Due to COVID several of our teachers are teaching remotely; and that left our administrators in a bit of a quandary. While we don’t want to compromise the health of our faculty, we also can’t leave a classroom full of students on their own with no adult supervision. With that in mind, Harley went on the hunt for teaching assistants; and we are so fortunate to have found Katianna Conde ’16.
Katianna joined Harley in Grade 10 from School of the Arts. While they enjoyed the theater focus at SOTA, they wanted tougher academics and found this and much more at The Harley School.
In their three years at Harley, Katianna made an impact as a student by taking on important leadership roles. Working with James D’Amanda ’05, advisor of the Harley Hospice program (2013-16), they founded the Center for Mindfulness and Empathy Education (CMEE) Advisory Board. The advisory board discussed mental health and general wellness in the school, usage of the CMEE space, and advocated for, and subsequently ordered, the meditation cushions still used in the classroom today (well, pre-COVID). Their weekly meetings involved a guided meditation, led by Katianna. The meditation varied-sometimes traditional sitting, sometimes eating, sometimes walking, and sometimes lying down. They also worked with Chris Hartman ’93, P ’22, ’24 (Co-director of Commons, 2007-2016) and started a school club with the goal of making Harley a “greener” campus by creating a composting system. Katianna also participated in the drama department with Maria Scipione (Drama, 2005 to present). They worked with Maria as an actor and a stage manager. Their most memorable productions were the Triangle Factory Fire Project and A New Brain.
They were a very active student at Harley as well: AP Art History with Lyn Parsons (Art, 2008 to present), AP Photography taught by Michael Frank (Digital Media Arts, 2015 to present), film with Digital Media teacher Michael Gaffney (2012-2015), and AP Computer Science with Len Wilcox P ’98, ’01 (Computer Science and Math, 1969-2020). The work with Mr. Wilcox was especially important for their schooling at Wellesley College where they earned degrees in Media Arts & Sciences and Spanish.
At Wellesley, along with their studies, Katianna also participated in theater. The most interesting acting role was as Bottom in A Midsummer Night’s Dream. In other plays and musicals, they worked on the production side: set design and running lights/sound, as well as production management, technical direction, publicity, and stage management. Their hope was to get a job after graduation working in this capacity. They graduated in the midst of the COVID pandemic and, as we know, there isn’t much going on in theater at the moment. Frustrated, but determined, they started looking for jobs outside of theater on websites like Handshake, LinkedIn, and Indeed, and utilizing Wellesley College’s alumni networking site, “The Hive.” They sent out applications, had a couple of interviews, but nothing panned out. They heard about the position at Harley through Kristen Liotti P ’16, ’18 (Assistant to the Head of the Upper School, 2012 to present). Interested, Katianna contacted Head of the Upper School Kim McDowell (Upper School, 2005 to present) and was soon hired.
Katianna is now the teaching assistant to English teacher Pat Malone P ’20 (Upper School English, 2009 to present) and they are keeping busy! They are in the classroom four periods a day and also run a Grade 9 study hall. In the classroom, they handle all the tech issues from computers to headphones to Schoology (a learning management system used by the students/teachers to keep organized), sometimes even working with Harley technology teacher Jeanne Weber (2014 to present) to troubleshoot. They are also in charge of taking attendance, handing out assignments or books, and occasionally dealing with in-person student conflicts. Sometimes they work with an SSP (Student Support Program) teacher for guidance with particular students. They say they are the physical presence in the classroom while Pat Malone is the brains. Their day is pretty organized and that’s good because they love a schedule.
Their time in theater at Harley has also come full circle as they have also assisted with Maria Scipione’s latest drama project, the Out of the Box Theater Festival, as the Assistant Director and Director for two specific scenes. Over the past two months they have been working with Maria and the student performers rehearsing during the week and some full days on the weekends during the performances in the month of October. Now that the performance is over, their work with Maria and the drama department has transitioned into virtual play readings.
I asked Katianna how it feels to work with their former teachers and they said it’s good, but that due to COVID, they are not able to truly bond the way they would like. There is no faculty lounge to hang out in, no advisory periods, and basically no way to socialize in person. Nearly all of their meetings are remote. They say that they know the teachers that they had, but it is definitely difficult to get to know them any better and almost impossible to get to know the teachers that are new to the school since they graduated. With the students, it is definitely helpful that they don’t know any of them as peers from when they were here.
Although Katianna is not sure how long their tenure at Harley will be, they are excited to be back!
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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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