Reflecting on Holiday Memories

Many families have a tradition of exchanging a few gifts on Christmas Eve – kind of like an appetizer before the big day. My family did not follow this tradition. All gifts were saved for Christmas Day – except one year. One particular Christmas Eve, after we returned from midnight mass, my mom handed me a gift and explained that I could open it now because I would need it in the morning. You see, my job every Christmas for the previous few years was to whip egg whites for my mom’s famous eggnog. Prior to this particular Christmas, I had always whipped the egg whites by hand. The gift I got to open on this particular Christmas Eve was our families’ first hand-mixer.
My annual Christmas morning task became much easier after that. My mom and I would chat while she worked on her eggnog, and I blended the egg whites with a bit of sugar. She taught me how to look for the stiffened peaks of the whites to tell that they were done. Afterward, I would take the two beaters to the sink to wash them but somehow most of the meringue ended up in my mouth instead of down the sink.:)
It is interesting that as I look back at Christmases past, I only remember a few gifts that I received as a child. But I remember quite vividly working next to my mom, talking about school and friends, and together gently taking the meringue out of the mixing bowl and floating it on top of the eggnog like beautiful puffy clouds.
Over the years, I lost my sweet tooth and do not appreciate eggnog’s taste as much as I once did. However, every few winters, I will try my hand at making my mom’s eggnog when I’m feeling nostalgic or in need of some cozy memories. This Christmas seems like an appropriate time.
I wish all of our students, faculty and staff, and families a wonderful holiday season. I hope you find the time to reflect on memories of the past and the opportunity to create some new ones.
I wanted to share my mother’s famous eggnog recipe with you. However, my mom never actually used a recipe nor did she measure any of the ingredients. After scouring the internet, this is the closest that I have found.
Danny Vogelman
Head of School

12 Nights of Christmas

Beginning Sunday, December 13, at 7 p.m., check here daily to see the latest release in WES’s 12 Nights of Christmas holiday concert series.

The Seventh Night of Christmas

The Sixth Night of Christmas

 

The Fifth Night of Christmas was our holiday singalong!

The Fourth Night of Christmas

The Third Night of Christmas

The Second Night of Christmas

The First Night of Christmas

 

Nominations for the Board of Trustees for 2021-2022

As is our custom, the WES Board of Trustees annually solicits nominations from the entire WES community for candidates who can add significant value to the strategic initiatives of the school. Candidates can be from both inside and outside of our immediate WES community. All nominations will be presented to the Board’s Trustees Committee. Those whose qualifications and experience align with those of the school will be contacted by a member of the committee. Candidates may be asked to volunteer on a Board Committee (Finance, Investment, Development, Facilities, or Adhoc) or another substantial school effort (e.g., Annual Fund, Auction, Book Fair, Founders Day, Parents Association, etc.) if they have not previously done so.

Your nominations have previously helped us identify nominees having key skills and expertise that have broadened and enhanced the Board’s perspective and effectiveness. Please submit your nomination if you feel there is a person with skills in real estate, construction, facilities, finance, development, investments, marketing, fund raising, or strategic planning who may help the Board in guiding WES under its long term, strategic planning mandate. The nominee may be a current parent, past parent, alumni, or someone from outside the school (provided they are geographically local to WES allowing them to fully participate in Board activities.) Please include a brief summary of the nominee and the qualities you feel would make your nominee a strong and effective Trustee.

Please submit nominations via email to Stacie DeRamus (sderamus@hotmail.com) and our Trustees Committee Chair, Laura Steuart (laurasteu@gmail.com) by Monday, January 11. Please note that the Board does not accept self-nominations.