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THE EXPLORER
: ALUMNI EDITION
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Dear Friends,
Finally!
After a summer of non-stop planning, the school year opened eight weeks ago. For me, the summer was a whirlwind that has yet to slow down. Since becoming director of development & alumni relations last May, every day has been an opportunity to learn more about the Academy, our enrolled students, our remarkable faculty, and in particular, you – our talented and successful alumni.
In short, it’s a privilege to work at Harrisburg Academy – and to have my son enrolled, as well.
My experience as a board member of a number of local service organizations has influenced me deeply. My tenure on the board of the local Girls Scouts Council showed me what a mobilized and committed “alumni” can mean for an organization. I look forward to serving you and fulfilling the mission of the Academy’s alumni program.
As some of you are aware, in June Michael LaRue '02 left the Academy. We miss Michael and wish him best of luck. Michael effectively initiated a number of alumni programs during his four-year tenure, including our Alumni Weekend, Student Alumni Network, this Alumni Explorer, and Academy “Lunch-and Learns” with our Upper School students. Michael’s friendly outreach and knowledge of our alumni community were a significant asset to our program.
In September, Vicki DiSylvester joined our Development & Alumni Relations program. Vicki was recently the corporate development officer for our local chapter of the American Red Cross and prior to that, executive director at the former Channels Food Rescue of Harrisburg. Vicki replaces Beth Zak, who served the Academy’s Development Office so ably for eight years. Beth played a major role in the creation and success of our John Harris Circle and our Bold Ambition comprehensive campaign. Without Beth’s expertise, neither fund-raising initiative would have reached the levels they achieved. Beth leaves big shoes to fill. We miss her, and anticipate Vicki’s success at the Academy.
I look forward to speaking with you directly and via future editions of this Alumni Explorer.
With warm regards,
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Stacy Klann
Director of Development and Alumni Relations
(717) 763-7811 Ext. 1390
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Vivian Brandler '76
Vivian Brandler '76 was recently featured in an article in PennLive titled “Her parents escaped Soviet occupation. Now PA artist wants to bring their ashes home." To read the article in its entirety, please visit
pennlive.com
.
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Jay Friedlander '86
Harrisburg Academy welcomed Jay Friedlander '86 for a wonderful day filled with discussions on global sustainability. Students were enthralled with the subject matter of zero-waste and taking strides towards eliminating personal waste. Hosted through our Center for Technology & Entrepreneurship, students were able to participate in a Lunch N’ Learn and classes that were led by Jay.
“Thanks for organizing a wonderful trip," Jay said. "It was fun to see the Academy, and I really enjoyed meeting the faculty, staff, and students. It was also exciting to see how much resonance and overlap there was with College of the Atlantic and the Academy.”
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Bill Miles '86
Bill Miles '86 recently was hired as the CEO of Vidigami Inc, a New Hampshire based business that specializes in capturing and preserving photographs for schools nation-wide.
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Tori Levine '04
Babies at the Barre, LLC, was formed two years ago when owner, Tori Levine '04, wanted to get back to exercising and teaching barre and pilates classes but didn’t want to leave her infant with a sitter. Interest in her mommy and me babywearing barre class grew locally as well as nationally. "My business, Babies at the Barre™, LLC, recently was named a 2017 American Small Business Champion by SCORE and Sam's Club. Part of the win included an all-expense paid trip to Dallas for a training and networking event," said Tori.
"The focus of Babies at the Barre™ classes is to create a safe space for new moms to come together and safely exercise while connecting with each other and their children. The support of the local community and the joy moms receive from meeting each other and attending classes has been a driving factor in the success and growth of Babies at the Barre™, LLC. In addition to having Trained Babies at the Barre™ instructors in several states, we now have a new instructor in England and the option for moms all over the world to take live online classes."
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Sydney Otto '05
Sydney Otto '05 was married to Chris Hamway on July 29, 2017, in Chicago. Academy alumni celebrating with the couple included Ted Otto '10, Minyoung Jeong '05, Devin Dadigan '06, Erin DeRemer Giambrone '06, Erica Pettis Wallace '06, and Eric Pettis ‘78 (not pictured). Sydney is a senior client service associate in the Institutional Marketing & Client Services division of Ariel Investments in Chicago.
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HAppenings Around Harrisburg
Academy
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Harrisburg Academy Ranked in 2018 Best Schools by Niche
Thank you for helping Harrisburg Academy rise in the rankings of best schools as presented by Niche (a feedback website that tabulates rankings, reviews, and statistics on 250,000 U.S. colleges, K-12 schools, and places to live). For 2017-18, Academy is ranked as:
- #13 Best College Prep Private High School in Pennsylvania
- #18 Best Private K-12 School in Pennsylvania, and
- #24 Most Diverse Private High School in Pennsylvania.
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Nominations for Alumni Achievement Awards 2017-18
Harrisburg Academy awards up to four special alumni awards each year at its Alumni Achievement Awards and Athletics Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony. We will present our “Academy Awards” on Friday, March 9, 2018.
We encourage you to submit nominations for yourself and your former classmates using
this form
. Please review the criteria for each award, submit your nominations and make plans to join us in March to honor the recipients.
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HAppenings: The Official Blog of Harrisburg Academy
GOLD MEDAL CONNECTION
Fifteen adult synchronized skaters moved backwards across the ice, connected shoulder-to-shoulder in two parallel lines of seven, completing a complicated footwork pattern in perfect synchronization. Of these skaters, whose bodies, blades, heads, arms, and legs moved together in unison, I was solidly placed second-from-the-end of the front line. Our group swooped hard to the left, paused, and swooped back to the right. I ran the steps through my head as I completed them: Step-cross-forward step; outside mohawk; and a hard push backward to merge our two lines into one long connected line.
Read more...
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Harrisburg Academy congratulates
Alexander Seman ’22
on being selected as one of the Top 300 MASTERS in the 2017 Broadcom MASTERS®, a program of the Society for Science & the Public that recognizes outstanding student science fair projects. Six thousand projects from across the United States were nominated for the competition.
Read more...
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Thomas B. Schmidt, III, a former trustee and alumni parent, accepted the 2017 McCormick Medal at Harrisburg Academy’s annual Founders Day celebration. The McCormick Medal is presented each year to one individual who exemplifies leadership and service to the school. Founders Day is held at the John Harris and Simon Cameron Mansion in downtown Harrisburg, Harrisburg Academy’s original location.
Read more...
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Harrisburg Academy Commencement 2017: Transcript of Address by
Randy St. John ’17h
This is a prepared text of the Commencement address delivered by Randy St. John ’17h on June 10, 2017.
Greetings to Mr. Clark, president of the Board, to Amelia Nazar, senior class president, to the rest of the senior class, to Dr. Newman, head of school, and to all of you in the audience who have been the enablers of the seniors’ attendance at Harrisburg Academy. And for you enablers, today is a graduation and a Commencement day for you too; today you graduate from Harrisburg Academy tuition payments, and you commence to make college tuition payments. God bless you for doing that and good luck.
Read more...
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Harrisburg Academy is proud to recognize its seven recent graduates who received an International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma this summer. The success of the Class of 2017 brings Harrisburg Academy’s total IB Diplomas earned to 75 (in nine years).
Read more...
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Harrisburg Academy freshman,
Liam Douglas ’20
, achieved a perfect score on the 2017 National Latin Exam. Only 813 students out of over 135,000 who participated in the United States, Taiwan, Canada, England, New Zealand, Australia, Hong Kong, Netherlands, China, Italy, Germany, Singapore, Belize, France, Spain, Zimbabwe, and the United Arab Emirates attained this distinction.
Read more...
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CHINA Town Hall Event
The Center for Global & Local Citizenship at Harrisburg Academy is pleased to host CHINA Town Hall, a conversation with The Honorable Susan E. Rice, former national security advisor and United States ambassador to the United Nations on Oct. 24, 2017 at 7 p.m in McCormick Auditorium. CHINA Town Hall is a national conversation on China taking place in 80+ communities throughout the U.S. The program will begin with a webcast featuring The Honorable Susan E. Rice, moderated by Stephen A. Orlins, president, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations.
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Supporting Teens in Reducing Their Stress (and Ours)
Harrisburg Academy, with the support of the Parents Association, will host Dr. Matt Bellace, psychologist, national youth speaker, and comedian. As a clinical psychologist and stand-up comedian, Dr. Bellace uses humor to convey his very powerful message –we need to support young people in both words and actions if we want them to make healthy choices for themselves.
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Annual Alumni Basketball Game - Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017
On the day before Thanksgiving, Harrisburg Academy invites alumni to participate in the annual alumni basketball games. This is a fun and exciting event, allowing alumni to reconnect both to each other and to our school.
Thanks to all of the alumni who joined us for the 2016 games! Mark your calendars for the 48th Annual Alumni Basketball Games on Wednesday, Nov. 22, 2017 in Louis Lehrman Gymnasium. The women's game is at 6 p.m. and the men's game is at 7:30 p.m. The Alumni Relations Office will provide snacks and refreshments. So bring your game face and cheer on your fellow alumni!
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The Greater Harrisburg Area's First IB World School
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