Faculty News Archive

In a recent Chapel Talk, US Science teacher Bill McLay exhorted seniors to be sure they don't miss out on all "today" has to offer because they are too focused on "tomorrow." Read it here on Hackley Perspectives.

In recognition of the 70th anniversary of the United Nation's adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, members of the Hackley community came together to share this video, a multilingual celebration of its message.

MS Science teacher Dan Lipin offered this Chapel Talk to Hackley seniors earlier this fall, exploring the value of taking responsibilities for one's actions.

Hackley Art teacher Thomas Chin has just designed a new DVD for KASP Records which features Australian born pianist, Bruce Hungerford.

Members of the Hackley Modern Languages department devoted November 7 to Professional Development in Service-Learning to support efforts to expand the ways they integrate Service-Learning into their students' educational experience.

Dr. Richard Robinson, English Department Chair, offers this reflection on the thoughtful selection of literary texts for English class.

At the opening Upper School assembly in September, ten faculty members expored what each of the aspirations of the Portrait of a Graduate meant to them. Watch the videos capturing their thoughts here.

This is one of our favorite Hackley videos, and we're bringing it back just in time for Halloween: Mrs. Siviglia's dramatic reading of Poe's "The Tell-Tale Heart"!

Hackley Performing Arts has a new podcast titled "Sound and Stage,” hosted by Dr. Lauren Rigby.

In this new podcast, Dr. Adrianne Pierce takes a walk through the woods with the faculty team that used a Hackley "iGrant" (a new program that funds creative initiatives from the facutly) team who worked with students to tag our trees and create audio clips with students about the plants and animals in our woods.

Ms. Kelley’s 8th grade Geometry class spent a few days in the makerspace this week creating 3D models that brought to life their work in class studying intersecting planes.

Upper School Director Andy King shares this distillation of his colleague's wisdom, offered to Upper School students at a recent assembly.

Michael Wirtz offers these thoughts in Hackley Perspectives as he reflects on our year end celebrations and the meaning of the awards Hackley bestows.

Another Hackley tradition we love: the Class Day Run.  This year, 91 students, parents, faculty, staff, and alumni celebrated the 10th Annual Class Day run.  Read on.

The Kindergarten-Fourth Grade Buddy Program is one of our Hackley favorite traditions, connecting students across the K-12 continuum. Read on.

"Learning from varying perspectives and backgrounds" -- that's the heart of Hackley's mission.  And members of the Hackley community feed that mission by sharing their perspectives often and well on our blog, Hackley Perspectives.  We're pleased to offer you:

• Reflections on Global Education, by Dr. Adrianne Pierce
• Winning and Losing, by Jason Edwards
• Teacher as Artist; Artist as Teacher, by Mark Green
• The College Process: A Choice of Mindset, by Peter Latson
• Getting it “Right”: Respect and Understanding across Cultural Difference, by Roy Sheldon

Dr. Adrianne Pierce, who completes her service as Allstrom Chair in Foreign Affairs this June, is our latest contributor to Hackley Perspectives. Enjoy her reflections on the power of Hackley's tradition of global education.

MS Science teacher Dan Lipin has been accepted into the Regeneron STEM Teaching Fellowship, a collaboration between the STEM Leadership Center, Regeneron Pharmaceuticals, Teachers College of Columbia University and NASA Endeavor through U.S. Satellite Laboratory. Read on.

In Hackley Perspectives, Head of School Michael Wirtz reflects on the messages of purpose, collaboration, and teamwork he took away from his family's recent visit to Disney World, and their inherent lessons about strategic planning.

Head of School Michael Wirtz hosted a reception at Gage House celebrating the four teachers recently named to endowed chairs and the donors who endowed each of our school’s ten chairs. Read on.

We're grateful to art teacher Mark Green for this thoughtful reflection on the value of being both a teacher and a working artist.

For Hackley Boys Varsity Lacrosse Coach Chris Arnold, every win or loss his teams achieves is part of the fabric of something larger: a commitment of players working together to bring unreserved effort to their game.  Ask Coach Arnold where he stands in career wins and losses, he couldn't tell you. He didn't keep track. Read on.

On Saturday, March 3rd, 26 students from across Hackley’s MS and US, as well as four students from outside Hackley, participated in a historical simulation based on the Battle of Borodino, which took place on September 7th, 1812. The game, played on an 18x5 foot board filled with over 3,000 hand painted figures, was a raucous, fun filled event that left participants ready for another round. Read on....

On Tuesday, February 27, Lower School teacher Sue Harmon will takeover Hackley's Instagram account for the day to showcase all the good stuff happening in her Third Grade classroom!  Be sure to check in at instagram.com/hackley_school.

On Thursday, February 22, French teacher Kat Taylor took over Hackley Instagram for the day, walking us through a day in the life of French classes, Lower School Extended Day, and life on the Boarding Corridor.  Check it out here if you missed it!

Our latest contributor to Hackley Perspectives, Cyndy Jean, writes about the transformative power of learning through working together.  Enjoy!

Hackley's Director of Informational Technology, Jed Dioguardi, muses in Hackley Perspectives on the benefits and challenges presented by LEGO kits -- which become a powerful metaphor for the way we think about teaching and learning.

Hackley Upper School Math teachers traveled to Durham, North Carolina for the recent Teaching Contemporary Mathematics conference at the North Carolina School of Science and Math. The conference explored a wide range of topics using math to engage with subjects as varied as science and social activism. Read on for details.

Hackley Director of Information Technology Jed Dioguardi has been selected to serve as a presenter at the Association of Technology Leaders in Independent Schools (ATLIS) conference in Washington, DC in April 2018.  His topic, "A Design Approach to Problem Solving in Project-based Learning," delves into how the lessons from the disciplines of computer science and design thinking can be applied to education, particularly in project-based learning.

On Friday, January 19, 16 Hackley teachers from across the divisions joined Trevor Shaw of Genesis Learning for hands-on Professional Development in our pilot makerspace, which will be opening soon.

Hackley Review Winter 2017-18: By Vladimir Klimenko P ‘12 -- There is little doubt that the political climate in recent months has stoked political passions among the country’s adult citizens. For our community on the Hilltop, however, the more relevant question is what impact this has on our own educational environment. Has the politically-charged climate in the country as a whole affected the culture of Hackley’s Upper School? To what degree has it altered the fundamental nature of discussion, both within and outside of the classroom? As so much of America seems drawn to opposing sides, does one still “Enter Here to be and Find a Friend”?

In the Winter 2018 edition of Hackley Review, Spanish teacher Emily DeMarchena Washington '94 shared the transformational power of service learning, and the benefits this program has brought both to communities beyond Hackley and to Hackley students.  Check out her story below, as well as this podcast of a conversation on the topic between Dr. Adrianne Pierce and Ms. Washington.