April 1, 2021   Hello, Friends,  To those of you who celebrate these spring holidays, I wish you a joyous Passover and Easter. It seems as if spring weather has finally arrived and that’s something we can all celebrate.

Admissions Open House Scheduled for April 10 I hope you will help us spread the word that our virtual spring Admissions Open House is scheduled for Saturday, April 10 from 1 to 3 p.m. During the event, participants will learn all about the benefits of an Albany Academies education and will hear more about the relaunch of our preschool program for three-and four-year-old students. Please consider the Academies for your children or let your friends and family members who may be interested know of this opportunity to learn what you already know – the learning environment at the Academies develops students of high character who go on to lead very successful lives. For those who can’t participate on Saturday, the session will be rebroadcast on Sunday, April 11. See our website for more information and to register: albanyacademies.org/admissions/admission-events

3rd Grade Wax Museum Albany Academy for Girls 3rd grade class has been busy researching historical figures from the colonial days in America. This week they became that historical figure in a mock wax museum presentation. It was amazing to watch each girl bring to life these brave and important people and the impact they left on American history. Each student was filmed, and a video presentation will be shared with their families.

Spring Gathering is Just Weeks Away Please plan to join us for our annual Spring Gathering, to be held virtually on Friday, April 30 at 7 p.m. With proceeds supporting our financial and merit scholarship programs, which assist more than 45% of our families, the event helps ensure the school remains accessible to students with financial needs. The auction items are awesome this year so plan to register and join us in the comfort of your own home!  Click here to purchase tickets.

Alumni & Alumnae Speaker Series Continues On Thursday, May 13 from 2:20 to 3 p.m. the next session in our virtual Alumni & Alumnae Speaker Series will take place. This series has proven to be quite popular and features a different career focus in each session. The focus for this next event will be technology and our guests will be: Cypriana McCray ’94 - Federal Government, Sam McHugh ’95 - Open Systems, Raymond Endres ’87 - Facebook, Neerav Patel ’96 - IBM Watson Health, and Isabelle Heukensfeldt Jansen ’10 - GE Global Research Center. As the date draws closer, we will provide more details for the event.

Hall of Fame & Distinguished Alumni/ae Celebrations Scheduled On Thursday, May 20 at 6:30 p.m. we will hold a virtual induction ceremony for our Class of 2020 Hall of Fame & Distinguished Alumni/ae. More details about how to log on to this event will be forthcoming. AA Hall of Fame inductees: Anthony Owens ’85, Ned Duffy ’70, Jim Mills ’95, Robert Beaulieu ’85, Neil Bryant ’00, Coach Scott Young P’21, ’24, and the 1999-2000 Football Team. AAG Hall of Fame inductees: Coach Bonnie Morse-Gilham, Andrea Lodico ’00, Emily Downie ’12, and Kirstie Phelps-Harris ’01. Distinguished Alumna: Elon Johnson ’94. Distinguished Young Alumna: Carol Crummey McCardle ’04. Distinguished Alumni: Neil Murray ’62, P’99, ’05, ’06 & Anders Tomson ’85, P’14, ‘19. Distinguished Young Alumnus: Chris Ashley ’05.

Reunion Planned for October 1 and 2 On Friday and Saturday, October 1 and 2 you’ll get a chance to catch up with former classmates during our annual Reunion. I hope you’re making plans to join us. You don’t want to miss out on all the fun we’ll be having! You can check out the reunion schedule and find information about hotel accommodations here.

Your Support is Needed Have you donated to our Annual Fund yet? There is still plenty of time to contribute. If you haven’t already made a donation or would like to make an additional gift, take part in our Alumni and Alumnae Giving Days on April 15 & 16. Mark your calendar and then join your classmates in giving back to the school that has given you all so much. A gift at any level means the world to us in these extraordinary times. Please visit annualfund.albanyacademies.org/g/2020-21-giving. Your continued support and generosity are very much appreciated.

Looking for Class Notes As we begin work on the next edition of our A2 magazine, I encourage you to send us any class notes you may have about yourself or your classmates and friends. Also, if you have any other notes of interest that you think others would like to read, send those along, too!

Spotlight on an Alumna Albany Academy for Girls alumna Missy Schwartz Chen ’89 was recently featured in a CBS This Morning story on The Nocturnists, a group of health care workers who have come together to share stories, experiences, and emotions regarding the COVID-19 pandemic. As an ICU nurse in San Francisco, Missy was one of several people who shared their efforts to document the pandemic and why doing so is important. You can see the CBS clip here.

Thank you for your continued interest in happenings at The Albany Academies. Please stay in touch!

Ann Wendth Chief Advancement Officer