THE PHIN A MONTHLY ALUMNI NEWSLETTER JANUARY 2022 • ISSUE 7•
BOARD OF TRUSTEES SELECTS NEW HEAD OF SCHOOL FOR PREP The Board of Trustees of Hilton Head Preparatory School is pleased to announce the selection of Mr. Paul William Horgan as our next Head of School beginning July 1, 2022. Mr. Horgan comes to Hilton Head from Virginia Beach, where he has served as Head of the Upper School for Cape Henry Collegiate. His 11-year tenure at Cape Henry has proven him to be a man of patience, virtue, and leadership. This selection is the result of an extensive national search conducted by a Head of School Search Committee and supported by Southern Teachers Agency. The committee selected three outstanding finalists who were invited to Hilton Head Prep for interview sessions with focus groups consisting of trustees, parents, faculty, staff, and students. Mr. Horgan went on to receive the Search Committee’s recommendation to the Board of Trustees who, in turn, unanimously voted for his appointment. Our next Head of School has a track record of creating programs that help students understand and reach their potential. Mr. Horgan completed his undergraduate studies at Villanova University before obtaining his Masters in Education at the University of Virginia. He has served at The Palm Valley School, The Highland School, Foxcroft School, and Cape Henry Collegiate. He has earned great distinction as he has progressed in his career from Teacher, to Department Chair, to Director of College Counseling, and finally to Head of the Upper School. Mr. Horgan competed as a college athlete, and has used his time coaching multiple sports to help instill in his students the values associated with discipline, hard work, and fair play. He is a student-centered educator who has dedicated his professional life to excellence in independent schools.
WHAT'S INSIDE... Board of Trustees Selects New Head of School
Festival of Trees Winners & Highlights Alumni Spotlight: Niles Murphy '06 Upcoming Events
THE PHIN • ALUMNI MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
Festival of Trees AWARD WINNERS AND HIGHLIGHTS
BEST TREE "CHRISTMAS CHINOISERIE" BY PARKER PATON DESIGNS (PARKER SMITH PATON '98)
HOLIDAY ELEGANCE "PLANES, TRAINS, AND AUTOMOBILES" BY THE LAW OFFICE OF MICHAEL J. HOWELL (MARGARET HOWELL UP DE GRAFF '00)
BEST THEME "LAISSEZ LES LE BON TEMPS ROULER" BY KENNY B'S FRENCH QUARTER CAFE
MOST UNIQUE "DRIFTING INTO CHRISTMAS" BY THE ALFORD FAMILY
WHIMSICAL WONDER "SANTA'S MAGICAL FAIRIES" BY ANNIE AND GRACIE PALUMBO-ALKIRE
BEST NON-TREE TREE "SOUTHWEST CHRISTMAS" BY ST. FRANCIS CATHOLIC SCHOOL
CREATIVE GENIUS "ELF WANTS CHOCOLATE" BY MARILYN GARRETT
BEST HHP GRADE TREE "TIS' THE SEASON TO SPARKLE" BY HILTON HEADS PREP'S 3RD GRADE CLASS
DURING THE FESTIVAL WE ENJOYED SEVERAL EVENTS INCLUDING "AN EVENING OF JAZZ" AND "A NIGHT AT THE ORCHESTRA" FEATURING PREP MIDDLE AND UPPER SCHOOL STUDENTS
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THE PHIN • ALUMNI MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
A L U M N I
S P O T L I G H T :
Niles Murphy '06 After graduating from Prep in 2006, Niles attended Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, where he majored in Political Science and was a varsity football and track team member, a member of various clubs, including helping to start Dartmouth’s Ivy Sports Business League chapter. Niles also served as Risk Manager/Social Chair of his fraternity, Gamma Delta Chi. He spent a good deal of his professional career navigating the PESO Model for experience in media, communication, and marketing and is currently the Director of Government Relations for Cision, a leading global earned media software and services provider, helping to overhaul our current go-to-market strategy for federal government clients. Niles would encourage anyone interested in media to pursue the style or type of media that interests them the most. Think of the things you’re passionate about, like sports, video games, fashion, arts, technology, healthcare, etc. There are media lanes for every industry where you can create content, sponsorships, legal terms, and programs supporting the things you love. When Niles was in high school and even in college, he thought he'd have to give up his passion for sports and the arts if he didn’t become a professional athlete or entertainer. This career taught him that’s undoubtedly not the case. His interest in the media industry grew while pursuing a minor in film at Dartmouth. Two of his mentors, Rick and Dee Ray, connected Niles with his first internship in the industry at a New York City production studio called Tupelo Honey. Niles spent his sophomore winter in NYC running errands, but got his first taste of the behind-the-scenes life of the media industry. He was lucky to have had the opportunity to help create content at Fashion Week, music videos for Chris Brown and Jordan Sparks, and spring training with the Mets, among other things. When he was a young professional, Niles struggled to find an industry he was happy in. After graduating from Dartmouth, he tried a hand in Telecom, Healthcare, and Commercial Real-estate, but found himself unsatisfied. When he was reconnected to the media industry through CBS, he realized that he enjoyed its variety. Sometimes Niles would come to work and focus on content creation; other days he focused on understanding behavior through data science, while attending events and networking. Niles says we are on the cusp of another industrial revolution, which will be pivotal in the media industry; one that will blur the lines between the physical, digital, and biological worlds we know. Think about using GPS to help you find the best late-night pizza spot on UberEats, voice-activated virtual assistants such as Siri, personalized Spotify recommendations, or the iPhone’s ability to recognize your face and tag you and your friends in photos. This perfect storm of technologies is paving the way for transformative changes in how we behave and consume. Businesses will have to offer greater personalization and more valuable, connected experiences across their brick and mortar and digital footprints. As consumers, there are more options than ever, so businesses will need to evolve and create more integrated omnichannel strategies. This is great for Niles' industry and his long-term goal of running his own agency! Niles would encourage those still developing skills to keep growing your interpersonal skills, writing skills, creative skills, math skills, working in groups towards a common goal, taking on responsibility, asking questions, and making mistakes. Before starting his career, Niles wished he had sought out more tangible experience and read more industry related books. He suggests to start with reading Dr. Jonah Berger’s books, Invisible Influence and Contagious. Dr. Berger is a marketing professor at Wharton and a thought leader on customer behavior, word of mouth, and why products and ideas catch on. Be inquisitive about those who’ve done it before so you can help innovative how we do it in the future. There is no one size fits all; any successful media company will require a little bit of everything. There’s a military saying, “Semper Gumby,” which means always be flexible. Some things will shift your days through your studies, professionally, and personally. Keep calm and Semper Gumby.
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THE PHIN • ALUMNI MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
2021-2022 ALUMNI GIVING PROGRESS FOR 2021-2022
Alumni Gatherings/Reunions
Have you visited with your old Prep buddies or had a class reunion? If so,
we would love for you to share your photos! Email Leslie at lhart@hhprep.org and we will put them in the next issue of The Phin.
Total Dollars: $12,770 # of Alumni Donors: 15
GOAL FOR 2021-2022 Total Dollars Goal: $35,000 # of Alumni Donors Goal: 75
Let's crush our goals for 2021-2022!
To make an alumni gift to Hilton Head Prep click HERE.
Over the holidays several of the Sea Pines Academy alumni got together! From left to right: Pete Soens '85, Bruce Quinn '86, Lindsay Ames '90, RJ Soens '85, and Margaret Crenshaw '85
2021-2022 Alumni Board
Michael Bassett '92 - President Addison Goss Cook '06 - Vice President Andrew Hazel '06 - Special Events Co-Chair Andrew Kolb '00 - Special Events Co-Chair Claire Noonan '09 - Marketing/Social Media Chair Margaret Crenshaw '85 (SPA) - Class Reps Shane Scibelli '91 Catherine Scarminach Lewallen '95 Susan Ochsner '78 (SPA) Nancy Fish '83 (SPA) Leslie Hart - Director of Alumni Relations Margot Brown - Director of Development
JANUARY 2022
The Alumni Association wishes you all a happy and prosperous new year! PAGE | 05