THE DAVE ALLISON MEMORIAL SOCCER GAME AND

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Every year, the Hackley community honors coach Dave Allison at the Dave Allison Memorial Soccer Game and BBQ the night before Alumni Day. Former players and friends attend to remember Mr. A. and his contributions to women’s sports. Here, the Hackley Girls' Varsity Soccer team gets ready for their game against Fieldston. The team won 2 to 0.

Nature Hike

At the Dave Allison Memorial Soccer Game, HAA President Christie Philbrick-Wheaton ’00 spoke about her former coach. “Every year, Mr. A. miraculously turned a random group of teenage girls into a family in a matter of weeks. Each year, that group had a slightly different dynamic, but we all have a hell of a handshake and share a common bond.” Christie is pictured at the game with Dick Hodgson ’51, former HAA President Bill Roberts ’75, and Head of School Michael Wirtz.

A highlight of the day was the annual Nature Hike with biology teacher Tessa Johnson (left), which included a tour of the new orchard and apiary. James Pratt ’97 (right) joined to talk about the apiary. James and Carlo Essanason ’97, of Fly Honey Farms, have been working with Hackley on the hives. The orchard tour included time in the active Pollinator Garden and under the grape arbor built by Brendan DiStefano ’22. Tessa hopes to harvest our first apples in three to four years.

More than 50 alumni from the classes of 1972 - 2017 and friends joined the Nature Hike on the Buessow Trails. Biology teacher Tessa Johnson took hikers through the Deer Exclusion Zone and around Deer Pond. They stopped at the bird feeders to talk about bird watching, as many members of the tour were AFER (Advanced Forest Ecology Research) alumni. On the way to the Deer Exclusion Zone, they found ten redback salamanders and a young spotted salamander.

Alumni and their families enjoyed building bottle rockets during the “Rocket Science is Easy” masterclass hosted by Middle School math teacher Oshon Temple and assisted by members of the Middle School Alumni Connect Club.

before launching their rockets.

Common as their launchpad, alumni and their families send their newly created rockets into the air!

Creative Writing Workshop

A highlight for many alumni was Anne Siviglia’s Creative Writing Workshop. Here, alumni work diligently on their compositions. The prompt was “14 Ways to Look at a Mallomar.”

The Creative Writing Workshop group poses for a picture in the Sternberg Library. Pictured from left to right – back row: John McGarr ’63, Paul Mignone ’97 with his daughter, Lily Seidler ’02 and her husband Tim Sohn ’97, Mike Torres ’97, James Pratt ’97, Elizabeth Aranow ’97, Greg Pedulo ’92, Karyn Silverman ’92, Samatha Ryan ’92, Steven Tannenbaum ’17, and Akash Samad ’17; middle row: Anne Siviglia; front row: Carlo Esannason ’97, Andy Tepper ’97, and David Frankel ’97.

Below, clockwise from top left: Alec Keith ’71, Bruce Wilson ’71, and his wife Liz Wilson ’72 in the Alumni Archives Room enjoying the archives display featuring Hackley memorabilia from their years on the Hilltop.

Hackley Trustee John Canoni ’86 and HAA Director Marc Brodsky ’86 at the football game.

We were honored to have former Octet members Jim Biehle ’62, Peary Spaght ’62, Ken Green ’62, Cabanne Howard ’60, and Roger Garrison ’62 lead the singing of the Hackley Alma Mater at the Memorial Service. Also pictured is accompanist May Steinberg, Lower School music teacher.

Members of the Class of 1997 back together again for their 25th reunion! Pictured from left to right: Paul Mignone, his wife Celeste Mignone, a guest, Carlo Esannason, Janaki Meyappan Degen's husband Michael Degen, Janaki Meyappan Degen, and Carlo’s wife Corey Esannason.

Above:

In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, a salsa band played on the Quad during lunch. The band was led by Grammy Award-winning musician and Hackley music teacher Rafi Malkiel on trombone and featured David Frankel ’97, lead singer of Avenida B. The music created a festive atmosphere and inspired many to dance.

Left:

Old friends reunite – Mary McConnachie O’Hara ’97, the Hornet, and Betsy Cleveland Fenzel ’97.

Right:

Legendary coach Rob Pickert with former varsity player Tom Crispi ’86.

Right, from top:

Fourteen members of the Class of 1962 returned to the Hilltop to celebrate their 60th reunion. Their celebration spanned the weekend and included a special dinner in the Lindsay Room on Friday evening, presentations by classmates, and a performance by members of the Class of 1962 Octet singing their signature song, My Comrades, When I’m No More Drinking. Pictured from left to right – back row: Ken Bernhard, Jim Biehle, Howard Dean, Tim Lewis, Bill Ruth, and Hall Hanson; front row: Ken Green, Bill Rice, Rick Marshall, Fred Berliner, Mac Bradford, Peary Spaght, and Bill Allen. Not pictured but in attendance: former Hackley faculty member Roger Garrison.

Members of the Classes of 1971 and 1972 pose for a reunion photo. From left to right – front row: Bruce Wilson ’71, Liz Wilson ’72, Mark Arnold ’72, Ed Mann ’71, and Tom Neuendorffer ’72; back row: Alec Keith ’72, Joe Brooking ’72, Michael Katz ’72, Steve Ciampi ’72, and Eric Schless ’72.

Lower left:

Retired faculty member Thomas Chin (right) with his former student Chelsea Meskunas ’02 (left) catch up at the Alumni Reception.

Lower right: Former Class of 2002 Dean Adrianne Pierce (right) with Sarah Cassar Haddad ’02 (left) and Amy Newhouse ’02 (middle).

Top: Alumni love catching up with their favorite teachers on Alumni Day! Here, HAA Directors Jackie Leitzes ’93 (left) and Zan Variano ’09 (right) reminisce with former history teacher John Van Leer ’65 (middle).

Center: 2017 classmates attended the Varsity Tennis match to cheer on their Hornets and their former dean and the Girls’ Varsity Tennis coach David Sykes. The team won their match against Fieldston.

Bottom

Bottom

Members of the Class of 1987 at a memorial gathering for Peter Lees ’87 and ThanhLam Dang ’87 in King Chapel.

Pictured left right: Catherine Meyer, Tucker van Eck, Alex Meyer, Justin Forstmann, Hope Weisman, Christian Riegler, Claire Sukhman, Luisa Stalman, Michaela Riegler, Marisa Nakagama, Amin Mustefa, Hannah Urken, Lucy Barse, Teddy van Eck, and David Sykes.

Koichi Itoh ’59, Cabanne Howard ’60, and Ed Merlis ’61 catch up at the 50+ Club Reception.

Michael Blonsky, Ari Straus, Bruce Ikelheimer, Dana Thomas, Peter Fernholz, Erik Cohen, and Brewster Thackeray.

Left,

Alumni Day would not be complete without a visit from the Roberts Brothers.

Pictured from left to right: HAA Director Conrad Roberts ’68, Brett Roberts ’67, former HAA President Bill Roberts ’75, and Rick Roberts ’70.

Biology and math teacher Kerry Clingen (middle) with former students Elizabeth Aranow ’97 (left) and Adam Rosen ’97 (right). They are holding their ninth grade biology notebooks, which Kerry brought from her classroom. She uses these notebooks to inspire current students to improve their diagram work and fine-tune their observational skills.

Andrew Chung ’17, Kevin Kim ’17, Will Lenihan ’17, Jackson Corrigan ’17, Chris Wahrhaftig ’17, and Tyler Sexton-Holtmeier ’17 mingle at the Alumni Cocktail Reception.

Members of the Class of 2007 enjoy the picnic on the Quad.

Pictured from left to right: Sylvia de la Piedra’s husband Kevin Levin, Sylvia de la Piedra, Giuliani Lopez, Laura Davis, Meg Johnson, Becky Kestenbaum Rosenthal with her son George, and Paul Seebacher.

Clockwise from top: Members of the Class of 2002 at the Alumni Reception under the tent on Akin Common. Pictured from left to right: Patricia Raciti DeCenzo, Fareeda Ahmed, Lily Seidler, Chelsea Meskunas, Taylor Gettinger, Emily Scaros Altman, Kevin Plunkett, Allison Gott, and Samantha Freilich Polkow.

HAA Director Sunju Park ’02 shows her graduation plaque to her husband Kevin Hsu and daughter Ava during a tour of the Upper School.

Members of the Class of 1967 celebrate their 55th reunion at the 50+ Club Reception.

Pictured from left to right: Mat Gluckson, Jeffrey Sulenski and his wife Nancy Hilker, Jeffrey Guiler and his wife Gerry Guiler, John Sutter, and Peter Roslow.

Former Varsity Football players Sean Ford ’20 and Conor McMahon ’20 with his brother Andrei attend the football game to lend their support to the team.

Classmates Samantha Ryan ’92 and Karyn Silverman ’92 take a nostalgic stroll across the Quad.

ROBERT J. ALDRICH, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS & CAMPUS PLANNING

On The Ways In Which Learning

TO LIFE THROUGHOUT HACKLEY’S

Hackley is fortunate to have the sprawling, green campus we do. Our strategic plan, Redefining Excellence: Learning Beyond Boundaries, recognized the Hilltop’s value by incorporating its use as a priority in the Hackley experience. However, it’s not just about the 285 acres and all that they make possible, it is also about the way the campus has been developed to engage the Hackley community in ways small and large.

Certainly, the size of the campus and its design were key factors to our success during the pandemic. The myriad of tents that dotted the Hilltop allowed classes to meet outside and signature Coffeehouses and performing arts programming to resume earlier than anticipated, and gave us the space we needed for physical distancing during meals. Beyond the benefits of our campus during the pandemic, it is the everyday use that complements the educational mission and creates opportunities for other activities and connections, as well.

Of course, we have miles of trails and outdoor classrooms in the Hackley Forest, but we also have a largescale outdoor chess board, an expansive Lower School playground, basketball courts tucked into the hillside, and Akin Common, where the entire community can gather outdoors for events and programming. The ever-growing orchard and apiary have been engaging classes from science to physical education, and the location has been a retreat for employees who are looking to have outdoor meetings.

From early mornings on the playground at the Lower School to recess on the basketball court and Akin Common, lunch on the Quad, and afternoon athletics on the fields, the outdoor components of our campus are in use from sunrise to sunset.

The significance of outdoor education and the importance of utilizing outdoor spaces to connect with one another is represented in the design of the new Center for the Creative Arts and Technology. The new building will include a green roof as part of our institutional commitment to sustainability. And an outdoor amphitheater—built into the sloping hillside from Akin Common down to the new building—will be home to outdoor performances, lectures, class meetings, and large gatherings.

As you have read throughout this edition of Hackley Review, faculty, staff, and students make use of every aspect of our outdoor environs, often using the campus as their very own natural laboratory, stage, and contemplative retreat space. This ability to interact with the natural world around us—to incorporate it into our everyday Hackley lives—enriches the educational experience, as well as the health and wellness of all who live and work on the Hilltop.

Studies have long shown the benefits of fresh air and sunshine in improving clarity, strengthening our immune systems, and raising serotonin levels. Our location, removed from traffic and surrounded by trees, provides the perfect respite to both learn and recharge.

See Your Gift In Action

50% of every Hackley Fund dollar is allocated to our $5.95 million financial aid budget and assists 21% of students.

All 850+ enrolled students have access to exciting academic experiences, such as our Middle School Casten trip to Japan in Spring 2023.

Student-athletes compete in a variety of sports, guided by dedicated faculty-coaches and mentors both on and off the field

100+ professional development opportunities for facutly and staff.

Upper School students help chaperone grade-wide campouts in the Hackley Forest and teach the Leave-No-Trace principles.