN ⁄ Nyla Liburd 05 CO-HEAD OF NEW GIRLS ⁄ Cate Callahan 06 CO-HEAD OF NEW GIRLS ⁄ Yatunde “Yaya” Familusi 07
HEAD OF DIVERSITY ⁄ Leah Han
08 HEAD OF ATHLETICS ⁄ Laurel Benson 09 HEAD OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES ⁄ Eh Wah Wah
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23 Leaders Belong Here
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HEAD OF SCHOOL
EthiopiAset Garvey HOMETOWN
Washington, D.C. ON BEING HEAD OF SCHOOL
I’m committed to making sure everyone on campus feels valued, and I want to make sure I am a person everyone feels comfortable expressing their thoughts to. HER PORTER’S EXPERIENCE
It has been an incredible journey of growth and development. Through the close friendships I’ve cultivated and the wonderful mentors I’ve gained, I’ve become a person my younger self would be so proud of. FAVORITE SPOT ON CAMPUS:
I love the Grist Mill* because it’s where my Porter’s journey began. *The Grist Mill was recently renamed Greene House thanks to a generous donation from the Greene family.
SECOND HEAD OF SCHOOL
Kathryn Dowling HOMETOWN
Avon, Connecticut ON BEING SECOND HEAD OF SCHOOL
It is imperative that we have people within our community who serve as a voice for the student body. I hope that my impact will be centered on how I make people feel and on strengthening our community even more.
Miss Porter’s School
HER PORTER’S EXPERIENCE
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The bonds that we have and are actively building here are what is so special and sets Porter’s apart. FUN FACT
I love to cook. There is something satisfying about making something that you love and enjoying it with friends and family.
Mark your calendar!
The 6th Annual Worldwide Sit-Down Dinner is March 2, 2024.
Make sure your corner of the globe is represented in next year’s celebration of a timeless Miss Porter’s School tradition. Last year’s event spanned 11 countries, 27 states, and almost every time zone. Email registration will begin early next year.
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Leaders Belong Here
Nina Carvalho HOMETOWN
Montreal ON BEING CO-HEAD OF MAIN
This position combines representation of student artists, art expression on campus and collaboration among artists. With my unique collection of mediums and silly ideas, I see myself contributing more engaging art to Porter’s. WHAT MAKES HER HAPPY
Learning about and from others. I take every chance I get to meet someone new, and I love the reward of getting to know who someone may be or acquiring a skill I did not have before. FAVORITE PLACE ON CAMPUS
The small patch of grass behind the Riverview, overlooking the Connecticut River. The view is always sparkling, and the experience peaceful.
CO-HEAD OF MAIN
Nyla Liburd HOMETOWN
Brooklyn, New York ON BEING CO-HEAD OF MAIN
I see myself experimenting with mixed media to create signage for important traditions, working closely with the dining staff for fun Sit-Down Dinners and culinary guests, and collaborating with my co-head. HER PORTER’S EXPERIENCE
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The importance of community and friendship stands out to me the most. From toaster rides to late-night talks, in 20 years, I will remember the friends I’ve made and the fun times we’ve shared.
CO-HEAD OF NEW GIRLS
Cate Callahan HOMETOWN
Westerly, Rhode Island ON BEING CO-HEAD OF NEW GIRLS
I am beyond excited to be able to help next year’s New Girls adjust to their life at Porter’s! I hope I will be able to make their first year as easy as possible. HER PORTER’S EXPERIENCE
I will always remember frantically practicing my German with my fellow New Girl junior and doing gift exchanges at Christmas. FUN FACT
My favorite color is orange, but I will never wear it.
CO-HEAD OF NEW GIRLS
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I can’t wait to meet and talk to New Girls and build lasting connections with them. I’d love to help new students grow and flourish at Porter’s!
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ON BEING CO-HEAD OF NEW GIRLS
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I love looking at the stars, tending to my eight different houseplants and hanging out with my friends and family.
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WHAT MAKES HER HAPPY
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HOMETOWN
Long Island, New York
D.
Yatunde “Yaya” Familusi
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HEAD OF DIVERSITY
Leah Han HOMETOWN
Parrish, Florida ON BEING HEAD OF DIVERSITY
Miss Porter’s School
I see my role as one that is deeply dependent on and dedicated to addressing the needs of our community members. My priority will always be to listen to, empathize with and support the growth of every individual.
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HER PORTER’S EXPERIENCE
Not only have I been given the opportunity to pursue every one of my far-fetched goals but I have always been consistently supported by everyone around me to do so. FUN FACT
I’ve been playing classical piano since 2011, teaching myself guitar since 2019, and going to and working at a music camp in Vermont since 2016.
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HEAD OF ATHLETICS
Laurel Benson HOMETOWN
Norwich, Vermont ON BEING HEAD OF ATHLETICS
I have always been energetic and enthusiastic, and I am ready to channel that energy into this position — contributing to school spirit and energy as well as being everyone’s biggest cheerleader. HER PORTER’S EXPERIENCE
My teammates, close friends and mentors make Porter’s feel like home. WHAT MAKES HER HAPPY
My dog Lila.
HEAD OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES
Eh Wah Wah HOMETOWN
Hartford, Connecticut ON BEING HEAD OF STUDENT ACTIVITIES
I view this position as the bridge between my peers and student life. By planning weekend and on-campus activities, I aim to offer students the ability to make unforgettable memories with friends. FUN FACT
I was incapable of growing hair until I was 4, so I went to preschool bald! WHAT MAKES HER HAPPY
Fashion, because it is such a beautiful thing to have the freedom to present and express yourself the way you want to!
Leaders Belong Here
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2022–23 Impact Report Miss Porter’s School 28
Miss Porter’s School: Built by women to shape a changing world
Impact Report
29
Impact of Your Philanthropy
Since its founding in 1843, Miss Porter’s School (MPS) has been recognized as the school of consequence for women and girls. From the time our students arrive in Farmington, they are expected to make a difference in shaping a changing world. The support we receive from our volunteers and donors ensures that MPS is able to provide the education and support to make our mission our reality. The difference between good schools and great schools is bold philanthropy. PHILANTHROPY IN ACTION
$9.3M 1,682 328
TOTAL DOLLARS RAISED
TOTAL DONORS
VOLUNTEERS
“Miss Porter’s School thrives because women and their families have made giving to MPS a priority. Generations of donors have shown their confidence in this 180-year-old institution by making gifts of all sizes. Those contributions are essential to preparing our students. On behalf of the entire Porter’s community, thank you.” Christine Pina Chief Advancement Officer
Miss Porter’s School
Impact on Faculty and Staff
30
71% of teaching faculty live on campus. Because of generous donors, MPS was able to acquire a new property at 113 Garden Street that will provide additional faculty housing.
41 hours of dedicated internal faculty development time was provided to each faculty member, including professional days, a weekly professional development (PD) slot and faculty meetings.
2 faculty members receive a grant each year from the endowed Cravens Fund for Teachers’ Summer Sabbatical to travel abroad. Miao Hwang traveled to Taipei, Taiwan, and Kelly Woodbury took an educational trip to France.
82% of faculty hold advanced degrees. Endowed funds for faculty support provide a critical resource to underwrite salaries and support professional development, which helps ensure Miss Porter’s School is able to attract and retain world-class faculty.
“We know that great teaching doesn’t just happen without collaboration, training and reflection, and while other schools maybe have 1–2 PD days per year, at Miss Porter’s we set aside time every day for faculty to work together on their curricula and on their craft. Ultimately, this investment of time pays dividends for student learning.” Timothy Quinn Chief Academic Officer and Dean of Faculty & Ellen Stuart Poole ’26 Academic Chair
31
1,200+ 13
Impact Report
Impact on Ancients
Ancients participated in 42 virtual and in-person events.
Ancients shared their “path after Porter’s” with seniors at this year’s Obidimma Olga Ibimina Okobi ’94 (Obi): Imagining Life, an annual event made possible through an endowed fund established by Obi’s family and friends. “It was a joy to be back on campus with fellow Ancients for Imagining Life and sharing with students all the possibilities and paths after graduating from Miss Porter’s School.” Juliana Garcia-Uribe ’99, P’26
“The value of an MPS education is lifelong. It begins with New Girls, progresses to Old Girls, and becomes complete when our graduates are welcomed as Ancients. Our remarkable alumnae constantly strengthen the network and shape our changing world from backyards to boardrooms.” Kate Windsor Head of School & Virginia Durand Shelden ’39 Chair
ENDOWED SCHOLARSHIP FUND
In October, a new $1M endowed scholarship fund was established through the bequest of Vera van Marx Metcalf ’43. This named endowed scholarship will ensure her legacy in perpetuity, giving future generations of girls access to the incredible education and opportunities offered here in Farmington. A gift to the endowment is a vote of confidence in the leadership of Miss Porter’s School and an investment in the school’s long-term sustainability.
230 Moonbeams Circle members
Impact on Student Life
80+
Students and 11 faculty/ staff traveled abroad for the Advanced Interdisciplinary Studies global intensive.
8
All-school sit-down dinners centering on cultural and religious celebrations.
34% $1.4M
Students receive need-based financial aid.
Annual endowment draw to support nearly 90 student scholarships.
30+
Events hosted by the Office of Equity and Inclusion for students and adults to support the school’s goals of becoming an anti-racist institution.
16
Students each received $10K+ in financial aid through donornamed Immediate Impact Scholarships from Annual Fund donations.
Miss Porter’s School
Impact on the Performing Arts
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4 full theater productions
3 large ensemble concerts
4 on-campus dance performances
9 music lesson workshop performances
2 local community-based performances
7 student recitals, festivals and competitions
Summing It Up: FY23 by the Numbers*
53
DONOR PARTICIPATION RATES
21% 50% 64% Ancients
Current parents
The number of Ancient donors needed to move our participation rate 1 percentage point
Faculty and staff
Investing in the Present
Investing in the Future
$2.6M
$146.6M
Raised to support the MPS Annual Fund.
Endowment Total Market Value— 83% restricted vs. 17% unrestricted.
193
Impact Report
33
$1.7M
First-time donors.
Raised in endowed scholarship dollars.
75%
$19M
Annual Fund donors gave gifts of $500 or less.
The approximate market value of documented planned gifts that include gifts through a will or beneficiary designation.
$332K
FY23 Sources of Funding
FY23 Endowment Spending 61%
50%
TUITION & FEES
ACADEMICS/FACULTY & STAFF SALARIES
21%
30%
ENDOWMENT DRAW
10%
SCHOLARSHIPS
11%
ANNUAL FUND
CAMPUS OPERATIONS & STUDENT ACTIVITIES
8%
9%
OTHER
CAMPUS BUILDINGS & GROUNDS
*Data current as of June 30, 2023.
Raised for current-use financial aid scholarships through the Annual Fund.
Miss Porter’s School
• ANCIENT PROFILE •
34
Shani Sandy ’96 describes herself as an artist, designer and leader who works at the intersection of design, technology and business. She’s a vice president at IBM, a host and judge on the television series “America by Design” and a new homeowner who is transforming an unfinished loft space with cutting-edge design in Brooklyn, New York.
“My focus in the last five years has shifted from designing for craft to designing for culture,” said Ms. Sandy, who became VP of design leadership, education and culture for IBM Design in May 2022 after three and a half years with IBM’s IT infrastructure business. She guides a team that educates and empowers the company’s nearly 3,000 designers to advance in their careers and gain new skills for the future. “The world is so dynamic, and — particularly in the tech sector — we need to ensure that our talent has the most up-to-date skills,” she said. “My mission is to advance the abilities and the career paths of our designers by crafting experiences that let them attain new skills, apply those skills and then ultimately grow those skills. This will lead to more opportunities for them to do their best work and have a real business impact for the company.” Ms. Sandy is actively engaged in the design community and passionate about creating opportunities to diversify design, a key focus of her research study and lecturing. She’s also engaged with the firm’s Racial Equity in Design initiative, which aims to create a culture of equity for Black designers within the company and across the industry. “It’s a passion point of mine,” she said. “If creative and design industries are supposed to be beacons of imagination, then everyone’s voice should be heard. So what does it mean if there’s less representation and less inclusion of these Black voices?” In addition to her work inside IBM, Ms. Sandy holds an external role: She’s an on-air talent for CBS’ “America by Design” series. She credits her mentor, former IBM Head of Design Phil Gilbert, for the gig, which began as a collaboration between the firm and the production. “It’s a lot of fun,” she said. “I still maintain my IBM role, and I’m traveling the world.”
“My focus in the last five years has shifted from designing for craft to designing for culture.”
“I think that is one of the most beautiful things about going to an institution like Miss Porter’s. It gave me the space to grow into myself.”
Ms. Sandy spends her nights and weekends creating a home with her partner, filmmaker Kahil Shkymba. “Because he’s a filmmaker and I’m a designer, we’re going to document the journey around how we build a loft space that includes highly sustainable products and elements [and] also takes advantage of the utmost in craft,” she said. “We’re going to live in what we’re building, and we’re going to document the whole thing. Hopefully, we survive this!” Ms. Sandy’s move to the Red Hook neighborhood of Brooklyn this spring brings her back to her roots. While in middle school in the borough, she participated in A Better Chance, which helps high-achieving children of color gain access to transformational educational opportunities. Without ABC, she never would have applied to Porter’s. “Miss Porter’s was life-changing,” she recalled. “That inroad into an elite prep school was one of the most significant and informative experiences in my life.” She said her time at school gave her the ability “to be highly adaptable and to affirm and retain my identity and my roots,” which has been helpful in navigating the corporate world. After Porter’s, Ms. Sandy went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in art history from Tufts University and a Bachelor of Fine Arts in painting and computer art from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston. She gained credentials from the Yale School of Management and the School of Visual Arts as well as an MBA at the Berlin School of Creative Leadership while building her career. But her achievements all built on her time at Porter’s, “a space where I could really explore more of myself without feeling like there were any limitations — and being encouraged to do just that,” Ms. Sandy said. “And I think that is one of the most beautiful things about going to an institution like Miss Porter’s. It gave me the space to grow into myself.”
Ancient profile
35
Way to go, class of 2023!
Eighty-seven students walked across the stage on Brooks Field to collect their diplomas on June 2 in front of family, friends and faculty in a ceremony dedicated to Campus Safety Supervisor Courtney Grant. In her commencement address, Head of School Kate Windsor noted that Sarah Porter’s success was largely based on “her ability to marry convention with community” through Traditions that remain relevant today. One of those is the presentation of school rings to New Girls from their Old Girls at the end of ninth grade.
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“In 1843, when Miss Porter founded her school, a woman’s career usually consisted of being a wife and a mother, and the exchange of wedding rings was a rite of passage,” Dr. Windsor said. But Sarah Porter believed that a woman’s life “could and should be much fuller if a woman had an education and understood her agency. Porter’s rings are an enduring symbol of belonging to a community of consequence — the most powerful all-girls network in the world.”
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Miss Porter’s School
, fe ola kom Elizabeth A
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• GRADUATION •
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“COVID-19 disrupted many Traditions for the class of 2023, whose members spent the spring of their freshman year learning remotely at home. They received their rings via the U.S. Postal Service and their Old Girl blessings via Zoom. But they used their agency to chart their own course and write their own history, and they turned their feelings of loss into momentum,” Dr. Windsor noted. The class became dedicated to building community, “and we all benefited,” she said.
Commencement speaker Vanessa Roanhorse ’96, recipient of the school’s 2022 Evan Burger Donaldson award, talked about being the school’s first Native American student at a time when it “was not ready for me and my lived experiences.” But she said she stayed and “learned how to thrive here. And I left ready and armed for the world not built for me, and I brought it.” Reflecting on the meandering path she took to find her life’s purpose, she urged the graduates to look at the journey ahead and “remember, it’s not when you get there but how.” In her student head of school address, Elizabeth Akomolafe thanked classmates and teachers “for teaching me about camaraderie, community and family.” She reminded undergraduates that “the next years will challenge you … but you’ll make it through. … We’re expected to shape a changing world, but never forget that Porter’s is a world of its own, and it’s a world that succeeds because it constantly evolves.” Outgoing Second Head of School Lucy Newmyer ’23 announced that the class gift would go toward air-conditioning three undergraduate dorms being renovated this summer. Every member of the class contributed. The Daisy Wreath was placed by Frances I. (Izzy) Sutherland, the senior with the most direct line of Ancient relatives. Her legacy began with great-greataunt Dorothea Morrell Coleman, class of 1926.
How can I join Moonbeams Circle and get one of the new pins?
It’s simple! Include Miss Porter’s School as a beneficiary of your retirement plan, in your will, or as the recipient of a paid-up life insurance policy. Let your legacy live on in the students of tomorrow!
Check out our website or scan the QR code for more details: Susan Walker, director of gift planning swalker@missporters.org 860–409–3626 porters.giftplans.org
Graduation
37
“Remember, it’s not when you get there but how.” — Vanessa Roanhorse
• ANCIENT GATHERINGS •
SPRING SAMPLING
Looking Back Worldwide Sit-Down Dinner
Miss Porter’s School
The global fun stretched around the world as 600 Ancients got together in 11 countries, 27 states and online on Feb. 25 for the fifth annual Worldwide Sit-Down Dinner. Ancients of all ages happily reconnected and reminisced at dinners from Sydney to Seoul and from Miami to Honolulu.
38
Together we give, together we bloom This year’s Farmington Give Day was the most successful in its history, raising over $560,000 from more than 600 people from 38 states and six countries on April 13. Because tuition alone does not cover the full cost of a Porter’s education, the MPS Annual Fund provides vital resources to ensure that students have the opportunities and experiences they need to grow to their full potential.
Far-flung fun Head of School Kate Windsor and a team of Farmington leaders traveled to meet Ancients at receptions in Beverly Hills (April 28), Chicago (May 5) and Hanover, New Hampshire (June 14) this spring. Gatherings in 10 other locations — including Jackson Hole, Wyoming; Fishers Island, New York; and Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts — were planned for summer and fall.
Back to class May 3 was a special day just for grandparents and “grandfriends” to spend time on campus, and 107 spent the day attending classes, taking a tour of the campus gardens, getting up to speed on mastery learning and more.
Looking back
39
• CLASS NOTES •
Submitting your note!
DEADLINE
Jan. 15, 2024 DELIVERING PHOTOS
Please submit your digital photos at the highest possible size and resolution. Photos must be sized 1 MB or larger.
1956 Jean Chapin enjoyed visiting classmate Lucile Walker Hays on Spring Island, South Carolina, where Lucile lives part time. “Her family owned this beautiful island in the ’60s and ’70s,” Jean writes. “After it was sold, it was developed in an extremely ecology-sensitive manner. … Lucile wrote a book about its history, which is in the school library, I believe.”
BY EMAIL
Share your note via email: classnotes@missporters.org. THINGS TO NOTE
If emailing from your phone or computer, make sure that the software doesn’t shrink or compress your photos. Lowresolution or low-quality photos may not be included. — Digital photos are preferred. Prints may be mailed, but we cannot return them. —
Miss Porter’s School
Please provide the full name and class year of every Ancient in the photo (from left to right) and the date and location of the occasion. Include your name, your year and a caption for every image.
40
Sally-Jane (Cowley) Coode ’61 at the London Marathon.
1964 Jean Chapin ’56, left, celebrates with Irene Allen Gleason ’91 and Martha Reynolds Hanway ’91 during the Thomasville, Georgia, Antique Show in February.
1960 Mariana Poutiatine Cotten writes, “Still in beautiful Sarasota, enjoying good health and old friends. So lucky.”
1961 “Knowing that I love challenges, a friend suggested that I compete in the London Marathon,” Sally-Jane (Cowley) Coode reports, “and 362 training miles at fast walking later, the day arrived. Accompanied by a very noisy and encouraging 100,000-person crowd lining the route, plus many bands, I crossed the finish line in just over seven hours. Thankfully, no blisters or pains and a lot of money [was] raised for a local Cornish charity — what an experience in my 80th year!”
Abbie Bingham Endicott was thrilled to assist her husband, Bill, as he initiated and co-founded Operation Renew Prosthetics for Ukrainian soldiers. The effort garnered press coverage from NBC and CBS, and she was honored to help Bill welcome soldiers home and cheer them on as they adjusted to their prostheses. Bill and Abbie are now working with foundations that help fund and organize travel, housing, food and transportation for the soldiers. Abbie writes, “Sending best wishes to all of you at MPS with congratulations on the beautiful job you do of instilling joy and also confidence to take on what we are called to do in this precious life we’ve been given!” Left to right: Anna and Oleksandr Chaika, Abbie Bingham Endicott ’64, Bill Endicott, and Elena Nikolaienko, co-founder of Future for Ukraine.
Do you have a middle school girl who is passionate about social change? Does she want to learn how to make a real impact?
Then the ChangeMaker’s Institute is for her! In this virtual six-week course, participants learn about the history of change making and change making today, they discover what they are most passionate about, and they connect and collaborate with a diverse group of girls from around the world.
Learn more at pcgl.porters. org/young-changemakers Enroll by January 10, 2024
41 Class Notes
• CLASS NOTES •
1966
1997
Beverly Chan became a grandmother on May 4, 2022, when her daughter, Leslie Paisley ’00, gave birth to a baby boy named Kenji James Kojima.
Lisa Lazarus was an honoree in the eighth class of 100 Women of Color. The award recognizes her civic engagement and philanthropic and professional efforts to create a more equitable and inclusive society.
In Vero Beach, Florida, Ancients gathered in March to hear Elizabeth (Fluff ) Alsop Winthrop talk about her new book, “Daughter of Spies, Wartime Secrets and Family Lies,” at an event held by Literacy Services of Indian River.
1999 Leah Wright Rigueur hosts a three-part podcast series titled “Reclaimed: The Story of Mamie Till-Mobley,” for which she won Best Host at the Awards for Excellence in Audio — aka the Ambies. The podcast has also been awarded Best Writing — Shows and Documentary — Shows by the Signal Awards.
Left to right: 1966 classmates Susan Rath Latos, Elizabeth (Fluff) Alsop Winthrop, Sarah James and Linda Low Wolcott in Boca Grande, Florida, where Fluff was signing her book last March.
1981 Mary Nevius Lansing and Pamela Gadsden Dahill toured campus to see all the wonderful renovations.
2000
1995
“On March 14, I was honored by the Hispanic Chambers of Commerce of San Francisco and the Golden Gate Business Association with an award at their International Women’s History Month event,” Imani Brown reports. “They also surprised those of us who received awards with a Certificate of Honor from the Board of Supervisors for the City and County of San Francisco. I feel truly blessed and humbled.”
Jaime Cheshire was appointed executive director of the Afghanistan War Commission, established by the U.S. Congress in 2021 to conduct a comprehensive review of key decisions related to U.S. military, intelligence, foreign assistance and diplomatic involvement in Afghanistan from June 2001 to August 2021. Jaime previously served as executive secretary for the Central Intelligence Agency.
Pamela Miele Chadwick and husband Michael Chadwick welcomed a baby girl, Claudia Helena Chadwick, on Sept. 5, 2022, in Greenwich, Connecticut. She was christened at St. Matthew’s Episcopal Church in Bedford, New York, on June 25, 2023.
American wedding ceremony. Carolyne Ouya ’10, Audrey Hudson and Michelle Lee showed up with tons of Porter’s pride and were honored to attend and celebrate this gorgeous couple!
2004 Allie Rebecca Shapiro ’04 and her husband welcomed their daughter, Kelly Shapiro Polinsky, on March 29.
Varina Clark Onwunyi ’08 and her husband at their wedding.
2007 Pauline Roteta announced the birth of Rio Alexander Roteta-Subi on Feb. 14 in Jersey City, New Jersey. Rio is named after “my Miss Porter’s School roommate and lifelong friend, Alex Cabral,” Pauline said.
Varina Clark Onwunyi shares: “Our beautiful blessing, Serenity Onwunyi, arrived on Easter Sunday (April 9) at 7 pounds, 2 ounces. Serenity is strong and healthy and has so much personality and spunk! She is the absolute perfect addition to our family, and Chudi and I are over the moon! A huge thank you to the UCLA team for exceptional bedside care. We are forever grateful and wanted to share the news with our Porter’s family!” Serenity, daug ht er
o ina ar fV
Clark O n w u nyi ’0 8.
Left to right: 2007 classmates Alexandra Cabral, Pauline Roteta and Cassandra Lovett.
Miss Porter’s School
2008
42
Michelle Lee writes to report that Dr. Varina Clark Onwunyi and Dr. Chudi Onwunyi celebrated their marriage with their loved ones in San Diego, California, the weekend of April 2, 2022. They held a traditional Nigerian Igbo wedding ceremony and a traditional
2014 Susannah Davies completed the Boston Marathon with a new personal record of 3 hours, 9 minutes and 58 seconds.
Miss Porter’s School was very sorry to learn of the passing of these Ancients, trustees and staff, and we extend our deepest condolences to their families and friends. Gertrude Achelis Scherman ’41 | 12/13/2022
Judith Coste Chapman ’52 | 5/27/2023
Jean S. Chappell ’56 | 1/27/2023
Edith Graham Blake ’43 | 2/25/2023
Fufa Triplett Fullerton ’52 | 3/1/2023
† Edith Chappell Sheffield 1903 — Great-Aunt
Ann Rockefeller Elliman ’44 | 6/16/2023 Anne C. Patterson 1978 — Niece Sarah Jane Gause Knaub ’44 | 2/20/2023 Dian Chandler Schock ’48 | 6/3/2023 Margaret Porter Davis 1952 — Cousin Anne Blagden Blodgett 1957 — Cousin Irene C. Blagden 1959 — Cousin Frances Putnam Kalamaras 1961 — Cousin Hadley S. Higginson 1987 — Niece
Fairfax Fullerton Fair 1975 — Daughter Blakeslee Cook Lufkin ’52 | 3/4/2023 † Frances Collins Cook 1922 — Mother † Elizabeth Cook 1920 — Aunt † Noel Kennerly LeBlanc 1931 — Cousin Mary Lloyd Robb ’52 | 4/22/2023 † Winifred Wadsworth Lloyd 1948 — Sister-in-law Lallie B. Lloyd 1970 — Niece Alice B. Lloyd 1973 — Niece Elizabeth B. Hobson 2000 — Grandniece
Gwynne Garbisch McDevitt ’49 | 6/14/2022
Eleanor Parker Lindenmayer 2001 — Stepniece
Cynthia Hayward Allen ’51 | 1/3/2023
Mary Boyer Hambro ’53 | 6/14/2022
† Cynthia Polk Hayward 1927 — Mother Lynette Maxwell Cornell ’51 | 1/5/2023 † Genevieve Mangam Maxwell 1917 — Mother Justine W. McGovern 1981 — Niece Virginia Lapham Pescosolido ’51 | 2/11/2023
Courtney Schenecker Edwards ’54 | 1/23/2023 Mimi McEwen Hodsoll ’54 | 1/29/2023 † Margaret Hamill Stewart 1931 — Mother Penelope Potter Saxe ’54 | 3/3/2023
† Mary Lapham Kilroy 1948 — Sister
Mary Riggs Wolfe ’54 | 8/28/2022
Carol Pescosolido Austin 1957 — Sister-in-law
† Georgiana Bailliere Finney 1951 — Cousin
Laetitia Frothingham Mead 1970 — Daughterin-law
Jane Riggs Garcia-Mansilla 1963 — Sister
Sylvia Buffinton Tompkins ’51 | 2/17/2023
Nancy Leggett Pitarys 1961 — Sister
Elizabeth Leggett Williams ’55 | 12/18/2022
† Dorothy Durfee Buffinton 1919 — Mother
Caroline W. Leggett 1982 — Niece
Suzanne Tompkins Ramseur 1943 — Sister-in-law
† Eleanor Leggett Sweeney 1985 — Niece
† Elizabeth Buffinton Briggs 1944 — Sister
† Elizabeth Chappell Reeves 1926 — Aunt † Caroline Smith Chappell 1930 — Aunt † Barbara Chappell Copello 1951 — Cousin † Susan Chappell McCabe 1954 — Cousin Ann Chappell Nyhan 1962 — Sister Whitney M. Simonds ’56 | 6/19/2023 Sophie P. Lewis 1951 — Cousin Edith Simonds Borden 1966 — Sister Sheila W. Johnson ’61 | 3/9/2023 † Frances Tener Muir 1916 — Grandmother † Eleanor Muir Johnson 1938 — Mother † Elizabeth Kelley Johnson 1966 — Sister-in-law Christina M. Johnson 1997 — Cousin once removed Elizabeth Haneman Staniford ’63 | 5/21/2023 Rebecca Faunce McDermott ’72 | 1/26/2023 Robin E. Reed ’74 | 7/23/2022 † Nancy Noble Reed 1946 — Mother Linda Robb Boardman 1985 — Cousin Tamara Murdock Arkes ’93 | 11/22/2022
Remembrances
43
REMEMBRANCES
Ancient Census: Who are we? Miss Porter’s School 44
In the spring of 2022, the Miss Porter’s School Office of Alumnae and Development (A&D) conducted in partnership with The Inclusion Firm a census survey that asked Ancients to share their demographic and identity information. More than 1,700 Ancients from a wide range of class years responded. “In 2019, Miss Porter’s School adopted a community call to action that committed us to building a school community rooted in the inherent worth and dignity of each member,” said Chief Advancement Officer Christine Pina. “With the knowledge we gained from this census, we can better support the lived experience of our graduates and be more inclusive of and welcoming to Ancients of all identities and backgrounds.” While we achieved an impressive 33.5 percent response rate, the census will remain open indefinitely with the hope that we continue to capture responses and more fully represent our Ancient community. Our long-term goals are to ensure the census can be used to identify trends and make inferences about the Ancient population. Diversity among Ancient respondents has notably increased across various measures, particularly in the past five decades. Significant growth is evident in people of color and LGBTQ+ identification, particularly since the 1980s. Notable increases include tripled counts of Black and/or African American respondents from the 1980s to the 2000s, as well as tripled counts of Asian and/or Asian American respondents. While the number of Latine Ancients more than tripled from the 1970s to the 1990s, it dipped in the 2000s and 2010s. The number of American Indian or Alaska
Volunteer! Ancients, share your knowledge with girls around the world.
The Porter’s Center for Global Leadership is looking for Ancients with expertise in a variety of subjects to be guest speakers, panelists and workshop leaders. Know a lot about artificial intelligence, climate change, inequality, economics, education and more? Please contact PCGL Director Sophie Paris at sparis@missporters.org to learn more.
Native Ancients peaked in the 1980s, while the number of Pacific Islander Ancients peaked in the 1990s. Additionally, LGBTQ+ Ancient respondents quadrupled in number between the 1980s and 2000s and continued their growth into the 2010s, accounting for 8.3 percent of all survey respondents. Among the requests for event accommodations, a virtual event offering emerged as the most requested, making up 27 percent of all accommodation requests. A significant portion (84 percent) of these respondents had attended events within the last five years, suggesting a high level of engagement.
1,700+ ANCIENTS FROM A WIDE RANGE OF CLASS YEARS RESPONDED
84%
RESPONDENTS HAD ATTENDED EVENTS WITHIN THE LAST FIVE YEARS
Based on previous data, it is believed that many more Ancients identifying as people of color did not respond to the survey than those who did. The A&D Office will individually contact Ancients of color to discuss the census and better understand their experiences as a student or alumna. “We want to learn more about what might impact their engagement,” said Cicely Upham, director of alumnae and parent engagement.
PARTICIPATE IN THE SURVEY!
If you haven’t taken the survey yet, it’s not too late. Be a part of the census today! EMAIL: CALL:
alumnaerelations@missporters.org
860–409–3635
Looking forward, The Inclusion Firm recommended a number of actions that would increase cultural sensitivity and gather additional feedback from Ancients about their engagement with the school. A&D has already begun to implement changes to school events based on the census results and will continue to explore ways to improve Ancients’ engagement with the school. As the census data grows and a clearer picture of the Ancient community emerges, the office will be better able to identify strengths and gaps in programming and take steps to make Miss Porter’s School more inclusive for all.
Ancient Census
45
Miss Porter’s School
1904
46
Then & Now
47
Don’t miss Farmington Give Day on April 11, 2024 — gifts of any size help our students continue to bloom into their full potential as scholars, leaders and young adults. MAKE A GIFT TODAY
porters.org/giving
Miss Porter’s School
60 Main Street Farmington, CT 06032
INVEST IN GIRLS!
