Celebrating Ron and Judy Schlossberg for Shaping Lives Through Philanthropy
Watkinson School is pleased to announce the private school’s annual gala A Watkinson Affair is on May 2, 2026 at 6pm at the Hartford Marriott Downtown. In addition to a live and silent auction, an alumni speaker, and a paddle raise, the centerpiece of the evening’s program will celebrate Ron and Judy Schlossberg for Shaping Lives Through Philanthropy.
When asked about their four decades of support, Ron and Judy shared, “Watkinson discovers, respects, and cultivates the uniqueness of every individual. Our personal values and the school’s values are one and the same.”
A Watkinson Affair directly supports Watkinson’s annual fund, which provides essential funds to support teacher salaries, technology, financial aid, athletics, global studies and creative arts programs, and much more.
An extensive list of volunteers makes this event possible, chaired by Kendra Wiesel and the honorary chair is Kathleen Kane-Francalangia. The evening begins at 6pm, with a cocktail reception, followed by dinner, a program, dessert, and dancing. Save the date for this special and festive gathering. To become a sponsor, contact thomas_murphy@watkinson.org.
A live taping of the Colin McEnroe Show devoted to the chemistry of Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick
Hartford, CT – Watkinson School, Hartford’s oldest independent day school for grades 6-12/PG, is pleased to announce that Colin McEnroe will return to Watkinson on April 2 at 7pm. Join us for a live taping of “What The World Needs Now — The Chemistry of Burt Bacharach and Dionne Warwick”. Colin McEnroe and friends — Latanya Farrell, Jim Chapdelaine, Steve Metcalf, and a few surprises — return to Watkinson for an evening of music, conversation, and demonstrations of how GPS can help you find the way to San Jose. Bring your voices and be ready to sing.
Tickets are $15 and seating in Watkinson School’s Foisie Family Amphitheater is general admission. All proceeds benefit Watkinson School’s Watkinson Now Scholarship Fund. Watkinson School has ample free parking on campus.
Watkinson School is Hartford’s oldest co-ed independent day private school for grades 6-12/PG. Watkinson’s mission is to develop in our students the power to shape their lives and the world around them. Our next info session for prospective families is April 4 at 9am.
Oscar-nominated screenwriter David Hemingson ’82 spent the day on campus on April 9, 2024. He attended classes, spoke at All-School Meeting, and in the evening was the guest of honor at a fundraiser for Grace Scholars at Watkinson. Watkinson School is grateful to Mr. Hemingson for his generosity of time and attention to our students and our community.
David Hemingson is a veteran television writer who in 2023 made one of the most astonishing feature film debuts in recent memory as screenwriter and producer of Focus Features’s widely acclaimed The Holdovers, directed by Oscar winner Alexander Payne.
During his day on campus, Mr. Hemingson spoke at All-School Meeting, led a two-hour masterclass with Creative Arts Program diploma students, and attended 10th- and 6th-grade Humanities classes. In the evening, Watkinson held a fundraiser for Grace Scholars at Watkinson, which consisted of a VIP Dinner followed by a conversation between Mr. Hemingson and Head of School Teri Schrader, for which attendees could submit questions in advance.
About Hemingson’s visit, Schrader says, “A day like this feels like a once-in-a-lifetime gift. David was so extraordinarily attentive with all our students. During his time with our CAP Diploma Students, he shared generously in responding not only to the rich and thoughtful questions the members of the class had prepared, but also asked our students about their work. With our sixth graders, he gratefully received the poems they crafted for him, but also asked them about their hopes for their future. When one student shared their intention to make animated films, Dave and the student had a real conversation about that. He was, for us, a guest artist who honored our students’ intentions and questions, and spoke with them as though they were already “in the field,” never speaking down to them.”
Much of the day and evening conversation focused on Hemingson’s extraordinary success with “The Holdovers.” Following its world premiere at Telluride, The Holdovers earned five Academy Award® nominations, including Best Original Screenplay for Hemingson’s work and Best Picture. Hemingson’s screenplay has been a focal point of the film’s considerable acclaim, netting him a staggering 37 nods from critic associations and awards bodies, including a BAFTA nomination for Best Original Screenplay and winning the National Board of Review’s Best Original Screenplay award.
All of these events provided the means to lift up and shine a spotlight on Watkinson’s scholarship program called Grace Scholars at Watkinson, a fund created in 2018 by founding donors Janice and David Klein and designated to enable 8th grade graduates of Hartford’s Grace Academy to enroll at Watkinson for high school.
Both Grace Academy Head of School Princess Hyatt and Grace Scholar Maria D. ’24 spoke at the event, with Maria extolling, “As a Grace Scholar at Watkinson School, I have been given every opportunity in the world. I’ve met leaders, speakers, and mentors that have dedicated themselves to shaping the world around them. It has inspired me to put myself out there and make a difference. This is one of the many ways Watkinson has pushed me to be the best version of myself.”
Princess Hyatt added, “Watkinson and Grace Academy are not just providing an education; we are nurturing the holistic growth of youth, fostering intellectual, spiritual, moral, and social development. This partnership is a beacon of hope, illustrating what can be achieved when two great institutions come together with a shared vision of empowerment and transformation.”
Schrader adds, “Over the past nine years, seven young women from Grace Academy have come to Watkinson, with a total financial aid amount, including Grace Scholars at Watkinson grants, of $918,100 — almost a million dollars of Watkinson funding. This is an extraordinary amount of support from a school of our size and evidence of how we so cherish our relationship with Grace Academy, our sister in Hartford. We look forward to continuing to enact our commitment to the students we share. We know Grace girls make our school a better school and we look forward to continuing to grow our commitment.”
More than 150 guests registered for the April 9th event, which raised crucial funds for the Grace Scholars at Watkinson fund. Watkinson gratefully acknowledges Fiducient as the sponsor of the VIP Dinner and “Evening with Mr. Hemingson”; thanks to Fiducient, all funds raised will go directly to scholarship support.
Want to know more about Grace Scholars at Watkinson? Contact us.
Watkinson School alumnus and Oscar-nominated screenwriter of The Holdovers
Watkinson School proudly presents An Evening with David Hemingsonon Tuesday, April 9th. Mr. Hemingson, a Watkinson School alumnus from the class of 1982 and a Connecticut native, is a veteran television writer who in 2023 made one of the most astonishing feature film debuts in recent memory as screenwriter and producer of Focus Features’s widely acclaimed The Holdovers, directed by Oscar-winner Alexander Payne. The evening will include an exclusive VIP Dinner with Mr. Hemingson at 5pm, followed by a conversation with Mr. Hemingson at 7pm. The evening is a fundraiser for Grace Scholars at Watkinson, a fund to enable 8th-grade graduates of Hartford’s Grace Academy to enroll at Watkinson for high school. The events take place on Watkinson’s campus at 180 Bloomfield Avenue, Hartford.
Following its world premiere at Telluride, The Holdoversimmediately became an awards juggernaut, earning five Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Screenplay for Hemingson’s work and Best Picture. Hemingson’s screenplay has been a focal point of the film’s considerable acclaim, netting him a staggering 37 nods from critic associations and awards bodies, including a BAFTA nomination for Best Original Screenplay and winning the National Board of Review’s Best Original Screenplay award.
Watkinson’s Head of School Teri Schrader states, “We are beyond thrilled to welcome Dave back to his home here at Watkinson, where even as a young writer, he distinguished himself as an emerging artist in our Creative Arts Program. We can’t wait!”
A Hollywood mainstay for nearly three decades, Hemingson’s prolific television work includes an impressive range of writing and producing credits across single- and multi- camera sitcoms, one-hour dramas, procedurals, young adult series, animation, and more.
Among his television highlights, he created, executive produced, and wrote the Fox comedy series, Kitchen Confidential, based on Anthony Bourdain’s memoir and starring Bradley Cooper. The pilot earned Hemingson a WGA Award nomination for ‘Outstanding Episodic Comedy’. He also wrote and produced series as diverse as Whiskey Cavalier, Just Shoot Me, American Dad, Family Guy, How I Met Your Mother, Black-ish, and Don’t Trust the B—- in Apartment 23, among many others.
Born in New Haven, Connecticut, and raised in West Hartford, Hemingson attended Watkinson School in Hartford before going on to earn his BA in American Studies from Yale University, Phi Beta Kappa, Summa Cum Laude, and then a law degree from Columbia University. After a brief tenure in the entertainment department of a prominent Century City law firm, he transitioned to television writing full-time starting in 1995. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, the writer Victoria Morsell Hemingson. They are the proud parents of two sons, Nicholas and Ian.
The Grace Scholars at Watkinson fund was created in 2018 by founding donors Janice and David Klein. In the last decade, Watkinson has funded seven Grace Academy graduates and provided more than $800,000 in financial aid to Grace students.
Ticket Information:
$25 — 7:00pm Conversation with Mr. Hemingson
$200 — 5:00pm VIP Dinner with Mr. Hemingson and Conversation
Watkinson School, Hartford’s oldest independent school, is a coed day school for grades 6-12/PG. Our next info session for prospective students is April 5, 2024.
On Saturday, February 10th, Watkinson’s annual gala fundraiser, A Watkinson Affair returns! The school’s twelfth gala of this magnitude takes place at the Hartford Downtown Marriott and this year will be a celebration of the magical possibilities that open up for Watkinson students on a daily basis. The gala features an incredible live auction — featuring exciting items like a trip to Hawaii and front row seats to Graduation 2024, a silent auction with nearly 100 items to bid on, a beautiful dinner, a moving video tribute to our school, and of course dancing. Watkinson will celebrate Philanthropists of the Year John and Laura Dake Roche at the gala.
Proceeds from A Watkinson Affair support Watkinson’s Fund for Everyday Excellence, our annual fund. All gifts to the annual fund benefit all our private school students, helping them develop the skills to shape their lives and the world around them.
To be a sponsor, advertiser, or to get tickets, click here.
