A by-the-numbers look at recent alumni highlights
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Days spent discussing Taylor Swift’s music through an academic lens at a symposium co-chaired by Gates MacPherson ’19. MacPherson, who is pursuing her Ph.D. at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, collaborated on the event, which focused on Swift’s literary ability to create music on “the feminine experience and socio-political forces.” Among MacPherson’s research interests: antiheroines in theological narratives.
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Alumni volunteers who had informal networking sessions with class of 2025 students as part the Core 12 pilot program. This new trimester-long class aims to send recent graduates off with useful life skills, such as financial literacy, resumé creation, and interviewing prowess.
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Years since construction first began on Memorial Hall in 1950. Originally constructed as a dorm for “Middlers and Upper Middlers”
—tenth and eleventh graders—the dorm first looked as it does in the photo above. Later, a peaked roof, an expanded faculty residence, and a central entrance and bridge were added.
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Graduating high school seniors named U.S. Presidential Scholars each year by the Department of Education—and Alyssa Matricciani ’25 was one of them in 2025! The highly selective program is based on outstanding performance on the SAT or ACT, academic achievements, leadership qualities, and community service. Matricciani, who also won the White Blazer award at Commencement, is now pursuing a chemistry degree at Georgetown University.
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Williston lacrosse alums who competed in the 2025 European Lacrosse Championships. Ryan Fitzpatrick ’19 took home gold for Team Israel. John Killcommons ’18 also played, representing Team Slovakia. Fitzpatrick and his Israeli teammates beat Italy, 9-8, in the championship game.
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Student contributors to an endowed fund in honor of Elise Ollmann-Kahle ’25, a six-year senior who passed away in 2024 after a long battle with cancer. Elise’s fund, which will provide financial aid to future students, continues to grow as teams donate fundraising proceeds from “pink out” games in her memory.
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Years that Bermuda has celebrated Bermuda Day with a parade—which this year featured Glenn Jones ’95 as one of five Grand Marshals. Bermuda Day is the “first day of summer” on the island, and locals flock to the capital city of Hamilton for the parade and a host of other celebrations.
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Williston football alums whose teams shared the 2024 Ivy League football championship title. Columbia University, Harvard University, and Dartmouth College all shared the Ivy title that year, and Williston had two players on Columbia (Ethan Hebb ’22 and Jayden Marshall ’22), and one each on Dartmouth (James Elliott ’24) and Harvard (Dom Di Filippo ’23).