Make Value Sprint
8 a.m.–11 p.m.
Various Locations
The Conway Center and Design Thinking Initiative have partnered to show students that everyone can design and launch with purpose. Teams of students have conceived of pop-up ventures that they’ll operate for just five hours. If you encounter a team, ask what opportunity they are creating and why, and support them as they work to uncover the true costs of innovation and expand the definition of value they can make.
Family Weekend Hospitality Suite
9 a.m.–2 p.m.
Campus Center 103/104
Join us for morning refreshments, receive information about the schedule and see a list of open classes, and find out about the weekend, Smith, and the local area.
President’s Welcome
9–9:30 a.m.
Campus Center Carroll Room
Join Smith College President Sarah Willie-LeBreton to hear about what is going on at Smith and what she is excited about in the coming year.
President’s Welcome Reception
9:30–10 a.m.
Campus Center, Wilson Atrium (outside of Carroll Room)
Stop by as you make your way out of the President’s Welcome address for light refreshments.
How to Talk to People You Don’t Know (Yet)
10–11 a.m.
Kathleen McCartney Hall Workshop Room (106)
Talking to people you don’t know (yet), whether that’s small talk at a meeting or reception, networking, or getting to know a new group of collaborators, can feel daunting. Yet this skill is essential for both collaborative leadership and career advancement, and it’s generally good for our well-being. Join the Wurtele Center for Collaborative Leadership and the Alum Career Program for a workshop that will help you meet some friendly faces from the larger Smith community and get more comfortable with (and perhaps even enjoy) connecting with new people. Families, alums, students, staff, and faculty welcome.
Mill River Walk
with the Outdoor Adventure Program
10–11:30 a.m.
Leaving from the Paradise Pond Boat House
Join the outdoor program for a leisurely and informative trail walk up the Mill River. This is a low-stress walk, fairly flat and not difficult. Open to families.
Planting Bulbs in Capen Garden
10 a.m.–1 p.m.
Capen Garden, Conway Gazebo
Drop by to help with this annual Smith tradition—planting upward of 2,000 tulips in the beds surrounding the Jill Ker Conway Gazebo in Capen Garden. Tools, gloves, cider, and doughnuts will be on hand!
All the Geothermal You Cannot See
10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Chapin Loading Dock
Celebrate the campuswide geothermal energy project and buildings coming online this fall! Meet some of the people behind campus sustainability efforts, get your questions answered and pick up some geothermal swag.
Apple Cider Pressing
with the Center for the Environment, Ecological Design, and Sustainability (CEEDS)
10 a.m.-2 p.m.
Chapin Loading Dock
Experience a family-friendly and tasty New England tradition! Take a turn at the presses to turn fresh, locally grown apples into cider and then enjoy a cup with a Hadley-made cider doughnut. We’ll also have an heirloom apple tasting to showcase the amazing diversity and many flavors of this fascinating fruit. All are welcome!
Harvest of Hope: Local Food Access Fundraiser
10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Chapin Lawn
Come enjoy some handmade crafts and trinkets in support of the Food Rescue Network and our partner, Manna Community Kitchen. All proceeds go toward feeding the food-insecure population of Northampton!
ParKit: Pedaling Parks to People
10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Chapin Lawn
The ParKit—a park-making kit—makes small temporary parks mobile. Designed by Smith College Landscape Studies students to be ridden around a city and quickly assembled, a bike pulls a trailer holding the necessary components for constructing a “parklet,” making previously unused spaces more inviting. Mobile in nature, our vision is to reach out to communities who are less likely to have the time, resources, or political leverage to engage in community design. ParKit team members design and manufacture parts for the park in the many Smith College spaces for making. ParKit team members learn about design, materials, and prototyping by creating and re-creating components for the ParKit. Stop by and see what we’ve made.
Smith College Print Workshop
with Visiting Artist Melanie Yazzie
10 a.m.–4 p.m.
Hillyer Hall L08
The Department of Art will host visiting artist Melanie Yazzie as she completes an edition of prints. The printmaking studio will be open to the public, so Smith students, families, staff, faculty, and the surrounding community can drop in to observe the process, see the studio in action, and speak with the artist.
Uniquely Smith: Connecting Past, Present, and Future Scholars in Special Collections
10 a.m.–4:45 p.m.
Special Collections Reading Room, Neilson Library Third Floor
How do Smith students use Special Collections? Engage with the same primary sources students use in their classes—rare books and scrapbooks, women’s health manuals and lesbian pulp fiction, activist photos and Smithie yearbooks, and so much more! Learn about students’ assignments with these unique collections, tour stacks and staff spaces, and take home Special Collections souvenirs.
Family Weekend with LASO
10:30 a.m.–2 p.m.
Mwangi Cultural Center
Join the Latin American Student Organization (LASO) in celebrating Family Weekend. We will have fun games like lotería and dominoes, and the winners will receive a small prize. We will also play our favorite Latin hits and provide food and drinks for the first 40 people. Come spend quality time with LASO and learn how we support Latine/x Smithies throughout the year.
Ghosts, Vampires, and Skeletons: A Halloween-Themed Tour of the Wonderfully Weird Botanical World
11 a.m.–noon
McConnell Hall 102
Ghost orchids? Vampire plants that drink the blood of their neighbors? This Halloween-themed talk invites you on a botanic tour of the delightful, strange, and stunningly beautiful stories that are hiding in plain sight. And yes, we will be talking about (and eating) chocolate!
SIKOS Family Weekend Show
11 a.m.–noon
Campus Center 001
Come join Smith’s improv group for fun and laughs during Family Weekend!
Yearbook Tabling
11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Campus Center, Main Level Vending
Support the Madeleine Yearbook and take home a piece of your Smith history by purchasing past yearbooks! We invite families to look through recent yearbooks and purchase previous editions to take home. We will answer questions about the 2027 yearbook and how seniors can receive their free copy.
SEC Family Weekend Craft Fair
11 a.m.–1 p.m.
Campus Center, Main Level Vending 3A
The Student Event Committee (SEC) will be selling custom-made tote bags and crochet goods in the campus center. The proceeds will go towards funding fun events for Smith students hosted by SEC.
Official Smith Ring Sales
11 a.m.–5 p.m.
Campus Center, Main Level, Table 1
The Smith ring, designed by students, is a symbol of the continuous link with classmates, friends, and the college. The ring also evokes special and shared memories of Smith days. Sponsored by Smith’s Alumnae Association, the ring is reserved exclusively for sophomores, juniors, seniors, and Ada Comstock Scholars in good standing. The design remains unchanged—a tangible connection to the past and the future.
Ada Winter Bazaar
11:30 a.m.–2:30 p.m.
Campus Center 204
The Ada Comstock Scholars Program offers a path for students of nontraditional age to complete a bachelor of arts degree at Smith College. The Ada cabinet and Ada coordinator are fundraising to support anniversary celebrations, upcoming events, and merchandise for the class. Drop by for a sweet treat and to learn more about how this innovative program supports nontraditional-age students. Cash is preferred, but Venmo will also be accepted.
CLIFS Family Barbecue
Noon–3 p.m.
Davis Lawn (Rain location: Davis Ballroom)
Looking for a home away from home? Join the Community for Low-Income and First-Gen Students (CLIFS) for an afternoon of fun, laughter and good food. Feel free to bring friends, visiting family, little sibs, or Smith chosen family. All are welcome!
Smith Office for the Arts Open House
1-3 p.m.
Alumnae Gym, Third Floor
Join the Smith Office for the Arts (SOFA) in our new shared space for some artmaking of your own. Activities will include decorating a SmithArts pencil pouch or tote bag, button making, and tiny art. Open to all, while supplies last.
Smith Science Fiction & Fantasy Society Library Tours
1–4 p.m.
SSFFS Library, King House Basement
A repository for contemporary and classic science fiction and fantasy books, comics, and magazines, the Smith Science Fiction & Fantasy Society (SSFFS) Library has highlighted female and queer stories within these traditionally male-dominated genres since 1987. Join us for a tour of our library and discover the secret history of nerds at Smith.
Relaxation Station
1–4 p.m.
Neilson Library, Browsing Room
Need a place to recharge yourself and your phone? Pull up a chair and take a breather at our relaxation station! Drinks, puzzles, light music, and device chargers will be available to help you feel refreshed for the rest of the afternoon.
Supporting & Advocating for Your Student
1:30–2:30 p.m.
Campus Center 205
Director of Residence Life Hannah Durrant will lead a discussion on how to help your student when they are having a difficult time. It might be a roommate issue, not feeling connected on campus, or feeling overwhelmed by deadlines. Hannah will share strategies for how best to support your student and answer questions from families.
Bellringing Performance: Quarter Peal
3–4 p.m.
Mendenhall Belltower
Experienced bellringers will attempt a “quarter peal” on the Mendenhall bells in celebration of Family Weekend. A quarter peal involves ringing all the bells at least 1,250 times in as many different permutations as possible. The performance will be audible from Mendenhall courtyard and Green Street.
Smith College Bellringers
4–5 p.m.
Mendenhall Belltower
All students, family, and alums are welcome. See the tower (one of the most tucked-away spots on campus!), meet the bellringers, and see a demonstration of the centuries-old art of change ringing.
Montage: Oh, the Places We’ll Go!
4–6 p.m.
John M. Greene Hall
The Smith College Department of Music presents Montage: Oh, The Places You’ll Go! for Family Weekend. Take a musical tour around the world with performances by the Glee Club, Chamber Singers, Orchestra, Wind Ensemble, Wailing Banshees, Jazz Ensemble, Handbells, and student a cappella groups.
Mehndi Night
with EKTA, Smith’s South East Asian Student Association
7–10 p.m.
Davis Ballroom
Come to EKTA’s biggest event of the semester! Good food, amazing performances, and beautiful mehndi guaranteed!
Smith 2 Do: Little Smithies
9–11 p.m.
Campus Center 203
Stop by this week’s Smith 2 Do to make a little version of yourself!
