October 7, 2022   Dear Friends,   The cool weather and changing colors of the trees tell us that fall is upon us and that means our annual fall activities and fall sports programs have begun as well. It’s an exciting time of year, one that brings us a great deal of news to share.

Speed Mentoring Opportunity for Upper School Students Our Upper School students had a chance to learn about a wide range of careers from our very own alumni and alumnae at our Speed Mentoring Event held on Thursday, October 6. At the event, alumni and alumnae joined us to share their experiences and answer questions in brief tabletop discussions. Students not only learned about potential careers but also got to meet accomplished alumni and alumnae and think about internships, mentoring relationships, and their May projects. Thanks to the Alumni and Alumnae Associations for sponsoring this event! Pictured here from left to right are: John Scicchitano '88, Thomas (TJ) Conti '97, Dan Quigley '95, P'26, '27, Carol Crummey McCardle '04, Steve Kasselman '05, Ryan M. Caponera, Esq. '02, George Mahoney '82, P'21, '23, Cdr. Joseph Fitzgerald, USN (Ret.) '74, Samantha Miorin '10, Isabelle Jansen '10, Lynne Kimball '97, P'29, '31, Kara DePaula '97, Natalie Squillace '14, Mark Spiers '99, P'30, '32, Taylor West '14, Jacob Miorin '12, Carmen (Osorio) Power '04, John Scott '06.

Homecoming is Happening This Weekend AAG and AA athletics are in full swing, and our big homecoming weekend is almost here! Join us on Friday, Oct. 7 for the AAG Varsity Swimming and Diving Meet and then on Saturday morning, Oct. 8 at 11:00 a.m. for the AAG Varsity Soccer game, followed by the annual Caird Classic football game at 2:00 p.m. The weekend will be filled with lots of fun, tailgating, food trucks, lawn games, and a chili cookoff. During a special halftime ceremony, we will gather all alumni and alumnae who are present and take a photo together on the field with Cindy Caird, the beloved widow of Jim Caird ’52 who sadly passed away this year. We hope to see you there! See the full schedule of events here.

No Place for Hate Peer Leader Training Our Upper School students recently worked over a three-day period with No Place for Hate facilitators for the Peer Training Program. The training provided students with the opportunity to facilitate and sustain positive social change at school. Each group was trained to lead developmentally appropriate activities and discussions with their peers on bias-related issues such as bullying and cyberbullying. Participants also developed safe and practical prevention and response strategies for prejudicial behaviors, including ways in which they can become allies for their peers who are targeted. We congratulate the 13 students who took on a leadership role to build understanding, respect, and equity in our school community.

Legacy of Dreams was a Success! Thank you to all the alumni and alumnae who supported our Legacy of Dreams event last month. It was a wonderful and successful evening held in support of our athletic programs at the Academies. If you weren’t able to attend and would still like to donate, you can do so here. Thank you to Andy Safranko '91 P'23, '26 for chairing the event. Pictured here are Director of Arts Rich Johnson P'35, Director of Middle School Adam Collett P'32, and Pete Hanson '91, P'28, '30 enjoying themselves at the event.

Newly Renovated Fitness Center Officially Opens We officially opened our newly renovated fitness center last week with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Our very sincere thanks to Jeff Levine ’67 who generously donated funds to renovate and equip this training facility. We’re sure that our student-athletes will enjoy this updated facility for years to come. Thank you, Jeff!

Varsity Golf Teams Win Championships! Congratulations to both the AA and AAG Varsity Golf teams on their recent championship wins. The AA Varsity Golf team won the Colonial Council Championship tournament, and the AAG Varsity Golf team won the Section 2 Championship tournament. The AAG team members also qualified for a spot in the state championship. We are so proud of both teams. Keep up the great work and good luck at the state championship, girls!

Alumnus Named to RPI’s Athletic Hall of Fame Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute recently announced the inclusion of former Albany Academy hockey player Marc Cavosie ’99 in the newest class of its Athletic Hall of Fame inductees. As a forward on the RPI Hockey team, Marc was named the Rensselaer Male Freshman Athlete of the Year. He currently serves as an assistant coach for the Rensselaer women’s ice hockey team. Marc is also an Albany Academy Hall of Fame Inductee, Class of 2019. Congratulations, Marc!

Alumna to Play on Holy Cross Lacrosse Team Congratulations to Emily Smith ’22, a student at The College of the Holy Cross, who secured a spot on the Women’s Lacrosse Team. Emily was a scholar-athlete at Albany Academy for Girls, and we look forward to watching her continued success in college!

Class of 1970 Gather in San Diego Members of the Class of 1970 gathered in San Diego, CA and were hosted by their classmate, Rufus Burlingame '70. One of the highlights of the trip was a golf outing at Torrey Pines where they proudly used their Albany Academy golf towels, courtesy of the Office of Institutional Advancement.

Admissions Open House Coming in November The Office of Admissions will host an open house for prospective families on Saturday, Nov. 19 at 11 a.m. If you know someone who might be considering The Albany Academies for their child or children, please invite them to attend. We will provide tours of the campus and share the benefits of joining the Academies community. Please share this registration link with anyone who may be interested: albanyacademies.org/admissions/admission-events

Frank E. O’Brien III ’84 Memorial Alumni Hockey Game is coming in December The Frank E. O’Brien III ’84 Memorial Alumni Hockey Game will return this year on Dec. 30. Frank was a three-sport athlete at the Academy, playing golf, lacrosse, and hockey, and was a member of the 1983 NYC Section II championship hockey team. Frank passed away on December 14, 2007, at the age of 40 after a courageous battle with brain cancer and was inducted posthumously into The Albany Academy Athletic Hall of Fame in 2008. More details on the hockey game to come; however, if you are interested in participating, please register here.

Reunion Set for May 18-20, 2023 Reunion 2023 is set for May 18-20 and we hope you’re planning to join us. This year we’ll celebrate class years that end in 3 and 8, especially the 50th reunion of the class of 1973. Attendees always love seeing their classmates back together on campus. Our thanks to those who have volunteered to be class co-chairs. If you are interested in serving as co-chair for your class, please contact Joanne DelCarpine at delcarpinej@albanyacademies.org or 518.429.2391 to participate in a Zoom call for co-chairs scheduled on Oct. 26 at Noon.

Please Support The Academies Fund Donations to The Academies Fund (formerly known as the Annual Fund) help to provide necessary and critical resources for our school and our students every day. We support The Albany Academies when we give to The Academies Fund, helping us to remain Academies Strong! Our superb faculty, innovative programs, and remarkable range of opportunities would not be possible without the generous support of our community, especially our Alumni and Alumnae. Gifts immediately advance our mission to provide our current students with the highest standard of academic excellence and an unparalleled Academies experience. We could not do this work without you. Please consider making your gift today at boostmyschool.com/academies-strong where you have the option of using credit cards, Venmo, Google Pay, Apple Pay, Bitcoin, bank transfer, PayPal, making a pledge, or setting up a recurring gift. There is also the option of searching to see if your company has a Matching Gift Program, which could double or possibly triple your donation. Thank you all for your support!

Plan Now to Participate in Next Spring’s Golf Outing Save the date now and plan to join us for one of our signature annual events, our golf outing, on June 19, 2023, at Colonie Country Club. Stay tuned for more details in the coming months. If you are interested in sponsoring the event, please contact Director of Development Silvia Edmonds at edmondss@albanyacademies.org.

Parent of an Alumnus Gives Back I had the pleasure of meeting Suzanne Peterson, mom of Dan Peterson ’93, last month in Waitsville, VT. Suzanne recently established an endowed scholarship in honor of the great education her son received at The Albany Academy. She looks forward to meeting the student recipient in the spring at our annual Scholar Luncheon. If you are interested in establishing a scholarship, please reach out to me. I would welcome the opportunity to discuss it with you!

Legacy Giving You may be looking for a way to make a meaningful gift to help further the mission of The Albany Academies. A bequest is a gift made through your will or trust. It is one of the most popular and flexible ways that you can support The Albany Academies. To learn more about bequest gifts or if you have included The Albany Academies as part of your estate plans, please contact Silvia Edmonds, Director of Development at 518-429-2414 or edmondss@albanyacademies.org.

As you can see, there are many opportunities for you to reconnect with former classmates and we hope you’ll plan to join them and us at several of them. Participating in alumni and alumnae events is a great way to nurture those lifelong friendships that began at The Albany Academies. Be well and please stay in touch,

Ann Wendth Chief Advancement Officer

albanyacademies.org

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