“π goes on forever, and if you wrote out all its digits you could find every possible combination of numbers. It’s a metaphor for the endless possibilities of the universe— and life itself.”
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Dear Hyla Friends and Families,
Last weekend, we gathered together at the Manor House for Hyla’s most important fundraiser of the year, our Gather & Give event in support of tuition assistance. It was an evening filled with words, reflections, and shared experiences from students and faculty, parents and community members, each offering a window into what Hyla is and how it is experienced
As I listened, I found myself returning to a simple idea, one that feels both true and especially important right now:
Together is better.
Not just in a broad or aspirational sense, but in the very real, everyday ways we support one another. In classrooms In conversations In moments of challenge and growth
At Gather & Give, I shared a reflection from Simon Sinek, who reminds us that none of us are meant to do this alone. Being human, learning, growing, and navigating life’s challenges requires something beyond ourselves. It requires a community. People who say, I’ve got you. I believe in you. I’m here.
At Hyla, we strive to be that for our students.
Not just one person, but an entire community of students, teachers, and families who are committed to growing together. People who understand that to be part of a community is not simply to belong to it, but to actively support the growth of others within it
And this is where another idea from that evening has stayed with me:
Kindness as action.
This idea was echoed in each of the student voices in our video. In different ways, they expressed that what defines a community like ours is not simply that we care, but that we act on that care.
You see it in the moments captured throughout this Hylighter. In classrooms, students engage deeply with ideas and with one another. In conversations, listening matters as much as speaking. Through experiences, from local to global, and through reflections, both personal and academic, students learn not only about the world, but their place within it.
You see it in the small, quiet moments, too. A teacher sitting beside a student, helping them find a new way forward A peer stepping in to explain, encourage, or simply sit alongside These are not grand gestures, but they are powerful. They are the daily practice of community.
And they are only possible because of the people who make up Hyla
At Gather & Give, we came together in support of tuition assistance because of a shared understanding: who gets to be part of this community matters. A Hyla education, and the belonging it fosters, should be within reach for every student who wants to be here.
This work is not separate from our mission. It is our mission.
To serve adolescents. To create a place where students are known, supported, and challenged. A place where they are not asked to fit in, but instead experience a true sense of belonging.
And where, day by day, they learn not only from their teachers, but from one another what it means to contribute, to care, and to be part of something larger than themselves
Thank you for being part of this community. For the many ways you already gather and give. For the ways you contribute, in large and small moments, to support not only your own children, but all of our students.
Because it is through these shared commitments that Hyla becomes what it is.
Together is better.
And together, Hyla is too.
Warmly, Suzanne
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SNAPSHOT: MIDDLE SCHOOL
MATH BY: CINDY
Our 6th and 7th grade classes took a full week to celebrate Pi Day (March 14), turning mathematics into a hands-on, real world application of math. We began the week by exploring the meaning of π through measurement Students worked in groups to measure the circumference and diameter of a variety of circular objects cans, cylinders, rolls of duct tape, and more By dividing the circumference by the diameter, they discovered that their results consistently approached the same number: pi. A friendly competition added excitement, with a prize awarded to the group whose calculation came closest One student stood out by working backward from pi to determine the exact measurements her object should have an impressive display of mathematical thinking During our classes for the rest of the week students worked together to prepare homemade apple pies from scratch making crust, slicing apples, and assembling their creations. Many took pride in designing intricate lattice patterns on top The finished pies were shared with the entire school community. Read more on our blog.
SNAPSHOT: UPPER SCHOOL
HISTORY
BY: KNA
In Modern World History this semester, we ’ ve been studying how the Cold War became a defining feature in international relations and how different regions of the world experienced this superpower rivalry from 1945 - 1990 We have looked beyond military flashpoints such as the Korean War and Cuban Missile Crisis, to explore debates over which “world’s” - first or second - political economy provided a better life for its people in the Kitchen Debate or was a model for people demanding civil rights, sovereignty, and dignity
And we have examined why it is so important to analyze decolonization efforts and the creation of a hundred new countries since the end of WWII in the specific context of the Cold War As such, we have seen the profound ways the work of Mohandas Gandhi and Jawaharlal Nehru influenced Bayard Rustin’s and Fannie Lou Hamer’s commitment to nonviolence and grassroots organizing in the American Civil Rights movement. Read more on our blog.
BY: BRENDA
We do it all the time, every day: we talk We chit chat at the grocery store, we call our mom on the phone (I should call my mom), we ask our kids about their day, we share our opinions about X with our friends We talk, we share, we listen, we talk But when do we talk to understand each other’s ideas? This fundamentally democratic skill requires practice and when this skill is sharp and honed for action we can talk to learn about differences and deepen understanding In English classes this semester, students have been reading a common text and TALKING about it. A lot
This semester, 11/12th grade students have been in literature circles while in 9th/10th grade English as we ’ ve been reading The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde In both classes, students have prepared for two Academic Reading Circle (ARC) Discussions, one Socratic Seminar, and one Tea Party (yes, that’s correct).
Read more on our blog
SNAPSHOT:
BY: JAMES
Food labels can be confusing “Sell by” dates, “best by” dates, and expiration dates often lead to good food being thrown away prematurely. Nutrition labels aren’t much better because they may or may not require a little math 6th and 7th grade students are examining food labels right now as they study Nutrition & Metabolism, which invites them to think about what they put into their bodies and how it is converted to energy and building material This sub-unit is connected to the Digestive System, and represents the penultimate organ system of our Anatomy & Physiology unit We’ve "tattooed” each other as we learned about macrophages in our skin. We’ve constructed animal skeleton parts, comparing them to our classroom human skeleton We’ve passed around a model of the brain, created phantom limbs, compared eye colors (see image), laser-cut neurotransmitter puzzle pieces, and navigated outdoor play spaces while blindfolded to test our senses and memories Read more on our blog
Interactive. Connected. Warm and a little messy
Describe your classroom in three words. What's one tradition or routine in your classroom that your students love?
Most students appreciate a warm-up activity Many like a game such as Connections, GeoGrid, an entry question, or even split rock-paper-scissors. I’m always amazed at how taking a few minutes at the start of class to play, connect, and hear from one another sets us up to learn better
If you weren’t a teacher, what would you be doing?
I think being a physical therapist would be fantastic. I have always said the superpower I would want would be to have “healing hands”. PT comes closest! Or, I would love to work in a book store that serves as a community hub (and that serves coffee).
Or work in a community health center/organization
If your class had a theme song, what would it be and why?
Prep periods no matter the time of day: John in the Morning on KEXP because: you are not alone, music heals, community matters
In class: Hermanos Gutierrez, Jose Gonzales, Buena Vista Social Club, Dave Brubeck Quartet for vibes and focus
If your classroom had a mascot, what would it be and why?
The magical goldfish from Grace Lin’s Where the Mountain Meets the Moon
THIS MONTH WE ARE FEATURING SOME OF BRENDA’S RECENT MUSING.
A POEM BRENDA HAS BEEN ENJOYING THIS MONTH:
“INSTRUCTIONS ON NOT GIVING UP”
MORE THAN THE FUCHSIA FUNNELS BREAKING OUT OF THE CRABAPPLE TREE, MORE THAN THE NEIGHBOR’S ALMOST OBSCENE DISPLAY OF CHERRY LIMBS SHOVING THEIR COTTON CANDY-COLORED BLOSSOMS TO THE SLATE SKY OF SPRING RAINS, IT’S THE GREENING OF THE TREES THAT REALLY GETS TO ME WHEN ALL THE SHOCK OF WHITE AND TAFFY, THE WORLD’S BAUBLES AND TRINKETS, LEAVE THE PAVEMENT STREWN WITH THE CONFETTI OF AFTERMATH, THE LEAVES COME. PATIENT, PLODDING, A GREEN SKIN GROWING OVER WHATEVER WINTER DID TO US, A RETURN TO THE STRANGE IDEA OF CONTINUOUS LIVING DESPITE THE MESS OF US, THE HURT, THE EMPTY. FINE THEN, I’LL TAKE IT, THE TREE SEEMS TO SAY, A NEW SLICK LEAF UNFURLING LIKE A FIST TO AN OPEN PALM, I’LL TAKE IT ALL. BY: ADA LIMÓN
A recent Book that Brenda has enjoyed: The Dispossessed (1974) by Ursula K Le Guin, a beautiful and groundbreaking sci-fi novel in which Le Guin explores anarchy, capitalism, and utopia on different planets through the eyes of a physicist.
Podcast Recommendations from Brenda: The Moth RadioLab Scene On Radio (current season: “Capitalism”)
