After much anticipation, Hackley’s new Center for the Creative Arts and Technology has finally opened, and students have begun attending classes in the building except the Black Box Theatre and Diller Hall. With the floors having been polished and the furniture moved in, the opening ceremony was held on November 4th, when students gathered around the new outdoor amphitheater and were welcomed into the new space.

The ceremony began with Associate Head of School Cyndy Jean speaking to the students about the new center and how it was built for the students to dream and explore. She spoke about how the building will give students more opportunities to collaborate as artists, coders, and innovators and bring new ideas to life. She emphasized how the building will have no bounds with creativity and imagination, thanking those who tirelessly worked to make the new center a reality.

The Upper School choral groups then brought the first-ever performance in the new building to life. They performed a collage piece titled “Crowded Table,” which serenaded the faculty and students and was a perfect way to kick off the many opportunities for concerts that will now take place in the new amphitheater.

Afterward, lower school students Ravi M, Aiden P, and Posey P performed a poem written by the whole fourth grade titled “New Beginnings.” They mentioned new beginnings as “painting a blank canvas” and “a green banana, as well as various other things that set the tone for what this building was truly all about.

Seventh grader Xi H spoke about her experience with visual art, and senior Phoebe Dungca spoke about her experience in technology and computer science. Both students spoke of their passions and excitement over having the opportunity to work in the new building and the community that can be built now that all of the classes are so close to one another.

“As an AP art student, I am thrilled about the completion of the new center. I am looking forward to seeing the different disciplines flourish. The new art rooms allow so many students to focus on their pieces, and I am excited to move into my new room,” said senior Ava Maughan.

For Phoebe Dungca, it was especially bittersweet having the new building only for her senior year, but she said that she was thrilled that future Hackley students would continue to grow the computer science department. She spoke about the very first time that she won a competition where she coded a game and how that spurred her love for computer science, motivating her to continue pursuing the subject. She also talked about being the only girl in coding during Middle School and realizing that she was a valuable resource to her peers, inspiring her to take on leadership roles like being the president of Girls Who Code and the first female teaching assistant in computer science.

“It’s been really great to be able to use the new building for all my comp science classes. I love all the natural lighting and monitors in the room that help me do all my work,” Phoebe said.

Head of School Charles Franklin closed the ceremony by thanking those who helped to make the building a reality and telling the story of the first time that the land for Hackley was discovered. He talked about how following Ms. Hackley’s story shows us what can come from one person’s dreams and how the students will fill the new building with their dreams and creativity.

This opening marked the start of a new beginning in Hackley’s arts and technology and so many new opportunities and performances to come.