February 12, 2021     Dear Friends, Things are anything but quiet here on campus. While the cold weather prevents students from outdoor activities, there is plenty going on inside our buildings.

Black History Month Activities In recognition of Black History Month, our kindergarten students have been studying paintings by Sam Gilliam, a pioneer in abstract and lyrical expressionism. Gilliam moved to Washington D.C. in the early 1960s and created paintings that drew inspiration from the African American experience at the height of the Civil Rights Movement. Students enjoyed emulating Gilliam's bold paintings, using bright swaths of tempera paint and carving lines into the surface using popsicle sticks.   Also, AAG fifth graders learned about Folk Artist Nellie Mae Rowe, an African American artist from Fayette County, Georgia. Best known today for her colorful works on paper, Ms. Rowe worked across various media, creating drawings, collages, altered photographs, hand-sewn dolls, home installations, and sculptural environments. Students applied the elements found in her iconic work to their own unique folk-art design.

Assessment of Inclusivity and Multi-culturalism Survey We are very interested in your attitudes and opinions about diversity, equity & inclusion at the Academies. To help us better understand how you think and feel about these issues, we have partnered with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) to use their Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) survey. The survey takes 15-20 minutes and is entirely anonymous. Your responses go directly to NAIS for analysis. They will help establish a baseline for us to gauge our progress on developing equitable practices at school and inform decisions about the next steps in our DEI journey. You can access the survey by clicking on the following link: https://survey.nais.org/Respond/3gqreSxFtmg1

Alumni and Alumnae Speaker Series continues Our next Alumni/ae Speaker Series will take place virtually on Thursday, March 4 at 2:20 p.m. This panel will focus on alumni and alumnae in medicine and will be moderated by Dr. Pamela Carroll '81, Chief Business Officer at Silicon Therapeutics, a biotech company that applies computational physics and machine learning for developing therapeutics to historically intractable disease targets.    Joining us will be Dr. Robert Higgins '77, Surgeon-in-Chief at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, who also practices cardiothoracic and transplant surgeries, and Dr. Seth Wander '02, a medical oncologist at the Massachusetts General Cancer Center in Boston with a clinical and translational research interest in breast cancer and cancer genomics.   We will also welcome Dr. Meenakashi Gupta '99, a practicing retina surgeon at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai in New York City, and Dr. Alice Kim '89, a staff cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a member of the Brigham and Women’s Cardiovascular Associates of Care New England in Rhode Island. Alice is also the director of Advanced Valvular Heart Disease of Care New England, and co-director of Women’s Heart Health of Women and Infants in Rhode Island as well as an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. We hope that you can join us!

Hall of Fame/Distinguished Alumni and Alumnae Ceremonies You’ll want to be sure to plan to “attend” our virtual Reunion 2020 Hall of Fame Induction and Distinguished Alumni/Alumnae ceremonies, which will be held on Thursday, May 20. Honorees include AA Hall of Fame Inductees Anthony Owens '85, Ned Duffy '70, Jim Mills '95, Robert Beaulieu '85, Neil Bryant '00, Coach Scott Young P'21, '24, and the 1999-2000 Football Team; AAG Hall of Fame Inductees Coach Bonnie Morse-Gillham, Andrea Lodico '00, Emily Downie '12, and Kirstie Phelps-Harris '01; Distinguished Alumna Elon Johnson '94 and Distinguished Young Alumna Carol Crummey McCardle '04 and Distinguished Alumnus Neil Murray '62 and Distinguished Young Alumnus Chris Ashley '05. Please plan to join us in celebrating these special individuals.

Reunion set for October 1 and 2 We’re still seeking chairs for Reunion 2020 and Reunion 2021 honored classes. Remember, the two-day event is planned for Friday and Saturday, October 1 and 2. If you are interested, please contact Joanne DelCarpine P'21, Manager of Annual Funds, and Donor Relations, or me for more details.

Next “Chat with the Head” Session Our February 2 and 9 sessions of “Chat with the Head” went very well with 20 participants joining Chris Lauricella on the call. The next session is scheduled for Tuesday, February 23 at 4:00 p.m. In the next Happenings newsletter, I’ll include a summary of the “take-aways” and feedback from the calls.

Applications being accepted We are now accepting applications for fall 2021 admission. In anticipation of a competitive year for independent school admission, we encourage families to submit their completed applications prior to Monday, March 1. We expect to have openings in all levels, preschool through grade 12. Our outstanding alumni and alumnae are the best evidence of the world-class education and experience that we provide at the Academies. Please help us spread the word by talking about your great experiences and best memories with your friends and family who have school-aged children. As always, we're grateful for your support.

Spotlight on an Alumnus In this issue, we are spotlighting Nick Conger ’99 who was just appointed by President Biden to be the new press secretary of the EPA. He previously served at the agency during the Obama administration as a strategic communications adviser and as communications director for the enforcement office. Nick most recently handled communications for former Vice President Al Gore. Nick is the son of Wendy Muhlfelder ’67, P’94, ’98, ’99, ’00. Congratulations, Nick!

Remember, there are only 35 days until the official beginning of spring! Warm regards,

Ann Wendth Chief Advancement Officer