Winsor Bulletin Spring 2025

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Varsity Volleyball Makes History

The 2024–25 varsity volleyball team won Winsor’s first Eastern Independent League in-season championship and finished with an EIL league record of 11–2. “As a coach, I believe that team chemistry is everything,” said Varsity Volleyball Coach Edmund Zhang, who focused on building strong communication and team bonding throughout the season.

The program is relatively new. Director of Athletics Sherren Granese added the sport in 2017 at the urging of two students. “I’m so happy that I listened to Michelle Pu ’20 and Samantha Chin ’19—the team made history this year,” she said.

Thank You.

It is not at all easy to say goodbye to a place and a community you love. Every day this year, I have been grateful for the people I get to spend time with—the students, the faculty and staff, the alums, the parents, and the volunteers—and grateful for the commitment that our entire global Winsor family has made to supporting the school and its wonderful students. For the past nine years, Winsor has been my heart and my home; no words can express the depth of my gratitude for you, and for what we have accomplished together.

The job of every head of school is to receive a wonderful institution as it is, listen closely, work to strengthen and improve the school in every way possible, and then pass it along to the next head to continue the work. Together, we have done just this, and we have done it with love.

To me, and to many, Winsor is more than a school; it is a rich and diverse community we share forever. We are role models, mentors, teachers, parents, students, alumnae, friends, and more—united by our commitment to empowering young women. Every day, I see it in our faculty who inspire curiosity, in our students who push boundaries, and in our alumnae who go on to make a difference in the world. Our current campaign, Winsor Leads, is a testament to that legacy of leadership and the collective responsibility we share in shaping the future.

You will see evidence of this shared commitment on every page of this issue. Stories that inspire and delight, reminders that we are stronger together and that we thrive in community. Several years ago, the visiting team for our re-accreditation began their final presentation with this claim, “If you hear nothing else, hear this one word: love.” I know we feel this love every day on campus, and throughout the alum community as well—but it was particularly moving to hear it from a team of outside educators getting to know Winsor for the first time.

As you read through this issue of the Bulletin, I think you will see what I mean. From the black box theater to the side of a volcano, and hybrid alumnae gatherings to Red Day, Winsor’s strength and heart are abundantly evident. We have fostered a culture of possibility, embracing a “yes” mindset, saying yes to opportunities that expand learning, deepen connection, and enrich the student experience.

Winsor is as strong as it has ever been, and positioned to keep building on that strength with our incoming head of school, Meredith Legg. As I prepare to hand her the reins, I do so with profound appreciation for each of you. Your commitment has shaped this school and will continue to propel it forward. So this is not goodbye so much as thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for our time together in this extraordinary school.

— SARAH PELMAS

The Winsor School

HEAD OF SCHOOL

Sarah Pelmas

DIRECTOR OF STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS

Janelle Browning

CREATIVE DIRECTOR AND DESIGN

Nicole Barbuto

ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

Raquel Hitt

CHIEF ADVANCEMENT OFFICER

Erika McMahon

DIRECTOR OF ENGAGEMENT AND EVENTS

Becky Withiam

PHOTOGRAPHY

Kelly Davidson Studio

Kristie Dean Photography

Adam Richins Photography

TaNia S. of Exquisitely Composed Images, LLC

BOARD OF TRUSTEES 2024–25

PRESIDENT

Allison Kaneb Pellegrino ’89, P’21, ’22

VICE PRESIDENT

Larry Cheng P’23, ’25, ’28

TREASURER

Lori Whelan P’23, ’25

ASSISTANT TREASURER

David E. Goel P’23

CLERK

Mary Beth Gordon P’23, ’26

Susan Alexander P’03, ’05, ’08

Chris Andrews P’26, ex officio

Elizabeth Bennett Carroll ’89

Wendy Cromwell P’21

Polly Crozier ’92, P’30

Jennifer Dolins P’23, ’26

Linda Dorcena Forry P’28

Claire Pasternack Goldsmith ’01

Ashley Marlenga Herbst ’01, ex officio

Risteard Hogan P’23

David Humphrey P’28, ’31

Sam Kennedy P’23

Jessica Lutzker P’25

Mallika Marshall P’27

Elise McDonald P’26, ’28

Suzanne Ranere Norris ’94

Paresh Patel P’27, ’29, ’30

Sarah Pelmas

Marion Russell ’91, P’22, ’25

Sidra Smith ’88

Perry M. Traquina P’09, ’13

Emily Lubin Woods ’91, P’26

The Winsor School does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, creed, national origin, or sexual orientation in the administration of its educational policies, scholars programs, athletic programs, and other school-administered programs.

Honing Their Craft

The annual Winter Dance Concert was directed and produced by Performing Arts Faculty Ann-Marie Ciaraldi. During all-school assembly, Lower School dance ensembles—covering genres from jazz and modern to Afro-Haitian and South Asian—performed for the whole school, a culmination of their work in courses like Class III Broadway Bound and Class I, Class II, and Class III/IV PAB Dance Ensembles. The Upper School Winsor Dance Team also performed, and in preparation underwent a co-creative choreographic process with Ms. Ciaraldi and guest choreographers Jean Appolon and Samantha Rosenberg exploring struggle, opposition, and resilience. While the lights were designed by Technical Director Andres Puigbo and Technical Assistant Anna Vogler, the entire production was run by more than 25 students on Winsor’s stage crew.

Convocation Lays the Groundwork for a Perfect Year

To mark the beginning of the 139th school year, seniors made their grand entrance into the David E. and Stacey L. Goel Theater to the Mission: Impossible soundtrack.

Calling the assembly of students “bright-eyed and cheery,” President of the Winsor Corporation Allison Kaneb Pellegrino ’89, P’21, ’22 spoke about the founding of Winsor and reminded students, “We are all stewards of this school for a time.”

President of COLLECT Nidhi Mallavarapu ’25— dressed as Leonardo Da Vinci’s Mona Lisa —collected wisdom from fellow seniors answering the question, “If you could go back and give yourself advice when you were starting at Winsor, what would it be?” She distilled their responses into 12 pieces of advice ranging from aspirational—“don’t just live in the moment, thrive in the moment”—to practical—“get enough sleep.”

Inspired by the 2001 heist movie Oceans 11 and the 2018 all-female spinoff Oceans 8, Senior Class President Elizabeth Fitzpatrick ’25—dressed as Minions supervillain Vector—introduced the Class of 2025’s senior theme:

Oceans 2025. Putting together the perfect crew is key to any heist, and Elizabeth described fellow senior classmates—“a cunning, skillful, driven group of people”— as the perfect crew to “team up for one last year and for one last mission.”

Head of School Sarah Pelmas used the Summer Olympics to put the school year ahead in context, pointing to many extraordinary moments of women uplifting other women.

In one example, Ms. Pelmas dove into the media frenzy surrounding Australian swimmer Ariarne Titmus and American swimmer Katie Ledecky, who were considered rivals by commentators, but in reality count each other as inspirations. As Ledecky took gold in the 800-meter freestyle event to become the most decorated female swimmer and most decorated American female athlete in history, Titmus captured a silver in the next lane over. And yet it was Titmus who raised Ledecky’s arm aloft in celebration, and offered her a hug and congratulations.

With their mutual admiration as inspiration, Ms. Pelmas challenged everyone to set a new (school) year resolution to “be like all those amazing women athletes, who work as hard as they can, who hold one another up, in good times and bad, who are proud of each other, and who comfort each other.”

Ms. Pelmas offered suggestions for what this could look like in practice: “We can start with something easy: start by noticing the people around you and what they are up to. Be proud of them, build them up, give them positive feedback. Challenge yourself to offer words of honest and wholehearted support every day. When you do this, you will find that you are working squarely in the tradition of this school—where we speak our minds and also work to build and grow a healthy, forward-thinking community.”

The gentle tinkle of Miss Winsor’s bell opens and closes each school year, a tradition dating back to 1910. Class IV Council Heads Ani Andersen ’29 and Isha Vachhani ’29 did the honors and told students earlier in the program, “Winsor is a perfect place to try new things.”

Ani Andersen ’29 and Isha Vachhani ’29 ring Miss Winsor’s bell to officially open the school year

Debaters Earn Coveted “Top School” for the First Time in Winsor History

Colloquially called “Internationals” and “Worlds” by those on the circuit, there are two major speech and debate tournaments held annually—Worlds Speech and Debate competition and the International Independent School Public Speaking Championships (IISPSC). Winsor has been sending a delegation to these two competitions for decades.

Under the leadership of longtime Speech and Debate Advisor Jean Berg, who is celebrating 40 years at Winsor (see page 12), Winsor students have competed over the years in locations such as Argentina, Australia, Botswana, Canada, Cyprus, England, Lithuania, South Africa, and the U.S.

Nika Bigelow ’25, Theo Zarrow ’26, and Emily Zhang ’25 represented Winsor’s Speech and Debate Team at IISPSC in Bermuda this past October. Held over four days, the competition featured 100 top speakers from 34 different schools across the world.

Speakers are required to enter three competitions at IISPSC. While all three students competed in Impromptu Speaking and Interpretive Reading, Nika and Emily additionally competed in Persuasive Speaking, while Theo added After Dinner Speaking to her lineup. After three days

of powerhouse scoring, Nika, Theo, and Emily each made it to the finals in two of their three events.

Ultimately, Nika finished 14th overall in the speaker ranking. Emily won the Impromptu Speaking competition, tied for third in overall speaker ranking, and also tied for the coveted “Top American Speaker” award. In a stunning finish, Theo won the After Dinner Speaking Competition and finished fifth overall, earning her a berth at the 2025 Worlds Speech and Debate competition this spring in Malaysia.

Because of their tremendous efforts, Winsor took “Top School” at Internationals for the first time in school history.

“They were wonderful to work with,” said Ms. Berg, who worked with each student individually, meeting at least once and sometimes twice a week on Zoom during summer break. “Ned and I are proud of Emily, Nika, and Theo, and elated by the awards and the well-deserved accolades they received at Internationals,” she added. Ms. Berg coaches the team with fellow Debate and Speech Advisor and English Faculty Ned Henningsen.

Winsor Speech and Debate was founded in 1895.

(L to R): Carey Bertrand P’26, Hongmei Wang P’25, Theo Zarrow ’26, Emily Zhang ’25, Nika Bigelow ’25, Daria Bigelow P’25, and Greg Bigelow P’25

Playwright in Her Own Right

Student-directed plays have been a part of the Winsor curriculum for well over a decade. But it wasn’t until recently that a student wrote and then directed their own show.

For years, students have been invited to select and propose a play. As student directors, they manage everything from costume direction to staging. Mina Feldman ’25 took the student-directed play a bold step further and wrote her own. Twice.

Mina made her playwright and directorial debut as a Winsor junior with Course Correction. “The college counselor at this fancy private school

is murdered,” explained Mina, who included bits of herself and her own experiences in the play. “This tenthgrade detective takes it upon herself to solve the case. The narrator, who is the detective’s sister, has just been deferred from her dream school, so she’s sort of reeling from that. It’s about solving the mystery but also about how these two sisters can navigate this place where excellence is currency—how they deal with the culture.”

During senior year, Mina was back at it again, and wrote Spelled Out in the fall. Theater Director Jeremy Johnson remembers Mina scouring

his bookshelves, reading plays and hunting for the right show to direct, but she couldn’t find one. “She walked into my office and said, ‘So, I wrote another one,’” recalls Mr. Johnson. “I read the play, and I knew we had to make it happen.”

From Mina’s director’s note, Spelled Out explores the “intersection of grief and teenagerdom with supernatural, ghost-story flair.” The play follows three friends and a tag-along younger brother who venture into the woods at midnight to try and connect with a deceased friend using a grimoire and Ouija board. The younger

(L to R): Bella Holt ’27, Sienna McCabe ’27, Mina Feldman ’25, Sisi Ansari ’28, and Aiden Sun ’27

(L to R): Sisi Ansari ’28, Sienna McCabe ’27, and Aiden Sun ’27

(L to R): Sisi Ansari ’28, Aiden Sun ’27, and Bella Holt ’27

brother unexpectedly has the gift of possession, and two spirits visit his corporeal form. As the group becomes frustrated that they can’t reach the spirit they want, tensions run high.

Mina shared, “Over the course of our rehearsal process, the cast of Spelled Out and I have come to think of grief and adolescence as parallel processes. Both experiences are marked by irreversible change. Both render you powerless and confused. And both will leave you pissed off and distrustful and emotional at all the wrong times.”

Mina credits Mr. Johnson for developing her love of theater, and for giving her a shot. “He’s a really great kind of mentor,” shared Mina. “The fact that the Performing Arts Department gave me that opportunity is just so cool. It’s beyond anything I could have thought possible.”

As she finishes senior year and looks ahead to what’s next, Mina has her sights set on being a director and playwright, experiences she got to have at Winsor. “Here, you can have an idea, just a hope or a dream, and you can make it happen. I think this is a really special thing that’s really unique to Winsor. You can talk to people and say, ‘I want to do this,’ and you’ll find people who support you, whether that’s your peers or your teachers.”

CELEBRATING THE 29TH ANNUAL UNDER THE LIGHTS

School pride was on display in the fall for Spirit Week where students, faculty, and staff donned their most festive attire in the lead-up to Under the Lights (UTL).

Each year, UTL is organized by Students Advocating School Spirit (SASS). This year’s roster of spirit days included “dynamic duos,” where costumed pairs like pineapple and pizza, Batman and Robin, and Wicked’s Glinda and Elphaba navigated campus together. On “idiom day” outfits explored popular phrases like “raining cats and dogs,” while on “local legends day” students showed their Beantown pride as iterations of Make Way for Ducklings and numerous Dunkin’ tributes.

Spirit Week always culminates in Red Day, when the entire school community enjoys a special schedule that ends in a pep rally held in the Brock-Wilson Gymnasium. For weeks, entire grades met during community time to conceptualize and practice their cheer performance. While every class shone in their routines, the Class of 2025 took home first place on their final Red Day.

Hundreds of current Winsor families and alums returned to Pilgrim Road for games of Winsor athletes on mid, JV, and varsity teams across field hockey, soccer, and volleyball. The Winsor Parents’ Association amped up the atmosphere with decorations and a spirit table stocked with sunglasses, foam fingers, face painting, and a photobooth. Onlookers watched games and noshed on pretzels, hot dogs, and chili.

To close out the weekend, on Sunday, October 20, Winsor pride continued with three boats racing in the 59th Head of the Charles Regatta. For the first time, 19 athletes competed for Winsor. They walked away with fantastic results managing to requalify two boats for next year, and had a blast on the dock with amazing support from families, friends, and alums.

Bella Holt ’27 and Aiden Sun ’27

Class I students celebrate UTL at the annual Red Day pep rally

(L

Quadrennial Community Curriculum Day Returns to Campus

Every four years, timed to the presidential election, Winsor’s on-campus community shifts from regularly scheduled activities and comes together for Community Curriculum Day.

During the day-long program on October 29, 2024, students, faculty, and staff participated in two all-school assemblies, attended workshops of their choosing, and debated whether or not to implement a new division-specific initiative.

To start the morning, Winsor’s Upper School met in the BrockWilson Gymnasium to hear arguments for and against the proposed Upper School ballot initiative: Should we have a monthly no-cell phone day? While 41% of the Upper School student body wanted

to forgo cell phones once a month, ultimately 59% of students who cast votes wanted to keep their phone access. The initiative did not pass.

Lower School students had their own ballot initiative: Should the Lower School have a monthly “Mix It Up Lunch” day? The proposed initiative would authorize the Lower School Council to plan monthly lunches where students would be placed in mixed-grade level groups to engage in planned activities. While the initiative did not pass, students still enjoyed exercising their right to vote at the polls.

Complete with privacy barriers and volunteer poll workers, students in both divisions were invited to cast their ballots and even came away with “I voted” stickers. Had either initiative passed, Winsor’s

administration was prepared to honor the students’ wishes.

“It was important to us to simulate an authentic voting experience for the students,” explained Math Faculty Jessica Wang. “We wanted to demonstrate that election outcomes have real consequences.” In addition to her teaching role, Ms. Wang is the Upper School community and inclusion coordinator and was instrumental in developing the voting experience for students.

The two assemblies gave members of the community time to gather and reflect on important issues of the day. The first, America in One Room with Alice Siu, associate director of the Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford’s Center on Democracy, Development and the Rule of Law, examined how the widespread

to R): Olivia Todd ’28 and Leila Andermann ’28

Grace Murphy ’27

and booming use of streaming platforms and social media has created a society without a collective understanding or common experience. The second, All Politics Is Local, was moderated by Winsor alumnae Anshi Moreno Jimenez ’15, who works in policy and strategic planning in Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s office. Anshi was joined by a panel featuring Massachusetts State Representative Chynah Tyler and Director of Communications and Community Outreach Hodan Hashi, who works in the Office of City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune. The rousing discussion covered a variety of topics, from imposter syndrome to low participation and voter turnout in Boston elections.

Students were at the center of the day, not only participating in assemblies and workshops, but leading them too. Lara do Rosario ’26 and Liana Min ’26 led “Religion in the Election.” Their workshop looked at how the politics of religion might affect the 2024 presidential election. “Creating the agenda for the workshop was pretty difficult because it required us to find the right balance between discussion and activity. Since we didn’t know how talkative our participants were going to be, we weren’t sure how the turn-and-talk activities would go,” explained Lara. “I felt in the end, our agenda was very engaging and mixed because we did a myriad of activities, including a ‘match the quote with the speaker,’ reacting to a propaganda video, and countering common assumptions about the candidates’ religious backgrounds.”

VOTING MATTERS

LOWER SCHOOL

Should the Lower School have a monthly mix it up lunch day?

The ballot initiative did not pass.

UPPER SCHOOL

Should the Upper School have a monthly no-cell phone day?

The ballot initiative did not pass.

Alice Siu, associate director of the Deliberative Democracy Lab at Stanford’s Center for Democracy, Development, and the Rule of Law

“It’s a challenging dilemma for students when they find out they fundamentally disagree. Ultimately, I hope students learn tools to have different discourse across all aspects of their lives.”

—Director of Community and Inclusion Julian Braxton

Ultimately Lara’s workshop worries were for naught because student participants rose to the occasion. “I was surprised at how much people had to say,” she said. “People were confident and open in discussions.”

Upper School students planned and conducted more than a dozen workshops on Community Curriculum Day based on their own interests and of their own design. Angie Fang ’26 and Demira Parekh ’26 led “Mind the Gap: The Psychology Behind Civic Engagement.” The interactive workshop looked at the mental processes behind civic engagement, the divides that often keep people apart, and what we can do to bridge those gaps. “I realized that a lot of people knew about the psychological processes behind aggression and group dynamics but just didn’t know what they were called,” said Angie. “Once we put a name to something, everyone was like, ‘wait, that makes a lot of sense.’”

Workshop design and facilitation doesn’t just help students develop leadership skills, it also allows them to think critically about why they’re attending workshops and what they hope to get out of the experience.

Lara shared, “Being a [workshop] leader taught me how to be a good participant in workshops. …I’m glad I got to lead one here at Winsor.”

At the Martin Luther King Jr. assembly, Lower School students Sydney Hall ’30 and Aarna Sundaram ’29 reflected on their participation in the Community Curriculum Day workshop “Letters for Global Change.” The goal was for each student to write a letter to a local elected representative explaining a global issue they want to see prioritized. Sydney chose to write about immigrants in Boston and the challenges they often face in finding housing and jobs when they arrive, while Aarna wrote about environmental justice and the economic inequities that disproportionately affect different areas. Drawing on Dr. King’s fight for marginalized people and advocacy for equality, they explained, “The [workshop] session allowed us both to practice global citizenship, civic action, and persuasive writing. As we reflect on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday this year, each of us can use these skills to help bring us closer to the just society Dr. King envisioned.”

While Upper School students led most of the day’s workshops, English Faculty Lisa Stringfellow, who is Ms. Wang’s counterpart as Lower School diversity and inclusion coordinator, noted that the Lower School Planet Protectors club helped plan “Climate Politics” in conjunction with Winsor alumna Jess Nahigian ’10, the state political director of the Massachusetts chapter of the Sierra Club. Together they looked at the role environment plays in elections, what students can do to help despite being too young to vote, enjoyed a planet craft project, and played a climate game.

In addition to Jess, several other alumnae returned to campus to run workshops, including: Sage Stossel ’89 (“Political Cartooning”), Marisa Greenwald Keeney ’02 (“Health Care in America”), Leila Sales ’02 (“How to Change Your Community”), and Hailey Fuchs ’16 (“Covering Presidential Elections”). Winsor parent Jeannie Suk Gersen P’25 participated, too (“The Supreme Court and the 2024 Election”).

“It was fun to be back at Winsor,” said Sage. “I was impressed to see how game and fearless the students were about trying their hands at their own cartoon-style drawings.

I hope they had fun, and that some of them might continue to experiment with cartooning as a tool for sharing their perspectives.”

Leila found the experience rewarding too. “The students were thoughtful, communicative, independent thinkers with big ideas for how to change the world. I loved seeing how their minds worked,” she said.

History Faculty Julian Braxton, who holds the Bezan Chair for Community and Inclusion, was the true mastermind behind Community Curriculum Day. His goal was for students to cultivate lifelong tools that will stay with them beyond the 2024 election. “It’s a challenging dilemma for students when they find out they fundamentally disagree. Ultimately, I hope students learn tools to have different discourse across all aspects of their life,” he said. “I want Community Curriculum Day to be an opportunity to think about and engage with different perspectives and respectfully disagree.”

By all accounts, the quadrennial Community Curriculum Day was a success. “The best part of Community Curriculum Day for me was hearing perspectives I had never encountered when people took risks to present an unspoken opinion,” shared Lara do Rosario, who led the workshop “Religion in the Election,” adding, “I hope that continues.”

Angie Fang, who led “Mind the Gap,” agreed. “Even if political opinions are different, Winsor students have shown that we can approach each other with an open mind and engage in civil conversations. There’s a lot of hope for the future.”

FEARLESSLY CURIOUS CONVERSATIONS WITH AUTHOR MÓNICA GUZMÁN

To help kick off Community Curriculum Day, Winsor alumnae, students and families, faculty, and staff gathered over Zoom to speak with author and journalist Mónica Guzmán about her book I Never Thought of It That Way: How to Have Fearlessly Curious Conversations in Dangerously Divided Times The book was offered to faculty and staff as a summer read encouraging a more open dialogue and offering tangible advice on how to come together and listen to those with whom you disagree.

The virtual event on October 28, Bridging Divides: Fearless Conversations with Mónica Guzmán, was attended by more than 100 Winsor families and was moderated by Julian Braxton, holder of the Bezan Chair for Community and Inclusion. The panel covered topics such as the internet and the falsehoods that flourish there, and non-judgemental listening.

Panel participants included Winsor alum and parent Fatima Aziz ’06, P’32, Winsor student Bibi Noury-Ello ’25, and Winsor alum and Science Faculty Eve Elizondo ’17.

Educators Who Shape Our Community: Honoring 20, 30, and 40 Years at Winsor

Hosted by the Winsor Board of Trustees, the Faculty, Staff, and Trustee Dinner honors Winsor employees celebrating milestone years at the school. The annual dinner is a testament to those who dedicate their careers to Winsor service and the enduring gratitude of the Winsor community to the educators who shape the institution.

All Winsor employees are invited to the festive evening, which begins with a cocktail hour followed by a dinner program, and includes the awarding of the Pennypacker Prize. When employees reach 20 years of service, students, alumnae, and colleagues provide personalized tributes that are collected into a moving account of their Winsor tenure. With friends and family looking on, employees are celebrated with a speech and also receive everyone’s full-length submissions as a keepsake.

This year, four faculty and staff members celebrated 20, 30, and 40 years, representing the World Languages, History, and Science Departments, as well as Model U.N. and Speech and Debate.

LAURA BRAVO

Over her 20 years, Ms. Bravo has taught every Spanish class Winsor offers. Deeply involved in the Winsor community, she has taught flamenco in the AfterSchool Program and served on the Global Citizenship Committee that developed the Principles of Global Responsibility. She supports students as an advisor to First Generation Experience affinity group and Spanish Club, organizing events such as movie and salsa nights. During the Covid shutdown in the spring of 2020, Ms. Bravo treated virtual instruction like a performance and transformed her apartment into a stage. She recreated iconic scenes, from Eva Perón’s balcony speech to Andy Warhol’s “Mickey Mouse,” all using household items—her

dog even made guest appearances for supporting roles. Her love of the arts, especially dance, has resulted in cross-department collaborations, bringing movement and music to theater productions, choral works, and language classes.

A fearless trip leader, Ms. Bravo has taken Winsor students to Mexico, Cuba, Guatemala, Ecuador, Puerto Rico, and the Dominican Republic. From flamenco stages to the classroom to study-abroad programs, Ms. Bravo has been a source of inspiration and guidance. Rani Balakrishna ’21 fondly describes her teaching “like a warm hug” while Sophia Griffith-Gorgati ’14 commented that learning with Ms. Bravo was not just about mastering Spanish but about becoming a more compassionate global citizen. As Sophia says, “To learn Spanish with Ms. Bravo is to learn how to be a human being in this world.”

JOSH CONSTANT

A stalwart of the History Department, Josh Constant’s 20 years at Winsor weren’t always in the classroom. From club to varsity, Mr. Constant has coached students in basketball, golf, lacrosse, and soccer. He was also the co-chair of the Teaching and Learning Committee for the “Learning in the 21st Century” strategic plan, and then stepped up to co-chair the school’s most recent NEASC accreditation. With a knack for the middle-school years, Mr. Constant has served as a class coordinator for Class II, Class III, and Class IV over the years and is currently the Lower School student-life coordinator and advisor to the Lower School Student Council—all this in addition to his work as a history teacher. To call him an energetic colleague would be an understatement.

In the classroom, from dad jokes to a historical meme competition, Mr. Constant is known for making history come alive. Anya Keomurjian ’16 remembers him as “the

first teacher who challenged me from my very first day in Class II. He made history interesting in a way no one ever had before.” Similarly, Tristen Leone ’22, who pursued a classics major in college, credits Mr. Constant for fostering her love for history. She shares, “There is no doubt that Mr. Constant is a reason for my success in college and why I am so excited to continue to study the past in graduate school.”

DENISE LABIENIEC

Affectionately called “Ms. Labin” by students, in her 30 years at Winsor, Denise Labieniec has served as a physics teacher, director of studies, institutional researcher, advisor, Lower School science and STEM faculty, actionresearch teacher, department head, curriculum committee chair, curriculum review chair, ILE mentor, Upper School class coordinator, faculty chair for the annual fund,

chaperone for countless events, organizer for all Science Department bands and performances, and recipient of numerous senior yearbook dedications.

World Languages Faculty Sally Hatcher, who teaches Latin, shared, “one of the official titles for the Roman emperors was ‘primus intus parēs,’ which means ‘first among equals.’…This phrase makes me think of Denise… because of the way she has distinguished herself in all her many roles at Winsor. …The ‘inter parēs’ part is key, though, because Denise never thinks of herself as the first or the best. She is always giving credit to those around her and expanding her circle of influence. She wholeheartedly believes that the strength of Winsor lies in its community.”

Tiferet Levine Gazit ’98 remembers “sitting in a college classroom with only one other female student and thinking, ‘if there were more Ms. Labieniecs in the

Front row (L to R): Gabriella Gangi, Stephanie Mauge, Laura Bravo, Valentina Paez, and Carlos Villamil. Back row (L to R): Laura Houlette, Sophia Rimas, and Paloma Rimas

Front row (L to R): Nicky Constant and Josh Constant. Back row (L to R): Annie Huntoon, Brian Didier, Erin Cantos, Julian Braxton, Libby Parsley, Amy Lieberman, and Ann-Marie Holland

world, there’d be more girls here.’” Leslie Dewan ’02 shared, “It was because of Ms. Labieniec that I went to MIT and studied nuclear physics. Her love for and skill at communicating science inspired me, and today, one of the most fulfilling parts of my career is public speaking about science and engineering to inspire others. I’m eternally grateful to her.”

JEAN BERG

Jean Berg accepted her first Winsor job as a soccer coach in 1985, and it’s a little-known fact that she designed Winsor’s first school bus routes. But the mother of three Winsor alums—Jennifer Berg Bittner ’77, Susan Berg Klein ’81, and Jessica Berg ’85—is most well known for running the Model U.N. and the speech and debate program for much of her 40 years at Winsor.

Ms. Berg teaches students not only how to debate but how to believe in themselves, inspiring generations of Winsor alums and showing students that their voices matter. Her ability to instill confidence in students while also refining their technique has left a lasting mark.

Recalling the “care and coaching” she received at Winsor, Grace Ogilby ’08 said of Ms. Berg, “Her standards for a clean, crisp argument forcefully delivered are the highest of anyone I have ever met—and I say this after having worked as a staffer in the U.S. Senate and a consultant briefing executive teams regularly.”

Ellen Burstein ’18 describes Ms. Berg’s precision, sharing, “Ms. Berg taught us both the techniques of parliamentary debate…and how to carry ourselves as successful debaters—how to trust ourselves, our ideas, and our words.”

Nupur Chaudhury ’01 added, “The foundation that Jean gave me in structuring an argument, staying grounded in my words, and, above all, to believe in what I am presenting still rings true. …I am forever grateful for Jean seeing something in me that I didn’t see in myself, and nurturing this idea that I was important, that I had a point of view, and that I had something to say.”

Front row (L to R): Leslie Berstein, Denise Labieniec, and Gail Lima. Back row (L to R): Sally Hatcher, Laura Cohen, Susanna Ryan, Ken Schopf, Julian Braxton, Kimberly Ramos, and Kate Caspar

Front row (L to R): Tova Bittner, Jean Berg, Susan Berg Klein ’81. Back row (L to R): Claire Pasternak Goldsmith ’01, Julian Braxton, Jessica Berg ’85, Jennifer Berg Bittner ’77, and Michael Mirelman

5 YEARS

OTHER MILESTONE YEARS

Mary Butcher

Janet Cowan

Mark Brooks Hedstrom

Laura Krier

Andrew Marshall

Stephanie Mauge

Audra McFarland

Evan Joy McLaurin

Samantha Simpson

Danielle Smogard

Hema Ramachandran

Jennifer Albright

10 YEARS

Kate Allen

Lisa Stringfellow

Shannon Calamari-Kirwan

Trina Hable

Baoying Qiu

15 YEARS

Ken Schopf

Annie Huntoon

Mel Wood

Laura Beebe

25 YEARS

Laura Cohen

Clarissa Marshall

MARY BUTCHER

RECEIVES PENNYPACKER PRIZE

The Pennypacker Prize is awarded each year to a teacher who is in at least their third year of full-time teaching at Winsor. Created in 2002, the award is “given annually in the name of Henriette Pennypacker Binswanger ’52, with respect and admiration for the educational excellence of the Winsor School and the memory of an extraordinary experience.” The award recipient is kept secret until the last possible moment with everyone—including the recipient—guessing who it might be based on clues in the presentation speech.

Mary Butcher received the Pennypacker Prize during the 2024–25 school year, and almost everyone knew right away from Head of School Sarah Pelmas’s opening sentence: “This year’s winner stands out for a variety of reasons, and not simply because of their pink hair, or their rock star flair, or their accent which suggests a non-NewEnglander. In fact, the words everyone uses to describe this teacher and their classes are ‘magical’ and ‘authentic.’”

Mx. Butcher, who hails from the U.K. and teaches math, is regarded by colleagues for thoughtful curriculum design and a positive, cheerful attitude.

Mathematics Department Head Laura Cohen sat in on one of Mx. Butcher’s classes, where they introduced the concept of probability to students by throwing a pair of dice to determine which horse would win a race.

Ms. Cohen shared that classes like this are commonplace, “full of energy and life and happiness, meticulously planned out, though you never see the heavy hand of structure in the way they play out.”

Head of Lower School Sharon Jones Phinney agrees, adding, “They combine fun and guidance with care and candor, going to great lengths to support their students. Their genuine concern for each child is evident.”

(L to R): Mary Butcher and Jodi Kerble

Fire and Foundations: A Journey Through Hawai‘i’s Geology and Heritage

BY KEN SCHOPF WINSOR SCIENCE FACULTY

Ihave taught about volcanoes and volcanism for about 25 years. They are an integral part of the system that maintains the earth’s steady-state between the destruction and creation of its crust. I vividly remember the grey veneer of volcanic dust that was a curiosity to us kids in Cleveland when Mount St. Helens erupted in 1980, some 2,500 miles away. I have mapped the black volcanic intrusions on Mount Desert Island in Maine. And I have seen the shocked looks on the faces of Winsor students on field trips to see the 600-millionyear-old lava flows hidden in the

forests of Newton’s own Hammond Pond Reservation. But I had never seen an active—or recently active— volcano. This past summer, a Virginia Wing Grant changed all that.

The Hawai‘i Islands hold obvious attraction for vacationers, but for a geologist it offers a glimpse into the inaccessible inner workings of the earth. The slow crawl of the Pacific tectonic plate over a mantle “hot spot” has resulted in a long string of volcanic islands, some of which are still close enough to this site to have active volcanoes. But Hawai‘i is also a hot spot of biological diversity, climatic micro zones,

and an Indigenous culture continuing to thrive in the face of massive challenges.

Geologically, I knew what to expect, but I was overwhelmed by the sheer scale of the omnipresent volcanic features. I saw volcanic beaches of black and green sand, geothermal vents, and massive volcanic mountains. I walked in lava tubes and across acres of barren fields of lava, frozen mid-flow into jagged piles and ropy swirls.

The day-long trek through Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park exploring the major fissures and lava flows from the past 200 years was truly

View of the cinder cone at Fissure 8, officially named Ahu‘ailā‘au, which refers to the altar of the volcano deity ‘Ailā‘au.

mind-boggling, but just a preview for a personal tour of Fissure 8. This is the site of the 2018 eruption that drained Kilauea’s caldera, inundating 14 square miles of the island and devastating the area of Leilani Estates. Walking across the Mars-like terrain on some of the youngest crust on the planet—some of which was still warm—the giant cinder cone at its heart was a stark reminder of the cost of living on an island that is still actively growing. This event alone added some 900 acres to the island.

I also had the good fortune of visiting with the Deputy Chief of the U.S. Geological Survey’s Hawaiian Volcano Observatory. One of just five such centers in the country, the observatory deploys and monitors a huge variety of sensors across the islands and provides all of its data free online for public (and student) use. During my visit to the observatory, I was also able to ask about the role the Indigenous people of Hawai‘i (many of whom self-identify as Kānaka ‘Ōiwi) in the management of the national park.

The Kūpuna Consultation Group that advises the government on park management is only one example of the ways Hawai‘i’s Indigenous people are striving to maintain a cultural and socioeconomic foothold in a homeland that was annexed by another country (the United States) in 1886. Along with the signs, place names, commonly used Indigenous words, and other examples of Hawaiian language one experiences every day, there is a deeper sense of the tie the Indigenous people have to this land. Students in my Class I Science class might be surprised that most of their towns sit on the

“Civilization exists by geological consent, subject to change without notice.”

—Will Durant

*I used to have this quotation above the door of my classroom. Nowhere is this truer than in the Hawai ‘i Islands.

site of Indigenous settlements of the original Indigenous people of the Massachusett tribe. In Hawai‘i, this connection is much more apparent in everyday life, despite the forced acclimation of its inhabitants to western culture and their current status as a minority population.

I also observed that movement towards acknowledging and rebuilding these cultural ties are likewise underway in several scientific fields. Imiloa is a program of the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo that brings together astronomers and the Indigenous community. Its A Hua He Inoa effort has helped make Hawai‘i “the first place in the world to weave traditional Indigenous practices into the process of officially naming astronomical discoveries.” Similarly,

Hawai‘i has become a leader in using TEK (Traditional Ecological Knowledge) to manage and maintain wildlife, particularly its endangered indigenous species.

From my brief stay, I was humbled and amazed by both the geology of the islands and the resilience of the remarkable culture that formed along with them.

Above: Science Faculty Ken Schopf with petroglyphs in Pu‘uloa (hill of long life), a sacred and awe-inspiring gallery of ki‘i pōhaku (images carved in stone) preserved in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

Check out more photos from Mr. Schopf’s trip on the following pages, and learn about the Virginia Wing Grant Program for faculty and the new Enrichment Grant Program for staff.

1. Looking down on Papakōlea Beach, one of only four green sand beaches in the world. The green color is caused by the mineral olivine eroding from the surrounding rock, which then accumulates on the sheltered beach.

2. View from Paradise Cliffs near Keaau, formed by successive lava flows. Lava with a ropy texture, as seen in the foreground, is known as pāhoehoe.

3. Iridescent basalt from Fissure 8.

4. A handful of olivine-rich green sand on Papakōlea Beach.

5. Some of the basalt (scoria) that was still warm at Fissure 8.

6. Wahinekapu steam vents in Hawai‘i Volcanoes National Park.

7. Series of smaller cinder cones at Fissure 8.

8. View from inside Kaumana Cave, a lava tube formed as the outside of a lava flow cooled while the interior continued to flow.

NAVIGATING NEW IDEAS

Each year, full-time members of the faculty are invited to submit proposals for Winsor’s Virginia Wing Grant Program for faculty enrichment. Developed in honor of the school’s fifth director, Miss Virginia Wing, the program is designed to support teachers in a project or experience that is broadening and enriching. Proposals may be submitted for travel, study, and professional development, as well as special projects, and need not be strictly professional, operational, or business-oriented.

This spring, full-time staff have been invited to submit proposals for Winsor’s inaugural Enrichment Grant Program for members of the professional staff. Carrying the same stipulations as the faculty grants, the Enrichment Grant Program offers a unique opportunity for staff to spend some of their vacation time engaged in personal or professional projects of their own design.

A Lifetime of Investment

What does it mean to give? The concept of giving to a school or non-profit usually brings to mind financial contributions, but institutional advancement strengthens an organization’s future through a culture of generosity, connection, and shared purpose, and that strength is built in a wide variety of ways—not solely financial. By giving their time, expertise, and resources, members of our community inspire others to get involved and help sustain our mission for future generations. Over the course of her life, Pamela Smith Henrikson ’58—who passed away in November at the age of 84—gave to Winsor in innumerable ways, and made a lasting difference for those she met along the way, and for those who will continue to benefit from her contributions in the decades to come.

Among the many roles Pam held at Winsor were class ambassador; member of her class’s reunion committee and of the Winsor Alumnae Board; teacher of various subjects (Class III geography, Class V English and ancient and medieval history, and Class VII current events); and coach of the debate team. Pam also served as Winsor’s first director of admission, and spent 20 years as a member of the Winsor Board of Trustees, including a term as Winsor’s first female treasurer.

“People always looked up to Pam as a leader,” remembers Carolyn Kimball Tolles ’58, Pam’s classmate, fellow class agent, and longtime

friend. “She’d do whatever was needed, from the most basic to the most advanced tasks, on any project. There was nothing that was below her. And that was really inspiring.”

“She was very thorough and very reliable,” agrees Lee Thorndike Sprague ’58, also a dear friend of Pam’s. “You knew that if you asked her to do something or take something on, it would get done, and get done in a very nice way.”

For many years, Lee and Carolyn have led the (highly successful) fundraising for their class alongside Pam. “We looked to Pam to establish the fundraising goal for our class, which was always a lofty one,” says Lee. “Pam was very good at seeing the bigger picture and being able to present it in a wonderful, logical way. She was very loyal to Winsor, and she helped people understand why and how they should support the school.”

In addition to her time on Winsor’s faculty and its board, Pam supported the school with both her financial expertise and her own financial contributions. After her stint as Winsor’s director of admissions, Pam pivoted to a career in banking, rising through the ranks at BayBank to eventually become a regional president. Former board president Marlyn McGrath ’66, P’96, ’03 calls Pam “a pioneer as a woman in the banking world.” More than once, she came back to campus to share her experiences as a woman working in the maledominated finance industry. Pam was also a member of Winsor’s

Lamp of Learning Society, and she supported the school as part of the Winsor Promise Leadership Gift Committee. In 2004, Pam received the Julia Lyman Simonds Award for extraordinary service to Winsor and the community, and she was named a lifetime corporator at Winsor.

Speaking of Pam’s service on various Winsor committees and boards, Marlyn says, “Pam’s extensive familiarity with Winsor in several roles enabled her to always take the long view. She knew the difference between adaptation to change and new opportunities and departure from mission. It is hard to imagine Winsor without Pam, whose loyalty and service exemplify much of what we hope for our alumnae.”

“She was incredible, the way she organized things and got involved and brought other people in,” says Carolyn. “She just had such a warm way about her.” Lee agrees: “Pam had a wealth of knowledge and wisdom. She had a nice sense of humor; a good sense of balance, and a sense of how to get people together and get things done.”

In an email to the Winsor community after Pam’s passing, Head of School Sarah Pelmas noted, “Quite simply, [Pam] supported the school in every imaginable way for almost 60 years, and she made a difference in hundreds of lives.” Those who knew Pam unanimously agree: she exemplified the loyalty, dedication, kindness, and service that Winsor seeks to instill in its alumnae.

“Quite simply, [Pam] supported the school in every imaginable way for almost 60 years, and she made a difference in hundreds of lives.”

—HEAD OF SCHOOL SARAH PELMAS

Teaching Language Skills for Real Life

For many immigrants, language can be a barrier to independence, connection, and confidence in a new country. Recognizing this challenge, Jacey Jiang ’25 and Sophia Lichterfeld ’24 took action in 2021, founding AnJia Virtual English School, a free, online English language program for elderly Chinese immigrants. What began as a weekend initiative during Jacey’s freshman year has grown into a thriving online—and occasionally offline—community, offering structured language support and cultural immersion to many who might otherwise find themselves without the necessary language skills to undertake regular activities like grocery shopping, riding the T, or enjoying casual conversations with neighbors.

Jacey is no stranger to having to learn new languages. In her 18 years, she has lived in the United States, China, and Germany, and fluently speaks English, Mandarin, and German. She understands firsthand the difficulties of adapting to a new language and culture, and how key successfully learning a language is to developing a sense of belonging. She credits her mother, who regularly volunteers within her community, with setting the example that inspires her to engage in this important work.

Jacey’s curricular inspiration stemmed from helping her younger brother navigate the same challenges learning English when their family returned from Beijing, and from witnessing elderly members of her community struggle with daily

tasks due to language barriers. She continues, “I saw how much more freedom and confidence comes with language proficiency. I wanted to help make that possible for others.”

Named for the first Chinese characters of their names—Sophia is “An” and Jacey is “Jia”—the program started simply: hour-long Zoom sessions on Sundays where participants practiced practical English conversations. Word spread quickly, and soon, what had started as a local initiative in Boston expanded to three weekly sessions with more than 150 students from across the country. Volunteer teachers—many of them Winsor students—joined to support the effort.

Jacey continually refines the curriculum she and Sophia first developed, and in order to accommodate students of varying proficiency levels, AnJia offers beginner and advanced classes that follow a structured sequence of 35 units. Today, the program offers not only language instruction but also lessons on U.S. history, naturalization, and local culture, helping AnJia students navigate their new environment with greater confidence, and building community and friendships along the way. All course materials—including full recordings of standout sessions and PDF versions of all course slideshows—are freely available to participants, helping make selfstudy an option as well. Courses run throughout the year, and summers provide an opportunity for students

to review prior lessons to brush up on their skills.

Beyond the lessons, the program has fostered a strong sense of community among the students. Many who previously had little social support outside their families have formed friendships through the program, and some even organize local meetups for events like Chinese New Year, or share photos and messages in their group chat. “It’s really special to see them connect,” Jacey says. “This isn’t just about language—it’s about creating a support system.” Many of the original slate of students still participate in the classes, despite having developed the language skills they need to successfully navigate their day-to-day interactions in English.

The tangible effects of the program are evident. Recalling a conversation with a family friend, Jacey noted the frustration the woman had felt when trying to shop for the foods she enjoys cooking, and not being able to find them or even know how to ask for assistance. Jacey shares, “She was telling me about how it’s now so much easier for her to navigate around the store. Now she’s able to ask for help. At the cashier, when they ask her questions, she’s able to respond.” Jacey acknowledges that she, too, has benefitted from the program. “Teaching in my own language has not only vastly improved my Mandarin skills, but also connected me in new ways to the Chinese community. I feel like our time together has just made everyone

Jacey Jiang ’25 worked with Sophia Lichterfeld ’24 to launch AnJia Virtual English School, a free, online program that aims to help elderly members of the Chinese community learn English language skills to help them navigate day-to-day activities in the United States.

that much closer.”

Jacey’s volunteerism doesn’t stop at AnJia. She volunteers with the Greater Boston Food Bank with the Winsor Food Bank Club, is a peer tutor at Winsor, and works closely with a local second grader with whom she was partnered as part of Boston Community Pediatrics’ wellness program. Balancing her rigorous academic schedule, multiple tutoring commitments, and leadership responsibilities, Jacey has cultivated skills in organization, patience, and leadership. Though her future plans lean toward law and STEM fields, she remains committed to community service. “Whatever I do, I want it to have a meaningful impact on people’s lives,” she says.

With a website, word-of-mouth referrals, and outreach through her school and family network, Jacey continually seeks to expand AnJia’s reach. She hopes to see more students join, emphasizing that language learning should be accessible to all. “I want this to be something that people feel comfortable joining—no barriers, no stigma, just a resource for learning.” As AnJia continues to grow, its impact extends far beyond language proficiency, fostering confidence, independence, and a sense of belonging for immigrants navigating life in a new country. Thanks to Jacey’s vision and dedication, countless individuals are finding their voices—one lesson at a time.

Leading with

LOVE

Sarah Pelmas Winsor’s

Eighth Head of School and O’Donnell

Family Chair

By Lesley O’Connell

Portraits by Kelly Davidson

A quiet space reserved for Upper School students, the third floor of the Virginia Wing Library is home to the portraits of the women who have led Winsor throughout history, as well as the Upper School nonfiction collection, books by alumnae, a collection of books on pedagogy for teachers, and the Mary P. Winsor Collection, made up of books originally owned by Winsor’s founding director.

Soon after Sarah Pelmas arrived at the Winsor School in 2016, she sat in the third floor of the Virginia Wing Library, where the portraits of the former heads of school hang. She said the moment felt a little bit like sitting in the office of Professor Dumbledore—the head of the Hogwarts School in the fictional Harry Potter series, its walls lined with portraits of the school’s prior leaders. Except unlike the likenesses in the paintings with whom Dumbledore could converse, Ms. Pelmas—Winsor’s eighth head of school—was left to imagine what her predecessors might have said.

“I was a little jealous of Dumbledore because he could talk to them or ask them advice,” she recalls.

Lack of access to wizardry notwithstanding, Ms. Pelmas has returned to the spot again and again, drawn in by the connective thread the women leaders have passed on, and imagined herself in communion with them.

“Sitting in the third floor of the library is a very glorious thing to do, looking at the tenures of the people before me, and knowing how human they are, how they took on this mantle of stewarding this institution that precedes you and will succeed you,” Ms. Pelmas reflects as she prepares to leave her post after nine years. “I have thought, what did they do, what did they accomplish, and given the moment they were in, how did they make their way? And what could I take from that in

moments I have found difficult so that I could make sure that we were moving forward in the best way possible? It’s just a moment in time and your job is to take the very best care of the school that you possibly can, and improve upon it as best you can and then hand it off to the next person to do the same thing.”

By all accounts, Ms. Pelmas has done just that. She has upheld and strengthened the founding principles of the school to provide girls an excellent, well-rounded education. She is lauded for building community; establishing the Wellness Department; launching Winsor Leads, the school’s historic $100 million comprehensive endowment campaign; championing the independent school model; and shepherding the 139-year-old institution during a period that saw two divisive national elections and a global pandemic. She will also be remembered for her genuine curiosity about people; her warmth, sense of humor, and approachability; and as an inspiration to Winsor girls.

In recognition of Ms. Pelmas’s leadership and legacy, a chorus of former and current educators and administrators, parents, alumnae, and students has weighed in on the legacy Ms. Pelmas will leave.

A LEADER THROUGH CHALLENGE

World events during Ms. Pelmas’s tenure posed unique challenges, and what she referred to as the “significant headwinds we’ve been

“It’s just a moment in time and your job is to take the very best care of the school that you possibly can.”

SARAH PELMAS

WINSOR’S EIGHTH HEAD OF SCHOOL AND O’DONNELL FAMILY CHAIR

facing at all times.” But as Kate O’Donnell ’05 shared, “Winsor has always had the perfect head of school at the perfect time, and Sarah has been no exception. No one could have led us through the last few years like she has. She came into Winsor ready to go, and was immediately accepted and embraced by the community. She’s warm, a fierce advocate, crazy smart, and one of the funniest people I know. And above all, I love that she doesn’t take herself too seriously—which lends more gravity to situations when she needs to be [serious].”

“Her comments were clear, resolved, honest, supporting, and empowering for our daughters, and we believe many other students,” note Hal Burstein P’18, ’21 and Mary Mullen P’18, ’21.

Former faculty Jennie Skeele ’71, P’98, ’02 was impressed with how Ms. Pelmas conveyed her support without getting political. “She didn’t say how she felt, but she implored everyone not to lose sight of who we are as a community.”

Meanwhile, when the pandemic hit, Ms. Pelmas rapidly moved to protect the health and well-being of the students, but she also recognized the importance of in-school education, Mr. Burstein and Ms. Mullen recall. “With her team, she led an early return to school with appropriate safety features, and was ahead of the curve in comparison to most peer schools.”

Recognized for her intellect, warmth, and advocacy, Ms. Pelmas is also known for her sense of humor and ability to connect with her community, whether with Class I students or returning alumnae, current families or the professional community of faculty and staff.

Many praised her response to various challenges, particularly to the 2016 election and the pandemic.

Ms. Pelmas called an impromptu all-school assembly in the wake of the election results as a way to acknowledge that many students were struggling during this divisive time.

Karen Geromini, Winsor’s chief operating officer, credits Ms. Pelmas for her vision to prepare Winsor for a possible closure due to COVID-19. “Very early she developed a plan to educate and teach the faculty and staff how to keep teaching and business operations going even though the school would not be held ’on campus.’ She was the mastermind in developing the COVID opening plan, putting in place strategic initiatives for the senior leadership team,” she says. “In particular, she showed me what the power of perseverance and determination looked like. We were all so vulnerable and not once did she waver from the goal of

keeping as much normalcy to our school day/year as possible. Her actions demonstrated compassion and empathy to all families and employees who were struggling during this time.”

Rachel Stettler, Winsor’s seventh head of school and Ms. Pelmas’s immediate predecessor, summed it up: “I thought how she led the school through the pandemic was a sign of such wise decision-making and crisis management. From all reports, Winsor handled that time as well as could be imagined.”

In the wake of these unprecedented circumstances, Ms. Pelmas rose to the challenge.

“The election(s) and the pandemic were arguably the most important things that happened to our country and to Winsor and its families during her tenure as school head,” Mr. Burstein and Ms. Mullen say. “Challenging times can make for great leaders. Sarah Pelmas proved that in both instances.”

Denise Labieniec, institutional researcher and science faculty, would agree. “Sarah’s headship has spanned a really unique time in independent schools where everything has been questioned,” she says. “She led the school through a time of tremendous political vitriol, a pandemic, a racial reckoning, shifting ideas about gender and what it means to be a ‘girls’ school,’ and challenges to the paradigm of education post-pandemic. This has not been an easy time to lead a school,

“She has not only elevated the school’s prominence nationally, but has also been a mentor to other heads of school, embodying the qualities of a true leader among leaders.”

GEOFF WAGG P’18, ’20, ’22 , HEAD OF WAYNFLETE SCHOOL

PHOTO BY KRISTIE DEAN

and I think Sarah’s intellect and venturesome leadership have made her a head for these times.”

A CHAMPION OF INDEPENDENT SCHOOLS

While leading Winsor, Ms. Pelmas’s impact has extended beyond the school. Indeed, she appreciates the wider network of independent schools to which Winsor is linked.

“As a leader for AISNE [Association for Independent Schools in New England] and the 1911 group [a professional learning community for heads of school], Sarah has worked hard to make sure these organizations are there to support independent schools across the country,” says Jennifer Price, head of school for Buckingham Browne & Nichols (BB&N). “She is a leader among leaders.”

Noting her affiliation with AISNE as well as other professional groups including the Eastern Independent League (EIL), New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC), Independent School Data Exchange (INDEX), Heads and Principals Association, the Heads Collegiate Forum, Greg Schneider P’25, Belmont Hill’s head of school and parent of a Winsor student, says: “Sometimes I wonder if the Winsor community knows just how wellregarded Sarah is across the region and country.”

“Sarah doesn’t always feel the need to be the loudest voice within these groups, but when she does speak, everyone listens,” he continues. “Her clarity of values and sense

of purpose as an educator have continued to build the reputation of Winsor nationally through her wise presence in many venues the Winsor community never sees. I know that this unseen professional community wishes Sarah nothing but great success and happiness in her new endeavors after Winsor.”

Lisa Pullman, founder and executive director of INDEX, credits Ms. Pelmas’s contribution to the organization. “She has been an unwavering supporter of INDEX through her active engagement in our meetings, her thoughtful contributions, and her willingness to step forward and lead conversations that have led to a deeper understanding of shared challenges among our network for schools. Her support of our mission and her belief in the power of our network have strengthened our organization.”

Geoff Wagg P’18, ’20, ’22, head of Waynflete School, sees Ms. Pelmas’s influence as extending beyond Winsor and contributing to the broader educational community. “She has not only elevated the school’s prominence nationally, but has also been a mentor to other heads of school, embodying the qualities of a true leader among leaders,” he says. “Sarah is someone other educators seek out.”

Indeed, Ms. Pelmas led the charge to establish one of the first endowed chairs in a secondary school or college to create a diverse and inclusive community. Carolyn Peter, Winsor’s sixth head of school,

remembers the conversation she had with Ms. Pelmas that was a critical step in creating that chair— the Bezan Chair for Community and Inclusion, which was first awarded to Director of Community and Inclusion Julian Braxton in 2022.

“The Bezan Chair is a statement of Winsor’s independent school leadership that was celebrated at a dinner attended by former heads of school, current and former faculty, and leaders in the field of inclusive education,” Peter says. “Creating the Bezan Chair is an example of the lasting impact of Sarah’s leadership at Winsor.”

AN ARDENT SUPPORTER

Ms. Pelmas is praised for being unwaveringly supportive, whether professionally or personally.

Head of Upper School Kim Ramos appreciates the support Ms. Pelmas has extended. “As a faculty member and administrator, I greatly appreciate the way Sarah is willing to support an idea or initiative I want to try and to give me the confidence, guidance, and support to let me navigate it. …Sarah encourages us to say yes whenever possible and to focus on what could be, without getting caught in the weeds or stuck on what might be difficult. She has encouraged us to be creative, innovative, and brave, and I think her encouragement has helped shift the culture and community at Winsor.”

Denise Labieniec recalls going to Ms. Pelmas for counsel when she was considering a career change

and stepping out of administration. “Rather than simply accept that decision or convince me to stay in my role, she let me know how much she valued my perspective on the admin team and invited me to envision a different role. She noted that I enjoy reading and research and conceptual strategic thinking, and she created the position of institutional researcher for me,” she says.

Jennifer Price, BB&N’s head of school, recounts Ms. Pelmas being there for her during treatment for breast cancer. “Sarah was there every step of the way to support me. So much so, that once a week after treatments at Dana Farber I would make my way over to Winsor and sit with Sarah on the Adirondack chairs and drink a Spindrift. …Sarah just knows how to be there for you. She just shows up. She is real. And she truly cares.”

For Kristin Bennett ’85, Ms. Pelmas embraces causes that are important to her. “Sarah’s endless support of equity and justice, wonder and adventure, and support for women’s voices are the reasons I will make my donation to Winsor for an Endowed Chair for Women in Science in my will. Like Miss Wing, Sarah is the epitome of personal courage and encouragement for us all.”

A HEAD WITH HEART

Ms. Pelmas has led with compassion and an open door. In fact, many recount how her warmth and

empathy made them feel seen and understood. From students, faculty, and administrators to alumnae and parents, she has proven to be a genuine people person and a present leader, attending sporting events, choir concerts, and academic programs with equal enthusiasm.

When Ms. Pelmas joined the Winsor family, Kate Baker-Carr ’80 was immediately impressed with how fluidly she “moved through the corridors, classrooms, playing fields, and the dining room greeting one and all by name.”

“She might call out their performance in a recent cross-country race or a choir concert or a piece of their art she really liked,” he says. “And the students are able to talk to her about their days, their opportunities, and their hopes for the school. I know Sarah welcomes and cherishes these interactions. They set the tone for the school and send a message that being part of Winsor is being part of a community—a community where everyone will be seen, recognized, and encouraged.”

English faculty Susanna Ryan sums it up this way: “Sarah has a way of making others feel held, metaphorically.”

“Like Miss Wing, Sarah is the epitome of personal courage and encouragement for us all.”

Kristin Bennett ’85

“I marveled at the rapport she created as she interacted with members of the school,” she says. “She knew something about each person. How quickly Sarah joined the community and appreciated the rhythm of the Winsor day.”

And the conversations have flowed both ways. Christopher Andrews P’26, an ex officio Winsor trustee, notes that when Ms. Pelmas walks through the school, students stop to talk to her and vice versa.

That includes Ms. Ryan herself. “Whenever we meet, she always puts me at ease and focuses her gentle but keen attention squarely on our conversation…and somehow Sarah always demonstrates not only interest but a kind of gracious empathy.”

Student Anya Weerapana ’25 says this attentiveness extends to everyone—from students to parents to faculty and staff. “Ms. Pelmas thrives off making people feel heard. It’s not just on the sports sidelines, either; [it’s also] in her office listening to a group of seniors carol and beg for a snow day (and then granting one!) and in her wellthought-out speeches when giving faculty awards.”

Katherine Danik ’25 is still in awe of the sight of Ms. Pelmas talking to so many people while walking the halls, and acknowledging her

by name as well when she was a Class I student. “This was just one of the many moments where Ms. Pelmas went out of her way to know everyone around her, working hard to welcome new Class I students to the school.”

Nidhi Mallavarapu ’25 says Ms. Pelmas “genuinely cares about celebrating everyone’s victories and showing up for the pivotal moments in their Winsor career.” Nidhi, who has sung in Winsor choirs since her time as a Lower School student, recalls Ms. Pelmas being in attendance for nearly every concert. “She’s always moved to visible emotion by what we sing, and to me, that shows how proud she is of her students.”

Jemma Kuriyel ’25 remembers Ms. Pelmas offering a tour of Winsor’s basements after she and some peers expressed an interest in knowing the layout of the school. “I just remember how ecstatic our whole class was when Ms. Pelmas surprised us with this tour, and it honestly surpassed all my expectations. Her own excitement while leading us through ‘secret’ doors and mysterious passages made the whole experience all the more cool.”

Ms. Pelmas’s warmth and presence have undoubtedly made a lasting impact, and even played a role in some significant decisions.

Winsor Trustee Wendy Cromwell P’21 recounts how her daughter, Caroline ’21, applied

to co-ed schools as a Class IV student, but “ultimately decided to stay at Winsor—largely due to Sarah Pelmas.”

“Caroline loved Sarah’s warmth and intellect,” she continues. “She loved how Sarah knew everyone’s name and stopped to talk to them in the hallway. She loved how Sarah ended each assembly with ‘I love you guys.’”

Cromwell shares a story about one senior prank day, when the seniors hired a saxophonist to follow

“She is leaving Winsor a better place. But what she will be most known for, what her legacy will be, is leaving Winsor warmer.”

Wendy Cromwell P’21

Ms. Pelmas around the school playing “Careless Whisper.” “Sarah took it all in stride,” she says. “I think this is what has impressed Caroline and me the most, that a woman of such intellect and accomplishment could also be so lighthearted and warm.” While her imprint will be lasting— from strong hires to navigating COVID to a focus on wellness and college counseling—“she is leaving

Winsor a better place. But what she will be most known for, what her legacy will be, is leaving Winsor warmer.”

For Armine Afeyan ’08, Ms. Pelmas’s openness and warmth made a lasting impression for her and her sisters [Taleen Afeyan ’10 and Lena Afeyan ’13].

“I was struck by how easy and open our conversation was. Sarah was enthusiastic about getting to know us for the sake of knowing us, not just as Winsor alumnae but as people beyond that.”

In fact, that conversation coupled with the retirement of their crew coach Lisa Stone, prompted the women to endow the Lisa Stone Chair for Crew. “As I’ve gotten to know Sarah over the years, I’ve remembered that conversation for the tone it set for all our subsequent interactions,” Armine says.

A CONNECTOR OF COMMUNITY

It’s no coincidence that Ms. Pelmas’s outgoingness and enthusiasm for Winsor laid the foundation for her strides in building community. Leading by example, she has served as a connector.

President of the Winsor Board of Trustees Allison Kaneb Pellegrino ’89, P’21, ’22 was part of the search committee who initially brought Ms. Pelmas to campus. She shares, “The students and the faculty have always been at the heart of Sarah’s work at Winsor. In addition to Sarah’s intellect and deep understanding of and

experience with adolescents were also her warmth and good humor. The search committee established to find Winsor’s eighth head of school was drawn to Sarah Pelmas by these qualities, and it was our hope that she would deepen the connectivity and relationships within the Winsor community. Sarah did exactly that when she arrived at Winsor.”

Kate Drachman ’25 points to Ms. Pelmas’s knack for using personal anecdotes and reflections to share meaningful messages. “Ms. Pelmas’s stories and their messages always leave me thinking about ways I can be a better friend, student, and community member. In many ways, Ms. Pelmas has helped to foster the supportive and kind Winsor community that we share and cherish today.”

Julian Braxton notes that “Sarah deeply understands that community building and fostering a sense of belonging are critical aspects of her role. This perspective has made her an extraordinarily effective leader at Winsor. Our partnership has ensured that this important work is not siloed at Winsor but remains central to the school’s mission. Sarah consistently prioritizes community and inclusion, keeping these principles at the forefront of her leadership.”

He continues, “Leading together has truly defined our journey, and I am grateful for the partnership and legacy we have built together.”

Ms. Pelmas’s “presence and engagement with the community” has left a lasting impression on

Julia Bae ’25. “Seeing her [at Winsor activities and events] showed her true, deep support and enthusiasm for the Winsor community.”

Likewise, Sherren Granese, Winsor’s director of athletics, has appreciated Ms. Pelmas’s enthusiasm for Winsor athletics. “She has a deep understanding of what it is like to be a student athlete and to represent Winsor on and off the field. …The students know and love when she is in the stands cheering them on.”

Ms. Pelmas was instrumental in bringing back the long-held tradition of inter-school squads—or inter-class sports competitions—that date back as far as 1915 but paused in the 1980s and 1990s with the rise of inter-school sports and a broader thrust for school-wide spirit. During the 2021–22 school year, Ms. Pelmas worked closely with SASS (Students Advocating for School Spirit) to re-launch inter-school squads, and “Panthers” and “Jaguars” have since competed in a host of games for the “house cup.”

Ms. Pelmas’s penchant for community building has extended beyond Winsor. Under her leadership, alumnae engagement has not only blossomed, but grown significantly beyond its historically Boston base with the launch of a “Beyond Boston” tour in 2023 and the expansion of rich online programming for alumnae. Notably, Winsor Alumnae Board Chair Ashley Marlenga Herbst ’01 lives in Dallas, Texas (see page 45).

Elizabeth Samet ’87 notes that Ms. Pelmas has a “wonderful facility for making alumnae feel closely connected to the school, no matter where they live.” She says, “Whether it be in the context of out-of-town alumnae gatherings, events at the school, or personal communications, she always conveys great warmth and enthusiasm.”

As Ms. Pelmas is honored and celebrated for her leadership and contributions to Winsor, her legacy will be woven into the fabric of those who led before her.

In a blog post about the 2024 graduation, Ms. Pelmas aptly observed: “And as we celebrate, we also say goodbye, knowing that these goodbyes are not the end, but rather a part of the ongoing story of Winsor and its community.”

And like the women in portraits in the Virginia Wing Library that Ms. Pelmas has reflected upon, she will serve as a beacon to the women who will follow her.

Kate Baker-Carr ’80 notes that Ms. Pelmas has shown a “deep knowledge of and admiration for each of her seven predecessors; she understood and deeply valued the unique contributions each head of school made—and continues to make—to Winsor. To be sure, the legacies are formidable. As Sarah prepares to join the small group of courageous, insightful, and wise women who have served as Winsor’s head, it is fitting to celebrate her unique contributions. Her legacy— like that of her predecessors—will be one of strength and vision.”

In Her Own Words

“It’s been nine months of anticipation. am ready to get started! love to work, and to be asked and expected to bring my entire self to school each day—from my Ph.D. work to my love of sports to my concern about the social challenges facing teenagers these days I think my main job at first will be to learn as much as can, meet as many people as can, and absorb the culture. It’s a little daunting; I want to know everyone, to get to the point where I see parents and I know the whole story of their child.”

BULLETIN FALL 2016

(as Ms. Pelmas began her tenure)

“Even if our personal and professional choices might invite responses, however, we need to make the best, most authentic and brave choices we can for ourselves. It is important that we say our truths, and it is also important that we listen to one another and really ask questions, that we understand the very human choices being made by those around us as well.”

BULLETIN FALL 2017

“ Winsor has much to celebrate, much to learn, and much to honor in the extraordinary women who have learned together here and blazed trails in all directions, over several generations. What love most about Winsor students is their fierce commitment to making this world a better place. They know that blazing trails is hard work, and they embrace that work with generosity and optimism. We are who we are because of them.”

“We are here because it matters to be educated, because the world needs more educated people—and in particular the world needs more educated girls. Girls who lead, girls who take action, girls who speak their minds, girls who are courageous, loving, and wise.”

CAMPAIGN PREMIERE MAY 25, 2023

“ T he best teachers open new worlds for their students. The best teachers see a student’s potential, most often before the student herself does. The best teachers demand excellence, completely certain that all their students can achieve it. The best teachers show their students how much learning matters, and how far they can go with their knowledge.

I know you remember that teacher from your Winsor days.”

What always thrills me about Winsor is watching the enthusiasm of young women carry them into lives of purpose, generosity, and joy. You can see it at every reunion: our alumnae are glowing with the energy that their work and lives bring to them, and they are changing the world in almost every conceivable way. I am never more hopeful about the planet than when I am at reunions or graduation.”

BULLETIN FALL 2018

“It can be a long road toward understanding and genuine love and respect for all other people, and a lifetime trying to achieve such goals. Every day, we have the chance to take a few more steps in that direction, to stay in the conversation, to turn our anger into passion. We don’t always succeed every day. But there is hardly any goal more worthy.”

BULLETIN SPRING 2020

BULLETIN SPRING 2019

“Alas, it is not at all easy to be a teenager. Will you sometimes feel misunderstood or sometimes insulted or hurt? I am sorry to say that will happen. But when it does, let us help you fix it. Remember that light overcomes the darkness, that good triumphs over evil, and that knowledge wins against ignorance. Remember that we are always moving toward something better, and that Winsor will continue to improve—for you and because of you.”

ASSEMBLY REFLECTION NOVEMBER 4, 2021

The sheer joy we’re experiencing being together again, with new student art on the wall, rehearsal spaces abuzz, and performances in our theater—this, maybe above all else, confirms we are back as a community, ready to celebrate one another.”

BULLETIN FALL 2022

(reflecting on being together again after disruptions due to COVID-19)

“We want every single student to feel that this is their school, to think, ‘I belong here.’”

BULLETIN SUMMER 2023

Leading Together

In May of 2024, Winsor launched Winsor Leads, an ambitious campaign to raise $100 million to secure the promise of a Winsor education for generations to come. Of course, a campaign of this magnitude—the largest in Winsor’s history—requires strategic vision and leadership. Fortunately for Winsor, the five couples who comprise the team of campaign co-chairs are many things—among them Winsor parents, trustees, and an alumna—and their varied roles strengthen their connection to Winsor, bolstering

both our fundraising efforts and engagement within our community.

These dedicated individuals bring a multi-faceted perspective; they understand Winsor’s mission and long-term vision from a governance standpoint while also experiencing firsthand the daily impact of our programs, faculty, and facilities on their own children. This unique position allows them to serve as especially compelling advocates, bridging the gap between leadership priorities and the experiences of students and families.

and

Below left: Robin and Perry Traquina P’09, ’13. Below (L to R): Joe O’Donnell P’05, ’07; Casey O’Donnell Buckley ’07; Kate O’Donnell ’05;

Kathy O’Donnell P’05, ’07. Opposite page (L to R): Amanda and Sam Kennedy P’23; Sarah Pelmas; Jason Hurd and Mallika Marshall P’27; Allison Pellegrino ’89, P’21, ’22; Kathy and Joe O’Donnell P’05, ’07; Stephen Pellegrino P’21, ’22; Erika McMahon; and Perry Traquina ’09, ’13

As our co-chairs lead the charge for this historic campaign, their words and actions reflect a deep belief in the school’s values and its potential for even greater impact. We invite you to learn more about the incomparable team leading the way to Winsor’s bright future.

A FOCUS ON ACCESS: PERRY AND ROBIN TRAQUINA

P’09, ’13

Perry and Robin Traquina have identified two distinct reasons for their deep belief in the importance of a Winsor education and their commitment to expanding access to the transformative experience such an education offers. The first focuses on Perry’s personal experience as a young person. A first-generation

college student, he benefited from a scholarship that shaped his and Robin’s commitment to ensuring that future generations of students have the same opportunities.

Perry, a Winsor corporator since 2005 and trustee since 2008, notes, “My own experience proved that nothing is more important than an educational opportunity. My parents immigrated to this country and never had the benefit of formal education. But they believed in the power and value of education, and the only way I was able to access the opportunity to go to college was through a financial aid scholarship. Needless to say, that opportunity changed the trajectory of my life.” That trajectory became a map for his

and Robin’s desire to support others through Winsor Leads.

They are also motivated by memories of the experiences their daughters had as Winsor students.

Perry shares, “Our daughters found success and gained confidence at Winsor because of the remarkable faculty who knew them as learners and understood what each of them needed to realize their academic potential and to achieve personal growth. We are proud that, today, they are both engaged in meaningful work and devoted to improving the lives of others, carrying values that we know are largely the result of their Winsor experience. As a father, I simply could not be prouder of them and know that the

Allison Kaneb Pellegrino ’89 and Stephen Pellegrino P’21, ’22 with their daughter Ellie Pellegrino ’21. The Pellegrino family has been part of the Winsor community for decades. As co-chairs of the Winsor Leads Campaign, Allison and Stephen are helping lead the way to Winsor’s bright future so that extraordinary students like their daughters will have access to a transformative educational experience.

Winsor community supported them in becoming the women they are today. This is why Robin and I are co-chairing this campaign.”

Robin and Perry’s dedication to expanding access is evident in the founding of the Traquina Family Endowed Scholarship, which they established in 2023 in partnership with their daughters Meredith ’09 and Katherine ’13. The fund supports five deserving students each year from underrepresented communities or first-generation American families by providing up to 100% of the annual cost of tuition and fees, as well as an allowance for incidental costs such as books and other school supplies for each Traquina Scholar’s regular course of study at Winsor.

A LEGACY OF SERVICE:

JOE AND KATHY O’DONNELL P’05, ’07

The late Joe O’Donnell and his wife Kathy O’Donnell have left an indelible mark on Winsor, both through their involvement in the school community and their leadership in fundraising efforts.

First introduced to the Winsor community as parents of students Kate ’05 and Casey ’07, they quickly embraced Winsor’s commitment to empowering young women and helping them pursue their aspirations and contribute to the world.

Joe’s personal experience growing up attending Malden Catholic, Exeter, and then Harvard showed him the power of an excellent education and the essential role that philanthropy plays in ensuring that all students, regardless of circumstance, can access that education. Together he and Kathy brought wisdom and passion to everything they did at Winsor.

As Head of School Sarah Pelmas shared in a letter to the Winsor community, “To say [Joe] was instrumental in the evolution of the school is to vastly understate the obvious—his name graces the largest building on campus and the endowed chair that I hold.”

Board of Trustees President Allison Kaneb Pellegrino ’89, P’21,

’22 describes him as “the single most impactful volunteer, trustee, and one of the most influential people in Winsor’s history.” She continues, “If you love a place like he loved Winsor and you are willing to share it with people, the support for the institution comes naturally and authentically. If you’re patient and real—and you better make it fun— then the rest will follow.”

And so much has followed— the O’Donnell family is forever woven into the fabric of Winsor. While they have been involved in every fundraising campaign during their time at the school, their support goes well beyond simple philanthropy. For more than two decades, they have been true Winsor ambassadors, making meaningful connections with other members of the Winsor community, often personally introducing new people to the school. As co-chairs of Winsor Leads, they have demonstrated their unwavering commitment to the transformative potential of a Winsor education,

and helped make it available to students who might not otherwise have been able to attend.

FULL-CIRCLE LEADERSHIP:

ALLISON KANEB PELLEGRINO ’89 AND STEPHEN PELLEGRINO P’21, ’22

Allison Pellegrino’s introduction to Winsor came early, when she enrolled as a Class III student during Winsor’s Virginia Wing era. When the storied director of the school retired at the end of Allison’s junior year, Allison spent her final year under the leadership of Head of School Carolyn Peter. As an alumna, parent, corporator, and trustee, Allison has continued to call Winsor home for more than three decades, working closely with Heads of School Rachel Friis Stettler and Sarah Pelmas, and she will play a central role in welcoming Winsor’s incoming head of school, Meredith Legg, in the summer of 2025.

As president of the Winsor Corporation and the Winsor Board of Trustees, Allison has dedicated incalculable time to the success of Winsor students past, present, and future. She led the Winsor Promise Campaign, part of a team that secured funds to construct Winsor’s state-of-the art Lubin O’Donnell Center. Reflecting on her decision to co-chair Winsor Leads, she shared, “As important as it was to participate in and lead the last campaign, this is even more important to me, to make sure Winsor’s legacy is maintained.”

For Allison and her husband Stephen, co-chairing the Winsor Leads Campaign is not just about securing the school’s financial stability, but also about ensuring that future generations of students have access to the same transformative

experience that Allison and their daughters, Eleanor ’21 and Alexandra ’22, enjoyed. Stephen explained, “There’s something about an all-girls education that allows growth and curiosity to develop in a way that’s not self-conscious. Our two girls were able to go through their time at Winsor, find out who they were, what they were good at, and become better at it.”

CHANGING THE GAME:

AMANDA AND SAM KENNEDY P’23

Raising a family in the Boston area, Amanda and Sam Kennedy were well aware of Winsor’s reputation as a leader in girls’ education, and not just because Sam grew up near Fenway Park, where he has served as president and CEO of the Red Sox for more than two decades. Sam credits fellow trustee and co-chair Joe O’Donnell with bringing the couple into the fold as prospective Winsor parents. “Joe… raved about the experiences that his daughters had at Winsor. And so that was, for me, a tell that this

Sam and Amanda Kennedy P’23 with their daughter Ally ’23. Sam and Amanda’s commitment to supporting girls’ education stems from the incomparable experiences and opportunities Ally had as a Winsor student.

Jason Hurd and Mallika Marshall P’27 with their children, Savanna ’27, James, and Jackson. Mallika and Jason are passionate about expanding Winsor’s impact, creating opportunities for outstanding students from diverse backgrounds and experiences to thrive at Winsor.

might be a place to check out,” says Sam. Together he and Amanda visited campus and determined that Winsor was exactly what they wanted for their daughter, Ally ’23.

Describing Ally’s experience at Winsor, Sam shared, “The shy, reserved young girl who arrived at Winsor in Class I had, by graduation, evolved into a three-sport athlete with a strong work ethic, tightly bonded friendships, and big dreams and future aspirations that we get to watch her chase down and achieve.” With a smile, he continued, “And she knows exactly who she is. As evidenced by the way she broke her dad’s heart with baseball not being among those three sports, by the way.”

Asked what she values about Winsor for her daughter and others, Amanda shared, “The staff and faculty are tremendous. I love the teachercoach model for athletics. I just think it’s so exciting that Winsor continues to be on the forefront of education

and investments in their faculty, students, staff, facilities, everything that needs to happen to keep the institution strong and moving forward. …We’re really proud to support that.”

Both Sam and Amanda believe wholeheartedly in the power of a Winsor education, and want to help ensure future generations of students are given the same opportunities to learn and grow at Winsor. “We were inspired to join this campaign because we feel so blessed to have watched our daughter’s progression as a leader in her community in academics and sports.”

A COMMITMENT TO EMPOWERMENT: MALLIKA MARSHALL AND JASON HURD P’27

Mallika Marshall has learned many lessons throughout her career as a practicing physician, national journalist, medical news reporter, and instructor in medicine, chief among them “how deeply important it is to uplift girls and women.”

For Mallika, a Winsor trustee since 2020, the transformative educational experience Winsor offers students is a catalyst for empowerment.

She and her husband, Jason Hurd, have watched their daughter Savanna ’27 thrive at Winsor. “In the…years that she’s been here, Winsor has definitely built her confidence beyond anything we could have hoped for. We definitely have a child who feels like she can conquer the world because she’s been here.” They are dedicated to expanding Winsor’s reach so that extraordinary students of all socioeconomic backgrounds and experiences can benefit from a Winsor education.

Reflecting on Savanna’s time at Winsor, Jason asked, “What would the world be like if more students had access to a Winsor education? I think it would be the world we all envision it should be: kind, courteous, smart, self-confident, everything that this place nurtures. It really does bring the best out of them, and that’s what you want for your child.” Mallika agreed, adding, “Every time I see a young woman who has graduated from this school, I am so impressed by what they are doing with their lives. That’s why I’m so grateful. I almost wish we churned out more students every year, because if everyone had access to a place like this, this world would be phenomenal.”

SECURING

WINSOR’S FUTURE

The Winsor Leads Campaign is not just about raising funds—it’s about ensuring that the school continues to provide young women with a truly exceptional education for generations to come. The leadership and vision of these five couples serve as a powerful reminder of the importance of community, philanthropy, and commitment to excellence in education. Joe O’Donnell was often heard saying, “Winsor is forever.” Through the Winsor Leads Campaign, Winsor is poised to remain a leader in girls’ education in perpetuity.

Comprehensive campaigns depend on the collective effort of the entire school community, with each group playing a vital role in ensuring the campaign’s success.

Winsor Leads—Winsor’s ambitious, historic campaign to raise $100 million— has three main goals:

To lead in welcoming the most qualified students to an increasingly equitable and inclusive school community, expanding financial aid and wraparound support for our extraordinary students.

To lead in recruitment and retention of exceptional faculty, securing the resources required to cultivate, recognize, and reward faculty excellence in perpetuity.

To lead in the number of parents, parents of alumnae, grandparents, alumnae, students, faculty, and friends who participate in a girls’ school campaign, igniting the collective power of philanthropy by rallying support for the Winsor Fund.

ALUMNAE NEWS

Back Where It All Started

Winsor alums Katya Agrawal ’23, Petra Sarkisian ’23, and Audrey Cheng ’23 returned to campus for an alumnae art show and a reception celebrating their artistic journey and evolution. Dedicated artists during their time at Winsor, Katya, Petra, and Audrey have continued to pursue and create inspiring art in college. The exhibit was a combination of their work at Winsor—such as pieces from their AP Art Portfolios—and new pieces from their burgeoning artistic interests. All alums from the Class of 2023, art was a transformative part of their Winsor careers. Audrey reflected, “I would like to sincerely thank the Winsor Art Department and [Head of Visual Arts] Sara Macaulay for sparking my love of painting and inviting me to share my work at the place I called home for seven years.” The entire Winsor community was invited to the reception and attendees enjoyed light bites while they strolled through the showcase.

Alumnae Board 2024–25

PRESIDENT

Ashley Marlenga Herbst ’01

VICE-PRESIDENT

Meghan Weeks ’04

SECRETARY

Armine Afeyan ’08

MEMBERS AT LARGE

Fatima Aziz ’06

Holly Breuer ’14 | Co-Chair, Young Alumnae Committee

Elizabeth-Anne Finn Payne ’94

Elizabeth Flint Hooker ’95

Alison Geyer ’75

Alexis Hasiotis Wintersteen ’91

Jennifer Inker ’83, P’26

Danielle Johns ’05

Katherine McCord ’02 | Co-Chair, Alumnae Giving Johanna Mendillo ’96

Mary Noonan Quirk ’05

Nell O’Donnell ’81

Ambika Patni ’98

Sarah Marlenga Powers ’05

Lacey Janet Rose ’06

Jennifer Slingerland Skeele ’71, P’98, ’02

Robin Smith ’74

Elizabeth Tillman ’83

Claire (Vicky) Wiseman ’83

EX-OFFICIO

PAST PRESIDENT

Erica Mayer ’91, P’25

CO-CHAIR, ALUMNAE GIVING

Caitlin Crowe ’89

CO-CHAIR, ALUMNAE GIVING

Julia Livingston ’66, P’85, ’07

CO-CHAIR, YOUNG ALUMNAE COMMITTEE

Anushree Gupta ’13

DIRECTOR OF ENGAGEMENT AND EVENTS

Becky Withiam

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF ALUMNAE ENGAGEMENT

Myriam Poznar

The Power of a Pivot

Navigating career transitions can be daunting, but a recent alum webinar demonstrated that embracing change—both anticipated and unexpected—can lead to rewarding opportunities. Hosted by Danielle Johns ’05, analytical lead at Google, the webinar brought together an accomplished panel of Winsor alumnae to discuss career pivots and the evolving nature of professional growth.

The panel featured Siobhán A. O’Riordan ’83, certified Gallup Clifton strengths coach and consultant and author of the upcoming book The Generalist Advantage; Maia Monteagudo ’06, one of Winsor’s school counselors and adjunct faculty at Lesley University; Emma Russell ’89, print sustainability and compliance lead at Canva; and Sarah Marlenga Powers ’05, senior manager at Bain and Company. Each panelist shared her career journey, illustrating the ways in which their paths have diverged from their initial expectations.

Opening the discussion with an icebreaker, Danielle asked each panelist to choose one word that best described her career experience. Their responses— bold, unconventional, curious, growing, and self-trust —set the stage for a rich conversation about the challenges and rewards of pivoting professionally. Panelists reflected on their early career expectations and how their views evolved as they gained experience.

Siobhán noted the importance of embracing one’s strengths and values rather than feeling confined by a linear career trajectory. Emma spoke about the difficulties of being a woman in STEM, later transitioning into the fashion industry, then shifting to sustainability, emphasizing the importance of trusting oneself despite moments of imposter syndrome. Maia highlighted the importance of work-life balance, sharing insights from her work with students and young professionals. And Sarah, who has navigated multiple industries and even returned to a previous employer—a pivot known as a boomerang job— spoke about the necessity of adaptability.

The webinar underscored that career growth is rarely a straight path. Instead, it’s an evolving journey that can be shaped by curiosity, resilience,

OVERHEARD

“Last spring, the alumnae board organized a discussion of PrideandPrejudice with Ms. Skeele via Zoom. It was exciting to connect with a specific text again in a pointed, meaningful way and then to discuss it with a very passionate and eloquent group of alums from all generations. And perhaps even more invigorating was seeing how many alums turned out for this event because of Ms. Skeele—the excitement and admiration for their former teacher was incredibly inspiring. It was a wonderful reminder that it is the people of Winsor who make it such a magical place.” MARY NOONAN QUIRK ’05

and a willingness to embrace change.

The session concluded with panel participants offering a few words of advice. Emma summed it up well, sharing, “If you are thinking about a career pivot, don’t let fear stop you. Don’t overthink it too much. ...Just trust that voice that says, ‘go for it.’

Just give it a shot.”

Welcoming Alumnae with Open Arms

“There are three things I really enjoy about being involved in the alumnae board,” says Johanna Mendillo ’96, chair of the board’s nominating committee. “I love the chance to hear about and experience present-day Winsor; the insight into plans for the future of Winsor; and the chance to meet and work with other alums whom I didn’t know from school.”

Johanna compares the Winsor community to a puzzle or a mosaic: “It’s amazing to see how your Winsor experience is just one small piece, one individual story,” she says. “By getting involved with other alumnae, you gain an appreciation for so many more of those puzzle pieces, and you get to think about the faces and stories that will join the Winsor mosaic in the future.”

For more than 100 years, a group of dedicated Winsor alumnae—first known as the Graduate Club, and later the Winsor Alumnae Association—has worked to encourage alumnae to remain involved in activities related to the school. The Winsor Alumnae Board, consisting of volunteers elected by the association, seeks to be a resource to alumnae for networking, support, and friendship; to provide the school community with

volunteer support; and to plan activities and opportunities for alumnae to connect and to engage in ongoing learning.

“I think it’s really special to have a board that’s completely run by alums,” says Alumnae Board President Ashley Marlenga Herbst ’01. “Winsor alums are a special group. They’re brilliant, smart, dynamic, and interested in so many things. The board tries to keep people connected and give them opportunities to grow—intellectually and educationally, yes, but also practically, in terms of navigating career and life transitions. We want people to form connections across decades and backgrounds, and we’re trying to be the glue that keeps the community together.”

Ashley was living in the Boston area when she became board president, but soon after that, a new job opportunity took her to Dallas, Texas, where she serves as managing director of JP Morgan’s private banking office. She sees the move—and her resulting geographical distance from Winsor—as a strength in her role as board chair. “I’m uniquely positioned to help the board think about engaging alums nationwide,” she says. “For a long time, I had the joy of being local and getting to attend Winsor

Top (L to R): Danielle Johns ’05, Sarah Marlenga Powers ’05, Siobhán A. O’Riordan ’83

Bottom (L to R):

Maia Monteagudo ’06, Emma Russell ’89

events on campus. Now I’m not in Boston, and I still want to be included and participate. It’s pushed me to think more creatively about how we can engage our regional membership in a different way.”

The COVID-19 pandemic, too, prompted the board to reimagine its events and other offerings to alumnae. Some graduating classes began holding regular Zoom meetings to check in on each other, some of which are still happening years later. Other events, such as virtual museum tours and book discussions, have drawn alumnae from different decades and backgrounds, who live in varied locations but have been thrilled to meet (or re-meet) fellow alumnae online. “COVID really opened our eyes to the art of the possible,” Ashley says. “It helped us imagine different ways to bring the Winsor community together.”

Reflecting on her past six years on the board, Mary Noonan Quirk ’05 shares, “The board has evolved in two distinct ways. First, there is greater global outreach to alumnae across all states and abroad. Second, the events organized by the board seem increasingly self-driven. There has been a focused attempt to generate more active involvement from alums, rather than passively attending something organized for them.”

“We’re full of ideas for alumnae events!” says Jennie Skeele ’71 P’98, ’02, a long-time English faculty (now retired) who helped develop a poetry discussion featuring retired colleagues Judy Robbins and Tyler Knowles, and who herself hosted an online discussion of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. “We want to draw people back in, and learn about what they’re doing now. Winsor alumnae are dynamic and interesting—that was true when they were teenagers, and it’s true of them today. I’m amazed by the

December board meeting at Winsor. On Screen: Top (L to R): Jennie Skeele ’71 P’98, ’02, Armine Afeyan ’08, Ambika Patni ’98. In person: Back (L to R): Meg Weeks ’04, Robin Smith ’74, Alison Geyer ’75, Johanna Mendillo ’96, Fatima Aziz ’06, Mary Noonan Quirk ’05. Front (L to R): Dibby Flint Hooker ’95, Ashley Marlenga Herbst ’01, Alexis Hasiotis Wintersteen ’91, Danielle Johns ’05.

“I was gratified by the opportunity to serve on the alumnae board, and have been very impressed by the board’s efforts to keep alumnae connected to the school through a program of online and in-person social events and educational opportunities. I encourage all alums to participate.”

amount of energy and commitment from people who are doing all kinds of things all over the country, who are getting involved because they want to be emissaries for this school.”

Having served the school as a teacher and a parent after spending her own formative years at Winsor, Jennie has been astonished by how much there is to learn after joining the alumnae board. “I thought I knew a lot about Winsor, and I do!” she says. “But I didn’t really know how the board worked. We have several committees, and I’m on the Education Committee, which works to put together events focused on learning. Our alums have so many gifts and talents to offer.”

“You don’t have to be on the alumnae board to serve on a committee,” adds Ashley. “For people who want to give it a try, joining a committee can be a great first step.” The board’s current committees are focused on areas such as education, community engagement, career and personal development, regional events, and special projects. The nominating committee, chaired by Johanna Mendillo, works to recruit a diverse group of alumnae voices to serve on the board each year.

Jennie also notes the board’s ongoing role as a bridge between Winsor’s alumnae, who carry their own experiences of the school’s past, and its constantly evolving present and future. “Schools are constantly growing. They’re always changing,” she says. “The Winsor our alums remember, in some cases, is not the Winsor we have now. The overarching trend in education is more inclusive, more diverse, more interested in a student’s entire range of gifts and talents. We now have systems that support students’ mental and emotional health in ways we didn’t—at least not formally—when I was a student and even a teacher here. And we have a much more diverse student body now, in many ways. There’s so many different kinds of excellence and interests and talent. It’s an exciting time to be at Winsor.”

—ROBIN SMITH ’74

Staying connected with other alumnae—not only from her own class, but from many others—has been a delight for Katherine McCord ’02, client communications and reporting vice president at HarbourVest Partners in Boston. “I truly have Winsor friends now who span decades,” says Katherine, who is also co-chair of alumnae annual giving at Winsor. “Being part of the board has helped me connect with alums from different years—and decades!—whom I now consider good friends.”

Katherine adds that the board’s events, from Alumnae Weekend to virtual museum tours, are planned to appeal to the Winsor community’s broad range of interests. “We have such a variety of talents and expertise,” she says. “Coming to events, on campus or online, is a great way to meet new people, and perhaps find a mentor in your field, or look for advice. You have this immediate bond and connection as Winsor alums, and the community can provide valuable professional support.”

“The relationships I’ve built have been amazing,” Ashley agrees. “The board is an incredibly engaging group of people with high energy. It’s a small way to ensure the legacy of the school going forward, and to stay in touch with our community, meeting them where they are.”

Katherine’s final advice is for current Winsor students: “When you graduate,” she says, “you’ll be welcomed into this community of brilliant, driven, motivated, smart, successful, spectacular people who are there for you to connect and be friends with. We can’t wait for you to be a part of the alumnae community.” As Mary Noonan Quirk puts it, “It is never too late to join. There are seasons to our lives, some busier than others, but I trust and have seen that Winsor will always welcome its alumnae with open arms.”

To learn more about the Winsor Alumnae Board, visit www. winsor.edu/alumnae.

CLASS NOTES

1952

Marjorie Forbes

I’m still improving on my oboe and oboe D’amore after 20 years and still having lessons (mostly online thanks to Covid). My teacher continues to challenge and indulge me with a lot of Bach from his various cantatas written to include wonderful oboe arias. Playing duets with her in person is just thrilling. I’m not playing in chamber groups anymore as Covid is still here so I minimize subway/bus travel as almost nobody wears masks anymore. I talk with classmate Toni frequently. Amazing to have her as my dearest friend since Class VI in 1949!

Daphne Stillman Holmquist

Our science teacher, Helen Hamilton, was my greatest inspiration at Winsor. And it was she who recommended me for the wonderful 10 week summer science program at Jackson Labs in Bar Harbor between Class 7 & 8. I love to read about the massive science facilities being built at Winsor now. I think we survived with a single room! Best wishes to all the up and coming Winsor scientists from a long retired 88 year old biologist/realtor!

1957

Janet Reid Keller

We are still in Vero Beach living in an ACTS independent living facility. Grandson Nicholas is managing a boat club, graduated from Rollins College, business major. Grandson Andrew is in San Diego—has been invited to be a Ph.D. candidate at U. California. Interested in ocean wave movement etc.

Catherine Whelton Jones

My husband Evan Jones died Dec 27, 2023. We had been married for 62 and 1/2 years. Shortly thereafter I sold our house in Rhode Island where we had lived for twenty years. For many years before we lived in Hamilton, MA. I am now living in a retirement community in Maplewood, NJ near one of my daughters. My daughter Tam lives in Ipswich and third daughter Anne lives in Thomas WV. I have three grandchildren Elijah, Phoebe and Charlotte and a great granddaughter, Zanetta. There have been a lot of changes and I miss Evan desperately but I have been lucky to find many new friends. Best to all.

1958

Mary Eliot Jackson

My most astonishing news is an abrupt forced evacuation from 221 Mt Auburn St in Cambridge to 219 Western Ave S228 over Trader Joe’s and next to what will be the ART in Allston. Contractors in 1960 had not followed the specs for Riverview and by happenstance our engineers found it was becoming progressively less safe to live in. Thus my white standard poodle Zeffi and I are comfortably at Continuum which is a majorly dog friendly place. Bella is also on our floor, an eight year old white pig who’d been here since she was a piglet! Jonathan’s daughter Nicoya is a pilot collecting flight hours to fly a commercial plane. Hannah’s Eva spent her jr yr from Haverford in New Zealand aspiring to become a vet; Noah is studying neuroscience at Brandeis and Owen is a rower with early admission to Cornell. Kate is now a Macro Social Worker from

BU working for Reproductive Equity Now! I’m trying to behave myself.

1961

Priscilla Ellis

Even though everything changes, I am grateful for some of the central constants, even with their inevitable alterations, that sustain me: connections with family, friends, and communities in Boston and Maine; contemplative exploration and practices; music (orchestra, chamber music, neighborhood singing; nature; and physical movement. Thanks to Jenny, Mary, and Muggie for sustaining our class connections with the annual gatherings at Jenny’s house in Cambridge. Even though some are unable to join in person, cyberspace allows us to hear from them as well. Here’s to the ties that bind!

1962

Nancy Greep

I continue to live in Santa Barbara, CA, where I have a beautiful view of the ocean and cultivate a large garden of succulents and a slope full of fruit trees. I remain active in the movement to improve medical care in the US by establishing a single payer system. I went to Cuba for a week where I toured hospitals, clinics and medical

Nancy Greep ’62

the temples are beautiful, and the traditions are clear. We hiked from 7,500' to 10,000' to get to the Tiger’s Nest, a Buddhist pilgrimage site on the side of a mountain. All 12 of us made it! Now I am back. Monday January 20, 2025—MLK’s birthday and the inauguration of the president. That’s something to think about.

1966

Joan Feinberg Berns

schools. They have an impressive system of healthcare and good health outcomes in spite of spending a fraction of what we spend on healthcare. My main concern now is my husband who has recurrent renal cancer; the therapy makes him feel awful. Hoping for a miracle.

Sarah Cannon Holden

For the past five years several of my classmates and I have met on ZOOM on the first Friday of each month. We talk about anything and everything. We challenge and we support each other and we laugh! On a personal note I just retired from my labor arbitration practice of 35 wonderful years. I’m in my 14th year as Town Moderator in Lincoln. Over the past year I have been a mentor to an inmate in the medium security prison in Shirley. He is an inspiration as he works hard on classes he takes with Boston College. Soon he is likely to be paroled. I visit at least once a month and feel uplifted by the conversations we have. My eldest granddaughter is headed to Wesleyan next fall. Last October my husband and I went to Bhutan on a trip with Dartmouth College. It is a sacred land seemingly from another time, and holding on tight. The land and

2024 was a year of big transitions for my family. Our beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister and aunt died in October at 96. She lived a long and wonderful life. When I started Winsor in 1960, she was only 32! Her 8 adult grandchildren and their spouses, plus 6 of her 11 great-grandchildren all gathered at her funeral to honor her. My three oldest grandchildren started college this fall (in MD, NY and IL). My youngest is a sophomore in high school in the Cascade Mountains of WA state. I continue to work part-time, to volunteer on non-profit boards, and to visit family.

1969

Averill Babson

I wanted to thank friends from our wonderful class for their notes and emails on the sudden, unexpected death in NH on October 1 of my husband of 41 years, Greg Sohns. Thanks to three daughters, their families, their in-laws, and my five grandchildren (all 6 yrs and under, Henry, Theo, Arthur, Aidan, and now Eleanor, born last April), I am adapting, but it still seems hard to believe. So thank you, classmates and old friends, for your thoughts and long-lasting connections as I learn

this new lesson in life about how quickly things can change.

1976

Elizabeth Yntema

Delighted to be back in the Boston area, after moving home April 2023. Have managed to re-connect with several classmates and looking forward to doing more. Two grandsons b. May 2020 and January 2023. Three kids, all launched and doing well in Grosse Pointe, MI, Brooklyn, NY and now Charlotte, NC. Started Dance Data Project® as profiled in the Winter 2021 Winsor Bulletin, in Fall of 2018. Still using data to work towards gender equity in leadership and pay in dance. 4th knee surgery now done, hoping to get back to rowing/sculling next spring but headed to South Carolina meantime to rehab.

1977

Kimberley Burke Kercheval

The past year was full of life changes for my family. We welcomed our second granddaughter, Cora, and our first grandson, Hudson. I lost my mother, Cecile Bucknam Burke ’56, in September. I retire at the end of January and am looking forward to what comes next!

Sarah Cannon Holden ’62 and Larry with the Tiger’s Nest in Bhutan behind them

Averill Babson ’69: This is a photo from last August 11 in N.H.

1978

Rebecca Tilney

My sisters (Louise Moore ’80 and Victoria (“Toto”) McDonough ’83) and I spent a glorious week in Kennebunkport, Maine in October. It was lovely to be reminded of our New England roots! We indulged in lobster rolls, fried clams and chowder, took coastal walks marveling at the Fall foliage, read books and watched our favorite movies, and even (at Toto’s insistence) weathered a “polar plunge”! Otherwise, to my surprise, I am still living in Los Angeles, enjoying the sunny weather, acting when I get hired and working a couple days a week in a small natural wine shop.

1983

Amanda Blakeley

Had a wonderful weekend get-together at the Cape with Chrissie Glynn Wilson ’83, Robin Jordan Downey ’83, Beth Abate Bacon ’83 and Suzanne Cote-Curtiss ’83. Betsy deRoetth Abbe ’83 would have joined but was hiking in Colorado with her daughter instead. Everyone enjoyed some fall foliage.

1986

Lynn Harris

It’s been QUITE a year...few years. Dad passed away—peacefully, expectedly—on November 10. We’d been a real team since mom died in 2020, with me running his car and renovating the Lexington house. Since my folks hadn’t removed much since like 1970, I unearthed key Winsor artifacts (Winsor pad art, etc!).

Will share photos next time, once I unpack 1 zillion boxes. I could NOT have survived without Juliet Eastland ’86 (constant local support), Emily Abedon ’86 (surprise Madonna tix!), or Lydia Siegel ’89, who adopted tons of my parents’ piano music. I just sold the house (SAD FACE) but I’ll never not visit!

1987

Erica Hurwitz Andrus

I’ve been teaching Religion and serving on our faculty union at UVM since 2002 (finished my PhD in 2006 at UCSB). I live on a rice farm with my husband and we have one son in college and another finishing high school. The past 18 years have been adventures in neurodiversity! I play fiddle with friends and serve on our local school board. I’m presently on

sabbatical reading and writing about Jewish social media influencers for one project, and Jews encountering aliens in science fiction novels for another. If anyone has any tips on either topic please get in touch! eandrus@uvm.edu

2002

Leah Weintraub

On August 17, 2024, I married my partner of 7 years, Emmanuele Salvati. We got married in Chester, Vermont on my mom’s lawn surrounded by so much love, including Emmanuele’s family and friends from Canada and Italy and my dear Winsor classmate Kasia Chmielinski ’02. Our daughter Gaia (3.5) was the flower girl and son Isidoro (1.5) was ring bearer. We love visitors in our home in Boston!

2004

Caroline Baker Smith

My husband and I moved back to Boston from New York City in time to welcome our daughter Reubenia McCormick Smith, “Ruby”, on November 22, 2024. Grandmother Lou Hollingsworth Baker ’73 is overjoyed by Ruby’s arrival. After nearly 10 years at Christie’s New York, I recently joined Freeman’s | Hindman, a middle-market auction house headquartered in Chicago, where I serve as Sr. Director of Trusts, Estates and Private Clients for the New York Region and New England. I am thrilled to be back in the Boston area and look forward to reconnecting with the Winsor community.

(L to R): Rebecca Tilney ’78, Louise Moore ’80, Victoria McDonough ’83

Amanda Blakely ’83

Debra Grossman Silverman

In August, my husband and I welcomed twins, Sophie and Ethan, to complete our family of 5. Big sister Paige (4) has loved her new role (despite the gigantic adjustment) and we are excited for the twins to turn 1 this summer. Hope all is well with everyone!

2007

Katie Quinn

Perry Blank ’07, Susie Flynn ’07, and Katie Quinn ’07 got together to celebrate Casey Brock-Wilson’s ’07 baby shower!

2012

Maia Raynor

Zoë Davis ’12 was joined by her classmates for her wedding to Paul MacMullin in June 2024 in Boston.

ARRIVALS AND ADOPTIONS

2010

Susannah Shipton Violet December 29, 2024

Amy Bridge Hausmann

Samson Jude Hausmann March 2024

Katherine Mallett Zimmerman

Carl Frederick “Skip” Zimmerman February 2024

2009

Carly Bernstein Rose and Lacey Rose ’06

Blake Lawrence Rose November 2024

2008

Lillian Kivel

Felix Theodore Van Kivel December 2024

2007

Katie Quinn

Maeve Quinn Vorlicek July 2024

2004

Debra Grossman Silverman

Twins Sophie and Ethan August 2024

Debra Grossman Silverman ’02

(L to R): Katie Quinn ’07, Perry Blank ’07, Susie Flynn ’07, and Casey Brock-Wilson ’07

Katie Quinn’s ’07 children

Carly Bernstein Rose ’09 and Lacey Rose ’06 with daughter, Blake Lawrence Rose

Amy Bridge Hausmann ’10 with nine-month-old son Samson Jude Hausmann

Katherine Mallett Zimmerman ’10 with son, Carl Frederick “Skip” Zimmerman

1. Top (L to R): Emily Ranaghan ’05, Carly Rose ’08, Kate O’Donnell ’05, Gillian Marino Higley ’05, Lacey Rose ’06. Bottom (L to R): Victoria Aisenberg ’05, Casey Buckley ’07, Kathryn Quirk ’05

2. (L to R): Gillian Marino Higley ’05, Emily Ranaghan ’05, Kate O’Donnell ’05, Kathryn Quirk ’05, Victoria Aisenberg ’05

3. Leah Weintraub ’02 and Emmanuele Salvati with family

4. Top (L to R): Annie Batten ’12, Maia Raynor ’12, Lauren Waldman ’12, Sylvia Brown ’12. Bottom (L to R): Zoë Davis ’12, Sarah Thomsen ’12, Anushree Gupta ’13

MARRIAGES 2002

Leah Weintraub

Emmanuele Salvati 2005

Kate O’Donnell

Ryan Glines

September 14, 2024

IN MEMORIAM 1954

Amédine Allis Bella

Diana Pike Harding 1956

Virginia Mandell Blake Cecile Bucknam Burke

Barbara Bartlett 1958

Pamela Smith Henrikson

75TH REUNION

Class of 1950

Margery Geilich Kurtz

Hello my fellow classmates! I’d love to know who is still with us, hope I will find out now so please write with your emails. Mine is magk026@gmail. com. And you won’t be limited to 600 characters! Living in NYC for almost half my life has been a very good idea. So much going on you can never keep up, makes life—life. I still travel, not as much as I used to or would like, mainly to visit grandchildren and great grandchildren (what a gift) here and in Israel. I have more to say but the website is limiting my number of words. Best to all, look forward to hearing from you.

70TH REUNION

Class of 1955

Hester Moore Brooks

Hard to believe it’s been 70 years. I am grateful for my Winsor education and the foundation it gave me. I met Bob while a senior at Winsor. We married in 1959. After adventures in Germany, Majorca and Beacon Hill, we settled in Concord where we raised 3 children. In addition to motherhood, I worked as a special ed teacher, then got my EdD at Harvard and worked in technology & special ed. Our kids grew up, flew the nest and raised their own families. Bob died in 2015. Life goes on.

Lucy Wales Kluckhohn Jones

This is written as the Palisades and Eaton fires continue to burn in Southern California and the winds blow into the second week. I am safe, and grateful for all the

first responders and many who have asked about wellbeing. I am beyond blessed. Finally retired after teaching microbiology at Santa Monica College for over 30 years, then flunking retirement to teach totally online for two years during the Covid pandemic. I miss my students. Life now is different, as downsizing becomes the new pattern. Cheers to all my classmates!

Bonnie Downes Leonard

Regrettably, I won’t be at our 70th, because I live in New Jersey. At eighty, I moved here to be near my children. More recently, I’m enjoying the benefits of Independent Living in a CCRC. Looking back over the years since graduation, puts a smile on my face. So much of my life was unexpected. After graduating from Winsor, I headed for Wellesley College. It was a perfect choice for me. Two weeks after my commencement, I got married as planned. Within three years, we had my beloved sons, Tim and Nate Leonard. In later years, they, their wives, Naomi and Dawn, and my

grandchildren, Amara, Lucy, Lily and Emmett continue to create ongoing joy. A career was never expected, but happily emerged. I suspect it began when my Geology professors hired me to teach a Freshman lab my senior year. My future jobs and education almost all come about in a similar fortuitous fashion. An MEd and EdD led to 13 years as an Associate Professor at Lesley College Graduate School, and almost 20 years as Dean of Continuation at Wellesley College. My retirement work was Life Coaching. It’s been a delightful ride! A special hello to all my classmates.

Wendy Adams McCain

I find it hard to believe it has been 70 years! To sum up, I was widowed 15 years ago and am still based in New York and western Massachusetts. I serve on the boards of Jacob’s Pillow Dance Festival and my local land trust. I have had the chance to travel quite a lot over the last dozen years which is wonderful—interestingly I ran into a (much younger) Winsor alumna in, of all places, Saudi Arabia! And above all, I am fortunate to be surrounded by an amazing family of children, grandchildren and great grandchildren!

Clara Mack Wainwright

I am still working as an artist—I have a show opening tonight. I used to wonder if this would be the last one, but I am already stirring up thoughts of another! I still live in Cambridge and have no plans for moving into an assisted living place because my building is small and full of delightful people who help me in a number of ways. My studio is a five minute drive across the Charles River to Allston

Hester Moore Brooks’s ’55, great granddaughters Phoenix, Ophelia, Daisy and Valencia at Christmas!

where Harvard is creating a huge building boom. Almost overnight huge buildings are rising. I am part of a small memoir group that meets once a month and host Sewing Night in my studio once in a while. People come with sewing projects such as moth hole repair, putting buttons back on, creating a new ruffle on a boring dress etc. I still spend the summers on Essex Bay in Gloucester where I have a small studio. I have visits from many of my 12 grand and great-grandchildren.

Sara Withington

Retired last year after 50+ years in real estate, surviving recessions and boom, preceded by working after college for Social Security (still in its infancy, equal pay!) on 125th St NYC, followed by State St Bank dealing with mutual funds, a year in Europe with 4 months each on Hydra, Vienna, going behind the Iron Curtain 5 times (Prague to East Berlin to US sector, Budapest, Yugoslavia). Several trips north and south of the Equator over the years. It’s been good overall, now enjoying two grandnieces born last year.

65TH REUNION

Class of 1960

Lorena Scotten

Brigham Faerber

Hello dear Classmates, I hope to see many of you at our 65th Winsor Reunion the weekend of May 9–10, 2025! We always have a grand time together!! Kent and I are approaching our 60th anniversary, and are still in our small Amherst retirement home facing the Holyoke Range, and are grateful to be in reasonable health

in our 80s. I am a poster child for bilateral hip replacement and he continues to fundraise for our dear town library. Love to All, Scottie

Ruth Chute

Knapp

After Winsor I spent a year at Wheaton then transferred to Bennington where I worked for a professor at Harvard (during our mandatory midterm) sorting out Greek artifacts. At the end the term, my professor mentioned I might be interested in a new academic program in Greece, College Year in Athens. I pursued this suggestion spending the next year living with the family of the head of CYA. I met my FUTURE American banker husband in Greece who was teaching at near-by Athens College. Thanks to my husband’s work we have been lucky to live with our children in London, Paris and Luxembourg. After returning from Europe, I become a GI at the MFA in Boston and wrote a series of children’s books Off the Wall Guides, for American, Egyptian, Impressionism, Greece & Rome and Modern Art. I also published a children’s book, Who Stole Mona Lisa, the story of the theft of the Mona Lisa from the Louvre. I am now working on a book about the Mona Lisa hiding during WW II. I look forward to seeing everyone at the Reunion.

Gail Hugenberger Gillies

On 11/23/24 unfortunately unexpectedly my husband, Don, fell when he woke up in the AM getting out of bed. That day he had a partial hip replacement surgery on his right hip where he broke the ball. After hospitalization and spending time at a rehab/skilled nursing facility with

excellent physical and occupational therapies he came home on 12/23/24 to be here when his daughter from San Jose was here visiting us for Christmas. He is slowly recovering, but unfortunately as a result of his age (now 90 yr.), the surgery and anesthesia, he is incontinent when not so before the surgery.

Laura Banfield Hoguet

Bob and I will have been married 50 years in April. We have three daughters, three sons in law and eight grandchildren ages 10 to 18—the oldest now applying to college. I practiced law with White & Case for almost 30 years, then another almost 30 with Hoguet Newman Regal & Kenney, a firm I co-founded. Now I’m retired, still in New York, walking dogs, reading and putting food on the table. We leave this weekend for three weeks of birding in New Zealand. I was a pollworker in my neighborhood on Nov 5, it felt great to be serving the voters, but at the end of the day I buried my head in the sand and it is going to stay there for a while. Best to all!

Jessie Williams Howland

The biggest change in my life over the past 10 years was the June 2019 death of my husband. A year later I was pondering a move to a smaller house or a retirement community. But during Covid it felt so safe here in semirural Wenham, where I was rarely exposed to people, that I settled in. Living alone, I talk often to Louie; I miss being able to consult him or tell him interesting or funny stuff. Fortunately, however, my days are full. I visit with family, friends, and colleagues in person and by

At the home of Franny Keidel ’60, N. Haverhill, New Hampshire. (L to R): Franny Keyes Keidel ’60, Elise Cutler Von Koschembahr ’60, Margie Simonds Lincoln ’60, Scottie Brigham Faerber ’60.

phone and email. I work part time on business matters for my large extended family, and when I’m not working, my woods and meadow always need attention. My daily 10-mile bike rides continue, except in bad weather or when the roads are too snowy or icy. Soon, although I dread making the transition, I should sign up for a waiting list at a retirement place, for the sake of my children and grandkids: Jessie and her 16- and 24-year-old daughters, and Cornelius and his 12-year-old son. I don’t want them to have to cope when I become infirm. Meanwhile, I look forward to our 65th in May.

Frances Keyes Keidel

After living in the Philadelphia area for 50 years, Chris and I moved to our family farm in New Hampshire, where my father and his ancestors had lived. We no longer have Holstein-Friesian cows, but continue to grow crops and manage the forests. Country living is more peaceful and allows a greater emphasis on the outdoors. The grinding sounds of lawn mowers, trimmers, blowers, and

airplanes are replaced with bird calls, songs, rustling breezes and babbling streams. Sports such as hiking, biking, skating, and skiing are closely available. Even hanging the laundry to save energy is pleasant, as nesting birds sing overhead. Clothes are dried by the sun, ironed by the wind and ordered on the lines. Sheets are easier to fold, and nothing compares to that fresh smell they acquire. I especially enjoy moments with our children, grandchildren and old friends; birding, and gardening in my HUGE vegetable garden, (even grow artichokes) and perennial flower beds. I’m most thankful to Christ for all the guidance, comfort, wisdom and forgiveness, He gives me daily. Lord willing, I’ll be at the 65th.

Elise von Koschembahr

Life in Seattle right next door to my son and his family is a constant delight! I am forever grateful for my education all those years ago at Miss Winsor’s School for Girls! I still benefit from my active pursuit of knowledge and my desire to have a strong body and a strong mind! I am sorry to miss our 65th Reunion but happy to be on a new Board related to the intersection of my faith and of my recoveries! My children and their spouses and my grandchildren are a constant source of joy as are my many treasured friendships—peace and blessings all around.

Margaret Simonds Lincoln

Eighty plus years, widowed, living alone, kids six hours away by air, hearing aids, glasses, creaky knees, and some breathlessness when walking uphill! Sounds grim, doesn’t it? But actually it isn’t. It’s peaceful,

unhurried, and just involved enough in a couple of volunteer activities and classes for life to be interesting, even fascinating. And thanks to close friends, (many from Winsor), occasional travel, visits from family, and the miracles of technology that enable involvement on an almost daily basis with loved ones on three continents, life is good. So far, anyway. I loved Jay’s admonition in a previous report to “take pleasure in small things and to be interested in big ideas”. So true. And I might add cultivating gratitude, despite the rough patches, for the good fortune to be here at all celebrating our 65th (IMAGINE ?!) reunion

Karen Smith Melican Tom and I are still in our Wellesley home of more than 50 years. We regularly spend about four months in our house in Christmas Cove, ME., joined a bit by family. We are both healthy and especially enjoy walking. Susie lives in Santa Barbara, CA and teaches 5th & 6th grade English and Soc. Studies. Lizzie and Ben live in NYC with three wonderful kids: Harry’s in 10th grade at St. Paul’s School in NH. Wes is in 8th grade and about to “graduate” from St. Bernard’s School. Etta is in 6th grade at Spence School. They are all good students and enthusiastic athletics.

A joy to us!

60TH REUNION

Class of 1965

Eleanor Motley Richardson

Born at Richardson House, daughter of Herb and Cathy Motley, I grew up in Needham, summering in Nahant and in North Haven, ME. I have two

brothers, Herb and George. After Winsor, I attended Middlebury, Dartmouth, Brandeis (BA) and New England Conservatory. Charles Billings and I were married in 1966. Our children are Charlie and Elise. In 1974, with Vermont family, we built a house I designed on a mountaintop in Ripton, VT. We were divorced in 1982. At 26, I took up organ and served 30 years as music director in 6 churches. I became an organ builder at Andover Organ Co. from age 48–55. I married Rev. Peter Richardson (UU) in 1987. His daughters are Tamsin and Bradbury. We have 13 grandchildren and 3 greats, and retired in 2002 to a house in Rockland, ME, built by his greatgrandfather. I have written 8 books of local and family history. Unitarian Universalist Church involvement continues, both in Rockland and Naples, Florida. During COVID I took up Spanish, and serve on the Boards of the Penobscot Bay Language School, Rockland, and my Florida condo. I will travel to Patagonia this March to see the Straits of Magellan while speaking Spanish.

Eleanor Canham Shanley

I followed my mother, Eleanor Shaw ’33, to Winsor . Loved every minute of it after twelve years of schools in England and Malta (Dad was in the Royal Navy); and also my two years at Bradford Junior College, two months in The Frontier Nursing Service, and six months at Hickox Secretarial School. All this culminated in a series of fascinating jobs, ending with being the sole secretary at The Harvard Law Review. Then I went to New Jersey to visit Mum and met Kevin Shanley, a banker in Newark, in August of 1969. We were married in February of 1970, and had the joy of producing four daughters in the next six years (including unexpected twins). Katy and Eliza both live within a mile with their children, Alison and her two live in Charlestown, and Julie and her two live in the Sierra foothills. Sadly, Kevin died in 2013, shortly after Mum. But I love my life with family, friends, dog, cat, books, reasonable health, and very happy memories.

55TH REUNION Class of 1970

Martha Rappaport Meyers

Professionally: I was a Sr executive at General Mills and a MN state senator. I’ve had many fulfilling nonprofit experiences. Personally: I have a daughter Colby (currently living nearby), 21 wonderful years with Bill Meyers who passed in August of 2023 and 3 grandchildren in MN. I golf 4 times a week, do pilates 3 times a week and have picked up Mahjong in the past year. I’m back travelling and am glad to have found people that I enjoy travelling with. Looking forward to connecting with my classmates—we gather regularly and seem to be able to pick right up where we left off.

Harriet Nelson Stenzel

Wow, 55 years! After Winsor, I went to Penn. I worked as a nurse for 5 years in Boston before joining the Air Force. The highlights of my career were assignments in England and Japan. They sent me to midwife school and one of my mothers introduced me to my husband Tom. We have two sons William and Michael, and daughter Katherine was adopted from Cambodia. Upon retirement, we moved to Atlanta. I worked as a midwife for Kaiser Permanente for 15 years. I worked for Weight Watchers for 5 years. Now, besides yoga, choir, hospital volunteer, we travel and I work for the Georgia Democratic Party.

Eleanor Canham Shanley ’65

Eleanor Motley Richardson65 and Peter signing the 1169-page book they co-authored and published in 2018

50TH REUNION

Class of 1975

Daphne Strong Foster

I retired in 2021 after spending almost 15 years at Global Partners LP (NYSE “GLP”), the last half of my tenure there as CFO. I am blessed to have been married to Lawrie Foster for 40 years (met on a blind date) and we now have entered the snowbird and grandchild phase of our journey, with a winter home in Naples Florida. Aside from spending time with our 3, soon to be 4, adorable grandchildren, I play lots of golf, enjoy quilting and needlework, and contribute time to various organizations including a public company’s board.

Lousia Bliss

You can stuff a lot into 50 years. A blended family of five kids who now have kids of their own. A 30 year career as a middle school teacher. (I never would have wished for that 50 years ago.) A little farm in Bethlehem, NH. Many miles of biking, hiking, running, and skiing. And, of course, Sam. Now retirement. We sold it all, got rid of just about everything, bought a truck camper and a bunch of plane tickets and we’re meandering around the world. Our kids have become the parents, wondering when we are going to settle down. Except for a bit more wisdom and humility, I feel like I did 50 years ago when we graduated.

Irene LeMessurier Rose

I have changed my name to Irena Rose, but to keep it simple for my Winsor classmates, I will go as Irene LeMessurier Rose. I attended Winsor for the four years of lower school

and then graduated in 1975 from The Cambridge School of Weston. I am definitely looking forward to our 50th reunion. My news since we gathered 10 years ago is I am still living in beautiful Peterborough, NH, where I have lived since 1983. Windblown, the cross country ski area that I ran for 28 years with my first husband, closed in 2020. I recently married Ben Tirey, who came with me to our 40th reunion. My primary focus for 39 years has been mothering my two sons and my six-year-old granddaughter. See you soon!

Alison Butler Geyer

After Winsor, attended Connecticut College and graduated with a B.A. in Music. Worked at various non-profits doing advancement work in Boston and NYC. Married Fred in ’85. Moved around a lot for the next 30-odd years with our two wonderful sons, Freddie and Nick. Lived in the UK, Canada and the Midwest and finally came back to the Boston area in 2010. While in Illinois, went back to school and got a M.S. in nutrition. Practiced clinically for several years and am now retired. Currently volunteer president of The Fragment Society, a Boston charity that provides clothing and baby layette items to families in need. Still singing, too, with the Back Bay Chorale. Thrilled to be welcoming our first grandchild in February and another daughter-in-law in March! So excited to catch up with Winsor classmates in May!

Rachael Schneider Barabell

Peppermint stick icecream with hot fudge, clogs and more clogs, Joni Mitchell, lunch with my Winsor

friends and lots of books. 50 years ago that was my life and 50 years later, those things are still right by my side. My Joys: meeting and marrying Arthur; giving birth to and raising our daughter Caroline; family and friends near and far; a snowy day and a book that takes my breath away. My Challenges: the loss of my parents, family, friends; illness; inequality No Surprise: I still suck at competitive sports but can do a mean Downward Dog. Life has been good to me, to us. I had a fulfilling career in various healthcare arenas but my favorite was the most recent-13 years as a pediatric Occupational Therapist and Social Worker. Helping families and their little ones filled me with such warmth. And now I am one year into retirement and relish every second of yoga-ing, reading, knitting, cooking and baking, creating…and lunching with the ladies from Pilgrim Road. Happy 50th!

Sarah Leggat

I live and work in Boston and have enjoyed a long career in commercial real estate investment. I spend time in Cohasset, and see my five siblings, extended family, and friends often. I love the outdoors, have enjoyed exciting ski adventures both here and abroad but mostly I like trips up to Lyme, NH in the winter to ski and help with a family maple sugaring operation. Sailing has been a life-long passion; I race a J70 one-design and cruise in Maine. I have been fortunate to be part of several charitable organizations over the years including at Winsor as a trustee and a member of the facilities committee for the

new building. I’ve enjoyed meeting alumnae from other classes and have seen Winsor build on its excellence. This and other endeavors have been hugely rewarding. Over the years, in work and play, I’m grateful to have found worthwhile involvements and the good people that come with them; they have added dimensions and enriched my life in ways I could not have foreseen on my way out of Winsor in June of 1975. I am truly looking forward to seeing my classmates again in May.

Sarah Lincoln Heartt 1975—To Italy before starting Mount Holyoke in 1976. 1985—Working (Brookline MA) for eccentric museum planner on first National Scouting Museum (Murray KY). 1995 —Working (legal and marketing) at a bond management firm (Mountain View CA). 2005— Starting to glow in the dark from too many hours per week in front of multiple computer screens (investment compliance), plotting departure from Fidelity Investments (Boston MA). 2015—Teaching 6th grade in a Santa Fe Public School (NM). 2025—Caring for my mother; helping to run her import business; running our folk art foundation; working in maternal mortality at New Mexico Department of Health; and volunteering (librarian and guest teacher) in a Santa Fe Public School (NM). Themes? Yes, but greater granularity and academic resume required to see them.

Alison Lyons Ecroyd 5 decades have passed since graduation. My yearbook page had a quote: “Life is either a daring adventure or

nothing”. Well, I went on the adventure. I have lived and worked in NM, NJ, PA, WA, CA, IL, OH, MD, VA. I met my husband Jeff (Ecroyd) while kayaking on the Shenandoah River, resulting in my retiring at 56, and moving to Shenandoah Mountains of VA full time. Six years ago, we re-retired in Myrtle Beach SC. I have travelled all around the USA as well as to Germany, Switzerland, Caribbean, Egypt, Israel, Russia, and Indonesia. I have touched the top of the Washington Monument (it was scaffolded), white water rafted the Class V rapids during dam release on Gauley River 5.5 times…the 1.5 time resulted in a very memorable adventure. Climbed into tombs in Egypt and stood in Red Square. With an Engineering degree from UPenn I had the opportunity to be part of many diverse projects. I have worn my Winsor ring all these years, I credit Winsor for preparing me for all the challenges, the spirit of adventure, and knowledge to know anything is possible.

Nancy Grant

While I only spent grades 7–9 at Winsor, it reinforced values that have guided me over the last 50

years—curiosity, hard work, female can do and the common good. I married my husband Mike in 1980 and we served as Peace Corps in Sierra Leone our first 2 years together. On our return to Maine, we quickly had 2 kids, Oscar & Elise. I taught in public schools for 15 years, worked in IT for 20 years and then spent 10 years as an advocate for active transportation. In my retired life, I’m still very involved in that work while enjoying other community work, biking, skiing, and gardening in Portland.

Sarah Paine

Since leaving Winsor after seventh grade, I went on to earn a BA in Latin American Studies at Harvard, a PhD in Russian and Chinese History at Columbia along with an MIA from its School of International and Public Affairs, and an MA in Russian from Middlebury. After staying home with my two children until the youngest was old enough to board the big yellow school bus, my husband and I both secured jobs at the US Naval War College, where I have taught officers in the MA program since 2000. There I learned about the maritime powers, Britain and the United States, whose security paradigms differ so starkly from the continental empires I had studied. After publishing a dozen books—a combination monographs on the fraught relations among Russia, China, and Japan, co-edited books with my husband on various naval operations, plus our co-written China text—apparently I have been “discovered” initially in a long podcast with Dwarkesh Patel, who is the age my children, that now has 1.8 million views and counting.

Nancy Grant ’75

This led to The Economist featuring me in the 2025 World Ahead Issue, international invitations, a lecture mini-series with Dwarkesh, and now trolling by malcontent Russians.

Amy Cohen Varela

Since we were together at Winsor, I’ve managed to stay “in-between” for a good number of years: between theory and practice, literature and science, English and French (with some Spanish in there to spice it up!), intimacy and community. After we parted I lived in Providence then New York, making what appears to be a definitive move to Paris in 1981. The context here allowed me to continue studying literature and philosophy while training in clinical psychology and psychoanalysis. Since, I have had practices and done research in both hospital and private settings. In the teens, I helped found Mind & Life Europe, an organisation devoted to the study of mind and consciousness through an interdisciplinary approach combining neuro- and cognitive science, phenomenology and Eastern philosophical approaches. I’m still working in this growing community with passion. Thus I continue to

cultivate my predilection for intermediate spaces! I have a son, Gabriel, who is a continuous source of delight and fun debate, and some lemon trees in the south.

Kay Rosenberg Bourgine

I can’t believe our 50th reunion will be in May this year. Somehow, that means we’re getting old and it doesn’t seem possible. I still live in Paris. A year after I graduated from Barnard, I came here for six months and stayed. For 12 years, I kept my storage warehouse in NYC, which was full of furniture I’d picked up on the street and books from college. My dream was to live between NY and Paris, but I gave that up when I had my first child. This is a beautiful city, and as I get older I appreciate the healthcare system more and more. I still sing and write songs but perform less. Facilitating groups in collaborative vocal improvisation, based on what I learned with Bobby McFerrin, is my focus. I coach and lead training sessions in Impactful Communication, Storytelling, and Media Training, am a Feldenkrais practitioner and teach voice. Sometimes I still work as an actor. I love what I do. Human beings fascinate me, as does exploring connections between the body, movement and the voice. My two sons are grown up. One lives in London and one in New York. I miss them, but it’s fun to visit them.

Elizabeth desCognets Champagne

I’m still living in South Burlington, Vermont, where I was lucky enough to start working for a healthcare technology company in 1990 when

computer-based health records were just getting started. I rode that wave until I retired in June 2021. I spend lots of time being active: running, biking, yoga, skiing, swimming, and working out. Luckily my two kids –Julie (31) and Will (28) – love doing the same. We make annual trips to the Cape, but I’m also back and forth to Boston and the Hanover-Norwich area where the rest of my family resides. Grateful for good health and a strong body!

Elizabeth Driscoll Conklin

When in the course of human events. …It becomes necessary that our fiftieth reunion arrives! When I left Winsor all those years ago, I was busy learning and am pleased to say that I made a career out of it. After Vassar, I got a master’s degree at Lesley University, and for decades, I taught children with every learning challenge you can imagine. The most rewarding job, by far, was running the Education Program at Shriners Children’s Boston. For fifteen years I taught children from around the world with burn injuries and learned as much from them as they did from me. Along the way, I lucked out with a wonderful husband, Kevin, and

Amy Cohen Varela ’75

Elizabeth desCognets Champagne ’75

two incredible daughters, Katharine and Lizzie. Having a group of close friends with a great sense of humor has made life even better. I am rateful for the excellent education I received at Winsor. I’m still learning, and though my mind and my body have changed, if I take my glasses off, I can’t even tell!

Josefina Bondoc DeBaere

In the years since our 25th Reunion, I continued to lead Technology Architecture at Boston University but also published research on how Information Technology is transforming higher education. While beneficial to higher education in many ways, this “Digital Transformation” is also disruptive, potentially altering the core value proposition. Will the college experience look the same to our great-grandchildren as a result of “Digital Transformation”? Regarding family: our son Chris (Belmont Hill 2005, Williams College 2009) is now a CFA and a principal in a financial and management consulting firm. Alex (Belmont Hill 2011, Williams College 2015) is a Principal Full Stack Engineer at Fidelity Investments. We have 3 grandchildren—Casey age 6, Patrick age 4 and Martine age 2; we’re lucky to see them often as they live nearby. My husband Rafael and I are both retired and expect to continue living in Wayland for the foreseeable future.

Elizabeth Bucklin Reddy

I was only at Winsor for 7th and 8th grades as we moved to NH in 1971, but I’ve always appreciated my Winsor experience. I’m a proud Colby College alumna, Class of ’79.

My first career was in advancement at Harvard College, Tufts Dental School and the Agnes Irwin School, a K through 8 school for girls outside of Philadelphia. My 2nd career was as a Realtor in Vermont which I enjoyed for 20 years before retiring in May 2022. My two adult daughters are also happily settled in Vermont. My husband and I volunteer locally, travel, hike, and play tennis and golf. Happy 50th!

Sara Oliver Swaim

Has it really been 50 years? It still seems hard to believe! After attending Winsor, I received a B.S. in Nursing. My career in pediatrics began at Boston Children’s Hospital, and then circled back there in 2002 with challenging and fulfilling work in orthopedic oncology, until I retired in 2021. It was a privilege to care for and support so many children and their families and to witness the resilience and strength of the human spirit, especially in moments of adversity. Peter and I have a daughter, Emily T. Ranaghan ’05, a son, Tyler, and four grandchildren: Mia (6), Molly (4), Ella (3.5) and Oliver (18 months). The little ones keep us young and energetic, and we feel very fortunate to have them all living locally. Since retiring, I have enjoyed spending more time withfamily and friends, cycling, skiing and traveling (often with a bicycle or skis). Looking forward to seeing everyone in May and celebrating our 50th!

Laura Georgaklis Hopkins

After graduating from Winsor, I went to cold, snowy Bowdoin College. I enjoyed my 4 years there as a Math

& Classics major ( a strange combination, I know!) as well as playing field hockey and lacrosse. All things to which Winsor introduced me. My plan was always to work with my father, but he told me to “go make my mistakes elsewhere” for a couple of years. I joined Xerox in November 1979 and learned everything I could about running a business. I stayed until November 1988, at which time I made the big move to my Dad’s company. I have been running Seasons Four, an outdoor furniture and garden store, as owner and chief bottle washer for 36 years. In 1993 I married Jim Hopkins, who is still around! We never had kids, but keep busy with many godchildren, nieces and nephews. Looking forward to seeing everyone at our 50th reunion!

Kristin Harris

I have such fond and clear memories of my time at Winsor and especially of all our classmates. I have recently retired to our family home on Martha’s Vineyard. My pleasures include daily walks to the beach, year round, with my husband and our fourteen-year-old black poodle, visits with my three children and two grandchildren, swimming in the ocean six months of the year, and doing CrossFit. I had a career as a nurse-midwife working with recent-immigrant women and families, including veiled women from Afghanistan (my favorite). I look forward to seeing you all at the reunion.

Susan Rice

50 years? Sounds like a joke! I remember our twenty-fifth, and how jarring and yet wonderful it was to

see everyone. I’m looking forward to seeing you all again this May. Am living in the Boston area still, after years in Michigan (U of M), San Francisco (great city till the hi tech moved in), and Providence, RI. Went back to school to study illustration at RISD in 1990, just as illustration work was moving overnight first, to computers, and second, to freelance business rather than in-house employment. Lousy timing, but I have managed to do freelance illustration, while working an array of other jobs. Also have been teaching art, mostly to children, for 25 years. The dreaded inauguration of a national disgrace looms as this is being written; I wish us all luck going forward into who-knows-what political and social horrors. The antidote, or at least a survival technique, perhaps, is to have some fun despite it all. And so, I am looking forward to partying like it’s 2029 with you all!

Marla Altschuler Robinson

So many years and so many memories. I can still picture where everyone sat in our Class VIII Homeroom, planning senior skip day and Miss Wing making us paint the brown fence on a Saturday. The Thomas Rhett song keeps playing in my head, “For worse or for better, from now till forever, I’ll always remember you young.” We split our time between Wellesley and Gloucester. I’m still working but trying to spend a little more time traveling and enjoying time with our grandson. Grateful that both of our children are settled and happy and living nearby. Looking forward to seeing everyone in May. I treasure my Winsor friends and feel

lucky that we’ve been able to enjoy so many celebrations over the years.

Martha Dineen Wales

From my first day in Class One to today, being a member of our class has been a stroke of good fortune. I’m so grateful for my Winsor friends’ warmth, insight, and humor. My husband Ralph and I raised our three daughters in Rhode Island, where he was head of Gordon School. (The idea of their fun-loving friend as a headmaster’s spouse has brought joy to some of my Winsor classmates.) After Vassar and an MSW from Boston College, I worked in social work and staff relations. (This path began with “Freud and You” during Winsor’s “Jan Plan.”) Later, I became a full-time parent and was very involved in the life of Gordon School. More than ever, I wish everyone could attend a racially diverse school focused on social justice and the development of critical thinking skills. Ralph retired from Gordon when our youngest left for college, and we enjoyed exploring the country for five years while he did interim headships. Now, we are fully retired and have settled back into our Providence house. We love having time with our daughters and their partners and the star of our show— our 18-month-old granddaughter. See you at the reunion!

Jeannette Herrmann

What’s been important? Family. Chris Owens (Belmont Hill 1975) and I reconnected, married in 1988. Two wonderful kids: Caroline, a PhD quantitative ecologist for NOAA, a true outdoorswoman and Geoffrey,

a software engineer at Google, serious sailor and Skier. Travel. Solo travel in 1984–85, largely in SE Asia, committed me to our interconnected world. I love bridging cultures/ classes/domains. I’ve explored on foot, by sail, on skis, with scuba, even rappelling recently—despite my Winsor history with hand-eye sports, my gross motor skills are okay! Friends. Marla Robinson ’75 and Alison heard all the details over the past fifty years, as did Margaret Quine McGovern ’71. With Winsor friends, even intermittent conversations demonstrate enduring trust. Work. Mission matters. I modeled the ratification process of the ERA for my Yale senior essay and assessed the use of futures contracts for managing risk in international rice markets for my Fletcher thesis. I wrote statistical software for clinical trials at MGH and developed futures contracts as an economist at the CBOT. In the sandwich generation years, I ran family businesses, finding respite in non-profit board work and community organizing. While caring for our three elders with Alzheimer’s, I witnessed the enormous sacrifices of family caregivers supporting people with dementia sliding down ten-year-long slippery slopes. My focus now: effective caregiver support at a policy and systemic level.

45TH REUNION

Class of 1980

Gwen Kane-Wanger

Much has happened since our last reunion. David and I celebrated our 40th anniversary! Two of our children

were married in the summer of 2023. Emily Wagner ’09 was married in June. She and her husband live in Manhattan and are trial lawyers. Our son Danny was married in August and lives with his wife and Westie in Belmont. Our youngest, Benny lives in LA working for the LA Olympics. I continue my practice as a rheumatologist at Brigham and Women’s and David continues his solo legal practice. Sadly we lost my father to cancer in January 2023; we miss him. Looking forward to the reunion.

Louise Tilney Moore

Hello, all! I recently retired as an (urban) school nurse after 20 years! Looking to find my new focus other than my beautiful 2 year old granddaughter, Sophia. Spent a week in Kennebunkport with my sisters, Rebecca ’78 and Victoria ’83. I enjoy reading, needlepoint and hiking with my 2 Boston Terriers.

Elisabeth Peterson

We have been Living the Salt Life on the Gulf Coast for the past 2 years. We traveled to South Africa and various beautiful areas of Europe and the U.K. with exciting trips scheduled. I am part of a group

building community and raising funds for scholarships. I happily play pickleball 5–6 days a week with great groups. I am enjoying league and tournament play. Life is good.

30TH REUNION

Class of 1995

Sharon Lin

Still primarily living in New Haven but now also residing half the week in South Harlem and working in development at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Let me know if you would like a private tour—Mrs. Berg and her granddaughter came to visit me in November!

25TH REUNION

Class of 2000

Kate Glynn

I live in Western Mass and after close to 15 years owning a children’s boutique, I went back to school to become a social worker. I specialize in policy and advocacy for reproductive justice. And look who I ran into —Brigitte Libby ’00! We both graduated in 2024 and it was so fun to be back in school with an old classmate as we both shift into new fields!

Thayer Christodoulo Meicler

I am honored to be included in the reunion festivities despite my 8th grade departure to Phillips Academy. I hold so many friendships and experiences dearly from my years at Winsor, and Ana Rosansky Appignani ’00 was even a bridesmaid in my 2011 wedding! I graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Business School, where I met my husband, and we spent time in New York and Hong Kong before settling in San Francisco. Philip and I have two children, Zoe (11) and Jack (9)—and Zoe goes to an all-girls school where Rebekah Wolman, my Winsor English teacher, was head of Upper School!

Catherine Young Sheehy

After Winsor, I went to Colby, majored in Econ and played on the squash team. I worked at several financial firms in Boston in wealth management for 10 years. I got married in 2010, moved to Winchester, had 2 kids and decided to be at home with them. My daughter is in 6th grade and my son is in 3rd. I still play squash, and they play a bit, too! My daughter’s indoor field hockey team practices at Winsor; being back brings back lots of memories of

Jean Berg, Sharon Lin ’95

(L to R): Louise Tilney Moore ’80, Victoria Tilney ’83, and Rebecca Tilney ’78

Kate Glynn’00 and Brigitte Libby ’00

my 8 years. My sister, Emily Young Williams ’96, is local, and my parents are in the same house in Lincoln. I’m not sure how 25 years have passed, but I’m looking forward to Reunion!

Elizabeth Quinn

I live in Somerville with my husband Jon and our daughters Nora (5) and Mary (3). We’re at the Science Museum and on the bike paths of Camberville a lot. We’re pictured here on that magical vehicle—the ferry to MV! Professionally, I’m a family doctor at Lynn Community Health Center (LCHC). In 2024, I earned board certification in addiction medicine, became Chair of Family Medicine for MGB-Salem Hospital, and was promoted to Director of Addiction Services at LCHC. I was hoping to take a breath or two in 2025, but Trump’s return has me on defense. Luckily, my girls keep me joyful, busy, tired!

Liane Young

I’m excited to be celebrating our 25th the same year our daughter, Addy Gao ’32, is in Class 1. In spite of early mornings and occasional naps on the afternoon bus, Addy loves her new school—her friends,

teachers, classes, and activities. (And I appreciate the new facts that are shared—e.g., did you know Winsor has a Quiet Club?) This year, in addition to returning for family events, I got to visit Winsor’s psychology club and STEM & Society class. I’ve been a professor at Boston College now for 14 (!) years, where I run a moral psychology lab. My husband Xin is an oncologist at MGH and my favorite dining, TV, and fitness partner. We feel fortunate to travel with family and friends, including to Colorado this winter to ski with Alexis Burakoff ’00. Addy and her little sister, Jaelyn, are lucky to be so close with my parents, who enjoyed their first-ever Winsor Grandparents’ Day! I am in touch with Emily Howe Bellemare ’00, Emily Flier Matteodo ’00, Marisa Murphy O’Boyle ’00, Andreea Stefanescu Knudson ’00, Melissa Bond ’00, and Kim O’Keefe Markelewicz ’98. I loved catching up with Jennie Skeele ’71 over lunch this summer. And reconnecting with Carolyn Peter has been a special highlight.

Marisa Murphy O’Boyle

Can it really be 25 years!? Our latest update is that we had our fourth

child, Grace Kathleen, this past year. My oldest son Dermot is twelve years old, and our middle two, Mary Elizabeth and Benedict, all keep us busy and blessed. My husband Joe and I just moved our family to Medfield MA, and we’re enjoying the beautiful space and community. I’ve been back and forth between mainly mothering and practicing Clinical Psychology with children and families. I am currently a post-doc doing some consulting in schools. I love being in touch with my Winsor friends and look forward to the big reunion!

Melissa Bond

I’m looking forward to connecting with everyone this spring! In the past 25 years, I’ve had the fortune of living

Lianne Young’s family with Alexis Burakoff ’00 and family in Colorado last month.

Elizabeth Quinn ’00 and family

Marisa Murphy O’Boyle ’00 and family

in NYC for over a decade and almost a decade in California. I was a civil litigator for a number of years before pivoting to public policy and government, having worked in the areas of criminal justice reform, child welfare, financial empowerment of women, and resource development. Outside of work, I enjoy exploring California’s natural beauty with my husband and 3 rescue dogs. I also love frequent trips to Boston to visit Winsor friends and family and to hone my auntie skills!

Sarah McGarrell

Since getting married in 2019, life has been a quick succession of big changes: we welcomed Michael into the world in 2021 and in the same year I was made parter at Pierce Atwood LLP where I am a transactional lawyer. Between a busy law practice and being the mom of a toddler, there’s always something going on!

Gwendolyn Warren

Greetings from Castine, ME! Hard to summarize 25 yrs in 600 characters but here it goes: did 1.5 yrs of undergrad at Tulane, dropped out for 6 years and groomed horses on

the show circuit in FL, worked as a veterinary technician in CA, finished my BA in poli sci at SFSU, did a 2 yr post-bacc pre-med program, joined the Air Force, went to med school at UVM, did family medicine residency in CA, stationed in South Korea, deployed to Qatar, stationed 3 yrs in the Pentagon, and separated from the Air Force. I’m now the doc in a tiny town on the coast of Maine. Hope to see you all at our 25th!

20TH REUNION

Class of 2005

Hannah Abelow

After 10 years of working in film & television I embarked on designing, fabricating and now finally building a miniature golf course with my brother Doug. Please join us in celebrating this March (fingers crossed!) when we finally open The Dusty Planet Miniature Golf Course & Arcade in Providence, Rhode Island!

Taylor Field Abrams

After hopping around the US (New York, San Francisco, Austin) and a quick stint in London, my family has settled for good in Marin. I spent 15 years in tech (startups, Twitter, Instagram) and am now taking time to be with my kids Quinn (5.5) and Fiske (3.5). I’m running the Boston Marathon in April so may not make reunion but will try to see Winsor friends when I’m in town!

Amalia Aruda Almada

Hi W’05! After graduating from Georgetown University in ’09, I got my PhD in Biological Oceanography at MIT/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution ( ’15). Since then I’ve been

in a mix of science policy, outreach, and ocean research jobs. My husband Albert and I made a big move from Boston to Los Angeles in 2020 with our daughter Adelina (7 y). We are expecting a baby boy in Feb 2025, but I’m still hoping to make it to our 20th! I am enjoying living in Southern California, but you can never take Boston outta me! Much love to all of you.

Rebecca Alper

Twenty years later, I’m still running in the same Winsor XC ear warmers and spandex, repping our school on the trails of Nyack, NY, where I live with my husband, Boris, and our kids, Freddie (6) and Barry (3). I work at New York Presbyterian Hospital in sourcing and procurement, I serve on the Board of Trustees of the Icla da Silva Foundation, a non-profit supporting patients undergoing bone marrow, stem cell, and cord blood transplants, and I’m active in my local synagogue. I look forward to being together again on campus!

Elissa Berwick

I finally figured out how to monopolize class discussions as much as I want: by becoming a professor. After majoring in physics at Yale, I ended up getting an MPhil in Politics at Oxford and then a PhD in Political Science at MIT. Following a postdoc at Brown, I moved to Montréal mid-pandemic to take up a job at McGill University. I am happy to live in the best city in North America with my husband David and son Isaac (2). And while my life now would be much easier if I had taken French at Winsor, I will never regret getting to learn Spanish with Señor Jer-Don!

Sarah Mc Garrell ’00 and family

Stephanie Brenman

It’s hard to believe we’re approaching our 20 year anniversary. Somehow it feels like nothing much has changed, yet change is the only constant. Liz and I are still living in Newport Beach with our two kids Parker (1.5) and Holden (3.5) and two dogs. I am as busy as ever working as an emergency medicine physician at Hoag Hospital, and this month I officially became a senior partner! We are still playing hockey, and enjoy staying active as a family. We can’t wait to see everyone for the reunion this spring!

Blair Hurley

My time at Winsor continues to be a source of ongoing inspiration, friendship, and fond memories as I head into our 20th reunion. After Winsor I majored in English at Princeton University and pursued my dream of being a writer. I got my MFA in Creative Writing at NYU, then published my first novel, The Devoted, in 2018 with WW Norton. I married my husband Kamil and we moved to Chicago and then a suburb of Toronto, where we’ve been living for the past several years. We now have two children, Mallory and

Landon, and I published my second novel in 2023. I’m continuing to write novels and teach creative writing at the University of Toronto, and I keep up a weekly Zoom with friends from Winsor where we work out, share updates, chat, and laugh together.

Abigail Ingalls

After Winsor, I attended Tufts University and started working at Breckinridge Capital Advisors where I am still employed today. My partner (Chad Gray) and I live in Boston and we love spending time outdoors in New Hampshire. Look forward to seeing everyone at the reunion!

Danielle Johns

Twenty years ago I was preparing to go to Paris on the Saltonstall scholarship after deferring Duke for a year. Then I was supposed to get a MA in International Affairs/Policy and then become an international lawyer. I still obtained my MA at American University in DC and then did internships and contract work for the DOJ, DOS, and the Inter-American Development Bank. Several years later, I went back to school for a MS at UMiami to work in tech in the SF Bay Area, where I have been for the past 7 years. In my free time, I’m still studying languages, but am also spending more time traveling.

Elisabeth Kramer

Hi friends! After Winsor, I went to Occidental College and then got my masters in education from BU. I became a high school health teacher (what up, sex ed). I am currently a stay at home mama with my two kids—Zoey, age 4 and Raya, one month. I live on the north shore

in Lynn. I will return to teaching youth when I head back into the workforce. Miss you all-let’s hang out!

Kate O’Donnell

I got married to Ryan Glines on September 14th in my backyard in Osterville, MA! While it was bittersweet not having my dad there, he would have absolutely loved all the credit he got for the incredible weather. We were lucky enough to be surrounded by the best family and friends, including my maid of honor and sister, Casey Buckley ’07, and friends Emily Ranaghan ’05, Victoria Aisenberg ’05, Kathryn Quirk ’05, Gillian Marino Higley ’05, Emma Walsh ’07, and Lacey & Carly Rose ’06/’08. Can’t wait for our 20th!

Mary Noonan Quirk

I often reflect fondly on my time at Winsor and look forward to celebrating our 20th reunion! After Winsor, I attended Amherst College and worked in clinical research, pharmaceutical market research, and then with a career pivot, taught middle school math and science in Boston. I’ve spent the past several years caring for our young children and loving every minute of it. I live in Boston with my husband, Billy, and our three children, Stella (6), Teddy (4), and Winnie (2).

Emma Rose Kiefer Rainville

Though it’s been 20 years, I’ve never felt far from Winsor, somehow. Through the friends who have been constants, but also the courage and intellectual rigor it instilled in me. I’m grateful for our time there still. My husband Chris and I and our twins, August and Dorothy (3),

Blair Hurley ’05 and family

recently moved to my childhood home in Jamaica Plain, making it our own. I work in the arts, committed to making the Boston art world more equitable, and helped organize the MFA Union when I worked there for six years. I feel uncannily like the exact same Emma Rose I was in 2005, but also one who would surprise her.

Emma Thorne

I’ve stayed in and around NYC since graduating from Barnard College in 2009. I earned my Master’s from the CUNY School of Journalism in 2012, and then spent a decade at NBC News, doing everything from working hideous overnight shifts to writing for Rachel Maddow and, ultimately, overseeing MSNBC’s Breaking News unit. I’ve now transitioned into the digital arena, serving as a news editor at LinkedIn for the past 18 months. A few years ago, I took a leap and bought a fab apartment in Jersey City, where I now live with my little senior doggie. Can’t wait to catch up with everyone soon!

15TH REUNION

Class of 2010

Marisa Bulkeley

Greetings! I’m looking forward to seeing the Class of 2010 this spring for our 15th reunion! Since graduating from Winsor, I have kept the spirit of my former role as Conserve Our World (COW) co-head alive, with a bachelor’s degree in environmental studies and a master’s in environmental policy and planning. These days I work in consulting in the electric utility industry on projects to advance grid modernization enabling higher shares of renewable energy supply.

I still enjoy writing songs and playing guitar but I rarely perform, as, in contrast to Jamnesty, open mics tend to be inconveniently late on weeknights. I am living in Jamaica Plain with my cat and love hearing from my Winsor pals, so feel free to reach out if you’re in the area!

Emily Duffy

Hi Class of ’10! Dan and I are currently living in West Roxbury with our 2 daughters—Ava (2.5 yrs) and Isabelle (8 months)—and learning what it means to have 2 under 2!

Working with my mom in real estate, and we have 2 very cute assistants! Haha excited to see everyone in the spring!

Cassandra Fach

Tara Nahill Gorry ’10, myself, and Julia Wucherpfennig ’08 at my promotion to Lieutenant Commander aboard the USS Constitution. After

14 and a half years I have left the Naval Service and have started life as a civilian engineer! I couldn’t have made it this far in the Navy without the support of my classmates.

Marguerite Hamlin

My husband, Dave, and I are still living in the South End. I started a new job earlier this year as a Business Unit Lead for GiveCampus a start-up which builds software for fundraisers at educational institutions. When we are not working, we are skiing, traveling or just spending time with family and friends. I am excited for reunion this spring!

Sommers Kline

I’m looking forward to seeing everyone at our 15th! Life has been a winding path these last years— moving jobs many times, countries several times, with grad school and COVID somewhere in the middle. I am living in London now with my husband, David and trusty dog, Junie B. I continue to be interested in (and scared by) climate change and am following it in different ways in my career, most recently moving here to work in the world of lab-grown meat. Life is happy and keeps surprising me! Can’t wait to see everyone this spring—I think so often of everyone!

Blair Ballard Markell

I left Boston to get my MBA at Stanford, and now live in my other hometown (San Diego) with Zach and our 3 kids—Camden (3), Sadie (1) and Sloane (1). After a stint in the cannabis industry, I now run Strategy & Finance for a Bain & Company subsidiary.

Emily Duffy’s ’10 daughters Ava and Isabelle

(L to R): Tara Nahill Gorry ’10, Cassandra Fach ’10, and Julia Wucherpfennig ’08

Susannah Shipton

Living in Brooklyn with my husband Will and our daughter Violet, who was born on 12/29/24! Working in venture capital investing in early stage consumer and enterprise software companies. So excited to catch up with Winsor friends at our 15th reunion this year.

Maxine Winston

Hi W010! I am living in NYC with my rescue dog Waffles and working as head of growth for an early childhood education company based in the Boston area. It’s been wonderful to stay in touch with some of you over the years and I’d love to see anyone else who is visiting New York! Excited to see you all at the 15 year reunion.

Katherine Mallett Zimmerman

The past few years have been eventful to say the least, and we were overjoyed to welcome our son Carl Frederick “Skip” Zimmerman into the world on February 8, 2024. I also graduated from Orthopedic Surgery residency at Mayo Clinic in 2024 and am now completing a fellowship in total joint replacements at HSS in New York City. After fellowship, we’ll be returning to Minnesota, where I’ll be the first female total joint surgeon at Mayo. It has been a busy but rewarding season of life, and I’m incredibly grateful for the support from my family, friends, and mentors along the way!

ALUMNAE AND REUNIONWEEKEND2025

5TH REUNION Class of 2020

Tina Gong

This year in 2024, I turned the ripe age of 23, and am finishing my last year of undergraduate studies at Harvard University! I just finished (half of) my degree in Physics and secondary in Philosophy. It’s also been a great year of reconnecting with my Winsor friends. I ran my second-ever half-marathon in November, got to see Michelle Pu ’20 graduate college in June, and visited Korea and Japan in January. Looking forward to graduating soon and starting my job next summer, all the while staying in touch with my Winsor friends!

(L to R): Tina Gong ’20, Crystal Yang ’20, Elizabeth Xu ’20

Register and view the schedule for Alumnae Weekend

How did you first become interested in playing the flute?

I began playing the flute in fourth grade as a part of my school’s band program. Originally, I had picked the flute for fourth-grader reasons: the look and the sound. However, I owe my passion for the flute to my amazing flute teacher. Her teaching emphasizes encouragement, discipline, and consistency.

How do you balance school, music, and other commitments?

Playing the flute after school allows me to compartmentalize my musical endeavors from my academics. Playing an instrument is a skill that you use or lose, so some practice is always better than none. I had to learn how to make the flute a part of my daily routine. Like brushing my teeth or doing my homework, I have to practice the flute.

You’ve performed in some big venues—do you have a favorite performance experience?

In a BUTI Young Arts Wind Ensemble rehearsal, James Stephenson, the composer of Symphony No. 2 Voices, came to share his experience writing the piece and he conducted us. He recounted his struggles with writer’s block after the passing of his mother. Hearing firsthand his strength in enduring difficult times to create a piece that reflects his anguish and coping revealed an entirely new meaning and purpose of music for me.

The Meaning Behind the Music

In addition to playing the flute at venues like Tanglewood and Symphony Hall, Giulia Vitolo ’25 has participated in the Massachusetts All State Festival band as well as the Massachusetts Eastern District band and orchestra. She volunteers as part of Winsor’s Allegro Club, visiting with and performing for the residents (age 62+) at the Mount Pleasant Home in Jamaica Plain.

What has been the most rewarding aspect of being a musician?

What motivates me to choose music, day after day, is the opportunity to pour my emotions into a project. As much as practicing and performing are hard at times, in the end, I will always cherish the meaningful experiences I have, the long-lasting friendships I make, and the unforgettable memories I share.

How do you handle performance anxiety or nerves before stepping on stage?

I have learned two big lessons for reducing performance anxiety. One: Prepare, prepare, prepare. The preparation for an audition or performance begins weeks or months before. I will always create a detailed plan of attack, set reasonable goals, perform mock auditions/performances for others, and visualize the performance in hyper detail. Two: Expose yourself. Of my countless performances, there have been numerous where I’ve been disappointed in myself for letting my nerves get the best of me, especially when I knew I could play the piece the way I wanted. But, each performance let-down has been a learning experience. Could I have practiced with the tuner more? Could I have memorized the piece better? Ultimately, I know that performing is about expressing, not impressing. I acknowledge and celebrate how far I have already come and where I can go next.

OF ALL THE LESSONS SANDY COBURN ’82 LEARNED

AT WINSOR,

one in particular has shaped every stage of her career: the power of a compelling narrative. Throughout her time in finance, she drew on the communication skills she honed in classrooms and discussions with teachers who truly knew her. Now, as she writes her first novel, she reflects on how Winsor encouraged her to embrace every opportunity with confidence.

“There was just this sense that everything is possible. Winsor’s default was ‘of course you can.’”

That mindset propelled her through complex industries, where crafting a persuasive story could mean securing an investment or launching a successful project. Now, as she builds worlds on the page, she carries that same conviction forward: of course she can.

The granddaughter and great-niece of Winsor alumnae, Sandy continues to see the same promise in the young alums she engages at Winsor events. In recognition of the transformative effects of a Winsor education, Sandy was inspired to remember the school in her estate planning through a planned gift. As she succinctly puts it, “What better way to invest one’s resources than the future of Winsor?”

Have you remembered Winsor in your will or retirement plan? Let us know and we’ll welcome you to the Lamp of Learning Society.

Please be in touch with Erika McMahon emcmahon@winsor.edu or 617.912.1340.

www.winsor.edu/giving

THE WINSOR SCHOOL

103 Pilgrim Road

Boston, Massachusetts 02215

ADDRESS SERVICE REQUESTED

If you have received this for your alumna daughter who is living elsewhere, please let us know by contacting Alumnae Relations at (617) 912-1321 or alumnae@winsor.edu.

Watched over by the portraits of Winsor’s historic leaders, the warmth and vibrancy of the Virginia Wing Library make it a haven for current Winsor students, a keeper of fond memories for the alums, a peaceful retreat for members of the faculty and staff, and a favorite spot for inspiration for outgoing Head of School Sarah Pelmas.