Whether you are a boarding or day student, you will be a part of a warm community where you will be accepted and valued for who you are.
At Walker’s, faculty are more than just teachers. They are advisors, coaches, mentors, and your family away from home. Here, all students, whether day or boarding, are part of a vibrant community that lives, studies, eats, and plays together seven days a week. It’s nearly impossible to distinguish who is a boarding student versus a day student as all students are fully engaged in the life of the school.
In between classes, Upper School and Middle School boarding and day students make the most of our facilities on campus, including the library, the Centennial Center social center, fitness center, music rooms, the barn, dance studios, and the basketball and squash courts. In warmer weather, students can be found gathering on the Centennial Lawn behind Beaver Brook or sitting at the picnic tables near the Centennial Center.
After classes, students participate in co-curricular programs then join their friends in Abra’s for dinner. Following dinner our Upper School students spend time together, rehearsing with musical groups and meeting with clubs and affinity groups. Day students are always welcome to join boarders in the Library for study hall following dinner. Residential students can also choose to study in their dorm room. On weeknights following study hall, boarding students gather in their dorm common rooms with residential faculty for games, snacks, celebrations, and camaraderie.
On weekends, day students are often found spending time with boarding students at brunch, on the fields, and at events both on and off campus.
At a boarding school, you are never more than a few steps away from someone who is an integral part of your daily life at Walker’s.
As a day student, you will explore every part of life at Walker’s, including all-school and weekend events, or even staying for dinner in Abra’s.
Our student Head of Weekend Activities works with our Assistant Dean of Students to make sure there are plenty of fun events and outings each weekend. Day and boarding students will always have the opportunity for a full schedule.
Walker’s students have many opportunities to engage in student government positions which promotes the smooth running of student activities, and provides leadership for students as they face challenging issues or concerns.
The many student and faculty-led clubs and affinity groups provide students with the opportunity to find their niche community. Students can create their own club with faculty or advisor consent. The possibilities are endless!
Community Partnerships provide students with an opportunity to perform service in the community while acquiring skills.
Learn MoreStudents choose from among 12 sports in three seasons along with fitness, outdoor adventure, yoga, and cross training.
Learn MoreMiddle and Upper School students participate on IEA teams as well as in rated and non-rated shows throughout the country.
Learn MoreStudents who have a passion for the arts choose it as their co-curricular or as classes in their daily schedule.
Learn MoreElisa Del Valle
Assistant Head of School for Student Life/Director of Social Justice and Inclusion
Elisa Del Valle
Elisa Del Valle, a native of Brooklyn, NY, has lived in Connecticut for over a decade. Prior to joining Walker’s in fall 2016, she worked as the director of student activities and leadership development/new student orientation at Wesleyan University. While at Wesleyan, Elisa served on the Presidential Task Force for Equity and Inclusion and was an active voice on issues of Equity and Inclusion amongst her student affairs professionals. Elisa’s deep-rooted interest in women’s education is what brings her to Walker’s. Elisa attended an all-girls high school in New York City before attending Smith College in Northampton, MA where she majored in Government and minored in Spanish. While working at Mount Holyoke College, Elisa attended graduate school at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst where she graduated with a Master’s in Social Justice Education. Elisa is an active Commissioner of the CAIS Commission on Diversity in Independent Schools, an educators network focused on diversity, as well as training and resources for diversity practitioners at CAIS member schools.
Read Full ProfileNishette Isaac
Dean of Students/Dean of Middle School Digital Library Services
Nishette Isaac
Nishette joined Walker’s in 2016 from the Collegiate School in New York where she served as the school’s librarian for three years. She earned her B.A. in anthropology from Hofstra University, her M.S. in teaching from Fordham University, and her M.L.S. from Pratt Institute. Nishette began her career as a librarian for the New York City Department of Education where she served for four years at PS 305 and PS 256. There, she ran the library while being frequently called upon to perform classroom teaching duties. In 2011, she joined Dalton School as a volunteer librarian and spent the 2012-2013 year as a maternity leave replacement librarian at both Chapin School and Brearley School. Nishette was born in Saint Lucia and moved to the United States when she was 10. She is an active member of the Shelflives Book Club and has served as vice president of the Hudson Valley Librarian Association for the past three years.
Read Full ProfileMallory Pasquariello
Director of Residential Life and Student Activities
Mallory Pasquariello
Mallory is a graduate of Roger Williams University with a bachelor’s degree in art history and a triple minor in architecture, business management and English literature. She also has an M.A. in Museum Studies through the distance learning program at the University of Leicester. Previously, Mallory served as teller supervisor and customer service representative for Northwest Community Bank in New Hartford where she has gained a wealth of experience in customer service and organization. Here at Walker’s, Mallory serves as the assistant to the Dean’s Office and is the coordinator of student permissions and attendance in the Upper School. She is also a house faculty member in the New Dorm.
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