Upper School Division News: May 1, 2025

By Mr. Chris Ames, Upper School Division Head

Dear Winston Family,

Most of you are familiar with the Greek myth surrounding Persephone and the seasons. In short, Hades, god of the Underworld, abducted Demeter’s daughter, Persephone, and took her as his wife to live with him below the earth. Demeter, goddess of agriculture and fertility, was so grief stricken that the earth became barren and desolate. Hades agreed to a compromise and allowed Persephone to spend half of the year on the surface and the other half in the underworld.  Today we associate Persephone’s return to the surface each year with the return of spring and summer, rejuvenation and fertility. Her departure signals the arrival of fall and winter.

There is an interesting symmetry to this in the world of academia. Our students are working hard throughout the academic calendar to complete coursework, graduation requirements, athletic benchmarks and many more noteworthy items. At the end of the “year”, students depart for the summer and while some are engaged in classes, academic camps or enrichment activities, many use summer as the break that it is from the rigors of high school. It would be interesting to ask students and parents which portion of the year equates to the Greek spring and summer and which lines up with fall and winter. As we get ready to send our kids off for the summer months, I encourage you to find ways in which your student can continue to engage with academic activity. Our math and English teachers will be providing summer work (on a manageable level), but finding unique ways for students to use their brain while traveling, playing sports or just enjoying more time at home can yield great dividends when they return in August. 

On a more mundane level, please note the following US - specific events below for the month of May.  A large round of applause for our seniors for the completion of the Senior Projects - and a big thank you to Donna Lavecchia for shepherding another class past this milestone!

Wednesday, May 7 - US Awards Assembly - 10:15 am - Auditorium

Thursday, May 8 - Athletic Banquet - 6:00 pm - Gym

Friday, May 9 - Final Senior Lunch - 12:25 pm - Fine Arts atrium

Saturday, May 10 - Prom - 7:00 pm - Fine Arts Foyer

Monday, May 12 - Thursday, May 15 - Senior Exams (½ days)

Thursday, May 15 - Six Flags Math Adventure Day (9th - 11th Grades) - all day

Thursday, May 15 - Senior Sunset Dinner - 6:30 pm - Campus

Friday, May 16 - Wednesday, May 21 - Underclassmen Exams (½ days)

Saturday, May 18 - Baccalaureate - 3:00 pm - Auditorium

Thursday, May 22 - Commencement - 7:00 pm - Auditorium

If you are interested in planning around the final exam schedule, please click on this link.  The document contains both the Senior Exam schedule and the exam blocks for grades 9 - 11.  

Finally, if your student has not taken either the Health or Speech class requirement, they are welcome to sign up for one or both courses during our summer school sessions.  Any student needing credit recovery courses should reach out to myself ([email protected]) or Will Jennings ([email protected]) in order to obtain registration information and clarify the details around the credit recovery process.  Our summer sessions begin on June 2 and will run through July 3.  

To register and pay for a summer school course please use this link and let us know if you have any questions.  I look forward to seeing you on campus this spring!

From the Upstairs,

Chris Ames