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As part of Convocation, 91���� Northampton Dean of Faculty Corinne Fogg ’99 announced the presentation of awards to faculty members. For Convocation 2024, four faculty members were honored with ceremonial chairs. Below are Fogg’s remarks in full. Watch a video of Convocation .

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Presentation of Awards����

Good evening, 91����. The presentation of faculty awards is one of the great honors of serving in this role at the school. Amidst a multitude of feelings that swirl within us as we begin a new school year, I find myself searching for tenets of hope, impact, and discovery to launch the year. I imagine that all teachers across the globe seek hope and novelty in each new school year; we have, indeed, chosen the greatest profession – one of purpose and weight. As educators, through each one of you, we try to make an impact on the world – to set you forth on a journey to care for the greater good – to discover new theorems, cures, art forms, landscapes – and to cultivate your own voice. We want you to live engaged lives, and we have the honor, as teachers, to usher forward the work that your families started with you, through our daily impact.��

I contend that we are still living in an age of discovery and exploration within our school community. From the sea to the stars, in your texts and table conversations with teachers, you as students have much to discover still. Mystery and impact are alive, possible, and well. The task for you, as students, is to tap into this phenomenal group of adults and learn.��

I wish to take this moment to recognize the faculty who currently hold the honor of chairs or instructorships, and I ask that they stand. We will recognize the group once all names have been read.��

The David H. ’35 and Edward J. Goodman ’37 Science Chair����

• Mr. Ken Choo��

The Charles Gardner Granniss ’29 and Eugenie Williams Granniss Faculty Chair����

• Mrs. Karla Schaffer��

The Henry M. ’52 and Judith M. Zachs Faculty Chair����

• Mr. Matt Liebowitz��

The Richard C. Gregory Faculty Chair����

• Ms. Sarah Levine��

The George E. Gregory and Catherine B. Gregory Instructorship��

• Ms. Wendy Staples��

The Karin O’Neil Instructorship��

• Mr. Michael Mailloux��

The Emily N. McFadon Vincent ’49 and Bob E. Vincent Instructorship����

• Mrs. Darle Kokoszka��

The Sandra B. ’55 and Joseph C. Mesics Instructorship������

• Ms. Tyla Taylor����

It is my pleasure to now announce faculty awards for 2024.��

The Dennis H. Grubbs Faculty Chair was established in 1999 by trustees and friends of the school in honor of Denny Grubbs in his final year as Headmaster. It is awarded to a faculty member whose life has been dedicated to 91���� Northampton and teaching.����

To dedicate one’s life to something entirely is quite a marvel. It’s a hallmark of several luminaries who have graced the 91���� community over the years. This year’s recipient of the Grubbs Faculty Chair has certainly dedicated a lifetime to this school and its students – earnestly having joined the community on Sep 1, 1986. A master of puns and buns – technically chocolate chip cookies but I went for the rhyme, she can bake enough cookies to feed the residential quad while reminding us that parallel lines have so much in common. It’s a shame they’ll never meet.��

Indeed, we would be hard-pressed to find an alum who doesn’t have a memory of our beloved Mrs. King; she is the kind of teacher students remember for a lifetime. Ellen Messer Bowman ‘07 reflected on Mrs. King as her middle school math teacher, sharing that she “fueled a lifelong desire to learn and explore [spanning] all the way through my college years and into my career.” Ellen continued, “one of the most impactful pieces of advice Ms. King gave me was, ‘Do it like a worksheet.’ As someone with a type-A personality and a tendency toward perfectionism, this phrase really stuck with me. It helped me push through times when I’d get stuck trying to make things perfect or when I felt overwhelmed by a challenge. This mindset has been invaluable in guiding my decision-making, as well as in building a collaborative, problem-solving culture within my teams.”��

Jen Fulcher, Head of Middle School, offered that “with unwavering dedication, Mrs. King blends high expectations with genuine care, ensuring that every student is seen for who they are and gets the support and challenge they need. A passionate teacher who is still looking to improve her craft, Mrs. King [never loses] her passion. From kids who love math to those who’ve always feared it, she creates a classroom where everyone thrives. But beyond the numbers, she instills in her students a belief in their own potential—teaching them that with hard work and commitment, anything is possible.”����

Mrs. Polin furthered this, sharing with me that Mrs. King literally taught her how to teach, for Mrs. Polin covered her sabbatical as her first job at 91����: “Before she left, I had the privilege to observe her classes for half of the year. Simply put, Mimi is magical! She understands that building students’ confidence in their math ability is just as important as building that ability.”����

Mrs. King is kind, patient, and sincere in the work of her teaching. Hers is a life well lived at 91����. In recognition of a life dedicated to teaching and to 91���� Northampton, it is my pleasure to announce the Grubbs Faculty Chair recipient – Mrs. Mimi King.��

Hagedorn Family Faculty Chair was established in 2006 by Robert Hagedorn ’76 and his wife, Meladi (parents of Gregory ’06).��

To know this educator is to come into the presence of a devoted scholar – although to call her as such would be met with an immediate dismissal of the laudation. Nonetheless, her dedication to craft and community is unmatched. Called “a source of positive support for all, encouraging students when they feel down and being the first to offer coverage when colleagues are out,” this faculty member is one of the most can-do colleagues at 91����. Extra help? Yes. Teaching another class? Yes. Of this faculty member, Kim Polin notes that “her instinct is to take personal responsibility for the problems she sees in front of her – a rare quality. She is intensely committed to her students’ success and possesses an intellectual curiosity which rubs off on them in the most positive ways. She epitomizes the ‘warm demander’. Her standards are high, but her support is nearly infinite!” With a master’s in education studying the math experience – high school to college, she practices what she teaches. Having graduated Summa cum Laude, with majors in both mathematics and classical languages, while earning Phi Beta Kappa, Mrs. Hill has distinguished herself proudly among Yale alums.��

This is the steady teacher and scholar we see each day. I asked Robby Hill ‘19 to share his thoughts on her honor, he offered: “In the evenings, my mother’s soundtrack is an array of ringtones, each with its own tenor. The first chime comes from the washing machine, the site of Kathryn Hill’s second job. And if I’ve learned one thing in our 23 years as mother and son, it’s that nothing—no family dinner, airplane departure, or youth soccer kickoff—will supplant the primacy of the next load. The second ringtone is the chirp of the DuoLingo owl marking the end of a Spanish lesson, which has become my mom’s fixation (or, should I say, fijación) for the past two years. But the main theme of my mom’s evening symphony is not the washing machine or that ridiculous owl, but the doorbell, which flocks of students use on their pilgrimage to extra help. My mother is many things: a neurotic clothes washer, an intellectual titan. But above all else, she is a teacher—or magister, in her second language of Latin. For almost thirty-five years, she’s taught one of a school’s most thankless subjects, math, and turned it into an art form. She embodies service to her students, to 91����, and to the sacred act of teaching, and there is no one more deserving of this recognition.”����

With that, and perhaps adding to the cacophony of sounds surrounding the Hill home, I ask you to join me in announcing, on her birthday, the Hagedorn Family Chair recipient, Mrs. Kathryn Hill.��

The Northampton School for Girls Instructorship was established in 1999 by alumnae of the Northampton School for Girls to note the importance of that school in their lives and to support the focus on the education of young women that remains a part of the commitment of the merged schools.����

Education is a serious art. It is not for the faint of heart. As mentioned earlier, it is our calling as faculty to help you in your formation and to shape impact on a future still unknown to us. This charge is one we take to heart. Adding to this, to be called as a true middle school educator is to take up the mantle of preadolescence, to tackle the chemical tumult of pre-teens, and to share in the pivotal transition into high school. This too requires a seriousness of purpose. Our honoree for the 2024 Northampton School for Girls Instructorship is possessing of these qualities – but, if I’m being honest, she holds them in conjunction with zeal, humor, effervescence, outstanding footwear, and a side of hip hop from the early 2000’s. When we drew her away from WMA in 2022, I was certain that 91���� had gained a masterful middle-school teacher, a hometown heroine, and an all-around guiding light of a gal.��

Her students remark that she is a firecracker of a teacher and dorm parent with a keen sense of what it is to be a teenager. Of note, her students speak to her “ability to help [them] learn to write without pressure,” of her “natural way of speaking to [them] and understanding the whole picture of what [they] are going through.” In a year where we commemorate a momentous milestone in our school’s history, the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Northampton School for Girls, Ms. Rohan holds a cellular understanding of what young women, and all teens, need in a role model and teacher. English Department Chair, Matt Liebowitz, shared “It’s a remarkable experience to see Jes in action: she’s truly in her element, full of excitement, goofy and fun and honest and sincere, and all while celebrating student achievement and encouraging kids to see themselves as the writers, readers, and thinkers she already [knows them to be].” In one of her favorite texts, The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett, the author explores precepts key to Ms. Rohan – ambition, love, and resilience. Perhaps, as she accepts this honor, she will be inspired still by Follett’s words: “But you must live with a purpose. To build, to create, to make something. That is what makes life worthwhile.” In recognition of her life of purpose and the spirit of Northampton School for Girls’ alums, it is my pleasure to announce that the Northampton School for Girls Instructorship is awarded to Ms. Jes Rohan.��

25 Year Chairs��

One of the special traditions at Convocation is honoring faculty who have committed 25 years of their lives to 91���� by presenting them with a 91���� Chair. This year, we honor one outstanding member of the faculty.��

Sarah Sawyer joined the 91���� community in 2000, with an extensive array of academic accomplishments behind her. A graduate of Breadloaf School of English, with coursework in 16th century lyric poetry, Victorian poetry, Ovid, and the Bible, she has made her life’s work the celebration of writing. Before that, she graduated magna cum laude with special distinction in English from Amherst College, having spent a spring semester in Rome studying Italian art, language, and literature. Founding the 91���� Writing Center, ushering forward countless visiting writers to campus, and pioneering early 91���� Scholars classes, Mrs. Sawyer led the elevation of student voice and written expression on campus. In her time at 91����, she put pen to paper, publishing her first novel this year, The Undercurrent. The waters that shape her life flow throughout this campus and surround myriad alums who hold her in highest esteem. Mrs. Sawyer has made 91���� her home, raising her two children on campus, and she is a consummate, exceptional teacher. In her time here, she has served as coach, mentor, dorm parent, writer, member of the Cum Laude Society, and English Teacher. In 2008, she was awarded the Sandra B. ’55 and Joseph C. Mesics Instructorship and in 2016, she was awarded the Henry M. ’52 and Judith M. Zachs Faculty Chair. Please join me in congratulating Sarah Sawyer on 25 years of service to 91����.��