Hudson Scholars program kicks off the school year

Credit: Amy Chalan

Amy Chalan, Ella Zaslow, and Robert Patterson volunteered a part of their summer to work with the Hudson Scholars Program.

On Sunday, September 24th, members of the Hudson Scholars program gathered on the Hilltop with middle schoolers from the local public school. They are all members of the Hudson Scholars program, which connected a group of Hackley upper school student with local middle schoolers in order to inspire and grow their lust for knowledge.

This Sunday was the first monthly meetup of the school year and, “I was so excited to see the scholars again,” said Mirabel Mallett, an active member of the scholars program. This month, “Since it’s just the start of the year, we talked a lot with the Scholars about their first impressions with the new year and all the new challenges that come with that,” added Robert Patterson.

“I think that just by them being around older kids who value academics and are excited about learning it opens of their perception of paths they can take in life,” said Ben Marra about the program. “It’s a big responsibility to help decide what’s worth teaching, what’ll be popular, and what will overall contribute to the scholars’ development,” Added Ella Zaslow, stressing the impact and importance of the curriculum on the scholars.

Since last year’s meetups were more inconsistent, Patterson is looking forward to, “Just continuing to have an absolute blast each month!” He added that the meetings are a way to check in with the scholars over their feeling about the school year so far, with the goal of helping them do even better.

For those who are interested in joining Hudson scholars, it’s unanimous that a monthly meetup would be a great way to get involved. “Since it’s only one day, it’s easy to get a sense of what the program is like on a small scale,” said Zaslow about the meetups. “Once you’ve met the scholars, it’s not hard to see how important and special the program is,” said Marra. Zaslow added, “The scholars are always so welcoming of new mentors!”

Regarding the rest of the year, “I’m looking forward to brainstorming new, fun things to do with the scholars for meetings to come,” said Zaslow. “There is an element of fun and also an educational element at every meeting,” added Mallett, as, like Zaslow, she’s looking forward to the club’s potential this year.