Alums Return for Reunion 2026

In early June, 660 alums and guests converged on the Northfield Mount Hermon campus to reconnect and make new memories at NMH Reunion 2026.

The jam-packed weekend included opportunities to celebrate with old friends and make new ones, delve into the school’s history and learn more about life on campus today — and have a lot of fun.

“It is so meaningful to have you here. To all of you, I say: Welcome home,” Head of School Brian Hargrove said to attendees at an “NMH Today” presentation on the first day of the weekend, where he offered updates on current happenings on campus and plans for the future before taking questions from the audience.

This year’s reunion included class dinners and casual gatherings around firepits, hikes and birding walks, memorial services for classmates who’ve passed, tours of the Mount Hermon and Northfield campuses, the traditional hymn sing, and opportunities to visit the WNMH radio station, stargaze at the NMH observatory, and compete in the annual Mec Peller Memorial 5K, Pie Ride, and Reunion Row. On June 6, the 82nd anniversary of D-Day, a special service was held in Memorial Grove; later that day, alums who’ve served in the military gathered for a veterans luncheon in Alumni Hall. 

The weekend also included a baker’s dozen of “Back to School” events at which alums and faculty gathered to discuss wide-ranging topics including the legacy of the creative arts at NMH, moderated by longtime choral director Sheila Heffernon P’01, ’02, ’08, with panelists Talia Baron ’26, Laura Bossert-King ’86, Caitlin Duffy ’11, Nathan Hurlin ’76, Roger Teng ’16, and Eddie Yankow ’13, head of NMH’s theater program. 

Tiffany Brown Knight ’96 moderated a panel on women and entrepreneurship, with Mari Adam ’76, Barbara Freedman ’66, Kate Hayes ’06, Natascha Hess ’96, and Wilder Pritham ’26. Grant Gonzalez, assistant head of school for campus life, moderated a conversation about freedom, justice, and power, the school’s learning theme for the 2025-26 academic year, with alums whose work addresses those issues: Dr. Mychelle Farmer ’71, Constance Kane ’66, Weyessa McAlister ’16, Liz McGrath ’76, and Karla Slocum ’81. A panel on journalism and democracy, moderated by Hargrove, featured veteran journalists Peter Barbey ’76, Ryan Chilcoite ’91, and Yasmin Vossoughian ’96.

Alums also had opportunities to get back into the classroom, whether by taking in a dance class led by faculty member Nicole Wiliams or a poetry class taught by longtime teacher (and fellow alum) Bill Batty ’59, P’84, ’86, ’88, GP’26 or by sitting in on a capstone presentation by one of NMH’s newest alums, Mac Hargrove ’26, who constructed an astrophotography rig that future generations of students will benefit from. Others learned about sustainability efforts on campus, enjoyed live music by faculty member Ron Smith’s Soulful Jazz Trio, and toured the NMH farm, where they heard about the ways that it’s incorporated into the curriculum — and had a chance to meet its resident goats and chickens. 

Reunion 2026 also included three exhibits: “Shared Histories,” in The Gallery at the Rhodes Arts Center, featuring work by the Class of 1976, celebrating their 50th reunion; “Belle da Costa Greene,” with items from the Morgan Library & Museum’s 2025 exhibit about the groundbreaking librarian from Northfield’s Class of 1899; and “O Friends, Her Courage Bright,” fabric portraits of notable NMH women of color, by Kasandra Pantoja P’16, who also took part in a Q&A about her work with Dr. James Greenwood, NMH’s dean of equity and social justice. 

At the annual Convocation of the Alumni Association, Eric Chatman ’78, P’14, Awards Committee chair, presented Alumni Citations to Mary-Jane Atwater ’66, P’96; Mike LaChance ’76; Bruce R. Mendelsohn ’86; Tiffani R. Brown Knight ’96; and Acadia Wallace Roessner ’96. He also presented the Josie Rigby Spirit Award to Avril Jones ’81, the Young Alumni Award to Reyna Chaves Faust ’21, the William H. Morrow Award to Ronald R. Smith P’21, the Lamplighter Award to Joe A. McVeigh ’76, the Distinguished Service Award to Constance F. Kane ’66, and Community Service Awards to Nathan P. Hurlin ’76, Elizabeth V. McGrath ’76, and Kimmie L. Weeks ’01. Hargrove then presented this year’s Head of School Awards, to Suzie Steenburg Hill ’66 and Augustus White ’53.

“The weekend was simply spectacular,” said Stacie Hagenbaugh, director of alumni engagement. “There was something for everyone, and so many opportunities to engage in thoughtful conversations, reconnect with old friends, build community, and celebrate the very special place that is NMH.”

Photos by Mathew Cavanaugh.

See more photos of NMH Reunion 2026 at NMH Flickr.