Ethel Walker School
We have a wonderful schedule of events planned for you. Take a look!
| 11:30 a.m. | Registration Opens | Beaver Brook Lobby |
| 11:45 a.m. | Lunch | Abra’s Dining Hall |
| 1:00 p.m. | TEDxEthel Walker Women: Walker’s Women in the World Student and Alumnae Panel Discussion | Little Ferg |
| 2:45 p.m. | Athletics Hall of Fame Ceremony | Ferguson Theatre |
| 3:30 p.m. | Athletics Hall of Fame Dessert Reception | Ferguson Theatre Lobby and Speers Family Lobby |
| 4:00 p.m. | Master Class and Afternoon Tea with Dr. Meera Viswanathan | Living Room |
| 5:00 p.m. | Women of Color Conversation with Students and Alumnae | Ward and Williams Center for Equity and Justice |
| 6:30 p.m. | Golden Hours Reception and Dinner for the Class of 1974 | Debby’s House Home of Dr. Meera Viswanathan |
| Food Truck Dinner | Centennial Center Soc and Lawn Weather permitting |
| 8:30 a.m. | Breakfast | Abra’s Dining Hall |
| 9:00 a.m. | LGBTQ Student and Alumnae Breakfast | Ward and Williams Center for Equity and Justice |
| 10:00 a.m. | Class Parade | Beaver Brook Circle |
| 10:30 a.m. | Reunion Chapel | Chapel |
| 11:30 a.m. | Class Photos | Beaver Brook Steps |
| 12:00 | Lunch | Abra’s Dining Hall |
| 1:00 p.m. | State of the School Address with Head of School Dr. Meera Viswanathan | Ferguson Theatre |
| 2:00 p.m. | Master Class on Walker’s History with School Archivist Kim Harris Thacker P’24, ’27 | Ferguson Theatre |
| 3:00 p.m. | Alumnae Ride | Lorinda Payson de Roulet ’47, P’70 Show Ring Weather permitting |
| 4:15 p.m. | Pickleball Tournament | Centennial Center |
| 5:00 p.m. | Meet and Greet with Walker’s Art Students | Letitia McClure Potter ’55, P’85 Art Gallery |
| 6:30 p.m. | Cocktail Reception and Kentucky Derby Viewing Party | Living Room |
| 7:00 p.m. | Banquet Dinner | Abra’s Dining Hall |
| 8:30 p.m. | Ba-Na-Na Dance Party | Common Room |
| Piano Bar | Living Room |
| 10:00 a.m. | Brunch | Abra’s Dining Hall |
| 12:30 p.m. | Walker’s Community Partnerships: Hear From Student Leaders | Beaver Brook Art Studio |
| 1:00 p.m. | Unified Art Group Activity with Walker’s Students and Local Participants | Art Studio |
Walker’s Students Izzy H. ’25, Val L. ’25, Rita X. ’24, and Amy Y. ’25
Listen to current students and reunion alumnae share fascinating tales of their accomplishments beyond campus! This program will be moderated by student Advancement Ambassador Amy Y. ‘25.
In the spirit of discovering and spreading ideas, TED has created a program called TEDx. TEDx is a program of local, self-organized events that bring people together to share a TED-like experience. Our event is called TEDxEthel Walker Women, where x = independently organized TED event. At our TEDxEthel Walker Women event, TED Talks video and live speakers will combine to spark deep discussion and connection in a small group. The TED Conference provides general guidance for the TEDx program, but individual TEDx events, including ours, are self-organized.
About TED
TED is on a mission to discover and spread ideas that spark imagination, embrace possibility and catalyze impact. Our organization is devoted to curiosity, reason, wonder and the pursuit of knowledge — without an agenda. We welcome people from every discipline and culture who seek a deeper understanding of the world and connection with others, and we invite everyone to engage with ideas and activate them in your community.
TED began in 1984 as a conference where Technology, Entertainment and Design converged, but today it spans a multitude of worldwide communities and initiatives exploring everything from science and business to education, arts and global issues. In addition to the hundreds of TED Talks curated from our annual conferences and published on TED.com, we produce original podcasts, short video series, animated educational lessons (TED-Ed) and TV programs that are translated into more than 100 languages and distributed via partnerships around the world. Each year, more than 3,000 independently run TEDx events bring people together to share ideas and bridge divides in communities on every continent. Through the Audacious Project, TED has helped catalyze more than $3 billion in funding for projects that seek to make the world more beautiful, sustainable and just. In 2020, TED launched Countdown, an initiative to accelerate solutions to the climate crisis and mobilize a movement for a net-zero future. View a full list of TED’s many programs and initiatives.
TED is owned by a nonprofit, nonpartisan foundation. Our aim is to help create a future worth pursuing for all. Follow TED on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and on LinkedIn. This independent TEDx event is operated under license from TED.
Bad Girls: Demons, Witches, Temptresses, and Blue Stockings — Stories of Female ResistanceDr. Meera Viswanathan, Head of School
Mae West once remarked, “Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go everywhere.” Why is it that the most interesting female characters in literature are the putative bad ones — the ones who will not conform, who resist societal pressures and who prize their own agency? These are precisely the qualities that are prized in male protagonists, but female characters who “get around” invariably seem to go astray if we accept standard readings of narratives throughout history. Let’s explore a few of these literary stories together as we think about the thematic union of women, power, movement, desire, and transformation.
The History of The Ethel Walker School Kim Harris Thacker P’24,’27, English Faculty and School Archivist
Join archivist Kim Harris Thacker P’24, ’27 for a presentation about the School’s early history and its deep connection with the community of Simsbury. In addition, learn about the recent efforts to bring together archival materials and campus-excavated artifacts that have resulted in a new and palpable interest in history among Walker’s students. Many of the excavated artifacts will be on display, and pendants crafted from porcelain dinnerware used by Walker’s students in the 1920s will be available for purchase, with all proceeds going directly to the Archives.
