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1970s

1970s Members of the Class of 1971 gathered for a fun-filled weekend in June to celebrate their 50th Reunion! Special thanks to Ann Hallick, Larry Lunt, Nancy White McGahey, and Robin Rae Vavrina for their help pulling the class together! Those monthly Zoom calls...

1950s

1950s John Goldman ’52 was thinking about his upcoming 70th Reunion from Harley and shared a great story. John knows how to celebrate a birthday in style! When he celebrated his 80th birthday back in 2014, he “sold” all of his party guests a copy of a book that he...

1960s

1960s (L-R) Rob Gulick ’83, Chris D’Amanda ’78, Mike Lasser (English, 1966 to ’98), Kitty Lindsay Hawks ’66, Doug Gilbert ’87, and Ron Richardson (Art, 1975 to ‘98) gathered at Kitty’s home for refreshments and conversation before going to a concert by...
Social Sustainability is Essential, Especially Now

Social Sustainability is Essential, Especially Now

According to the United Nations, social sustainability means identifying and managing business impacts, both positive and negative, on people. One part of social sustainability requires involving citizens, which leads to understanding, engagement, and knowledge. If we...
Working Together for a Sustainable Future

Working Together for a Sustainable Future

They dove deeply into our data, including emissions from purchased gas and electricity, staff/student commuting, and other travel such as class trips, alumni visits, conferences and the like. Our students worked with them to gather data on student transportation...

Letter from the Head of School

Letter from the Editor

Features

Central Work that Matters: DEI

Harley Black Alumni Network

Climate Crisis Curriculum

Citizen Scientists

Joy Moss: Storytelling Roots

In Every Issue

Class Notes

Diane Donniger Award

By the Numbers

From the Archives

What’s (Who’s) New at Harley

Divisional Highlights

Alumni Profile: Vandebroek

Alumni Profiles: Keller

HAC Athletics

2021 Lives of Great Purpose Awards

1000 Words

Commencement 2022

Reunion 2022

In Memoriam

Retirements and Fond Farewells

Letter from the Head of School

Letter from the Editor

Features

Central Work that Matters

Affinity Group Forms

Climate Crisis Curriculum

Citizen Scientists

Joy Moss: Storytelling Roots

In Every Issue

Class Notes

Diane Donniger Award

By the Numbers

From the Archives

What’s (Who’s) New at Harley

Divisional Highlights

Alumni Profile: Vandebroek

Alumni Profiles: Keller

HAC Athletics

2021 Lives of Great Purpose Awards

1000 Words

Commencement 2022

Reunion 2022

In Memoriam

Retirements and Fond Farewells

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

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.

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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