AlumnaeMay 20, 2021

updated Nov 20, 2023

2021 Reunion connects friends and breaks records

This year’s double reunion had more than 400 alumnae sign up, raised more than $1 million, and introduced distinctive new master classes

Hosted May 14–16, this year’s Reunion was a fully loaded virtual experience enjoyed by hundreds of alumnae in classes that ended in 0, 1, 5, and 6.

“Pre-Reunion” gatherings on Thursday night welcomed former members of the student a cappella group Grace Notes; the newly formed Black Alumnae Affinity Group; and male graduates from when Miss Hall’s was co-ed and known as The Hall School.

The official start of Reunion on Friday saw the first of four faculty master classes, which gave alumnae the chance to see Miss Hall’s today through a student’s perspective, learning from our expert teachers and tackling some of the same fascinating and challenging questions that our students wrestle with daily.

Throughout Reunion 2021, traditional activities like the Snake Dance, Heritage Society induction, and our Blue & Gold Reception were augmented by a special social justice spotlight, yoga led by Stair Calhoun ’70, and a tea talk led by Yiyan Zhou ’91.

Reunion slideshow

A slideshow of photos from Miss Hall’s history, honoring classes that end in 0, 1, 5, and 6

Alumnae awards

One of the major highlights of Reunion weekend was the Alumnae Recognition Luncheon, where the recipients of our alumnae awards were announced.

  • Alissa Schapiro ’06 (Young Alumna Leadership Award), a practicing curator who has contributed to numerous museum exhibitions and catalogues, and serves as assistant curator on the exhibition and award-winning publication, "Life Magazine and the Power of Photography.” She presented highlights from that exhibition last summer to Miss Hall’s alums as part of a virtual exploration of the intersection of gender and race in photojournalism.
  • Maryam Laly ’11 (Young Alumna Leadership Award), who uses her knowledge and experience to advocate for minorities and women and girls in war-torn Afghanistan. She works with grassroots organizations to provide scholarships to at-risk youth, to prevent the street harassment of women, to create a library that serves 2,000 students, and to give Afghan women writers the power of the pen.
  • Katie Grace Deane ’05 (President’s Commendation), who served as Alumnae Council President from July 2015 to July 2019 and bolstered the alumnae volunteer experience greatly.

The Distinguished Alumna Award is presented to the alumna who upholds the ideals that Miss Hall’s School represents, and who has exhibited outstanding achievement, contributing to her community and to her field. This year we were thrilled to honor two alumnae with this award:

  • Doreen Boatswain ’75, who — as Director of Environmental Protection and Industrial Hygiene for the Metropolitan Transit Authority — oversees efforts to keep passengers, employees, and the general public safe, an especially tricky task since the pandemic began.

    No surprise that Doreen is in the thick of it, however: Leadership has always seemed to come naturally to her, even back in her days at Miss Hall’s. “She has consistently been recognized by her fellows as a leader,” Headmaster Donald T. Oakes wrote in his college recommendation. “I have been amazed at the frequency with which she is sought out for advice and guidance. And, as she is respected by her peers, so also is she held in highest regard by the adult members of our community.” Further, despite the rigors of a demanding career, Doreen supported the School through two decades on the Alumnae Council, including a term as President, and two terms on the Board of Trustees.
  • Melissa Leonhardt ’76, who recently retired after a successful career as a doctor of veterinary medicine, always went above and beyond in supporting the academic life and diverse paths of decades of Miss Hall’s students. While serving as a Trustee, she endowed the Leonhardt Family Teaching Chair, recognizing teaching excellence at MHS. Appreciating the varied learning needs of students, Melissa underwrote the Academic Skills Center. More recently, she was a founding contributor to the School’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Endowment, leading the way to a long-term investment in inclusion at Miss Hall’s. As Trustee Susan O’Day ’77 said, Melissa more than earned this award “for demonstrating gumption and persistence while negotiating the twists and turns of an authentic career path; for serving as a positive role model for young women who feel the pressure for perfection and while figuring it out; and for an ongoing commitment to supporting the experiences of all MHS students.”

The Barbara Humes Euston ’29 Distinguished Service Award is presented to an alumna who has consistently provided exemplary service to Miss Hall’s School, and in so doing, has enhanced the success and well-being of the institution. This year’s honoree is Jennifer Perkins Speers ’71.

A devoted conservation philanthropist, Jennifer is President of the Palladium Foundation, which purchases conservation land in Utah, has been a member of The Nature Conservancy since 1979, and serves on the board of The Nature Conservancy of Utah. She also serves on the boards of the Grand Canyon Trust, Artspace, Wave Hill, Glynwood Center, Dutchess Day School, the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, and the Wilderness Society and Conservation Lands Foundation.

But it is here, at Miss Hall’s, where we most keenly feel — and deeply appreciate — Jennifer’s influence. The Perkins family’s generational history of caring for important properties nationwide extends to MHS, and their partnership in preserving and improving our historic campus has significantly shaped the student experience. The Linn Merck Perkins ’14 Land and Facility Endowment Fund underwrites upkeep of our 90-acres and 200,000 square feet of space. And, Jennifer herself was the lead donor in fundraising for Linn Hall, a game-changer in science, technology, math, and Horizons education at MHS.

Alumnae set fundraising record

Responding to a matching gift challenge from two Miss Hall’s Trustees, alumnae stepped up in historic fashion and committed more than $1 million by the end of Reunion weekend to activate this special match — that’s more than $2 million for girl-centered education!

In the end, alumnae donated 324 gifts totaling $1,007,489.

The Class of ’65 raised the largest amount of all reuniting classes — more than $442,000 this year and cumulatively $484,400 over the past 2 years, $400,000 of that in endowment funds. The Class of ’60 also stepped up in a big way, raising $138,000 this year; that’s $224,500 over the past two years that has supported the Expressive Arts at MHS.

(Joselyn Hearring)

Some other high points of alumnae generosity from this weekend:

  • The Class of ’71 raised $99,400 in honor of their 50th.
  • In memory of a beloved classmate, the Class of ’56 reached an important threshold to endow the Mary Fortmiller Cornwell Book Scholarship.
  • The Class of ’90 raised $61,250 over the past 2 years.
  • The Class of ’70 dedicated their gifts this year to our new student-designed meditation garden; over two years, they have raised more than $32,000 for a variety of initiatives.
  • The Classes of ’75 and ’76 worked together with great gumption, greatly increasing participation and raising $13,890.
  • The Class of ’81 engaged more alums than ever, raising a total of $19,761.
  • The Class of ’86 is well on its way to the goal of $35,000 in honor of their 35th Reunion. Daphne Jackson Dickson challenged her classmates to support MHS Student Wellness and honor Daphne’s mom, Stefanie Gulden Jackson ’57.

Reunion videos

Watch some of the Reunion highlights below!

Welcome Home Reception

Alumnae Recognition Luncheon

Master Class: Hallmark Democracy

Social Justice Spotlight

Tea Talk

Hallmark History of American Advertising

Blue and Gold Reception

Hallmark Art Intensive

Hallmark Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning

Thank you for arranging a wonderful reunion during these difficult times. It was nice to chat with so many of my classmates and observe and participate with the Miss Hall’s students — who were all over-the-top impressive. It certainly made me want to be a student there again! It was truly a magical weekend.

Alumna

Reunion chairs

Thank you to these incredible women whose efforts made this year’s event possible!

1950
Terry Bryant Law
Kitty Ladd Ward

1951
Sally Gooch Paynter

1955
Joan Kopperl
Cris Raymond
Patsy Manley Smith

1956
Keye Hollister
Sandra Roe Smith
Holly Howard Stover
Madeleine Emery White

1960
Sally Brooke
Robin Ketchum
Nancy Gould Pinkernell
Nancy Parshall Stewart

1965
Alice Butler Burnham
Nancy Fitzpatrick
Paula Loud
Nan Brewster Paternotte

1966
Lissie Brooks
Patricia Thatcher

1970
Deetsie Collins Bradford
Stair Calhoun
Anne Peterson Conolly
Lynne Eckhart
Sallie Gierke
Carol Goodman Kaufman
Sally Stutz
Mary E. Wilcox

1971
Calla Crafts
Renee Rutkowski Junewicz
Jennifer Perkins Speers
Sarah Richardson Straley

1975
Mimi Dolph Adkins
Anne Fickling Brainard
Veronique de la Bruyere

1976
Anita Nichols Staeheli
Caroline Amory
Ann Schwartz Unitas

1980
Paulette Zoidis Barter
Kate Bussey

1981
Stephanie Evans
Kate Fonyo Pisano
Elena McGregor Tucker
Susie Snead van der Vorst
Missy Maloney Wilkins

1985
Robin Zeig Greenwood
Weesa Burke Hild
April Williams Jackson
Diana Kew McIntosh
Hillary Polednik
Bettina Salz-Forssman
Kristin Hewes Smith

1990
Gaby Evers
Jennifer Wadman Hudson
Stephanie Lawlor Kadnar
Stacy Kirk
Ingrid Royle Maclean
Lieve Saether

1991
Jennifer Cabot Breslin
Julie Ix Genovese
Pam Livingston Halferty
Heather Rowan
Leslie Harmetz Schwartz
Cara Ferry Slattery
Lynne Somerville
Yiyan Zhou

1995
Lee Carbonelli
Jill Mezzacappa
Farrah Schubmehl

1996
Jennifer Zukowski Dansereau
Diana Fogliano
Kristin Meyers Franz
Sophia Lee Lane
Emily Olson

2000
Jordan Keay
Sushil Sinha
Caitlin Whitehead

2001
Emmy Goldin
Kerry Moore
Jessica Nadeau Tomov
Sarah Whiting Wilson

2005
Katie Grace Deane
Adrienne Lazes
Kaitlyn Opsitnick

2010
Melissa Fares
Lyssa Goodrich
Anna Peters

2011
Maggie Kittner
Andreinna Marmolejos

2015
Julia Bianchi
Emma Bullock

2016
Olivia Bruno
Desiré Garza
Indiana Ravenhill

Attendees

The following is a list of alumnae who registered for this year’s Reunion.

1950
Nancy Lee Pipkin Getman
Gertrude Corcoran Merchant

1955
Kitty Riley Clark
Katherine "Kitty" Austin Clements
Joan Kelley Kopperl
Sheila Kerlin Prince
Carole "Cris" Cristiano Raymond
Patricia "Patsy" Manley Smith
Mary "Donna" Miller Straat

1956
Priscilla "Brownie" Brown Allen
Sandra "Misty" Towl Corcoran
Keye Hollister
Charlotte Attride McCullough
Holly Howard Stover
Sandra "Sandy" Roe Smith
Ellen Purdy Webster
Vicary "Vicky" Mitchell Whitaker
Madeline "Maddie" Emery White
Susan Whittlesey
Mary “Mimi” Brooks Woodbridge

1960
Sarah "Sally" Nicholson Brooke
Marian "Mare" Campbell
Amy Conger
Linda Johnson Emerson
Anne "Nina" Roosevelt Gibson
Tamar Griggs
Faith Low Humann
Charlotte "Robin" McAllister Ketchum
Nina Knowlton
Mary Waterman Lunt
Elizabeth "Betsy" Kimball MacLean
Greer Andrews Macready
Elizabeth "Liz" Ginn Moran
Sarah "Sally" Bradley Nelson
Luisa Porras
Nancy Gould Pinkernell
Rosalind "Roddy" Havemeyer Roosevelt
Elizabeth "Lee" Rand Simonds Brown
Nancy Parshall Stewart
Dorothy "Dottie" MacColl Woodcock

1961
Millicent "Mitzi" Cross Armstrong
Margaret "Maggie" Rigg Atwood
Sue Shepard Jaques

1961
Wendy Sprole Bangs

1965
Carolyn White Barr
Alexina "Nina" Wardrop Brooks
Alice Butler Burnham
Mary "Hope" Dean
Joyce Martin Hill
Prudence "Prue" Hostetter
Nancy Hubbard
Alice Ingraham
Paula Wood Loud
Helen Neubert Marano
Nancy "Nan" Brewster Paternotte
April "Alison" Ferris Rose
Louise Barclay Rice
Anne Darneille Snodgrass
Frances "Fran" Gaither Tucker

1966
Alice "Lissie" Streeter Brooks
Patricia "Pat" Honeyman
Phyllis Dalton McTiernan
Patricia "Pat" Thatcher

1970
Victoria "Deetsie" Collins Bradford
Pamela "Pam" Bullard
Nancy "Stair" Zimmerman Calhoun
Anne Peterson Conolly
Lynne Eckardt
Jennifer "Jenny" Haviland-Eduah
Barbara "Barb" Fox
Sarah "Sally" Searles Gierke
Suzanne O’Neil Johnston
Carol Goodman Kaufman
Angela Pender Kniep
Sallie Bateman Stutz
Mary Wilcox

1971
Deborah "Deb" Fickling Brooke
Margaret "Lynnie" Bruce
Bertrande "Rande" Coleman
Calla Crafts
Mercedes Cue
Jean "Davy" Davidson
Charlotte Floyd-Pruitt
Faith Fuller
Valorie Walker Guthrie
Renee Rutkowski Junewicz
Deborah "Debbie" Sears Levin
Joanna "Jo" Kolstad Lloyd
Nancy "Schlaf" Schlafly Luke
Lynn Steppacher Martin
Barbara Petersen Parker
Edith Phyfe
Anita "Nini" Alig Saman
Jennifer Perkins Speers
Sarah "Sally" Richardson Straley
Jean Wade
Mary Jean "MJ" Weston
Ann Stevens Williams
Sally Willse
Sarah Meyer Woodhead
Joan Rosengarten Van der Grift

1975
Sandra "Sandy" McAlister Ambrozy
Mary "Mimi" Dolph Adkins
Doreen Boatswain
Anne Fickling Brainard
Veronique de la Bruyere
Sue Cooperman Cox
Susan Hamill
Susan Henry
Linda Miles Murray
Amanda "Mandy" Groves Outerbridge
Cynthia "Cindy" Williams
Patricia Klein Young

1976
Caroline Amory
Cynthia "Cindy" Price Kelley
Michele Lazorko
Melissa Leonhardt
Amory Hubbard Millard
Florence "Emmy" Oppenheimer Pavelka
Anita Nichols Staeheli
Ann Schwartz Unitas
Byron Walker

1977
Cynthia "Cindy" Hebert Lloyd
Susan O'Day

1978
Myriam Hamdallah
Caroline King

1980
Paulette Zoidis Barter
David Lloyd
Debra "Debbie" deCordova MacLeod
Ramak Makooi
Natale Marasco
Katherine "Kate" Bussey Paulus
Paula Perkins
Alison Davis See
Virginia "Ginny" Watson
Katherine "Kate" Temby Whiteside

1981
Alison Beach
Barbara Swanson Boo
Martha Bullock
Hilary "Holly" Curtis
Elizabeth "Liz" Marshall Ervick
Stephanie Evans
Alexa "Lexi" Terni Martindale
Amy Baptiste Nelson
Eleanor "Nell" Sachs O'Connell
Dierdre Glenn Paul
Katherine "Kate" Fonyo Pisano
Elena McGregor Tucker
Virginia "Missy" Maloney Wilkins
Susan "Susie" Snead van der Vorst
Carolyn "Paige" McNinch Waugh

1985
Beth Baldwin-Page
Randi Richardson Barish
Angela "Angie" Feremendzin Beardsley
Carolyn Bell
Mallory "Megan" Traphagen Botta
Zohreh Firouzabadian
Robin "Zeig" Greenwood
Jacqueline "Weesa" Burke Hild
Cayley Hyers
Deborah "Debbie" Mann Johnson
Irene Mayer Maspons
Colleen Makkay Mulgrew
Diana Kew McIntosh
Wendy Panchy
Hillary Seed Polednik
Bettina "Tina" Salz-Forssman
Lorene Sutton Sharron
Kimberly "Kim" Wastler
Elizabeth "Betsy" Brawley Williams
April "Niecy" Williams Jackson
Melissa Young

1986
Vicki Long Beney
Daphne Jackson Dickson
Lisa "Christine" Schiller Grable
Kathleen "Molly" Green
Val Hammel
Birgitta Bornholt Hohoff
Adrianna "Andie" Tompkins Holman
Sara Kenny Hunt
Claire Shannon Kelly
Kimberly "Kim" Kissam
Suzanne "Suzie" Levy Louis
Daniele Kent Maxwell
Nina Merrill
Cynthia Moore
Elizabeth "Liz" Murray
Marianne Schwartz O'Hearn
Julia Reukauf
Gabriella "Gabé" Tufo Strouse

1987
Ippolita "Polly" Spadavecchia

1988
Martha Olver

1990
Tiffany "Tiff" Thompson Antista
Leslie Bergman
Kirsten "Kiki" Bush
Cristy Paulsen Carswell
Sophia Bustos-Cevallos
Christine "Christy" Clairmont
Jennifer "Jen" Vitale Deuble
Amy Dwyer
Gabrielle "Gaby" Sherb Evers
Wendy Jacobs Hampton
Alexandra "Alex" Blodget Heidinger
Jennifer "Jen" Wadman Hudson
Lieve Huybregts Saether
Sallie Ann Cobb Jacobs
Stephanie Lawlor Kadnar
Kellie King
Stacy Kirk
Ingrid Royle Maclean
Jenny Monroe
Amy Robertson Nielsen
Lindsay Lynch Pollard
Margaret "Meg" Upton
Hillary Waldbaum

1991
Jennifer "Jen" Cabot Breslin
Cynthia "Cindy" Wood Emerson
Julie Ix Genovese
Caroline Gosselin
Alexandra "Alex" Honeckman Greene
Pamela "Pam" Livingstone Halferty
Jennifer "Jen" Molloy McConchie
Jennifer "Jenn" Robinson Montesano
Tara Moore
Claire Okie Oliver
Joni Guerette Olsen
Leslie Schutz Panagiotopoulou
Heather Rowan
Waheeda Shariff Samji
Leslie Harmetz Schwartz
Cara Ferry Slattery
Courtney Talbert Smith MacDonald
Lynne Ferguson Somerville
Sarah Treiber
Rebekah Roushon Worrell
Yiyan Zhou

1993
Jessica Slowick Scully

1995
Lee Carbonelli
Angela "Jill" Chandler-Simpson
Maria "Kiki" Granda
Michele Pirraglia Lester
Jenefer "Nefer" Hutchinson-Myers Lewis
Jill Mezzacappa
Susana Orrantia
Farrah Rovansek Schubmehl

1996
Karla Bejarano
Laurence Coziol-Caron
Jennifer "Jen" Zukowski Dansereau
Maria Elena Jalil De Molestina
Diana Fogliano
Kristin Meyers Franz
Aubrey Gelinas
Clare Gnasmüller
Bianca Nardi Hahn
Arianna "Ari" Jouvin
Sophie Lee Lane
Marieh Delfino Leepson
Bethanie Hines Margado
Johanna "Jo" Silver Menzel
Amber Naramore
Susan Buckley Newton
Maria de la Paz Noboa
Emily Olson
Isabel Perron
Haley Zabriskie Ward
Lauren Weinberg
Romina Zunino

2000
Alison Cowie
Holly Marsh Gobron
Diana Guerrero
Vittoria Incandela
Soo Youn Kim
Quanishia Mosley
Abigal August Olander
Kori Zahn Racela
Aisha Roman Reinisch
Sushil "Sush" Sinha
Zamir Vasquez
Caitlin Hamblet Whitehead

2001
Ashley Walker Barnes
Emmy Goldin
Kerry Sullivan Moore
Elizabeth "Polly" Stein
Jessica "Jess" Nadeau Tomov

2005
Kirsten Peterson Clinton
Katie Grace Deane
Anne "Annie" Fitzgerald
Lindsay Murphy France
Mondonna Hemati
Häna Rodrigs Kenny
Adrienne Lazes
Gabrielle "Gabby" Matus
Alexandra "Ali" Moore-Ede
Olivia Offner
Kaitlyn Jones Opsitnick
Alexandra "Alex" Gheblikian Sahatdjian
Hilary Casper Simon
Ariel Sims
Aisling Howe Sorensen
Nozomi Umenai
Maressa "Ressa" Bell-Deane Waber

2006
Erika Baquero
Cecelia "Cece" von Tiesenhausen-Hush Bishop
Linnéa Clark
Mirna Garcia
Amelia "Amy" Hughes
Lila Hunt Davies
Robin Outerbridge
Victoria "Tori" MacNutt Roudabush
Alissa Schapiro
Vanessa Stair
Ryann Wolf

2007
Sarah Connor Davekos
Callie Grace Henriksen
Samantha Hodgdon
Da Jung Koo
Pesha Miller
Jasmin Stanley
Johanna "Jo" Zuber

2010
Shelby Boos
Norah "Nonie" Crossnohere
Elena Domenicali
Melissa Fares
Jessica Garzon
Lyssa Goodrich
Isabel Gregg
Clare Kelly
Kelsey Kercado
Hannah Knoblauch
Marissa Lowe
Sara Newman
Anna Peters
Jennifer "Jenn" Serna

2011
Brittani "Britt" McMillan Bond
Breeanna Bright
Amy Corbett
Lily Crane
Alexandria "Alex" Esheyigba
Josephine "Jo" Kelly Frizzell
Jasmine Galindo
Margaret "Maggie" Kittner
Kerry Krentsa
Maryam Laly
Andreinna "Nina" Marmolejos
Ronza Najjar
Anika Pommers-Dear
Leah Sullivan

2014
Asata Evans

2015
Sarah Aillon
Mutsuko "Mukko" Amiya
Julia Bianchi
Emma Bullock
Brieanna "Brie" Caillot
Demi DeRosalia
Anna Durning
Tiana Dyson
Sophia Gebara
Jasmin Guzman
Sandra Herreros de Tejada
Min Ju "Mandy" Hsu
Fiona Keane
Elizaveta "Lisa" Kravchenko
Hannah Merrill
Kathryn "Ryn" Nason
Hanila "Hallie" Novak
Sijing "Jane" Peng
Yue "Katie" Qin
Phoebe Spare
Mariah Stokes
Ashley Todd
Ekin Tumer
Emma Whittum
Jiahong "Jaycee" Yao

2016
Amelia Biancolo
Olivia Bruno
Jamie Flynn
Desiré Garza
Michelle Karman
Sophia "Rose" Oliveri-Meyer
Indiana "Indy" Ravenhill
Sai Harshita Tupili
Jingxin "Lisa" Wang
Sarah Willson
Xin "Lois" Yuan

2020
Ashley Hehir
Maya Creamer
Erica Morales-Armstrong
Serena "Rea" Rice
Bingqi "Yaya" Wang
Zhongyin "Maggie" Zhang