“I am definitely enjoying this class,” said sophomore Megan Hopkins. Specifically, the different activities like class discussions and group work are fascinating, taught by new history faculty member Noah Knopf.

The arrival of new members on the Hilltop, both students and teachers alike, bring a variety of new perspectives to the community. One of them is Mr. Knopf, who joined the Hackley community this year after coming from the boarding school Milton Academy in Boston.

Before Hackley and Milton, Mr. Knopf taught ninth-grade world history and English, along with tenth-grade United States history. Additionally, he coached hockey, soccer, and lacrosse, and managed various clubs regarding finance and current events. Before joining the Hackley community as a faculty member, Mr. Knopf knew of the school very well since he attended Fieldston. He played Hackley in various sports like lacrosse and is now able to engage in friendly conversation regarding various sporting events.

Due to Mr. Knopf’s involvement in sports at Fieldston, he became friendly with Upper School Assistant Director and head varsity boys lacrosse coach Chris Arnold. Through that connection, he began to realize that teaching at Hackley would be a great fit.

Mr. Knopf played lacrosse at Fieldston for four years, and from there he was recruited to play at Harvard. Later on, Mr. Knopf played on the team and now coaches JV boys soccer, and boys varsity lacrosse.

This year Mr. Knopf teaches two sections of ninth-grade world history and two sections of tenth-grade U.S. history. Similarly his experiences at Milton Academy, Mr. Knopf believes his students have a conscientious outlook on learning, so the transition wasn’t too difficult in terms of teaching.

In addition, Mr. Knopf has greatly enjoyed getting to know his colleagues at Hackley. Everyone has been very supportive as he’s gotten the handle on his new classes, and are always willing to help out.

Mr. Knopf’s interest in teaching began in his earliest days as a learner when he was very passionate about studying history. Specifically, Mr. Knopf was fascinated by the ideas of how, and why certain historical events have shaped our societal events today. These philosophical questions pushed him even further as an individual, in which he wanted to help answer these questions with a community, his students.

Additionally, Mr. Knopf loved being a part of a team, and he felt that he could get that same feeling in a classroom. He felt connected and empowered when leading the class to grasp a better understanding of the material or topic. On a more personal level, he enjoys watching and working with students to help them develop into themselves, gain confidence, and build connections.

Mr. Knopf’s passion as an educator and a leader allows him to feel more fulfilled than many of his peers.

“I see a lot of my friends doing various kinds of work, and some of them really don’t like what they do very much and every day is a hard day and every week is a hard week,” he said. “And I feel really lucky that every day is a good day, and every week is a good week.”