Throughout the school year, students work hard to meet Hackley’s high academic and athletic standards. Summer is an opportunity for students to relax and spend time doing things they are passionate about. From freshmen to seniors, everyone appreciated the stress-free environment of summer ‘21 and the months that they spent with their friends and family, whether it was traveling or practicing sports.

Bella Barriera, a freshman on varsity tennis, practiced tennis and hung out with her friends over the summer. She began playing tennis when she was 8. Over the summer, Bella went to an elite program at Westchester Tennis Center this summer and spent time playing in tournaments to work on her Universal Tennis Rating. Bella took a fun trip exploring Upstate New York, she went tubing and swimming. Bella also had an amazing experience surfing on Long Beach Island. In her free time, she hung out with her friends and worked on her summer assignments.

Freshman Will Dupont, “Donny”, spent his summer playing lacrosse, traveling, and reading. He has been playing lacrosse since kindergarten and is a midfielder. During June and July, he went to tournaments with his team, Long Island Express. He also took a trip to Colorado to watch his dad participate in the Ironman 70.3 triathlon in Boulder. It has been a tradition in his family to watch his father’s races. Donny also read The Hate You Give, his summer assigned reading for school. He enjoyed reading the book and the message sent, as it’s extremely prevalent today.

Sophomore Camille Henderson spent her summer working and traveling. In July, Camille went to the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica on a community service trip. She worked with local people to protect the sea turtle population and clean local beaches. Camille patrolled the beaches morning and night to find turtle nests before poachers could take and sell them. As a Spanish 4 student, she thought it was “amazing to experience the Costa Rican culture that I learned about last year.” Camille also worked most of the summer when she wasn’t traveling at the Katonah Art Center. She helped give classes to both kids and adults. Camille took art freshman year and enjoyed being able to work in an area she’s passionate about.

Matthew Kearns, a sophomore, played basketball, football and spent time with his friends this summer. Matthew went to a 2-week IMG basketball and football camp. He started playing football in 7th grade and is currently on varsity, playing cornerback and wide receiver. Matthew loved the camp and said the facilities were “insane”. Frequently he would play pickup football games with the IMG team. He also went to Nantucket, spending time at the beach and hanging out with his friends. Throughout the summer Matthew had basketball tournaments for his team, Pro Skills Basketball, on the weekend.

Cole Joseph, a junior, wrestled all summer and traveled. Cole went to Hawaii and visited three islands; Maui, Kauai, and Oahu. He went on hikes, jumped off waterfalls, and surfed. Cole also visited the site of Pearl Harbor in Honolulu. He wrestled for his club, GPS, and did tournaments throughout the summer, having a great time. In his free time, he hung out with his friends and met new people. Cole also prepped for the ACT, taking his first one the last week of September.

Junior Lucia Monteleone hung out with her friends and traveled to the Hamptons and Florida. The highlights of her summer were going to the beach, surfing, and fishing. During her first time fishing, she caught a 40 pound tarpon she said, “The catch was such a rush it was insane.”. In her spare time, Lucia worked as a babysitter for three boys and went on hikes with her friends. She also balanced out her summer with academic pursuits, including studying for the SAT by taking practice tests. Lucia takes AP computer science at Hackley so over the summer she completed a coding camp at Columbia, which she found incredibly beneficial to her studies.

Over the summer, senior Johnny Esposito joined Hudson Scholars at Hackley and started the first financial literacy program with Charlie Lee. For four weeks they taught the Scholars about finance using a simulation they created with a fake currency. Johnny had a “great time” teaching them the principles of finance. Johnny also worked over the summer caddying in West Hampton. During his free time, he went surfing in the West Hamptons and hung out with his friends. Johnny has been surfing for a few years and he says spending time in the water with his friends is the highlight of his summer. Johnny also took a trip to Utah, going hiking and golfing.

Phoebe Naughton, a senior, spent her summer babysitting and traveling. She was a nanny for two girls, ages 9 and 11. Phoebe enjoys traveling and was grateful to finally have the opportunity to do so. At the beginning of the summer, Phoebe studied to get her scuba diving certification for a trip to the US Virgin Islands. At the end of the summer, she went to California with her family, visiting San Francisco, Napa, and Malibu. Phoebe also spent time doing college visits, which was difficult because of COVID, and her summer school work.