On February 14th, Wooster School celebrated its tenth annual Founder’s Day. This day was created in 2004 by former Headmaster, George King, in order to recognize the people, both past, present, and future, that make Wooster such a special place. On this day, students, faculty, and friends gather to honor Wooster’s past and share Wooster’s history. Each year during the Founder’s Day assembly, the Korb Eynon Award is given to a deserving member of the faculty, the Yearbook dedication is announced, and there is an inspirational speaker.
This year, Jay Young ’64 was the Founder’s Day speaker. As the son of a Wooster music teacher, Jay has been a member of the Wooster community for most of his life. He attended Wooster when it was an all-boys boarding school and is now a proud parent of two Wooster alumni. Jay has stayed involved in the Wooster community, serving as a member of the Alumni Council, a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame Nominating Committee, and a member of the Annual Golf Tournament Committee. Most recently, Jay has acted as the driving force behind the recent resurrection of Wooster’s archives, helping to create a space where Wooster’s rich history can be displayed. During the Founder’s Day assembly, Mr. Young gave an intriguing speech detailing Wooster’s history through the years and sharing interesting Wooster secrets.
The Korb Eynon Award was given next. Mr. Eynon was Wooster’s headmaster from 1980- 1985. This award honors and thanks those individuals who have distinguished themselves by their extraordinary long-term personal investment in the life and growth of Wooster students. Alvin Hamilton, Dean of Academics, was the recipient this year. In addition, three members of the Wooster faculty and staff were recognized for ten years of service to Wooster: John Zahner, Elizabeth McDevitt, Juan Espinozo.
The 2013 yearbook was dedicated to English teacher and former yearbook advisor, Susan Read. Ms. Read is beloved by all Upper School students. A Wooster senior notes, "to me, this teacher is an otherworldly educator, and a truly essential part of my experience at Wooster and as a young person. She has truly left an impression on my Senior English education and that of my classmates, that only a special kind of person could ever do. She is the kind of teacher who can extinguish the confusions, misconceptions, and concerns of all her students... " The Wooster yearbook is produced by a student committee and will be available in April.
During the Founder’s Day festivities this year, there was also a special announcement. The winners of the Project Based Learning Initiative (PBLI) were announced by Susan Becker, President of the Parents’ Association. The PBLI was an all-school collaborative effort in which students in Grades 1 through 12 were split into thirty teams, each led by an upperclassman. Each of the groups were asked to develop a proposal for the problem “If I had $1,000.00 to make Wooster School a better place I would…” The proposals were judged by the Parents’ Association on feasibility, creativity, quality of preparation, and implementation. The winning proposal will be implemented and funded by the Parents’ Association to better the campus.
On Founder’s Day, the PBLI groups were reunited. Teams sat together in the gym to listen to the Founder’s Day speakers and find out the winning proposal. The Parents’ Association (PA) chose two winning teams since each team’s proposal came in at about $500.00. The winning teams were the “Purple Flamingos” and the “Snowdogs.” Team “Purple Flamingos” came up with a proposal called, "Go Green!" In their proposal, they suggested that Wooster would be a better place with "trash, paper and bottle bins for all of campus. This will keep our campus clean and beautiful for years to come. Students can also encourage living 'the green life'." Team “Snowdogs” came up with the idea of a “Re-usable Water Bottle Filler Station” and proposed that Wooster put a "re-usable water bottle filler, mounted on the wall by the gym, as a convenient, eco-friendly way to fill up our water bottles." All in all, everyone had great ideas and all were excited to hear the winners announced on Founder’s Day!
About Wooster School
Wooster School is an independent, college preparatory day school in Danbury, Connecticut. The School serves boys and girls from early childhood through grade 12 in small classes averaging twelve students. The mission of Wooster School is to educate the minds of its students, to cultivate their ethical understanding, to develop their artistic appreciation and expression, to promote their physical well-being—thus to prepare each individual for college and for a useful life.
To learn more, visit http://www.woosterschool.org/ or contact Wooster School Admissions at (203) 830-3916.
