Submitted release
Simsbury – This past Sunday, The First Lady of the State of Connecticut, Cathy Malloy, delivered the Commencement Address at the 100th graduation of The Ethel Walker School. In front of the School’s main building Beaver Brook, forty confident, accomplished girls graduated in the School’s Centennial year, ending their high school career with words of advice and wisdom from the State’s First Lady.
“Your job is to live fully – and live all of your selves,” said Cathy Malloy, First Lady of Connecticut. “Live your scared self. Live your wrong-headed self. Live your compassionate self. Live the self that tells you to set high expectations. And then live the self that will make those expectations a reality.”
"It was a special privilege to have Mrs. Malloy with us as we celebrated 100 years of educating young woman,” says Bessie Speers, Head of School. “Mrs. Malloy understands the importance of women in leadership roles, affecting positive change in our communities."
The year has been one of celebration and reflection for the School, honoring the innovative Ethel Walker herself in myriad ways for her foresight, wisdom and courage in founding the school in 1911 at a time when girl’s education was not a priority within society. She opened the School doors with 10 students. Today, The Ethel Walker School has over 250 undergraduates each year from the United States and more than a dozen foreign countries.
The School has changed over the last century in ways that Ms. Walker herself would have been hard pressed to imagine. Students carry laptops and iPads to classrooms, faculty use flipped classrooms to help make class time more interactive and valuable, and the school leverages digital mediums to communicate internally and externally. But as Bessie Speers points out, “The core of a Walker’s education is the same today as it was when Ms. Walker first opened the school doors. We are dedicated to academic integrity, strength of curriculum and a strong college placement record. At our center, our commitment to scholarship, the arts, athletics, wellness and service is unrivaled.”
Congratulations to the 100th class of graduates from The Ethel Walker School!
The Ethel Walker School is an independent, college preparatory, boarding and day school for girls in grades six through twelve. Since 1911, The Ethel Walker School has excelled at preparing students to make a difference in the world. Members of this diverse community are dedicated to scholarship, the arts, athletics, wellness, and service. The satisfaction of achievement and joy of friendship are fundamental principles as the School empowers girls to lead with integrity, confidence, courage, and conviction.
