Windy Hill School celebrated 50 years of learning, creativity and joy at the opening reception of its art exhibition Thursday, May 14, at the Davidow Center for Art + Design. 

Amazing pieces crafted by children in the toddler, nursery, Pre-K, and after-school programs blanketed the center's entryway, windows and walls.

Janet Coggeshall Bliss '71, founder of the lab school, and Marc Clement, a child psychologist and professor emerit who developed Colby-Sawyer's child study program, were recognized at the event for their vision and dedication.

So, too, was Windy Hill's current director, Jen James Ensign '99, who learned from Bliss and Clement when she was a student at Colby-Sawyer.

"On behalf of Colby-Sawyer College and Windy Hill School, thank you for joining us for this art show and for helping us celebrate Windy Hill’s very special 50th anniversary year," Academic Vice President Hilary Williams told the large gathering that spanned generations.

"Tonight’s art show is about creativity, imagination and joy, all things that have defined Windy Hill since its founding five decades ago."

Williams recalled Windy Hill's beginnings in the basements of Abbey and Burpee residence halls, where children painted, explored,  experimented and discovered the world around them.

"What may have looked like chaos to an outsider was, in fact, something deeply intentional: a belief that children are capable, curious and full of potential," Williams said. "That philosophy continues to shape Windy Hill today." 

Williams also thanked the directors, teachers, staff, Colby-Sawyer students, parents and youth who have developed, and continue to develop, Windy Hill.

She said the school provides children with unique opportunities and experiences to treasure throughout their lives.

"We celebrate the generations of children, families and educators who made Windy Hill what it is today," she said.

The exhibition, said Williams, embodies a half-century of imaginative play, campus adventures, lasting friendships and magical learning moments.

She encouraged attendees to enjoy the artwork and reflect on the collaboration, confidence and curiosity that Windy Hill School nurtures. 

"As we walk through tonight’s art show, we’re reminded that the heart of Windy Hill has always been the children: their ideas, their voices, their creativity and their endless sense of wonder." 

The dozens of exhibited projects include a 3-foot-tall unicorn, gem suncatchers, sewn drawings, clay animals, collages, leaf people, a stone wall exploration, bark owls, self-portraits and watercolors.

The exhibition also includes a piece by Larry Robjent, the first child to register for Windy Hill at Colby-Sawyer in fall 1976. 

Robjent, a sculptor, teaches courses in industrial arts and technical theater at North Country School in Lake Placid, New York. 

The exhibition runs through Thursday, May 21.