From cheering on varsity athletes, launching bottle rockets on Akin Common, to exploring the Hackley archives, Hackley Alumni had no shortage of activities to participate in during the annual Alumni Day reunion event. Hosted by the Alumni Engagement Office, Alumni from graduating years ending in zero and five came back to the Hilltop to reconnect with their former friends and classmates, and engage in the many activities the hilltop has to offer.
The festivities kicked off on Friday, September 26th, with the annual Dave Allison Memorial Soccer Game & BBQ, hosted by the Girls Varsity Soccer team. Each year, the team hosts the game to honor their beloved former coach, Dave Allison, “Coach A” Allison, who championed the Girls Soccer program under his leadership, passed away following a battle with cancer.
Mrs. Stanek, who is this year’s senior class dean and an upper school history teacher, played under Coach Allison and recalls memories and stories from her time playing for him.
“Mr. A taught me to play my best, always, to play with heart, to play for my teammates. And the result was that, although he never intended it, I played for him. I wanted him to be proud, to see that I had embraced his dedication to the sport, to fair play, to the team first,” she said in her speech before the game.
This year’s game was junior Gemma Lasky’s third Dave Allison Game, with the standout star thankful for the opportunity to play in Coach Allison’s honor.
“One of my favorite parts of the night every year is when Ms. Stanek comes to speak with HGVS before the game. Hearing how important Mr. A was to her and how much she believes in us is always so special to me,” she said.
Another way the team honors Coach A is to wear their pink jerseys, bringing light to cancer awareness. Normally worn in October, to align with Cancer Awareness Month, the jerseys are proudly worn by the team under the lights and spectators throughout the weekend were encouraged to wear pink as well to bring awareness to and support the cause.
“So, tonight, play hard and have fun. Play for the love of the game, with heart and intensity. Play for your teammates, your seniors, your coaches, your parents, and your friends. Play for someone who inspires, and you will, like Dave Allison, become someone else’s inspiration,” Mrs. Stanek said, closing out her speech to kick off the game.
Backed by Mrs. Stanek’s words, the team excelled under the lights, winning in a six-zero shutout. Playing a significant role in the victory was senior Gabriella Petriello. Gabriella, a striker, playing in her first game since breaking Hackley’s all-time goals scored record & career points record, scored five goals out of the six, continuing to build upon her record with more than half of her season remaining. Gemma would score the other goal in their win.
“It is an opportunity to honor and learn about an individual who helped shape the program we love so much, step on the field to play for something bigger than any of us, and kick off a special Alumni weekend,” Gemma said.
On Saturday, the festivities continued, starting the morning off with the annual Alumni Association meeting and then reunion lunches throughout campus. The reunion was particularly special for the Class of 2020, who returned to the Hilltop for the first time since the pandemic, and saw many of their friends in person for the first time since school was under lockdown.
For alumni not in the Alumni Association, the day started in the afternoon, with a wide range of masterclasses and activities available to sign up for and participate in. John Gannon, the Advancement Director, hosted an archives tour for the classes of 1970 and 1975. Alumni also had the opportunity to go on the Art King Nature Walk, where alumni explored the nature trails and learned about the often unexplored parts of our campus.
Returning for another year was the popular Bottle Rocket Workshop, hosted by middle school mathematics teacher and sixth-grade dean Oshon Temple. The workshop, a favorite among children of alumni, teaches attendees how to build and the math behind bottle rockets, and ends the workshop with a friendly launching of their works on Akin Common.
New this year on the hilltop was the “Playing with Perspective: An Applied Theatre Experience” workshop, hosted by upper school performing arts instructor Willie Teacher. Hosted in the Center for the Creative Arts and Technology, returning alumni were able to explore the new building, many for the first time ever.
Meanwhile, up Alumni Drive to the top of the Hilltop, there were three critical athletic contests with major playoff and standings implications on the line.
The first team to play, Varsity Field Hockey, kicked off the athletic contests at 1:00 p.m., with former goaltender Jenny Canoni joining the pregame huddle and staying for the game to render advice as she celebrated her five-year reunion at Hackley. The team got off to a hot start, scoring within the first two minutes, and never looked back, winning in another shutout, eight to zero.
The next contest to start was the Girls Tennis team facing an undefeated Horace Mann team. A big part of the Alumni Day faceoff for the team is the venue of the matches. The courts are named after former alumni, Bruce and Rita Roberts, who annually attend the matches on Alumni Day. The girls fought hard but in the end would fall to Horace Mann 4-1.
Back up on the turf fields, the Boys Varsity Soccer Team kicked off at 2:30 p.m., with the Hornets coming into the game as underdogs in the standings, looking to upset a formidable Horace Mann team, second in Ivy play. After keeping the game close and scoring low, the team would also fall 2-0.
The final game of the day was the Varsity Football matchup against Hopkins. The Hornets entered undefeated (3-0) and hosted their senior day at the start of the game. The team’s six seniors were honored by the announcer and athletic director Jason Edwards before the game and took photos with their families. Hackley would win in dominant fashion, with the Hornets winning 36-12, and second-team players getting the opportunity to play some snaps at the tail end of the game.
At the end of the day, the Class of 2020 was announced to be the highest attended class of the day, but no matter the class attendance, it was an entertaining day across campus and up Alumni Drive with two blowout athletic victories.
