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“It’s fun to learn!”

–A theme for Maddie Laitz ’12 since her days at Harley

The year 2022 was a big one for Maddie Laitz ’12. Last summer she graduated with a Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, married the love of her life, and landed a fantastic job in Boston. To get there, she made some pivotal decisions along the way including her departure from Pittsford-Sutherland High School to join Harley in search of a smaller, more intimate school. She was first attracted by Harley’s art program, but soon discovered the vast learning opportunities available and she dove right in.

Working with John Dolan (Psychology, 1994-present) in creative writing was an enriching experience. Maddie was interested in writing a novel and Dr. Dolan encouraged her. She turned in a chapter each week for Dr. Dolan to review. She said it was a wonderful experience and that his feedback was thoughtful and helpful, red marks and all. She worked on the fantasy/historical fiction work for years and when she looks back, the first chapters were “utter garbage” so it was rewarding to see the arc of her work improve with the help of Dr. Dolan. She reflects that teachers like Pat Malone P ’20 (English, 2009-present), Bill Schara (History, 1997-2021, 2022), Sandy Foster P ’19, ’19 (History, 1997-2022), Kristin Sheridan (History, 2007-present), were all “so supportive and gave you the confidence to accomplish anything.”

Maddie had a real interest in English and she enjoyed the arts, especially glass blowing with Tim Rogers (US art, 2003-2013)Her work with Mary Anne Evans (Science, 2011-2017) in chemistry, a teacher with “phenomenal energy and curiosity” sparked a new interest and that reminder that “it’s fun to learn.” Near the end of her time at Harley, she saw a little bit of an “art of science” in chemistry.

She went to the University of Rochester and all signs pointed to a major in English. However, always wanting to learn new things, that spark from chemistry got her thinking. Although she had focused on creative writing in high school, in the end, she took a chance and chose Chemical Engineering as her major and took English classes for fun. She saw her work in science as a growth opportunity that could allow her to have an impact in the renewable energy space—an interest of hers. While at U of R, she started researching and getting involved in the hands-on aspect of green science. She was interested in grad school and a possible fellowship. As graduation approached, she applied for both a Fulbright Fellowship and a doctorate program at MIT—she got into both and decided to go to London for a year for the Fulbright and defer MIT.

Maddie attended Imperial College London as a Fulbright Scholar and her focus was on green chemistry, specifically hydrogen fuel cells and hydrogen technology. She said her year in London was the “best year ever.” She said her academic experience better shaped her interest in renewable energy.

On the non-academic side, she had the opportunity to meet some really incredible people. Fulbright Fellowships are not restricted to science and Maddie was part of a cohort of 40-50 students all over the United Kingdom, representing many disciplines of study. She spent the year getting to know these other scholars, visiting them in their various cities (though London was a central location), and learning about their different programs. These were small master’s programs and each individual, working on their dissertation or project, had a deep passion for their subject of study. The Fulbright ended after a year and she returned to the United States to join the doctorate program at MIT.

At MIT, she worked with a small group of people focused on the photophysics of semiconductors for solar energy. She said it was, “very intense and fascinating work.” She had extraordinary classes where she learned about semiconductor device physics, light-matter interactions, emerging solar cell technology, photonic computing (vs. current analog computing), and more. Her dissertation focused on the ways in which light interacts with matter including how photons and electrons interconvert in everything from solar cells to LEDs to quantum computing. After five-years, she received her degree in Electrical Engineering and Computer Science.

Following her graduation, Maddie wanted to zoom out from nanoscale and better understand the macroscopic picture and how technology fits into the broader whole, so she took a job as a consultant at Bain and Company in Boston, MA. Her goal there is to work with companies around the globe to accelerate the global energy transition. She said we have amazing technology, but realizing its full potential will require concerted effort between scientists, engineers, policymakers, and business leaders.

Maddie also married Martha, her “favorite person in the world”, this past June. They had a beautiful outdoor celebration surrounded by family and friends. Martha is the Director of PCDI Policy at Massachusetts Medicaid and her work has helped to shape Maddie’s interest in the public policy landscape.

After the intensity of the last year, Maddie also shared that she has come full circle with her interest in arts and has recently taken up (and loves) photography!

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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.

View the downloadable College Counseling Guide

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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