Becoming More, Together

By David Sykes, Upper School teacher and Director of Hudson Scholars, Hackley School

As the holiday season invites us to think about joy, giving and human connection, I find myself returning to Hackley’s mission and its call to help students grow in character and to learn from perspectives beyond their own. This time of year pushes me to consider how we prepare our students for lives of meaning. What is the purpose of an independent school education? The familiar answers come quickly: rigorous coursework, sharp critical thinking skills, the discovery of personal passions and, of course, college admission. All of this matters and is important, yet it is not enough. If an independent school is serious about the lives its graduates will lead, it must help students see beyond their own ambitions. 

A deeper purpose of an independent school education is to expose young people to the value of service toward others. When students feel the joy that comes from helping others and believe that their gifts exist, in part, to uplift a wider community, they tend to live with greater purpose, resilience and human connection. By turning outward, they discover a form of happiness and a sense of meaning that makes their lives richer. They begin to see that we often become more when we grow and give alongside others.

Independent schools are often described as bubbles: places of great opportunity set on beautiful campuses, yet somewhat removed from the wider world. Schools that embrace a public purpose are working to rewrite that story. They are asking how their resources, people and programs can serve the greater good. When an independent school opens its campus, its expertise and its culture of learning to the broader community, it breaks the old mold and lives its mission in a deeper and more visible way. The work stops being only about what happens inside the classroom and begins to include what the school contributes beyond its walls.

At their best, schools with a public purpose become role models for their students, teachers and administrators, illustrating through their work how communities can support one another. Public purpose work invites students into experiences that they cannot have in a typical classroom and gives them the chance to see their efforts make a tangible difference in another person’s life. This kind of work can shape how young people imagine their futures.

Hackley is uniquely positioned to do this work well. 

How can we help our graduates leave Hackley with a sense of meaning and purpose that will lead to rich and fulfilling lives? Programs like Hudson Scholars offer one compelling answer, creating purpose-driven opportunities in which Hackley students and local middle schoolers lead, grow, learn and become More, together.

The impact of the Hudson Scholars program is evident in the remarkable growth of our Scholars. They are taking advanced classes in high school, stepping into leadership roles, volunteering in their communities, applying to and attending college, and, in many cases, returning to serve as mentors in the very program where they once sat as middle school students. Their stories matter enormously and are at the heart of the Hudson Scholars’ mission. Yet the true beauty of a program like Hudson Scholars is that it is not only the Scholars who benefit — our teachers, high school mentors and Hackley as a school community are impacted as well.

Upper School science teacher Tessa Johnson (center) teaches Hudson Scholars how to spin honey from the Hackley Apiary with the help of Upper School mentor Owen Spencer '27 (far right).

A few members of our community shared reflections that capture the program’s transformative effect on everyone involved.

A Scholar and Upper School mentor work together on a project in the Sternberg Library.

This year marks a decade of Hudson Scholars, a program that has grown in size, scope and impact since its launch in 2016. We are proud of how far we’ve come. Our Scholars have embraced challenges and discovered new passions. Our teachers have brought creativity and care to their work. Our mentors have stepped into leadership roles with purpose. In the short term, our mentors become more responsible, more confident and more outward looking leaders. Over the long term, it is my hope that the joy and meaning they find in this work will plant a seed that leads them to continue to seek lives of service and purpose well beyond Hackley.

Hudson Scholars is one example of Hackley’s mission in action, showing how education built on character and service has ripples far beyond our Hilltop. Through collaboration among teachers, student-mentors and Scholars, everyone is lifted. Together they work hard, grow as leaders, build confidence, overcome challenges and experience joy. In short, they are becoming More, together.

About the author: David Sykes joined Hackley in 2011 as an Upper School history and economics teacher and now also serves as head coach of Girls’ Varsity Tennis. In 2016, he founded the Hudson Scholars program, which he continues to lead as director, inspired by his passion for building community, expanding access to education, and fostering leadership and mentorship.