On October 25, the school hosted student families from all over the world for the annual Family Weekend. Families reunited with their children on campus and experienced the school’s community firsthand by attending conferences with teachers, sports games, and classes.

The weekend kicked off on Thursday, October 24, with dinner in the Ford Food Court. Acapella groups Calliope and Blue Notes and student band MB140 offered musical performances.

On Friday, faculty welcomed family members to observe classes. Mrs. Lisa Brown, chief of staff to the head of school, said, “We had heard a lot of feedback about families wanting to return to the classroom and decided that this was the year to bring class visits back.”

Henrietta Morlock P’26,’28, said, “Sitting in on classes was a highlight— it was our first opportunity to experience a Prep physics class!”

The weekend reassured family members of their child’s safety and integration into the school’s community. Charlotte Schills ’26 said, “Since my parents live in Europe, they don’t get to see me except for our phone calls, which makes it hard to tell how well I’ve been adjusting. My mum told me that visiting classes and walking around campus helped her put faces to the names of my peers and teachers, bring to life the different areas of campus, and confirm I was in very capable and caring hands here at Hotchkiss.”

The school welcomed Dr. Sarah Bennison to speak with parents on Friday morning about what she calls “the pandemic of loneliness and despair harming our youth.” Dr. Bennison is a professor at New York University; she co-founded the Mattering Movement and is the current CEO of the company.

On Saturday, parents met with advisors and teachers and attended home games, including a Girls Varsity Soccer pink-out game in support of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Mrs. Brown said, “I enjoyed the energy this year; seeing everyone in between classes and hearing the chatter about what they had learned was really special!”