For half a century, the Newmyer Awards have recognized extraordinary service within the Sidwell Friends community. Every spring, the community gathers to honor the year’s awardees. This year, guests also came together to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the awards.

“As someone who came into Sidwell Friends as a new parent, the Newmyers just had such a gracious spirit of inclusion and welcoming in new people,” says Phyllis Caldwell P ’09, ’11, ’13, a Newmyer Award recipient who also served on the 50th Newmyer Committee which organized this year’s anniversary event. She says the event brings the community together, both in a spirit of gratitude, but also to reflect on a shared belief in service that defines the School and the Newmyers.

2026 Awardee Nina Santiago ’98, P ’36 says, “In many ways, volunteering at Sidwell has not felt like volunteer ‘work.’  It has been a space for me to continue to grow and be most myself. Volunteering energizes me in a way that helps me approach other aspects of my life with more thoughtfulness, motivation, and joy.”  

The Newmyers’ daughter, Lory Newmyer ’76, believes her parents were grateful and happy to be beacons for volunteerism but also humble about being cast as role models. “Because they knew that so many others also did extraordinary work for the School,” she says.

The community of Newmyer Award recipients now numbers over 250, many of whom return each year to celebrate the new year’s awardees. The Newmyers’ daughter Elsa Newmyer ’72, P ’06, ’09 says, “I am always blown away by how many previous winners show up at the awards ceremony.” 

The Newmyer Awards began when ten friends of Ginger and Jimmie Newmyer ’37, P ’72, ’76 made a gift to the School in recognition of the couple’s years of remarkable volunteerism. Ever since, the Newmyer Awards have honored volunteers whose contributions deepen the student experience and strengthen the Sidwell Friends community.

Recipient Betsy Zeidman ’76, P ’20 says, “In volunteering, I feel more closely tied to Sidwell, understand more about what is going on at the School, and continue to appreciate the value of a Quaker institution and a Quaker education, particularly in these times.”

Fellow recipient Gaielle Latortue P ’24, ’26 advises those interested in volunteering that it does not have to be a large commitment. Even a small step can lead to “a deeper sense of connection, purpose, and belonging within the school community.”

In 2018, following in her parents’ footsteps, Elsa Newmyer launched The Newmyer Young Alumni Service Award to recognize sustained commitment to volunteer service. The award includes a contribution made to a nonprofit organization of the recipient’s choice. This year’s recipient was community organizer and environmental justice advocate Jendaiya Hill ’18. At the ceremony, Hill said, “It means a lot to have the Sidwell Friends community recognize the unique value of the path I have chosen and the essential role service plays in restoring sacred bonds across communities."

In this video created for the 50th Anniversary of the Newmyer Awards, Head of School Bryan Garman says, “Ginger and Jimmie had an irrepressible spirit that really spoke deeply to the community. They lived lives of service, they cared deeply about the School, and they lifted up the spirit of volunteerism in this community. The Newmyer Awards are an extraordinary legacy to Sidwell Friends.”

2026 Awardee Janie Song P ’21, ’24, ’26 expresses that legacy well when she says, “It is important to remember that each person brings something unique to the community. When we take the time to recognize that in one another—to see the Light in others and to encourage it—we help create a more inclusive, joyful, and supportive environment for everyone.”

To learn more about the Newmyer Awards or volunteerism at Sidwell Friends, contact Helen Schreiber, director of donor engagement & strategic initiatives, at schreiberh@sidwell.edu.