January 21, 2022
 
Hello, Friends,

I hope the new year is off to a good start and you and your family are all healthy and ready for the new adventures that 2022 is sure to bring. It’s been a few weeks since our last newsletter and we have a lot to share with you.
Young Leaders Program
The Albany Academies have quite a few exciting Young Leaders events coming up this year, and we don't want you to miss out! In the coming weeks, we have a Boston reception and we will be announcing gatherings for other areas as well. To make sure you get the right invitations, please update your contact information via this link. 

Additionally, the school is still looking for Young Leaders' representatives! If you're interested in being an Albany Academies Young Leaders rep in your area or if you have any questions about the Young Leaders Program, please contact Sarah Adamowski at adamowskis@albanyacademies.org. If you'd like to read more about the program, you can visit the website HERE

Being part of the Young Leaders program means that you can contribute to the experience of the current students who will join you as alumni and alumnae one day. This program can make a difference, and I hope you will join us in this mission. 
February Gathering in Florida
Head of School Chris Lauricella and I are planning a trip to Florida to visit local alumni/ae in February. The trip will culminate with an alumni and alumnae gathering in Palm Beach on Saturday, February 26 from 4-6:00 p.m. at the home of Tom Tuttle ’84. If you’d like more information about the gathering, please let me know. More details to follow.
Alumni/ae Speaker Series continues
The next session in our Alumni/ae Speaker Series will take place on Wednesday, February 2 at 2:20 p.m. and will focus on the legal profession. More details, including the panelists and webinar information, will be emailed soon.
Boston Young Leaders Gathering
We hope our Boston young alumni and alumnae will join us for an informal gathering on Thursday, February 24 from 6:30 – 8:30 p.m. at the Granary Tavern, 170 Milk Street in Boston. It’s a great opportunity to reacquaint with other young alums and make new Academy connections! Register here.
ARTrageous celebrates the arts and our alumni and alumnae
We hope you’ll join us on Thursday, February 3 at 7 p.m. for ARTrageous, our annual virtual fundraiser to support the arts at the Academies. I’m sure you will be very impressed when you see the wonderful artwork and performances displayed in this showcase of our talented students. During this event, we will also celebrate our first inductees into The Albany Academies’ Arts Hall of Fame. Congratulations to Adam LeFevre '68, Craig Hatkoff '72, Alexis Karol '97, Prosper Mbongue-Muna '09 and Daniella Dora Zeman '10.
Spring Gathering planning is underway
An active committee, led by co-chairs Elissa Smith P’23, ’25, ’26 and Kaari Stannard P’20, ’23, is hard at work planning our annual Spring Gathering, to be held at 7 p.m. on Saturday, April 30 at The Kenmore in Albany. Proceeds from the event support our financial aid and merit scholarship programs, which assist more than 45% of our families. If you would like to donate an auction item, please contact Development Coordinator Sarah Adamowski at adamowskis@albanyacademies.org. To purchase tickets click here.
Common Threads alumnae event
Please mark your calendar for the annual Alumnae Association event now called “Common Threads” to be held on Sunday, March 13 from Noon to 2:00 p.m. The featured speaker will be Wendy Cohen Summer ’69. More details will be forthcoming.
Admissions events welcome prospective families
Please share the following information with any families you may know who are interested in an Academies education for their children. These events will help them learn more about our programs and see our campus. We’ll host an Admissions Open House on Saturday, January 22 from 1 to 3 p.m. and all are welcome. If that date isn’t convenient, interested families can attend an Open House on Wednesday, March 9 from 6 to 8 p.m. Our Asked & Answered information sessions also provide an opportunity for prospective families to learn about our school. These events include a general presentation about academics, athletics, and extracurricular opportunities. A tour of the campuses is provided before the information session at 4:30 p.m. The next two sessions will be held on Wednesday, February 2, and Wednesday, February 23, both at 5 p.m.
Mid-Winter Dinner moved to March
The annual Mid-Winter Dinner -- sponsored by the Alumni Association -- will be held on Thursday, March 10 in Caird Chapel at The Albany Academy. The featured speaker will be Dr. Robert Higgins II ’77, President of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Executive Vice President of Mass General Brigham. To register click here.
Newly designed alumni/ae page on the website
Check out the newly designed and organized alumni and alumnae page on the Academies’ website. Please provide me feedback and ideas for other information you would like to see included. I welcome your input!
2020-21 Annual Report of Giving now out
The annual Report of Giving for the 2020-21 fiscal year is now on our website. Thank you to those who made a gift and supported The Albany Academies during our 2020-21 fiscal year. We look forward to your continued generosity. Please let me know if you find any errors in the report. We can make the changes immediately. Click here to view the report.
Save the date for Reunion
These cold winter days have many of us longing for the warmth of spring, and with spring our thoughts turn to Reunion 2022. It’s not too early to make your reservations to attend on Friday and Saturday, May 20 and 21. Please plan to join us for this special weekend celebration. The annual Hall of Fame celebration (traditionally held on the Saturday of Reunion weekend) will now be held on Thursday evening, May 19 at the Crowne Plaza Albany – The Desmond Hotel. More details will be forthcoming.
Distinguished Alumni and Alumnae
If you know an accomplished alumna or alumnus, please let us know! We are looking to honor a Distinguished Alumna/us and a Distinguished Young Alumna/us. These individuals will be recognized at Reunion on May 20. Please submit any nominations to Sarah Adamowski at adamowskis@albanyacademies.org by February 4. Thank you!
Before I close, let me thank you for your support of our school and our students through your year-end giving, which was extremely generous and very much appreciated. Your contributions make a real difference in our students’ lives and our programming, and we thank you tremendously.
Stay warm and stay safe!
Ann Wendth
Chief Advancement Officer