For many alumni, returning to St. Stephen’s means much more than revisiting a familiar place. It is a chance to reconnect with classmates, teachers, memories, and friendships that were formed during some of the most formative years of their lives.

That sense of connection has always been an important part of the St. Stephen’s experience.

As a small, close-knit international community, St. Stephen’s brings together students from different countries, cultures, and backgrounds. They learn alongside one another, travel together, debate ideas, share meals, take part in activities and traditions, and navigate the challenges and milestones of high school together. The result is often a network of relationships that extends far beyond graduation.

While students eventually leave the classrooms of the Aventine, in many ways their relationship with St. Stephen’s does not end there.

Alumni remain an essential part of the life and history of the School. They carry their St. Stephen’s experiences into universities, careers, families, and communities around the world, while the friendships and bonds formed in Rome often continue for decades. Reunions offer a particularly meaningful reminder of those connections—and of the shared experiences that can bring people back together many years later.

They also give alumni the opportunity to return to a School that has evolved while still retaining much of what they remember: the intimacy of the community, the international character of student life, and the relationships that make St. Stephen’s feel distinctive.

As we prepare to welcome the Class of 2006 back to campus, we look forward not only to celebrating where their lives have taken them over the past 20 years, but also to celebrating the relationships that began here and continue to endure.

Because at St. Stephen’s, graduation may mark the end of a student’s time in school—but it does not necessarily mark the end of the St. Stephen’s experience.