The Valedictory Address � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � � �

click here for video of the Address 

Samuel Perlman '20

(Before I get started, I just wanted to take a moment to acknowledge Mr� Wirtz, Mr� King, Mr� Variano, Mr� Loomis, and everyone else who was instrumental in allowing this in-person Samuel Perlman delivers the Valedictory Address at the Commencement Ceremony held on August 1� graduation ceremony to happen� I know it took a lot of time and effort to pull this off� We are all grateful to be here, so on behalf of all of us, thank you�) And as for the Class of 2020… Hey guys� I’ve missed you�

While my Hackley English teachers might have wanted me to start with a better hook than that, I felt that I had to say something more genuine for this moment. This moment, despite everything that has happened over the last four and half months, or maybe because of it, is special. These last few days have been the first opportunity we’ve had to be together as the Hackley Class of 2020 in some time, and let me just say, it’s so good to see all of you again. If your March, April, May, June, and July were anything like mine, the past few months have not been easy for you. But we are here. This is, as far as I know, the first Hackley graduation to take place in August; a unique and extraordinary ending for our unique and extraordinary class. One of the very few silver linings of a global pandemic is that the past few months have been especially conducive to reflecting. Being at home has been quite the change of pace from the normal end to senior year; instead of running around from activity to activity, our year was brought to an abrupt halt 144 days ago, the last day that we were in school together. With this unexpected length of free time, I ran over 200 miles, completed approximately 3,000 pieces’ worth of puzzles with my family, and watched all 143 episodes of Brooklyn 99, but I also got to thinking about my years at Hackley. To that end, I have three thoughts that I’d like to share with you today, all revolving around the concept of time. My first thought was about how grateful I am for the time I have spent here on the Hilltop over the past seven years. This is an extraordinary group of people I’ve had the privilege of being surrounded by. Our class consists of musicians who awed us with terrific performances, athletes who dominated on the sports field, actors who enthralled us with magnificent shows, debaters who argued their way to many successes, artists who amazed us with their creations, and so much more. Throughout it all, we have been supported by incredible, passionate teachers. I am so glad that I saw nearly every student and faculty Chapel Talk, because I loved hearing everything you had to say. Your words educated me, inspired me, and made me appreciate the diverse experiences within our community. Most importantly, I am thankful for the really meaningful friendships that I was able to form with you, my classmates and teammates. Now, onto my second thought. Something else I’ve been reflecting on is how I chose to spend my time when I was at Hackley. Looking back, I wish that rather than getting caught up in my own day to day activities, I had made more of an effort to see the things you all did. I wish I had gone to more of

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your games and stayed later at the various Stings. I wish that I had realized how valuable an experience Coffeehouse was earlier in my time in high school. I wish that I had gone to more Hackley plays and supported our Hacktors more than I did.

However, while I may have a few regrets, I certainly did enjoy my time here. For example, choosing to join the cross-country team was something I’m really glad I did. When I joined the middle school cross country team in seventh grade, I was one of the slowest runners. And after six years of hard work, training, and perseverance, I ended my Hackley running career as officially the slowest guy on the team! But it didn’t matter that I wasn’t winning races; I loved my time with the team. From throwing Frisbees around before practice to keeping each other going during long runs at Rockies to telling jokes at the annual Olive Garden dinner in Rhode Island, the experiences I’ve had with the people on that team are some of the most valuable ones I’ve had in my life.

It was reflecting on my time at Hackley that led me to my third and final thought: how can I take my knowledge about the ways I spent my time here and use that to help me spend my time wisely in the future, both in college and beyond? One piece of advice that I’ve heard says that people should live their life “starting from their obituary and working backwards.” While quite macabre, I think this quotation captures the essence of what I’m trying to convey very well. Who do you want to be? How do you want to be remembered? I’m not saying you have to have the answers to those questions now; I certainly don’t, and I’m not even sure all of the adults listening do. Regardless, the answers to these questions should inform the everyday choices that you and I are making about how to spend our time. Sometimes, we get so caught up in our day-to-day responsibilities that we never get around to doing the things that truly matter to us. If you want to be known for being philanthropic, you need to make time to support the causes you believe in. If you want to be known for championing social justice, you can’t just talk about it. You need to make time to attend rallies, have the tough conversations, and continuously educate yourself. If you want to be known as a good friend, you have to return those texts, no matter how busy you are, when someone reaches out to you in need. You get the idea.

For the last few months, our carefully planned lives have been thrown into disorder. Having your schedule cleared for the foreseeable future by a global pandemic leaves you with some free time and makes it easier to do the things that matter to you which you might not have done otherwise. However, when everything goes back to normal, and as we return to some semblance of a regular routine, we will have to make choices about how to spend our days. When that happens, I hope we will all ask ourselves, “Is what I am about to do something that I will look back on and consider a worthwhile usage of my time?” To be clear, I’m not saying that you can do whatever you want whenever you want. There will always be responsibilities like studying, working, and honoring family commitments. Regardless, we should all still make an effort to carve out time to do the things that bring us joy, the things that make our life meaningful and that help us to become the people we want to be.

Speaking of time, I think it’s about time for me to wrap things up. Before I go, I want to say thank you to my family, especially my parents, and I guess my brothers as well. I want to thank all of the teachers for providing us with an incredible education, including going above and beyond during this pandemic. From the videos you sent us to the parade at the end of the year, you’ve made it more than clear how much you care for us outside of your classrooms. I also wanted to give two special thank yous to Mr. McLay for being a terrific advisor and Mr. Loomis for being a terrific dean. Both of you helped me navigate the very confusing world of high school with marginally less awkwardness than I would’ve otherwise. And finally, I wanted to thank you, my classmates. I’m really going to miss this place, but it’s all because I’m going to miss you guys. You all have made school an experience that has worth far beyond anything that could be learned in a classroom. However sad I might be now, I’m looking forward to the next phase of my life, and I’m excited to keep in touch with you and see you at reunions through everything that’s yet to come. I’m quite curious to see how all of us are going to end up spending our time. Thank you.

click here for video of the Address 

The Commencement Address

Rachel Mwakitawa

Thank you Mr� Witz, Mr� Canoni, and the Board of Trustees for this honor� I’d like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Lifers for the Hilltop Award you bestowed on me yesterday� To the Class of 2020, Thank you for the honor to share this space� In my introduction you were given my name, and told I’m a first grade teacher� For 12 of you, I was your first grade teacher� Some of you recognize me as the teacher who came to various meetings you had, or we passed each other in the hallways, at a game or a concert� For some, we played kickball together and for a few, it’s very possible that I may have pulled a wiggly tooth out for you�

Lower School teacher and DEI Coordinator Rachel Mwakitawa delivers the Commencement Address on August 1�

When Mr. Wirtz invited me to be the commencement speaker, the first thing out of my mouth was WHAT?? I found myself repeating that question. Next, I may have asked WHY ME? I called a friend and the first thing out of their mouth was WHY NOT YOU? The more I thought about it, a new question came up — Did I belong in this space? Do I belong here, right now, in front of you at this podium? The word belonging and I have a history together. My need to belong, securely and confidently within a community has become a driving force, and at times a hindrance.

We all want to belong to someone, somewhere, whether it is within a family unit, school community, citizenship to a country… oh that citizenship thing I know it well. I have been called an illegal alien three times, twice in Kenya, and once here in the United States. That story would be a great side-bar conversation for another day. But I’ll tell you this… I am a global citizen: British by birth, Kenyan by nationality, and American by choice. It shakes you to the core when you are told you don’t belong. You are not an accepted, valued member of the group. It puts you in fight or flight mode. If you choose to fight, you do whatever it takes. An advantage I have is being a middle child — not the first girl, not the first boy or the baby girl.... It teaches you to fend for yourself. I was called annoying at times — I earned that though. I equipped myself with tools to use. My tools included siblings, a network of friends, knowledge, and words. I had to make sure I was seen and heard!! I know I belong to a loving nuclear family, and extended adopted families, here on the hilltop and beyond. After accepting that I belong in this space, a new question emerged! What do I say during this historical moment of your lives? It’s your day, you are expecting a memorable speech, right! Thank you for having the courage to be here in this space together. We cannot deny the current state of affairs in our society today. Then add to that, events in your timeline, that have, and continue to influence you as you figure out your destinations away from here. How are your beliefs, feelings, thoughts, and actions

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helping in the way you process information that is coming at you? You have managed very successfully in the past, and that is why you are sitting before us as graduates. What tools are you using in addition to those gathered here on the Hilltop? Your power is in the answer to this question — Who are you? Ask yourself — Who Am I?

You have a definition of who you are, and the “street” has another. What’s the word on the street about who you are? Who they say you are, may not be who you know yourself to be. Let’s rewind a bit — Word on the streets of Hackley say, you all entered here to be and find a friend. I heard you are an optimistic group, determined, resilient, the no-nonsense takers, creative and independent thinkers, and sometimes trouble makers… But who doesn’t like trouble makers?

To quote the late Congressman John Lewis, “Get in good trouble, necessary trouble.” By the way, it should not matter what the street says. It’s not what they call you or say about you that matters. It’s what you respond to and answer to! Knowing who you are is an evolving journey. The fact is, you are still growing into you. We all are. But at this time, you know you, more than anyone else. The other day flipping through tv channels, I came across the variety show Actors on Actors where different sets of actors are in conversation. During their conversation, Alfre Woodard asked Cynthia Erivo, “How good are you in standing for yourself?” I was pleased to have heard that question, that I’ll ask the same question. How good are you in standing for yourself? With what you know about yourself, are you active or passive? Are you loud or silent? Are you telling your story? Whose voice is being heard? Your life’s timeline is in motion. Much is happening everywhere that can not be ignored. So again I ask, How good are you at standing for yourself? You are moving off to your destinations with the power of your voice. You are being called upon to be a change agent. We have witnessed how voices here amongst you are making a major impact on this community. I need to acknowledge four of those voices, Taylor, Ella, Sydney, and Max. Your voices came through loud and clear. I thank you for knowing you belong in the space and your voice matters. Other voices have also been heard, and the wheels of change are rolling. I am excited to be part of the changes that will continue to happen here. You know the song that you hear and can’t shake for the day, that’s the song of change we have heard. It’s not a new song. It’s not going away. Remember you are a powerful voice. As you travel to your destinations, be ready to be true to YOU, you will make changes in the fields you are entering. The street can’t stop you. Author Adrian Michael writes

“…..no longer is this the time to play small, to downplay, to hinder. Now, you don’t apologize for how much care you are willing to express. It’s on them to meet you where you are. Not because this is the season of the giver. The season of the wanderer.

The season of the lover. The season of the heart.

Reclaim your super power and realize how necessary you always have been.”

Word on the street is that you care for each other and your world. So, once you establish your sense of belonging out there, have the strength to stand up for yourself and let them know who you are. Let them see you… Let them hear you. Class of 2020, Congratulations on your well earned success. Thank you.

click here for complete Commencement photo gallery  click here for complete Commencement Diploma Ceremony  click here for the full Commencement Day Ceremony  click here to watch our first ever Senior Parade 

Congratulations to the Class of 2020!

Andrew Steven Abrons Emily Afriyie Lauren Marie Ahern Roya Foroughi Arjomand Christopher Bentley Arnold III Gabriel Diego Baez Jaewoo Bang Isabella Teresa Barrett David Ben-Ezra Joseph Anthony Bosco IV Eoin Gerard Breen Emma Marie Brennan Margaret Tennant Broaddus Tajah Denay Deborah Burgher Jennifer Ellison Canoni Gabrielle Caramanica Schylar Troi Chase Alexandra Alea Cohen Jacqueline Rose Delia James Christian DiStefano Mitchell Tobias Einhorn Demetra Alexandra Evangelidis Kathryn Julia Fernholz Sean Thomas Ford Sarah Lytton Friesen Alexander Isaac Garcia Paola Noemi Garcia Alexandra Erin Gray Sofia Angela Graziano James Samuel Hefter Elizabeth A. Hetzel Leah Brown Holmes Annabel Cecelia Ives Ella Louisa Jones Kireeti Venkata Sastry Josyula Jimin Jung Chiara Naomi Kaufman Ava Michele Knapp Lucas Yingshyan Ku Thomas Parker Larson Emma Lauerwald Audrey Haeyune Lee Eliana Sumin Lee Alston Liu Erin Hanyu Lynch Luke MacGregor Malcolm Lily Rose Maniscalco Benjamin Regan Marra Sophia Stein Masotti Leah Marie McKirgan Conor Leo McMahon Jordan Alexa Miller Amanda Joy Mooney Kylie Morrison Liam Andrews Murphy Carter Bruce Victor Myers Obinna Onyekwere Nwokorie Jr. Tyler James O'Brien Onyinyechi Princess Ohia-Enyia Samuel Felix Perlman Nicholas Alexander Pink Sophia de Almeida Ribeiro Taylor I. Robin Maxwell Kent Rosenblum Jack I. Rosenthal Josh Arthur Saha Thomas Brian Sasso Patrick Evans Schulman Charles Griffin Segal James Sexton-Holtmeier Kellsie Shan Talia Shoshani Helen Petro Sileshi Neil Sachin Singh Rebecca Anne Steinberg Sydney Belle Stoller Jack Gabriel Sulam Adam Jay Tannenbaum Enzi Teacher Julia Ashley Thomson Jared Tilliss Oren Rami Tirschwell Tahryam Zane Touré Yugo Yoshikazu Parodi Tsukikawa Jacqueline Vargas Dylan Emma Wade Christina Wang Emelyn Grace Wenstrup Matthew Conlin Wiele Aidan Thomas Wilson Ethan Cai Yablon Madeline V. Zuckerman