Hackley alumni are doing all kinds of interesting things. Zack Couzens '21 was recently featured in The Examiner News. He is a Boston College student, majoring in political science, who is running for the New York State Assembly in the 94th Assembly District. Click here the link below to read his story. #HackleyAlumni
Markus Edegran ’11 is competing at the 2024 Olympics in early August! Markus is a Kitefoil racer and this event is making its Olympic debut. Markus started his diverse sailing career at 8 and is currently ranked #4 in the world! Follow @ussailingteam for USA sailing updates. The Men’s Kite events will take place on August 7 and 8, check your local listings for times. Go Markus, your Hackley family is rooting for you!
On Wednesday, April 24, Mr. Sykes’s Independent Study class, “Advanced Topics in Economics,” embarked on a field trip to New York City. Throughout the year, this class has learned about finance and the world of Wall Street, exploring such topics as the time value of money; discounted cash flows; investing basics; and the distinctions between hedge funds, investment banks and other fields within finance. Last week’s trip served as a culmination of their studies, providing the students with firsthand insight into the workings of our financial system.
This year, we celebrated the 15th anniversary of the Class Day Run, a tradition started in 2009, it was the brainchild of alumni Toby Zitsman ‘09. The run is an opportunity for faculty, staff, students, alumni, and parents to run together to campus the morning of Class Day. Since 2009, the 12-mile run has evolved from having two participants to over ninety running side by side. Pictured here are the 2024 Class Day runners.
In early June, Hackley welcomed college-age alumni back to campus to speak to the junior class about the college process and their experience attending college and taking gaps year. They provided invaluable insights and advice and it was fun to see them on the Hilltop, again.
On Friday, April 24 Hackley’s Independent Science Research Program had the honor of hosting Dr. David Berry ’96. Students were inspired by Dr. Berry’s many lessons from his time starting a business while completing his M.D./Ph.D., to finding a reproduceable method to create successful companies.
Hackley alum Christine Gall ’08, manager of the Farm and Food Program at St. Michael’s College in Vermont, Zoomed with the Food and Power class to share her journey from Hackley to her current job.
Philip Johnson ’23 was an American architect who designed modern and postmodern architecture. The New York Times described his designs as being "widely considered among the architectural masterpieces of the 20th century". Click here to read Parametric Architecture's recent article titled "Architectural Approach and 6 Iconic Works of Philip Johnson".
On June 6, Hackley celebrated the retirements of Bill McNaugton '79 and Mike Quinones. Bill is retiring after 34 years as the technical director in the Bridges and Zetkov Theaters and Mike has been at Hackley for 26 years as part of the Building & Grounds crew.
Doug Lasdon ’73, founder and executive director of the Urban Justice Center, a non-profit legal services and advocacy organization, hosts the podcast “Beyond the Box”. Doug’s latest episode, titled “What Does It Mean to be a Hero,” features him in conversation with United States Senator Cory Booker.” Click here to listen.
Avery Trufelman ’09 Zoomed with Mr. Loomis’ History of Media and Culture class this week to speak with the students about her podcast, “Articles of Interest,” and to answer their questions about podcasting in general.
On May 3, the Independent Science Research Program had the honor of hosting Dr. Trish Raciti DeCenzo ’02, who spoke with students via Zoom about one of her research projects that is utilizing Machine Learning in Computer Vision to identify cancerous cells quickly and accurately to aid a pathologist.
On Saturday, May 4, Hackley hosted a special tour of the Change Your Game exhibit with curator Meg Maher ’83 at the National Museum of American History for alumni in the D.C. area. Following the tour, they caught up with friends and former faculty over lunch at the Old Ebbit Grill. Our alumni also had an opportunity to meet our new Head of School Charles Franklin and hear news about the Hilltop.
Alums Dominique ’13 and Doug ’15 Alpuche spent a day back on the Hilltop on March 14 speaking with Mr. Sykes’ Economics classes and Ms. Tranchida’s PostAP Mobile App Design class, respectively, and meeting with Hackley “Lifers” to discuss the Hilltop Award and the Lifers’ Fund Endowment.
On Earth Day 2024, we welcomed back to the Hilltop Sarah Lucas ’01, a local farmer, forager, and educator, as our special guest. She led Lower School students around campus and taught them how to forage for wild edible plants responsibly.
For Women’s History Month in March, New York Times bestselling author Allison Pataki ’03 shared her favorite book picks, all written by female authors, on the “Today Show.” She also promoted her new historical novel, Finding Margaret Fuller. Allison was Hackley’s Commencement speaker in 2017.
Peter Loehr ’85, former CEO of Legendary East, a film company focusing on big budget Sino-US Co-productions with subjects based on Chinese history, mythology, or culture, was one of the producers of The Great Wall, recently ranked the 3rd most popular film on Netflix.
Mr. Sykes’ economics classes welcomed Erik Bostrom ’15 as a guest speaker on Friday, April 12. A former Hackley econ student himself, Erik pursued his bachelor’s degree in international studies and economics, followed by a master’s degree in international economics and strategic studies, both at Johns Hopkins University.
Award-winning director Andrew Jarecki ’81 recently appeared on “Good Morning America” to discuss his documentary series, “The Jinx − Part Two,” which has new episodes released weekly on Sundays on HBO and Max.
Hackley alum Jake Abraham ’21 got a shoutout recently from Haverford College for his "heroic performance in goal" during the men’s lacrosse team’s first victory over Franklin & Marshall since the 2013 season. Click here to read more about Jake’s impressive effort.
The Dial recently profiled Hackley alum Jason Campbell ’22, focusing on his journey from Pickert Field senior year to playing football for the University of Miami. Click here to read more in the piece by Features Editor Charlie Perlman ’25.
Congratulations to all our Spring Athletics teams, coaches and student-athletes on a fantastic season! The Hornets played their hearts out and throughout it all showed sportsmanship, collaboration and integrity. We couldn’t be prouder of all their efforts in both the regular season and championships!
On Friday, April 19, Hackley welcomed back Mardi Fuller ’97 as this month’s Szabo Lecturer. Mardi, a former student of Kathy Szabo, has dedicated her career to advancing racial equity through her work in writing, public speaking and community engagement.
Ben Aybar ’21 stopped by Glenn Hasslinger and Tessa Johnson’s America’s National Parks class on Nov. 21 to share his experience as an intern for the Pullman National Historical Park, located just outside Chicago, Illinois.
On Dec. 7, Paulathena Stone ’13 visited with Upper School biology students to share her path from the Hilltop to her career as a certified nurse midwife at St. Barnabas Hospital in the Bronx.
Peter Loehr ’85 delivered a Mitton Lecture and met with Chinese classes on Dec. 5 to share the impact that language learning has had on his life and his career as an award-winning filmmaker.
This week, Hackley reached a key milestone in the construction of the Center for the Creative Arts and Technology as the last steel beam was placed on the building, completing the structural phase of the project. Members of the Hackley Community came together on Thursday, Feb. 1, to celebrate this milestone with a topping out ceremony.
Joe recently joined the Advancement Office as the Hackley Fund Manager. He is responsible for implementing and executing strategies to raise Hackley Fund gifts, which support the School’s operating budget. Working closely with members of the Advancement Team, Joe will assist with volunteer management, direct mail, email marketing and solicitations, social media and all forms of interaction with Hackley donors. He will continue as the head coach for the football program.