Awards Ceremony Honors Scholars, Artists and Athletes

On June 10, 2019, the Winsor community came together under the tent in the courtyard for the annual All School Awards Celebration.

This year's celebration began by honoring two important Winsor traditions -- the senior banner and the yearbook dedication.

For nearly 100 years, the sophomore class has created a banner for the senior class, and members of the Class of 2021 took the stage to dedicate their hand-crafted banner, inspired by the Class of 2019's homeroom theme of time travel. First unveiled to the seniors in May, the banner will be a reminder of the value of friendship and its ability to stand the test of time, and following graduation, will be on display again every five years, when the Class of 2019 returns for their reunions.

Next, seniors Karen Torres '19 and Anya Samtani '19 announced the dedication of the the 2019 yearbook to Julian Braxton. Illustrating all the ways in which Mr. Braxton continues to be a source of inspiration and support, the students created, framed and presented him with an acrostic poem to commemorate the occasion. 

Next, the All School Awards Celebration honored the athletic, theatrical and academic accomplishments of Winsor students during the 2018-2019 academic year. Head of Lower School Sharon Jones Phinney, Assistant Head of School Kate Caspar, Head of Upper School Ridie Markenson, and Director of Athletics Sherren Granese, assisted Head of School Sarah Pelmas with the program and presentation of the prizes.

In her opening remarks Mrs. Markenson noted, "These awards carry great importance not only for the winners, but also for every person here, because they represent not only something for a student to aspire to, but also something to be proud of, collectively. For while many of today's awards recognize individual achievement, perhaps one of the best parts of a Winsor education is "the sisterhood"--the way in which we work together as a community to encourage, challenge, and inspire one another."

Click here to view the full list of awards.

Following the awarding of the prizes, Julie Wilson '19, vice president of the senior class, introduced Lauren Martin, wellness faculty, who was chosen to speak by the Class of 2019. "Miss Martin makes 14-year-olds look forward to health class, and she has been achieving this miraculous feat at Winsor since 1998. How does one do such a thing?"

Ms. Martin had the tent filled with laughter as she addressed "some unfinished business" with the "fabulous class." Asking the students to recall junior year health, she surprised them by reading aloud from the over 1,000 "Mysteries" they submitted anonymously, in the form of a question or a comment, about themselves, others and the world around.  With equal parts humor and heart, Ms. Martin offered answers, including an unforgettable lesson on how to dance even if you have no rhythm; and responses gathered from the students' parents to the question: are my parents going to be bored and lonely after I go to college? 

Bidding the graduates farewell, she offered, "Seniors, you have shown me that you can show up and engage, learn, and share without a letter grade in return, which speaks to your undoubted preparedness for life beyond Winsor....Allow those who enter your life after Winsor to see what I have had the privilege of seeing: a group of strong, brilliant individuals with fears, hopes, quirks and passions. I am grateful to have taught all 65 of you. The space that we created and shared was simply magical."

In closing, she said, "As for your 1,000 plus other Mysteries, I'd like to leave you with this quote."

~Rainer Maria Rilke, from "Letters to a Young Poet"