The Williams School opened its 134th school year with its annual Convocation on September 3. The word convocation is derived from the Latin word convocare, which means “to call or come together.” In an educational setting, convocations are ceremonies that celebrate achievements or the start of a new year. For Williams, this event acted as the first all-school gathering of the year, where new faculty were welcomed, several seniors were awarded Book Awards, and the alma mater was sung to commence the new school year.
Students, faculty, and families assembled in the newly renovated Daren Performing Arts Center to hear opening remarks from Head of School Mark Fader. He commended the facilities team for their impressive work on the Daren Performing Arts Center over the summer. Mr. Fader also took the time to formally welcome five new faculty members: Chief Financial Officer Freda Gimpel, Communications Associate Alexander Greene, science teacher Stephanie Lane, classics and science teacher Nora Madrigal, and English and history teacher Will Martin.
Convocation also serves as a time to reflect on past achievements. Embracing the newest senior class, the Class of 2025, several awards were presented.
The first award, the Bruce Lane Bulkeley School Prize, is given to the rising senior who wrote the top essay on a predetermined topic related to the former Bulkeley School for Boys. The Bulkeley School for Boys, founded in 1873, was a secondary educational institution for boys in New London. Upon its closing, some of its endowment was transferred to The Williams School. Honoring the legacy of the school, Mr. Fader said that the purpose of this essay is to “compile, through a series of annual writing prizes, a more detailed history, primarily researched and written by members of the junior class of The Williams School.”
The 2024 essay topic centered around the legacies of distinguished educators at the school. This year’s winner wrote about English teacher Elbert Ellery Orcutt and French and Latin teacher Malcolm Greenaway. The essay was described as “superior in every form, demonstrating a clear and concise writing style with extensive research, including interviews and primary source work.” The 2024 Bruce Lane Bulkeley School Prize was awarded to Brian Li ’25.
Also awarded were several Book Awards presented by Assistant Head of School for Teaching and Learning Jane Hannon. Hannon emphasized that the Book Awards “acknowledge the intellectual passion and compassion of our students to the Williams community and the community at large.” The awards are as follows:
- Prize for Intellectual Curiosity: Sven Ericsson ’25 and Leo Fowler ’25
- Intellectual Envoy Award: Isabella Li ’25
- Global Scholar Award: Brooke McLoughlin ’25
- Heart of the Community Award: Liam Boland ’25
- Leadership Award: Julia Cote ’25
- Courageous Explorer Award: Emma Tanabe ’25
Closing out the ceremony, the most senior member of The Williams School faculty, dance teacher Bo Parish, gave remarks to begin the 2024–25 school year. In her speech, Parish encouraged the community to take advantage of every moment that passes, saying, “Even though it may seem like an impossible thing to do, every once in a while, pause for a second and take in the moment. Big or small, exciting or quiet; savor it, take a picture of it. Not with your phone, but with your mind and with your heart. It won’t come again.”
Parish then led the Williams community in singing the alma mater for the first time as a whole community in the 2024–25 school year to close the ceremony.
