November 17, 2020     Hello, Friends,

The activity level here at The Albany Academies has been brisk lately. I have so much great news to share with you this week.

Virtual Chat with Head of School Please join us on Tuesday, December 8 from 8:00 – 9:00 a.m. for a “Chat with the Head.” This is the first in a series of three sessions offered specifically for alumni/ae to speak with Head of School Chris Lauricella and me about the current state of the Academies. We thought it was a way for you to connect with us since we are unable to hold alumni/ae gatherings and events. If you are interested in attending, please let me know and I’ll send you the Zoom call-in information. Hope to “see” you!

Arts Our outstanding Fine Arts Department continues to benefit from the Kermani Arts Grant, sponsored by Peter Kermani '58, which provides many visual and performing arts resources for our middle school students. In addition, the grant supports our new "Composer of the Month" initiative by supplying the Academies’ Fine Arts faculty with Bluetooth speakers and access to Apple Music. Through this program our students and our community become familiar with a variety of composers from many genres of music each day.   You are invited to join our Fine Arts Department for its first live streaming event, the Fall Production of “Almost, Maine,” which will be held on Friday and Saturday, November 20 and 21, at 7 p.m. The production is comprised of nine short plays by John Cariani that explore love and loss in a remote, mythical town called Almost, Maine. There is no cost to watch but you will need to obtain a “ticket” for each device you plan to watch from. You can obtain your tickets here: https://www.showtix4u.com/event-details/40384 If you have any questions, please reach out to Fine Arts Chair Rich Johnson at johnsonr@albanyacademies.org.

Please mark your calendars for February 18 2021, when we will conduct a virtual fundraiser to support the arts. Previously called Splash, the event is now called ARTrageous and promises to be an exciting way to showcase the talents of our students while raising money! If you are interested in volunteering to assist with the planning, please let me know.

Academics The Albany Academies Lower School students are combining literacy and the outdoors with their first Book Walk featuring Our Big Home: An Earth Poem by Linda Glaser and Bruce’s Big Storm by Ryan T. Higgins. Students can view the Glaser book at Albany Academy for Girls along the fence ringing the playground and the Higgins book at The Albany Academy along the south side of the Caird Field fence near the playground. They will be able to stroll through the playground areas while reading and enjoying each illustrated panel.

Athletics Congratulations to five AA and AAG students who will be playing Division 1 athletics in the fall of 2021 at Yale (lacrosse), Boston College (swimming), Georgetown (crew), Duke (crew), and St. John’s University (lacrosse). The very impressive student-athletes will participate in an official signing ceremony via Facebook Live from the James E. Pool Athletic Facility at 2:20 p.m. on November 23, and we hope you can join us. Watch our social media platforms for more details soon.

Alumni/ae Speaker Series We are excited to be bringing back the Alumni/ae Speaker Series in 2021. Our kick-off event will focus on service to one’s community, specifically the military, and will be held virtually on January 14. Topics to be covered will include leadership, opportunities for students, and personal experiences of alumni and alumnae who have served. We’ll be in touch soon with information on the panelists and more details, so stay tuned.

Giving Tuesday Many of you have asked how you can help the Academies during these challenging times, and we are very grateful for that outreach and your continued support. Our goal for this year’s Giving Tuesday is to raise $40,000 to help with COVID-related expenses, which are a challenge for private schools everywhere. As we gear up for this day of fundraising on December 1, we hope you will participate and help us reach that goal. We’re working hard to make sure our current students have the same wonderful experience you did when you were enrolled at the Academies, and your financial support will enable us to do so. Please give generously!

Publications The A2 Albany Academies Magazine is now online. We strive to create an error-free publication; however, we know that we sometimes make mistakes. If you see any corrections that need to be made, please let me know so we can make them immediately online. Also, our annual Report of Giving will be online early next week. We will be sure to inform you when it is published.

Reunion As we all know, during this pandemic it has become very difficult to plan events, particularly those that involve large gatherings both on and off campus. This is certainly true for Reunion 2021. After a great deal of discussion with alumni, alumnae, administrators, and others, we believe moving the 2020 and 2021 Reunions and the Class of 2020 Recognition to the fall of 2021 is the best plan. However, we are considering virtual events for the 2020 Hall of Fame, 2020 Distinguished Alumni/ae Awards ceremonies, and the State of the School in May of 2021. Please let me know your thoughts on these plans. Thank you for your patience as we navigate through the challenges this pandemic presents.

I wish you and your families a very safe and happy Thanksgiving. Although we are living in uncertain and challenging times, we certainly have a lot to be thankful for – our good health, our families, our friends, our connectedness as a community, and the promise of a new year ahead. I am thankful for all of you!

Ann Wendth Chief Advancement Officer