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The voice of the student body
Hackley School, Tarrytown, NY 10591
September 22, 2016
hsdial.org
First Friday activities build community spirit By Benjy Renton
Photo by Roya Wolfe Mr. Loomis thoughtfully harnesses his skills of teaching into his deanship at a Lindsay Room meeting, part of his many responsibilies as dean of the Class of 2020.
Mr. Loomis transitions from new teacher to Freshman Dean By Will Goldsmith
At the start of the 2015-2016 school year, Christopher Loomis arrived on the Hilltop as a teacher in Hackley’s History department. In the course of a year, Mr. Loomis has established himself as a devoted and caring Hackley teacher and began his tenure as dean of Hackley’s Class of 2020 on the first day of 2016-2017 school year. Mr. Loomis has already made an indelible mark on the Hackley community. His love for teaching and abundance of knowledge with regard to people and events of the past has enabled him to make a lasting impression on many of his students. “He is really helpful, always keeps students engaged in class, seems very passionate, and cares about what he teaches the class each day,” said junior Daniel Hernandez. The Hackley community will see the passion and drive Mr. Loomis
demonstrated last year in the classroom with the commencement of his deanship. Mr. Loomis is aware of the challenges that come along with being dean at Hackley and believes his extensive experience in both teaching and academic advising will help assist Hackley’s Class of 2020 through their time in high school. “I think I bring a certain level of experience in that area [academic advising] to this position, even though it’s not necessarily time spent at Hackley,” he said. Mr. Loomis’ excellence in teaching and commitment to the Hackley community made him an ideal candidate for the open deanship in the eyes of his fellow teachers. “Mr. Loomis is a great fit for the dean position because he is thoughtful, consistent and truly enjoys working with students in and out of the classroom,” said Mrs. Melissa Stanek, the dean of Hackley’s Class of 2019.
Mr. Loomis joins Melissa Stanek, Jenny Leffler, and David Sykes to complete a team of deans in Hackley’s Upper School. As opposed to viewing their roles in a singular light, Hackley’s deans strive to work collaboratively to provide all students with a rewarding and fulfilling high school experience. The success of all his students, not just the most academically inclined ones, remains at the forefront of Mr. Loomis’ philosophy as a dean. “At my previous school, I had a group of advisees that I saw through their sophomore year until they graduated,” he said. “Getting to see them graduate was one of the best moments of my teaching career. Some excelled, some had a tough time, but they all made it past the finish line.” Mr. Loomis plans to employ the same approach and methodology in his teaching and deaning. “The thing that I would like students to
think about me as a teacher, and I think this applies to being a dean as well, is that I try very hard to be an empathetic and fair person,” he said. Mr. Loomis cares about the academic achievements of his students in addition to their compassion and character. Hackley’s emphasis on grooming students in ethics and morals helped foster Mr. Loomis’ interest in Hackley as a whole, as well as the open deanship. Mr. Loomis hopes that Hackley’s message of “Enter here to be and find a friend” will resonate will all his students. “If we can strive for that [living up to Hackley’s mantra] every day, then we’re probably doing okay,” he said. Mr. Loomis takes his new role very seriously and hopes to establish meaningful and rewarding relationships with all his students. “I’m excited about it, I think it is going to be a great ride for four years,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Kendall Wieland Sophomores continued the partnership between Hackley and P.S. 81 in Brooklyn during their First Friday visit.
Photo by Benjy Renton Freshmen are given the opportunity to make acquaintances and foster relationships with new students through the boating competition.
Mr. Wirtz listens and learns on the Hilltop By Alex Meyer
New Headmaster Michael Wirtz is already off to a great start settling into the Hilltop and making the transition into his new position as headmaster. Out and about during preseason and since the start of the school year, Mr. Wirtz has been greeting students and “taking the time to meet with every faculty and staff member” in the community. Mr. Wirtz noted that making the adjustment from a boarding school to a primarily day school was not such a drastic change, especially since Hackley is “not a school where at three o’clock everybody’s gone. People stay here, they’re connected to each other, and there’s a sense that this is a home away from home even if you are sleeping in your own bed at the end of the day,” he said. In his previous position at St. Mark’s School in Southborough, MA, Mr. Wirtz gained valuable experience in “professional development programming for faculty, schedule changes, programmatic changes, curricular
Photo by Roya Wolfe Mr. Wirtz introduces himself to the community during his Convocation speech.
changes, and working with parents and alumni,” and is prepared to draw on those skills during his time at Hackley. For his first year, he plans to listen and learn about the school with a priority of “attending events and getting into classrooms as the year unfolds.” Since three construction projects on campus are already underway, Mr. Wirtz plans to take the time to get to know the members of the com-
munity rather than coming in with radical changes. Currently, Mr. Wirtz believes that “there’s nothing that is broken or needs fixing - the school is in great shape. It’s about taking something great and thinking about how we can make it better and if there’s a new direction that we might shift towards. The changes will be evolutionary, not revolutionary.” Mr. Wirtz has already established a new
tradition since his arrival; he held a “Senior Breakfast” for the morning of First Friday, where he could talk to students during their transition into a very important year. This small but significant addition is sure to be cherished for many years to come. With the ongoing construction, Mr. Wirtz says that the administration is “taking steps to minimize the impact as much as possible,” and he emphasizes that we will need to be living actively with it throughout the school year. While there will certainly be parking headaches at times, the “long-term benefit of the construction is that we will have a magnificent center that will be at the forefront of wellness education and athletic centers for independent schools,” he said. To grow accustomed to the community further, at some point in the fall or winter, Mr. Wirtz wants to shadow a Middle and Upper School student, allowing him to “look through the eyes of a student, go to every class with them, and see what their day is like at Hackley,” he said.
Photo courtesy of Kendall Wieland Each year, new students become involved in the partnership between Hackley and P.S. 81, ensuring that the program will live on for years to come.
Photo by Benjy Renton Freshmen are required to work together during the boating activities, introducing them to the collaborative and competitive nature of Hackley.