to Class of 2025 Alumni

Third graders and kindergarteners teamed to spread some cheer to the Class of 2025 alumni, creating care packages filled with letters, treats, and thoughtful keepsakes.

“G3 students wrote personal letters and notes of encouragement to the Class of 2025 alumni,” said Stuart Haddow, Director of Annual Giving and Alumni, who coordinated the project. “The students had the opportunity to interview Austin Wilcox, a Mount Vernon alumnus from the Class of 2017, to gain insight into what it was like to navigate the first year away from Mount Vernon…coming from a small environment where you know everybody to a much larger setting and having to adjust to that change.”

Inspired by Austin’s stories, the third graders filled Valentine’s cards with advice, encouragement, and personal reflections. Then the kindergarteners became little “elves,” assembling the packages at multiple stations and adding a personal touch to each one. Every package included a packing slip with the name of the student who contributed.

The care packages were thoughtfully curated with Mount Vernon alumni koozies, stickers, sticky notes signed by Head of School Kristy Lundstrom, packets of hot chocolate, liquid IV, and Airheads. “It was meant to put a smile on their face, to remember that there are people cheering them on for Mount Vernon,” Haddow explained.

The packages traveled nationwide, reaching alumni coast to coast. “These packages went across the country… It was meant to touch every single alum from the Class of 2025,” Haddow said. “We are really trying to show them that this new MV alumni chapter is like a new beginning. This isn’t the end, it’s a continuation of the relationship after you graduate.”

Through collaboration, creativity, and a touch of Valentine’s magic, Mount Vernon students reminded their alumni that the Mustang community is always cheering them on, no matter where life takes them.