Joining Generations through Generosity
慷慨无私 世代相传
Celebrating Reunion Weekend right in the middle of Commencement Weekend makes for a very busy time on campus. Friday’s schedule includes the afternoon Senior Tea and the evening Commencement Concert along with the 50th Reunion Class gathering in the afternoon and numerous alumni parties on Friday night. Sunday’s schedule includes a brunch for alumni in the morning and Class Day and Baccalaureate for the graduates in the afternoon and evening, respectively. During these days, I often feel like I am being pulled in several directions.
在毕业典礼周期间庆祝团聚周活动使得整个校园都变得忙碌起来。周五的日程安排包含下午的十二年级茶话会和晚上的毕业典礼音乐会，以及下午的第50次团聚班聚会活动和晚上的校友聚会。周日的日程安排包含上午的校友早午餐、下午的课程日和晚上的毕业生学士学位授予仪式。在这些日子里，我经常感觉自己多了好几个分身。
Saturday and Monday are more focused: Saturday on alumni events and Monday on Commencement. On both of these days, however, our current student body commingles with our alumni through acts of service, and vice versa. This interaction enriches the weekend for both groups, and it has become one of my favorite things about this busy time.
周六和周一更集中一点：周六是校友活动，周一是毕业典礼。然而，我们的学生和校友在这两天里都互相进行了交流、沟通，这样的互动使得学生群体和校友们的周末都丰富了起来，它也是我在这段时间里最喜欢的事情之一。
On Saturday each year, we honor our Alumni Council and other benefactors at our Thaddeus Fairbanks Society Luncheon. This year, we gave attendees gifts of maple syrup made by some of our graduates as part of the Forestry program. At the same event, graduates Gwen Frechette, Matteo Dill, and Madison Suitor gave speeches, highlighting how their Academy experience changed their lives and how these benefactors’ contributions had made a difference. In addition, the String Ensemble played throughout the luncheon, and the dining hall was decorated with an array of student-made prints from our Intaglio Society.
每年周六这一天，我们都会在Thaddeus Fairbanks Society午餐会上向校友会和其他捐助者表示敬意。今年我们给与会者赠送了由毕业生制作的枫糖糖浆，会上毕业生Gwen Frechette、 Matteo Dill和Madison Suitor为大家做了演讲，强调他们在学院的学习生活体验如何改变了他们的生活，以及捐助者的贡献对他们产生了怎样的影响。此外，弦乐合奏团在整个午餐会期间进行表演，餐厅也用凹雕协会学生的画作进行装饰。
Immediately after this event, we celebrated the renovation and restoration of Brantview, which was made possible in part by the generosity of many alumni, with a Ribbon Cutting Ceremony. The Brantview event was attended by some of our student electricians and woodworkers who worked on the project throughout the school year. Freshman artist Gracie Villareal created and presented a portrait of Phillip Fairbanks, who was born in Brantview and later became President of the Board of Trustees. Phillip Fairbanks’ son and current Trustee Bob Fairbanks was present at the event to witness the unveiling of his father’s portrait and express his appreciation to Gracie.
午餐会刚结束，我们就庆祝了Brantview的翻新和修复工程，进行了剪彩仪式，这项工程能顺利完成一部分原因是许多校友的慷慨贡献。参加此次庆祝活动的是整个学年都忙于翻新Brantview的学生电工和木工。九年级艺术学生Gracie Villareal创作并展示了Phillip Fairbanks的肖像画，Phillip Fairbanks出生在Brantview，后来成为校董事会主席，他的儿子—现任理事Bob Fairbanks也出席了这次活动，见证了父亲肖像揭幕的时刻，同时表达了对Gracie的欣赏和感激之情。
Later Saturday evening, our girls’ track team proudly paraded into the Alumni Banquet to show off their Division I Championship trophy (the fourth one in a row, eight in a row if you count indoor titles!), and throughout the night, the alumni were served by our current students as waiters, who ended the night by leading the alumni in the alma mater, which has become a Banquet tradition.
周六晚上，我们的女子田径队在校友宴会上自豪地展示她们的I区联赛冠军奖杯（连续四次，如果算上室内比赛就是连续八次），整个夜晚我们的学生都作为侍者为校友们服务，这已经成为校友宴会的一种传统。
On Monday, the tables turned, and members of our alumni body served our current students. Alumnus and former Trustee Greg Boardman ‘75 spoke eloquently to the graduating class about resilience and perseverance in the face of failure. Then dozens of graduates received awards funded by generous alumni (we gave out over 100 awards over the weekend!), and each graduate received their diploma from alumnus and Board President Jay Wright ‘87. There were also hundreds of alums in the crowd of 3000 gathered to celebrate the accomplishments of the graduating class.
周一刚好相反，校友成员反过来为学生服务。校友兼前理事Greg Boardman向毕业生们讲述了面对失败时的坚韧和毅力。几十名毕业生获得了校友的慷慨资助（上周末我们颁发了100多个奖项），每位毕业生都从校友会主席Jay Wright处获得了毕业证书。3000位观众中还有几百位校友也聚集在一起庆祝毕业班学生获得的成绩。
All weekend, I was surrounded by reminders of how deeply integrated the past members of our student body are with today’s Academy students. One of my favorite symbols of this connection between the past and the present is the relatively new tradition of the graduating class partnering with the 50th Reunion Class on their Class Gift. This year, they combined resources to fund the landscaping for Brantview, including the beautiful new elm trees that now line Brantview Drive. As I walked from the Senior Tea at the Headmaster’s House to Brantview to greet the 50th Reunion Class of 1968, I passed the elms and reflected on how, in 50 years, these graduates of the Class of 2018 will combine resources with the Class of 2068. I have no clue what they will fund, but I know that by joining together to leave this place better than they found it, they will carry on a tradition that continues to make the Academy a great place.
整个周末，我都时刻被提醒着学院过去成员和现有成员的联系有多紧密。在过去和现在的紧密联系中，我最喜欢的一个标志是毕业班的新传统，他们和第50次团聚班合作准备班级礼物。今年，他们资助Brantview景观美化工程，包括现在Brantview Drive一排美丽的新榆树。当我从校长室十二年级茶话会走到Brantview，向1968届同学聚会问候时，经过那片榆树林时我在想，之后的50年里，2018届毕业生与2068届毕业生会进行怎样的合作呢？我不知道他们将会资助什么，但是我知道他们延续这个传统，让学院变得更美更好。
