I know that you join me in my profound sadness concerning the crisis at the southern border and the separation of children from their parents. As educators and parents, we feel deeply the fear and grief that these families are experiencing. As a school, we stand by the words of our mission and our essential philosophy: that all creation is sacred, and that childhood must be protected and cherished.
The class of 2018 was welcomed into the alumni family by a 2007 graduate, Coral Peña. Peña, an actor who appeared this year in Steven Spielberg’s The Post with Meryl Streep and Tom Hanks, spoke at a dinner for St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s eighth graders and their parents. While she talked about her Hollywood mentors, Peña reserved her highest praise for her St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s classmates and teachers—many of whom are still on the faculty.
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Brass Band Director Sandy Coffin recently enlisted her students to kick off a social media campaign aimed at preserving and promoting free instrumental music tuition for all school children in Scotland. “Musical and cultural exchanges have always been important in promoting better understanding,” Coffin says.
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Two educators from Symphony Space brought the sounds, rhythms, and movements of African dance to school on Feb. 22, spending a morning with our early childhood and lower school students.
“Hard work truly paid off this year,” said Coach Sean Parker, congratulating the boys and girls 7-8 basketball Hawks for winning the NYCAL Championships this year.
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Aspiring fourth and fifth grade authors assessed passages and learned about the writing process from Karina Yan Glaser, author of The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street, in the C.V. Starr Library and Learning Center at St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s.
Head of School Virginia Connor recognized the contributions of the community’s caregivers at the annual Caregivers Breakfast on Feb. 6. More than 50 caregivers were presented with certificates to acknowledge their dedicated service to the children and families of St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s.
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February, students at St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s embraced a challenge to support their neighbors at Broadway Community Food Pantry and Ford Hall: to collect 100 food items and kitchen supplies per grade by the 100th day of school. On the final day of the challenge, junior kindergarten and fifth grade students delivered bags and boxes of food and supplies and spent time in the Broadway Community pantry, learning about how their donations will be shared in the community.
The Parents’ Association welcomed Dr. Michael Sweeney, Director of the Metropolitan Center for Cognitive Behavior Therapy, who spoke with parents about managing anxiety, offering practical methods for self as well as for children.
Giving Tuesday, the global day of philanthropy, was a record-breaking day for St. Hilda's & St. Hugh's. Parents, alumni, alumni parents, grandparents, faculty, and friends donated: $523,688.04, making this the single largest day of giving in the school's history.
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“Every year, the Food Chain has brought St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s together,” said an eighth grader who spoke at the Food Chain Concert. “We want to thank you, Ms. Connor, for inspiring us to take action. You have taught more than 3,000 students what it means to serve.”
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Thirty-six St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s students performed at New York’s famed Carnegie Hall on Saturday, Nov. 18. Led by Jonathan De Vries, who chairs the school's music department, the student singers joined the Canterbury Choral Society, a professional symphonic orchestra, and 300 youth singers from around the city to perform Gustav Mahler’s Eighth Symphony.
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More than 200 parents pursuing independent schools for their children gathered at St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s for the 15th annual education seminar of the Metropolitan Chapter of Jack and Jill of America. Jack and Jill’s day-long seminar was designed to demystify the world of independent schools for families of color and to connect them with schools throughout the east coast.
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St. Hilda’s & St. Hugh’s began the school year with blessings and celebration, as students in first through eighth grade, along with their families and teachers, gathered in Gordon Chapel for the school's annual convocation.