If you have Horace Mann School alumni news that you'd like to share, please send an email to websitenews@horacemann.org. We will review all submissions and some will be featured on our website. (We regret that we cannot showcase all news items provided.)
Pedro Alvarez, former Major League Baseball player and member of the Class of 2005, has joined the Horace Mann School faculty as the institution's first Director of Wellness.
The newly created position will empower Alvarez to design and grow a physical fitness conditioning program for students and adult employees that also focuses on optimal nutrition and coping with the mental challenges of participating in sports and keeping fit.
Alvarez has spent the last four years with the Milwaukee Brewers advising players on behavioral and cognitive strategies, nutrition, and fitness training, all aimed at optimizing physical performance. He is extremely qualified within the field of fitness training and has considerable experience with mental strategies in sports competition. Pedro also brings with him a network of connections to youth educators and trainers of elite athletes.
The experience and expertise Alvarez brings to the table is substantial. As Director of Athletics Matt Russo reflected, “The exciting thing is that Pedro is perfectly suited for this brand new position. He is eager to help support the physical and psychological needs of our students and is already developing projections for how the program will evolve in the short and long term to serve our N through 12 population. By joining HM as a faculty member, his life is really coming full circle.”
At Alvarez’s recommendation, HM is investing in new training equipment such as the Vertimax, a machine that athletes of all levels use to increase their speed, power, and vertical jump. In addition, changes are being made to the current layout of the Simon Family Fitness Center to maximize the amount of floor space for individual training. Cutting-edge training approaches like hacking the kinetic chain, traditionally used to teach baseball pitchers how to be more efficient in their movement, will be incorporated into the strength and flexibility conditioning program.
As Russo explained, “Here at HM we often wrestle with a culture of perfectionism, so our students sometimes have difficulty coping with failure. Since failure in sports is inevitable – no matter what the sport or whatever the level – we think it makes perfect sense to teach students how to deal with failure, learn simple mental exercises that can maximize athletic performance, and foster a supportive team culture.”
It is unusual for an independent N-12 school offer programs in wellness, nutrition, and physical conditioning. As Russo said, “We are the only high school I am aware of that is venturing into this area. But I wouldn’t be surprised if our peer schools five years from now take the same direction.”
Alvarez holds an undergraduate degree from Vanderbilt University in medicine, health, and society. He and his wife, Keli, live in New Jersey with their two young daughters.
At a June 4th luncheon in the garden of the Head of School’s residence, HM alumnus, Pulitzer Prize winner, and acclaimed author-historian Robert Caro ’53 awarded the annual prize established in his honor to senior Sophia Liu ’24.
Liu’s 42-page paper entitled, “Counterculture to the Satanic Panic: Conflicts Between the Church of Satan and the Religious Right,” was the writing competition’s resounding winner, standing apart from the many accomplished research papers that were submitted.
Since 2011, the annual competition for the Robert Caro ’53 Prize for Literary Excellence in the Writing of History has welcomed juniors and seniors to submit one history paper from a current or past history elective. Papers are required to be extensively researched and composed in a style that thoroughly engages readers.
As administrators and Upper Division history faculty, Caro’s family members, alumni from the Class of 1953, and previous winners Lawson Wright ’23 and Lindsay Zelson ’15 looked on, Liu warmly thanked her history teachers for inspiring her love of history. She expressed her gratitude to Mr. Caro and Dr. Kelly for the opportunity to participate in the competition. Liu will attend the University of Chicago this fall.
In some exciting news for the HM community, the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement
Administrators (IACLEA) has awarded Horace Mann School’s Office of Public Safety IACLEA accreditation. Accreditation by IACLEA – the leading authority for campus public safety -- denotes an exceptional commitment to operating in accordance with cutting-edge standards and in continuous improvement mode. To date, HM is the only independent or public school, day or boarding, in the country to receive this prestigious accreditation. Currently, fewer than 100 agencies, predominantly at the higher education level, have achieved IACLEA Accreditation.
Under the leadership of Michael McCaw, Director of Public Safety, HM demonstrated compliance with nationally recognized best practice standards applicable to all aspects of our safety and security operations. This includes, but is not limited to, the recruitment, selection, training, and professional development of Public Safety personnel who carry out the Office’s protocols and policies.
Completing the IACLEA accreditation program required an in-depth, multi-year review and analysis of HM’s program. Beyond the participation of the members of our Office of Public Safety and other administrators, it was humbling to read the IACLEA Accreditation report and come across a summary of the supportive comments and feedback over 640 parents, guardians, employees, students, and alumni shared.
The school’s commitment to a secure and healthful environment has never been stronger. Our community is extraordinarily fortunate that HM’s dedicated Public Safety professionals are continually focused on safeguarding our students and employees 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
On the evening of May 2nd, alumni, parents, faculty, administrators, and friends of Horace Mann gathered at Monterey American Brasserie in Midtown Manhattan to celebrate the 21st Annual Alumni Benefit for the Student Lunch Initiative. The night brought together over 140 participants, both in person and remotely, and included toasts from Dr. Tom Kelly, Head of School; Ephram Lustgarten ’98, Alumni Council President; and Alumni Benefit Committee Co-Chairs Jennifer Friedman ’08, Lindsay Kane ’02, and Mariel Grossman ’02.
Beginning at 6:30 PM, guests enjoyed delicious hors d’oeuvres, laughter, and conversation. Alumni across generations connected with other alums, faculty, and administrators in attendance. In their remarks, co-chairs Friedman, Kane, and Grossman thanked corporate sponsors, SuperSelby Transportation and Kate Fisher Tutoring, for their generous support of the Student Lunch Initiative. They also acknowledged the dedication of the committee to making the night a success and thanked the event’s individual sponsors, including Chris Greene ‘92, whose company Minuteman Press gifted all attendees an “HM Alumni”-branded tote bag and printed all the signage for the event.
Chef Alex Guarnaschelli '87 Receives 2023 Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Achievement
The 2023 Horace Mann School Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Achievement was presented to Chef Alex Guarnaschelli '87 at a celebration at Tavern on the Green on Monday, May 8th.
The Alumni Association's Award for Distinguished Achievement is chosen each year by the Alumni Council, on behalf of the Alumni Association, in order to honor a graduate who exemplifies distinguished achievement in his or her chosen profession or accomplishments. The first award was bestowed to a graduate of Horace Mann in 1939 and it has since become a well-recognized and anticipated event and honor every year.
There are few American chefs, much less female chefs, who can boast staying power in Michelin-starred restaurants. Chef Alexandra Guarnaschelli can boast indeed - she embarked on a culinary journey in France and ended up working in some of the country's top restaurants including esteemed chef Guy Savoy's eponymous three-star kitchen. Not surprising for the daughter of esteemed cookbook editor Maria Guarnaschelli, who spent her childhood surrounded by food.
To read a full bio, and see a list of past Award recipients, visit our website here.
Fellowship provides funding for graduate school and recognizes future public service leaders.
Office of Distinguished Fellowships | MIT Career Advising and Professional Development Publication Date:
https://news.mit.edu/2023/malhaar-agrawal-named-truman-scholar-0413
Reprinted with permission of MIT News (http://news.mit.edu/)
HM Alums Build Growing Fleet of “Cobots”
Advances in technology and artificial intelligence are making robot automation more affordable in manufacturing. Recognizing this trend, Tutor Intelligence, founded by Josh Gruenstein '17 with an MIT classmate in February of 2021, is producing AI machines in the form of “cobots” -- collaborative robots – that deliver seamless automation to small and medium-sized manufacturers.
The company develops AI software and then leases complete cobot systems, running its software, to manufacturing and packaging facilities for $12 per hour. Tutor Intelligence allows customers to pay for cobots by the hour with no commitment and offers the flexibility to scale up or down as needed. The company’s cobots can be delivered to customers in a matter of days and are ready to work straight out of the box alongside humans.
Several other members of the Class of 2017 are nurturing Tutor Intelligence’s success. Emily Spector '17 joined the company part-time in January 2022 and became the full-time head of business operations in June 2022. Over the summer of 2022, Benjamin Ades '17 was hired to produce a series of videos for Tutor’s website. In addition, Tutor Intelligence has taken investment from Junyoung Choi '17, with the support of two additional members of the Class of 2017.
The company’s website explains the automation challenges that small- and medium-sized manufacturers face: “Most manufacturing does not happen at the scale of the largest brands: 99.3% of manufacturers in the US have under 500 employees. 75% have a headcount under 20. The majority of manufacturers that form the lifeblood of the physical economy are run by individuals and families, businesses that have endured and prevailed through major challenges. They comprise more the 99% of manufacturers in the United States, and yet they are regularly overlooked by the public media, and their needs go unmet by the people supposedly designing the future of automation.”
Tutor Intelligence started in the MassRobotics co-working space in the Boston Seaport, but soon moved to its own office in Boston's Financial District. They now operate on three floors: one for office space, one for lab space, and one for manufacturing.
Click here to meet the cobots that get to work right out of the box:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_9EM4mW_Uc&authuser=0
Two HM Alumnae Named to Forbes 30 Under 30
Two up-and-coming young professionals who call Horace Mann School alma mater were recently named to Forbes Magazine’s 30 For 30 North America 2023.
Jessica Chi Source: LinkedIn
Jessica Chi ’11 is the global marketing director of Rihanna’s Fenty Skin at LVMH/Kendo Brands. She was responsible for the launch of Fenty Eau de Parfum, which sold out within hours of its August 2021 release. Prior to her current position, she held various marketing positions at LVMH and L’Oreal. After graduating from Horace Mann, where her activities included theater and dance, Jessica attended Columbia University and studied sociology and English. Several years later, she returned to Columbia to earn her MBA in marketing and management.
Flo Ngala Credit: Barry Mason
Flo Ngala ’13 is a professional photographer and photojournalist who was the first Black woman hired by Vogue to photograph the Met Gala. Among many other projects, she received great acclaim for her 2019 New York Times cover story about figure skating in Harlem, as well as her photography of entertainment icons Cardi B and Gucci Mane. As a student at Horace Mann, Flo was voted “most artsy.” It was at HM that she first learned how to use a camera. She has returned to campus many times to speak with students about her experiences at Horace Mann and in her professional life.