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The old adage “Listen to your Mother” means a lot to John Papin ’16 because his mom, Mary Ellen Papin, gave her son some great advice that helped him land his dream job.

Back in May, John graduated from Alfred University with a bachelor’s degree in Fine Arts with a focus on printmaking and ceramics. At the start of his senior year, he was more than a little nervous about finding a job, and when the pandemic hit “all hopes of getting a job went out the window.” His plan was to ride it out, and if necessary, cobble together side jobs until the job market opened up.

But let’s back up a moment. In the Fall of 2019, John began work on his senior project. The arts program at Alfred University is a unique one in that your final project is not an assigned project, but a self-driven one. All seniors are given two advisors and periodically through that final year, you check-in with them and make sure your project is moving along. Because of his connection with a particular ceramics advisor, Linda Sikora, he was added onto a list designated to ceramics majors and received emails that Linda shared weekly about job opportunities for artists.

In mid-to-late October, he received one of the coveted emails and a production potter job in Boston caught his eye. Although still a student, he sent an email about his interest in the position. The owner of the shop, Jill Rosenwald, wrote him back and said that although his resume looked great, they needed someone to fill the job now and since he was a still student, they could not hire him. She followed with, “But, if you are ever in Boston, stop by and visit the studio.” John took her offer to visit as a kind gesture and was going to leave it at that, but his mom encouraged him to write Jill back. He sighed, but did, and gave her a hearty “Thank you!” and said he’d be in touch if ever in Boston (though he didn’t have any plans to head there anytime soon).

A couple of months later, his classmate, Kelly Prister ’16 (then a student at Boston’s Northeastern University), invited him for a visit. Encouraged by his mom, John decided he would reach out to Jill and take her up on her offer to visit the studio. The tour of the studio was planned. He had zero expectations for the visit and just hoped to see the studio and make a connection with a fellow artist. He got all that and much, much more. John not only met a talented artist in the Boston area, but Jill gave him names of other artists and studios to connect with in the Boston art community, and then, to his surprise, asked him to hop on the pottery wheel and show her what he could do. He said he was very nervous and was able to throw some “mediocre cylinders” but she was impressed and said, “If you ever decide to move to Boston, maybe we can hire you for some part-time work.” He was excited and thanked her for taking the time to meet with him and returned to Alfred. One month later, the university would close due to the pandemic.

Alfred’s usual end-of-year senior art shows were canceled, but they were all asked to put together a digital show of their work from the year. John put his show together and, feeling bold, decided to send a copy to Jill in Boston. He figured the show was a way to get in touch, to show off his talents, and to let her know that he graduated and was available! He wasn’t even sure if she would reply, but she sent a quick note back congratulating him on his great work and his graduation.

The job market was dry and John, as stated above, planned to cobble together a few jobs until the market opened up. Then, the last week in July, he received an unexpected call. It was from Jill Rosenwald and they needed a full-time potter and could he start right away. This is the same position that he had applied for as a student almost one year ago.

John’s talents are now on display at Jill Rosenwald Studio: https://www.jillrosenwald.com/ in Boston and he loves his job! Although he is not currently working on his own designs, he knows that the experience with Jill and her husband will make him an even better artist and he enjoys seeing how a studio runs. He’s taking copious notes because one day he hopes to open up his own studio.

John gives credit to the English department at Harley (especially Kim McDowell) for teaching him how to write. From applications, to cover letters, to professional emails, he said his education in writing has helped him immensely while in college and in connecting and networking with fellow artists.

John would be remiss if he did not give a shout out to the stellar art department. He says, “I am crazy thankful for the fantastic art classes I took at Harley!” and for the guidance from Lyn Parsons. He says Lyn and Harley’s entire team of art teachers is so supportive and encouraging. They not only inspired him to stick with his craft but so many other students and their creative endeavors.

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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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