Taft E-Newsletter, Spring 2021

SPRING 2021 | VOLUME 6, ISSUE 3

TAFT E-NEWSLETTER

VIDEO Series: Inside Taft Classrooms

Taft continues to offer hybrid instruction with the majority of students studying in person on campus and some studying remotely (77 this spring). Specialized cameras and microphones in each classroom allow our remote students to study synchronously or (when time zone necessitates) asynchronously by watching recordings of classes. To get a sense of what teaching and learning look like this year, view a titration experiment, check out a DNA extraction lab and a CRISPR lab, or take a peek inside Taft’s STEM lab. Interested in arts? See students in action at the potter’s wheel and drawing in the art room.

Alumni Week

This year’s reunion will be a virtual one with weeklong programming featuring live events, on-demand videos, alumni discussions, and Zoom-based gatherings for each reunion class. We hope you’ll join us May 10-15! The full schedule will be released the week of April 12.

Learn more and find your class page on the Virtual Alumni Week website. New this year—Zoom alumni book club meetings. Patience Smith Bloom '86 will host a chat with author Don George ’71 about his book The Way of Wanderlust: The Best Travel Writing of Don George. And Taft Faculty Emeritae Robin Blackburn Osborn and Linda Saarnijoki will lead a virtual book discussion on Station Eleven, Emily St. John Mandel’s post-apocalyptic novel and National Book Award Finalist.

Learn More About the Book Clubs

Taft Connect

More than 1,300 Tafties have joined Taft Connect, our new online alumni community designed to bring Taft alumni together. Taft Connect allows you to find old classmates and make new connections. More than 850 of our Taft Connect members have indicated that they are willing to serve as mentors to other Taft alums.

Join Taft Connect Today

Alumni Volunteer Opportunities

Volunteers are a crucial part of Taft’s success. Taft’s alumni volunteer program is designed to forge connections among and between the classes, the school, and the alumni community. Whether you want to help with fundraising efforts, serve as a mentor, or organize an event, there are many ways to donate your time.

See the List of Alumni Volunteer Opportunities

Calling All Wrestlers

Join your teammates at the Taft Alumni Wrestling Virtual Gathering hosted by Al Reiff '80 and Greg Hawes '85 with special guest Coach John Wynne on Thursday, April 8 at 7 PM (ET). This alumni event will include the '75-'00 classes. Go Big Red!

RHINO CRASH 2.0

Global Trade in a New World

with Nelson Cunningham '76

Wednesday, April 28 | 7pm EDT

Nelson Cunningham '76, president of international advisory firm McLarty Associates, will discuss issues of global trade. A Yale and Stanford Law graduate, Cunningham worked in the White House as Special Advisor to President Clinton on Western Hemisphere affairs and as General Counsel at the White House Office of Administration. He first came to Washington to serve as Biden's General Counsel on the Senate Judiciary Committee over two decades ago, and was deeply involved in the Biden presidential campaign over the past year.

Yoga and Wellness

with Tommy Rosen ’85

Friday, April 30 | 9am EDT

Tommy Rosen ’85 is an internationally renowned yoga teacher and addiction recovery expert who has spent the last three decades immersed in recovery and wellness. He holds advanced certifications in both Kundalini and Hatha Yoga and has 29 years of continuous recovery from addiction. Rosen leads yoga retreats and workshops internationally. His classes are accessible to all, challenging in just the right ways and a whole lot of fun!

Taft During COVID-19

Information about COVID-19 policies and an archive of messages to Taft students and parents/guardians are available on Taft’s COVID-19 website. The latest test results are available via Taft’s COVID-19 Testing Dashboard.