June 30, 2023
Hello, Friends,
Happy summer to all of you! With the July 4th holiday coming up in a few days, we can officially welcome summer. We have several wonderful alumni, alumnae, and student accomplishments to share with you this week.
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Still time to give
We haven’t crossed the finish line yet so we hope you will consider making a gift to The Academies Fund in support of the remarkable people and unique programs that make The Albany Academies the best private school in the Capital Region. Gifts of any amount are both important and appreciated. You can make your gift online at https://boostmyschool.com/academies-strong; however, they must be received by today, June 30. If you have already made a gift to this year’s fund, please accept our sincere gratitude.
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Albany Academy student wins piano competition
Rising Academy ninth grader David Fu ’27 recently won the inaugural Ruth Monte Memorial Bach Piano Competition at Notre Dame University. Sponsored by the American Bach Society, the competition welcomed six high school pianists from across the United States to perform at Notre Dame in South Bend, Indiana. David played pieces from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier for three judges, earning a $4,000 cash prize for his first-place performance. Congratulations, David, on this outstanding achievement! To read the full story from the Times Union, click here.
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Girls softball player earns All-State Honor
Kyra Van Denburgh ’23 was recently named to the 2023 Capital District NYSSCOGS All-State Honor Roll in Girls’ Varsity Softball. Congratulations, Kyra, on a great season and on this well-deserved recognition!
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Annual Golf Outing was a huge success!
Our Annual Golf Outing at the Colonie Golf and Country Club on June 19 was hugely successful in supporting our athletics programs. Thank you to the 144 alumni, alumnae, coaches, parents, and friends who joined us to help raise more than $25,000 for athletics. We welcomed back Rodger Wyland, sports director at News Channel 13, as our emcee. Rodger conducted live interviews during the tournament with our student-athletes and athletic directors. Our thanks also to the many sponsors who generously supported the outing. Finally, the day would not have been as successful without the capable leadership of event co-chairs and Academies parents Bryan Staff P'25 and Gail Rawson P'24, '27. To view photos from the event, check out the Times Union’s Were You Seen gallery here.
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Summer camp openings still available
Those of you who are still looking for summer programs for your students, or know someone who is, should be aware that there are still some openings in our camps. Space is still available in our Little LEAP (Learning Enrichment Activities Program) and Junior LEAP for students entering pre-k, kindergarten, and grades 1 and 2; LEAP for those entering grades 3 through 8; and Immersion Chinese for those in grades 3 through 5. The camps are a wonderful way to see the campus full of activity during the summer months and we know our campers really enjoy the programming. For more information about the individual camps and registration fees, click here.
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Campus tours available this summer
The Academies’ Admissions Office has several events coming up to introduce potential families to the school. If you, or a family you know, are interested in learning more, please plan to attend our most popular information session, Lunch on Us! on July 12 for a delicious meal and to hear all about what The Albany Academies has to offer your student. Register here.
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A2 magazine now online
By now you should have received the print version of our magazine, A2. We hope you are enjoying the feature stories contained in this edition. If you prefer to read about our alumni and alumnae online, click here.
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Please note: We made a change recently and plan to include Class Notes as a regular part of our Happenings newsletter. Our intent is to get these news items to you more quickly than we are able to if we include them in the A2 magazine. We hope this will help you learn about what your classmates are up to in a more timely manner. Also, seeing Class Notes more regularly might inspire our alumni/ae to send their news items to our office more frequently so we can share them with you. To that end, if you would like to submit a class note for publication please send it to pallutin@albanyacademies.org.
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1984: Dr. John Johnson ‘84 has been reappointed to a second term as a public member of the Wisconsin Arts Board by Wisconsin Governor Tony Evers. Public board members are Wisconsin citizens recognized for accomplishments in the arts, humanities, business, education, or public service; they provide statewide leadership in the arts and creativity. John has been a leader on boards of arts organizations and in schools. He directed the revision of state academic standards in art and design, music, dance, and theatre for all public schools. John serves as the Wisconsin Deputy State Superintendent of Public Instruction, appointed by the elected state superintendent. He provides statewide leadership for education and public libraries and is the chief operating officer at the Department of Public Instruction. John and his wife live in Madison, Wisconsin, and have three adult daughters.
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1987: Suzanne Walsh ‘87 was appointed to Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council.
U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas announced new members to the Homeland Security Academic Partnership Council (HSAPC), which he reconstituted in 2022, and one of those members is our own Suzanne Walsh ’87! The Council will provide strategic and actionable recommendations to the Secretary on campus safety and security, improved coordination, research priorities, hiring, and more. The newly appointed members are a diverse group representing higher education associations, campus law enforcement, two- and four-year colleges and universities, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges, and Asian American and Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions.
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2014: Matt Balter '14 was selected to represent the Israel National Lacrosse team for the 2023 World Lacrosse Championships in San Diego. The games will be played from June 21 – July 2.
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2020: Andre Jackson '20 was selected in the NBA draft. Former Albany Academy basketball standout Andre Jackson, Jr. ’20 was selected as the 36th pick in the 2023 NBA draft by the Orlando Magic and then immediately traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. Andre, a guard who helped UConn win the NCAA Championship last season, averaged 6.7 points, 6.2 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.1 steals in 29.2 minutes per game as a junior with the Huskies in 2022-23. Congratulations, Andre! We look forward to following your career and cheering you on. To learn more, read the NBA’s full article HERE.
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Will Lasch ’20 is working as an intern at Pioneer Bank this summer. The bank has brought on 20 college and university students for summer internships in the Capital Region, creating what the bank said is its largest and most diverse intern class to date. Will Lasch ’20 is a member of this group of undergraduate, master's, law school, and MBA students working full-time in the bank’s headquarters and branches. To read more, Click here.
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2021: Daniel Warnick ’21 is spending the summer with NENY PGA. Daniel Warnick ’21 is a recent addition to the NENY PGA, joining as the organization’s seasonal communications and social media coordinator. A current student at Lehigh University, Daniel was known at Albany Academy for designing sports commitment photos for graduating seniors. As a former participant in the NENY Junior Tour Series events, he has a deep-rooted passion for the sport. Way to go, Dan!
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Please be sure to let us know if you have some news to share. We love reading about what you’re up to. I hope you have a safe and enjoyable summer! |
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Ann Wendth
Chief Advancement Officer
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