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Horace Mann School students Emily Sun '23 and Maeve Goldman '24 were named national Gold Medal winners in the 2021 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards competition, now in its 98th year. National winners were announced on March 17, 2021. Click to read more about all of HM's winners.
Exploring the life of Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is a significant way to observe Women's History Month. Horace Mann School alum Regina Kulik Scully '81 provides a new appreciation of this women's rights champion in the just-released documentary "Ruth: Justice Ginsburg in Her Own Words." Scully served as an executive producer of this latest look at Justice Ginsburg, who died in September, 2020 at age 87. The film premiered March 1, 2021 on Starz, and is streaming throughout Women's History Month.
Horace Mann School's observance of Women's History Month got off to an inspiring start with a virtual visit by five Latinx alums working and studying in the Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math (STEAM) fields. These graduates described their journeys in a panel discussion with the HM community, and became instant role models to current students. The program was titled, in English and Spanish, "'You've Got a Friend in Me": Latinx Horace Mann Women Alum as Role Models in STEAM/Hay una Amiga en Mi': Ex-alumnas Latinx ejemplares en STEAM de Horace Mann," and took place on the evening of March 2, 2021. Click to read more.
For over a decade Horace Mann School's Music Week has warmed the HM community during early February's cold days, with musical presentations in each Division. Despite 2021's COVID-19-imposed restrictions on live performances, HM upheld its Music Week tradition by inviting recent graduates back to campus to play and sing for a school-wide audience – virtually, that is. Music Week, from February 8 - 11, 2021, featured YouTube video performances by alums from the Classes of 2013 through 2019.
Click to read more.
Asia Night at Horace Mann School is among the most vibrant events on the school's calendar, with its music and dance presentations celebrating various Asian cultures. When this school year's coronavirus restrictions made it impossible to hold this much-anticipated event in person, the hosts, HM's East Wind West Wind (EWWW) student group, switched to an online format, to keep this tradition alive. Click to read more and to see the video performance.
Members of the Horace Mann School community will cheer on HM alum Marsha Hunt '34 as she receives the prestigious Mensch Award in a ceremony via Zoom on January 19, 2021 at 8 p.m. EST (5 p.m. in Los Angeles, where the award will be presented.) The 103-year-old actor and social activist will be recognized for her seven decades of humanitarian service.
The award is presented by the Mensch International Foundation, which focuses on developing values within society that respect minority rights and freedom of speech and worship, and promotes an educational curriculum aimed at stamping out stereotyping and racist and anti-Semitic thinking. Previous awardees include President George H. W. Bush, First Lady Barbara Bush, and Zubin Mehta. "The world 'mensch' is synonymous with Marsha Hunt," says Mensch International Foundation founder Steven Geiger. A mensch is a person who can be counted on to act with integrity and honor.
Beloved actor and social activist Marsha Hunt, who graduated from the Horace Mann High School for Girls in 1934, and celebrated her 103rd birthday in October 2020, is still making news. As recently as Thanksgiving 2020 Hunt urged fellow citizens to practice "Thankful Giving" –asking those observing this national holiday to consider others going hungry – especially as the coronavirus crisis expands their ranks.
Horace Mann School alums Sabrina Hahn '10 and Justin Lubliner '08 were recognized among an outstanding group of young leaders by Forbes magazine, when it announced this year's Forbes 30 under 30 honorees, on December 1, 2020.
When Pfizer Inc. and Germany's BioNTech announced, on November 9, 2020, that they took a step closer to developing a COVID-19 vaccine, Horace Mann School alum Dr. Mace Rothenberg '74 illuminated the public on this internationally important breakthrough. "I am so proud of all the @pfizer and @BioNTech_Group colleagues, scientists, investigators, and volunteers who contributed to this OUTSTANDING achievement!#SuccessAchieveTogether" Dr. Rothenberg Tweeted the morning the news was announced. A video of Dr. Rothenberg explaining the careful process of developing the vaccine accompanied news stories about its recent data release.
Dear Horace Mann School Community,
We write to provide an update to the Horace Mann School community regarding our work to review issues raised by the petition to reconsider the Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Achievement presented to United States Attorney General William Barr in 2011.
Recent weeks have shown the world the masses of people gathered globally to protest the death, in police custody, of George Floyd, as together, demonstrators proclaim "Black Lives Matter." Thanks to the work of Horace Mann School alum Flo Ngala '13 we are also getting to know some of the individuals who make up these masses, as she documents the growing movement in evocative portraits and astute interviews. Ngala's chronicle of the protests are appearing online and in print in The New York Times, Rolling Stone, GQ, on Instagram, Facebook, and more.
Just after 10 a.m. on June 10, 2020 the iconic strains of "Pomp and Circumstance" sounded from computer and laptop screens watched by members the Horace Mann School Class of 2020 as their graduation got underway. The graduates, their families, friends, and HM faculty and staff viewing online caught a collective breath as sweeping aerial shots of the classrooms, science labs, performance stages, and athletic fields where the graduates had spent their last four academic years came into view.Rather, that's where the graduates had spent most of that time, save for the last eight weeks of the 2019-2020 school year, when COVID-19 forced them, along with students everywhere, to continue their classes remotely, as this commencement was similarly presented.
"We have heard concerns expressed by current students, alumni, and school employees regarding the Horace Mann School Alumni Association Award for Distinguished Achievement presented to US Attorney General William Barr in 2011. In response, we are convening our Council to canvass the views of our alumni constituencies and to review in a deliberate manner the range of perspectives that are being communicated to us in connection with the award. We intend to consider the issues thoroughly and sensitively." Horace Mann School Alumni Council
Messages to the Horace Mann Alumni Council can be sent via email: alumnicouncil@horacemann.org
In-person instruction resumes on April 19. All employees and all students are required to submit a negative COVID-19 test by 5 PM on Friday, April 16. On-Campus testing is available on Wednesday April 14 and Thursday April 15. Click here for details regarding this Gateway Testing.
