Sidwell’s annual Alumni Reunion Weekend took place on May 5 and 6. The event included a variety of activities for alumni, including campus tours, classes taught by faculty members, a Meeting for Worship and service projects. The weekend concluded with a reunion dinner and celebration.

Director of Alumni Engagement Anna Wyeth wrote in an interview that “[Sidwell] invites alumni back on a five-year cycle to celebrate Reunion milestones,” and explained that “this year, [there were] alumni from classes ending in 3 and 8,” with the Class of 1953 being the oldest class in attendance.

According to Wyeth, her team starts planning for the event in the summer or early fall by “recruiting volunteers from each class celebrating a Reunion and working on the schedule and logistics.”

Wyeth stated that despite the planning being a massive undertaking, “We handle it as a team, and everyone helps make it happen together.”

“It was incredible to see attendance numbers and participation surpass previous pre-pandemic levels,” she added.

Assistant Director of Alumni Engagement Kourtney Ginn explained that following the event, both participants and volunteers receive surveys so that their feedback can help improve future reunions. Feedback from previous events led to the creation of two off-campus service projects at this year’s reunion, in addition to open gym and field time.

Ginn stated that methods of communication used to reach alumni included “messaging via the school’s website, email, social media, Zoom meetings with volunteers, and peer-to-peer outreach.”

Upper School Latin Teacher Jake Watson ’18 commented that he enjoyed the reunion. As a member of the planning team, he explained that there was a “great turn out.” He added that it was “fun to see the work come into life and people enjoy it.”

Watson said that a special part of the weekend was that “everyone was really excited to hear about teaching because they hadn’t known that I was teaching back here.” He added that the reunion was also a way to reconnect with old friends and “see where everybody was at now,” explaining that it was “really cool to see how people grow and build on what I remembered from high school.”

For Watson, the highlight of the event was the final dinner and celebration, where he felt a sense of community. Watson also enjoyed watching the Alumni Awards, which were presented during the dinner and celebrated the accomplishments of distinguished alumni.

“I think it’s just cool to see everybody blossoming into their best selves,” Watson concluded.