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here's always something going on at Emma Willard School. Whether it’s a sports competition, theater performance, or weekend activity, EW endeavors to keep students, parents, and alumnae connected.

Emma Now

	June 25, 2008 Busy, busy, busy No, summers are not quiet on the Emma Willard campus. Preparations are in full swing this week for the GirSummer day and residential programs, which welcome several hundred girls, age 6 and up, for arts, sports, and academic programs. Meanwhile, the maintenance and grounds crews are busy getting campus ship-shape for the new school year, and the business office and school post office keep the campus fully functional throughout the summer months.
	June 1, 2008 The Big Day Seniors gather on the lawn in front of Slocum Hall for their official class photograph prior to the Commencement exercises. Click here to view a video of faculty member Jack Easterling giving the Commencement address.
	May 30, 2008 The Final Stretch Seniors returned to campus this afternoon after their retreat in beautiful Lake Placid. Graduation festivities continue with Baccalaureate tomorrow afternoon at 5, a commencement eve concert at 8, and the senior party afterward. Commencement is Sunday morning at 10.
	May 27, 2008 Acknowledging Excellence Math department chair Carmel Schettino congratulates Ji Ye '09 on winning the junior math prize. The annual Awards Night ceremony acknowledges excellence in all academic departments.
	May 26, 2008 The Worst of Times, the best of times French intern Brooke Sheldon tells students to keep an open mind when faced with adversity. The worst day of your life may not be so bad after all. Click here to listen to her speech.
	May 25, 2008 Moving On Sunday evening's senior dinner was the last formal event for seniors prior to graduation weekend. Dinner speakers were science instructor Jon Calos and Hildy '08. After dinner students participated in the Flame Ceremony at which school leaders pass on their roles to underclasswomen. Left, seniors with director of college counseling Kent Jones.
	May 23, 2008 No more pencils, no more books! Today is the last day of classes for seniors. Traditionally, they pull a prank on underclassmen and faculty. This year's prank came after Morning Reports with class of '08 members lining up their cars along the Senior Triangle and honking their horns. Photo by Shannon '92.
	May 21, 2008 Live from the news room... The Emma Now community service news team ended their year with a field trip to WNYT-13, the local NBC affiliate. They toured the studio, visited the control room, and got to see a live production of the 5 o'clock news. Pictured left to right, student leaders Julia '09 and Vivian '09, and team members Jaylan '11 and Asma '09.
	May 20, 2008 Dance! Dance instructor Barb Magee warms up students in preparation for rehearsal for tomorrow's dance assembly when students, from beginners to advanced, showcase their work of the past semester. Submitted by Emma Now community service news team.
	May 19, 2008 Awkwarditis Senior class president Angela '08 confesses to fellow students that she suffers from a condition called Awkwarditis, which causes her to behave and speak in ways that may not always be appropriate. Click here to listen to her speech.
	May 17, 2008 Ilusione Continuing the artistic weekend program, the EW Dance Company had its performance for the year. Audience members, including parents, relatives of students, faculty members, prospective students, and trustees came to enjoy this great performance featuring 11 excellent dancers in addition to a few great musicians. Submitted by Emma Now community service news team/Vivain ‘09
	May 17, 2008 Spring Fling Sunny skies and warm temperatures greeted this year's Spring Fling event. Students and visitors enjoyed activities that included a bouncey bounce, sumo wrestling, tricycle races, and henna painting. Photos by Shannon '92
	May 16, 2008 Spring Choir Concert On Friday evening, the Emma choir, inner choir, and semiquavers featured ten pieces for their spring concert in the Chapel. Choir members and the audience had the honor of hearing the organ for the first time since its renovation. The performance was dedicated to faculty member Jack Easterling for his great support of music at Emma Willard. Senior choir members were given roses in appreciation for their dedication to the group. Submitted by Emma Now community service news team/Vivian ‘09
	May 16, 2008 Senior Showcase Senior art students launched their end-of-year show today with a reception in Dietel Gallery. The show runs through June 1.
The Emma Now student leaders explain their service to a potential team member.	May 14, 2008 A Celebration of Service Returning freshmen, sophomores, and juniors had the opportunity this afternoon to choose their community service for next year. More than 40 groups provided volunteer service to a wide range of community organizations, as well as to the Emma Willard community itself. Click here to learn more about the Emma Willard Community Service Program. Submitted by Emma Now community service news team.
The Habitat for Humanity team tried to bribe recruits with donuts!	Crystal and Mary Leigh drew attention to their service group, Bands for Benefit, with music.
	May 12, 2008 Living Life to the Fullest At this morning’s speech, Kali ’08 shared with the community how her 16-year-old brother, Cooper, inspires her everyday as he lives “with a spirit and a smile that perseveres through the hardest times” despite having Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Click here to listen to Kali's speech.
	May 2, 2008 May Day Many consider the annual May Day celebration to be the official start of spring at Emma Willard. The theme of this year's performance was Disney's Mulan, complete with warriors, huns, an emperor, and even a dragon. View the video here. Submitted by Emma Now community service news team.
	May 1, 2008 Don’t Mock Us! The Mock Trial team was at the Troy Courthouse this morning to accept their first-place trophies. After beating rival Columbia High School for the number one spot in Rensselaer County, the team moves on to regional competition this Saturday. Should they win, they’ll compete at the state level on May 19.

Archived Emma Now items from April 2008 March 2008 February 2008 January 2008 December 2007 November 2007 October 2007 September 2007

Our students and faculty are often involved in a number of exciting projects on and off campus, and we like to share news of those activities with others, too. See what's happening at EW. To purchase images of ongoing Emma Willard events and activities, go to http://www.shutterfly.com/pro/EWS1814/0405.

Media contact: Please direct all requests for information, interviews, or photography to the Communications Office at (518) 833-1786.

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May Day

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New Spaces

Opening of the 2e Café

Life in the New Bridges Dormitory

Listen Up

French intern Brooke Sheldon tells students to keep an open mind when faced with adversity. The worst day of your life may not be so bad after all. Click here to listen to her speech.

Senior class president Angela '08 confesses to fellow students that she suffers from a condition called Awkwarditis, which causes her to behave and speak in ways that may not always be appropriate. Click here to listen to her speech.

At this morning’s speech, Kali ’08 shared with the community how her 16-year-old brother, Cooper, inspires her everyday as he lives “with a spirit and a smile that perseveres through the hardest times” despite having Duchenne muscular dystrophy. Click here to listen to Kali's speech.

At this week’s inspirational speech, Emily ’10 spoke about how the adoption of her little sister changed her view of the world. Click here to listen to her speech.

At Morning Reports, Abby ’08 and Emily ’09 shared their experiences working on a Habitat for Humanity build during the first week of their spring break. Click here to listen to their presentation.

This morning’s inspirational speech came from Charis ’09, who spoke to students about being her experiences with racism. Racist comments may be born out of hatred, but sometimes also out of ignorance or immaturity. She encourages students not to be offended when asked about their culture, nor to be afraid to ask someone about hers. It is only through education that we can understand different ethnicities, classes, and societies. Click here to listen to Charis's speech.

At Monday's Morning Reports science instructor Jon Calos told students about how his career took an unexpected turn that brought him to Emma Willard. He suggested to students that they follow their interests, be open minded to new opportunities, and, when all else fails, take a hike. Click here to listen to Mr. Calos's speech.

As part of the Serving & Shaping Her World Speakers Series, Major Jackson, the author of two collections of poetry: Hoops (Norton: 2006) and Leaving Saturn (University of Georgia: 2002), was on campus March 27. He gave an assembly to the entire student body, then met with English classes for Q&A sessions. Click here to listen to Mr. Jackson's address with an introduction by English instructor Meg McClellan.

Psychologist Sarah LeVine spoke with students today about her experiences working with Theravada nuns in Nepal. She helped students understand how the nuns are recruited and ordained, and how their lives differ from Buddhist monks. Click here to hear her speech with an introduction by history instructor Emily Snyder.

A self-proclaimed couch potato, Sarah’s idea of exercise was picking grass until she decided to train for the 50-mile Tour de Habitat to raise money for Habitat for Humanity. Training for the bike ride turned out to be more difficult than she expected and the race itself was full of obstacles, but she learned about perseverance and now participates in team sports for all the health benefits she gains. Click here to listen to Sarah's speech.

Years before coming to EW, director of facilities Ian Smith served in the Civil Engineer Corps of the US Navy, which, he says, has a strong institutional character, like EWS. Smith has been reading the works of journalist William Bradford Huie, also a former Seabee, and his accounts of the efforts of the Seabees during WWII, including the US takeover of Guam from the Japanese. Smith is inspired by the story of Commander Barnett, who encouraged the island natives to forgive the Japanese for wartime atrocities. “To turn in another direction is to turn toward darkness,” Barnett had said. Smith believes these words have relevance in light of the conflicts in the world today. Click here to listen to his speech.

At Monday morning’s inspirational address, Nikki ’08 and Yukiko ’08 described their adventures last summer at EARTH University in Costa Rica as part of the Global Youth Leadership Institute. The girls completed their final year in the three-year program with a home stay and work with local farmers in carefully planned community development projects. The experiential program provides opportunities for students to learn social responsibility, entrepreneurship, and commitment to community partnerships. Click here to listen to their address. Click here to learn more about GYLI.

At Morning Reports, Brielle '09 shared her thoughts about the semester she spent traveling through South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, and Zambia and the challenges of re-assimilating into American society after her life-altering experience. Click here to listen to Brielle’s speech. Click here to learn more about The Traveling School.

Last year, Helen participated in High Mountain Institute’s Rocky Mountain Semester, a semester long academic and wilderness program for academically motivated high school juniors. She learned how to be an invisible hiker while enduring bad weather and carrying a heavy pack. In her inspirational speech at Morning Reports, Helen encouraged her classmates to embrace new adventures. Click here to listen to Helen’s address. Learn more about RMS here.

At Morning Reports, Barry Leibson, director of technology services, encourages students to look beyond their usual social circles when making friends. Click here to listen to his address.

Though she admits that she was never a natural athlete, Margaret, a junior, stuck with cross country through her middle school days and field hockey at Emma Willard. Along the way she learned that an athlete (and a student) can overcome her weaknesses and improve her skills with determination and hard work. At Monday’s Morning Reports assembly, she described her uphill climb for students and faculty. Click here to listen to her speech.

Christine Hoek, special assistant to the head of school, inspired students by sharing excerpts from her journal, recorded during a summer 2005 excursion to Mozambique to visit her daughter, a Peace Corps volunteer. Click here to listen to Christine’s speech.

During a recent excursion to Japan as part of Toyota’s International Teacher program, science instructor Linda Maier noticed a profound difference between the manners displayed by Japanese people and those commonly displayed by Americans. At Monday’s Morning Reports, she described her experiences for an audience of students and prospective families on campus for Emma Willard’s Admissions Open House. Click here to listen to Ms. Maier’s address.

On Wednesday, October 31, Richard Selzer, M.D., spoke to students and faculty about his dual professions as both a physician and as a writer. The second speaker in the 2007–2008 Serving and Shaping Her World Speakers Series, Selzer began his writing career at age 40, authoring a number of works that examine many of the medical and moral challenges doctors currently face. Click here to listen to Dr. Selzer’s address. For more information on the Serving and Shaping Her World Speakers Series, click here.

Winning isn’t everything, which is a difficult lesson for a third-grader to learn when her race against a rival student comes to an unexpected conclusion. At Monday’s Morning Reports assembly, Eva ’09 described a moment in her life that taught her that the price of success can be too high. Click here to listen to Eva’s speech.

Emma Willard welcomed veteran television journalist Lynn Sherr as the first speaker in this year’s Serving and Shaping Her World Speakers Series. In an award-winning 30-year career, Sherr has covered a vast number of stories with emphasis on investigative reporting, women’s issues, and national politics. Before joining ABC’s 20/20 in 1986, she was a national correspondent for ABC News and a reporter for WCBS News, and has covered extremely diverse subjects including NASA’s space program, the Clinton presidency, teenage anorexia, and dinosaurs. The title of Sherr’s address was “Outside the Box: My Life In and Out of Television.” Click here to listen to her speech, with introduction by Allyson Montana, director of curriculum.

Claire ’08 told Monday’s Morning Reports assembly about her experience as a student abroad in France. Although she was at first lonely and homesick, she quickly made friends and discovered new possibilities she hadn’t imagined before. Click here to listen to Claire’s address.

Shelby ’08 shared with Monday’s Morning Reports assembly the story of her sister, Haley, who graduated from Emma Willard last year. Despite a cancer diagnosis at age five, Haley went on to become an accomplished athlete who continues to enjoy life and dominate on the playing fields, while inspiring her younger sister with her indomitable spirit. Click here to listen to Shelby’s address.

As Emma Willard School prepares to host Reunion this weekend, Suzanne Longley, a member of the Class of 1994 and a major gifts officer in the school’s Development Office, spoke to students Monday about how it feels for an alumna to look back on her days at Emma from a perspective that only time can provide. Click here to listen to her speech.

At Monday’s Morning Reports inspirational speech, Italian instructor Marilyn Hunter told the assembly about her recent sabbatical, during which she not only improved her golf game and Italian conversational skills, but also donated her time to a local home for the aged by playing piano and conducting sing-along sessions for the residents. In doing so, she said, she received much more than she gave. Click here to listen to her address.

Each Monday morning throughout the school year, a member of the faculty or student body delivers an inspirational address at Morning Reports. This Monday, Dean of Students Judy Bridges kicked off the tradition with a touching message about the ways in which members of the school community can inspire each other through words and actions, and how that inspiration will change us all for the better. Click here to listen to Ms. Bridges’s speech.

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