Hackley was buzzing with a large influx of families who were now able to experience the full range of traditional Open House events that have been put on hold because of Covid-19.

The Johnson Center was filled with roughly 518 prospective parents, guardians, and students curious to learn more about Hackley at the Upper School Open House. This was the first time a traditional Hackley Upper School Open House was held since 2019 without Covid-19 providing some impediments.

Prior to the event, student ambassadors were given a schedule regarding what the outline of the day would hold for the open house. Students came with their yellow Hackley Ambassador t-shirts ready to help any and all of the prospective families.

The outline of the day was as follows: prospective Hackley families checked in at the Johnson Center and listened to an introductory speech given by Megan O’Callaghan. Headmaster Michael Wirtz followed this along with Cydny Jean who serves as the Assistant Head of School for Community and Inclusivity. Director of the Upper School Andrew King also spoke to provide families with more information about the Upper School before Sheila Hicks-Rotella closed the introductory remarks in the Varsity Gym. Afterward, a panel of Hackley girls and women in STEM also spoke.

Families were then led to the Double Gym for the Beyond Academics Fair which featured all Hackley sports teams run by their respective coaches and a few athletes. Additionally, other tables included Hudson Scholars, IRP, and College Counseling which provided pamphlets about their program and detailed the role they have among the Hackley Community for the families that were interested. Prospective students were also able to place their names on an email list for each table to receive a note providing even more information about the program. All of these tables further allowed prospective families to truly understand the different fabrics of the Hackley experience.

After this, Ambassadors walked families down from the Johnson Center to the Upper School where mock lessons were held. Families were randomly assigned three classes for the day including but not limited to Statistics, Economics, Chemistry, English, and Art. In Dr. Andrew Ying’s demo physics class, he implemented some demonstrations for his instruction leaving many families to rave about his class when they left.

Families were then able to choose what else they wanted to learn about Hackley before the open house concluded. They had the option of touring the Upper School or the Johnson Center, learning more about boarding, or joining the Financial Aid and Admissions Q&A.