Honoring alums in classes ending in 0 and 5, Reunion 2025 was a chance to connect with friends, learn about today’s holistic student experience, and celebrate beloved traditions. We marked achievements, shared remembrances, and reflected on individual and collective accomplishments. Alums also had opportunities to mentor students in areas of professional expertise.

A goal of Reunion 2025 was to provide choices for people to participate in ways that felt right for them.

• There were opportunities for meaningful connection with each other and to learn about teaching and learning at MHS today.

• Discussions throughout the weekend centered on accelerating women’s leadership in historically male-dominated fields.

• Time was set aside for processing together and for hearing from school leaders about continued steps we are taking to support safety and wellbeing.

After careful consideration, we decided to move forward with Reunion 2025 because so many alums told us it was important. The past year has been challenging, and while some chose not to be on campus this year, others were seeking connection and togetherness.

Our partners from Learning Courage who specialize in sexual assault response, prevention, and healing were on campus as a resource to alums and to share steps that are being taken for community care.

Alums from the Class of 2020 were invited to attend free of charge, and registration for all other alums was $25, to make reunion accessible for everyone who wanted to attend.

A conversation about women in aviation, moderated by Miss Hall’s Engineering and Technology Innovation/Science Teacher Zara Acosta-Chen, set an inspiring tone for the weekend.

As part of this year’s focus on women in historically male-dominated fields, Captain Prudence Hostetter ’65, a pioneering American Airlines flight engineer, copilot, and pilot from 1985 to 2007, was in conversation with Berkshires-based flight instructor Yulia Bougouin, and MHS student and pilot-in-training Simma Krantz ’26.

The session was a hit with students and alums alike!

On Saturday afternoon, alums in the fields of healthcare, education, public service, business, entrepreneurship, law, and the arts shared their wisdom and experience with students interested in those career areas.

Discussions were wide-ranging, from ways to get a foot in the door to how to identify a mentor. There were robust conversations about graduate degrees, student loans, compensation, AI, and pathways to success.

Presented during Reunion, alumnae awards recognize MHS graduates who exemplify the Miss Hall’s mission and inspire us all to leave our own marks on the world.

At the Saturday Luncheon, the 2025 Distinguished Service Award was given to Nan Brewster Paternotte ’65, a dedicated member of the Miss Hall’s community who, for more than forty years, has performed volunteer work to support sexually abused children. Nan is a member of the MHS Heritage Society and has served as a Miss Hall’s Trustee since 2017.

Attendees learned about the Paternotte Family Faculty Travel and Study Endowment Fund Grant, which Nan established on the occasion of her 50th reunion to support professional development at Miss Hall’s. Faculty across the departments travel domestically or abroad each year to further knowledge in their field, explore developments in teaching methods or technology, or train in a new instructional area to enrich the Miss Hall’s curriculum. Nan’s leadership and generosity have impacted hundreds of students and will continue to do so in perpetuity.

Public interest lawyer, social justice advocate, and champion of women’s rights Catherine Samuels ’65 received this year’s Distinguished Alumna Award. After graduating from Barnard College, Catherine was active in the anti-war movement and, as a feminist organizer, co-founded local, state, and national political caucuses to increase women’s political power. She served as Program Director of the Women’s Action Alliance, founded by Gloria Steinem to help women — especially those in marginalized communities — effectively address priorities they defined.

After a 17-year career as a trailblazing employment lawyer, Catherine became Director of the Program on Law and Society at the Open Society Foundation, where she developed a grant-making program to improve legal services for the poor, promoted reforms of the U.S. legal profession, and protected the impartiality of American courts. She went on to become President of the National Organization of Women’s (NOW) Legal Defense and Education Fund, focusing on improving the lives of women and girls by addressing issues of poverty, sexual abuse, and childcare. All the while, Catherine has done pro bono work for innovative social justice projects and served on many boards, supporting causes she believes in.

Throughout the weekend, we celebrated the arts at Miss Hall’s with performances by the Grace Notes a cappella group, the MHS Theater ensemble, and individual vocalists and chamber musicians. Alums had the opportunity to purchase student-made crafts at Saturday’s Hatch Sale, as well as plants cultivated by 9th graders, which were sold in beautiful, hand-thrown pots.

Surrounded by a powerful exhibition of artwork by four graduating seniors, we dedicated the central gallery in the Elizabeth Gatchell Klein Arts Center in memory of Susan Knight Hamill ’75, on the occasion of what would have been her 50th Reunion.

A lover of the arts and member of our Hall’s Heritage Society, Susan left a legacy gift that provides for meaningful student experiences in the arts, including robust curricular and extracurricular opportunities on campus and myriad cultural experiences in the Berkshires and beyond.