As we look back on the 2023-2024 school year, we are filled with admiration for the remarkable ways the Hackley Community unites to support one another. Throughout the year, we have witnessed countless inspiring acts of compassion and the formation of enduring friendships on the Hilltop. This Commencement Supplement is a heartfelt tribute to the strength of our community and the individuals who make Hackley so special.
į To find 2023-2024 photo galleries, please log in to Hackley Online, click on the “Resources” tab and open the “SmugMug Photos” page. You may also access SmugMug directly at hackleyschool.smugmug.com
Elyse Wang ’24 AP Studio Art
Lucia Butterfield ’25 Advanced Studio Art
Lower School Art Show
Lillian Beaton ’24 AP Studio Art
Lower School Art Show
Lower School Art Show
The Year in Visual Arts
Allison Chin ’24 AP Studio Art
Lower School Art Show
Ela Dedelioglu ’24 AP Studio Art
25th Annual Upper School Art Show
Adhijay A ’29 Middle School Art Show
Lulu Bednar ’24 AP Studio Art
Lower School Art Show
25th Annual Upper School Art Show
Three Dimensional Design, Upper School Art Show
The Year in Visual Arts
Gabrielle Hogrefe ’24 AP Studio Art Middle School Art Show
Kareena Parasnis ’26 Intermediate Studio Art
Lower School Art Show
Harper Kelsey ’24 AP Studio Art
Kayla R ’28 Middle School Art Show
Charlotte Rotenberg ’24 AP Studio Art
Nora Husseini ’27 Foundations of Studio Art
Lower School Art Show
The Year in Visual Arts
Middle School Art Show
Lower School Art Show
Peyton C ’28 Visual Arts Minor
Middle School Art Show Community Art Project — Garden Inspirations with Visiting Artist Leigh Taylor Mickelson
Maia Larson ’24 AP Studio Art
James Goldman ’24 AP Studio Art
Reagan Begley ’24 AP Studio Art
Scarlett Kaplan ’24 AP Studio Art
The Year in Performing Arts
Upper School Chamber Ensembles Spring Concert
Fifth and Sixth Grade Play
Jazz Combos Spring Concert
Middle School and Upper School
Choral Ensembles Winter Concert
Upper School Musical: “You’re a Good Man, Charlie Brown”
First Grade “Flat Stanley”
Upper School Band Ensembles Winter Concert
Middle School Acting Intensive
Lower School Winter Concert
The Year in Performing Arts
Upper School Play: “The Dining Room”
Kindergarten “Magic Flute”
Upper School Acting Showcase
Upper School Orchestra and Chamber Ensembles Winter Concert
Upper School Jazz Combos Winter Concert
Middle School Chorus Spring Concert
Upper School Band and Choral Ensembles Spring Concert
Middle School Strings Spring Concert
Middle School Band Winter Concert
Third and Fourth Grade Strings and Tone Chimes Concert
The Year in Athletics
Girls’ Varsity Golf had a very successful 2024 season, finishing with an overall record of 7-2-1, which earned the Hornets second place in the Ivy League and second among Ivy League schools at NYSAIS (fourth overall at NYSAIS) With three of the top five players returning for next year, the team is well positioned to climb up the league and independent school rankings
Visit hackleyschool.smugmug.com to see the athletics galleries
The Varsity Football team finished the season with a 6-3 record and a Metropolitan Independent Football League Bowl Championship This season was highlighted by strong defensive play, exceptional offensive performances and consistency in special teams
The boys’ foil and saber teams won undefeated ISFL season and Invitational titles, as well as the ISFL Team Championships for the fifth consecutive year Boys’ epee took fourth place in ISFL season standings and third at the ISFL Team Invitational Championships At the ISFL Individual Championships, Hackley took gold in boys’ foil, bronze in boys’ epee and tied for two bronze medals in boys’ saber Five fencers also took home ISFL AllLeague season honors
The Boys’ Varsity
and Field team had a strong season highlighted by third and sixth place finishes at the Ivy and NYSAIS Championship meets, respectively The team also had multiple NYSAIS champions and federation qualifiers and set one new school record
The Varsity Softball team had a spectacular season going 15-2, losing in the state final 4-3 The Hornets surpassed every goal they set for themselves in March One of this year’s highlights was beating Poly Prep for the first time in more than 20 years The team tied for the Ivy League Championship and had four girls named First Team All-League
Girls’ Varsity Swimming was undefeated in dual meet competition Led by nine All-League selections and four team records, the Hornets won the Ivy Championships for the first time since 2015 The team also placed second out of 21 schools in the NYSAIS Championships
Track
Varsity Baseball had a challenging year due to injuries; however, the season was not without some significant offensive accomplishments at the plate The Hornets retain 90% of the team heading into next year, and the team looks to be in the hunt for a playoff spot
The Girls’ Varsity Basketball team ended with a 17-7 record and went 8-4 in the league, earning the No 6 seed in the NYSAIS B Championships The season ended with a four-point loss in the semifinals of the NYSAIS Championships The team will miss its six seniors and their leadership
Coming off the historic double of an Ivy League and NYSAIS Championship in 2022, the Boys’ Varsity Soccer team played hard and battled through to the end, finishing 2-11-1 With this character-building season behind them, and a large number of players returning for 2024, the team looks forward to next fall
Boys’ Varsity Tennis finished as the runner-up in the Ivy League tournament after a solid 7-2 regular season record
The Hornets’ No 1 doubles team won the NYSAIS Championship — the second consecutive win for the program — and Hackley’s No 1 singles player was a NYSAIS semifinalist
The Girls’ Varsity Lacrosse team had a very successful season, ending with an 8-6 record The Hornets’ drive to the NYSAIS Championship game — seeded fifth and defeating the No 4 and No 1 teams to get back there — is what truly illustrates this team’s success Their tenacity, determination and hard work were unmatched, and they grew together both on and off the field
Girls’ Varsity Squash had a very successful season, going undefeated in the Ivy League and winning the NYSAIS Championship The team was seeded fourth in the tournament and beat the No 1 seed 4-3 The Hornets went on to finish the season at High School Nationals, where they placed 11th in Division II, resulting in an overall finish of 27th in the country
The Boys’ Varsity Cross Country team had a capstone season as they captured the Ivy League and NYSAIS Championships and raced at the New York Federation Championships The Hornets also claimed first place team titles at the George Calano-Collegiate School Invitational and the Brewster Invitational
The Year in Athletics
fifth
the
The Girls’ Varsity Tennis team celebrated an outstanding season, clinching its fourth consecutive Ivy League Championship The team showcased smart play and unwavering determination as the girls went on to win the championship
and
Boys’ Varsity Squash had a historic season, finishing with a 20-4 record, winning the Ivy League title, and being a semifinalist at the NYSAIS Championships The boys were crowned Division III champions at High School Nationals with an overall finish of 33rd out of 112 teams in the country
In ISFL season standings, girls’ saber took fifth place, epee came in fourth and foil took seventh Saber took fifth at the ISFL Team Invitational Championships, while foil took fourth and epee sixth
The Varsity Field Hockey team had a very successful season, defined not only by its record, but also by the more intangibles that make a truly great team The Hornets ended with an 8-4-2 record, the Ivy League Championship (shared with Fieldston) for the ninth straight year, and as runner-up in the NYSAIS Tournament
Girls’ Varsity Cross Country earned third place at the Ivy League Championships and fourth at the NYSAIS Championships
The Boys’ Varsity Indoor Track and Field team placed
at
Ivy Championships meet, with the sprint relay finishing third overall The Girls’ Varsity Indoor Track and Field team placed sixth, clinching the championship for the sprint relay team The indoor track and field team celebrated numerous individual podium results across sprint, distance running
field events in both the Ivy and NYSAIS Championships It also had three NYPHSAA State qualifiers and multiple national qualifiers
Boys’ Varsity Swimming had a strong year of growth with multiple personal bests throughout the season by each athlete A young roster that has no graduates, this season was a great stepping stone for next year
The Boys’ Varsity Lacrosse team had an outstanding season, finishing second in the Ivy League at 13-4 and making it all the way to the NYSAIS finals, where they lost a 9-8 heartbreaker in the game’s final moments Seven returning seniors provided admirable leadership throughout the year Four Hornets were recognized as All Ivy-League players, and one was further honored by being named a U S Lacrosse All-American athlete
The Girls’ Varsity Track and Field team continued to rise The season was highlighted by a 2nd place finish in its class at the Somers Invitational, as well as top 5 and top 10 showings in the Ivy and NYSAIS Championship meets
Hackley Girls’ Varsity Soccer finished the 2023 season in October and looks forward to continuing to build as a program next year with a talented returning roster Throughout the season, the Hornets showed perseverance by bouncing back through challenges and continued to grow stronger as a team Eight players on the roster recorded either a goal or an assist for the season
The Boys’ Varsity Golf team finished the season with a 9-3 record in league play and 9-6 overall The team had two players earn First Team All-League honors, finished second in league play and third at NYSAIS, and also clinched third at the Fisher’s Island Golf Tournament With many talented young players and four rising seniors, the team looks very strong heading into spring 2025
The Varsity Wrestling team placed second overall in the Ivy League and took third overall in the championships The team also placed second overall in the NYSAIS tournament Two Hornets were crowned Ivy League champions, and one was named the NYSAIS champion Four wrestlers also placed in the top three in their respective weight classes at the
The Boys’ Varsity Basketball team had a historic season, finishing with a 19-7 overall record, 12-2 in the Ivy League and NYSAIS ‘B’ RunnerUp The boys led Hackley Basketball to its most successful season in decades
NYSAIS Championships
Fourth Grade Recognition Day
Oberstein
Director of the Lower School Lisa Oberstein celebrated the Class of 2032 at the Recognition Ceremony held on June 4, 2024
Good morning families, faculty, staff, guests and students, as we come together to celebrate the Class of 2032! Thank you all for being here this morning on this beautiful day to celebrate our fourth graders .
In fall of 2019, this class of fourth graders began their kindergarten year much like any other group of kindergarteners. They came to school eager to learn and to play with friends, to run and climb, to do group projects and go on field trips. And they had almost a full year of school before the pandemic sent us all home in March, not to return until September 2020. This group of resilient and optimistic children attended school through distance and hybrid learning, spit testing, and social distancing. They lived through an experience unlike any other, and yet they each sit here today with smiles on their faces, having withstood it all and, most importantly, having developed lifelong friendships and critical thinking skills and deepening their love of learning along the way.
Throughout their years in the Lower School, they continued to show resilience, curiosity and flexibility, whether on rainy field trips or in the classroom or playground. This particular group of fourth graders is known around the Lower School as kind, empathetic and collaborative.
Ms. Justine Velazquez, our Lower School security guard, shared a story with me that is quite emblematic of this fourth grade class. She said, “I started in March of 2023, and I was super nervous to meet a whole new building of people. At this point in time, this fourth grade class were third graders. They all made me feel extremely welcomed and comfortable at Hackley. I remember walking one current fourth grader to the nurse, and she asked if I ever worked here before. When I responded, ‘No, it’s my first time at Hackley,’ she said, ‘Well, you’re doing a very good job’.” Justine shared that this made her heart super happy and she felt welcomed, appreciated and, most of all, seen. That comment could have been from any one of these lovely fourth graders sitting before me under the tent today, as they all proudly exemplify the Hackley value “Enter here to be and find a friend.”
According to their teachers, these fourth graders are a group of readers, poets, biographers, historical fiction authors, mathematicians, historians and upcoming voting citizens. They are outside-of-the-box thinkers. They will most likely be innovators to help save our planet, feed the hungry and find cures to various diseases. The sky is the limit!
Lisa
Now a few words of advice from your teachers:
• Never give up, wear your smile like a crown, and be humble and kind.
• Keep your joy and let your genius shine!
• Although it was long ago, use your kindergarten year as a reminder of how flexible and strong you are. You showed up and gave your best when things changed drastically, things were hard and every new day seemed impossible. Even if the details of that year are a bit of a blur, never forget that big idea.
• Read everything. It informs, entertains and provides glimpses and perspectives of others’
experiences. And one final word of advice from Mrs. McKay: Cite your sources appropriately and don’t trust Google images!
Fourth graders, we thank you so much for bringing your best selves to the Lower School, whether it was for one year or five years. Each of you is extremely special and deeply cared for, and I am so proud of how you have grown in character, scholarship and accomplishment. I know all the adults in our community are, too. I would like the fourth graders to stand and give their grownups and teachers a round of applause for their help and support in getting them to where they are today. Now, “Go forth and spread beauty and light,” and don’t forget to visit us next year!
Lower School Memories
A Poem By 4C
In kindergarten we make new friends, they stay with us until the end In 1st and 2nd grade we learn to cooperate and though we get frustrated, we still try, try again In 3rd and 4th grade our Spanish begins, learning new languages will not be the end Enter Here To Be And Find A Friend
Working with Community Engagement and HEAL, we give families their next meal Our teachers helped us all the way, and we still love them to this day 8th grade buddies are so cool, they help us prepare for Middle School We all take care and support each other: United, We Help One Another
Sportsmanship is good for me, we use it in P.E.
In Character Ed we met NED, and he had lots of thoughts in his head Always respect yourself, the environment and peers, for we’ll stay together through the years Character Is Higher Than Intellect
We went kayaking at Kingsland Point Park, voyaging like Lewis and Clark On the final day of 3rd grade, the entire sky began to fade, the sun turned red, it didn’t shine, but our day was still divine Kindergarten buddy, a little star, you can go so far, become so bright, Go Forth And Spread Beauty And Light
We’re going to 5th grade to do our part, but the memories from the Lower School will stay in our heart, Go Hack!
Left: Fourth graders in 4C with their teachers Ms Crainer (right) and Ms Thompson (left)
Right: Rose W ’32 recites the class’s poem at the Fourth Grade Recognition Ceremony
Through the Years
A Poem By 4S
HELLO KINDERGARTEN!
Hello Hackley and new beginnings!
Hello 4th and 12th grade buddies
Hello learning numbers, letters, colors and messy classrooms
Hello COVID
Goodbye Zoom classes
Goodbye ABCs and 123s
Goodbye carefree playtime and the easy life!
HELLO FIRST GRADE!
Hello masks, social distancing and spit tests
Hello lockers
Hello more academics
Hello Johnson Center, Art and Science
Goodbye two homerooms and book nooks
Goodbye lots of cutting and pasting
HELLO SECOND GRADE!
Hello three homerooms and new students
Hello multiplication and division
Hello country commercials
Goodbye required masks, spit tests and social distancing
Goodbye first floor
HELLO THIRD GRADE!
Hello second floor
Hello 8 -day schedule
Hello Spanish, chimes and strings
Goodbye loud hallways (well, kinda!)
Goodbye Spanish Fiesta play
HELLO FOURTH GRADE!
Hello K and 8th grade buddies
Hello ERBs
Hello morning announcements
Hello Americana play
Hello Akin Common recess
Goodbye second floor
Goodbye playground
Goodbye to being the oldest in Lower School
Goodbye 4S
Goodbye … Lower School!
Left: Fourth graders in 4S with their teachers Mr Samuel (left) and Ms Thompson (right) Right: Oliver G ’32 recites the class’s poem at the Fourth Grade Recognition Ceremony
Home, Sweet Lower School
A Poem By 4K
On your first day, you looked so small, Shy, confused, nervous and scared. You didn’t know they all felt that way too. You thought you wouldn’t make friends. But look at you now...
You made friends and mistakes, and you learned from both. You tried, cried, created and filled my hallways with SunShine, Lots of experiences, laughter, joy and discovery Bursting my walls at the seams!
Books, projects, catapults, art shows, concerts, The Sting, Kindergarten Buddies, Philadelphia, Americana, the bird nest,
As you head across the basketball court, Remember what you learned here... Be kind, gentle and helpful. Be prepared, flexible and mindful. Believe in yourself; don’t be afraid to be brave. And don’t forget to come back home to ME, YOUR Lower School!
Left: Fourth graders in 4K with their teachers Ms Kanter (right) and Mr Fiore (left) Right: Taryn P ’32 recites the class’s poem at the Fourth Grade Recognition Ceremony
Eighth Grade Recognition Day
Trevor Ogden
The Class of 2028 selected Middle School teacher Trevor Ogden as the faculty speaker for the Recognition Ceremony held on June 3, 2024 The following is his speech, “Live Life Like an Improv Class!”
Good morning parents, faculty, honored guests and, of course, the Class of 2028!
I’ll level with you all … settling on a topic for this speech wasn’t easy . Not because I had nothing to say, but rather because this class has so many eclectic interests and talents that it seemed impossible to narrow it down to just one topic . Among you there are skilled writers, keen mathematicians, tremendous athletes and world travelers . But the more I thought about it, the more I kept coming back to one central idea: this class is really funny Collectively, you have a wonderful sense of humor Rarely did a day pass this year where one of you didn’t make me laugh
I, too, love comedy. I love comedy movies, stand-up comedy and improv comedy. And as I continued to think, I kept returning to this idea of improv comedy. I can’t count the number of times one of you would throw out a bit, and we would just riff on it until we ran out of ideas. Slowly it began to dawn on me that we’ve been doing little pieces of improv together all year long. Furthermore, it dawned on me that the principles of improv comedy actually translate quite well to school in general, and that approaching school like you would approach an improv scene actually makes a lot of sense. Let me give you a few examples.
The first and cardinal rule of improv is to say “yes, and.” This encourages participants to accept new scenarios and contribute to them, even if they seem strange or improbable at first. “Yes, and” allows you
and your scene partners to build something together, encouraging both creativity and participation. In her book Bossypants, Tina Fey says, “To me YES, AND means don’t be afraid to contribute. It’s your responsibility to contribute. Always make sure you’re adding something to the discussion. Your initiations are worthwhile.” While Fey is speaking specifically about improv here, this is also a fantastic way to approach your studies. In a classroom setting, “yes, and” fosters a more collaborative and supportive learning environment. It promotes active listening and encourages classmates to contribute their ideas without fear of rejection. As you enter high school, I encourage all of you to adopt a “yes, and” attitude. Say yes to new and different opportunities, and put your own stamp on them! As Tina Fey says, “Your initiations are worthwhile!”
Another cornerstone of improv is to trust and support your scene mates. In order for an improv scene to be successful, participants must be able to rely on one another. In the classroom, the same rule applies. Fostering a supportive atmosphere where classmates feel safe to express themselves can lead to increased confidence and a greater willingness to take intellectual risks. When people feel safe and confident, they tend to up their game. If you combine a supportive environment with a “yes, and” attitude, there is no limit to what you can achieve — whether it be in an improv scene or a classroom!
A third and critical rule for improv is to be fully present and stay in the moment. An improv scene moves quickly, and unexpected changes pop up suddenly. To keep up with the pace and adapt to new scenarios, participants must be fully present and focused. This is
true for your high school experience as well. It might be hard to imagine now, but the next four years will go by quickly. I encourage you to stay in the moment. Try to be present and take full advantage of each class, and don’t view your classes as a means to an end. At some point, and maybe this has already happened, people around you will begin talking about your future — which math track or AP to take so you can get into X, Y or Z college. Try your best to tune that noise out. If you focus on doing your best in the present moment, the future stuff will take care of itself, and you’ll get more out of your high school experience.
The final guiding principle of improv is to embrace mistakes and learn from failure. In an improv scene, there is no script. The guardrails are off and, because of this, mistakes are inevitable. This may seem scary at first, but improv teaches us that mistakes can often
lead to unexpected and positive outcomes. Again, this principle has a direct correlation to the classroom. Participating in an English discussion or a history debate is very much like an improv scene. Sometimes you hit the mark perfectly, but other times you stumble over your words or lose track of your ideas. This happens to all of us. By viewing mistakes as learning opportunities, you build resilience. You learn to recover quickly from setbacks, which in turn makes obstacles seem less daunting. Whether you’re in an improv scene or a classroom, it’s okay to mess up. It will only make you stronger in the long run.
Class of 2028, as you step into the next exciting chapter of your educational journey, I want you to carry these improv principles with you. Embrace the “yes, and” mentality, welcome new experiences and contribute your unique ideas. Trust and support one
another, creating a classroom environment where everyone feels confident to take intellectual risks. Stay present in each moment, fully engaging with the here and now, and let the future unfold naturally. Remember that mistakes are not setbacks but opportunities for growth and learning.
As you enjoy your summer, filled with fun and relaxation, keep your sense of humor close. When you return in the fall, apply these improv principles not just in the classroom, but in all aspects of your life. On the sports field, on the stage and in your friendships, let these rules guide you. Embrace the unscripted moments, find joy in the unexpected, and always remember that your contributions are valuable.
Congratulations, Class of 2028. The future is yours to shape, one improvisational step at a time.
The Class of 2028 gathers on the Johnson Courtyard steps on Recognition Day
Eighth Grade Recognition Day
The Class of 2028 selected Jack M. ’ 28 as the student speaker for their Recognition Ceremony held on June 3, 2024.
I love this School, and I love being able to call myself an eighth grader and a student at Hackley School — that alone means so much more than just being an eighth grader My name is Jack, and being part of the Class of 2028 at Hackley School fills me with a sense of belonging and unity that I think is a classification of all of us, and it is a symbol of our togetherness that will carry us through high school I know I will always remember what a special group of people this 2028 Hackley class is, and I know that by the time we have finished our tenure at this School, everyone else will know it as well
Looking back, I know we have undoubtedly faced challenges and overcome obstacles. From navigating through COVID in our fourth grade year to tackling the notorious history essay this spring and Ms. Carrier’s ruthless bumpout meetings. Each experience and memory we have made along the way has shaped us
into the individuals we are today. It’s these moments of growth and resilience that have prepared us for the exciting adventures that lie ahead in the Upper School. I know that each and every one of us will thrive in the Upper School, and it is only a matter of time until we will reap the rewards of all that we have worked for.
Jack M . ’28
Eighth graders Tian Cheng W , Henry P , Patrick F and Peyton C at the Eighth Grade Recognition Ceremony, held on June 3, 2024
As we prepare to embark on the next leg of our educational journey, let’s not forget the lessons we’ve learned along the way. Let’s remember Hackley’s main virtues, and although many of us learned them all the way back in Lower School, the importance of perseverance, kindness and curiosity still prevails in our School’s community today. In the Upper School, we must embrace the opportunities that come our way and continue to strive for excellence in everything we do. I know this group is capable of doing this, and I cannot wait to see what we will accomplish if we do so.
But as we celebrate our achievements and how far we have come as students, let’s also take a moment to thank those who have supported us every step of the way. Our parents, teachers and mentors have nurtured the growth of our fertile minds, and none of this today would be possible without them. I want to express my gratitude to all the teachers, staff, parents and fellow students who have made these past years at Hackley so memorable. Personally, I know that I have dragged my parents to enough school events and sports tournaments to last them a lifetime, and I know that they can attest to that. But I am forever grateful because, even though they probably would rather be anywhere else, they show up to support me
no matter what. And for the teachers and staff, you all are the glue that holds the School together; if it were not for you, none of us would be here today.
As I stand at this podium today, I speak for everyone when I say how much we truly would like to express our gratitude to you for believing in us and helping us reach this milestone of graduating from eighth grade. We could not thank you enough for the opportunities you have presented us over the course of these school years.
Today marks the end of one chapter of our lives and the beginning of another. As we stand on the threshold of high school, it’s essential to take a moment to reflect on the journey that brought us here. As we all say goodbye to Middle School and prepare to embark to the Upper School, let’s do so with courage and confidence. This group of people is a truly formidable and strong group of kids, and I know that we will approach the future of our educational years with optimism and determination.
Congratulations, Class of 2028! May your futures be bright, and may we continue to make ourselves and the rest of the Hackley Community proud every step of the way. Thank you so much.
Eighth graders Melanie M , Sofia I , Meron B and Kendall J enjoy a celebratory moment together in the Johnson Center after the Eighth Grade Recognition Ceremony
The Class of 2024 gathers for a group photo at the start of their final year on the Hilltop
Cum Laude Address
Phil Brooks ’14
Dr. Phil Brooks ’ 14 offered this year’s Cum Laude Address. Phil is a Cum Laude Society graduate and valedictorian who attended Princeton University, where he studied chemistry and computer science. He continued his studies in chemistry as a doctoral student at Harvard University, where he focused on developing tools for imaging electrical signals in the brain. He successfully defended his doctoral dissertation in May and will be a lecturer in biological engineering at Massachusetts Institute of Technology this fall.
Congratulations to each one of you, students, parents and teachers, on the academic achievement that has brought you to this room .
Cum laude, as Mr Sheppard would tell you, means “with praise ” And we have all gathered here today to praise this select group of students for what is truly a praiseworthy achievement
I know that making it here was very difficult. In fact, I can tell you that my last year at Hackley was more difficult than my first semester of college. Don’t get any idea that college is easy, but I can assure you that your accomplishments in making it to graduation and to this cum laude induction ceremony are certainly something worthy of praise.
Knowing what it took to get here, I will hazard a guess that this is not the first and will not be the last time you will be praised for your achievements; and I would suggest that the way you respond to this praise will have a huge impact on the rest of your lives.
There are, I think, two options to consider.
The first option may be described by the motto: “Go forth and win praise.” This may sound great; who doesn’t want praise? But I caution you; a life defined
by the pursuit of human praise will result in your choices being determined by the expectations of others, your self-value being defined by what others think of you, and your entire life being lived as a blind follower of the whims of “what everyone thinks.”
The second option may be described by a motto dear to Hackley: “Go forth and spread beauty and light.” Don’t let your life be shaped by the praise of man. Rather direct your life toward the beautiful and true. Praise may come of this, or it may not, but that is not the point. I would like to spend the rest of my time today on this topic: What, for those of you who so choose, does it look like to lead a life centered on beauty and light?
Before I get too deep, I just want to say that when I was invited to give this speech, I was a bit surprised. After all, I have spent the last decade in school, and just
graduated (I hope, for the last time) a couple of weeks ago. So, unlike the speaker at my cum laude induction ceremony 10 years ago, I have not done anything exciting like negotiating a chemical weapons agreement with the Russians. So, I guess it must just be that someone here liked the last speech I gave at Hackley.
Working on that theory, I went back to that decade-old speech to see what I had said. That speech, like Gaul, was divided into three parts, corresponding to what I described as Hackley’s three mottoes. I want to read you a brief excerpt from the last part:
“The final motto, ‘Go forth and spread beauty and light,’ is very appropriately inscribed on the inside of the doorway from Goodhue. We see it when we leave the building, for this motto is about leaving. Whenever we leave Hackley, … this motto urges us to bring with us what Hackley has given to us. To bring it with us so that we can give it to others. This surely includes the knowledge we have gained here; what we have learned of history, art, language and science can
be used to help others. But I think that the ‘beauty and light’ that Mr. Naething refers to have more to do with what we have learned about how to live our lives, how to be friends, how to help those around us. In sum, how to think of ourselves less and of those around us more.”
Now, today I want to engage in a little bit of constructive criticism with my 18 -year-old self, and perhaps with you as well. I will start with the positive:
I think that I was right then, and right now, to say that the beauty and light that we spread is not fundamentally about intellect but about character. This cum laude induction specifically honors academic achievement, and that is right and good. But I want each of you to know that while bare intellect may make you rich, it will never make you happy if your inner soul is devoid of beauty and light. (Those of us who are young may be tempted to view this as a myth; I suspect that many of those who have lived a bit more of life know it to be true.)
Classics Department Chair and Cum Laude Chapter Secretary Chris Sheppard addresses attendees at the annual Cum Laude Induction Ceremony held in Allen Memorial Hall on June 3, 2024
Now I want to directly address those parents here: I want you to think carefully about what you want for your kids as they head out into the world. If that is money and notoriety, then by all means prioritize your kids’ academic or professional achievement over everything else. But if it is happiness or contentment you want for your kids, then be ready for the demands of beauty and light sometimes to take precedence over grades, salary or resume.
Now for the self-criticism: Ten years ago I said that “this motto urges us to bring with us what Hackley has given to us,” evoking an image of torchbearers bringing forth brightly burning brands into a dark world. This was, in hindsight, lacking in humility. Hackley’s work in us was certainly important, but it was never meant to be the end of our education in beauty and light.
In fact, what Hackley has given us is not a bright torch, but a small glowing ember. If protected, fed, breathed upon, it will grow warmer and brighter. If neglected, it will die.
So I urge you, newest members of Hackley’s Cum Laude Society, if you indeed want to be spreaders of beauty and light in the world, then nurture your ember. As the apostle Paul wrote, “whatever is true,
whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things” (Philippians 4:8).
Perhaps this sounds nice. Fine, you think, I will spend time with great people, enjoy music I like, volunteer my efforts for important causes, read good books…
But, I would suggest, there is something that has to be done first.
When I started my Ph.D. research five years ago, I worked with my advisor to decide on a research project that I would pursue for the next five years. We ended up deciding that I would work to discover how to evoke voltage sensitive fluorescence from microbial rhodopsin voltage sensors under two-photon excitation.
Well, do you think I set off straight away to begin my experiments in the lab?
No. In fact, when I began my research, those fancy words meant only slightly more to me than they do to you today. Before starting the work of scientific discovery, of opening up the mysteries of “two-photon voltage sensitive rhodopsins” to the world, I had to spend months learning everything I could about microbial rhodopsins, voltage sensors, two-photon excitation and the like. Only when I understood what these broad terms meant could I begin to understand the best way to tackle the specific problem in front of me.
Likewise, if you are going to go about trying to spread beauty and light, if you are going to put energy into nurturing your character, you had better take some time to figure out what these fancy words actually mean.
Now, a Ph.D. is not neatly separated into preliminary study, then experiments and then publication. Certainly, there has to be some preliminary study before beginning experiments, and there have to be some experiments before publication, but in my Ph.D., at least, I never finished reading about microbial rhodopsins and still have a few more
experiments to run in July, even though I have already submitted all of my papers and graduated.
It is much the same with beauty and light. An understanding of what beauty is provides important groundwork for developing an appreciation of beauty. We certainly must have an appreciation for beauty before we go around spreading it. But in real life, these are all going to be mixed up together, and that is how it should be. You can still recognize light when you do not fully understand it. And, by all means, spread it even if your light is weak. But do not forget to keep nurturing that ember of beauty and light that our alma mater has given us.
Cum Laude Society
So, you have a choice:
Go forth and win praise? Or Go forth and spread beauty and light?
If you choose the latter, and I hope you do, then search out and study the sources of beauty and light in this world. Seek answers to the great questions “What is virtue?” “What is truth?” and “What is beauty?”
Drink in as much beauty and light as you can find, and go forth and spread it.
Thank you.
Awan
Asher Beck
Katherine Chen
Allison Chin
Ashley Currie
Gabrielle Hogrefe
Geoffrey Huang
Connor Kelly
Sophia Kliatchko
Thomas Lee
David Linnett
Maura McGlarry
Sarah Metcalfe
Kylie Oh
Sophie Ryan
Samuel Sanders
Annika Terezakis
Talia Tirschwell
The 2024 Inductees to Hackley’s Cum Laude Society: Phoebe Abrahms
Shiraz
Senior Dinner Address
Steve Fitzpatrick
Upper School history teacher Stephen Fitzpatrick was chosen by the Senior class as this year’s Rice Award recipient. He delivered the Senior Dinner Address on June 3, in which he shared about his path to Hackley and finding his purpose here.
Parents, Colleagues, Trustees and assembled guests, welcome to the Senior Dinner . To the Class of 2024, congratulations! Today’s events, starting with Ms . Crepeau’s Chapel remarks and the Graduation Walk this morning, kick off an entire week of celebrations .
I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart. I can think of no higher honor than to be chosen by students for an “inspirational teaching” award. And thank you to the Rice family for making this award possible.
Now that you’re graduating, I will let you in on a little secret — and I hope my colleagues will agree with me — there are days when we have no idea if what we are doing is working. Teaching is one of the few jobs I can think of where we cannot be sure on a week-to-week, month-to-month, or even year-to-year basis whether we are having the impact we want, whether you are understanding or even paying attention to what we think is important, or whether or not you care about anything we are talking about other than your grade in our class. Being selected for this award is confirmation that, for at least some of you, for some of the time and in some circumstances, something I’ve done must have worked.
I’d like to do three things in my speech tonight.
First, I’d like to tell you how I came to teach at Hackley.
Second, I’d like to explain why I’ve stayed at Hackley for three decades and counting.
And third, I’d like to talk about my hopes for your class as you prepare to leave Hackley.
Along the way, I’d like to share a little advice as you make this transition from high school to adulthood.
In the fall of your junior year, I traveled with some of your classmates to a debate tournament in New Haven, Connecticut. At one point during the weekend, one of you asked me how long I’d been teaching at Hackley, to which I replied 28 years. You looked at me and said, “No offense Mr. Fitz, but if I was teaching at Hackley for 28 years, I think I’d want to kill myself.”
I laughed.
I did not take offense for two reasons. First, I would have felt exactly the same way when I was 16. I’m not sure I would have said it out loud, but I definitely would have thought it.
But more importantly, I knew something he didn’t. I knew how rare it was to work at one place for 28 years, how difficult it was to find a fulfilling career that I not only enjoyed, but one where I had an opportunity to work with talented, compassionate people, truly good people, people who knew and taught my children, where every day was a “take your child to work day,” and where I was blessed to teach exceptionally bright and motivated students. And it was a place that supported my professional development for any opportunity I wanted to pursue.
The irony was that there was no place I would rather be than watching those debaters, some of whom I had worked with for seven years, transform into the kind of thinkers and speakers where they could get up and give a speech like this without breaking a sweat. I knew that if I was around long enough to talk to this student after he spent 28 years in the workforce, he would then understand just how fortunate it is to find such joy and meaning in your work.
But my path to teaching was anything but straightforward.
Hard work, perseverance, and just showing up on time and prepared can get you 80% of what you want in life. I truly believe that. Talent obviously helps. But luck also plays a significant role, and I have been extraordinarily lucky.
I grew up not far from here. My family was a family of lawyers — my grandfather was a lawyer, my father was a lawyer, one of my sisters and both brothers-in-law are lawyers, and many of the other adults in my early life were also lawyers. Through high school, college and eventually law school, I had always assumed I would be a lawyer. The funny thing is, I don’t ever remember actually making a “choice” to be a lawyer — no one forced me, it’s not that I didn’t know anything about the profession, but looking back, I never actually considered another option.
It was not until about three months into my first job at a large law firm, at age 24, that I realized the consequences of my failure to really investigate my “choice.” It wasn’t just that I was unhappy — transitioning from school to work is a challenging experience for most young people — but something was off in a more fundamental way. After about a year and a half, it became crystal clear to me that I was not only in the wrong law firm, I was in the wrong profession.
The prospect of remaining in that field for decades filled me with such overwhelming dread that I knew I had to make a change.
But it was the hardest decision I’d ever had to make. I was not someone who “quit,” and I prided myself on sticking things out. The emotional, financial and personal costs of leaving law were significant.
Shiraz Awan, Claire Esposito, Cydnee Copeland, Sam Nadol, James Goldman, Sam Sanders, Rowan Pedraza, Tommy Troso, mathematics teacher Peter Wright, Sofia DeSpirito, Kylie Oh, Eliza Podvalny, Remi Myers and Nevin Mital at the Senior Dinner, held on June 3, 2024
Throwing away a three-year investment in graduate school, not to mention the potential disappointment of parents and family, and, let’s face it, the difference in social prestige and financial security attached to being a lawyer, was not something to be taken lightly. My father was incredibly understanding but wondered if I wasn’t being too hasty — he gently suggested maybe I try a corporate job or join a smaller firm. But my heart was not in it. I knew deep down I needed to make a clean break.
This is one crucial lesson: You can always make another choice. It seems so obvious in hindsight, but it had never occurred to me that I had permission to quit my job. Once I realized that, it became much, much easier to make the decision. You are the only one who lives your life.
For the first time, I took a hard look at myself and really reflected on who I was and what I was interested in. I considered journalism because I liked to write, I thought about publishing because I was a voracious reader, and I gravitated to teaching because I had always loved school.
On a rainy Wednesday in April 1995, on more or less a whim, I called one of the independent school recruiting organizations. There was no email then, so someone actually answered the phone. I explained my situation and got my first glimmer of hope. The pleasant woman on the other end of the line said, “You wouldn’t believe how many calls we get from lawyers!” The fact that there were others like me looking to exit the profession was both comforting and encouraging.
She told me something had come across her desk just that morning. And then she would tell me the information that would change the course of my life — she said that a position teaching Asian history had just opened up at a school called Hackley in Tarrytown. The contact person was Mr. Phil Variano.
This was fortuitous for two reasons. I knew Hackley, and the prospect of moving back closer to home was appealing. More importantly, I was a history major in college with a focus on Japanese and Chinese history. The job seemed tailored just for me.
I called Mr. Variano, faxed my resume, and set up an interview for the following Monday — an expedited process unusual by today’s practices. What I didn’t know then was that April was late in the independent school hiring process — fortunately for me, they needed to fill the position quickly.
I did a little research on the School — in a library no less! — and made my way to the interview. I met with about a half dozen people. I did not meet the Headmaster nor was I required to do a demo lesson, both things I did not consider odd at the time, but would be unheard of today. I was told on the walk back to my car that I would probably hear something in a few weeks.
When I got back to my apartment later that evening, I had a message on my answering machine with a job offer. In less than a week, and a barely formed plan, I had a new job.
That was how I ended up at Hackley.
So why have I stayed?
Seniors Kylie Oh (left) and Ela Dedelioglu (right) present their dean, modern languages teacher Michelle Crepeau (center), with the 2024 Hilltop yearbook, which is dedicated to her
If you had told me at the end of my first faculty meeting that I would be at Hackley almost 30 years later, I would have thought you were crazy. Truth be told, my plan was to teach for a few years, regroup and then find a more lucrative career. But a funny thing happened, essentially the opposite of what happened in my mercifully brief legal career. Within three months it was clear that not only was teaching a good fit for me, but I loved it. When I first arrived in the fall of 1995, I was 26. I could run and jump and hit a tennis ball or two — I coached all three seasons for my first 10 years. I ran summer school classes, became a dean, served as the faculty representative to the Board, did Model Congress and Mock Trial, got my master’s degree at Columbia University, launched the Hackley debate program, and took advantage of every professional opportunity that came my way — something I like to think I still do. In fact, I am missing an online class tonight as part of another master’s program I enrolled in during the pandemic. Teaching was my choice, and I dedicated myself to becoming as good a teacher as I could be, which includes an ethos of lifelong learning that I’m certain will stay with me for the rest of my days.
But there were more perks to teaching at an independent school. I soon had children, and the chance to watch them grow and to be a part of their school lives is among my most cherished and treasured experiences here.
When my rising fifth grader graduates, I will have had a child enrolled at Hackley from 2005 through 2032 — a span of 27 consecutive years. Becoming a Hackley parent broadens your perspective on the School in so many ways. It helps you see the School from an entirely new perspective. Your interactions with colleagues as a parent allow you to better understand and appreciate all the contributions they make to Hackley each and every day.
While both of these reasons — professional job satisfaction and a more integrated family life — were instrumental in keeping me at Hackley, the decisive factor in my choice to stay is the quality and character of the people within our community.
When I look around tonight, for virtually every one of my colleagues I can tell a story about how they
Seniors Tommy Troso, Caroline Didden and Talia Tirschwell with Upper School English teacher Anne Siviglia at the Senior Dinner, held on June 3, 2024
have helped me, how they were there for one of my kids, and how much I’ve learned and appreciated their wisdom, talents, perspectives, commitment and professionalism. Your senior advisors alone are a dream team of Hackley faculty.
Consider Dr. Ying and the extraordinarily successful Independent Science Research Program he created, Mr. Cice who oversees the stunning visual arts program, Ms. E-K and her devotion to the boarders and the boarding program, Ms. DeMarchena’s dedication to community engagement and service-learning, Mr. Sheppard’s invigoration and absolute passion for the classics, the fascinating and impactful brilliance of Mr. Klimenko and Mr. McLay, Ms. Baal’s kindness and willingness to go above and beyond for her students, and Mr. Arnold’s relentless efforts to hold you all accountable and who, just to pick two, spearheads our advisory program and oversees the Board of Magistrates. And, of course, your fearless leader, Ms. Crepeau, who has kept you all on track for the past three years.
These are just your advisors! If I had more time, I could go down the list of all the absolutely outstanding and remarkable faculty and coaches who
each contribute something special to the School in their own unique way.
I do have to give a shout out to Mr. Sykes, Ms. Crainer and Ms. DiStefano — not only because I don’t want to run afoul of what I believe is a Hackley requirement to mention Hudson Scholars in every public venue, but in all seriousness because I was at the buffet yesterday celebrating the first cohort of Scholars heading off to college and what Mr. Sykes and his team have done with that program exemplifies every single one of our Hackley core values.
These are the people in the trenches who I work with every day and who spend almost every waking hour in support of your learning. There is also Mr. Franklin, Dr. Jean, Mr. King, and all the other administrators and support staff at Hackley who perform the vital yet mostly invisible and thankless tasks behind the scenes to make the whole operation run smoothly and ensure that your experience at Hackley is as meaningful, joyous and successful as possible.
This is my second major lesson: No matter what you end up doing, nothing is more important than the quality and character of the people you work with.
EJ Regalado, Ike Shaw, Jasper Lee, Annika Terezakis, Hasaan Sajid and Asahi Goods at the Senior Dinner, held on June 3, 2024
Along with all of you, I won a golden ticket.
The two constituencies I’ve failed to mention are the other members of the audience tonight — you, the students, and your parents.
You and your families are another one of the major reasons I have remained at Hackley for as long as I have. Families, your commitment to the importance of education allows us to do what we do and continues to challenge me every day. I have met some of the most exceptional, kind, impressive, brilliant, hardworking and genuinely interesting people of my life during my tenure at Hackley.
I like to think I’ve given a lot of my time and effort to the School. But I have received an enormous amount in return as well.
Class of 2024, you started high school not with the normal rites of passage of typical freshmen, but instead were required to learn such phrases as “social distancing, pool testing and contact tracing.” Coming off a summer of civil unrest and in the midst of the worst global pandemic in a century, though Hackley was fortunate enough to be one of the few schools on the East Coast to return to in-person instruction, your freshman year was anything but normal.
Within just a few months, in what was likely the first presidential election you followed, for the first time in American history, we did not have a peaceful transition of power between administrations. Your sophomore year saw the invasion of Ukraine, sparking a major war and upending the balance of power in Europe that had prevailed for decades. While Americans have been shielded from the worst experiences of that war, it nevertheless contributed to the sense of global instability and growing unease throughout the world. In November of your junior year, ChatGPT was released, launching a thousand think pieces about the future role AI would play in education and society. And
just last October, as you settled into your senior year, another war broke out, this time in the Middle East, exacerbating deeply rooted historical tensions, leading to massive student demonstrations and fomenting further global unrest.
These events have played out against the now familiar backdrop of school shootings, increasingly destructive weather events, intense political polarization, and rising economic inequality — all filtered through the prism of 24/7 social media. As you head into your freshman year of college, you will continue to face questions about campus activism, free speech, and the boundaries and purpose of public protest. To top it off, we are also in the middle of another historic presidential election between two candidates whose combined ages are just shy of 160 years, one of whom is now a convicted felon. Smart and serious people on both sides are worried about the future of our democracy as we enter into uncharted political waters.
Is it any wonder then that your generation, generation Z, is the most anxious generation in history? The commonly held belief about those of you born between 1997 and 2012 is that you are tethered to your smartphones and predicted to be the first generation to be worse off than your parents.
Ber Bennett, Harry Rosenthal and Enrique Ramirez share a laugh with their dean, Michelle Crepeau, at the Senior Dinner, held on June 3, 2024
Given all of this, it seems you would have to be either ignorant or naive to be optimistic about the future.
Yet, a recent cover story in the Economist pointed out reasons to be hopeful. You are transforming the world of work as you push employers to adopt more familyfriendly policies that can lead to better job satisfaction. Your concern about climate change, as you reach voting age, will make states more likely to act. You are a serious bunch, less prone to some of the destructive social behaviors of your parents. Your willingness to discuss mental health issues has helped destigmatize conditions that caused previous generations to needlessly suffer. And your formative years during an era of technological transformation puts you in a better position than your elders to navigate the speed of change on the horizon.
Every generation believes they are the most burdened and the most challenged. While it is true that your generation may have more existential angst than others due to such issues as climate change, I urge you to stay positive and focus on the choices and decisions that are within your control.
The Greatest Generation did not know they would be viewed as the Greatest Generation when they received their high school diplomas six months prior to Pearl Harbor. Graduates in 1968 entered their adult lives in a political climate of assassinations, violent protests over Vietnam, and the shadow and specter of nuclear destruction. Those who came of age prior to the American Civil War saw their country torn apart and yet roared back to life within a few decades.
The truth is that we need another Greatest Generation. It’s entirely unfair, but your generation will be tasked with the job of fixing many of the problems caused by those who came before you. You didn’t cause these problems, but that is how it has always been throughout history.
As I look out over your class, and I think about the character, drive and talent of the students assembled at this dinner, I have hope. You are athletes and artists, mathematicians and musicians, debaters, thespians, scientists, writers and a dozen other titles I’m sure I’ve left out. Most importantly, you’ve had the benefit of an extraordinary education that positions you to go off into the world to do extraordinary things. Rise to the occasion and fulfill your potential in whatever field you happen to enter.
This is not a graduation speech, so I will refrain from offering much more advice, but I am a parent of two young adults, and I do have some perspective on what awaits you on the other side of Hackley.
As I conclude my speech, I am going to ask you to do three things that will enhance your experience over your final five days as a Hackley Senior.
First, be fully present during all the events this week. Soak it all in. Put away your cell phones — adults need to do this as well, and I absolutely include myself — the email and text can wait. Consider that many of your actions this week will be the last ones you perform as a Hackley student. Be generous and mindful.
Sami Khatib, Jacob Chun and Baraka Middleton at the Senior Dinner, held on June 3, 2024
Refrain from complaining and criticizing — you attend an unbelievably beautiful school and have been afforded a world-class education with more opportunities than the vast majority of students in this country or any other. Lean into gratitude.
The second thing I’d like you to do is to write a short note or email to an adult in the Hackley Community who has done something kind or meaningful for you during your time at the School. The note does not have to be long, nor does it have to be profound or overly deep — just remind that person of a memory of something they did to make you feel comforted or welcomed, respected or understood. As an additional suggestion, send the note to someone who may not expect it — if you’ve been here since Lower School, consider sending it to a Lower School teacher or adult; if you started in Middle School, maybe someone in the Middle School. And if the person you have in mind is no longer here, ask one of us and we can provide an email or address.
a sucker for the self-help and business management books that offer suggestions on everything from productivity hacks to the meaning of life. One headline I can never resist clicking on is the 80 -year-old’s advice for how to be happy at the end of your life.
Educators do not do what they do for the money. At the end of the day, they want to know that they have had some sort of impact on their students. You have made my year by giving me the opportunity to speak with you tonight, which continues to validate my decision to change careers 30 years ago. You can offer a similar gift to someone else in our community by taking five minutes to write a thoughtful and heartfelt note.
And finally, and this may seem a little sentimental, but find a moment this week to let a friend know how much they have meant to you, how much you cherish the experiences you’ve had here together and how much you will miss them. It’s not that you will never see them again — if my own adult children’s experience counts for anything, Hackley friendships are often deep and lasting, with many that will survive well into adulthood. But this event and those over the next five days are likely to be the last time you are together as a complete class.
My advisory knows I am prone to giving advice. I am
What I’ve learned from all these readings is that happiness really boils down to two things — and we’ve essentially known about these two things going all the way back to Plato. It’s the quality of your relationships and having some kind of purpose. If you can nourish strong relationships and maintain a purpose, you will likely be happy and content into your old age.
You have your entire lives ahead of you to discover your purpose. But you can start building habits to nurture your relationships now.
Of all the Hackley values and sayings, the one I like the most, and the one I think may be the oldest, is the one carved above our front entrance: “Enter Here to Be and Find a Friend.”
Class of 2024, I’m incredibly touched that you’ve allowed me to be your friend.
You will always be mine.
Eliza Podvalny, Kylie Oh, Remi Myers and Nevin Mital share a laugh at the Senior Dinner, held on June 3, 2024
click here for photo gallery click here to watch the video of the full ceremony youtube
Class Day Awards
Class Day is a Hackley tradition in which students and faculty gather together to acknowledge the end of another year of growth in “character, scholarship and accomplishment . ”
The Ron DelMoro Award for Excellence in Teaching
Sue Harmon
Awarded to a Lower School teacher, nominated by their peers, for excellence in teaching
Mary Lambos Award
Jessica DiFalco
Awarded to a Middle School teacher, nominated by their peers, for excellence in teaching
Anton & Lydia Rice Inspirational Teaching Award
Stephen Fitzpatrick
Senior Dinner speaker, chosen by the Senior class
Yearbook Dedication
Michelle Crepeau
Chosen by the Class of 2024
Oscar Kimelman Award
Melissa Stanek ’ 90
Voted on by the Class of 2022 and presented to the teacher who has most contributed to their subsequent progress
The Robert Pickert Award for Coaching Excellence
Francis Stanek
Chosen from employee nominations and selected by the Head of School in consultation with the Senior Administrative Team and the Director of Athletics
The Hilltop Award
Vladimir Klimenko
Chosen by the “Lifers” in the Class of 2024
Middle School Subject Awards
William N. ’ 28
English
Elinor “Ellie” F. ’ 28
History
William S. ’ 28
Spanish
Sarah S. ’ 28
French
Evelyn W. ’ 28
Latin
Braden “Brady” A. ’ 28
Chinese
Heidi C. ’ 28
Art
Farah G. ’ 28
Chorus
Elleana D. ’ 28
Instrumental Music
Ada C. ’ 28
Drama
Lower School teacher Sue Harmon accepts the Ron DelMoro Award for Excellence in Teaching at the Class Day Awards ceremony, held on June 6, 2024
Pauline M. Gillim Library & Reading Award
Isabelle G. ’ 28
Arthur Niles King Science Award
Elizabeth “Emerson” P. ’ 28
Capt. Charles M. Kelly, Jr. & Ethel Kelly Mathematics Award
Chuqing “Mia” S. ’ 28
Middle School Miller Bowls
Kathryn “Katie” Y. ’ 28
Improved Student
Sarah S. ’ 28
Kindness and Courtesy
Nora E. ’ 28
Enthusiastic Cooperation
Lawrence M. Symmes Award
William S. ’ 28
Presented to the Most Constructive Middle School student
Community Council Award
Meredith Lee ’ 25
Awarded to the Council member who made the greatest contribution to the Council’s activities
Community Music Awards
NJ Roc-Sennett ’ 24 Band
Rowan Pedraza ’ 24 Chamber Ensembles
Sophia Kliatchko ’ 24 Chorus
The Class of 1972 Community Service Awards
Alberto “Ace” Perez ’ 27
Ninth grade
Jiya Dhakad ’ 26
Annika Duggan ’ 26
Linnéa Boettner ’ 26
Tenth grade
Sejal Virk ’ 25
Eleventh grade
The Class of 1972 Award is given to the freshmen, sophomore and junior students who best personify the spirit of service to others — a quintessential Hackley tradition.
Lower School students perform at the Class Day Awards ceremony, held in the Johnson Center on June 6, 2024
Ira Seebacher Scholarship
Photography Award
Enrique Ramirez ’ 24
Awarded to the student whose work in photography has over three years achieved the highest distinction in technical skill and artistic vision
Class of 1938 History Award
Macey McLane ’ 26
Awarded to a sophomore for the most distinguished essay in History
Class of 1936 Cup
Ari Spiegel ’ 26
Presented to the outstanding sophomore for distinction in any or all phases
Albert R. Dupont Award
Lilly Rosenthal ’ 27
Presented to the outstanding freshman for distinction in any or all phases
Upper School Miller Bowls
Ela Dedelioglu ’ 24
Robert “Robbie” Gutheil ’ 24
Improvement of Mind and Attitude
Ashley Currie ’ 24
Kindness and Courtesy
Cassandra Stand ’ 24
Recognizing Enthusiastic Cooperation
Hackley Bowl
Trashgim “Jimmy” Mulosmani ’ 25
Outstanding Junior boy
Meredith Lee ’ 25
Outstanding Junior girl
Junior Subject Book Award
Annabel Previdi ’ 25 English
Peter Roberts ’ 25 History
Alicia Zhu ’25 Latin
Sikander “Sasha” Haider ’ 25 Math
Vivek Malik ’ 25
Trashgim “Jimmy” Mulosmani ’ 25 Science
Rafael Castro ’ 25 Technology
Lucia Butterfield ’ 25 Visual Arts
Aran Basu ’25 French
Peter Roberts ’ 25 Spanish
Meredith Lee ’ 25 Chinese
The Benjamin E. Bergen ’ 96 Award
Micah Jones ’ 26
Varsity “H” Award
William N. ’ 28
Boys’ Middle School Athletics
Nora E. ’ 28
Girls’ Middle School Athletics
Head of School’s Award
Alexandra “Alex” Schiller ’ 24
Presented to the student-athlete whose performance, sportsmanship and leadership on and off the athletic field have set an example for all Hackley students to follow
Alex Schiller ’24 (center) accepts the Head of School’s Award from Head of School Charles Franklin (right) and Director of Athletics Jason Edwards (left)
Class of 1921 Athletic Trophy
Asher Beck ’24
Awarded by the Athletics Department to a male for distinction in Upper School athletics
McIlhenny Bowl
Asahi Goods ’ 24
Awarded by the Athletics Department to a female for distinction in Upper School athletics
Mrs. Frederick W. Sherman Book Prizes
Ashley Currie ’24
Classics
Gabrielle Hogrefe ’ 24
English
Talia Tirschwell ’ 24
Alan Seeger Prize in Writing
Phoebe Abrahms ’ 24
History
Cole Silpe ’24
Modern Languages
Geoffrey Huang ’ 24
Mathematics
Allison Chin ’ 24
Ela Dedelioglu ’ 24
Visual Arts
Cole Silpe ’24
Performing Arts – Drama
Thomas Lee ’ 24
Technology
Stanley Pennock Prize in Science
Katherine Chen ’ 24
Class of 1963 Charles Tomlinson Griffes Award
Jad Benslimane ’ 24
Steven A. Frumkes Award
Enrique Ramirez ’ 24
For the Friendliest Senior
Valedictorian
Talia Tirschwell ’ 24
Salutatorian
Annika Terezakis ’ 24
Royal A. Clark Memorial Award
Kylie Oh ’ 24
Bruce F. Roberts Scholar Athlete Award
Harper Kelsey ’ 24
Richard Perkins Parker
Memorial Cup
Phoebe Abrahms ’24
Enrique Ramirez ’24 accepts the Ira Seebacher Scholarship Photography Award from Visual Arts Department Chair Greg Cice
2023–2024 Athletics Awards
FALL SEASON
Football
Pennock MVP Award
Matthew Kearns ’24
OHM Award for Outstanding Enthusiasm and Dedication
Jake Wade ’24
Jim Reilly Award for Superior Athleticism and Sportsmanship
Ike Shaw ’24
Defensive MVP
Sami Khatib ’24
Offensive MVP
Jack Yalmokas ’24
Coaches Award
Sam Suniewick ’25
Field Hockey
MVP
Lucille “Lulu” Bednar ’24
Coaches Award
Charlotte Rotenberg ’24
Heart Award
Claire Esposito ’24
Unsung Hero
Cydnee Copeland ’24
Soccer
BOYS’
Most Outstanding Offensive Player
Ber Bennett ’24
Most Outstanding Defensive Player
Caleb Bae ’24
United We Help Award
Remy Becker ’25
Character Award
Caleb Bae ’24
GIRLS’
MVP
Gabriella Petriello ’26
Coaches Award
Annika Duggan ’26
Animal Award
Alexandra “Alex” Schiller ’24
Most Improved
Zion Bennett ’26
Cross Country
MVPs
Asher Beck ’24
Charlotte F. ’28
Coaches Award
Rafael Castro ’25
Meredith Lee ’25
Rookies of the Year
Michael Baez ’27
Elizabeth S. ’28
Tennis
GIRLS’
MVPs
Riya Monday ’27
Remi Myers ’24
Coaches Award
Asahi Goods ’24
WINTER SEASON
Squash
BOYS’
MVP
Rami Ibrahim ’27
Coaches Award
Shiraz Awan ’24
Most Improved
Phillip Ianchulev ’26
Elan Suttiratana ’26
GIRLS’
MVPs
Caroline Didden ’24
Skylar van Eck ’26
Coaches Award
Sejal Virk ’25
Most Improved
Zoe S. ’28
Wrestling
MVPs – Frederic W. Neilson Award
Remy Becker ’25
Harper Kelsey ’24
“Iron Horse” – Hardest Worker
Grant Berhalter ’24
Most Improved Wrestler
Emmanuel Henderson ’26
Rookie of the Year
Daniel Ehrlich ’27
Swimming
BOYS’
MVP: Manny Sanguilly Award
Vivek Malik ’25
Jason Triano Award (Boys’ Coaches Award)
Asher Navas ’25
Most Improved
Michael Baez ’27
GIRLS’
MVPs: Charles Bates Award
Lola Frey ’27
Katherine “Kate” Masters ’27
Coaches Award
Annabel Hardart ’24
Most Improved
Emi Dotter Tse ’27
Basketball
BOYS’
MVPs
Jelani Middleton ’26
Jack Perlman ’25
Coaches Award
Caleb Bae ’24
Jake Hendelman ’24
Most Improved Player
John “Mac” Broaddus ’24
GIRLS’
MVP
Alessa Mendoza ’24
Coaches Award
Ashley Currie ’24
Enya Walsh ’24
Most Improved
Donia Karandikar ’25
Fencing
MVPs
Joshua Lee ’25
Sofia Malhas ’24
Coaches Award
Geoffrey Huang ’24
NJ Roc-Sennett ’24
Samuel “Sam” Sanders ’24
Most Improved
Chuqing “Mia” S. ’28
Aiden Wasserman ’24
Indoor Track and Field
MVPs
Sophie Frazier ’26
Baraka Middleton ’24
Coaches Award
Meredith Lee ’25
Enrique Ramirez ’24
Ari Spiegel ’26
Rookies of the Year
Brandon Acosta ’27
Leah Hollingsworth ’27
SPRING SEASON
Lacrosse
BOYS’
Hislop Award – MVP
Remy Becker ’25
Allen Award
John “Mac” Broaddus ’24
GIRLS’
MVPs
Brooke Koffler ’25
Daanya Mir ’24
Coaches Award
Claire Esposito ’24
Alexandra “Alex” Schiller ’24
Rookie of the Year
Zena Hume ’26
Baseball
MVPs
Adam Gall ’24
Conor Ranawat ’24
Silver Slugger – Silver Trophy
Sam Suniewick ’25
Coaches Award
Brandon Acosta ’27
Most Improved
Alex Aybar ’27
Rookie of the Year
Logan Wissner ’27
Golf
BOYS’
MVP
Jake Hendelman ’24
Coaches Award
Shiraz Awan ’24
Most Improved
Thomas Lee ’24
GIRLS’
Most Improved
Linnéa Boettner ’26
Most Wins
Zoe S. ’28
Softball
MVP
Andrea Hegarty ’25
Leadership Award
Harper Kelsey ’24
Most Improved
Brigid Doherty ’27
Tennis
BOYS’
MVPs
Alex Chorny ’26
David Linnett ’24
Coaches Award
Peter Roberts ’25
2023–2024 ATHLETICS AWARDS
Track & Field
MVPs
Rafael Castro ’25
Emma Curran ’27
Trashgim “Jimmy” Mulosmani ’25
Margaret “Maggie” Yalmokas ’25
Coaches Award
Asahi Goods ’24
Oumar Sow ’24
Rookies of the Year
Michael Baez ’27
Ethan Niewinski ’25
Manrui “Ula” Yang ’27
2023–2024 3x4 Awards
Each year, 3x4 Awards are earned by students who have completed three seasons of sports each year for all four years of Upper School.
3X4 Award Winners
Caleb Bae Soccer, Basketball, Golf, Lacrosse
Asher Beck
Cross Country, Track & Field (indoor/outdoor)
Cydnee Copeland
Field Hockey, Basketball, Golf
Charlotte Feehan
Soccer, Indoor Track & Field, Lacrosse
Geoffrey Huang Soccer, Fencing, Lacrosse
Travis Knaggs
Cross Country, Track & Field (indoor/outdoor)
Maura McGlarry Soccer, Basketball, Lacrosse
Charlotte Rotenberg
Field Hockey, Indoor Track & Field, Lacrosse
Alexandra “Alex” Schiller Soccer, Basketball, Lacrosse
Ike Shaw
Football, Indoor Track & Field, Tennis
Enya Walsh Soccer, Basketball, Lacrosse
Class Representatives
Community Council 2023–24
SCHOOL WIDE OFFICERS
President Ellena “EJ” Regalado ’24
Vice President Rafael Castro ’25
Secretary/Treasurer
Meredith Lee ’25
Senior Class President Kylie Oh
Senior Class Representatives
Edele Brennan, John “Mac” Broaddus and Hasaan Sajid
Junior Class President
Jack Magidson
Junior Class Representatives
Philip Mahamedi, Mika
Nuzum and Hailey Won
Sophomore Class President Isabelle Cai
Sophomore Class Representatives
Beniamino “Ben” Iaderosa, Shikhar Misra and Abigail
Nager
Freshman Class President
Lilly Rosenthal
Freshman Class Representatives
Gemma Lasky, Alberto “Ace” Perez and Owen
Spencer
BOARD OF MAGISTRATES
Seniors
Asher Beck, Katherine Chen, Allison Chin, Robert “Robbie” Gutheil, Nevin Mital, Spencer Ormsby, Samuel “Sam” Sanders and Alexandra “Alex” Schiller
Juniors
Isabella Barriera, Ryan Carpenito, Matthew Gluckman, Olivia Houck, Francesca Jones and Samantha Reyes
Sophomores
Sophie Frazier, David Lefkovits and Obinna “Obi” Nnamdi
MIDDLE SCHOOL REPRESENTATIVES
Middle School President Farah G. ’28
Middle School Vice President John F. ’28
Eighth Grade Representatives
Elleana D., Elizabeth “Emerson” P., Kayla R. and Tian Cheng W.
Seventh Grade Representatives
Afrin D., Johannah H., Norah M. and Aila R.
Sixth Grade Representatives
Neil D., Henry K., Nate M., Tanner R. and Ben S.
Fifth Grade Representatives
Andy F., Michael K. and Colin M.
Senior
Matthew Kearns, Alessa Mendoza, Katherine Chen, Remi Myers, NJ Roc-Sennett, Ashley Currie, Garshanae Simpson and Enrique Ramirez
Commencement
The Salutatory Address
Annika Terezakis ’24
Salutatorian Annika Terezakis ’ 24 addresses the Class of 2024 during Commencement on June 8, 2024.
Good morning everyone, and welcome to this incredible celebration of the Class of 2024’s achievements! I’d like to extend a warm welcome to the dedicated teachers, supportive families and, of course, my fellow graduates who are here today I’m actually a bit surprised the whole senior class managed to show up on time, I think we’re all here, right? And to those of you who were dragged out of bed on their first day of summer and do not want to be sitting here right now, sorry, but thank you for coming! I’ll admit though, that the first time I set foot on Hackley’s campus, all I wanted to do was leave too .
It was fall of 2019, and my parents dragged me to an open house for some private school down in Tarrytown. As I took my seat in the varsity gym, I looked to my left and saw one of my middle school classmates. The first words that came out of my mouth were “do NOT tell anyone you saw me here.” I remember writhing in my seat for the rest of the day, counting down the minutes until I could leave. While it is an incredible privilege to attend a school like Hackley, it was the last thing I wanted at the time. I thought that if I didn’t talk about it — if no one knew I was there — leaving my old school would never actually happen. Obviously, that tactic didn’t work because I’m standing here today.
Much like the Lifers here, I had known all my classmates since we were 5 years old, some even earlier since preschool. I went from living four minutes away from school and about 200 steps from my best friends, to a 35 -minute drive to school (if the Taconic is having a good day) and having no friends at all. Initially for me, the hardest part of the transition was the schoolwork. From the COVID shutdown in March until I started Hackley in September, I had absolutely no homework. I called this time my “eternal summer” because I had no Zoom classes and the busy work my middle school teachers assigned us took 30 minutes max. So I went from having all the free time in the world to
drowning in homework at Hackley. Maybe it was that B- on my first freshman year comp that destined me for this honor of Salutatorian, or as some have called it before, 2nd place. Hackley’s class rigor is no joke, but with the help of some all-nighters and energy drinks, I made it through. I’m not recommending that, though. The real challenge was letting myself enjoy Hackley. I was still holding on to my old life, keeping Hackley an arm’s reach away and my presence practically invisible. I spent my early days counting down the hours until I got home, and my time at home dreading the early morning alarm sending me back to school.
But after a year of hiding from Hackley, something changed. I think being unhappy all the time just got boring, and I decided it was time to let people see me. I started to work harder at integrating myself with the Hackley Community: I joined clubs, talked to new people and went to after-school events. Not only was I being seen, but I started to see the remarkable people around me. Slowly but surely, with every Sting and Coffeehouse attended, every friendship formed and every trip into town, I was beginning to actually like this place.
Some of my favorite high school memories, though, took place in our grade-shared spaces: the freshmen hallway lockers we’d hide in, the countless games played on the sophomore bubble floor, the ridiculous posters we pasted to the junior hallway, and all the conversations we had in the Senior Lounge. This class is vibrant, creative, talented and caring. I have
seen these qualities, and more, in everyone — it’s what’s made my high school experience so enjoyable, but more importantly, Hackley has seen these qualities. Rather than being the stereotypical Seniors who intimidate underclassmen and think they are superior, we fostered supportive and inclusive cultures on sports teams, clubs and other activities. We know how to work hard, but also when it’s time to have some light-hearted fun and bring our dogs to school for a day. Whether visiting Hackley was love at first sight, or it took some time for you to come around, every one of us have been seen for the achievements we’ve realized, but more importantly, the lasting impacts we’ve made on both each other and on this School as we graduate. Each of you has played a crucial role in this, and that’s something we should all be so proud of.
Words cannot truly capture how grateful I am for the people and opportunities that Hackley has introduced me to, as well as the person they have made me. While it wasn’t quite a smooth journey, I wouldn’t have it any other way. But it never would have been possible without my parents dragging me to that open house for some private school down in Tarrytown, so thank you Mom and Dad. I came to Hackley scared of being seen and desperately wanting to leave, but now that we’re at the end, leaving is the last thing I want to do. But I guess now you can tell people that you saw me here. Congratulations again to the Class of 2024!
Thank you!
The Valedictory Address
Talia Tirschwell ’24
Valedictorian Talia Tirschwell ’ 24 speaks to the Class of 2024 and families during the Commencement Ceremony held on June 8, 2024.
Thank you to all the administrators — Mr Franklin, Mr King, Dr Jean, Mr Kolani, Mr Aldrich and more — who have been the driving forces behind our Hackley experience Thank you to the Board of Trustees, the HPA, B&G, FLIK, the custodial staff and everyone else who has helped to make today’s event possible I want to give a huge shout-out to our incredible dean, Ms Crepeau, for all that she has done for our grade over the past three years, and I also want to give a shout-out to our amazing advisors, who have been there to support us along every step of the journey To our outstanding teachers — thank you for being patient with us, for believing in us, and for showing us what it means to love learning . And to our families, friends and everyone else who is here supporting us today — thank you . Mom, Dad, Oren and Noah, thank you for the unwavering love and support — I never would have made it here without you . And Class of 2024, thank you for a fantastic four years . I can’t believe we made it to graduation day!
On August 4, 2020 — just one month and four days before our grade started high school — the Old Oak tree fell down on Hackley’s Quad. This tree was one that had been standing on the Hackley campus for over 100 years, and it had lived through everything from World War I to the great depression to World War II to 9/11. In the heart of the COVID pandemic, however, Tropical Storm Isaias suddenly knocked the Old Oak down. Much to the sadness of the Hackley Community, its pieces were left strewn across the Quad.
On April 23, 2021, just about a month-and-a-half before we finished our first year of high school, the new Chestnut Oak was planted on the Quad in the
same place where the Old Oak had once stood. Just as vaccines were being distributed and we could begin to see some light at the end of the long, pandemic tunnel, this new tree began to grow.
Now, from a little internet rabbit hole, I learned that trees grow in two different ways. One way is primary growth, which is the vertical growth into the soil and up toward the sky, and the other way is secondary growth, which is the horizontal, outward growth of a tree’s stems, branches and trunk. This secondary, horizontal growth is what allows rings to form inside a tree trunk, and by studying these rings, we can understand a lot about the conditions, environment and life that a given tree has endured.
Why am I talking about trees? Well, the answer is that I think there are a lot of parallels between the way that trees grow and the way that we, Hackley’s Class of 2024, have grown over the course of high school.
Just like the falling of the Old Oak, we started high school at a time when things really felt knocked-down. Incidents of hatred and racism from the summer of 2020, combined with the fact that we hadn’t been in school for 108 days due to the pandemic, had left us — and a lot of the world — feeling stressed and overwhelmed, along with many other emotions. As we began our high school journey, I think that each of us was forced to answer a question: were we going to accept that feeling of defeat and stay scattered across the ground, like the Old Oak after it fell down? Or were we going to embrace the concept of growth and reroot ourselves, learning and flourishing like the Chestnut Oak that was eventually planted on the Quad? Well, it’s probably no surprise that I’m about to say, we chose the latter.
If trees grow both vertically and horizontally, I would argue that our primary, vertical growth in high school has been made up of the academic and technical things we have learned. We worked hard to learn physics, chemistry and biology; we studied to learn U.S. and world history; we pored over annotations, English comps and essays; we fought to wrap our brains around algebra, geometry and calculus; we explored new languages; and we learned music notes, artistic techniques, sports moves, lineups and plays. We also learned how to wear a mask, how to socially distance, how to build boats out of cardboard, how to run a grade-wide cornhole tournament, and how to give speeches and Chapel Talks. But the thing is, that growth was all vertical. It was technical. It was our trees being watered by classes and information, and it was us trying to reach as high up into the sky as we possibly could. It was growth focused on our skills, and it was growth focused on our intellects.
The other type of growth I think we have experienced, then, is what for trees is called secondary, horizontal growth. We learned how to connect with one another and forge friendships amid a massive global
pandemic. We learned how to deal with the fear and uncertainty that comes with wars, governmental chaos, bigotry and natural disasters. We learned how to work hard, how to persevere, how to be leaders and mentors, and how to have fun. Most importantly, we learned how to be there for one another, supporting each other, comforting each other and cheering each other on. This learning, this growth, I believe, was horizontal. It was growth in our characters. It was the widening of the trunks of our trees, the development of their rings, and the formation of a core set of personal values that we can take with us anywhere in life. It was growth that made us stronger not just as students and learners, but as human beings.
This idea of our growth from high school — particularly that horizontal, character growth — being something that we can carry forward is, I think, really important. When we talk about graduation, we often talk about it as the end of one chapter of life and the start of another, but we don’t really consider the ways in which these chapters can overlap and build off each other. Just like how when a tree develops a new ring around its outer edge, all the rings within it are still present to provide structure and support, as we go off to new adventures next fall, all our experiences will always be supported and made stronger by the layers and layers of growth from our time at Hackley.
Class of 2024, we are trees that have endured a lot over the course of our high school years, but through it all, we have been able to stand tall, continue growing, and reach our branches both upwards and outwards. Just like the new, Chestnut Oak that was planted on the Quad before the end of our ninth grade year, we will always have roots at this School, and we can use those roots to support our development going forward. Our grade has an incredibly diverse, unique and impressive set of interests, passions and talents, and I have no doubt that we will do amazing things when we bring these skills into the broader forest of our world.
Thank you so much for listening, and congratulations to the Class of 2024!
The Commencement Address
Ryan Ruocco ’04
Ryan Ruocco ’ 04 delivered the 2024 Commencement Address. Ryan is a five-time Emmy Award winner and an integral part of the YES Network’s New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets coverage, a primary NBA playby-play voice on ESPN, lead play-by-play announcer for ESPN’s WNBA and women’s college basketball, as well as a voice for college football and college basketball on ESPN’s television networks. Ryan also executive produced the 2024 documentary “Sue Bird: In the Clutch” about the WNBA star’s last season and legacy.
Thank you Mr Franklin, Dr Jean, Mr King, Mr Gannon, the Board of Trustees, my former teachers, and to you students It’s a thrill and an honor for me to be here today
I did not think I was old enough for this, but my male pattern baldness begged to differ — and has begged to differ for a while. Either way, my follicles and I are delighted to be here.
To the Class of 2024: Congratulations. You made it. You did it. You have worked so hard for this moment. Or maybe you haven’t. But either way, you survived a freshman year with shower curtains as COVID dividers, and that is worth celebrating.
What’s next is fun, exhilarating, scary and exciting. But what is now matters. This matters. This is something to cherish and soak in. So feel this moment. Enjoy this moment. Because while so much excitement awaits you, there are things you are going to experience today and in the days to come as you bask in this graduation glow that you will never get back, that you will never experience again. So be here. Be present. And be proud.
Every moment has its own unique magic. Calling Aaron Judge hitting a home run that nearly leaves the stadium in Seattle, really fun. A LeBron James buzzer-beater, also pretty awesome. But one of my favorite broadcast memories is actually my senior year of college, calling Fordham’s first-round loss in the
A-10 tournament, because I was calling it with one of my best friends, Dan, and I knew it was the last time we’d be on air together.
I just recently experienced the pinnacle of my career up to this point: Calling the women’s national championship game at the Final Four with a recordshattering peak viewership of 24 million people, having a front-row seat to Caitlin Clark’s greatness and South Carolina’s excellence, and then afterward, crushing late-night pizza with Jason Sudeikis. Pretty epic, memorable experience.
But this moment has things that one didn’t. Like Mr. Arnold. I think he’s just as good of a coach as Ted Lasso. Have you seen the success of Hackley lacrosse? Seven state championships since 2010. Forget about this year and Poly. They blow AFC Richmond out of the water. Hack lacrosse will never have to worry about relegation thanks to Mr. Arnold.
I’ll never forget sitting in Mr. Arnold’s English class in the final week of my senior year, with my shirt perfectly tucked in, and Mr. Arnold looking at our class and saying, “Have any of you ever considered taking a year off? Because you could, you know.” Now before parents — who have already put down a
hefty deposit for the first semester — break into a full lather, I am not advocating for you taking off a year. I am also not advocating against it. Instead, what Mr. Arnold did was show us a break in the pre-ordained plan. He let us know it’ll be okay if you deviate from the prepared path. Here was this buttoned-up, sometimes intimidating dress code enforcer saying, “Hey, don’t be afraid to wear sweatpants.” Or maybe moreso, “Don’t be afraid to divert from the path you think you’re supposed to be on for the one that’s in your heart.”
A few days later, I found myself sitting right where you are, at Commencement. Our speaker was a man named Andrew Jarecki ’81, a Hackley alum who is the director of “The Jinx” on HBO (“Jinx 2” out now) and the co-founder of Moviefone. In ’04, we knew Moviefone. That one you may have to Google. Andrew told us the story of how bucking his rational mind for his intuition led him to the greatest successes of his career. He implored us to not be afraid to follow our noses.
Fast forward about eight months. I am in the middle of a miserable freshman year at Loyola, but I am about to get my very first sports radio show at the campus station. I have known I wanted to be a sports broadcaster since I was 9 years old. It is literally in my
fifth grade yearbook under “career goals.” But here I am with this opportunity, and I just am not myself. I hate being far from home. I hate being away from my high school girlfriend. I do not like how long they took to make sandwiches at the delis in Baltimore or how perfectly they pronounced their vowels. It’s the one city that may actually be free of any accent. But I know these are not good, rational reasons to transfer closer to home. So I keep telling myself this is the path. Don’t go anywhere. But I do not feel like myself. I can barely crack a smile every day. But I keep saying this is the path. Stay on it. I am riddled with anxiety, sadness and anger. And I had always been an extraordinarily positive person. My rational mind is telling me, “Hey, the best thing for your career and what you want to do in this world is to stay right where you are.” But I think of Andrew Jarecki and I listen a little louder to the words my intuition was whispering to me. And I say, “I can’t go with my rational mind here. I have to go with my gut, because I’m just not myself.” So I decided I am going to transfer closer to home and go to Fordham.
As I spend the summer at home, I feel more and more like myself. But then the day comes where I am visiting Fordham’s campus to lock in my classes, still not knowing if transferring was the right decision. I trudge into the office of the Dean of Transfers, a
The Upper School Mixed Chorus performs at the Commencement ceremony
less-than-jovial man who explains I will have to take an additional three science classes to fulfill their liberal arts core, which the entire Hackley Science Department of the early 2000s can tell you is not my strength. And I’m thinking, “Well, this is what you get for going with your gut...more science classes... great.” But then I walk into WFUV, Fordham’s highly acclaimed radio station, and their executive producer Bob Ahrens meets with me and explains that if I work hard and immerse myself, I, at 19 years old, could be a reporter in the Yankees Clubhouse by the end of the year. And I knew I had made the right choice.
At WFUV, I learned under Bob, a man in his seventies who had done a little bit of everything in the sports broadcasting world. He held workshops where he introduced me and the students at WFUV to so many titans of the industry. Suddenly, I was directly learning from Mike Breen, Ian Eagle, Spero Dedes, Dave Sims, Michael Kay and Vin Scully — true legends on the mic.
The most important thing that ever happened for me to live out my career dreams was being born to the incredible parents that I was. The second most important thing was transferring to Fordham. And if you asked me to make the decision in 2009 purely based on my career, I never would’ve transferred.
When I was at WFUV, Bob and the luminaries he brought in to speak with us taught us many amazing lessons. But there were two foundational pieces of advice I learned while there.
One came from Hall of Famer, and perhaps the greatest broadcaster of all time, Vin Scully. When Vin was in his early twenties, he was about to start broadcasting Brooklyn Dodgers games and the legend Red Barber said to him, “Remember, there’s only one thing you can take in the booth with you that nobody else can, and that is yourself.” I can only ever be the second-best Vin Scully or Joe Buck or Mike Breen, but I can be the best me
And the key is leaning into that and understanding that your superpower is that there is only one you. This isn’t just advice for broadcasting; this is advice for life. Every one of you has your own unique gifts to
offer the world. And being uniquely you will always be your one true differentiator.
Life is an inside job. When you take care of the internal, watch the way the external changes and the opportunities that will arise. When these opportunities pop up and doors open, it’s on you to kick them down. I never would have had the chance to call a perfect game for the Yankees last summer if I didn’t first stand out to my bosses transcribing tape and running errands as an intern. No one cares about your skills or talent until they know you’re a great teammate and a hard worker.
And one more thing: if you don’t know what you’re passionate about, that’s OK! Most people don’t. Just follow your curiosities. That’ll lead you where you’re meant to go.
Seniors celebrate receiving their diplomas at Commencement, held on June 8, 2024
Back to WFUV: The second piece of foundational advice I learned at FUV came from Bob himself, and it was this: “Uhhh Ryan, when shit’s live, shit happens!” It’s true! When you are live, things are going to happen — your headset won’t work, a monitor will go down, you can’t communicate with your producer. The key is not fighting it. Roll with it. It’s part of the music, so just dance to it.
This is true in life, not just broadcasting. Stuff is going to happen. But you get to turn turbulence into opportunity.
Instead of asking, “Why did this happen to me?” ask, “Why did this happen for me?” Unless you’re a Jets fan, and then this is all just happening to you. Always.
But seriously, I guarantee you at some point, you’re going to suffer what you think is a loss, and it will turn into a big win. The job you don’t get. The job you lose. The partner who dumps you. You will suffer what you think is a setback, but instead, what it will really be is a propulsion toward the path you’re meant to be on.
Let’s flash forward to the summer of 2015. I’m 28 years old. My career is going great. I’m experiencing more success than I ever imagined at that age, hosting my own morning show on ESPN Radio while my true love, play-by-play, is starting to take off.
Suddenly, my radio bosses tell me the only way I’m keeping my show is if I move to 7 p.m. Well, I can’t do that. That would conflict with PBP. Games are at night. But even though the radio show was not my true passion, it was 40% of my income. So I’m trying to figure out how I can make all of this work.
I’m on my way to an event with my old co-host, Robin Lundberg, and he says, “Man, I don’t even know what you’re thinking about. Forget the radio show. It’s not your passion. And it’s so clear what direction your play-by-play is headed. The radio bosses are making space in your life for what you really love to take off. Why would you ever hang onto something getting in the way of that? Let go.”
How right he was. Letting go of the radio gave me space to rest and strengthen my voice, to get better at play-by-play, to grow those opportunities, to spend time with friends, to meet my wife. And within a couple of years, I was having more success than ever before while doing more of what I truly loved.
When it feels like you’re hanging on, it’s time to let go. Life should flow.
I think there’s someone who can sum up the message I’m trying to share with you today better than I ever could: noted Hackley alum Marcus Aurelius. And when Marcus was on the Hilltop, he said, “Love the hand that fate deals you. And play it as your own.”
You can always turn a tough hand into one that works for you when you follow what is in your heart.
So, Class of 2024, you have so much to be excited about as you embark on the next step of your journey. Lean into what makes you YOU, let life flow, and watch the magic unfold.
Thank you all, and congratulations.
Asahi Goods, Hasaan Sajid and Sami Khatib at Commencement, held on June 8, 2024
