Parent Days, October 17–18
Fall is the best time of year to visit our beautiful campus and experience firsthand your daughter’s life at Emma Willard. On Friday, October 17, you’ll have the chance to visit classes, socialize with other parents, get acquainted with your daughter’s friends and classmates, attend athletic events, and enjoy a showcase of Emma talent. On Saturday, you’ll have opportunities to meet her advisor, teachers, houseparent, and coaches. As you can imagine, our faculty members’ time is in high demand during Parent Days. Please double-check with your daughter that she has made appointments for your visits. Faculty members are available only during the scheduled hours. Register here for Parent Days and get ready to enjoy your time on Mount Ida. We look forward to welcoming you!
Women, Power, and Possibility
Saturday, September 27, marked the second in a series of symposia, as over 700 gathered for Women, Power, and Possibility. Seven incredible young women and two talented student moderators led the audience through a provocative conversation about the challenges and joys of taking possibility as far as one can. Jessica Jackley Flannery, co-founder of Kiva.org, delivered opening remarks. Each of the seven panelists founded her own nonprofit organization before the age of 30. To learn about the panelists, click here.
As we had hoped, the young women were inspirational to all of us, most importantly, to the students. One student remarked on the Emma Now blog: "Jessica Jackley Flannery, the founder of Kiva...started by lending to 4 people with money collected by the people she knew, but now Kiva is expected to provide about $100 million in loans by 2010 to people all over the world in need. This story made me think to myself, 'Hey, maybe I can actually do something incredible like this, if all these women can make an impact, why not me?' I used to think only certain people are born to make a difference, but I realized that it is up to anyone if only they have the motivation and courage to act upon their beliefs. I thoroughly enjoyed the symposium and definitely learned a lot from each speaker. I think this event changed the way I think about the endless possibilities and the power I have to make a difference in the world."
If you haven’t already done so, view a video of the symposium.
Faculty Learning
As part of our faculty development program, the English and history departments offered an interdisciplinary workshop to English, social studies, and history teachers throughout the Capital Region and beyond. Participants came from public and independent schools as far away as Worcester Academy in Massachusetts.
The daylong workshop addressed the use of Early American captivity narratives in the classroom and discussed works such as Mary Rowlandson’s A Narrative of the Captivity and Restoration of Mrs. Mary Rowlandson, James E. Seaver’s Narrative of the Life of Mrs. Mary Jemison, and Zitkala-Sa's American Indian Stories. Guest speakers were Dr. Lorrayne Carroll, associate professor of English and gender students at the University of Southern Maine, and Dr. Andrea Foroughi, associate professor of history at Union College.
Fall Sports
Are you a sports enthusiast? Do you have a daughter playing a fall sport? If she’s not giving you all the details you want, take a look at our game summaries here. Go Jesters!
Women's Expo
Emma Willard School is the first-ever educational sponsor of the Great Women’s Expo scheduled for Saturday, October 25, at the Saratoga City Center in Saratoga Springs, New York. What better venue to communicate the power of an Emma education than one that includes leaders in finance, technology, health and wellness, home and family, careers, and many other fields? Stop by between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. to visit with Linda Passaretti ’84 and Shannon Blaisdell ’92, and help them spread the word about Emma!
Your gift + her education = a world of change
Would you like a reason to connect with other Emma Willard parents? Volunteer to help with the Parent Fund!
If you are proud that your daughter is able to attend Emma Willard and love hearing her talk about her new friends, favorite teachers, and meaningful classroom discussions, please consider volunteering your time to reach out to other parents for their financial support. Volunteers are needed to make calls during the November and spring parent phonathons. Contact Heather Cordes, director of annual giving, at hcordes@emmawillard.org for more information.
Be sure to check out our blogs
Trudy Hall’s Emma Everywhere—Take part in conversations with the head of school on a wide range of topics.
Emma Now news page—Keep up with the latest happenings at Emma Willard as seen through the eyes of the students.
Trudy Hanmer’s Weird on the Heights of Ida—Read about quirky, interesting bits of Emma Willard’s history.
Admissions@Emma blog—Take a look at this resource for prospective Emma Willard families. You were once a prospective parent; we welcome your feedback.
 Trudy E. Hall Head of School |