The Wilson School hosted its first Family Art Event on Saturday, February 27. The theme for the event was "Celebrating Community, Compassion and Collaboration."

Special guests included Doodlestones creator Bryan Payne and author Carol S. Klein who read her book “Painting for Peace in Ferguson” in the Innovation Room while the pages were projected on the school's unique immersion wall, comprised of 18 flat screens.

Wilson students helped Syrian refugees by making pinwheels. For each finished pinwheel, the Bezos Family Foundation donated $2 to the International Rescue Committee’s Healing Classroom Program benefiting Syrian youth.

Cbabi Bayoc, a painter specializing in depicting African American fathers with their children, worked on a piece in progress. Bayoc served as this year's Wilson School visiting artist. During his week with the students, they explored his painting technique using acrylic paints. Pre-kindergarten through first grade students created images of birds, while second through sixth grade students painted portraits. All the work completed with Bayoc was on display for the Family Art Event. 

Thank you to art teachers Diane Signor and Mary Beth Tipton for organizing the event.

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!"

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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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...

On November 25, 2015, hundreds of guests filled the walls of Wilson School for the much-loved and anticipated Grandparents' & Special Friends' Day.  Students and their guests participated in activities in their classrooms, followed by performances by the fourth grade drum ensemble and the junior and senior choirs.  It was a wonderful day on campus.