News Archive

In this month's Hackley Perspectives, Jason Edwards, Director of Athletics, explores the profound impact of Hackley’s faculty-coach model, and the deep connections formed on the fields and courts. Read more.

This week's highlights feature three Athletes of the Week, a Team Report on the Field Hockey team, and an announcement about the upcoming Ivy Prep League Girls’ Tennis Championships in which the Hackley Girls’ Varsity Tennis team has received the number one seed!

This week's highlights feature six Athletes of the Week and a Team Report on the Girls’ Varsity Tennis team's spectacular fall.

The Hackley Athletics fall season is well underway. The varsity teams are on a roll! The Girls’ Tennis team is undefeated and has not lost a match in five outings. Two new Athletes of the Week are introduced.

The Upper School Debate Teams have competed in their first three tournaments of the season. At the Yale University Invitational Tournament, one Hackley team came in 15th out of 93 entries.

The Independent Research Program kicked off our 2021-2022 guest lecture series with Vinay Bijoor ’18. This was a very special visit since Vinay was also the very first IRP graduate!

The Athletics Department is pleased to launch a new weekly series featuring Athletes of the Week, team reports, and other Hornet updates.

In September’s blog post, Michael C. Wirtz, Head of School, shares his remarks from the September 9, 2021 Convocation presentation to K-12 students. “As I have done for the last five years, I centered my Convocation talk on a picture book, and this year I was drawn to The Magical Yet, written by Angela DiTerlizzi and illustrated by Lorena Alvarez.”

This spring, Lower School students embarked on a school-wide art project creating an outdoor 50ft-wide mural.

On July 1, 2021, Hackley welcomed Robert Aldrich and Shazia Durrani to the leadership team, and welcomed M. Cyndy Jean, former Director of the Middle School, to her new role as the Assistant Head of School for Community and Inclusivity.

Head of School Michael Wirtz’s remarks from the May 5, 2021 Chapel Talk to the Class of 2021 are now available on Hackley Perspectives. “This summer, my wife and I will celebrate our 17th anniversary.  Over those nearly 17 years, Hilary and I have been fortunate to take some memorable trips and vacations.  But it is hard to imagine two people who approach traveling so differently.”

Hackley musicians from all three divisions had a terrific showing at the Spring 2021 NYSSMA Solo Festival.

By Adrianne Pierce, Classics Department Chair, MS DEI Coordinator

Let’s hear it for technology! Okay, I’m sure that’s not how you expected an article about the achievements of Classics students to begin, but bear with us. 

The Athletics department celebrates the Class of 2021 through a Seniors of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating athletes.

By Oren Tirschwell ’20, from Hackley Class Notes 2021

I never wanted to take a gap year.

This June, Hackley School will welcome an apiary to campus! The apiary will become home to our very own honeybee hive, creating exciting and innovative learning opportunities in science and environmental studies for our K-12 students.

The Athletics department celebrates the Class of 2021 through a Seniors of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating athletes.

Divek Patel '22 was selected to present his research at ISEF, the world's largest science fair.  His work titled "Predicting Mutation Status and Survival in Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC)." NSCLC is the world’s leading cause of cancer deaths.

(By Dial Editor Kami Lim '22) -- Marc Rod, class of ’16, visited the Dial class via Zoom on Friday, May 7 to speak to students about his experiences as a current journalist and former co-editor in chief of the Dial. His talk was part of a celebration to honor the outgoing senior class (class of ’21) and to thank them for their work on the publication.

Hackley students competed in the High School Public Debate Program (HSPDP) Championships on Saturday, April 17, and in the Middle School Public Debate Program (MSPDP) Championships on Saturday, May 8 and Sunday, May 9.

Congratulations to the 18 middle school art students whose work was selected to be published in a book by the foundation, Art for Angels!

The Computer Science (a.k.a Digital Arts) Department celebrates the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

The Athletics department celebrates the Class of 2021 through a Seniors of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating athletes.

Hackley juniors Joey Nadol, Katerina Popova, Michael Potanin, Daniel Zhang presented their science research projects at this year’s Tri-County Science Fair. 

The Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and Computer Science (a.k.a Digital Arts) Departments celebrate the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

The Athletics department celebrates the Class of 2021 through a Seniors of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating athletes.

Congratulations to Lara Schechter ’21 for becoming an All-American at the NHSCA Wrestling Championships!

On April 21, 2021, Hackley’s Independent Research Program (IRP) had the exciting opportunity to meet with Mirimus Lab’s Founder/CEO Dr. Premsrirut.

The Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and Computer Science (a.k.a Digital Arts) Departments celebrate the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

The Athletics department celebrates the Class of 2021 through a Seniors of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating athletes.

(By Daniel Cai ’22) -- On Saturday, April 10, 2021, Hackley hosted its third Model United Nations (HackMUN) conference. 50+ students from 8 schools participated in this student-run event.

The Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and Computer Science (a.k.a Digital Arts) Departments celebrate the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

The Athletics department celebrates the Class of 2021 through a Seniors of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating athletes.

(By Lily Napach ’21) -- On Thursday, April 8th, the Hackley Chinese language community welcomed Hackley alumnus, Mr. Peter Loehr ’85, to speak about his experience in China’s film industry.

[Tarrytown, New York] April 16, 2021

This winter, Hackley School’s Academic Committee—led by the Assistant Head of School for Academic Affairs in partnership with department chairs—approved the creation of the Department of Interdisciplinary Studies, providing a departmental home for exciting current and new Upper School courses that span two or more disciplines.

We are thrilled to announce that Hackley’s Senior Ethics Bowl Team navigated a stunning series of victories at the National High School Ethics Bowl Championship last weekend from April 9-11, 2021. 
By Steven Bileca and Stephen Fitzpatrick, Ethics Bowl coaches

The Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and Computer Science (a.k.a Digital Arts) Departments celebrate the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

Students in Latin II and III welcomed Dr. Enrico Emanuele Prodi of the University of Oxford into their classes this week for an interactive session on ancient manuscripts.

Five Hackley Juniors presented their impressive projects at two of the largest regional science and engineering fairs and won numerous accolades.

Over the past two Saturdays, on March 6 and March 13, 36 MS and US students participated in the final two regular season tournaments of the Public Debate Program (PDP), a league in which Hackley has been integrally involved for the past 10 years.

The Visual and Performing Arts Departments celebrate the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

Middle and Upper School Spanish teacher Emily DeMarchena Washington ‘94, P ‘30 officially joined Hackley’s Service Coordinator Team as our first K-12 Service-Learning Coordinator.

On March 11, the Lower, Middle, and Upper School divisions came together virtually to celebrate our 8th annual STEM Night.

Mrs. Melissa Boviero's sixth grade science classes have been enjoying the delightful weather while gathering rock samples from around campus as part of their Geology unit.

The Visual and Performing Arts Departments celebrate the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

The Visual and Performing Arts Departments celebrate the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

The Visual and Performing Arts Departments celebrate the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

On Saturday, February 13th, eight Hackley Upper School Parliamentary debaters competed in the 5th High School Public Debate Program online tournament with teams from both California and the East Coast.

The Visual and Performing Arts Departments celebrate the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

The Athletics department celebrates the Class of 2021 through a Seniors of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating athletes.

Hackley School students in the Middle and Upper School divisions are learning to explore the philosophical dimensions of complex ethical dilemmas, participating in regional and national ethics competitions, and demonstrating what it means to ‘Redefine a Liberal Arts Education,’ a key effort in Hackley’s strategic plan Redefining Excellence: Learning Beyond Boundaries.

The Visual and Performing Arts Departments celebrate the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

The Athletics department celebrates the Class of 2021 through a Seniors of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating athletes.

In this month’s blog post on Hackley Perspectives titled “Celebrating the Self — Honoring Heritage," Aisha Laspina-Rodriguez, Director of Communications, poses important questions while exploring the impact of celebrating and honoring heritage in the classroom and beyond.

Following in the footsteps of their US counterparts, five 8th graders and three 7th graders participated in the first ever NYC Regional MS Ethics Bowl on Sunday, January 31st over Zoom.

The Visual and Performing Arts Departments celebrate the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

The Athletics department celebrates the Class of 2021 through a Seniors of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating athletes.

Congratulations are in order for the Hornets Capital Investment Club.

Computer Science teacher Mary Murray-Jones writes about utilizing new programs such as Code.org in the Lower School Computer Science lab. 

The Visual and Performing Arts Departments celebrate the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

The Athletics department celebrates the Class of 2021 through a Seniors of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating athletes.

[Tarrytown, New York] January 22, 2021

Hackley School has begun recruitment for a 12-month Teaching Fellowship, advancing key efforts highlighted in our strategic plan, Redefining Excellence: Learning Beyond Boundaries, and in our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives. The fellowship—which runs from July 1, 2021 through June 30, 2022—pairs Fellows from diverse backgrounds with dedicated mentor teachers on site, promoting growth and cultivating rich learning experiences, and preparing the small cohort to ultimately work in Independent School settings.

The Visual and Performing Arts Departments celebrate the Class of 2021 through the Senior Artists of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

The Athletics department celebrates the Class of 2021 through a Seniors of the Week series honoring Hackley’s graduating athletes.

On January 12, in anticipation of International Holocaust Remembrance Day on January 27th which commemorates the day Auschwitz was liberated in 1945, Emma Joseph, Sophie Miller, Michael Lee, and Meredith Greenberg — the student leadership of Hackley’s Jewish Culture Club — invited three speakers from the American Jewish Committee (AJC) to talk to the Upper School over Zoom. 

The Visual and Performing Arts Departments launch the Senior Artists of the Week Series—a new initiative honoring Hackley’s graduating artists.

Since the fall of 2019, senior Ben Kirsch and junior Zach Yusaf have had an extraordinary run in Varsity Public Forum debate, culminating in a current NSDA ranking as the third top team in the country. Highlights included wins at the Byram Hills Invitational to kick off the ’19-’20 season, and three Gold Bids at Princeton, Blake, and UPenn during the ’19-’20 academic year, resulting in a spot in the prestigious Tournament of Champions which was conducted online in April, 2020.

In this month’s blog post on Hackley Perspectives, Merideth Maddox, a Middle School Theatre teacher, shares a personal story about family connection. “As an actor and theatre teacher, I am drawn to stories. More than any script or fictional tale, though, I crave connection with others by hearing true stories from their lives, and sharing stories from mine.”

“Today's events in Washington are deeply unsettling and stand in stark contrast to the democratic ideals of our country and the values of the Hackley community.” Read the letter to the Hackley Community from Head of School Michael Wirtz and Division Directors Lisa Oberstein, Cyndy Jean, and Andy King.