Hun Today 2024

Back to School for Bart Bronk

How do you really get to know the Hun experience? If you’re Head of School Bart Bronk, you jump right in — by shadowing one student from each grade for a full day of classes and activities, including lunch and free periods.

Mr. Bronk wants to know what the experience is really like for current students. That’s why on a sunny autumn day, he has taken a vocabulary test, completed a physics lab on velocity, prepped for a pre-calculus quiz, suited up for soccer practice, and was even reprimanded for improper phone usage in the hallway. To date, Mr. Bronk has lived The Hun School experience through the eyes of Tikoyane (Tiko) C. ’24, Azure M. ’25, Alina X. ’26, Riley S. ’27, Umay S. ’28, Aaryan P. ’29, and Charlotte K. ’30.

His shadowing days have been an exercise of affirmation.

“All of the things that I thought about Hun students and teachers have been proven true through this process,” he says. “The classrooms are active and hands-on; students are driving their own learning experience; and teachers have a deep understanding of their students’ needs. The students I’ve shadowed so far are deeply connected to the community here, and most importantly, they are happy.”

In his days with Hun students, Mr. Bronk has witnessed many moments, both big and small. “Everything that I have experienced has been very heartwarming. The day I shadowed Charlie, it was her birthday; she was celebrated in every class we went to [with a lot of sugar]. When I spent the day with Azure, we never went directly from classroom to classroom since she used the four minutes of time between classes to check in with her friends. Tiko likes to spend his free time playing guitar in his dorm room with fellow boarders. I shared one, sometimes two meals a day with these students and that’s when we had some of our best conversations and connections.”

Editor

Nancy DePalma ’92

Editorial Board

Rebecca Barus ’15 Associate Director for Content and Brand Identity

Bart Bronk

Head of School

Katelyn Cassell Director of Enrollment Management

Sarah Dileo Craig ’07 Director of Alumni Engagement

Maureen Scannapieco Leming ’95 Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

Thomas Monfiletto ’04 Associate Director of Marketing and Communications

Alyssa Onisick

Director of Marketing and Communications for Digital Media

Tara Strickland Associate Director of Communications for Publications

Bridget Tavani Schaible Director of Donor Relations and Events

Board of Trustees

Susan McGlory Michel, Board Chair

Danner Riebe ’79, Board Vice Chair

Bart Bronk, Head of School

Rolando Acosta

Nikki Alpert

Edward Breen

Michael Diverio ’01

Christiana Foglio

Peter Fonseca ’04

Johnny T.Y. Fung ’77

Xavier Goss ’99

Meghan K. Hayes, Parents’ Association Chair

Kerry Kandel

Alex Lloyd, Faculty Representative to the Board

Brian C. Logue ’75

Herman Penner ’64

Leigh Ann Peterson ’86, Alumni Association President

Ralph Pisani ’88

Michael J. Renna

Robert Siegel ’88

Wayne Slappy ’95

Felicia Spitz

Alicia Tillman ’93

Thomas J. Barton, Esq., Corporate Secretary and Counsel

Trustee Emeriti

Helen Boehm*

Raymond Bowers*

Lynn Breen

Alexander Buck, Sr. ’49*

Richard Challener ’44*

Paul Chesebro*

G. Gerald Donaldson H’14

Leslie Florio

Thomas P. Gallagher

Thomas Gorrie

Arthur Holland ’41*

A.C. Reeves Hicks*

Thomas Horwich ’59*

Hugh Hurley

John Y. Keffer ’60

Alan Landis ’61*

Daniel Lieblich ’34*

Ralph Mason, Sr.*

Ralph Mason III ’69

Antonio Pirone ’56*

Louis Pyle*

Patrick Ryan

Perry Sellon ’34*

John Stoddard*

Lucy Stretch*

George F. Tidey ’51*

F. Kevin Tylus ’73*

*In Memoriam

Alumni Association Board

Jonathan Begg ’05, Vice President

Connor Cahill ’13

Gabrielle Cifelli ’16, Young Alum Chair

Sean Corwen ’08, Hun Fund Chair

Rashawn Glenn ’92

Gabrielle Graff ’98

Rob Kuchar ’01

Johnny Law ’10

Arnold Lewis ’79

Dana Hughes Moorhead ’95, Volunteer Co-chair

Kat Geiger Perry ’99

Leigh Ann Peterson ’86, President

Pat Quirk ’02, Volunteer Co-chair

Jen Phillips Raics ’89

Nick Scozzari ’77

Jen Stone ’93, Faculty Chair

Ivy Urken ’68

Tyler Veth ’11

Parents’ Association Executive Board

Nikki Alpert, Treasurer

Kanishika Bhargava

Jennifer DeSimone

Tara Destribats

Michelle Emerson

Eve Gelade Secretary

Meghan Hayes, Chair

Heather Kamnitsis

Aranka Kim

Audrey Lloyd

Chunmei “Kelly” Lyu

Susie McCoy

Andrea Mecray

Kathleen Mitchell-D’Aulerio

Cathy Morgan

Courtney Newman, Vice Chair

Harlan Tenenbaum

Rob Trotta

Nita Velanki

Heather Williams

Dominique Wolfe

Penny Wolfe

Qihao “Leslie” Xu

C ntents

3 A Message from the Head of School

4 When the Teacher Becomes the Student

Renowned Psychology Researcher Collaborates with Hun Faculty on New Book

6 Fifty Years of The Hun Middle School

10 From ASL to IOT

Hun’s New Trimester System Allows More Opportunities to Explore Interests

12 Who’s that on the Bench?

Counseling and Wellness Join the Team

14 Meet Three Hun Students Stepping up to the Challenge

18 Leadership Lessons in STEM

20 Student Artists from AP Studio Art Share Their Work

24 Flooded with Support

Hannah S. ’25 was Swept Up by The Hun School Boarding Experience

28 Navigating the AI Revolution at Hun

30 Artificial Intelligence

How Hun Alums are Building a Better Future Through AI

35 Back on Campus:

Hun’s New Director of Alumni Engagement, Sarah Dileo Craig ’07

37 Class Notes

50 In Memoriam

Find your heart at Hun.

The Hun School of Princeton is an all-gender, private day and boarding school in Princeton, New Jersey. Innovative, high-powered academics, student mentorship, and a joyful learning environment are the hallmarks of the School. On the 50-acre campus between Philadelphia and New York City, creative coursework and cutting edge programs like NextTerm prepare students for the global community in which they will live and work. The Hun School has 650 students in its Middle School, Upper School, and Postgraduate Program. Our campus is home to students from twenty-two countries and thirteen states.

A Message from the HEAD OF SCHOOL

Dear Raiders,

Greetings from Russell Hall!

As I write this letter, I have just marked my six-month anniversary as the new head of The Hun School of Princeton. It is an incredible honor and a privilege to serve such an outstanding educational community in my home state of New Jersey. The sense of community and kindness, for which Hun is so well known, has been readily apparent in the warm welcome my family and I have received from students, families, colleagues, and the many Raider alums and friends who have reached out to say hello. One of my first goals as head has been to connect with the wonderful people who live the Hun mission and who love this special School, and I will continue to do so as my first year concludes. If we haven’t met yet, know that I look forward to doing so soon!

A second, and perhaps even more important goal, has been to learn. Effective school leadership requires a deep understanding of history and traditions, mission and core values, and programmatic depth and breadth. It has been a wonderful exercise to immerse myself in the Hun community, to learn to speak the Hun language, and to witness Hun’s incredible mission of joyful and dynamic learning play out in classrooms, laboratories and studios, on the stage, and on the athletic courts and fields. You can read more about my adventures in shadowing a student in each grade level in this issue of Hun Today, but it suffices to say that Hun remains a place where students are appropriately challenged, strongly supported, and deeply seen, heard, and known.

One of the elements of today’s Hun School that has been particularly impressive to me is the School’s posture of innovation. From the incredible NextTerm initiative, to the rigorous Scholars Program, to cutting-edge curricular offerings in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and computer science, Hun is focused on preparing students for a world in which the only guarantee is change. In our focus on core skills, rather than fixed content, we are giving students the tools to navigate that complexity and from it derive opportunity and purpose.

As the stories contained within these pages indicate, this is not just a phenomenon, but a tradition. The Hun Raiders of yesterday, today and tomorrow are creating lives and careers of impact in cutting edge fields. They do so because they have been, and continue to be, guided by an expert faculty who are dedicated to preparing students not for a predictable past, but rather an unpredictable future.

Sincerely,

BART BRONK

“ EFFECTIVE SCHOOL LEADERSHIP REQUIRES A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF HISTORY AND TRADITIONS, MISSION AND CORE VALUES, AND PROGRAMMATIC DEPTH AND BREADTH.”

When the Teacher Becomes the Student

RENOWNED PSYCHOLOGY RESEARCHER COLLABORATES WITH HUN FACULTY ON NEW BOOK

“Nurture the soil by creating a supportive environment where students are encouraged to take risks, make mistakes and learn from them.”

How do you motivate a student? Do adolescents respond better to an “old-school” authoritarian approach or does a softer, more passive style reap rewards? It’s these very questions that were put forth to The Hun School faculty by renowned psychology researcher, David S. Yeager, Ph.D., the keynote speaker at this year’s back to school faculty meeting in August.

The University of Texas at Austin professor has distilled eighty years of research to answer those questions (surprise: the answer is both—but in conjunction with each other). He believes in the power of something he has termed the mentor mindset, where support and expectations are equally high. While teachers and parents are often inclined to ease up when a student is struggling personally or academically, the research proves that’s doing more harm than good. In essence, eliminating tasks is akin to eliminating purpose, often worsening the problem.

“Dr. Yeager’s argument that we must ‘nurture the soil by creating a supportive environment where students are encouraged to take risks,

three times, with each session proving more effective than the last. “As I was writing, I wondered if maybe I said things too ‘research-y’ and if I would need to say it in a more practical way,” he says. “These teachers helped me see how I might push away some readers or where my blind spots were as a researcher. I’m not working with teenagers every day, but they are and they know what it’s like.”

make mistakes and learn from them’ made him the ideal opening speaker for our School, where the culture of kindness, positivity, and intellectual curiosity makes such a profound difference for our students,” says Upper School Head Ryan Hews. “We promise vigorous and joyful learning in a nurturing environment at Hun and Dr. Yeager’s message is particularly meaningful here. We were lucky to partner with him,” he adds.

If Dr. Yeager’s name sounds familiar, it’s because it is. He is a well-known researcher in child and adolescent psychology, best known for a groundbreaking study published in Nature on the growth mindset, a researchbacked principle proving intelligence is far from fixed. His study showed that patience and perseverance do pay off. In other words, you’re not doomed to low grades in math. You just need to put in time, effort, and try different learning methods to achieve success.

Some may call it inspiring, but Dr. Yeager calls something else: science. It’s what brought him to Hun in August, to lead a series of workshops with faculty. “I came to Hun to speak about

stress,” he shares. “I was there to share the new science about how we can get teenagers to harness their stress. The purpose was to equip teachers with the vocabulary to help them apply the latest science to their students.”

Instead, Dr. Yeager got a lesson himself. Having just finished his first draft of a book on the mentor mindset, he realized there was a perfect opportunity for synergy. “I could see that Hun hires great people who are at the forefront of education,” says Dr. Yeager. “They are the kinds of readers I would care about. These teachers have a hunger for making things better for the kids.”

It sparked an idea. Why not workshop the book with Hun’s faculty? “The idea was to give the faculty early access to the completed manuscript and then have a personal book club with the author—me.” It would be a win-win, with teachers learning new techniques and Dr. Yeager getting real-world feedback. “It’s like meeting with the director of a movie and influencing the finale,” he says excitedly. “How many times do you get to do that?”

The group of Hun faculty met with Dr. Yeager

The focus group was as beneficial for Dr. Yeager as it was for the faculty members involved. “I was thrilled to participate in the faculty focus group with Dr. Yeager,” says Rory Hart, chair, history and global studies. “Having the opportunity to collaborate with colleagues has been a great experience for us to share our best practices and ideas and improve our craft together.”

Mr. Hart also found Dr. Yeager’s clear directives particularly beneficial. “I have long been an adherent to the theory of a growth mindset from Dr. Yeager’s mentor, Carol Dweck, and I appreciated Angela Duckworth’s concept of grit, but never quite found how the two could weave together,” he explains. “Dr. Yeager’s upcoming book does exactly that in an accessible and understandable way—I have learned ways that I can still offer students high levels of support and encouragement while maintaining high standards that challenge students to grow. The simple methods of communicating with students that Dr. Yeager highlights have significant effects on their mindsets and willingness to challenge themselves and be uncomfortable.”

With each chapter presenting a “big idea” followed by practical two-page scripts about how to talk to teens, the book, with a working title of 10 to 25: The New Science of Motivating Young People, is set to be published by Simon & Schuster in August 2024.

Y E A R S

OF THE HUN MIDDLE SCHOOL

SPEND A DAY WITH HUN MIDDLE SCHOOLERS AND YOU’LL NOTICE THEY’RE ALWAYS ON THE MOVE.

Running to the Dining Hall during their break to grab a snack. Scrambling to finish their lunch and get soft serve for the walk back to class. Hurrying to get down to the fields for sports.

But there’s one thing they’re not in a rush to do: Leave campus.

You’re familiar with the term ASAP, but have you heard of ALAP? As in, “As Late As Possible?”

“This is just a happy place to be. Kids feel that way, and teachers feel that way,” Middle School Spanish teacher Kahlee Schobert says. “They’re texting their parents, ‘ALAP — Pick me up as late as possible.’ The kids are excited to be here, and they want to stay as late as they can.”

Middle School Head Ken Weinstein says that feeling is intentional, and in the fifty years since its founding, cultivating that kind of culture in The Hun Middle School has always been a priority.

“There’s this idea that when adults look at school, we see a place of learning where socializing also takes place, but kids look at school as their clubhouse they’re at all day, and learning happens to take place,” Mr. Weinstein says. “So the learning has to be engaging and fun and social. That culture is created by having teachers who love working with kids this age and who enjoy working as a team.”

Mr. Weinstein joined The Hun School community in 2012. A history of individual mentorship and a feeling of belonging existed, but there wasn’t much actual programming in place to support it. He worked with his team to develop a curriculum that includes making advisory more meaningful, organizing all-faculty reads to stay abreast of the latest brain-based research, and implementing The Hun Way orientation program to connect with students in the first weeks of school.

“From the very beginning, there was a huge feeling of community. Roberta King was the Middle School head and she just loved the kids and the kids loved her, and it was a great environment. We’ve kept a lot of that environment going,” Middle School History Department Chair Joan Nuse says. Mrs. Nuse started at The Hun School in 1987. “Everybody was really supportive when I started, and we did a lot of collaborating amongst classes, and that continues.”

Sally Moses started working as a parttime reading teacher in the Middle School not long after it opened. She

worked with students one-on-one after school, helping them to improve their comprehension. After just a couple of years she moved into a full-time role as an English teacher, but still she regularly stayed after school to offer extra help to her students.

“Extra help has always been a big part of Hun,” Mrs. Moses said recently. “All of us Middle School teachers had kids coming after school. It wasn’t a condition of our employment then; we all just cared a lot about the kids because when you’re in a classroom with so few students, you really get to know each child and what they can do.”

She found innovative ways to inspire learning in her students, and many of the tactics she employed are still used at the School today. She collaborated with other departments whenever she could, she assigned projects that gave her students a choice in topics, and she would bring in outside equipment or technology when she thought it could help her students learn better or just have more fun doing it.

One of her favorite projects was the banned book report; students had to select a book that had been banned, somewhere at some point, and then give a presentation to the class about the book. The class had to guess why the book had been banned.

THIS IS JUST A HAPPY PLACE TO BE. KIDS FEEL THAT WAY, AND TEACHERS FEEL THAT WAY. THEY’RE TEXTING THEIR PARENTS, ‘ALAP — PICK ME UP AS LATE AS POSSIBLE.’ THE KIDS ARE EXCITED TO BE HERE, AND THEY WANT TO STAY AS LATE AS THEY CAN.”

“I think the thing that helped students the most was knowing there was somebody there who cared about them and could help them,” Mrs. Moses said.

Fifty years on, the faculty in the Middle School still really care about all of the students entrusted to them.

“The more we learn about the intellectual, emotional, and social lives of teenagers, the better we are at our jobs,” Mr. Weinstein says. “One of the things I love about our team is that everybody is a voracious learner and loves to learn more about how we can be better.”

Middle School faculty are constantly passing around articles and books on the latest research, meeting to talk about supporting specific students, and brainstorming creative ways to engage their students.

“Bringing out the excitement in my kids is my favorite thing about teaching,” Mrs. Schobert says. “I like to have fun! I don’t love taking notes, so I look for other ways to stimulate the memory. We play games and have fun; that’s the way I get them excited and make it memorable.”

These days, the Middle School building — which was completely renovated and reopened in 2017 — is outfitted with all of the equipment necessary to make learning as engaging and

exciting as it should be in the twenty-first century.

Math classrooms have desks with whiteboard tops so students can use dry-erase markers on them to solve equations. Classes have TV screens and Smart Boards where teachers can show YouTube clips or students can AirPlay presentations. Tables can be raised so students can stand; desks can be pushed together to allow for Harkness discussions; and every student brings an iPad to school.

“When I first started, there was more lecturing, and obviously that’s not our focus anymore,” Mrs. Nuse says. “This place is different in so many ways, but the same in so many ways. Kids are kids, right? So it’s still that feeling of community, but the building is different and the technology is different.”

11:05 A.M. LUNCH

11:41 A.M. ADVISORY WITH MS. SKELLY

12:20 P.M. ENGLISH 7 WITH MS. BEATRICE

1:10 P.M. CODING AI 7

2:00 P.M. GIRLS’ BASKETBALL PRACTICE

FROM ASL TO IOT

Hun’s New Trimester System Allows More Opportunities to Explore Interests

A Sampling of NEW CLASSES

American Sign Language

AP Precalculus

Asian Revolutions

Behavior and Physiology of Substance Abuse

Drawing III - Studio Artthe Extended Practice

Genetics and Biotechnology

Graphic Novels

History of Public Health

Humans and the Marine Environment

Immigration and Ethnicity in the United States

Inside the Performing Arts Industry

Integrative Nutrition: Behavior, Chemistry, and Culture

Introduction to Artificial Intelligence

Engineering Smart Solutions

Kinesiology

“La Dolce Vita”: Italian Language and Culture

Labor and Employment in U.S. History

Latin I Intensive

Marine Biology

Oceanography

Poetry: Vision and Voice

Science Fiction and Dystopia

Sociology of Sports

Spanish for Travel

Web Design and Development

Sophia C. ’24 has taken a wide variety of art classes during her four years in The Hun Upper School: Photography, Introduction to Visual Arts, Ceramics, and Painting (her favorite). With so many included on her transcript, it might be a natural assumption that Sophia is planning to study art in college.

She isn’t. She plans to study accounting.

Last year, The Hun Upper School switched to a trimester system, allowing students to fit six electives into their schedules each year (instead of four), to better balance the workload of both faculty and students. One positive result has been a rise in the number of students like Sophia, who are choosing classes based on genuine interest, and not just future academic goals.

“This has allowed us to energize the trimester electives,” Upper School Head Ryan Hews says. For the 2023-2024 academic year, The Upper School introduced more than twenty new courses to the curriculum, including ones in oceanography, constitutional law, and artificial intelligence. “It’s allowing students to pursue their interests.”

The trimester system has also alleviated some of the crunch points – the moments during the academic year when a lot of student work tends to come due around the same time, often before School breaks. Each trimester is ten weeks long; the first ends at Thanksgiving break, the second ends in midFebruary, and the third ends at NextTerm.

But more than that, it’s given students and faculty alike the opportunity to try new things and flex their creativity. Rory Hart, chair of the History and Global Studies Department, says he’s thrilled to be able

to offer a breadth of courses to students. Whereas the former semester system gave faculty members more time to really dive into course material, trimesters have opened up new possibilities, including coordinating trimester courses over the span of a year. One example is microeconomics followed by macroeconomics, which can now be followed by economic development.

Kaia D. ’24 took a required coding course her ninth grade year, and was surprised by how much she enjoyed it. She shares that she didn’t realize how much creativity was involved. During her eleventh grade year, with the switch to trimesters, she was able to fit CAD1 and CAD2 into her schedule.

“I didn’t know the whole design aspect, but I love being creative and I love art, and I still wanted the technology aspect. Before, I never would have thought to take CAD, but I took those two courses and they are still my favorites,” Kaia explains. In college, she plans to study information systems, business technology, and web design, and maybe minor in graphic design.

And, it’s not just students who are cultivating their interests: The shorter classes give teachers the opportunity to dream up more passion projects, but it requires some creative thinking about how to capture the students’ curiosity while delivering the curriculum in a digestible and relatable way.

“When it all comes out, it makes us better educators, because we’re compelled to stop being content driven and to think critically about what and how we are delivering learning, how we are mobilizing skills, and what is essential,” Mr. Hart explains.

Many students, like Kaia, have noticed the faster pace of trimesters, compared to the previous semesters. For her, it’s been a positive adjustment, and one that she hopes will prepare her for future college courses.

“When it all comes out, it makes us better educators, because we’re compelled to stop being content driven and to think critically about what and how we are delivering learning, how we are mobilizing skills, and what is essential.”

“The teachers still zone in on a lot of information, but in a shorter amount of time,” Kaia explains. “Overall, I prefer the schedule we have now. I feel like my schedule is lighter; I’m taking more classes, but it opens me up to trying new things, with all the different classes offered.”

Mr. Hews likens the trimester switch to the NextTerm mini-semester, which is celebrating its fifth anniversary this spring. Both changes allowed for students to experience more breadth in their learning, and will be reflected in a well-rounded transcript.

“Overwhelmingly, when I think of all the changes we’ve made over the past few years, this one has more universal acclaim than anything else we’ve done,” Mr. Hews says. “I wish we’d done it earlier.”

WHO’S THAT on the BENCH?

COUNSELING AND WELLNESS JOIN THE TEAM

WITH THIS PROGRAM, WE’VE NORMALIZED TALKING ABOUT STRESS, SELF-ADVOCACY, AND GROWTH MINDSET. WE’RE SEEING MORE KIDS TALKING ABOUT THOSE THINGS.”

If the mountain won’t come to you, you must go to the mountain. It’s a sentiment that Eva Ostrowsky, director of counseling and wellness at The Hun School, takes to heart. “What we are trying to do with our wellness programming at Hun is to be a little more proactive so that our students don’t think of our counselors as the folks to go to when they only have a big problem. It’s more about creating an institutional philosophy and an office centered around wellness and peak performance,” she says.

To that end, she and her colleagues considered the population of students who came through their doors and realized one group was missing — student-athletes. “So many of our students participate in athletics, and yet we weren’t seeing them. It seemed like a disconnect.”

Rather than wait for them to come, she and her team created a program to pair each team with a dedicated counselor. “If we created a program at lunch time on a Wednesday, nobody is going to show up,” she says. Instead, this program’s goals were two-fold: help boost wellness at Hun by creating programs where students are spending their time and energy, and infuse wellness into their daily lives.

“Our goal was to mirror the collegiate model. Most Division I programs have sports psychologists matched with their athletic teams,” she adds. Hun’s program is nimble, however, adjusting to the individual needs of each team.

“We will be there for whatever that team and coach feel they need. And that is going to be different for every team. For some, it’s support after a tough loss. For others, it may be

mediating arguments and team dynamics. With other teams, we’ve had more of a focus on nutrition. We’ve also done conversations around sleep and how that correlates to their performance.”

The wellness/athletics partnership is in its second year, but positive signs of the partnership’s success are everywhere. “It has increased our connection with students. We’ve seen more student-athletes than ever.”

The partnership has also made an impact on individual players. “We worked with a student who felt a lot of pressure around their sport,” she says. “Their identity was wrapped up in it, and they felt intense pressure around college prospects, and maybe even turning pro. The work we did was around what they can control with their sport. Athletes can’t control whether they get hurt, but they can control how much they lift and what their nutrition looks like. They can manage communication with their coach. We also determined where the perceived pressure was coming from – and it wasn’t the athlete’s parents or coach. Through our conversations and observations, we could also see that this student-athlete was disciplined and a hard worker, but they weren’t developing positive relationships; they weren’t doing what they could to lift others up on their team.”

“By breaking down the areas they could control and shifting focus, even changing where they put their emotional energy, we saw an immediate impact. This particular student even began highlighting a different team member’s successes each day. It completely changed their outlook and perspective.”

“That person was not outwardly suffering, but the coach had heard they were under a lot of pressure and thought it might be a good idea to talk it out,” she says. “If you want to be a collegiate athlete, our counselors can help you build some mental fortitude.”

For Ms. Ostrowsky, the program’s success isn’t only measured in conversations with students — it’s about destigmatizing wellness as a whole. “With this program, we’ve normalized talking about stress, self-advocacy, and growth mindset. We’re seeing more kids talking about those things.”

Now, that’s a win for her and her team.

Standing in front of a crowd, making a difference a world away, or leading by example.

Meet Three Hun Students

Stepping Up to the Challenge

CROWN PRINCE SCHOLAR SHEREEN A. ’24

On Bahrain to Princeton

As a middle school student, Shereen A. ’24 sat in her bedroom in Salmabad, Bahrain, daydreaming about her future studies, university, and life abroad. From a young age she envisioned a life for herself that stretched across the world; how she would get there was yet to be determined.

She knew that university in Bahrain or abroad wouldn’t be financially feasible for her, but she was intent on finding a solution. Her research led her to the Bahrain Ministry of Education. While the scholarships she found looked promising, she wanted to expand her horizons outside of the Gulf Cooperation Council. Eventually, she found the Crown Prince Scholarship Program.

“I didn’t want to burden my family financially in any way, and I wanted to experience education beyond my neighboring countries,” she explains. “The Crown Prince Scholarship was perfect because it requires students to go abroad.”

“I’ve realized that being a leader is a passion of mine.”

The initial research may have been easy, but earning the Crown Prince Scholarship would be another matter. To be considered for the candidacy program, applicants must be citizens of Bahrain and obtain a GPA of ninety-seven or above starting from their first year of high school. If those requirements are met, students are then invited into the candidacy process, where they must take multiple interdisciplinary courses at the Bahrain Institute of Banking and Finance and complete multiple rounds of standardized testing. Shereen was undeterred; she took courses in English proficiency, data and information management, critical thinking, and personal and professional development. Every test, assignment, and presentation in the program carries a numerical weight value. Ultimately, students who cumulate scores within the top ten are offered a scholarship.

Crown Prince Scholars, as these high-achieving students are known, are required to attend boarding school in the United

States for two years. The scholars attend schools like Phillips Academy, Tabor Academy, and The Hun School of Princeton. Hun has had a relationship with the Crown Prince Scholarship Program since its inception in 1999.

After completing the application process at Hun, Shereen arrived as an eleventh grader in August of 2022, eager to experience education and life in America. She is the first to admit her transition was a difficult one, and she spent much of her first year on campus grappling with what she thought America was versus what she was experiencing.

“Whatever I saw on television about America was very inaccurate,” she chuckles. “This culture is very different from mine, particularly regarding the nuances of relationships and social status. It wasn’t easy for me at first, and I spent a lot of time really contemplating who I wanted to be here and what impression I wanted to leave.”

Eventually, she not only found her footing but became a leader. This year, Shereen is focusing her energy on cultivating her own garden; she has spent most of her time looking for opportunities to be a leader within the many different groups she participates in.

“I’ve realized that being a leader is a passion of mine,” she says. “I got involved in our international student association because I wanted to be the person that I needed when I arrived. I want to meet all of our new students, encourage them to put themselves out there, and show them all of the meaningful connections that exist here.”

The lessons Shereen has learned and the moments she has experienced, both at The Hun School and in America, are possible because of the Crown Prince Scholarship Program, and she has an overwhelming amount of gratitude for the program.

“I come from a family that couldn’t afford any educational experiences, and through the Crown Prince Scholarship, I will be financially supported to study anywhere and get any degree I want up to a Ph.D. That is almost unbelievable to me,” she says. “The scholarship and my experience here is one of my biggest blessings.”

All the World’s a Stage:

ANDREW W. ’25

It was Andrew’s first week of classes at Hun when Co-Director of Athletics Tracey Arndt learned that his ability to perform went way beyond the football field. As it turned out, Andrew was also an exceptional violinist. Ms. Arndt asked him to play the national anthem at the next home game, which he did to resounding applause. Coincidentally, it was the

“I’d like to leave all of my options open as to where the next chapter of my life will take me.”

same week that The Hun School would welcome the musical violinist group, Sons of MyStro, to campus to kick off the Centennial Speakers Series. Arranging for an encore was a no brainer. Maureen Leming ’95, chief marketing and communications officer and committee chair, called the group’s manager immediately.

“Sons of MyStro could not have been more enthusiastic about the idea,” said Mrs. Leming. “We set up a meeting so they could learn more about Andrew’s repertoire, chose a song, and invited Andrew to rehearsal two days later.”

The Sons of MyStro performed for the entire student body on a Tuesday in September. Just before the end of their set, SOM frontman Umoja McNeish called Andrew to the stage.

As a newcomer to the Hun community, Andrew had no idea what to expect. When he played the first unmistakable chords of Coldplay’s “Viva La Vida,” the crowd jumped to their feet. Before the end of the song, the entire student body was chanting his name. It was a poignant moment for Andrew.

“Every school says they value community and support, but I quickly realized that Hun

practices what they preach,” Andrew says. “It was the first week of school, no one knew who I was, but it didn’t matter at that moment, every single person in that gym was behind me. For weeks after, people stopped to congratulate me and even thank me. It didn’t matter whether I was a student at Hun for five minutes or five years, this place welcomed me like I was family.”

This community moment was certainly one for the books, but for Andrew it was just another opportunity to step on stage and do what he loves to do. As kicker on the football team, Andrew’s role is an incredibly mental one, but his confidence and poise come from his years of experience playing the violin.

“I can actually draw a lot of comparisons between the two; you get a lot of leeway in both spaces to practice and figure things out and I’m so comfortable with it because I have given myself opportunities to experience it. You have to get used to doing things in front of people because it makes you comfortable.”

And you might not meet a football-playing violinist every day, but for Andrew, the driving force for both commitments is expanding his opportunities and worldview.

“I only started playing football three years ago when all my friends were doing it; I’ve played the violin since the second grade as a tribute to my grandfather, who was the musician in my family,” he says. “I continue to do both because I never want to limit myself or lessen my worldview. Building other skills while I still have all of these opportunities is really important to me.”

In true Andrew fashion, he has no plans of slowing down: “I want to continue to get better at both the violin and kicking. It would be nice to play football in college, but it’s not my end goal; I recognize that there are so many more opportunities out there that I haven’t yet explored. I love English, history, and Spanish, and I’d like to leave all of my options open as to where the next chapter of my life will take me.”

TIKO C. ’24 On a Summer Internship That Changed His Life

While spending last summer in Zambia with his mom, Tiko C. ’24 found an internship that would influence him profoundly. He worked with Advocacy for Child Justice (ACJ), an organization that advocates and promotes best practices for children who come in contact with the law. His work with ACJ, as well as time spent getting to know children in the Zambian court system, solidified his desire to help people. Carrying out the work from this internship, Tiko plans to launch his own nonprofit called Unleashing Greatness in his home country of Malawi.

“I met a lot of children who were not only wronged by a justice system, but who really weren’t raised in an environment where they could succeed,” Tiko says. “It opened my eyes a lot to the work that I could be doing to help others.”

Tiko spent his first few days shadowing other counselors and seeing how they interacted with the children. Within two weeks, he was given the opportunity to lead his own sessions and work on his own cases. In his role, Tiko suggested that ACJ begin focusing more on the individual passions of the children; he believed wholeheartedly that this would lead to deeper connections and more open conversations.

“I really wanted the work I was doing to not only revolve around community but the kids’ interests as well,” he says. “Because I think when kids identify a passion that they can work toward, it keeps them moving in the right direction. During my time there, I met this group of three boys: one was really interested in farming while the other two wanted to be entrepreneurs – I worked with them to start a garden and create a farm stand. It brought them, and me, a lot of happiness, the ability to feel like they have had a real purpose.”

When Tiko’s summer internship came to an end, he knew his work was just beginning. He quickly started conceptualizing Unleashing Greatness, an organization centered around life coaching and career development for the teenage population of Malawi. The program would comprise academic and athletic camps as well as workshops on community-building, identifying passions, and making their dreams a reality while also maintaining a stable lifestyle.

“I’ve come to realize that helping people succeed is a big part of my identity,” Tiko says. “And I know I could do this kind of work anywhere, but I believe that you have to fix the problems at home before you can go out and help others. My home is Africa, which is why I want a lot of my work and even career after college to be based there.”

“I want every conversation I have with someone to leave them feeling confident and comfortable.”

“I’m not sure where I want to go to school or what I want my career to be, but I do know that I want to figure out a way for my work to help people. I want every conversation I have with someone to leave them feeling confident and comfortable. I’ve realized I’m actually pretty good at working with people and I hope to continue to do that.”

Clockwise from top left: Color pencil drawing by Eva C. ’24; Digital drawing by Nia C. ’24; Photograph by Alex G.’25; Acrylic painting by Lexi K. ’24.

the very best of

AP ART

STUDENT ARTISTS FROM AP STUDIO ART SHARE THEIR WORK.

Clockwise from top left: Watercolor and oil pastel graphic by Izzi J. ’24; Chalk pastel image by Sean X. ’26; Digital drawing by Gabby R. ’25.

LEADERSHIP LESSONS IN

STEM

Science, technology, engineering, and math have long been the domain of men. It’s no secret that the field lacks female representation, and even though recent years have seen a concerted effort to attract more women, they still account for just under one-third of the industry. Here at The Hun School, we’re flipping that script.

Our science, computer science and engineering, and mathematics departments are led by women. Though each has a unique story, there’s one common thread— they’re all longtime faculty members who earned their place by putting students’ needs first.

MEET OUR STEM LEADERS WHO ARE SHAPING TOMORROW’S CHANGEMAKERS.

AMY WRIGHT IS BEING THE CHANGE SHE WANTS TO SEE IN THE WORLD OF COMPUTER SCIENCE

Amy Wright’s journey to Computer Science and Engineering Department chair was not a linear one. She graduated from college with an engineering degree and worked in the corporate world for several years before finding her way to education. A driving force behind her decision to not only enter education but to teach computer science was to create the exact opposite experience that she had growing up.

“I hated computer science, I actually despised it and I only had to take it in college as a requirement for my engineering major,” she chuckles. “Throughout my entire educational experience, I didn’t have many women teachers and I certainly didn’t have a lot of girls in any of my classes. I did a lot of self teaching to get to where I needed to be. I’m in this role because I want to be the female role model for our girls here because I didn’t have one.”

Mrs. Wright came to Hun in 2000 and left shortly after to raise her three boys. When her two oldest sons were of middle and high school ages, they decided Hun was the place for them. In 2017, she was hired for a full-time position with the additional role of department head.

She was determined to not just expand the department’s course offerings, but to continuously develop courses that pique the interests of current students. Some of the most popular elective courses are Cybersecurity, Web Design and Development, and Introduction to Artificial Intelligence.

“Early on in my career, it took me a while to build up confidence and convince myself and others that I was meant to do this,” she says. “But I am really proud of where we are as a department and where we will continue to go.”

Julie Davis

JULIE DAVIS + MATH = ENGAGED STUDENTS

joined The Hun School’s Mathematics Department in 1989 as the only woman in the department; by 1998, she was named department chair and had the freedom to shape her department however she saw fit. Her main goals were to attract more gender diversity to the department, broaden the curriculum, and encourage every teacher to be a lead teacher. Fast forward twenty-six years, and she has done all of those things, and much more.

“Not only did I want to attract a more diverse pool of teachers to the department, but it was important to me to have both men and women teaching our highest level math classes to really try and destigmatize the higher math levels,” she says. “And I wanted our curriculum to be rigorous. When I first started, we peaked at AP Calculus BC. Now we offer high level math courses including multivariable calculus, linear algebra, and a number of other electives. And our teachers are very skilled in all of these courses.”

Several years ago, Mrs. Davis implemented

a concept in her department where each teacher serves as lead teacher in their discipline; those teachers are responsible for checking in with the others to be sure that everyone is getting from point A to point B. She explains that she values teacher autonomy and is always looking for new ways to encourage her department members to be leaders within their field.

“Having autonomy is hugely important to me,” she says. “I will never tell a teacher how they should teach their class, that’s on them – that is their freedom and that is so important. You need joyful teaching to have joyful learning, so I will never get in the way of that. One of the greatest things about Hun is the freedom to try things, make mistakes, and be able to say, ‘okay, that didn’t work’ and start over; I always want to encourage that type of thinking in the Mathematics Department.”

“Having autonomy is hugely important to me. I will never tell a teacher how they should teach their class, that’s on them – that is their freedom and that is so important. You need joyful teaching to have joyful learning, so I will never get in the way of that. One of the greatest things about Hun is the freedom to try things, make mistakes, and be able to say, ‘okay, that didn’t work’ and start over; I always want to encourage that type of thinking

in the Mathematics Department.”

JACKIE O’GORMAN DISCOVERS A PASSION FOR LEADERSHIP

Early on in Jackie O’Gorman’s career, everyone around her tried convincing her that her calling was to be a nurse. She listened, and pursued nursing until she could no longer convince herself that it’s what she wanted to do. She did love science, though, and also loved teaching. She transitioned to education and had a successful early career at Stuart Country Day School as K-12 science department chair. In 2015, she joined The Hun School as department chair and science teacher.

“From the very beginning of my tenure at Hun, it has always felt like my opinion has

mattered,” she says. “The department has completely changed since the moment I stepped into the role. Women being involved in STEM is really important to me, so it was a goal of mine to create a department that was attractive and fulfilling for women. I knew what I wanted to do when I accepted this leadership position—I had to carry my weight as a woman in STEM.”

Mrs. O’Gorman’s style as department chair is to tap into her colleagues’ and students’ passions in any way that she can, and to always stay up to speed on current discoveries. She is also constantly expanding

elective course offerings, noting that in her time at Hun, she has never been told that she can’t offer an elective course.

“We have faculty members and students who are really passionate about the environment, so we have made an effort to address it in our classes and offer elective courses on climate change,” she says. “I want our students’ experience in STEM to be one where they leave the classroom feeling like they can be leaders in the field. I was never encouraged by anyone in my educational career (early on) to be a leader, and I want students walking out of my class feeling empowered.”

FLOODED WITH SUPPORT

When Hurricane Ida destroyed her family’s home, Hannah S. ’25 was swept up by The Hun School boarding experience

In late August 2021, Hannah S. ’25 was excited about becoming a new ninth grade day student at The Hun School. Classes would begin in a few weeks, but she was already making new friends during preseason as a member of the field hockey team. While the first few weeks of high school can be challenging, Hannah wasn’t feeling anything but positive. Full of anticipation, she couldn’t wait for September to arrive.

On September 1st, everything changed. The family, who lived in Lambertville, New Jersey, watched as Hurricane Ida lashed their town with torrential rain and wind. Initially, they thought it would be just another bad rainstorm and weren’t concerned. “We’ve lived in Lambertville and been through flooding before,” says Hannah’s mother, Jacqui. However, this storm would be very different indeed.

The rain was intense, and their house, located just a short distance from the canal and the Delaware River, was in a precarious location. “The sewers were bubbling up a bit, but then all of a sudden the water started rising and moving really quickly. It went from, ‘wow that’s a lot of water’ to ‘this is crazy.’” A dumpster floated down the street and when Jacqui’s car started floating away, they knew this wasn’t like anything they’d experienced before. “We knew then that the window for us to leave had closed,” she says.

“I don’t remember when the water started coming in the house,” says Sarah S. ’28. “But we started grabbing things, whatever we could and got upstairs.” In about three minutes, the water was knee deep. “We went upstairs and waited because the water was rising and the electricity was still on,” says Jacqui. Ultimately the water rose to just below the top of their dining room table, or about 2 ½ to 3 feet. “Our sofas and refrigerator were floating around the first floor,” she adds.

I had not really known much about boarding before I was thrust into it, but boarding at Hun is such a great opportunity. I didn’t realize the amount of things we do together – the community that we build. I thought of it as a place to stay, but it’s so much more. Everyone is really close. The teachers are our friends. It’s an essential part of my experience at Hun.”

HUN DAY CAMP Designed by campers, for campers!

Swimming, sports, nature walks, field games, crafts, STEM projects, and more • Lunch included (Grades K-7)

HUN ADVENTURES Choose your own brain adventure!

Fun project-based learning in business, STEAM, humanities, or game design • Combine with Day Camp (Grades 4-7)

HUN ACADEMICS Take the next step in your academic journey!

For-credit and enrichment courses in math, science, test prep, writing, and more (Grades 6-11)

HUN SPORTS CAMPS Take your skills to the next level!

Girls’ or boys’ basketball • All-gender soccer or field hockey • Lunch included (Grades 3-9)

As they waited upstairs with the water rising, not yet knowing the extent of the damage, Jacqui texted another mother from the field hockey team to let her know that Hannah wouldn’t be at practice the next day. They went to sleep and woke the next morning to total destruction. Their home was uninhabitable. The water receded overnight, but everything was covered in a thick mud.

“We knew that we couldn’t live in our house,” says Jacqui. They decamped to Jacqui’s parents’ house more than an hour away. Overwhelmed and stressed, Jacqui wasn’t sure how she would get Hannah to and from Hun.

Then, one phone call changed everything. “One day after the flood, Steve Bristol (former associate head of school), called me and offered to board Hannah until we were settled. It was the first time that I cried after everything that had happened, because I was wondering how we were going to set her up for success in a new school with a challenging curriculum.”

Hannah was also deeply touched by the outpouring of support. “Before Mr. Bristol called, Mrs. Arndt (co-athletics director and field hockey head coach) was going to let me stay at her house,” she says. “I thought that was really special because we weren’t even that close yet. It was just the beginning of pre-season.”

Hannah moved in as a new boarder a few days later. Despite experiencing so much loss, they felt especially lucky. “We were brand new. Nobody knew us, but everyone was so lovely. They all just said, ‘get her here, and we’ll figure it out,’” says Jacqui. “For her to be in this safe, wonderful environment when we were going through all of this…it was so much better for Hannah to be at Hun.”

Still, the family fully expected it to be temporary. “It was 100 percent our plan for boarding to be temporary until we had a place to live and I got a new car,” Jacqui says. Boarding was never something the family considered for Hannah and Sarah when looking at independent schools. Six weeks after the flood, the family had a new rental home and a new car but they decided Hannah would remain a boarder at Hun. “My mom and I started talking, and I really wanted to stay here,” says Hannah. “It’s very structured, which I like for homework and sports.”

“I had not really known much about boarding before I was thrust into it,” says Hannah. “But boarding at Hun is such a great opportunity. I didn’t realize the amount of things we do together – the community that we build. I thought of it as a place to stay but it’s so much more. Everyone is really close. The teachers are our friends. It’s an essential part of my experience at Hun.”

For Jacqui and her husband, Fred, the experience opened their eyes too. “I didn’t realize how much it enhances the experience and opens things up,” says Jacqui. “I used to be that person who said I’d never think of sending my kid to boarding school, but now I’m telling everyone, ‘have you ever considered boarding because it’s the best thing ever.’”

Hannah’s experience has been so positive that her younger sister, Sarah, a current eighth grader in The Hun Middle School, wants to board next year. “Of course I do,” she says. “It’s awesome.”

As for their home, the family spent many months renovating under the watchful eye of cameras from Rachel Ray’s Rebuild , a new home renovation show spotlighting homes destroyed by natural disasters, available on Hulu (their story is featured in episode 6). In the end, they decided to sell the fully renovated home just one year after the flood. With Hannah happily ensconced at Hun and Sarah hoping to join her next year, Jacqui and Fred chose to keep their options open.

“Of the many positives that came out of our house flooding, our Hun experience is ranked the highest,” says Jacqui. “It allowed us to send her to an environment with tons of opportunities with kids her age. We also increased the number of adults in her life who are actively involved and support her. I think the boarding experience really sets kids up. It’s increased her independence but in an environment with supportive adults and a great network of friends that she can rely on.”

<NAVIGATING> {the} /AI REVOLUTION/ at #HUN

SELF-DRIVING CARS. SMART ASSISTANTS. SOCIAL MEDIA ALGORITHMS.

HOW DO HUN FACULTY PREPARE STUDENTS FOR A WORLD FILLED WITH ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE AND HELP THEM UNDERSTAND THE TECHNOLOGY BEHIND IT?

Hun faculty are no strangers to AI use in the classroom. In 2018, Chris Cooper, computer science and engineering faculty, purchased several do-ityourself AI kits from Google and has been using them for student projects in his Robotics Engineering course. Projects have included the creation of a robot triggered by a voice command to locate a person using facial recognition and drive toward them to deliver an item as well as an AI tour guide that could answer questions about Hun. However, when ChatGPT launched in 2022, Mr. Cooper saw an opportunity to expand AI beyond robotics and proposed a new Upper School course, Introduction to Artificial Intelligence, partially as a way to demystify the field.

“The more people that we can get to understand AI, the better,” he says. “AI may seem like magic to most people, but when you start to understand the physical technology behind it, you realize that this is just statistics. It’s using a large body of data to come up with a prediction, which is not an absolute truth.”

The new course has proved popular among Hun students — more than fifteen students took the first class, which started this fall. In it, students learn to hone their coding skills and gain a better sense of their place in the world. They also learn about some of AI’s shortcomings, such as ethical biases and hallucinations — AI responses that present false or misleading information as factual.

Beyond computer science and engineering, Hun faculty are learning to integrate broader AI use in classrooms from art to world history. In addition to ongoing departmental and cohort discussions on the topic last year, this summer’s faculty orientation featured Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the Classroom, a workshop led by Jaime Gilligan, educational technology designer, and Ted Shaffner, grade-level dean and English Department faculty, for more than thirty faculty. Attendees tested various tools and platforms and learned about the ethical implications of AI use in the classroom.

Going forward, Ms. Gilligan and Mr. Shaffner are also leading an interdisciplinary group of faculty in the development of Hun School policies and guidelines for the use of AI. They are focusing on ways for faculty to introduce meaningful use of AI, but also teach students to master skills, show and

cite their work, and understand AI limitations to be able to critically judge AI-assisted responses. They are also focusing on ways to limit and check for usage by students when these tools are not allowed, in accordance with the Honor Code.

"IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT WE HELP STUDENTS LEARN THE PROPER APPLICATION OF AI."

“While we won’t be banning the use of AI tools, it is imperative that we help students learn the proper application of AI and set School-wide guidelines for how and when they can assist students with critical thinking skills,” says Upper School Head Ryan Hews.

ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE: HOW HUN ALUMS ARE BUILDING A BETTER FUTURE THROUGH AI

Artificial intelligence as a field dates back more than half a century, but it’s only been about a decade since the deep learning revolution led to a surge in funding and interest. Today, people all around the world are helping revolutionize and find new ways to use AI to benefit people, while still keeping the human element at the forefront.

Meet four Hun alums who are using AI in different ways to help improve customer experience, increase corporate revenue, and much more.

>PEILIN TSAI CORBANESE ’89

DEI CHAMPION FOR GENERATIVE AI

When budding violin virtuoso Peilin Tsai Corbanese first arrived at Hun from Taiwan in the 1980s, AI was practically a sci-fi concept. But Hun’s nurturing environment provided her with the support she needed and set her up to pursue her dreams, which turned out to not be in music, but in economics — and later, Generative AI.

Three decades later, she is a leading champion of diversity, equity, and inclusion in Generative AI as vice president of analytics at EXL Services, a global management consulting firm for analytics and digital transformation. She leads a team that provides Generative AI solutions for different industries to help them achieve a better customer experience based on a specific company’s needs and any identified gaps.

“The difference between AI and Generative AI that makes it really easy to understand is the word ‘Generative.’ Generative AI has the capability to grab new data and learn by itself,” she says. “But AI only looks at and learns from the existing data.”

That can be a text prompt, such as one you give to ChatGPT, or an audio prompt, such as one given to EXL’s Digital Virtual Assist (DIVA). DIVA uses EXL’s AI-based digital intelligence platform to augment human intelligence to improve customer experience. Imagine a scenario where a customer service agent is handling a phone call to address an insurance claim or respond to a billing inquiry. Ms. Corbanese elucidated that AI now has the capability to

analyze information based on both the tone and content of spoken words, employing sophisticated algorithms.

“As a human agent, you are trying to multitask while having a conversation — ensuring you have the right customer, pulling up the history, and worrying about other calls backing up — so you might not be fully sensitive to someone who sounds stressed and says they’re having trouble paying a bill. AI can work in the background to assist the agent by cueing empathy to literally pop up on their screen.”

Another big part of what Ms. Corbanese does — and she is most passionate about — is making sure that companies have the right AI technology, user data, and governance to apply AI ethically. She notes that several recent studies have demonstrated the importance of building diverse and accurate data sets. As an example, three commercial facial-analysis systems found it hard to identify darkskinned women, misidentifying their gender 35% of the time without a diverse data set. Ms. Corbanese often speaks at conferences and other events to promote DEI in Generative AI.

“When you assemble a diverse team responsible for creating the products and acquiring data, individuals such as myself would instinctively raise concerns, saying, ‘Wait, that’s incorrect.’ It’s crucial to recognize that not everyone would have the same perspective,” she says, noting that when designing an AI use case, it’s important to have a team “comprised of humans who can govern, audit, and also have a diversity of thought.”

Ms. Corbanese, who holds a bachelor’s degree and two master’s degrees from Brown University, hopes that by sharing her message, she will encourage other role models like herself who can ensure ethical AI usage that is reflective of all viewpoints. She works toward gender equity in particular by providing leadership guidance for other senior female executives as a member of Chief, an organization designed to help get more women promoted to positions of leadership and keep them there, which she said helps “the younger generation see that there’s a path and understand that it’s completely doable.”

Ms. Corbanese’s next project will continue her work in gender equity. She wants to create an ecosystem for a group of women — perhaps immigrant women like herself — to support them on their career journeys. “I want to create a community where they feel they belong, and they believe that they can do anything if we provide them with the support, community, tools, and services that they need to advance in the world.”

>SEUNGBO “MATT” CHOI ’11

IMPROVING YOUR AMAZON EXPERIENCE

Matt Choi is tracking your history at Amazon — or least training the AI he works with to do so. The Hun alum works as an applied scientist at Amazon Ads, where he uses natural language processing (NLP) — AI that is trained to understand language and then use it to extract information and insights from documents — with a focus on recommendation.

“Let’s say you want to find a coffee machine,” Mr. Choi says as an example. “There are three different things we can apply. First, we want to show lists of relative advertisements for you. Second, we want to guess which machine you will want to buy. Third, we want to find which advertiser we should pick that is not just relevant, but can also contribute to revenue.”

He notes that building these recommendations requires an immense amount of data. That comes from tracking that history, which helps train Amazon’s AI to be more accurate.

Working as an AI scientist was not the career path Mr. Choi had envisioned when he first came to Hun from Korea in tenth grade. After just one semester

as a finance major at NYU, he transferred to Brown University for undergraduate and graduate degrees in computer science. There, with a growing public interest in the field of AI, he discovered and pursued quantitative trading, an area of finance that relies heavily on statistics and computer algorithms. But Mr. Choi soon realized that his ultimate goal was to work more closely with AI as a scientist. He took the first step by becoming a machine learning engineer — focusing on the software engineering side of making AI work — at Amazon Web Services. The engineering background not only helped him land his dream job as an AI scientist at Amazon Ads, but also helps him in his current role, since he understands both sides of the AI process.

Learning to work with AI recommendation systems is useful beyond Amazon — think Netflix, Google, YouTube. Like other types of AI, they allow companies to scale up a project that cannot be easily done by humans, at least not without hiring a lot more workers, which would also affect pricing.

“Using the same example of that coffee machine, you have to find probably a maximum of a hundred advertisements out of three billion,” Mr. Choi explains. “Humans could do that, but I don’t know how many people we’d need to do it right. In the end, AI reduces cost and maximizes profit.”

However, he was quick to point out that relying on machines for some tasks does not eliminate the human role in companies. Humans are still needed to examine the relevance of the AI solutions. Using AI also opens up “new opportunities for people and allows people to focus on new challenges.”

“It’s not about just reducing the human role,” says Mr. Choi. “It’s more about people thinking about how to open up a new domain in which AI can be applied.”

Mr. Choi notes that the AI field is getting increasingly competitive, despite the increase in demand. For those who are seeking a career in AI, he offers three areas to focus on: basic statistics and math — the more math, the better; reading skills and writing, since scientists have to write papers about their findings and read others to increase their knowledge; and literature-based education, for creativity.

“Creativeness is quite important for AI scientists,” he says. “You’re always looking for the area that people have not discovered yet.”

>BRITTANY ANDERSON ’11

MANAGING THE HUMAN SIDE OF TECHNOLOGY

Looking to redeem your Chase credit card rewards for a night at a Marriott hotel or a flight on United? There’s a good chance that Hun alum Brittany Anderson ’11 has had a part in making sure the technology used to redeem those points works. Ms. Anderson has parlayed years of experience as a data analyst, scientist, and engineer into a role in technology strategy, and she now leads others in those data fields as vice president of product – rewards at JPMorgan Chase & Co. in Wilmington, Delaware.

and prioritization. And while Ms. Anderson is no longer doing the day-to-day development work, her background in data helps her communicate with her team members who do. She also recently completed MIT Professional Education’s Applied Data Science Program, which she started when she was working in data science for IKEA. She says that learning to write machine learning algorithms and AI algorithms herself was challenging, but in a good way.

“I had to do that hands-on work and really understand what goes into it and how challenging it can be if something breaks, or the technology doesn’t quite work. I think that gave me perspective as a product owner,” says Ms. Anderson. “I also learned how to understand other people’s skill sets through group projects, which helps me assign team members to the pieces of work that they find most beneficial.”

Once Chase’s modernization project has been completed, Ms. Anderson is looking to implement AI going forward, analyzing why and how people choose to redeem their rewards. There are a variety of questions she hopes to answer that will help her strategize technological innovation in the future.

“Who are the customers who only select cash back as a reward, and what are their attributes? Or, how much time are people spending on the website, and which parts of the website are of the most interest or ignored?” she asks. “I think there’s a lot of room for AI in the future.”

“I THINK THERE’S A LOT OF ROOM FOR AI IN THE FUTURE.”

“Essentially, I run the product strategy for the back-end system and databases for Chase rewards and points management,” says Ms. Anderson, who holds a B.S. in Information Management and Technology from Syracuse University. “Technology is a huge component of rewards, and because we have so many different card types, all with different point systems, it can get pretty complex.”

That’s why Chase brought in Ms. Anderson and others as product leaders to help the developers modernize existing systems while determining project allocation

Ms. Anderson, who calls herself a lifelong learner, recently started working toward an M.B.A. in Organizational Leadership — learning more about the management and finance side of things — to keep growing as a technology leader. She credits the interests in journalism and psychology that she developed at Hun with carving her own path as a technology manager.

“A lot of technology involves rather black-and-white kind ways of going about things, especially with coding and database management. But when you add the human perspective to data and people management and technological user experience — there’s a lot of psychology behind it,” she says. “That’s where I realized that I could jump into a thriving industry and bring a unique perspective as someone who is more interested in the human elements of it.”

>THOMAS RAMSAY ’18

HELPING PEOPLE THROUGH DATA SCIENCE

Just over a year ago, Thomas Ramsay completed his B.S. in Mathematical Economics at Gettysburg College. One might think that math and economics wouldn’t provide a clear path to working with AI, but Mr. Ramsay has turned his passion for numbers into a data science career. Today, he works as a solution analyst at Deloitte, where his current project seeks to improve the way a federal healthcare client is able to provide care for patients.

“We’re building predictive models using machine learning and AI, which is very similar to the statistics models that you build in economics,” says Mr. Ramsay. “It’s fairly complicated math that can also be brought back to calculus at a basic level. So it’s all connected in some way.”

And while the machine is learning and creating models, human review is crucial.

“You have to understand the assumptions that this model is making, and you have to understand what types of models are more beneficial than others for specific purposes,” says Mr. Ramsay. He adds that part of his job is spent building the data set, cleaning and processing the data to make sure each model can be as accurate as possible.

“Everyone just assumes it’s math, and math can’t be wrong. But people have to build these models, and there can be biases and implications built into these models,” he says, explaining that the data collection process, especially when collected from the Internet, can impact how a model learns. “That’s something we always have to keep in mind whenever we’re building our models for the future. Your model is only as good as its data.”

Once the models are built, Mr. Ramsay helps test them to see if small changes can be made to improve them.

“There’s different ways that you can tweak the models to have certain benefits, and there are pros and cons to each way you tweak it,” he explains. “So we’re always weighing those pros and cons and testing to see what has the best output and what predictions are the most accurate, based on the data that we have.”

While Mr. Ramsay may focus on the numbers, he never forgets what the true purpose of his role is and why he came to Deloitte in the first place.

“MY MAIN MOTIVATION WAS THAT I WANTED TO BUILD AI AND MACHINE LEARNING MODELS THAT HAD A POSITIVE IMPACT ON PEOPLE.”

Every day, Mr. Ramsay builds machine learning models by coding in the programming language Python. The models, which he explains “take in data and output an answer to a problem that we have through mathematical algorithms and functions,” are thus built upon a foundation of mathematics.

“My main motivation was that I wanted to build AI and machine learning models that had a positive impact on people. That’s how I found my way over to this project for the federal healthcare client. I’m helping improve that client’s program through AI and machine learning — that’s a real-life impact on millions of people.”

BACK ON CAMPUS:

HUN’S NEW DIRECTOR OF ALUMNI ENGAGEMENT

Sarah Dileo Craig ’07

SARAH DILEO CRAIG’S ’07 ENTHUSIASM IS CONTAGIOUS.

It’s clear that Hun’s new director of alum engagement absolutely loves The Hun School and is bursting at the seams with ideas for how to engage other alums in her new role. But that wasn’t always the case, at least not as a teenager.

“I was really upset that my parents made me come to Hun,” she recalls. “Hun was definitely a culture shock for me. I was in public school through eighth grade, and I didn’t really know who I was.”

Luckily, that feeling was temporary.

“By the time I left Hun, I was very much in love with the community, the institution, the support, the growth, and all that I had felt here,” Ms. Craig explains. “My parents changed my life by sending me here. And then Hun changed my life. I was very prepared for college.”

That preparation, she said, was thanks to “great teachers” like Lynn McNulty, Bill Holup, and Richard Volz; her advisor Jon Stone; and coaches like Julie and Dave Davis and Bill and Kathy Quirk. While she played soccer and softball when she first came to Hun, a coach convinced her to try field hockey before her eleventh grade year. Despite a disastrous start when trying to run in a bulky goalie uniform for the first time — she hit the ground and went “bowling” across the field — she excelled in the sport and was recruited to play at Franklin & Marshall College, where she served as team captain her senior year and earned a B.A. in Public Policy and Sociology.

THE “UNICORN OF OPPORTUNITIES”

Ms. Craig recently returned to Hun after spending nearly a decade at New York Life Insurance Company (NYL), most recently as a senior project manager in the Corporate

Responsibility Department. There, she oversaw workforce engagement, including the annual Volunteers for Good and other community engagement programs in more than 100 NYL offices throughout the country.

“I kind of landed in the unicorn of opportunities,” Ms. Craig says about working for the Fortune 100 company. But she noted it was not always easy, especially when the pandemic forced everything to shut down.

RECONNECTING WITH HUN

In 2018, Ms. Craig and her husband, Logan, moved back to nearby Lawrence, providing ample opportunity for her to volunteer for Hun. She made calls on Raider Giving Day, volunteered at events, and served on the Alumni Association Board, finding it to be a great opportunity to reconnect with the School and its community.

“I love reconnecting with people. One of the benefits of having been at New York Life for so long and working in different capacities was that I had to have a lot of conversations in which I reintroduced myself,” she says. “I wanted to meet people where they were. And I think that is going to translate beautifully here.”

Ms. Craig is adamant that she wouldn’t have left NYL for anything other than Hun — another dream job for her.

“I went from a unicorn to a unicorn because I get to connect people,” she says, noting she’s specifically interested in curating programming that will help alums reconnect with the School. She is also charged with reengaging with the long standing volunteers of Hun’s Alumni Association Board, who serve as ambassadors to the association at large, to make sure their experience is meaningful. Ms. Craig will also be working with Katarina Menze, assistant director of young alumni engagement, to involve young alums — those who graduated within the last fifteen years — by ensuring that the School is offering communications, programming, and experiences that appeal to them.

“Sarah’s job is to build bridges, make connections, and celebrate the alums and the School, as well as all of the moments that make it special for everybody,” says chief advancement officer Alexis Brock. “Her time at New York Life was all volunteer management, relationship building, and programming. To be able to take those skills and translate them into making Hun — the place that she loved and still loves — even better? I don’t think you can get a more perfect combination than that.”

In addition, Ms. Craig will head up Alumni Weekend, regional events, as well as reunion, affinity group, and generational giving. It’s a tall order, but she’s ready and willing to take it on.

“My hope is that this School will always be what it was for me,” Ms. Craig says. “And now I get to show off the great work of what everyone has been doing here in the years since my graduation. Hun has definitely taken on some really great new ideas to go into the future. I see nothing but an upward trajectory, and I’m excited to be a part of that.”

ALUMNI WEEKEND

April 19‑ 21, 2024

We can’t wait to welcome you home on April 19-21, 2024 to share memories, celebrate milestones, and reconnect with the faculty and friends that make you a #RaiderforLife. Register today!

RAIDER GIVING DAY

A 24-HOUR PHILANTHROPIC EVENT

Raider Giving Day is a tradition that brings the Hun community together to support our School and the student experience. When you make a gift to the Hun Fund, you join Hun’s family of donors, helping to make the School a vibrant place that produces confident, successful graduates ready to lead the world. Please join us on this special day!

JOIN US MAY 7, 2024

ClassNotes

HUN ALUMS Keeping in Touch, Informed, and Up-to-Date

1954

1959

1961

Congratulations to our Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee – Jim Pietrinferno Firestone ’61

Jim Firestone writes, “I thank you for elevating

me to The Hun School Hall of Fame. Our great defense was finally recognized. With soccer being a defensive game, I, as your sweeper and co-captain, accepted the award for our play. Our 1960 record was 10-1. Chris Eggers, left half, came as my guest and Bill Quirk did the honors of introducing me. I only wish my best friend Lewis Wilson , who was fullback, was still with us. Long ago he wrote the best letter to the committee.

Over the years three other classmates of ours were also honored: David Savidge, in football; Khalid

Al Faisal, for setting the national scoring record in goals (38 in 13 games); and Tom Petrone in all four sports, yes, even as our soccer goalie that year.

As to real class notes, I’m hot on the trail of Igor Grosdorf, who has had an interesting life story as an individualist, just as Jack Churchill does by looking after the younger folk in Camden, ME, or Phil Townley does all year long by cruising the high seas like a man without a country. It warms my heart to see that you are still such ‘rebels without a cause.’”

65TH REUNION

70TH REUNION

above Former inductees of The Hun School’s Athletic Hall of Fame welcome the newest members at the 2023 ceremony during Homecoming and Family Weekend.

above left Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee, Jim Pietrinferno Firestone ’61 right During their recent travels to Morocco, Iris and Sandy Bing H’14, along with Susan and Jim Byer ’62, former head of school, met with Antonieta and Leo Lopez ’63 in Madrid.

1964

60

John Taylor writes, “Our family just welcomed our eleventh grandchild, Olive Elizabeth.”

Bill Acker writes, “Clare and I celebrated our 55th wedding anniversary in June! We now have five grandkids who are all lovely and of whom we can never see enough. We divide our time between Tunbridge Wells in England and Ponte de Lima in Portugal. Paul Rosenblum and I have very welcome Zoom chats. Hope all my ’64 classmates are well!”

Fred D’Agostino swims a mile a day, every day; is working on the governance documents for the National Learned Academy; and is bringing to completion, as editor, a 500,000-word, seventyfive author “companion” in the field of social and political philosophy. He urges classmates to read Ernie in Kovacsland for a trip down memory lane.

1969

1970

55

Bill Crawford writes, “After retiring in 2022, I became the Michigan area representative for Links Players. I am a contributing writer to our daily devotionals, which are geared for and subscribed by over 7,500 golfers. I’m also facilitating Links Fellowship groups at country clubs in Southwest Michigan. A recent study shows the biggest need for those of us over sixty-five is relationships and purpose, as well as the fact that we don’t drink enough water.”

1971

Kevin Scott Allen is continuing his long-running acting career in film and television, most recently working on a horror film. He sent classmates photos demonstrating how well he “got into the role.” The tamest one appears on page 39. Kevin has over ninety acting credits listed on IMDb Pro. He also teaches acting, coaches auditioning, and wrote a mystery novel earlier this year.

Roger Bing and his wife, Melissa, spent two months last spring traveling in Israel, Egypt, and Jordan. He writes that it was “truly biblical” and educational, but exhausting! In the States, he and Melissa split their time between homes in Atlanta and Florida and see their children often. Their daughter and her family (four grandkids) live in Chattanooga, TN. Their son recently moved to Brevard County, FL, where he is a first responder in the fire department.

Jonathan Frieman visited Andrew O’Connor at his home in South Princeton. Andrew was recovering from minor surgery. They had a “wonderful time,” according to Jonathan. He writes that Andrew is an “excellent songwriter,” and they’re working together to get his music out to the masses. Jonathan also ventured up to New York where he met with Steve Young (from “Bathtubs Over Broadway”) and agreed to serve as Steve’s “roadie” when he takes his show out to San Francisco (close to Jonathan’s base).

Mark Taylor reports that his daughter Erin is due with her first child (and his first grandchild) in January, and that his son Matt is getting married in February. He and his wife, Ilene, are getting their travel in after the big events with a trip to Morocco and Norway in March and another trip this fall to Budapest, Prague, and London. Mark has not retired yet, but after forty years in real estate, he writes that the time is coming soon.

Steve Weiss traveled with his daughters to Ireland and Norway in May and to England and Scotland in August. It was his first trip to Oxford, where his youngest daughter, Shannon, had just completed an M.A. degree. His middle daughter, Lindsey, was married in October. Earlier in the month, he ran in the Toronto Waterfront 5K, grateful for techniques learned at Hun from Mr. Cubanski fifty-four years ago. In January, he will retire after forty-four years of teaching business and negotiation at New York University and York University (Toronto).

Rick Ziegler retired last April after practicing orthopedic surgery for thirty-nine years (not counting the years of training). After being away from golf for thirty-five years, he has taken it up again. He and his wife, Beth, spend summers at their beach house on Long Beach Island, NJ and are spending a lot of time with their three grandchildren, Heath, 7; Adelyn, 5.5; and Reid, 5.

1973

Greg Rafalski writes, “When we’re in Pawleys Island, we always try to get together with Coach McQuade and Barb to catch up and have a great meal. Our most recent get-together was at the Boundary House in Calabash, NC.”

1974

Brent Bystrzycki and Greg Rafalski ’73 got together for a round of golf in memory of a friend lost way too early at Caledonia Golf and Fish Club in Pawleys Island.

above John Taylor’s ’64 eleventh grandchild, Olive Elizabeth. below Lincoln Yung ’64 and his family tee off at the Plantation Course in Maui, HI.

below Roger Bing ’71 on his travels.

above Brent Bystrzycki ’74 and Greg Rafalski ’73 at Caledonia Fish and Golf Club in Pawleys Island, SC. above right Scott Killary ’73, Paul Creamer ’73, and Mike Seward ’73 sharing stories of the “glory days.” right Carl Christiansen ’74 and his classic car. below Steve Weiss ’71 running a marathon in Toronto.

above Kevin Scott Allen ’71 continues his acting career. below Former Assistant Head of School Bill McQuade and his wife, Barb, having a meal together with Greg Rafalski ’73 and his wife, Faith, at the Boundary House in Calabash, NC.

above left Will Christiansen ’07, Mike Christiansen ’09, and their father, Carl Christiansen ’74, with Will’s new son, Liam. above Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Donnie Mitchell ’88. below left Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Sharon Papp ’82 and her family. below Pam Papier Gelbert ’79 in her new home state of Florida.

Carl Christiansen writes, “I have really been enjoying traveling during retirement and have taken a number of trips in 2023. To escape the winter, we started the year with a trip to the Gulf Coast and Amelia Island. In the spring, we did a cross-country drive to Portland, OR, to visit our son, Will Christiansen ’07; his wife, Sierra; and our new grandson, Liam. Later, we did another road trip to Wichita, KS, for a wedding (and to add a number of states to our growing list — I only have four more to get to fifty!). During the July 4th holiday, we returned to Portland along with our other son, Mike Christiansen ’09, so he could meet his new nephew. After our annual stay on Long Beach Island, this fall, we visited the Outer Banks; took a Mississippi River cruise; and spent a week in San Diego, CA. Another trip to Portland and a Mediterranean cruise are scheduled to close out the year. I’m looking forward to seeing other Class of 1974 members at our fiftieth reunion in April 2024 and hope everyone will make an effort to attend! In case anyone is wondering, I still have the same 1940 Ford I drove to school senior year and am still running (more like jogging) a threemile course about five times a week.”

1979

Pam Papier Gelbert closed her law practice. Her husband, Mark, retired, and they sold their New Jersey home. They moved to Boca Raton, FL, with their poodle Styx and took up golf.

1982

Congratulations to our Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee – Sharon Papp ’82

1984 1988

40TH REUNION

Congratulations to our Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee – Donnie Mitchell ’88

1989

35TH REUNION

Jen Phillips Raics writes, “I hope this finds you all well and planning to find your way back to Hun to celebrate our thirty-fifth! Some fun updates from here … Jen Hinkle Hadland and I had some Marco Island fun for our birthdays last winter and attended a great Florida Hun event. We took in a girls lacrosse game with Patrick Murphy, and his mom shared a bunch of great baseball memories! Let’s get you guys back here. A long overdue catch-up dinner with Alison Hyman Ertel Chris Kamnintis and I shared some football time at Homecoming this fall, and last May, along with many longtime familiar faces, we wished former Head of School Jon Brougham a happy retirement.”

1991

Congratulations to Susan Hendricks on the publication of her new book, Down The Hill: My Descent into the Double Murder in Delphi. She writes, “I have been covering the Delphi double murders for CNN/HLN since it broke in 2017. In 2019, I traveled to Delphi to interview the families and law enforcement. Through the years, getting to know the families made me realize stories are not often told

from their perspective. Instead, the crime headline usually focuses on the accused or convicted.”

1992

Congratulations to our Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee – Orin Wilf ’92

45TH REUNION

left Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Orin Wilf ’92. above left Jen Pontani Stone ’93’s sons are now in ninth and seventh grade. above right Rashawn Glenn ’92 and Orin Wilf ’92 share a moment at the Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony.

above Congratulations to Susan Hendricks ’91 on the publication of her new book, Down The Hill: My Descent into the Double Murder in Delphi.

1993

Math teacher and dorm parent Jen Pontani Stone writes: “Hello Class of ’93! We are well into the new academic year, and I continue to LOVE teaching at Hun! My oldest son is now in ninth grade and enjoys being a part of the Janus Players. My youngest son, Ryan, is a current seventh grader and enjoys playing soccer, basketball, and baseball in the Middle School!”

1994 1997

Kelly Camamis Polgar and husband, Richard Polgar, married on July 8, 2023, in Cooperstown, NY. Kelly and Richard were joined by Richard’s son Richie and Kelly’s three children, Maddie ’26, Sawyer ’27, and Charlie Klein ’30.

1999

Priscilla Connors and Paul Segars exchanged vows in a wedding ceremony at The Gables in Beach Haven on May 20, 2023. The couple, who have been friends for twenty-five years, opted for a whimsical celebration at the Jersey shore, with an Alice in Wonderland-themed event. The couple celebrated their love while enjoying live music from a band. Priscilla writes, “It was a Victorian inn, which caught our eyes from the moment we stepped into the lobby. We were transported into another world. There was a baby grand piano, as well as elegant decor and a romantic ambiance, which kept bringing us back to The Gables over and over again.”

2002

Director of Auxilary Programs and varsity boys’ soccer coach Pat Quirk with his wife, Lauren, and daughters Ava, 5; and Ella, 3 had a great time attending Homecoming and Family Weekend and hanging out with Raider. The girls loved the carnival games and bounce houses!

2004

Congratulations to our Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee – Tom Monfiletto ’04, associate director of marketing and communications and varsity baseball coach.

Joe Pietras wrote, “Beneath the stunning backdrop of Steamboat Springs, CO, the love of my life, Kaleigh, and I tied the knot in June.”

Lucas Rudnick had the honor of officiating the wedding. Joe and Luke’s friendship thrived after Joe moved to Colorado in 2014, and Luke introduced the couple during his annual Master’s party, where the two hit it off immediately.

Lauren Williams Farris and husband, John, welcomed Jack William Farris to the world in September.

2005

Ben Donati opened a veterinary specialty and emergency hospital in Silver Spring, MD. After graduating from the University of Pennsylvania, Ben worked as an emergency veterinarian and is now the managing partner at Apex Vets, which he founded with board-certified specialists in surgery, neurology, and anesthesia. All four-legged Raiders are welcome! For information on the hospital, please visit www.apex.vet

30TH REUNION

25TH REUNION

20TH REUNION

above Priscilla Connors ’99 married Paul Segars in May of 2023. right Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee and associate director of marketing and communications, Tom Monfiletto ’04.

above Kelly Camamis Polgar ’97 and her husband, Richard Polgar, married in July 2023.

above Director of auxilary programs and varsity boys’ soccer coach Patrick Quirk ’02 with his wife, Lauren, and daughters, Ava, 5; and Ella, 3, at Homecoming. right Lucy DiPastina ’06 and husband welcomed their first daughter, Catherine, in March of 2023.

left Ben Donati ’05 at the grand opening of his veterinary specialty and emergency hospital. below left Co-Athletic Directors Tracy Arndt and Sean Costello, Brian Scanlon ’06, Tom Monfiletto ’04, and Head of School Bart Bronk at the Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame ceremony. below Lucas Rudnick ’04 officiated the wedding of Joe Pietras ’04 and his wife, Kaleigh, in June of 2023.

above Sarah Appelt Donati ’08 married Ben Donati ’05 this fall. Their wedding was attended by Hun family, friends, and faculty. below left Carrick Porter ’11 and his girlfriend, Yurim. below center Sarah Dileo Craig ’07 is back on campus as a director of alumni engagement. below right Julianne Marino Daly ’07 and her family enjoy the alumni tailgate during Homecoming and Family Weekend.

2007

Sarah Dileo Craig returned to Hun as the director of alumni engagement. She is enjoying being back on campus and reconnecting with alum, faculty, staff, and other members of The Hun School community. She is most excited to experience Hun with her family, especially her daughter, Annie, age 3.

2008

Congratulations to our Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame Inductee – Emily Gratch Readinger ’08

Sean Corwen recently attended his cousin’s (Mark Burke ’12) wedding in November and enjoyed reconnecting with fellow Hun alums. In addition to serving as a member of the finance committee, Sean recently joined the Alumni Board and is looking forward to staying involved with the School.

2009

2010

Ali Weinroth Bell wrote, “In August, I was appointed to serve in the Biden Administration as the deputy communications director for the White House Office of Management and Budget.” Additionally, she and her husband, Scott, celebrated their oneyear anniversary in October.

2011

Tyler Veth celebrated a new decade at his shore house in Normandy Beach, NJ with fellow Hun alums representing the classes of 2010 (Andrew Crawford), 2011 (Dominik Engshuber, Sam Dauer and Jason Elefant), and 2013 (Maddie Schade).

Carrick Porter wrote, “I continue to serve in the United States Army, Field Artillery as a captain in South Korea as the aide-de-camp to Major General William “Hank” Taylor. This job entails a wide range of activities which exposes me to the diplomacy of inter-governmental relations and to the mundane aspects of managing the 2nd Division's presence in South Korea. I work sideby-side with our Korean counterparts, which gives me a greater understanding of the joint needs in support of their democracy — and by extension, ours. I hope to take command of my own battery in the spring, which should keep me in the country for another year after that. I am part of an expat hockey league with my girlfriend, Yurim,

15TH REUNION

above left Christine Heilman Molini ’08 and her husband, Hector, welcomed their first child, Eleanor “Nellie” Molini, on May 6, 2023. above Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame inductee Emily Gratch Readinger ’08, with her family. left Shane Davis ’07 and former Co-Director of Athletics Bill Quirk H’14 at the Fall 2023 Athletic Hall of Fame Ceremony. below Dominik Engshuber ’11, Andrew Crawford ’10, Tyler Veth ’11, Maddie Schade ’13, Sam Dauer ’11, and Jason Elefant ’11 got together.

to keep up my skills for a Hun alum game one day and am improving my Korean language skills. I am located in the greater Seoul area and will be happy to meet up and tour with any visitors as I did with classmate Tyler Veth this past year.”

2012

Jamie Weiner is thrilled to have recently completed her PA-C (Physician Assistant - Certified), which came after successful completion of a PA program, and a passing score for the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination (PANCE) from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA).

2013

Connor Cahill writes, “the weekend of October 21st saw the convergence of Hun students, coaches, and alums in Boston for the 58th Head of the Charles Regatta. I was in attendance for this year’s event as a competitor and photographer. On Saturday, I had the pleasure of competing in the men’s alum eights event with Hun’s current head girls’ rowing coach, Parker Nelson. Parker and I were roommates and rowing teammates at Bates College. I also had the opportunity to reconnect with Jason Elefant ’11, now Princeton’s men’s heavyweight assistant coach, and discuss his recent rowing experiences. The highlight of Sunday was cheering on the Hun men’s youth four. Spending time with former Hun rowers and current faculty reminded me of the tremendous passion my former Hun coaches had for the sport of rowing. I am deeply appreciative of the dedication Geoff Evans, Scott Sussman ’03, and William Golden had to the program and the tremendous positive influence they had on the team and wider student body.”

Grade Level Dean and Dorm Parent Olivia Albanese and Ian Gordon were married in the Church of the Immaculate Conception in Kingscourt, Ireland, on June 27, 2023. They were surrounded by friends and family, including several Hun alums, who made the trip to the Emerald Isle to celebrate their big day.

2014

2016

Gabrielle Cifelli and Briana Cifelli ’14 recently traveled across Europe. Gabrielle writes: “I started week one of the trip in Milan, Lake Como, and Venice before meeting Briana, where we spent the second week traveling between London and

Paris.” Gabby currently works on Wall Street and is required to take two uninterrupted weeks off each year. She continued, “I really enjoyed experiencing new cultures through museums and local cuisines, but my favorite part of the trip was reconnecting with a friend from college who is from Europe. It was truly an amazing trip, but I’m glad to be back in New York City in time for the holidays.” 2019

2020

After graduating from Brown, where she was a four-year member of the crew team, Catherine Porter began graduate school at UVA for Environmental Science, where she studied invasive species migration, and rowed in the varsity boat. She graduated in 2023 and is working on publishing her findings and working on policy and research. She capped off her rowing career this summer competing at Henley in a single and happily made it through to the

below Grade Level Dean and Dorm Parent Olivia Albanese ’13 and Ian Gordon married in Ireland in June 2023.

10TH REUNION

5TH REUNION

above Gabrielle Cifelli ’16 recently spent time traveling in Europe with her sister, Briana Cifelli ’14. above right Connor Cahill ’13 with his former college roommate and rowing teammate and current Hun head girls’ rowing coach, Parker Nelson. right Conor Cahill ’13 and Jason Elefant ’11 connect at the 58th Head of the Charles Regatta. below Briana Cifelli ’14 recently spent time traveling in Europe with her sister, Gabrielle Cifelli ’16.

above Jack Kearns ’21 and Pepper Kolman ’18 shoot over a wave as they anchor the Surf City Beach Patrol’s surf boat relay on their way to a third place finish. below Catherine Porter ’20 is coaching at Princeton National Rowing Association while finishing graduate school.

MEMORIES OF POE

left Neela Murti ’22, Esha Mogali ’22, and Sofia Valencia ’22 met up in Scotland.

quarter finals. She is currently helping out at Princeton National Rowing Association, coaching with their Outreach Program for students from Trenton-area schools while she finishes her article and seeks employment.

2021

Jack Kearns and Pepper Kolman ’18 anchored the Surf City Beach Patrol’s surf boat relay and celebrated coming in third place. They helped contribute in numerous events to bring Surf City to second place overall at the 2023 Long Beach Island Lifeguard Championship.

2022

Neela Murti, Esha Mogali, and Sofia Valencia met up in Scotland at the University of St Andrews. If any Hun alums are ever in the area, Neela encourages them to reach out!

What do you remember most about Poe Dormitory?

Do you recall bonding over a movie, the laughter and friendship, cramming for midterms, or playing soccer in the halls? Maybe a dorm parent invited you into their home to bake cookies or cook dinner? Perhaps you even remember what it was like watching Poe’s construction and being one of the first to move into the new dorm after construction.

Whatever your fondest memories of Poe are, we want to hear about them!

In Memory of ...

Jack Kroese ’ 44

Edward Burr ’ 49

Scott Calder ’ 50

John Flickinger ’ 54

William Rocknak ’ 54

Leon Tucker ’ 57

Harvey Jacob ’ 63

George Johnson ’ 63

Stuart Jones ’6 5

James MacLeod ’66 FORMER FACULTY MEMBER

Jon Tobish ’ 71

Paul Pintella ’83

George Heery ’8 7

Paul Greco ’88

Michael Gavin ’ 22

Stuart M. Woody Sr. FORMER FACULTY MEMBER

Ed Arditte

FATHER OF STEPHANIE ARDITTE ’07 AND MIKE ARDITTE ’10

Giovanna Crosson

MOTHER OF ISAIA CROSSON, HUN FACULTY

Johanna Garrison

DAUGHTER OF PATRICIA GARRISON, DIRECTOR OF THE JOHN GALE HUN CIVICS PROGRAM, AND SISTER OF STEVENSON GARRISON ’05, ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF ADMISSION

Mark Kolman

FORMER FACULTY MEMBER

FATHER OF P.J. KOLMAN ’11 AND PEPPER KOLMAN ’18

Cristeta Laurente, MD

MOTHER OF ROMER LAURENTE ’87 AND CLARISSA LAURENTE ’90

IN MEMORIAM

Michael Gavin ’22

There was the time he became an Eagle Scout at age twelve – the youngest ever in his troop – with sixty-seven merit badges, despite needing less than half that number to qualify.

And then there was the time he showed up at his new friend’s house almost two hours late because he initially went to a similar address in another state entirely. Undeterred by the error, he rerouted and made the second trip, wanting his friend to see how much he valued their relationship.

There was the time he tried to donate his kidney to a neighbor – during his own cancer battle, no less – and was upset when his doctor told him it wasn’t possible.

And there was the time he attended class just a week before his death.

Michael Gavin ’22 passed away on October 14th after a fierce sixteen-month battle with brain cancer. It was a battle, his friends and family say, that he faced with the same determined spirit, quiet confidence, and signature smile that he was known for.

“He was important to so many people, and he was many things to many different people,” his mother Wendy Holden Gavin says. “For such a quiet guy, he made a big difference in a lot of peoples’ lives.”

His selflessness wasn’t limited to just his days spent earthside: Michael made the choice to

donate his tumors, brain stem, and spinal cord to researchers studying glioblastoma; he donated his eyes to restore a patient’s eyesight; and he donated his skin to a burn victim.

“He always put others first,” his father and namesake, Michael Gavin, says. Mr. Gavin recalled a time the two of them returned home to find a flier on their door, explaining a young girl in their neighborhood needed a kidney donor. The younger Mr. Gavin started calling the phone number before his dad stopped him and suggested they first speak with his oncology team, who decided the procedure wouldn’t be a good option. “What you would expect of him is to help a teammate, but teammates weren’t just limited to the field; he

had teammates from all walks of life.”

Recently, Mr. Gavin’s teammates included the University of Pennsylvania community, where he maintained a 3.95 GPA and was a member of the football program. The only time he missed class was when he was receiving treatment.

“Being a student is a privilege, and Michael really felt that way,” Dr. Jane Dmochowski says. She taught an Oceanography class that Mr. Gavin took in the Spring 2023 semester. She said he was prepared for every class discussion, and completed all necessary reading and homework assignments without fail. “I called on him every time he raised his hand, and he never had a wrong answer.”

Mr. Gavin learned of his Stage 4 Glioblastoma diagnosis the weekend after graduating from The Hun School in 2022. Facing a terminal diagnosis, he decided to major in religious studies, with Dr. Justin McDaniel as his advisor. Over the course of his three semesters at Penn, Mr. Gavin took six of Dr. McDaniel’s classes.

Dr. McDaniel remembers Mr. Gavin as one of the most dedicated students he ever taught. In fact, Mr. Gavin virtually attended a lecture in Dr. McDaniel’s Buddhism class the week before he died.

“Michael’s dad used to say that ‘he gets his lunchbox and goes to work,’ and that was true,” Dr. McDaniel says. “We can reflect on death all day long, and existentialism, but it’s the business of living we have to get to.”

Dr. McDaniel remembers a particular class outing to the Barnes Foundation where Mr. Gavin, who was having mobility issues due to his illness, needed extra time for the tour. The two men sat looking at Picasso’s “The Hermit,” and Dr. McDaniel asked Mr. Gavin his thoughts about the nobility of death.

“He said, ‘No, death isn’t noble. Fighting for life is noble,’” Dr. McDaniel remembers. “He was the one teaching about living to everybody.”

“HE WAS IMPORTANT TO SO MANY PEOPLE, AND HE WAS MANY THINGS TO MANY DIFFERENT PEOPLE.”

Mr. Gavin’s love of life and learning is nothing new, his former Scoutmaster PJ Redmond says. He first met Michael when he was in elementary school, and describes him as an active, curious, and confident leader, and always with a crazy hairstyle.

In addition to being the youngest to earn the Eagle Scout rank in his troop, Michael earned more than double the number of merit badges required. Each badge involves spending five to ten hours with a merit badge counselor in areas such as aviation, plumbing, camping, architecture, etc. There is also a community service aspect and required proficiencies in camping and swimming.

Mr. Gavin was just naturally curious about things and would explore his interests. He enjoyed woodworking, and built a table with a

checkerboard top for his mom. He loved being outside, especially hunting and fishing with his grandfather.

“The attainment and achievement and all the merit badges, that’s one thing. But what you want is to instill in kids the comfort and confidence to face challenges,” Mr. Redmond says of his role as scoutmaster. “Kids like Mike go far because they show the others that it’s cool to do what you’re comfortable with, and you don’t have to worry so much about conforming, that you can become your own person.”

Mr. Gavin remained his own person throughout his life. Christina Volpe met Mr. Gavin during his first semester at Penn, in a class called Living Deliberately. She recalls Mr. Gavin as being a kind and steady force, always intently listening to others and actively welcoming others into his orbit.

“He was just so passionate about learning and community in general,” Ms. Volpe says. “He just had such an accepting and welcoming vibe, and I’m so grateful I got to know him.”

That sentiment is shared by his Hun community as well.

“Michael had an uncanny ability to connect with people on a deep and meaningful level. His humility, his genuine interest in others, and his willingness to help anyone in need made him a beloved friend and a true role model. He made this world a better place simply by being in it,” Hun’s Varsity Football Coach Todd Smith said in a tribute.

Mr. Gavin’s family knows the impact he had on those he encountered, and feel lucky to have had the time with him that they did. But they also know his legacy will live on.

“This world was better for having him in it,” his sister Annabel Gavin says. “His loss will continue to be felt, but his memory will be cherished and inspire those who had the privilege to know him and those who are lucky enough to hear his story.”

Parents’ Association

The Parents’ Association at The Hun School helps to create meaningful connections between Hun families while supporting the School through events, communications, service, and fundraising.

We hope to see you at our events throughout the year!

If you are interested in volunteering, want to learn more about the PA and their initiatives, or simply to connect with other Hun families, please contact:

Jeannette Maddalon, assistant director of parent engagement and events, at jeannettemaddalon@hunschool.org or scan the QR code.

Planned gifts come in all shapes and sizes, and they are an easy way for you to leave a lasting legacy at Hun.

Lifelong friendships and connections were made here. It’s a place that continues to provide excellent education and experiences for my children and their peers. I chose to participate in the John Gale Hun Society because Hun has been a special place for my family and for so many others. My hope is that Hun continues to provide wonderful opportunities for many years to come.”

— Jen PhilliPs Raics ’89

To learn more about making a planned gift that is right for you, please contact Alexis Brock, chief advancement officer. alexisbrock@hunschool.org | (609) 921-7600, extension 2246

Katherine Y. ’24, member of The Hun School Dance Company

176 Edgerstoune Road Princeton, NJ 08540

176 Edgerstoune Road | Princeton, NJ 08540

DATED MATERIAL

Styles change but some traditions remain.

The Hun School’s twelfth grade class has been photographed on the steps of the Mall for as long as anyone can remember. Below, Hun’s Class of 2024. Do you still have your class photo?