Chris Dwyer ’93 was a 17-year-old student living in a small English town and a member of the debate team at Colchester Royal Grammar School when he was introduced to the English-Speaking Union, an education charity for international students “working to give young people the speaking and listening skills and the cross-cultural understanding they need to thrive.” The ESU was offering British students finishing secondary school in the UK year-long scholarships at a high school in the United States. Chris wasn’t exactly sure what he was getting himself into, but he applied and was soon invited for an interview up in the big city of London.
The interview was definitely nerve-wracking and he got a little tongue-tied at the start, but luckily a fire alarm went off, meaning the building had to be evacuated. The alarm calmed him down and he quickly connected with his interviewers. A month later, he received a letter explaining that he had won a full scholarship and would be heading to Rochester, NY to live with the McLear family (Eleanor, Bruce, Gavin ’93, Rob ’88) and spend Grade 12 at The Harley School. He took out his atlas—this was before Google Maps—and started getting excited, even though he didn’t know at the time that New York was a state as well as a city!
Leading up to his trip, Chris and the McLears exchanged letters back and forth, getting to know each other and planning the stay. One key tip that Eleanor McLear gave him was, “Bring a coat, it gets a little chilly in Rochester.” Chris went out and bought a new “mac” (a raincoat). Little did he know he’d soon be needing something much, much warmer!
Today Chris is a freelance travel writer who has been to more than 90 countries, but when he boarded the plane to head to New York in September 1992, he had never flown further than an hour to France. When the McLears picked him up at the airport, he immediately felt at home and says that they were “instrumental in making the year amazing” due to their warmth, generosity, passion for learning and culture, and desire to introduce him to new things.
When he walked in the door of Harley on his first day of school, he was surprised by how contemporary it was. He knew that, for the US, Harley is considered quite established in its years, but he came from a school that was almost 500 years old. The study and extracurricular options really impressed him, especially since in the UK, from the age of 16 you study three subjects—so he had studied only French, German, and English for the previous two years. At Harley, on the other hand, he dove right in and took classes including creative writing, photography, book art, bio, mathematics, psychology, Japanese, and history. He also took French with Peter Flinders P ’88 (French, 1978-1994). Having come from two full years of French immersion in the UK, his French was well above the level of the class so Mr. Flinders gave him private lessons and access to classic French texts that set him up for his future studies in French Literature and Literary Theory at University College, London.
Out of school, Chris was at Harley in the year when Bill Clinton was first running for president and he joined classmates putting in lawn signs for local Democratic candidates. He also became a “little obsessed” with American television. There were so many channels, compared to just four in the UK at the time! And so many shows! He particularly enjoyed “Cops”, “Jeopardy” and continued his love of news by watching a ton of CNN. Then, of course, there was the weather and more snow than he could ever have imagined. He had never even heard of a snowblower but quickly became acquainted with one!
Outside of the classroom, he participated in yearbook with Alex DeSantis P ’84 (English, 1971-2009). It was something else completely new to him, but his time with Alex and the yearbook staff really tapped into his creative side. He also loved playing on the soccer team with his host brother, Gavin ’93, who was one of the best soccer players in the area. Playing on the team was great fun and a way for him to discover different parts of Upstate NY, with all that running around, he even lost weight (Side note: he loved the food in the Harley dining hall, especially compared to British school food —he found the salad bar amazing and grilled cheese and tomato soup was a favorite.).
Other highlights included prom, homecoming, the batting cages, playing regular pool and squash, watching the Red Wings baseball, going to Friendly’s and Perkins, and even eating his first-ever submarine sandwich, bagel, and sushi! He said that at times his experience at Harley felt “straight out of The Breakfast Club”, an unforgettable and iconic experience. While the culture, the environment, and the people were all so new and different, he appreciated how welcoming, kind, and friendly everyone was from the outset. Well, almost everyone. When he was pulled to join the “Scottish Exchange” at the last minute, his host family in Edinburgh was a little less than excited to get a fellow Brit as an exchange student!
After a four-year degree at University College London which included a year living in Paris, he spent another year in France and then got a job in London working for a youth development non-profit called Raleigh International. One definite highlight was spending two weeks in Chile with the Prince William, now Duke of Cornwall.
He was then hired by CNN International in London where he worked for five years before moving to Hong Kong in 2005 as the Vice President of Communications for Asia-Pacific. He had a team of 25 and traveled all over the world. By 2014 he needed a break from the corporate world and decided to pursue writing, one of his true passions, encouraged in part by his Creative Writing class with Alex DeSantis. Now, six years later, he is a freelance travel and food writer working for media groups like CNN, the BBC, CNBC, Travel & Leisure, and The South China Morning Post. He has been very fortunate to travel to over 90 countries and he is currently living in Hong Kong with his wife, Pat, and their new puppy, Toffee.
He’s quite a writer and sent some great examples:
- https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/bhutan-memorable-experiences/index.html
- https://www.bbc.com/travel/story/20161109-a-sunday-ritual-for-300000-women
- https://edition.cnn.com/travel/article/pacific-island-hopper/index.html
Looking back, Chris credits Harley and the McLears for his open-mindedness and his desire to experience new countries and people. He adds teachers at Harley always presented new ideas and gave students the option to take new-found information and meld it into something meaningful. Ultimately, he is so thankful for his formative time abroad, and his chance to go to an American school like Harley.
He would love to hear from anyone at Harley and can be reached on Instagram at @chrismdwyer.
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College Counseling
Harley’s Approach to College Counseling is highly individualized and student-centered. Students have direct access to college counselors throughout their Upper School experience, but really, each student is part of a team including faculty, administration, and staff. It’s our job to support each student and we want nothing more than to send students on to the next step of their journey at a right fit school for them. The student centered and driven process is wrapped in care, expertise, and professionalism.
We host college reps during times students are available (no need to miss a class) so they can make connections and learn more about potential schools. We also arrange campus visits for classes as field trips, host an alumni college day (where recent Upper School graduates return to share advice and answer questions), and help connect students with our international alumni network. In fact, representatives from schools all over the world actively seek opportunities to come to Harley and meet with our students!
Our college counselors are accredited and are part of national/global conversations on admission trends. They also attend and present at conferences across the country.
Beginning with our Grade 11 parent night, we offer informational sessions for parents, including one devoted just to financial aid. Our partnership with families is critical, as the college admissions world changes very quickly and having an expert to guide students and families through the process is essential.
Clubs
“Club Rush” is an afternoon every fall in the Upper School when students have the chance to sign up for clubs for the year, and each year it is very different because new clubs are created based on student initiative and enthusiasm.
A few of this year’s choices: Sports Media, Social Action Club, Journalism Club, Feminism Club, Student of Color & Allies (SOCA), Gay-Straight Alliance, Tri M (music honor society), E-Sports Club, Euchre, Key Club (service), Animation Club, Dungeons & Dragons, Sustainability Club, Jewish Cultural Club, Astronomy Club, Biomimicry, and Beyond Soup (social justice/service).
Athletics
Each and every year, students at The Harley School participate in HAC Athletics, and their success continues to be impressive, both as students and athletes. Our athletic program is an integral part of Harley, teaching student-athletes invaluable lessons about teamwork, time management, persistence, and competition. Our program allows them to develop physically, mentally, socially, and emotionally as they represent their school on and off the field. They grow, mature, and work hard to be the best teammate they can, while creating lifelong memories with teammates who often remain friends for life.
Helping our athletes to reach their potential are some of HAC’s best assets: our coaches. More often than not, they are drawn from the ranks of our faculty and have a deep understanding of the personalities and abilities of the student-athletes on their teams.
We strive to find the right balance of academics, exercise, and personal growth for everyone. By offering a variety of sports at many different levels, all student-athletes find a sport they can be successful in. It is with great pride and pleasure that my team and I work to enrich the athletic lives of all our HAC student-athletes. Go Wolves!
To learn more check out our athletics page.
Student Leadership
Our Upper School is filled with formal and informal opportunities for students to take on leadership roles. Whether following passions or learning new skills, student-driven opportunities take many shapes.
– Independent study: one trimester, full year, and multi-year projects have included automating our solar chimneys, coding handmade musical instruments, or developing a class on financial literacy for underserved high school students.
– Serving on student council
– STEM: Climate curriculum program, biomimicry program, NASA Hunch program
Clubs
“Club Rush” is an afternoon every fall in the Upper School when students have the chance to sign up for clubs for the year, and each year it is very different because new clubs are created based on student initiative and enthusiasm.
A few of this year’s choices: Sports Media, Social Action Club, Journalism Club, Feminism Club, Student of Color & Allies (SOCA), Gay-Straight Alliance, Tri M (music honor society), E-Sports Club, Euchre, Key Club (service), Animation Club, Dungeons & Dragons, Sustainability Club, Jewish Cultural Club, Astronomy Club, Biomimicry, and Beyond Soup (social justice/service).
Hospice
Unlike this class, death is not an elective. Although it is one of two universal human experiences, our culture often ignores, denies, or misconstrues the true nature of death and dying. What happens when we bear witness to this natural process in the cycle of life and develop our ability to be fully present with others when they need us more than ever? It has the potential to change us deeply and fundamentally while shining a brilliant light on the path of our own lives.
With the support of their classmates, teacher, and comfort care home communities, senior students are offered the chance to care for others who truly need their purposeful, non-judgmental attention. In the home-like setting of a comfort care home, opportunities for learning extend beyond a traditional classroom rubric and conventional methods of evaluation. In this course, students will certainly find tangible “learning outcomes” by studying the medical/physical processes associated with dying and the basic nursing assistant skills of comfort care. The ultimate goal, however, will always be rooted in true relationships and connection, which occurs only through empathy and compassion.
Learn more about the Hospice Program at Harley HERE.
Capstone/Independent Studies
This program utilizes environmentally-focused approaches to education and hands-on learning in order to foster the next generation of leaders through a lens of sustainability and problem-solving.
Food & Farm: These year-long and trimester-long classes are held outside as much as possible, allowing students to become leaders in our various growing spaces. They cover environmental justice issues as well as hands-on work such as planning and overseeing planting, harvesting, and preparation of the gardens.
Past year-long focus projects have included: Creating a native plant shade garden in the Wild Wood area, redesigning our hydroponic system, overhauling Harley’s high tunnel, and improving the irrigation system for the MicroFarm.
Culinary Arts: These classes have a two-fold purpose: to give students practical skills in cooking and the science behind different techniques in the kitchen, learning about food justice, food sourcing, labor topics, and sustainability.
Past topics have included: Examining a plant-based diet, looking at the carbon footprint of different meals and food preparation methods, proposing a low carbon footprint menu to the dining hall, links between food labeling and environmental issues of food production.
Beekeeping: This one trimester class provides hands-on training in beekeeping, how to be a beekeeper, and safety and other techniques for working with bees. Once trained students help with all aspects of Harley beekeeping such as hive inspections, honey collection and extraction, and teaching students in Lower School about our hives.
Students pick a research topic addressing honeybee health and the larger environmental picture.
Social Justice
At Harley, our students learn how to evaluate social systems in order to identify complex problems in society through a lens of social justice. They take a hands-on approach to working for a fair, equitable society by researching, exploring and evaluating different perspectives, and offering solutions—both theoretical and practical.
Our faculty integrate social justice into our broader curriculum to assist students in gaining a foundational knowledge about what makes a democracy function. By gaining skills in ideating supportive pathways they become more exposed and experienced to how communities can undergo healing and restorative actions.
Capstone/Independent Studies
Students may create independent studies with supervising teachers throughout their Upper School experience or, during Grade 12, they can design Capstone projects—intensive collaborations with Harley faculty and off-campus mentors—involving rigorous academic study and culminating in public presentations. They are empowered to create their own curriculum, set goals, and work on time management skills in order to accomplish their objectives.
Independent Studies run the gamut from The Psychology of Sports to Furniture Design to The Neuroimaging of Alzheimer’s Disease. Capstones, meanwhile, are as diverse as the students who pursue them: Fictional Rochester, Autobiographical Art, Biomimicry Education, Organic Fuel, and Rochester Refugees.
Indicative of Upper School curiosity and creativity, pursuits such as these distinguish our graduates in college. Through deep dives of this sort, Harley students master more than speaking, writing, and computing: they learn to communicate, advocate, collaborate, organize, listen, and empathize.
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