Friday, April 19 and Saturday, April 20 marked another terrific Chapin Alumnae Reunion! Over 300 alums from the Classes of 1946 through 2021 traveled from all over the globe to reunite at 100 East End Avenue.
On Friday, alums had the opportunity to visit a class, tour the School and observe Chapin’s afterschool and sports programs. They were also able to hear from two talented Class 12 students, who presented their Individual Study Projects titled “Angels and Madwomen: Examining the Trope of the Madwoman in the Attic,” (a study in English) and “Consumption of a mixture of Azodicarbonamide, Potassium Bromate, Brominated Vegetable Oil, and Titanium Dioxide is correlated with higher levels of genomic instability in Drosophila Melanogaster,” (a study in science dissecting the effects of food additives on the DNA of drosophila melanogaster to study genotoxic effects of additives on humans).
At 5:00 p.m., community members headed to the Alumnae Association Annual Meeting. “Reunion is a special time for our community and what better place to celebrate than our beloved Assembly Room,” said Alumnae Association President Wallis Post ’99 in her opening remarks. “Every time I step into this room, I’m overcome with feelings of nostalgia and pride.”
When introducing the 50th Reunion Class Speaker, Wallis noted, “Chapin has been an important educational institution for four generations of her family. She is the mother of two Chapin graduates, has three Chapin sisters and her mother is marking her 80th Reunion!”
With that, Beatrice Mitchell ’74 made her way to the podium. “My grandmother, who was born in 1897, was a member of the second class of Chapin women to graduate in 1915,” she said. “Like the world, Chapin has changed over the last century in many ways…you are learning new disciplines, working with fancier science equipment and learning languages other than French and Latin…but in many ways, the most important ways, Chapin has not changed at all.”
“You, like all of us who have come before you, have been given an extraordinary gift that will last and serve you well your entire life,” she continued, addressing the Class of 2024. “You know how to write and communicate successfully, you know how to think critically, you know how to synthesize material. You will be a Chapin graduate and you have received a wonderful educational foundation that will help you to be successful at whatever you choose to do.”
Following Beatrice was Taylor Bakare ’24, President of Self-Government, who commended her peers and noted the connections between the Class of 2024 and those celebrating their 50th Reunion. “These parallel moments are evidence of the invisible string that binds us together through our time here. It's evidence of the spirit of Miss Chapin that clearly lives on through all of us. Class of ’74, we, the Class of 2024 are thrilled to join the ranks with you and offer our talents, ideas, and energy to this community of strong Chapin leaders. We’re excited to have made it and we thank you for having us.”
Following the official induction of the Class of 2024 into the Alumnae Association, alums had the pleasure of hearing from Head of School Suzanne Fogarty and Board Chair LeeAnn Black and singing the School Song. The festivities continued in the 11th floor Athletic Center with an upbeat cocktail reception and a special appearance by the Chapin Gator.
On Saturday morning, alums returned to Chapin for a lovely morning catching up over coffee, tea and mimosas. They also had the opportunity to hear a lively presentation about Chapin’s Speech & Debate Program, featuring an energetic mock debate between Class 4 students, who deliberated whether it was better to be an only child or to have siblings. The presentation was led by K-12 Speech & Debate Coordinator Jim Shapiro.
At noon, over 140 alums gathered in the Gordon Room for the traditional Reunion lunch, where laughter and joy abounded! Following lunch, ACAP (Alum Cultural Awareness Program) hosted an afternoon gathering to meet, mingle and enjoy each other’s company.
We were so pleased to have so many former Chapin students return to our beloved school – including four members of the Class of 1954 celebrating their 70th Reunion and a record of nearly 40 alums from the Class of 2019 celebrating their 5th Reunion!
Thank you to the Alumnae Board, the Reunion committees, led by Lucinda Ballard May ’05 and Sonali Pillay Pizzitola ’06, and the many volunteers who helped make Reunion a success. We can’t wait to see our alums again soon!
Photos by photographer Virginie Carolina and Chapin staff
