Alumni Weekend 2024 Photos & Videos
Alumni Weekend Photo Gallery
Athletic Hall of Fame Induction for Amy Marotta Lester '04 & Dr. Ben Bring '03
Alumni Weekend 2024 welcomed back Columbus Academy graduates from classes ending in 4's and 9's, along with a special celebration for the Class of 1974's 50th reunion! A total of 117 alumni and 200 total people visited campus over the course of October 4-5.
The festivities began Friday evening as the Class of 1974 arrived early to enjoy drinks and hors d’oeuvres while catching up with one another in our Upper School Library. A total of 18 members of the class returned for the reception and then were escorted down to Hondros Field to take part in the pregame coin toss in advance of our varsity football team’s game against archrival Bexley, won 42-0 in shutout fashion by our Vikes. This was the eighth consecutive year our football team retained the Mayor-Headmaster’s Cup, an annual tradition between the two schools.
Meanwhile, the Academy Quad welcomed alumni from a wide range of classes for a special tailgate complete with a spread of food and drinks, all while a livestream of the football game was shown on multiple screens. Special this year was a private concert in the quad by local music group McGuffey Lane, adding a nice vibe to the scene as alumni caught up with fellow classmates and reconnected with faculty. Many alumni also made their way down to the field to watch the halftime recognition of our two newest Athletic Hall of Fame inductees Amy Marotta Lester ’04 and Dr. Ben Bring ’03.
On Saturday morning, the Golden Viking Breakfast for alumni celebrating 50 or more years since commencement was hosted with Head of School Melissa Soderberg who joined the group to share about the Academy experience for our current students, faculty and staff. A tour of campus – including stops in the Morris Hall Art Gallery, fieldhouse and Schoedinger Theatre – helped alumni reconnect and see spaces that are memorable and, in some cases, brand new.
The ever-popular Brunch & Coffee with the CA Legends in our dining hall kicked off the first all-alumni gathering of day two, complete with delicious breakfast items from our SAGE Dining Services and an array of gourmet coffee from Joe To Go Espresso. Alumni came together to reconnect with former teachers and tour campus, led by our senior representatives from the Alumni Board.
Several alumni and faculty in attendance then made their way over to the fireside of the dining hall where Amy Marotta Lester ’04 and Dr. Ben Bring ’03 were officially inducted into our Athletic Hall of Fame. Click here for a full recap of the ceremony including links to a replay of the speeches and a photo gallery.
Several off-campus class gatherings were hosted around town throughout the afternoon and evening, some of which shared photos with us that can be seen in the Alumni Weekend photo gallery on our Flickr account. If your class has any photos they would like added to the gallery, please email them to info@columbusacademy.org.