Alums Weekend 2024 is in the books! Thanks to all who came to campus to share in the fellowship in spite of the rain! Thanks also go to all the staff, faculty, and students whose hard work make these events special.
Stay tuned for an Alums Weekend recap in the next issue of the Westonian magazine. In the meantime, enjoy the galleries of photos here!
As part of their new series Identity, Value, and Politics, The History Department and the EJB team hosted their first speaker Westtown alum Nick Thomas ’02. Nick ran for the U.S. House of Representatives as an Independent Candidate in Colorado’s 2nd District in 2018. He currently serves the American Friends Service Committee as the clerk of the Committee on Friends Relations. Nick is also an actor, most recently with starring roles in An Egypt Affair (2023) and Amazon Queen (2021).
As his bio notes, “Nick grew up within the formative walls of the Boulder Friends Meeting, which he still considers his primary Meeting. He also attends, when possible, the Estes Park Friends/Unitarian group where his parents reside, Intermountain Yearly Meeting, and whatever Meeting he can find in the cities he visits. Nick attended Westtown School and Earlham College, wanting in both to seek out a greater understanding of Quaker practices and values beyond his upbringing. Outside, he is a proven generalist with a particular passion in politics – especially around climate activism and national service; and is also a pilot, actor and producer, and often involved in event management. In 2005 he spent half a year living with, and working as personal assistant to, Mrs. Coretta Scott King, and has long supported the initiatives and Beloved Community principles of the Martin Luther King Center. He holds a Masters in International Diplomacy and an MBA, was chosen as a 2015 Gabr Fellow, 2008 Congressional Youth Ambassador to South Korea, and as an OFA Fellow. He is an Eagle Scout and Rotarian, a lifetime member and supporter of the National Committee on U.S.-China Relations and of Hosteling International, and a Board member of AREI.”
During his visit with groups of students, Nick spoke about his family’s personal connections with Coretta Scott King and her family, as well as how his Quakerism and experiences at Westtown and beyond have shaped his life philosophy and political beliefs. He described how a commitment to peace and nonviolence informed leaders in the civil rights movement, and he shined a light on movements for peace including the Christmas truce of World War I and the worldwide ceasefire of the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, led by Andrew Young. He discussed the dangers of political polarization and how rank-choice voting and embracing independent candidates might help us move beyond a two-party political system. Nick encouraged students to take positive risks as he has in his own life, most recently leading to his roles in several recent movies. ~Louisa Egan Brad, Dean of Equity, Justice, and Belonging
In January, alums and community members hit the Coach Downey Court for the Annual Alums/Community Basketball game. It was wonderful to see so many alums back on campus and back on the court! Enjoy the gallery of photos here.
Have you registered for Alums Weekend? Alums Weekend, May 17-19, is fast approaching, but there is still time to register! We have so many special activities planned and we hope you will take the opportunity to gather with friends, have some fun, and enjoy the beautiful campus. We hope to see you soon!
We look forward to welcoming you back to Westtown for Alums Weekend on May 17-19, 2024! This year we will celebrate reunions for classes ending in four and nine, including special 50th reunion gatherings for the Class of 1974. Registration will launch in March, but in the meantime, it’s time to start thinking about your class reunions. If you already have plans confirmed, please let us know.
Keep an eye out for more details in the coming months, and don’t hesitate to email our team with any questions!
It was wonderful to see so many alums on campus over Alums Weekend 2023! There will be a recap of the weekend’s activities and reunions celebrating milestone years in the next issue of The Westonian. In the meantime, please enjoy the photos from the weekend!
Upper School history teacher Dan Burger-Lenehan, invited Andrew Richardson ’02 to a Zoom Q&A session with his 9/11 and U.S.-Middle East Relations classes. Burger-Lenehan shares, “Andrew is a counterterrorism analyst in the NYPD’s Intelligence Bureau. The students in my course just wrapped up a unit on terrorism that covered both 9/11 and the more recent surge in far-right domestic terrorism, so Andrew’s work is very relevant to what they’ve been studying.” Students enjoyed the presentation and had many questions for Richardson.
This is just one example of how alums’ experiences can enrich learning for our students. We welcome and invite alums to engage with our students, and to share their professional experiences. If you are interested, please be in touch with Domi Waldron, Director of Alums Engagement.
Why does gender-inclusive language matter? Louisa Egan-Brad, Dean of Equity, Justice, and Belonging, shares her thoughts in this post on our blog.
On March 29 at 6:30 p.m., the Westtown Alumni Association Board held a Called Meeting for Business to discern changing the name of the Westtown Alumni Association to the Westtown Alums Association. This change was proposed to match Westtown’s style convention of using “alums” in place of “alumni/ae/x” to simplify communications and be explicitly gender inclusive.
We are pleased to announce that our proposal was accepted at this meeting, and our official name is now the Westtown Alums Association.
On behalf of all of our members, the WAA board would like to thank everyone who attended the Called Meeting. If you have any follow-up questions, please email alums@westtown.edu.
We look forward to welcoming you back to Westtown for Alums Weekend on May 19-21, 2023! This year we will celebrate reunions for classes ending in three and eight, including special 50th reunion gatherings for the Class of 1973. More information about the weekend can be found on our website and you can check out this page for details about how to register. See you back in ‘Town!
