Alumni Spotlight

Leah and Bree Outwater, twin sisters and graduates of WWS Upper School, Class of 2025, are excited about the paths they have chosen. While Leah and Bree are unique individuals, what is evident in both is their confidence, passion for learning, and excitement about the possibilities ahead. 

Leah is a freshman at Champlain College, majoring in Animation. Having spent time during Covid teaching herself the basics of animation, Leah found that, “I loved giving movement to form and knowing I made that happen. It was something I could put my heart and soul into.” She appreciates the opportunity she had at Windham Woods School to explore different art forms, create her own art, and build a portfolio for college applications. Leah feels 100% prepared for her college experience, and “Because I feel prepared, I can just focus on what I am learning and get excited about my work.” 

In her first semester at Champlain, Leah’s Intro to filmmaking class was “Terrifying at first because I could not imagine making my own films, and I was afraid they would just be bad”. She created a documentary about the Burlington, Vermont, shopping district, and once people saw it and loved it, she felt confident and couldn’t wait to start another. Her second film was a group project, and she found that she loved dramatic filmmaking.  Leah was hesitant at first, but ended up loving the process and also overcame her fear of being both behind and in front of the camera. 

Another course, Censorship in Media, presented a different challenge. “I wasn’t certain how well I would engage with such an abstract topic, and I was concerned about all of the written work, essays, and quizzes.” Leah found that she enjoyed the group discussions about censorship in different countries and the political implications. I had to be self-disciplined, but I got the work done and really enjoyed the class. “I definitely felt the benefit of the way my Language Arts teacher at Windham Woods School taught me how to think, and write, and do my best work.” 

Leah credits her teachers and the community at Windham Woods School with giving her the skills and confidence to do well in college. She remembers that, “My teachers got to know me as a person. They were kind and patient, but they also pushed me to do my best work, and once I felt that success, I wanted to keep going and do more. The most amazing thing was that my teachers saw me for me and only wanted me to be more of who I am.” 

“When I came to Windham Woods, I was really turned in on myself.  School was always really hard for me, not just because of my ADHD, but because it was often hard to make friends. The kids at Windham Woods were really friendly, but it still took me a while to feel comfortable. I finally got it that I could still be myself and make real friends. The community reality helped, and it gave me confidence in myself when I came to Champlain.” 

Learning to understand and manage her ADHD allowed Leah to realize that it did not need to hold her back. Her senior class passion project, an outdoor art classroom, and achieving her Eagle Scout rank allowed Leah to experience her creativity and independence. “…I felt ready to take on whatever comes next in my life. I am really happy to have gotten all As and one B first semester, and now that I know I can handle the college work and have plenty of free time, I am looking for a part-time job on the weekends.” 

Bree Outwater finished her required high school classes by the end of her junior year at Windham Woods, so during her senior year, she took additional classes at Windham Woods three days a week, as well as two classes at Middlesex Community College. Bree knew students often find college challenging because of unstructured time, and she took this as an opportunity to experience that. She used her year to prepare for college by balancing high school and college classes, independent projects, and a part-time job. Bree completed her Eagle Scout rank and her senior passion project, a storywalk on the trails at Windham Woods. Tackling and successfully completing these independent projects, along with her schoolwork, gave her confidence in her ability to stay organized and manage her time. Bree’s part-time job, managing a social media account for a small private school, is one she plans to keep while in college. 

Bree began at Stonehill College in September 2025, and while she enjoyed school and earned a 4.0 GPA, she realized that the Graphic Arts program was not exactly what she had expected. “I realized that Champlain College, where Leah is, has a much stronger program and offers far more opportunities for people like me who want to have a career in this field. Transferring to Champlain was the best decision I could have made, and this school is a better fit for me overall. I have already made friends, and I am really excited for my classes.” 

Bree learned that she had dyslexia in 4th grade and while she did well in school, her ability to read lagged behind. “I am thankful I joined Windham Woods School and found my home.” At Windham Woods, Bree felt right away that teachers saw her potential. “I was no longer the girl with dyslexia who needed to go to the learning center for help. My teachers cared enough to talk to me outside of class and make a genuine connection. If I was struggling with something, they offered to help me, and that was something I had never experienced before.” Bree was also surprised at how friendly her classmates were. “It’s a place where everyone can be themselves and still be friends.”  

“At Windham Woods, I gained the strategies I needed to reach my reading potential. It was the first time anyone had given me strategies for reading that taught me how to pace myself through the text, learn new vocabulary, and remember what I read. For the first time, I was able to read chapter books and not just summarize from parts of the story. I was able to move from chapter books to more complex texts, and then follow along with online copy, which helped me finish long projects on time.”

Bree developed an interest in graphic arts when she took an elective at Windham Woods, where she and a small group of students took on the challenge of creating a school newsletter. Bree loved the experience, and after “testing the waters”, she joined the yearbook committee the following year. “When my teacher asked me to be Editor-in-Chief, I was surprised, but she pushed me to take on the challenge.” Bree discovered she could motivate others and manage all aspects of the project. “I loved learning to format the yearbook, and I would stay up late experimenting with different layouts and finding what worked best for our project.” 

At Champlain, Bree has a course load that combines required classes for her major with academic classes, including Theoretical Perspectives in Ethics and Morality and Culture and Meaning Making.  “I was worried at first about the amount of reading and written work, but after talking to one of my professors, I know I have all the strategies I need to get the work done.” Bree also noted that she not only learned to read at Windham Woods, but also to read between the lines, think critically, and enjoy class discussions. When asked what she most wanted people to know, Bree said, “I would not be able to do all of this, and I would definitely not be where I am today without Windham Woods School.”