Hackley Review Commencement Supplement 2019

HACKLEY HACKLEY REVIEW

COMMENCEMENT SUPPLEMENT 2019

As we reflect on the academic year now ended, we are reminded of two characteristics of Hackley student culture we deeply admire. First, this is a place where students say "thank you" daily, showing appreciation for teachers and friends. Second, it's a place where students celebrate the accomplishments of others as much—or more— than they celebrate their own.

In the pages that follow, please join us in celebrating the Hackley Community.

Table of Contents The Year in Visual Arts ����������������������������������������������� 2 The Year in Performing Arts �������������������������������������6 The Year in Athletics ����������������������������������������������� 10 Fourth Grade Recognition Day ������������������������������� 14 Eighth Grade Recognition Ceremony ������������������� 16 The Cum Laude Address ����������������������������������������� 18 Senior Dinner Address �������������������������������������������� 20 Class Day Awards �����������������������������������������������������22 2018–2019 Athletics Awards �����������������������������������28 Community Council 2018–19 �����������������������������������28 The Salutatory Address �������������������������������������������29 The Valedictory Address �����������������������������������������32 The Commencement Address ���������������������������������34 Congratulations to the Class of 2019! ������������������� 37 ĵĵ Be sure to login to Hackley Online, click on the Resources tab, and open the Smug Mug Photos page to find all the 2018-19 photo galleries.

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The Year in Visual Arts

Ashley H. '26

Isabella Selmonosky '21

The Lower School Art Show

Robert Patterson '19

John Torkin '22

Fiona Boettner '19

Gabrielle D-A. ’25

Ryan Thompson ’22 and John Toprkin ’22

Mackenzie Jones '21

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The Year in Visual Arts

Asher S. ’23

Madison Carter '19

Lower School Art Show

Harper K. ’24

Lower School Art Show

Logan Mueller ’22

Kendall Wieland ’19

Evangeline Coffinas '19

Kyle Spencer '19

Kit Greenberg '19

Lower School Art Show

Nico Butterfield '19

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The Year in Performing Arts

Upper School Strings

First Grade Flat Stanley Play

Upper School Drama

Middle School Band

Upper School Jazz Band

Upper School Drama

Middle School Acting Intensives

Lower School Strings

Lower School Chorus

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The Year in Performing Arts

Second Grade Pirates

Upper School Chorus

Middle School Strings

Middle School Acting Intensives

First Grade Flat Stanley Play

Upper School Strings

Upper School Band

Upper School Drama

Middle School Strings

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The Year in Athletics

Hackley Football’s season began with a win over Poly Prep, a first since 1995, and ended with a MIFL Bowl Championship win at home over Hopkins School. The team compiled a 6-2 record and shared the Ivy League title.

FEARLESS was the motto for the 2018 HGVS season and fearless they were, finishing the season with an overall record of 12-6-0 and the #4 seed in 2018 NYSAIS tournament.

Along the way to an overall record of 9-6-4, Boys Soccer had historic wins at Riverdale, a 3-0 shutout of Poly Prep at Poly, and a 1-0 win over an excellent Dalton team to help secure a NYSAIS playoff spot.

The Varsity Field Hockey Team won the Ivy League Championship for the fifth straight season and for the sixth time in the past seven seasons.

Boys Cross Country finished third in both the Ivy League and NYSAIS, with two athletes earning AllLeague recognition and one representing Hackley at the Federation meet.

Girls Cross Country finished third overall in the Ivy League and fourth in NYSAIS, with three All-League athletes and one representing Hackley at the Federation meet.

Hackley Swimming launched a new era with its first season in the new Johnson Center pool, and finished the year with third and fourth place team finishes for the Girls and Boys teams, respectively. Swimmers earned two individual League championships, and one NYSAIS championship, with two new school records set.

Hackley Girls Tennis played with passion and determination, reflecting on their play after each match, using smart strategy to give themselves the best chance of competing on each point, and finished with an 8-5 record, losing a close semi-final match (2-3) to the eventual Ivy League champions.

Hackley Girls Basketball Team finished the year with an impressive 19 – 5 record, second place in the Ivy League with a record of 10 - 2, and the #3 seed in the NYSAIS state tournament.

Boys Indoor Track & Field celebrated several individual championships and new school records.

The Hackley Girls Squash Team finished with a 6-8 record on the way to the #5 seed in the NYSAIS tournament, and then went on to beat the 4th seed in thrilling fashion, with one athlete named All American.

Hackley Boys Basketball moved the program forward with a positive atmosphere, the joy of playing together, good communication and team chemistry.

The Girls Indoor Track & Field season saw personal bests, and new school records, with third place finishes in both the Ivy League and NYSAIS championships, and four athletes qualifying for the Federation Indoor Track meet.

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The Year in Athletics

Hackley Wrestling had an impressive season as young stars broke through and the team went 5-3 on the year with 3rd place in the Ivy Prep League, and 4th place at the NYSAIS Championships.

The Hackley Baseball Team opened the season winning three out of their first four games, highlighted by a walkoff bases loaded single in the bottom of the 7th against Dalton, and earned a spot in the NYSAIS tournament.

Hackley Boys Squash won the NYSAIS championship, with two athletes earning All American honors.

Hackley Fencing dominated this season, with undefeated Boys Foil and Epee Teams and 2nd place in the league for the Boys Saber Team, and a Girls individual championship.

Hackley Softball made history on the field this season with eight shut-outs and a new career strike out record, and played through to the final round of the NYSAIS tournament.

Girls Varsity Golf showed tremendous growth and tenacity throughout the season, finishing 1-4-1 on the season.

Varsity Girls Lacrosse had another successful season, finishing with a 15-4 overall record, winning the Ivy League with an undefeated league record of 12-0 for a 8th straight season, and defending the NYSAIS Championship with a definitive 18-7 win over Rye Country Day. Hackley Boys Golf worked together through an impressive growth year as young players gained confidence. The team finished the season with an overall record of 4-8.

Hackley Girls Track & Field set several new school records this season and captured second place in the NYSAIS meet, led by several individual event champions.

Boys Varsity Tennis opened its season with the same starting lineup as in 2018 season, and by season's end, advanced in the standings above last year, finishing fifth.

Hackley Boys Varsity Lacrosse’s season ended with the most exciting lacrosse game in recent memory, overcoming Rye Country Day’s 8-2 halftime lead in the NYSAIS championship game with a 10-0 run to claim a second consecutive independent school state title.

Hackley Boys Track & Field set new school records in the 400M and 110 M Hurdles, with several athletes achieving individual Ivy League and State championships.

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HACKLEY REVIEW COMMENCEMENT SUPPLEMENT 2019

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Fourth Grade Recognition Day Director of the Lower School Anne Burns celebrated members of the fourth grade at their Recognition Day ceremony.

Congratulations, Class of 2027! You have successfully made it through one, or two, or three, or four or even, for a whopping thirty of you, five years as a member of Hackley’s Lower School. You’ve learned so much academically, as well as socially.

In fact, in terms of the “socially” part, you have learned over 25 virtues through our Character Education program if you began in kindergarten and no fewer than five if you began in our fourth grade.

As you may know, one of Hackley’s mottos, a little less well known than “Enter here to be and find a friend,” speaks of the idea of “character over intellect.” Simply put, that means you can be the smartest person in the room, but if your intelligence is not coupled with a good heart and a kind spirit, it is not worth much.

This year, our virtues have been: • cooperation • resourcefulness • flexibility • respect • compassion I asked each of you to take a moment and reflect on a time when you either saw these virtues being lived at Hackley, or exhibited them yourselves. You were all able to write something meaningful for each of them, and I thought I’d take a moment to share a few.

First, cooperation: You spoke of moments of meaningful cooperation when making your iMovies, when you followed the teacher’s directions in various classes, when you played games on the playground, when you worked in book clubs, wrote your biographies or studied for tests together, and when you worked on making cars and catapults in science. And several of you recognized a recent event that occurred during our Spanish celebrations when someone in your class lost her retainer and friends immediately put on gloves and helped to dig through the trash to look for it. And the result was success and a happy and supported member of your class.

Second, resourcefulness: You called a classmate to ask for a photo of the homework assignment; a problem

with needed props that were unavailable, and so making them from cardboard; finding a way to fix your science project; recycling, and specifically, in third grade, making Spanish costumes from recycled materials. And one of you wrote of being resourceful at home with what sounded like much fun—making a fort using pillows and other materials.

Thirdly, flexibility: In this category, two things rose to the top for me when reading your thoughts, as they both apply to all of you. You showed awesome flexibility in two moments this year.

One was when you lost teachers due to family leave and made the substitutes feel welcome, allowing the curriculum to continue without missing a beat.

And the other was on Kingsland Point Park day, when we heard that the weather would not allow you to go kayaking on the Hudson. This was a very big disappointment to all of us, but you carried on and had fun anyway. Huge kudos to each of you!!

Fourth, respectfulness: For this virtue, I chose a response that, though simple, spoke volumes to me.

Someone wrote that they felt respected and respectful when their teacher says good morning each day, and they say it back. I think that I can speak for Mrs. Murray Jones, Ms. Roemer and Ms. Adams when I say that the four of us feel respected when you greet us on the sidewalk upon arrival and share a smile as you run into the building.

Finally, compassion: I found it reassuring to read of a reflection of compassion spilling over from Hackley to the outside world, when one of the fourth graders, along with his brother, took the time to offer to help an older lady take her groceries in for her.

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The Class of 2027

On that note, as you move forward into Middle School and beyond, it would be my hope and dream that you continue to value the virtues that you have explored and that you not only observe them in the walls of Hackley, but carry them over in service and kindness to others in your families and in the outside world— it can be as simple as helping someone carry their groceries. Each of you has made a difference in the Lower School and, as you get older, the difference you can make becomes exponentially larger.

As one of you wrote, “Compassion can help others. Respect can let someone have a good day.

Resourcefulness can help you listen to get the job done.” Another one of you summarized it all, saying “I think that these virtues can be used by every person to make them a better human being.”

You have so much potential. As we say at Hackley, I send you off to the Middle School to “go forth and spread beauty and light.”

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HACKLEY REVIEW COMMENCEMENT SUPPLEMENT 2019

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Eighth Grade Recognition Day The members of the Class of 2023 chose Science teacher Daniel McElroy as their Recognition Day speaker.

Good morning, Mr. Wirtz, Ms. Jean, Mr. Walters, fellow teachers, staff, family, and especially the Class of 2023. It is an honor to be part of the eighth-grade recognition ceremony and to share this day with you.

Well, congratulations! You made it! You are coming to an end of one part of your educational journey, and beginning a new one. As you head into Upper School, you will learn many new life lessons. You will learn how to give back to your community through service, you will build rockets in physics and learn how to drive a car. You may even learn about love and heartbreak, but most important, you will learn that Upper Schoolers get snacks from Miss Marija too. Since life is about making choices and learning lessons, I have decided to share a few with you today.

First, failure is not always a bad thing. Educator John Dewey said it best: “Failure is instructive. The person who really thinks learns quite as much from his failures as from his successes.” I encourage you to take risks, set big goals, and don’t be afraid of failure. Just ask NBA Legend, Michael Jordan. Even though he failed to make his high school basketball team, he learned from his failure and went on to become, arguably, the best basketball player of all time. In describing his success, Jordan said, “I have missed more than 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost almost 300 games. On 26 occasions I have been entrusted to take the game winning shot, and I missed. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. And that is why I succeed.” No matter how hard the task may be, no matter how many times you may fail, being optimistic makes you believe that you can achieve it.

Second, be kind to each other. We already know that you all have kindness in you. Each morning I see you greet each other with a smile. I get great joy out of seeing you helping each other with a school assignment or just life in general. You are always there for each other when someone is feeling down. You have supported each other by running alongside your

teammate on the cross-country trails and encouraging each other on the lacrosse field. I was especially proud to see how the two new members of your class were received this year. You quickly took them under your wing and made sure they felt at home. You have shown kindness to those in your class who may be different than you. We have the privilege of having an extremely diverse student population. And yet, you choose to become friends with classmates who look, think, and live differently than you. You don’t just settle with those with whom you are alike. And that is what makes us a uniquely strong community at Hackley.

Third, have no regrets. Upper School only lasts four years, and you only get to do it once. One of my biggest regrets from high school was not being more involved in extracurricular activities. Whether it was going to the homecoming game to support my friends or joining a club to make new life long connections. I hope that all of you will take advantage of all the great programs that Hackley has to offer you, even if it is something that is outside of your comfort zone. When else in your life will you be able to play on the golf team, learn how to play squash, perform at a coffee house, raise awareness to environmental issues, or aid in training service dogs for the blind? Even though upper school is only four years, the memories and relationships you make will last a lifetime.

So now, it is time. Time for you to move on. Time to share you with the Upper School teachers.

But know, you will always have a place in the Saperstein Hall!

And remember: Make mistakes. Be kind to others.

Have no regrets.

Thank you and good luck to the class of 2023!

E I G H T G R A D E R E C O G N I T I O N D AY

The Class of 2023

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Cum Laude The Cum Laude Address André Mauri ’09 After graduating from Hackley in 2009, André Mauri attended Harvard University to complete a bachelor of arts in Neuroscience with a secondary in Global Health & Health Policy. In his sophomore year, he joined the founding board for Refresh Bolivia, a student-run nonprofit group with a mission to address the barriers to healthcare of underprivileged communities throughout André Mauri ’09 Bolivia. After college, he worked at the Harvard University Kennedy School of Government’s Center for International Development, allowing him exposure to leading strategies in tackling the issue of development challenges and sustainable solutions to global poverty. After exploring macroscopic solutions towards effecting change, he found interpersonal exchanges at the root of these experiences to be the most rewarding. Seeking a shift towards a field more centered around direct person-to-person encounters, while still creating positive change for others, he then joined the Disparities Research Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital as a Research Coordinator. Soon after gaining extensive experience with patients in the clinical research setting, he matriculated at Northwell Health’s Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University, which he currently attends.

André is a member of his medical school’s student-run clinic, Medical Ethics forum, a co-chair of the Surgery Coalition, and a member of the national Latino Medical Students Association. He enjoys amateur photography and has had his submissions on display at the Osler Society’s Fourth and Fifth annual Celebration of Visual Art exhibits. He also enjoys salsa-dancing and playing soccer in his spare time.

I would like to begin by congratulating this year’s Cum Laude inductees. You have been given the opportunity of attending this prestigious school that has prepared you well for success. For me, it is an honor to have been invited to impart what little wisdom I may have accrued in the ten years since I sat where you are sitting.

I thank M. Fahy for introducing me with a list of the accomplishments I have fulfilled to date.

However, those are not what I have chosen to discuss today. Too often we are defined by our triumphs and accomplishments, those brief moments of achievement at the culmination of arduous effort and perseverance. But what of those moments in which that same dedication is met not with success, but with failure? Yes, I realize the irony of choosing

a celebration of your achievements as a platform for a monologue on failure. But I would be remiss to withhold from you the most valuable lesson life has taught me in these last ten years.

In her 2013 commencement address to my undergraduate class, Oprah Winfrey offered the following advice: “It doesn’t matter how far you might rise. At some point, you are bound to stumble because you’re constantly doing what we do—raising

THE CUM LAUDE ADDRESS

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Cum Laude Society 2019: James Nicholas Butterfield

Frances Quinn Schaeffler

Raghav Raj Chopra

Anna McKee Sellon

Matthew William Fisch

Kyle Aron Spencer

Joshua Adam Gluckman

Christopher E. Sun

William James Goldsmith

Matthew Nicholas Traum

Folger Jude Russell Hogg

Maya Hesse Watson

David Jiahe Jiang

Madeline Liddell White

Maximilian Mills Mallett

Kendall Morgan Wieland

Benjamin Cole Monroe

Tucker Warner Wilke

Anastasia Popova

the bar.” At that time I knew little of failure. I say that not with arrogance but to show my naiveté even as a college graduate.

It was not until my first year of medical school that I first stumbled academically. It came through my first encounter with anxiety attacks. In the past I was always able to overcome any academic challenges or obstacles through unrelenting hard work. This time, I was so afraid of failing examinations that I spent the time leading up them panicking instead of studying.

Although I passed five out of the eight exams at the end of my first year, I failed three of them, putting me in a very vulnerable position. I was faced with two choices. I could cram and retake the examinations I had failed or repeat the classes I hadn’t passed, allowing myself a second opportunity to excel.

For two weeks, I weighed the consequences of each path. On the one hand, I feared what negative effects repeating the courses might have on my academic and professional career. I especially feared what others would think of me. Then I realized I was just being selfish. Once I prioritized the ramifications my decision would have on future patients that would be under my care, the decision became simple.

Repeating the courses would give me a stronger foundation for my clinical years and make me a better doctor. With that decision, I was able to rid myself of the fear of failure.

So, I retook the courses and this time I did well because I was not focusing on myself but rather focusing on how I could be the best doctor for my future patients. As a result, I came away with more secure knowledge of the subject matter. Now, two years later I am entering the clinical half of medical school and will soon begin to take on small

responsibilities in patient care. I can say with full confidence that I made the right decision.

The culture of medicine demands perfection of its practitioners. There is no greater taboo than failure, and any admission of weakness is frowned upon. This is unfortunate because to celebrate only your success without embracing your failure can limit your growth as an individual, and therefore limit your success.

Not only in medicine, but in all fields of life, ridding yourself of this toxic practice of concealing your vulnerabilities will only make you stronger.

Through effort and talent, each of you has earned your seat at this ceremony. In college you will find many more students like you, and it will be easy to fade into the background of other high-achieving students. It will be easy to put up a façade of failurefree success, because you will see others around you who will be doing the same. As long as your focus is on yourself and how others may perceive or judge you, you will allow a fear of failure to impede you.

Remember that if you are not at some point stumbling, you are not pushing yourself to your full potential. Stop caring about how you are perceived and focus on your goal. You will free yourself for the unlimited success I sincerely wish for each of you.

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Senior Dinner Address The Vines that Bind Amanda Esteves-Kraus Upper School Science teacher Amanda Esteves-Kraus was chosen by the Senior Class as this year’s Rice Award winner. On medical leave this spring, Ms. EK, as she is known, prepared her speech as a video that was screened at the Senior Dinner on June 3th. In her talk, she explored metaphors from nature that connect with her own life and that of her students as she expressed her gratitude to the Class of 2019.

Hello chickadees! Welcome to your Senior Dinner. This is always one of my favorite nights of the year because it’s an evening full of smiles, excitement, and you, all in dress code looking lovely. I tried to match the evening’s excitement with my hat, which I am proud to say, I made for the occasion.

I would like to tell you about a tree I stumbled upon on during a recent mid-week morning walk through Rockefeller Park. The majority of this tree looked no different from any of the trees around it—uniform in diameter, a barky gray, and with only the tiniest hint of green leaves being remade at the tips of branches.

But what set this tree apart was a vine. About twothirds of the way up the tree, a vine had wound itself—in a surprisingly even pattern—three times around the tree.

There are over 2,500 different species of vines that fall into subcategories of vines…twining vines, which can in turn be categorized by the directions they twine— either clockwise or counter-clockwise. For example, the invasive honeysuckle grows in the clockwise direction.

Something that is even crazier, is that twining vines are actually called bines—with a B not a V. Oh, and some vines use adhesive pads to climb trees and walls, much like the sticky feet of geckos, or starfish. These would be categorized as climbing

vines. The climbing hydrangea is a charming example.

Ok, I could go on for hours about the quirks of vines, but despite all the varied adaptations of these species, all vines have the same goal—to co-opt another organism for their own personal gain. And vines are smart about it too, they usually wait for some natural disturbance in the environment, and then they pounce, capable of growing up to a foot a day.

Now, as many of you know, I have been on medical leave since Hackley exam period—hence why I was able to be out walking at 11:30 a.m. on a Tuesday. And as I stood there, struck by this intriguing vine-tree situation, I had a completely irrational thought. This tree is me.

I was a tree like any other, until this one particular day, when I discovered that a cellular disturbance had allowed my healthy body to be co-opted in a harsh and unexpected intertwining with fate.

SENIOR DINNER ADDRESS

So, I’m in the woods with this botany-fueled melodrama developing in my mind and I will admit, I was a little bummed out. The more I stared at this tree, though, the more I began to appreciate that even though the vine was using this tree as a scaffolding, the tree had actually started to grow with the vine— bulging at this one point on the trunk.

My next thought was, if I was on a hike with my students in the Hackley woods, this tree-vine symbiosis is just the sort of thing I would gleefully point out to everyone and try to convince my group of teenagers that this tree-vine thing was actually the coolest thing they had ever seen.

The moment I think about any of you, I am immediately flooded with all sorts of memories of your awesomeness from my time teaching you for the past two years.

• Memories of you taking notes with fountain pens • Memories of your fascinations with turtles, and fish, and bees, and horses—and me forcing many of you to have to be fascinated with plants • Memories of watching you pitch at games, act on stage, make friends, cut endless root vegetables in preparation for a lab • Or the Junior Fun Day I was lucky to chaperone— we saw the movie Wonder and went ice skating— about ten minutes into the movie, the theatre was quiet and we were watching our main character being introduced as he jumps on his bed with a NASA helmet on and posters of spaceships fill the screen and someone in this crowded theatre of Hackley students shouts “Mirabel” and the whole group of you started to laugh • Memories of your robust vocabularies, like the excited use of the word “cleave,” which jumped from biology class into an English essay • Memories of how loud some of you are when everything finally clicks, and you’re so pumped that you just have to say something • Memories of that point towards the end of the year, when everyone is finally comfortable enough with all the biology vocabulary we have covered that you start to politely make jabs at each other using that vocabulary… “No, you’re the substrate

and I’m the enzyme” is definitely a winning burn…

• Memories of you tracking down Mr. Anderson—of YouTube science channel fame • Memories of your hard work, your struggles, your laughter, your sass, your wisdom…

And all of these memories I have are testament to the connections you have made over the last four years with yourselves—your values, your passions, and your identities. And in turn, you have shared these connections with those around you—your peers and teachers—climbing like vines into the trees of our hearts. I know, super cheesy, but it’s how I feel.

Now, this is the point in the speech where Doc Rob and Lobko would tell me to bring back my vine-treebotany metaphor in an even bigger way, but all I know is when I eventually began to walk away from my moment with this tree, I was no longer bummed.

Instead, I had a huge smile on my face. I know the power of a smile is often extolled, but there have been moments over the past few months where I have struggled to smile. But every time I think of you, dear chickadees, I end up smiling, and for that I am incredibly grateful.

Congratulations—I am proud of you. Enjoy tonight, you are all worth being celebrated.

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HACKLEY REVIEW COMMENCEMENT SUPPLEMENT 2019

Class Day Awards

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Class Day is a Hackley tradition in which the student body and faculty gather together to acknowledge the end of another year full of growth in “character, scholarship, and accomplishment.”

The Ron DelMoro Award in Teaching

Anton & Lydia Rice Inspirational Teaching Award

Oscar Kimelman Award

Rachel Mwakitawa

Amanda Esteves-Kraus

Presented by Alexandra Meyer ’17

Presented by Anne Burns

Senior Dinner speaker, chosen by senior class.

Chosen by the Class of 2017, recognizing the teacher who has most contributed to their own subsequent progress

Awarded to a Lower School Teacher, nominated by his or her peers for excellence in teaching.

Mary Lambos Award Anthony Maisonet

Yearbook Dedication Melissa Stanek Chosen by the Class of 2019

William McLay

The Robert Pickert Award for Coaching Excellence

Presented by Cyndy Jean

Seth Karpinski

Awarded to a Middle School teacher, nominated by his or her peers, for excellence in teaching.

Middle School Subject Awards Arushi S. C. ’23 English Bella Ruth W. ’23 History Zara Y. ’23 Spanish Hannah G. ’23 French Advith S. ’23 Latin Mason William N. ’23 Chinese Mateen Jon N. ’23 Art Willow Duncan N. ’23 Chorus Benjamin Xiaolong G. ’23 Instrumental Music Caroline Hope D. ’23 Drama

Rachel Mwakitawa, recipient of the DelMoro Award, with Anne Burns (left) and Deena and Steve DelMoro.

C L A S S D AY A W A R D S

The Class of 1972 Community Service Awards Mira Rai Zaslow ’22 9th grade Olivia Rachel Rowbottom ’21 10th grade Benjamin Regan Marra ’20 Paul Fredrick Peruzzi ’19 11th grade The Class of 1972 Award is given to the freshman, sophomore and junior students who best personify the spirit of service to others—a quintessential Hackley tradition.

Alexandra Meyer '17 and Bill McLay, Kimelman Award winner.

Ira Seebacher Scholarship Photography Award Kyle Aron Spencer ’19

Pauline M. Gillim Library & Reading Award

The Hilltop Award

Tabitha Esther J. ’23

Chosen by the “Lifers” in the Class of 2019.

Awarded to the student whose work in photography has over three years achieved the highest distinction in technical skill and artistic vision.

Community Council Award

Class Of 1938 History Award

Zaya Gooding ’19

Charles Wheeler Rudge ’21

Awarded to the Council member who made the greatest contribution to the Council’s activities.

Awarded to a Sophomore for the most distinguished essay in History.

Arthur Niles King Science Award Caroline Hope D. ’23 Capt. Charles M. Kelly, Jr. & Ethel Kelly Mathematics Award Noah Auguste N. ’23

Suzanne Harmon

Middle School Miller Bowls Alexander Manley G. ’23 Improved Student John Barrett C. ’23 Kindness and Courtesy Welyn Lee W. ’23 Enthusiastic Cooperation Lawrence M. Symmes Award Caroline Hope D. ’23 Presented to the Most Constructive Middle School Student.

Class Of 1936 Cup Community Music Awards

William Matthew Rifkin ’21

Benjamin Cole Monroe ’19 Band

Presented to the outstanding Sophomore for distinction in any or all phases.

Christopher E. Sun ’19 Chamber Ensembles Maya Hesse Watson ’19 Chorus

Albert R. Dupont Award Sophie D. Miller ’22 Presented to the outstanding ninthgrader for distinction in any or all phases.

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HACKLEY REVIEW COMMENCEMENT SUPPLEMENT 2019

The Lower School Chorus, performing on Class Day 25

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HACKLEY REVIEW COMMENCEMENT SUPPLEMENT 2019

The Benjamin E. Bergen ’96 Award Joshua Alexander Williams ’21 Varsity “H” Award John Barrett C. ’23 Boy-MS Athletics Welyn Lee W. ’23 Girl-MS Athletics Head of School’s Award Ismene Styliane Germanakos ’19 Performance, sportsmanship, and leadership on and off the athletic field has set an example for all Hackley students to follow.

Class of 1921 Athletic Trophy John Webster Kneisley, Jr. ’19 Belle Thomas '19, Parker Cup winner, with Michael Wirtz.

US Miller Bowls

Junior Subject Book Award

Samantha Ashley Rosenstein ’19 Improvement of Mind and Attitude

Erin Hanyu Lynch ’20 English

Mikhaila Carlotta Archer ’19 Kindness and Courtesy

Maxwell Kent Rosenblum ’20

John Webster Kneisley ’19 Recognizing Enthusiastic Cooperation Hackley Bowl Conor Leo McMahon ’20 Outstanding Junior boy Emelyn Grace Wenstrup ’20 Outstanding Junior girl

Madeline Zuckerman ’20 History Demetra Alexandra Evangelidis ’20 Latin Oren R. Tirschwell ’20 Math Demetra Alexandra Evangelidis ’20 French Benjamin Regan Marra ’20 Spanish Erin Hanyu Lynch ’20 Chinese Josh Arthur Saha ’20 Science Madeline V. Zuckerman ’20 Technology Aidan Thomas Wilson ’20 Visual Arts

Awarded by the Athletic Department to a male for distinction in Upper School athletics.

McIlhenny Bowl Olivia Nicole Curran ’19 Awarded by the Athletic Department to a female for distinction in Upper School athletics.

C L A S S D AY A W A R D S

Mrs. Frederick W. Sherman Book Prizes Joshua Adam Gluckman ’19 Classics Joshua Adam Gluckman ’19 English Grant Emerson Albright ’19 Alan Seeger Prize In Writing Connor Bernard Thomson ’19 History Alexa Skye Augustine ’19 Modern Language Anastasia Popova ’19 Mathematics Lillian Yerkes ’19 Visual Arts Rahat Mahbub ’19 Performing Arts—Drama Peter McNulty Clyne ’19 Technology

Taylor Robin '20 presented the Community Council Award to Zaya Gooding '19

Steven A. Frumkes Award

Royal A. Clark Memorial Award

Stanley Pennock Prize In Science

Isabelle Germaine Thomas ’19

Matthew William Fisch ’19

Anastasia Popova ’19

For the Friendliest Senior

David Jiahe Jiang ’19 Valedictorian

Bruce F. Roberts Scholar Athlete Award William Walker Crainer ’19

Class of 1963 Charles Tomlinson Griffes Award

David Jiahe Jiang ’19

Katherine Grace Gonick ’19

Salutatorian

Richard Perkins Parker Memorial Cup

Richard Langdon Nuzum III ’19

Joshua Adam Gluckman ’19

Isabelle Germaine Thomas ’19

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20ı8–20ı9 Athletics Awards Baseball

Jason Mark Basketball BOYS’

Matthew C. Wiele

Squash BOYS’

William H. Ezratty GIRLS’

Nina Mital

Community Council 2018–19 PRESIDENT

Taylor Robin VICE PRESIDENT

Ben Marra SECRETARY/TREASURER

Emelyn Wenstrup

GIRLS’

Swimming

Jordan S. Wade

Mary H. Rotenberg Aiden T. Wilson

Emily Afriyie

Tennis

Kireeti Josyula and Gabe Baez

Cross Country

Olivia N. Curran Jonah D. Gorevic Field Hockey

Karina G. Bridger Jennifer E. Canoni Fencing

Jon”Max” Bryant Zaya L. Gooding Football

Folger R. Hogg Golf BOYS’

Jimin Jung GIRLS’

Catherine Lapey Indoor Track BOYS’

Josh A. Saha Jonah D. Gorevic GIRLS’

Tajah Burgher Princess P. Ohia-Enyia Lacrosse BOYS’

Hislop Award Walter B. Myers

SENIOR CLASS PRESIDENT SENIOR CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

BOYS’

SENIOR CLASS AGENT

Jared O. Tillis

Enzi Teacher

GIRLS’

Fiona J. Boettner Track & Field

Josh A. Saha Zoe K. Naughton Wrestling

JUNIOR CLASS PRESIDENT

Hadassah Henderson JUNIOR CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

Winslow Griffen and Sebastian Docters JUNIOR CLASS AGENT

Henry Knapp SOPHOMORE CLASS PRESIDENT

John “Jack” Kneisley

Tanner Benedetto

3X4 Award Winners

Sophie Miller and Kamila Lim

Will Crainer Olivia Curran Ismene Germanakos Jack Kneisley Mirabel Mallett Walter Meyers Anastasia Popova Molly Rosenthal Francis Schaeffler Isabelle Thomas Students who played on Hackley athletics teams in each of three seasons in all four years of Upper School.

SOPHOMORE CLASS REPRESENTATIVES SOPHOMORE CLASS AGENT

Jason Berger FRESHMAN CLASS PRESIDENT

Will be determined in Fall 2019 FRESHMAN CLASS REPRESENTATIVES

Will be determined in Fall 2019 FRESHMAN CLASS AGENT

Will be determined in Fall 2019 EIGHTH GRADE REPRESENTATIVES

Will be determined in Fall 2019 SEVENTH GRADE REPRESENTATIVES

Will be determined in Fall 2019 SIXTH GRADE REPRESENTATIVES

Will be determined in Fall 2019 FIFTH GRADE REPRESENTATIVE

Alexander Nuzum

GIRLS’

BOARD OF MAGISTRATES

Leah Holmes

Seniors Jordan Miller, Erin Lynch, Conor Mcmahon, Annabel Ives, Tajah Burgher, Margaret Broaddus, Eliana Lee, Liam Murphy

Soccer BOYS’

Matthew P. Braver GIRLS’

Isabelle G. Thomas Softball

Dana Van Buren Abbey Schiller

Juniors Charles Rudge, Kiriann Fitzpatrick, Eki Uzamere, Arav Misra, Charles Wind Sophomores Noah Tirschwell, Luke Chiasson, Mira Zaslow BOARDING REPRESENTATIVES

Kylie Morrison and Alexander Kirschgaessner

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ď…Ş click here for video of the Address

Commencement Addresses The Salutatory Address Joshua Gluckman ’19

It is a bold step for Mr. Wirtz and the Faculty to have me speak first, so early in our graduation ceremony. My homeroom friends and Mr. Flanigan will tell you that I am not the most punctual person. Thankfully, I am not late to school today. They told me the graduation ceremony would start at 9 this morning.

On Tuesday of last week, I found myself looking out of the floor-to-ceiling window at the back of Sternberg library. I had just passed my senior panel presentation, and had triumphantly walked to the bathroom to change out of my business attire.

Re-entering the library, I meandered to the edge of the common room and sat on top of one of the wooden tables. I looked out the window onto Akin Common. What I noticed was not the dark green turf, or the trees, or the people walking laps on the sidewalk that borders the space. Instead, I noticed the kindergarteners playing on the lower school playground across the common.

For a moment, I reflected on how much time had passed, and I asked myself why the kindergarteners had captured my interest. At first, I thought it was the realization of how much we have learned and grown since those days, and how much the kindergarteners can learn from us seniors, the oldest students in the school. But, as I thought further, I realized

what piqued my interest was far more compelling.

I wondered what, as we seniors go forth into the world, we can learn from the kindergarteners. And so I watched more closely, both recalling my own experiences as a kindergartener, and reflecting on my observations of the current ones playing on the lower school basketball court across Akin Common. Five lessons came to mind.

To reflect on our high school experience in the context of these lessons, I decided to revisit the spaces that have defined our time at Hackley. So, I decided to take a stroll around campus.

As many of my Hackley days had started, I began by walking through the Saperstein Arch onto Akin Common green. I reflected on the first lesson from my observation of the kindergarteners: retain the capacity to lose yourself in pure joy. As the kindergarteners played, I saw them immersed in the thrill of playground games, without any sense of time

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or schedule. Looking around the common, I thought about the experiences we have had as a class in that space. I heard the whisper of footballs whizzing through the air complemented by heated arguments over missed catches and undefined fouls. I recalled laughter over silly inside jokes, and groups of us lounging together in circles, relaxed and conversing.

Like kindergarteners, our grade has shown the capacity to lose ourselves in the fun and excitement of conversations and activities we care about. We have found ways to escape program and structure, and dive into things that provide us joy. As we enter the adult world, our lives will become increasingly structured and organized. It will be easy to get caught up on the treadmill of life and its predictable routines, and lose sight of life’s bigger picture. We should all hold onto the ability to lose our sense of time, and fall into things that provide us joy, just as the kindergarteners do, playing on the playground.

I then walked onto the next Akin Common green, and thought about the second lesson: maintain the

mindset of a beginner. I saw the kindergarteners approach the games I had played years ago with new strategies and fresh rules. Reflecting on our time in this space, I was taken back to our first grade-wide event, the boat race regatta. I heard the cutting of cardboard and the screech of duct tape.

Looking around the turf, I recalled cardboard boats designed and manufactured in every configuration imaginable. Some looked like 16th century warships, while others looked like surfboards with 4 foot oars.

Like kindergarteners learning how to navigate the world, none of us knew quite how to approach the process of constructing boats. But we were open to discovery. We were curious. We approached the project as the beginners we were. And so we created a colorful array of imaginatively designed boats —some of which floated and some of which sank.

We had fun. We learned about ourselves and one another. The experience was so meaningful, and was how I met some of my closest friends. Yet, as we enter adulthood, we will develop more knowledge, expertise, and reputation. We should never forget

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESSES

to maintain the perspective of a beginner - like a kindergartener whose mind is unconstrained by ingrained perspectives, and unburdened by the weight of outside expectations. This perspective will allow us to approach things creatively and innovatively.

Next, I walked towards the sophomore bubble, thinking about the third lesson: remain open to new ideas and new people. I saw the kindergarteners—all new to the school and each other—play games and interact fluidly. This caused me to remember many of us gathered together in the sophomore bubble, eating sandwiches from our favorite local restaurant, “The Wedge”—funded by one individual in particular. Amidst smells of over-applied deodorant and “The Dillon” sandwich, we began to learn about one another, connect, and form new friendships.

However, as we enter the adult world, our minds will become more susceptible to dominant cultural, social, and intellectual perspectives. This will make it much easier to ignore people and perspectives that are different from those deemed true and acceptable. So, sitting in the bubble last Tuesday, I thought about what Hackley’s informal motto—Enter Here To Be and Find a Friend—really means. Just as kindergarteners are unexposed to preconceived ideas and are open to new people and experiences, we should always keep our openness to the world. We should always enter places to be and find a friend.

Next, I walked towards the Sternberg Library, thinking about the fourth lesson: find and hold onto the small things that you love. I saw the kindergarteners excitedly exchanging Pokemon cards behind the basketball hoop, feverishly discussing their different powers and characteristics. They made me recall groups of us huddled around the library chess table, watching people exchange knights and rooks in intensely competitive matches. I also recalled Wednesdays, where we would approach Ms. Schmidt in the library and concoct creative sentences with her word of the day. And then I remembered the sounds of heated discussions about fantasy football, fantasy basketball, fantasy golf, fantasy hockey, fantasy baseball, daily fantasy, and many other forms of fantasy emanating from the senior hallway below.

Just as the kindergarteners obsessed over Pokemon cards, our grade has continued to find the small things that we love outside of the curriculum. As

we go forward, we should continue to find these seemingly small and esoteric activities that provide joy. We should hold onto them, and seek to become masters of them. They will refresh us, and add both dimension and richness to our lives.

Finally, towards the end of my walk, I approached the library exit leading to the Quad. However, instead of exiting, I stopped at the door. What caught my eye was Hackley’s other informal motto carved into the wood above the door: “Go Forth and Spread Beauty and Light.” It was here I thought about the final lesson: remain forward-looking with optimism and excitement. While this lesson is embedded within the words of the motto, the motto, in fact, transcends the phrase itself. It permeates the school: it exists in the classroom, where our teachers bring passion and excitement every day. It exists in the administration, who, building on Hackley’s strengths, are forging an even brighter future for the school. And it exists within all of us—the students—who bring refreshing ideas and optimism to the school and each other.

Hackley’s informal motto, in fact, is reflected in the kindergarteners playing on the lower school playground, with nowhere to look but forward, and approaching each moment with unabashed optimism. While encouraging us to value the past, Hackley has reinforced that we should continue, throughout our lives, to look forward with excitement and optimism.

Of course, these are just some of the Hackley spaces that have defined our experience. And these are just some of the lessons we should carry forward. Each of us has had our own spaces, people, and moments that have defined our experience on the Hilltop. And each of us has learned, in our own way, how special Hackley is.

Yet, if there is one lesson that we should all carry forward, it is never to lose these fundamental childhood qualities, embodied by Hackley’s kindergarteners. We should all hold on to them as long as we can.

I’d like to thank you—all of my classmates in Hackley’s Class of 2019, the parents, the alumni, the board of trustees, the faculty, the administration, and everyone else who is here today. Congratulations and my best wishes to you all.

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click here for video of the Address 

The Valedictory Address David J. Jiang ’19

As I stand here and look at all of you, I see a class of amazing and unique people.

A class of nervous and impressionable freshmen grown into confident seniors overflowing with zeal for a future of promise. I see athletes and scholars, writers and artists, thinkers and doers, and everything else that can come to mind. We are all our own astonishing individuals, that is for sure. And yet what binds us together has been this incredible journey that Hackley has given us. Four years for some, longer for others, the length of this story matters not so much as our experience of it.

And so what makes this journey so special?

There was a short story that I read in my fifth grade English class. I would tell you the name, except I’ve completely forgotten it. Simply put, it was about a miserly woman who realizes she has missed out on the joys of life after meeting her spendthrift childhood friend in old age. As with all English classes, we were asked afterwards to discuss who the richer of the two women were. My friend, tragically, pitifully blind in the shadow of his own hubris, answers with confidence that it was just the women who saved her money. And of course I, in my great, magnificent, infinite really 11 year old wisdom, countered otherwise.

“You fool! You absolute buffoon! You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! You cannot so easily say that the wealthier women is richer! If you were to close read this convoluted text, you’d see that she is poor—poor in the experience of life, for she lacks the experience that would make her not poor in experience!

And yes, in those exact words of course.

A simple story and a simple message, but thinking back these past four years, I am so incredibly grateful to be able to say that none of us here can be seen as poor in that regard. And for that we have Hackley to thank. In our time here, our teachers and peers have challenged us to grow not only as high school students, but as lifelong learners and adventurers.

Whether in the classroom, on the field, or on the stage, we’ve been taught not simply just to embrace our passions, but to broaden our talents and explore uncharted knowledge.

We’ve been taught to approach our education in a creative and unconventional fashion. Anyone here who had Ms. Leffler in freshman year English must remember the Romeo and Juliet films we made.

Advanced physics students remember building spaghetti bridges to learn about tension, compression, and shearing, and also about the intimacies of dread and despair as Karps, without mercy, pushed our bridges to the breaking point. Students of Mr. Klimenko remember the lessons in scheming,

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESSES

classroom strife, and friendly political betrayal that he graced upon us with schadenfreudic glee. Who knows where these projects may end up leading, what passions they might inspire, what ambitions that might linger in the form of a newfound love for filmmaking, civil engineering, or dictatorial rule.

We often feel the urge to save time as the miser did her money, to spend it conservatively and on pursuits we deem to be definitively worthy. It just feels like the right choice sometimes, the safe choice. I’ll be the first to admit that I haven’t always enjoyed the experiencing of, well, experiencing. Cramming in English theory packets at 1 AM in the morning—not a fun experience.

Walking into school thinking that I would spend second period studying for a test and then finding out there’s a speaker—wasn’t a fun experience. However, in retrospect, I wouldn’t give it up for anything.

And that is because I see the results before me.

In our class we have an internationally ranked fencer conducting medical research, an avid track athlete who presented original research on bionanotechnology at an international fair, and a scuba diving environmentalist on the swim team who also leads an alter ego life as the mysterious Sternum Man. We have students ranting about existential philosophy in a high level math course. We have students presenting on quantum physics and relativity

in a literary theory English course. We are a class unafraid of risks and challenges, a class that leans into uncertainty instead of away, a class that is always ready to step outside the safe confines of our own climate controlled comfort zones. As you all remember, when controversy struck our campus during an incident just a couple months ago, we came together to tackle the issue as one community. Where others may have turned away from their own, we looked ours in the eye, even if it meant reflecting on our own narratives.

In hallways and classrooms, I heard you offer your heartfelt thoughts and analyses. At lunch meetings we spoke our minds without fear, drawing on the skills given to us in our activities and education at Hackley.

I mentioned before that our time here at Hackley was a story. Taking a step back, it’s more of a chapter, a chapter of a longer story that we have the wonderful opportunity to both read and write. As we move on to the next chapter of our lives, I simply hope that you will carry on the lessons you’ve learned here. To flip back the pages and re-read the Hackley chapter from time to time, so that you may better write the next one. To keep that intellectual curiosity, that diversity of talent, that self reflection, that passionate freethinking spirit. Everything that made us Hackley students, and now makes us Hackley graduates.

Congratulations Class of 2019. We deserve it.

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click here for video of the Address 

The Commencement Address Ambassador Stephanie S. Sullivan ’76 Ambassador Stephanie Sullivan, Hackley Class of 1976, currently serves as U.S. Ambassador to Ghana. Ambassador Sullivan is a career member of the Senior Foreign Service with extensive governmental and international experience.

After graduating from Hackley, she went on to earn her Bachelor's degree in Classics from Brown University, along with as well as 11 varsity letters. Alerted to the idea of the Peace Corps by former Hackley faculty members Mort Dukehart and Raymond Mitton, she spent three years with the Peace Corps in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after Brown.

Since that time, she has gone on to an impressive career of service to others and the nation through various government posts in the United States and beyond. She earned her Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College and has held numerous titles within the U.S. government, including Chief of Staff to the Deputy Secretary of State for Management and Resources and Director of the Executive Secretariat Operations Center, which is the State Department’s 24/7 briefing and crisis management center. She has also served in the White House Situation Room. Her current ambassadorship is her second, having previously served as U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of the Congo from 2013-2017.

Head of School Michael Wirtz, Distinguished Graduates of the Class of 2019, Faculty, Staff, and Trustees, Parents, Grandparents, Family, and Friends, Ladies and Gentlemen, good morning. Thank you for the great honor of addressing you on this special day here on the Hilltop, “where the seasons tell their story.” Let’s take a moment to express our gratitude to all those who helped today’s graduates along their path!

Today we celebrate the end of one chapter and the start of a new chapter—as well as the culmination of years of hard work and intellectual growth. I do hope you’ve had some fun along the way!

My own commencement, and that of my 77 fellow seniors, took place during our nation’s bicentennial.

You can find our names inscribed on the wooden plaque for the Class of 1976, located in the stairwell outside Mrs. Coy’s office, heading up to the math hallway. As I have now reached the “season of storytelling,” I will tell you a few of my own stories, punctuated by Six Tips.

As a class, you have shared many experiences— EX Day, Stings, Coffeehouses, and leadership

opportunities both on and off the athletic fields. As individuals, know that the world needs each one of you to bring your authentic self to the table. While you can and will draw inspiration from those you have met along your path, as you become the next generation of leaders, you will need to both value and share your unique gifts.

Tip #1: The world really does need you, even if you have not yet identified your passion!

Flashback to my second tryout for the All-County Orchestra here in Westchester. I had been selected as a second violin the year before, on my first, seemingly effortless try. I regret to say I had hardly, if

COMMENCEMENT ADDRESSES

at all, practiced the piece I was to play for my second audition. After I had scratched my way through the assigned score, the judge peered over his glasses and asked, “Did you say you were in the All-County Orchestra last year?” When I proudly replied “Why, yes, yes I was,” he asked, “Are you sure??”

Needless to say, that was the end of the audition, and I was not selected. I call that one of my “kicked as a puppy” moments, which taught me to over-prepare.

Those moments that some would call failure, I prefer to view as learning opportunities. Don’t take success for granted—the world does not owe you.

Tip # 2: Do your homework!

Having spent more than half of my career working in Africa or on African Affairs, I’d like to invoke the African saying, “We all stand on the shoulders of our ancestors.” I take this to heart both personally and professionally.

I think of the Hackley teachers and other students from whom I learned so much, starting with my late mother, Barbara Sanders, who taught Art at Hackley for three decades.

Two of Hackley’s faculty inspired me to join the Peace Corps (which I did when my Plan A of becoming a Rhodes Scholar did not pan out.) Later, when I was homesick in Mbanza Mboma, and received a letter from my former faculty advisor—a letter commending my determination to live two years in a rural setting with just three hours of electricity a day and an uncertain supply of unpotable water—only then did I realize that his Peace Corps experience had been quite different—teaching English to spouses of diplomats in a capital city. What?? How did I miss that?

Tip # 3 “Read the fine print!

Peace Corps was indeed the “toughest job you’ll ever love,” and I even extended for a third year after learning to “bloom where I was planted.” As a Volunteer before cell phones and the Internet, I tended not to communicate with family and friends when things were going well. Instead, I poured out my heart in letters—yes, handwritten letters—when I was feeling most discouraged.

A letter took a minimum of two weeks to reach the U.S., and an immediate reply took at least two more weeks to reach me. By the time I got a return letter brimming with concern, I wondered, “What the heck are they talking about? That was so last month.” In fact, I had probably experienced several emotional peaks and valleys in the ensuing weeks.

As a parent now myself, I urge you to practice Tip #4: Communicate with your parents also when things are going well.

After college and my Peace Corps service, I supposed I would inevitably become a lawyer. With all due respect to current and future lawyers present, that thought did not make me spring out of bed in the morning. Just because I had scored well on the LSAT did not mean that that was my calling, but law school seemed like the place my classmates who were not premed were heading.

Time for an infomercial about the Foreign Service: A career as a U.S. diplomat offers an unparalleled opportunity to advance American interests on the global stage and make a positive difference in the world. How do you join? Many think the Foreign Service Officer Test is a test of history, economics, culture. Well, it is all of the above, but most of all, it is a test of persistence. And it’s free!

I took the written exam three times before passing.

Persistence is a quality needed in abundance in a diplomatic career, or for that matter, in any career.

In fact, while I grew up in the shadow of the United Nations and participated in Hackley’s Model UN program, it had never crossed my mind to become a diplomat. I had never even met a diplomat, American or foreign, until serving as a Peace Corps Volunteer overseas. As you move off the Hilltop, this is a time when you can explore new courses, and open your eyes to opportunities you may not have known existed.

If you are too narrowly focused or driven to keep up with others’ successes, especially as portrayed on social media, you may miss your true calling.

Tip # 5: Stay open to serendipity—you never know where it will lead.

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Forty-three years after leaving the Hilltop, I reflect on what Hackley gave me: • Strong written communications skills that are the foundation for academic and professional success; • A sense of self-worth beyond my last “A” grade or athletic feat, bolstered by inspiring teachers who cared about the whole person and took pains to personalize their “evidentials;” • The resiliency to swim upstream at the dawn of coeducation and Title IX; • An ever-growing sense of community, even though, like many high schoolers, I wasn’t sure at the time that I fit in, and wasn’t always convinced that “Enter here to be and find a friend” applied to me; and • A taste of the world beyond our borders—for my Senior Project, I boarded an airplane for the first time, and spent a month at a French lycee, keeping a journal in my less-than-perfect French.

And while setting yourselves up for success in the world in part by doing your homework and reading the fine print, it’s also important to try new things at which you are unlikely to excel. It will stretch you beyond complacency and keep you humble.

Tip #6: It is perfectly okay not to be perfect.

Hackley Class of 2019, enjoy the seasons ahead as you embark on the next, exciting chapter, that only you can write. I wish you all the best, and I hope you realize, after our time together this morning, that that does not mean I wish only successes for you. The value of the mutual support of classmates with whom you have shared your unique Hackley experience, will only grow over time. Keep up with each other, as you will go through many of life’s passages around the same time.

Know, also, that you have a strong network of Hackley “ancestors”—the people behind the names on the wooden plaques lining the hallways, plaques that will soon include your names. We are eager to help you stand on our shoulders and surpass our contributions to the world. Another one of my favorite African sayings is “The path to a friend’s house is never far.”

May that be true of your path back to the Hilltop.

Congratulations to each of you, and one more thing: “Go forth and spread beauty and light.”

click here for complete Commencement photo gallery  click here for complete Commencement Diploma Ceremony 

SECTION

Congratulations to the Class of 20Äą9!

Grant Emerson Albright Mikhaila Carlotta Archer Alexa Skye Augustine Nicholas Peter Barsanti Mia Grace Boemio Fiona Josefine Boettner Philip Carl Bonanno III Annika Mai-Lise Braun Matthew Philip Braver Karina Gillian Bridger Dewaun Andrew Charles Burns James Nicholas Butterfield Madison Leigh Carter Daniel Ross Casper Valentina Ashley Castro William Louis Catalano Amy Elizabeth Chalan Jack A. Chen Raghav Raj Chopra Peter McNulty Clyne Evangeline Anastasia Coffinas William Walker Crainer Olivia Nicole Curran Thomas DePaulo Dewey Asha Narasimhan Dhakad William Henry Ezratty Kexin Fan Matthew William Fisch Jerome Augustin Francis Ismene Styliane Germanakos Wesley Lawrence Gilbert Joshua Adam Gluckman William James Goldsmith

Katherine Grace Gonick Liam Melbourne Gonick Zaya LaChanze Gooding Cory Kent Gorczycki Katherine Strasser Greenberg Charles Andrew Hite Folger Jude Russell Hogg Matthew Alexander Jean David Jiahe Jiang Anthony Scott Johnson Henry Christenson Jones James Matthew Jones Alexander Edward Karram John Webster Kneisley Jr. Varun Jonnalagadda Krishna Ingrid Anna Lauerwald Henry Kenneth Lin Rahat Mahbub Saisha Diya Malhotra Maximilian Mills Mallett Mirabel Emma Mallett Jason D. Mark Catherine Rosemarie Marshall Daamiya A. Mir Benjamin Cole Monroe Tatiana Chieun Monteleone Walter Blake Myers Zoe Katherine Naughton Richard Langdon Nuzum III Isla Joy Parton Robert Burns Patterson Cristina Paz Paul Frederick Peruzzi

Anastasia Popova Paul Ellis Rinzler Katherine Grace Robertson Samantha Ashley Rosenstein Molly Jill Rosenthal Frances Quinn Schaeffler Dillon Alwin Schaevitz Anna McKee Sellon Lauren Elizabeth Shapiro Kyle Aron Spencer Natalie Michelle Sukhman Luke George Sulam Rami Saif Sumaida Christopher E. Sun Andrew Benjamin Tang Isabelle Germaine Thomas Connor Bernard Thomson Matthew Nicholas Traum Rachel Madeleine Troy Dana Grace Van Buren Robert Irvin Villani Jordan Samantha Wade Maya Hesse Watson Patrick Walsh Wertimer Madeline Liddell White Kendall Morgan Wieland Tucker Warner Wilke Cole S. Wyman Nicole Yang Lillian Yerkes Matthew William Zampolin Ella Rai Zaslow Joshua Zhang

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