From the Head of School
(Hackley Review Summer 2021) Traditional notions of “creativity” conjure images of art and artists. Movement, music, theater, film, and fine art stand out as examples of creativity, with artists—those responsible for creating these works—pushing through boundaries, developing new styles, and doing what has never been done before.
At Hackley, we value the creativity inherent in all disciplines, and we are actively expanding opportunities for students to be creative within the arts and beyond. This foundational belief lies at the heart of Hackley’s proposed Center for the Creative Arts and Technology, which, as announced in May, will be supported in part by the incredibly generous $30 million gift from Herbert A. Allen ’58. With the construction of this building, Hackley will provide a facility for the visual arts, performing arts, and computer science programs that are commensurate with their exceptional nature, while also fostering the opportunity for interdisciplinary collaborations between these departments. With media enabled studios, digital classrooms, a makerspace, a scene shop, an art gallery, and rehearsal and production spaces for the music and theater programs, Hackley will have a facility that promotes and showcases the many forms of creativity present on our campus.
Creativity is not the sole dominion of the arts, however. The STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—rely on creativity and imagination every bit as much as the arts. Recent news headlines showcase major breakthroughs in the STEM fields, none of which would have been possible without marrying creativity with the expertise necessary to solve problems.
From NASA’s Perseverance project landing and operating a rover on Mars to the rapid and safe development of multiple COVID-19 vaccines and treatments in record time, creativity was required and applied to do the once unimaginable. As sophisticated as our scientific and technological advances have become, nothing matches humans when it comes to creativity.
Through the ideas and initiatives expressed in Redefining Excellence: Learning Beyond Boundaries, Hackley’s strategic plan, we emphasized and elevated the importance of creativity within our curriculum and programs. In this edition of Hackley Review, we highlight the STEM disciplines and the ways in which creativity is fostered inside the classroom and beyond, and the ways in which students learn to creatively address problems within a STEM context.
The feature story, Elevating Creativity: The Computer Science Classroom, highlights the growth of Hackley’s computer science program and the ways in which unlocking students’ creativity is central to learning about everything from introductory programming to machine learning. Similar themes are echoed in Sink or Swim: A Deep Dive into Aquabots—a profile of Hackley’s Aquabots program authored by Middle School science teacher Melissa Boviero. This engaging extracurricular activity challenges students to apply their engineering skills to develop underwater robots for competition in the Marine Advanced Technology and Engineering Competition. What could be more creative than Middle School students building working submersible robots?
Andrew Ying, Upper School science teacher, wrote an article about Hackley’s Independent Research Program, highlighting the impressive work that students complete in this course, gaining research experience and addressing novel problems. In each of these context-based learning environments, student imagination and creativity remain just as critical as their content knowledge and skills; Hackley’s STEM curricula provides another channel for the expression of creativity in our students.
In a K-12 school like Hackley, much of the foundation of this work begins in the Lower School. Giving Voice to Our Youngest STEM Students, an essay by Regina DiStefano, Lower School science teacher, articulates the pathway that students follow in their science education, building off the innate curiosity and creativity of our youngest learners. Contrasting this piece with a profile of three alumni working in the STEM fields, titled Hackley Beyond the Hilltop: Alumni in STEM Reflect, one can see that the lessons learned and creativity inspired here on the Hilltop last a lifetime.
Creativity is a defining human quality, one that manifests itself not only through individual and artistic expression, but also through the application and extension of technology and technical knowledge and skills. In a dynamic world, one with many intractable problems, it is critical that a Hackley education inspires student creativity across all the academic disciplines. Doing so ensures that Hackley students leave the Hilltop ready to Go Forth and Spread Beauty and Light.
Michael C. Wirtz P ’29, P ’31
Head of School
Creativity is not the sole dominion of the arts, however. The STEM fields—science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—rely on creativity and imagination every bit as much as the arts. Recent news headlines showcase major breakthroughs in the STEM fields, none of which would have been possible without marrying creativity with the expertise necessary to solve problems.
From NASA’s Perseverance project landing and operating a rover on Mars to the rapid and safe development of multiple COVID-19 vaccines and treatments in record time, creativity was required and applied to do the once unimaginable. As sophisticated as our scientific and technological advances have become, nothing matches humans when it comes to creativity.
Through the ideas and initiatives expressed in Redefining Excellence: Learning Beyond Boundaries, Hackley’s strategic plan, we emphasized and elevated the importance of creativity within our curriculum and programs. In this edition of Hackley Review, we highlight the STEM disciplines and the ways in which creativity is fostered inside the classroom and beyond, and the ways in which students learn to creatively address problems within a STEM context.
The feature story, Elevating Creativity: The Computer Science Classroom, highlights the growth of Hackley’s computer science program and the ways in which unlocking students’ creativity is central to learning about everything from introductory programming to machine learning. Similar themes are echoed in Sink or Swim: A Deep Dive into Aquabots—a profile of Hackley’s Aquabots program authored by Middle School science teacher Melissa Boviero. This engaging extracurricular activity challenges students to apply their engineering skills to develop underwater robots for competition in the Marine Advanced Technology and Engineering Competition. What could be more creative than Middle School students building working submersible robots?
Andrew Ying, Upper School science teacher, wrote an article about Hackley’s Independent Research Program, highlighting the impressive work that students complete in this course, gaining research experience and addressing novel problems. In each of these context-based learning environments, student imagination and creativity remain just as critical as their content knowledge and skills; Hackley’s STEM curricula provides another channel for the expression of creativity in our students.
In a K-12 school like Hackley, much of the foundation of this work begins in the Lower School. Giving Voice to Our Youngest STEM Students, an essay by Regina DiStefano, Lower School science teacher, articulates the pathway that students follow in their science education, building off the innate curiosity and creativity of our youngest learners. Contrasting this piece with a profile of three alumni working in the STEM fields, titled Hackley Beyond the Hilltop: Alumni in STEM Reflect, one can see that the lessons learned and creativity inspired here on the Hilltop last a lifetime.
Creativity is a defining human quality, one that manifests itself not only through individual and artistic expression, but also through the application and extension of technology and technical knowledge and skills. In a dynamic world, one with many intractable problems, it is critical that a Hackley education inspires student creativity across all the academic disciplines. Doing so ensures that Hackley students leave the Hilltop ready to Go Forth and Spread Beauty and Light.
Michael C. Wirtz P ’29, P ’31
Head of School
Hackley School
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