St. Andrew's does not lack for beautiful views.

Sunset in the fields. Golden-hour pinks reflecting on the pond. The forest trails in full, wondrous bloom. Stars twinkling over the T-Dock. The Front Lawn in spring—lush, vibrant, essential.

To be added to the list: the view from the Registration Table at Reunion.

Sure, it's simply a tent placed in front of Founders that looks toward the Main Drive. But this is where sheer St. Andrew's magic happens each June—the hugs, the happy tears, the jumping up and down, the screams of joy—as Saints from all over the world return to the people, and the place, that changed their lives.

Reunion 2026 was no different. Whether they were celebrating their 5th Reunion, their 70th, or somewhere in between, the nearly 330 Saints celebrating Reunion set the tone for the weekend from the very moment they arrived, and they carried their love and warmth for each other and their school throughout the weekend.

Friday evening featured a 50th Anniversary Reception for the Class of 1976 and a Welcome Back BBQ on the Front Lawn, in which alumni were treated to a concert by the school's faculty band, Granville Jam. The band—featuring arts instructor Josh Meier P'24,'28, director of academic and college counseling Jason Honsel P'24, English teacher Ben Knudsen, math teacher Gabe Perla, and science teacher Will Scully—offered a musical trip down memory lane, with songs calibrated to resonate with each Reunion class.

Saturday offered alumni a chance to steep themselves in everything campus has to offer. Some took to the trails with Head of School Joy McGrath '92. Others joined a cross-country run with boys cross-country coach Will Rehrig '11. Many future Saints along for the weekend with their parents experienced the pond for the first time, bravely adventuring out on to the water before a celebratory ice cream after a job well done. Others simply settled back in to all the places where they will always belong. New this year: alumni could pull weeds and learn alongside Native Roots Farm Foundation founders Courtney Street '05 and John Reynolds '06 in the Three Sisters Garden—a reminder that St. Andrew's relationship with this land runs much deeper than the view.

Head of School Joy McGrath '92 welcomed Saints later that afternoon at the School Meeting in Engelhard Hall.

"I think often about the school I'll hand down to my successor," McGrath said. "And since our centennial is just three years away, it's the right moment to be thinking long-term. What do we want our successors to celebrate in 2129? This school's DNA is strong—it's why you come back. I believe that a hundred years from now, our successors will still recognize the values we live by today."

A keen area of interest for alumni has been how St. Andrew's will grapple with AI. "Our faculty have done serious, thoughtful work—and their conclusion mirrors our deepest instinct: human virtues matter more than ever," McGrath said. "When content can be generated in seconds, deep reading, original argument, imagination, and face-to-face dialogue become more valuable, not less."

She shared that the school has updated its AI policy and has asked faculty to establish a baseline competency with large language models. "We will continue to refine our approach," McGrath said. "I am proud of how our faculty have engaged this challenge—with curiosity, humility, and thoughtfulness."

McGrath next shared that she and the board have been asking fundamental questions about St. Andrew's: What is St. Andrew's, at its core? What can we never give away? What do we have to do—right now—to protect those things?

"Five answers kept coming back," she said. "We are a school built on human connection. We are a leader in financial aid—because who is in the room shapes everything about the education. We are an Episcopal school, and that foundation gives us a moral and spiritual framework. We believe our facilities should be modest and modern—purposeful, not extravagant. And we are stewards of this extraordinary landscape."

From those commitments, she said, four priorities emerged for the next decade: reclaiming the school's leadership in financial aid, investing in faculty, building a financial model where philanthropy plays a more intentional role, and—at the top of the list—caring for campus, particularly Founders Hall.

"We are approaching a moment when the alumni of St. Andrew's will be asked to step forward," she said. "Not to reinvent this school—but to preserve and strengthen what it has always been. The work is real, the plans are being readied, and the alumni moment is coming as we approach the centennial. And I rest easy knowing that when it does, we will empty the bucket, as Saints always do."

At the Awards Banquet that evening, many Saints who emptied the bucket were celebrated with Reunion awards.

The Fishers of Men Plate goes to the classes whose alumni showed up in the greatest numbers as Saints Fund donors—one from the earlier half of SAS history, one from the later. This year, that honor belongs to the Class of 1976, with 60 percent of their classmates giving, and the Class of 2001, with 58 percent.

The Giving Bowl tells a different story: not the percentage, but the total—the class whose combined generosity to the Saints Fund was the largest in their Reunion year. This year, the Class of 2001 claimed the Bowl with collective giving of $60,554, securing two awards.

The Founders Cup takes the longest view of all. Established in 2004 to mark the school's 75th anniversary, the Cup honors the Reunion class whose total giving—annual, capital, endowment, legacy—has been the greatest since their last Reunion. This year, it belongs to the Class of 1981, whose cumulative support of $12,788,562 since their last Reunion is remarkable.

Finally, this year's Distinguished Alumni Award was presented to Scott Sipprelle '81, P'08.

"Each reunion reminds us of the shared virtues that bring us together," McGrath said in her remarks that evening: "curiosity, integrity, service, and an optimism that commits us to something greater than ourselves."

It's a fitting frame for a man whose connection to St. Andrew's spans nearly five decades.

Sipprelle arrived as a III Former in 1977, following his eldest brother, Dwight Sipprelle '76, through Founders' doors—and eventually, all four Sipprelle brothers would find their way to Middletown, Delaware, sons of two United States diplomats who were raised across the world. They came as recipients of the Haselton Scholarship, one of the school's oldest funds, established to support the children of U.S. foreign service officers. St. Andrew's made Sipprelle’s education possible, and he has spent much of his adult life returning the favor.

Sipprelle’s most sustained work on behalf of St. Andrew's came as a trustee—25 years of service, including nearly a decade as board chair. McGrath put it plainly: "His record of service to the school during times of transition and change will be a major chapter in St. Andrew's history."

Sipprelle's philanthropy has been equally wide-ranging: the renovation of Amos Hall, expanded financial aid and geographic reach for SAS students, and—alongside members of his family—the creation of the Sipprelle Fieldhouse. "He has done all this," McGrath said, "because he cares about our students, he believes in what St. Andrew's does in the world, and he has treasured his St. Andrew's education and has found the school today worthy of his investment."

Beyond SAS, Sipprelle and his wife, Tracy Sipprelle, along with their daughter, Jessica Sipprelle '08, support organizations working in health and wellness, environmental conservation, educational opportunity, and reducing political polarization.

"His love for St. Andrew's is not a blind affection," McGrath said, "but an eyes-wide-open commitment to always do what is right for the school, and what this school can do for the world."

Prior to the ceremony, Saints who were looking for a sign that they were back where they belonged found it in a post-downpour double-rainbow that arched over Noxontown Pond before fading into the twilight.

Saints of all Classes—from 1956 to 2021—were spellbound, taking photos, soaking in the moment, or racing down the Front Lawn toward the water, hand-in-hand with friends, their teenage selves once more.

For a full gallery of Reunion images, head to our SmugMug!