February 26, 2021     Hello Friends, Activity remains high at the Academies and I have a great deal of information to share with you.

AIM Survey Deadline Nears Learning about your attitudes and opinions on diversity, equity and inclusion at the Academies is important to us; we want to understand how you think and feel about these issues. Therefore, we have partnered with the National Association of Independent Schools (NAIS) to use its Assessment of Inclusivity and Multiculturalism (AIM) survey. The survey takes 15 minutes to complete, and your participation and responses will be entirely anonymous. Responses go directly to NAIS for analysis and will help establish a baseline for us to gauge our progress on developing equitable practices at school and inform decisions about the next steps in our DEI journey. We hope you will participate in this assessment by clicking here. The deadline to complete the survey is midnight on March 4.

Chat with the Head Sessions Prove Fruitful Head of School Chris Lauricella has been conducting “Chat with the Head” sessions for alumni and alumnae and a great deal of valuable information has come out of these conversations. Some of the recent takeaways include: the Academies are responding, adjusting, surviving, and looking to the future under capable leadership; long-term financial stability is critical which means that philanthropy is very important right now; the pandemic has given students and parents greater appreciation for in-person learning although the Academies have done both in-person and remote very well, and faculty have learned a lot about instructional technology and some approaches may not go away after the pandemic.

Summer Camp If you live in the Capital Region you may be interested in our Summer Camp. Registration is now open for children entering Pre-K through Grade 11. If you are interested, please contact Karin Epstein, Director of Summer Programs 518-429-2332, epsteink@albanyacademies.org, or visit https://www.albanyacademies.org/summer-programs.

Sledding Fun for Seniors Members of The Albany Academies Class of 2021 enjoyed a fun sledding adventure on Academy Hill on the very snowy Friday morning of February 22. The outdoor fun provided a nice way to celebrate our seniors with a much-needed event just for them.

Founders’ Day Celebration Each year on February 24, we acknowledge Albany Academy for Girls Founders' Day, and we celebrate the importance of women's education both when the school was founded in 1814 and today. At left (bottom right) is a photo of the first school located on Montgomery Street in Albany, which was originally known as Albany Female Academy. AAG celebrated with a special virtual assembly and decorations throughout the school.

High-risk Sports Begin AA and AAG basketball and swimming teams are once again in full action and our athletes are thrilled to be back in the game. Watch our Facebook page to view the live-streamed action throughout the semester, facebook.com/thealbanyacademies.

Alumni and Alumnae of Color Affinity Groups The first meeting of the Alumni of Color Affinity Group was held on February 22. Thank you to Evril Clayton ’00 for leading the discussion. On March 10, the Alumnae Council will hold its first Affinity Group meeting at 4:30 p.m. via Zoom. Our thanks to Jeannine Blanco ’89 for agreeing to chair this group. If you are interested in participating, please contact me for the Zoom call-in information. A special thank you to Marcus Pryor ’87 for his vision and leadership in helping to launch these groups. For more information on our DEI initiatives, please visit albanyacademies.org/about/diversity-equity-and-inclusion.

Alumni and Alumnae Speaker Series continues The next event in our popular Alumni/ae Speaker Series will take place virtually on Thursday, March 4 at 2:20 p.m. with a focus on alumni and alumnae in medicine. Dr. Pamela Carroll '81, Chief Business Officer at Silicon Therapeutics, will moderate the discussion. Panelists will include Dr. Robert Higgins '77, Surgeon-in-Chief at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, who also practices cardiothoracic and transplant surgeries, and Dr. Seth Wander '02, a medical oncologist at the Massachusetts General Cancer Center in Boston who has a clinical and translational research interest in breast cancer and cancer genomics. We will also welcome Dr. Meenakashi Gupta '99, a practicing retina surgeon at the New York Eye and Ear Infirmary of Mount Sinai in New York City, and Dr. Alice Kim '89, a staff cardiologist at Brigham and Women's Hospital and a member of the Brigham and Women’s Cardiovascular Associates of Care New England in Rhode Island. Alice is also the director of Advanced Valvular Heart Disease of Care New England, and co-director of Women’s Heart Health of Women and Infants in Rhode Island, as well as an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School. We hope you can join us for what promises to be a fascinating discussion! To join the webinar, click here.

Admissions News We are excited to share that we are relaunching our Preschool Program for three- and four-year-old students. We are also now accepting applications for all grades for fall 2021 admission. All signs indicate that this will be a competitive year for independent school admission, so we encourage families to submit their completed applications in the next month. Our outstanding alumni and alumnae are the best evidence of the world-class education and experience that we provide at the Academies. Please help us spread the word by talking about your great experiences and best memories with your friends and family who have school-aged children.

Spring Gathering Have you marked your calendars for our annual Spring Gathering, to be held virtually on Friday, April 30? This annual event benefits our students by helping ensure the Academies remain accessible to them. Proceeds support our financial aid and merit scholarship programs provided to more than 45% of our families. For more information or to donate a silent auction item, contact Special Events Coordinator Sarah Adamowski at adamowskis@albanyacademies.org.

Reunion Set for October 1 and 2 Just a reminder that Reunion 2020 and 2021 are set for Friday and Saturday, October 1 and 2. If you are interested in serving as a class reunion chair, please contact me for more details. Save the Date postcards have been mailed.

Your support is appreciated Our Annual Fund campaign is well underway, but your support is still needed. If you haven’t already contributed, please consider a gift by June 30, 2021. We are so grateful for your continued generosity and support of the Academies.

Be well and please keep in touch,

Ann Wendth Chief Advancement Officer