Alums in classes ending in 1 and 6 reconnected across generations May 15-17, 2026, sharing remembrances, celebrating accomplishments, and engaging with students — mentoring them in areas of professional expertise.

Reunion 2026 built on work we have been doing on campus for the past five years as we move toward Martin Luther King’s vision for a Beloved Community rooted in justice, equality, and mutual understanding — where conflicts are resolved peacefully, and all people flourish together.

Nearly the entire Miss Hall’s Board of Trustees was on hand to meet and talk with alums, in addition to faculty, staff, and members of the School’s Leadership Team.

Alisa Barnard of Learning Courage was on campus throughout the weekend to support alums in formal and informal ways.

At the Saturday Luncheon, the 2026 Distinguished Service Award was presented to Yiyan Zhou ’91, who has served the School in many capacities, formally and informally. A regular at MHS events, Yiyan has served on the MHS Board since 2018 and has tackled numerous projects, formally and informally, large and small, on behalf of the School. She has translated communications for Chinese families, served as a liaison with alums and current and prospective families, hosted gatherings in Shanghai and Beijing, and connected families and shared valuable insights into life at Miss Hall’s School.

During the 2019 Come Home event, Yiyan was a “human book” for the Alumnae Library, sharing her Miss Hall’s story, and, during the depths of COVID-19, she and her husband hosted a virtual “Tea Talk,” gathering 50 members of the MHS community to talk and learn about the legacy of and daily rituals of tea. Yiyan has even represented MHS on WeChat, China’s largest mobile app.

Reinventing herself in the wake of a breast cancer diagnosis, Kate Fonyo Pisano ’81 was determined to make a difference in the lives of others. Kate joined Johns Hopkins Medicine in 2013 as a Patient Liaison in breast imaging, and though her roles have continually evolved in the years since, she remains focused on helping others navigate their experiences in the healthcare system.

In 2019, Kate helped launch the Johns Hopkins Women’s Wellness and Healthy Aging Program, focused on supporting those in menopause and mid-life. She supports people experiencing peri-menopause and menopause, whether occurring naturally or medically induced after breast cancer treatment, and she works with medical faculty to develop educational resources and programming to train the next generation of menopause medicine providers. For supporting others and lending invaluable insights as they, too, navigate the uncertainty and complexity that comes with being a cancer survivor, Kate received this year’s Distinguished Alumna Award.

Alums joined students, faculty, and staff for this year’s Paternotte Family Faculty Travel and Study Grant presentations by Director of Theater and Dance Jenni Jordan and Director of Weekend Activities/International Student Advisor Tanya Kalischer.

Established by an alum from the Class of ‘65, the Paternotte Grant supports faculty growth, discovery, and a passion for lifelong learning that enriches our community.

During Spring Break, Jenni immersed in Ireland’s theatrical tradition and artistic practice. From Friel to Joyce, Wilde to Beckett, she explored the voices that shape the cultural identity of Ireland, past and present. Centering her quest on Brian Friel’s Dancing at Lughnasa — a moving play about memory, resilience, and the rhythms of Irish life, a play she hopes to direct next year at MHS — the journey was about more than research. It was also about stepping into the spaces where these stories live: The Abbey Theatre, Smock Alley, and beyond, and bringing that energy back to Holmes Road.

In summer 2025, Tanya traveled through Europe to retrace her father’s path through 8 forced labor camps during the darkest days of the Holocaust — and the site of his eventual escape. Along the way, she explored how communities in France remember and commemorate this history, and she reflected on Clemens Kalischer’s incredible commitment to justice, hope, and humanity.