The Independent Science Research Program had the pleasure of welcoming back its first ISRP graduate, Vinay Bijoor ’18, on Thursday, Nov. 21. During his visit, Vinay described the various research projects he has been a part of since leaving the Hilltop, including analyzing soil samples from the ocean floor to understand climate change, simulating RNA folding, and utilizing medical imaging to predict patient outcomes.
A collaboration by Hackley School Department Chairs Bettie-Ann Candelora (Performing Arts), Greg Cice (Visual Arts) and Melissa Tranchida (Computer Science)
In this month’s blog post on Hackley Perspectives, Department Chairs Bettie-Ann Candelora (Performing Arts), Greg Cice (Visual Arts) and Melissa Tranchida (Computer Science) reflect on how “with the opening of the new Center for the Creative Arts and Technology, Hackley has now truly elevated the arts and computer science on our campus.” Read the post here.
Excitement filled the air on the Hilltop as Hackley students and employees gathered for a ribbon cutting ceremony marking the official opening of the Center for the Creative Arts and Technology!
In this month’s blog post on Hackley Perspectives, Director of the Upper School Andy King reflects on the traditions — both “old” and “new” — that have shaped our history and elevate our sense of community. “The people participating in these traditions will change. The venues where these rites occur may also change as the campus evolves. What does not change is how these traditions celebrate and elevate Hackley’s core values and culture and bring joy and connection to our community.” Read the post here.
When Hackley visual arts and ceramics teacher Sarah Coble learned that Mamaroneck, New York — a place she has lived for 32 years, the town where she raised her son — had a history of enslavement, she was shocked. “We always just assumed we were Underground Railroad territory — most people did,” Ms. Coble noted. “We’re all a little shocked by this news. … It’s a fascinating piece of our history, one that really takes some reckoning.”
In this month’s blog post on Hackley Perspectives, Head of School Charles Franklin discusses how putting away our smartphones can help us reconnect as a community. “What we want is for each and every student at Hackley to give their undivided attention to their education, their peers, their teachers and their school. We want them to form relationships with as many people as possible — people in different grades and people with different backgrounds. Being fully present, both with ourselves and for others, is perhaps our broadest generational challenge as a society.” Read the post here.
The first week of school is always an exciting time on the Hilltop! This week, we delighted in reconnecting with Hackley families and students, and on Thursday morning, Head of School Charles Franklin, Community Council President Rafael Castro '25 and Associate Head of School Dr. Cyndy Jean formally welcomed the Hackley Community to the academic year at Convocation 2024.
In March, science research students Katherine Chen ’24, Alicia Zhu ’25, Jimmy Mulosmani ’25 and Elan Suttiratana ’26 participated in the first-ever International Research Olympiad (IRO), dedicated to honing analytical and critical thinking skills for student researchers — essential in scientific exploration.
Congratulations to debate team captain Vivek Malik ’25 on winning the inaugural "Talk With Me: Debate to Deflect Hate" competition, which Hackley participated in this spring.
Five talented Hackley students recently competed in the prestigious MATE World Championships in Kingsport, Tennessee. This event, known as "Innovators of the Deep: The Ultimate Underwater Robotics Showdown," drew brilliant minds from across the globe to showcase their engineering prowess.
Congratulations to history teacher and Director of Debate Steve Fitzpatrick, the recipient of this year’s Anton and Lydia Rice Inspirational Teaching Award!
Two Independent Science Research Program students, Vivek Malik ’25 and Aniketh Arvind ’24, recently participated as finalists in the Regeneron International Science and Engineering Fair, joining 1,700 students from 70 countries at the largest pre-college science fair in the world.
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!
Hackley’s ROV teams showcased remarkable engineering skills and resilience at the recent Marine Advanced Technology and Engineering (MATE) regional competition hosted by Villanova University.
Hackley has had the honor recently of hosting several amazing speakers in our various lecture series for Upper School students — Mardi Fuller ’97 as our Szabo Lecturer and Akhil Reed Amar as our inaugural Libert Visiting Guest Lecturer.
In this month’s blog post on Hackley Perspectives, Upper School Counselor Katya Ostor discusses how to prioritize your mental health through reflection and setting goals for the future. “Mental health awareness looks different from one person to the next, and I encourage you to consider how it shows up for you, especially during one of the busiest times of the school year,” she shares. Read the post here.
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 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.
Senior Katherine Chen joined approximately 250 students from around the country to present her investigation on evading natural immunity to better deliver therapeutics for genetic diseases at the National Junior Science and Humanities Symposium. Her poster won 2nd place in the category of Biomedical Sciences.
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.
On Saturday, April 20, Hackley’s Upper School parliamentary debate team participated in the final tournament of the season, the HSPDP Championship, which took place at the Dwight School in Manhattan. Hackley’s six-team squad had a remarkably strong showing, winning the top school award, team award and speaker award.
A team of Hackley’s dedicated ROV students showcased their resilience and engineering prowess at the recent NY/NJ Regional SeaPerch competition. Facing numerous obstacles, including multiple rewirings of the control box and last-minute thruster replacements, the team demonstrated exceptional teamwork and tenacity.
Kristen Adams and Elizabeth Richmond in kindergarten, Nicole DeNino and Rachel Mwakitawa in first grade, and Literacy Curriculum Coordinator and Specialist Shannon MacDonald recently received the Microcredential in Science of Reading Fundamentals (SoRF MC) from SUNY New Paltz.
During spring break, 10 of our Independent Science Research Program students presented their research at the Westchester Science and Engineering Fair (WESEF) and the NY State Science and Engineering Fair (NYSSEF). The fairs represent the culmination of students’ dedication and hard work over the past two to three years.
By Damon Hall, Assistant Director of the Middle School
In this month’s blog post on Hackley Perspectives, Assistant Director of the Middle School Damon Hall reflects on the role of imaginative thinking in education. “I believe that creative, imaginary, big-picture thinking should supplement traditional skills and that they should work together as an ‘and’ rather than an ‘instead,’” he shares. Read the post here.
As a part of their service-learning component, Dr. Sosa’s AP Spanish Language and Culture students have been studying poverty and its effects on education both globally and locally.
Congratulations to all our Winter 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 Tuesday Dr. Alex McLawhorn P ’33, ’35 visited with Independent Science Research Program students to discuss the experiences that led him to his current position as the director of research and innovation at the Hospital for Special Surgery.
In this month’s blog post on Hackley Perspectives, Associate Head of School Cyndy Jean, Ed.D. reflects on Hackley’s core value, Character is higher than intellect. “It is our job to help Hackley students in our care maintain a balance of character and intellect in order to reason through the questions before them,” Dr. Jean writes. “Character and intellect must go hand-in-hand if we desire to bring forward a generation of deep critical thinkers and inspiring leaders.” Read the post here.
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.
By Wil Lobko, Upper School English and creative writing teacher and Director of Global Education
In this very special edition of Hackley Perspectives, Upper School English and creative writing teacher and Director of Global Education Wil Lobko shares an original poem, January 1st, with the Hackley Community to kick off 2024. Read the post here.