2016 Alumni Award Recipients Honored at 33rd Annual Thistle Auction

Margaret van Bakergem, 2016 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient recalls her 10 happy years at Wilson.

It was an affair to remember...a French Affair! The 33rd Annual Wilson School Thistle Auction, themed A French Affair, celebrated a special first for the school's community. Two alums, Victoria Williams and Margaret van Bakergem, were honored with inaugural Alumni Achievement Awards, one for Young Alumni under the age of 30, and one for Distinguished Alumni, for individuals 30 years and older.

Steve Shepley, Wilson's Alumni Leadership Committee Chair, former trustee and Wilson alum, presented the awards. The honorees and/or their family members accepted their recognition with touching remarks crediting Wilson's warm, nurturing environment and exceptional educators for setting them on their paths to success. Accepting the award on Victoria Williams' behalf were her parents, Connie Wagner and Doug Williams.

“Like many children who attend Wilson, Vickie would tell you how much she loved going to The Wilson School every day of the nine years she attended,” Connie and Doug explained. “It is hard for us to name a school other than Wilson where the teaching is so consistently excellent, so thoroughly dedicated to the children, so supportive of the children’s diverse talents, and so attentive to their needs.”    

Young Alumni Achievement Award recipient, Victoria Williams, shared, "I loved my time at Wilson and I will never forget my wonderful teachers and how much they helped me."

Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award Recipient, Margaret van Bakergem, shared, "The Wilson School was a vital place to spend my elementary years. The solid educational foundation, incredible support system and creative freedom prepared me not only for an academic career, but catalyzed my commitment to social justice and responsibility. When I was in pre-k, my 6th grade buddy helped me write a story about traveling throughout the solar system in a rocket ship. Even at that young age I was curious and eager to explore, and while I haven't yet ventured as far as space, the work and research I do everyday carries the same sense of adventure to create a better world. I know my experiences at Wilson fostered my independence, curiosity and my love of learning. Words of advice for current Wilson students: be adventurous, be courageous, be a bit daring and always keep a nugget of childhood with you!"

MEET THE 2016 HONOREES

2016 Young Alumni Award Recipient,
Victoria Williams

Victoria graduated from The Wilson School in 2009 and from John Burroughs School with academic honors in 2015. While at Burroughs, she excelled in science, music and drama activities, as well as being an outstanding scholar. She was a National Merit Scholar and an AP Scholar, among her other awards. She was awarded the Baker Scholarship at Davidson College, a four year selective academic scholarship awarded to one incoming freshman each year.

Victoria exemplifies the value of a Wilson School education. She thrived at Wilson, which prepared her for the academic and personal  challenges of high school and college. She accomplished all of this as a cancer survivor.


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2016 Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient,
Margaret van Bakergem

Margaret graduated from The Wilson School in 1997 and from Crossroads College Preparatory School in 2003. Her college background includes earning a Bachelors in Science in Psychology & Neuroscience in 2007 from The College of Charleston, Charleston, South Carolina and a Masters in Public Health from Washington University in 2011.
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Margaret is currently a PhD student and Center for Geospatial Analytic Student Fellow focused on the built environment and its impact on overall health at The College of Natural Resources, North Carolina State University, in Raleigh, North Carolina. Margaret has authored and co-authored several articles and reviews. In addition to her numerous educational accomplishments, Margaret is the co-founder and Treasurer of The Yantalo International Volunteer Organization, the first environmentally sustainable medical clinic in Yantalo, Peru, currently under construction.

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ABOUT THE ALUMNI ACHIEVEMENT AWARDS

Founded by The Wilson Alumni Leadership Committee, the program recognizes and honors the accomplishments of alumni who continue to bring pride and inspiration to the Wilson community. ​ Founded in 2015 by The Wilson School Alumni Leadership Group, this is the inaugural year of the program. Nominations now are open for the 2017 awards. Learn more...
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ABOUT THE THISTLE AUCTION

The Thistle Auction is the largest fundraising event of the year, raising as much as three percent of the annual operating budget. Parents, board members, faculty and friends enjoy a lovely evening together dining and bidding on a wide variety of donated items. Local businesses and families also support the auction with messages in the auction program book. Learn more...