Double Take: Mother and Daughter at Westover, Thirty Years Apart
At Westover, traditions are more than moments—they are threads that connect generations. They live not only in the big, collective celebrations that bring the community together, but also in the everyday experiences that define life on campus, running down the Red Hall steps to get to class, sitting around a dining hall table with friends, and sharing in the rhythms of daily life. Across decades, these moments shape a lasting sense of belonging, linking past and present in meaningful ways.
In this conversation, a mother and daughter, Heidi ’96 and Greta ’26, reflect on their experiences at Westover thirty years apart, offering a unique perspective on what has changed, what has endured, and what continues to define a Westover education.
What is your first memory of Westover?
Heidi: My mother had requested information about the school. A booklet came, and there was a black-and-white picture of a girl with long, dark brown hair sitting on top of a washing machine, studying while she did her laundry.
Greta: Around winter break, when I was about 5 or 6, my mom brought me to Westover to see where she went to school. When we first pulled in, the school seemed to glow, and I remember seeing the giant Christmas tree in Red Hall.
When did this school start to feel like home?
Heidi: In my sophomore year, when I could drive myself, I would come in on the weekends to dance in the studio with Vanessa. We would put on whatever music we felt like (Dead Can Dance), and a strobe light.
Greta: I came to visit when I did my interview with admissions, and I felt Westover’s hug then.
When you think of a typical day as a student at Westover, what was the thing you most looked forward to?
Heidi: Dance
Greta: I really like checking in at night with the dorm parents in the student kitchen, and we just talk about how our days went.
What moment during your time here made you feel proudest of yourself?
Heidi: The moments of feeling proud were juxtaposed with gut-wrenching disappointments. Perhaps now, I am most proud of standing up for myself, holding my values, and not accepting others’ interpretations of me.
Greta: When I became the Third Head of Overs, even though there were only three of us running, it still meant a lot to me to have that role.
Who made the biggest impact on your experience?
Heidi: Ann Pollina. She was both my first math teacher and my advisor. She showed me what I was capable of with practice and the guts to raise my hand and ask questions.
Greta: There are too many people, honestly. My advisor, Michele, is amazing, and Marcie, whom I've had as a coach for multiple seasons and sports, is still one of my biggest supporters.
What was your favorite place on campus?
Heidi: Mr. Havery’s classroom/office, which I suppose was the original headmistress’s bedroom.
Greta: The senior common room.
What tradition meant the most to you?
Heidi: I think it was more the moments within traditions. The singing in unison. The fire at Seven Sisters. Lanterns.
Greta: Lantern and Candlelight
Heidi: I think it was more the moments within traditions. The singing in unison. The fire at Seven Sisters. Lanterns.
Greta: Lantern and Candlelight
What sensory memory stands out?
Heidi: The creaky floors while walking down Math Corridor. The soft, suction slurp of the central vacs.
Greta: I feel like Red Hall has a distinct smell, especially during the holidays when the tree is up.
Heidi: The creaky floors while walking down Math Corridor. The soft, suction slurp of the central vacs.
Greta: I feel like Red Hall has a distinct smell, especially during the holidays when the tree is up.
What was your go-to class outfit?
Heidi: Corduroys, a T-shirt from Salvation Army, a plaid shirt of some kind over it, and wool clogs.
Greta: Jeans and a quarter zip or sweater.
Heidi: Corduroys, a T-shirt from Salvation Army, a plaid shirt of some kind over it, and wool clogs.
Greta: Jeans and a quarter zip or sweater.
Where was your favorite study spot?
Heidi: The basement section of the library at the cubby desks. It was always quieter there and dark.
Greta: The floor of my dorm- no comfort till the work is done.
Heidi: The basement section of the library at the cubby desks. It was always quieter there and dark.
Greta: The floor of my dorm- no comfort till the work is done.
Whose room did you run to when you had good news to share?
Heidi: Vanessa’s!!
Greta: My friends are day students, so I’d call them or wait to see them, or I’d tell my roommate from last year, Eden.
Heidi: Vanessa’s!!
Greta: My friends are day students, so I’d call them or wait to see them, or I’d tell my roommate from last year, Eden.
What was the best dining hall meal?
Heidi: Frugal
Greta: Pizza
Heidi: Frugal
Greta: Pizza
What song will always make you think of Westover?
Heidi: Jerusalem. All our feet walk the ancient times of Westover’s Red Hall carpet.
Greta: Where Have All the Flowers Gone, In the Bleak Midwinter.
What posters were on your dorm walls?
Heidi: The Cure and some other bands.
Greta: Make art not war, and various watercolor prints.
Heidi: Jerusalem. All our feet walk the ancient times of Westover’s Red Hall carpet.
Greta: Where Have All the Flowers Gone, In the Bleak Midwinter.
What posters were on your dorm walls?
Heidi: The Cure and some other bands.
Greta: Make art not war, and various watercolor prints.
Be Boldly You
Westover School admits students of any race, color, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin, or disability to all the rights, privileges, programs, and activities generally accorded or made available to students at the School. As a gender-diverse girls school, Westover welcomes applicants and students who are assigned female at birth and/or identify as girls. The School does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religious affiliation, sexual orientation, national and ethnic origin, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law in the administration of its educational policies, admissions and financial aid policies, and athletic or other school-administered programs.