January 13, 2023 Dear Friends,   Happy new year, friends, and welcome to 2023! I hope this year brings much happiness, good health, and great adventures to you and your families.

Admissions Open House next week Do you know someone who might be considering The Albany Academies for their child or children? If so, please invite them to attend our next Admissions Open House on Wednesday, January 18 at 6 p.m. As you know, The Albany Academies offer students a high-quality, well-rounded experience to prepare them for success in college and beyond. At our open house, interested families will meet with our faculty, administrators, and students; tour the campus; and learn more about our unique programs. Please share this registration link with anyone who is interested: albanyacademies.org/admissions/admission-events.

Join us for ARTrageous Mark your calendar and join us on Thursday, February 2 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for a chance to truly experience the arts. Artrageous, our annual fundraiser for our arts program, will provide a behind-the-scenes tour of rehearsals in action and students working on paintings, ceramics, and photography. There will also be an opportunity to work with Jason Martines, the 2023 Albany Institute of History and Art’s Artist of the Year. The evening will also feature a silent auction, an opportunity to purchase VIP tickets to the spring musical, and a special dessert reception courtesy of Chef Joan Dembinski ’55. All proceeds from this event will go towards supporting our visual and performing arts programs. If you would like to attend the event, you can purchase tickets here.

Mid-Winter Gathering set for February 16 Please plan to join us for our annual Mid-Winter Gathering on Thursday, February 16. The event, which is sponsored by the Alumni Association, will be held at the UAlbany ETEC Building at 1220 Washington Ave. beginning at 6 p.m. Armen Garo ’73, who was recently a featured actor in the acclaimed movie CODA, will be the guest speaker. Remembered by many as the menacing Salvatore “Coco” Cogliano on HBO’s The Sopranos, Armen is sure to have some great stories to share. If you would like to register for the event or join the honorary committee, please do so here by February 1.

Speed Mentoring Program needs mentors We’re seeking participants for our Speed Mentoring Program that will take place at 2:20 p.m. on Monday, March 6. The one-hour event is an opportunity for alumni and alumnae to network with our Upper School students, share their experiences and answer questions in brief tabletop discussions. If you’d like to serve as a mentor, please contact me. Thanks to the Alumni and Alumnae Associations for sponsoring this event!

Spring Gathering scheduled for April 29 Save the date for our annual Spring Gathering to be held on Saturday, April 29 at the Albany Country Club in Voorheesville. This annual event raises funds to support our financial and merit scholarship programs. If you have an auction item that you would like to donate, please let me know. For more information please visit albanyacademies.org/page/spring-gathering.

Volunteers needed for May Projects We are looking for several alumni and alumnae to work with our seniors on their May Projects. Are you interested? The May Project program gives seniors the opportunity to pursue a variety of professional experiences ranging from work in a research lab or museum to recording music to learning about technology development in a gaming company. While the program allows students to explore their interests and ideas, it also allows them to demonstrate the core values they learned during their years at The Albany Academies. In early May, instead of going to their classes, the students participate in an internship related to an area of study they intend to pursue in college. Students work with two advisors, one on campus and one at the work site or in the field where they are working. If you are interested in hosting one of our seniors, please contact me.

Plan to attend Reunion 2023 Have you marked Reunion 2023, scheduled for May 18-20, on your calendars yet? This year we will celebrate class years that end in 3 and 8 and especially the 50th reunion of the class of 1973. Our gratitude to those who have already volunteered to be a class co-chair; Reunion wouldn’t be possible without you. If you would like to serve as co-chair for your class, please contact Joanne DelCarpine at delcarpinej@albanyacademies.org or call 518.429.2391.

Record turnout for annual hockey game Thank you to everyone who came to and participated in the Frank O’Brien III ’84 Memorial Alumni Hockey Game on Friday, December 30. We had a record number of alumnae and alumni in attendance this year and it was great to see you all back on the ice.

Students showcase their poetry skills photo Our inaugural Poetry Out Loud assembly showcased the dramatic and literary skills of eight finalists who had advanced from grade level competitions. Congratulations to two of our students for being selected as our school finalists! We wish them luck as they advance to the regional finals on February 24.

Seniors celebrated at annual breakfast Earlier this month, we celebrated our senior class by hosting our annual Senior Breakfast in The Buttery. Our students are looking forward to their futures after graduation; many have already received acceptances to college. To date, 93% of our seniors have submitted at least one application and many already have offers of admission. We wish them all the best!

Campus by Division Committees being formed We are in the process of forming several committees (program, design, traditions, athletics, etc.) to provide input as we move forward with implementing our Campus by Division initiative. If you are interested in participating on a committee, please let me know.

Robotics Tournament this weekend The Albany Academies award-winning robotics team, 4809 Botman, will host The Albany Academies First Tech Challenge Qualifying Tournament on January 14, 2023. The competition starts at 10:15 a.m. in the Silipigno Athletic Facility. Come see over 20 robots battling it out for a chance to advance to the Regional Championships. The event is fun, free, and family-friendly.

AAG Bears' undefeated season continues Congratulations to the AAG Varsity Basketball team for their undefeated season so far! Go Bears!

Robust year-end support A hearty thank you to all the alumnae and alumni who supported The Academies in 2022. Your gifts are the foundation that allows the school to continue providing our current students with the excellent academics and opportunities that you all enjoyed when you were students. Next month, we will launch our Reunion Giving season with generous donation challenges from Head of School Chris Lauricella P’20, ’22 in honor of Founders' Day (February 24) and Charter Day (March 4). Please look for details in upcoming Happenings and consider making a gift in honor of your class, teammates, or a former teacher. Once again, thank you for continuing the 200-plus-year tradition of alumnae and alumni support of The Albany Academies.

Best,

Ann Wendth Chief Advancement Officer

albanyacademies.org

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