Dear alumnae,
 
As is the way on Mount Ida, summer flew by! On August 26, we happily greeted nearly half of our students for preseason sports practice, and Wednesday marked the official first day of the 196th year at Emma Willard School. Sunny skies, laughter, and tales of summer adventures prevail, but as we know from experience, they will soon give way to a fast-paced academic year. These late summer days and the smell of cut grass bring back lots of memories of returning to campus after summer vacation and reconnecting with beloved teachers and dear friends. I hope you remember those days as fondly as I do.
 
In the Alumnae Relations office, we are gearing up for Reunion 2009, October 9-11, and look forward to seeing all of the 4s and 9s for what will be a memorable weekend. Highlights of the weekend include Celebrating a Century on Mount Ida, during which we will honor this year’s Distinguished Alumnae Award recipients, share in the talents of our current students, and take time together to consider this amazing campus and the century of extraordinary women who were privileged to call it home. Much has transpired within "ye grey walls" in 100 years; time will tell what the next century will hold.
 
As always, if you need anything at all, please do not hesitate to be in touch.
 
Best,
Linda Passaretti ’84
lpassaretti@emmawillard.org

Reunion 2010? We haven’t even had Reunion 2009 yet! This is true, but thanks to those of you who completed the reunion timing survey, we know that June reunions are favored over fall reunions. Ever aiming to please, we are happy to invite classes of the 0s and 5s to Reunion 2010 on June 11-13, 2010! Good news: often our June reunions conflict with Father’s Day, but Father’s Day 2010 is June 20, so no excuses—we expect you to come in droves! Please, if you are interested in getting involved in your reunion planning, email Linda Passaretti at lpassaretti@emmawillard.org  —we need Reunion Chairs, Reunion Giving Chairs, and committee members. It’s a great way to reconnect and do something great for Emma!

Please join New York area alumnae for an invigorating 5k run/walk in Central Park on Sunday, September 13 to support the fight against breast cancer with the Komen Foundation. Mara Grbenick ’03 and Shayna Silverman ’03, the fearless leaders of the NYC Emmies group, have formed a team for the Emma Willard NYC Alumnae Club and would like you, your friends, and family to join them! Register ASAP to be a part of the Emma Willard team. Click HERE to register, select “Join a Race Team” and choose the “Emma Willard Alumnae and Friends” team. A team meeting place will be announced in advance.

Myo-Ja Ser ’94, a reporter for the International Herald Tribune-JoongAng Daily in Seoul, Korea, covers international politics, including the summit meeting between President Obama and South Korean President Lee Myung-bak in Washington, plus a meeting of the G-20 in London. Myo-Ja recently won an award from the Society of Publishers in Asiafor a story about a German woman who briefly reunited with her North Korean husband decades after he was forced to return to the north. Congratulations, Myo-Ja!
 
Thanks to Linda Flagler Stevens ’61, Emma Willard now has a copy of the 1940 Capital District EWS Cookbook that includes recipes for Chinese Chews and EW Fruit Cake, among other delectable dishes from the kitchens of Fae MacChesney Page ’38, Gwenllian Herbert Warncke ’25, a young Lois Smith Lusty ’21, and many other local notables. Bonus: an eggnog recipe for 175 people requiring seven bottles of booze. Stay tuned for .pdfs on the Web site!