Update From Campus

^{(All photos courtesy of Barry Mason)}

The second semester is quickly coming to a close. Upper Division classes end on June 3^rd and graduation takes place the next week on June 12^th. Below are some special academic and event-related highlights from the recent past.

The Mane Street Festival on Saturday, April 27^th brought the community of students, alumni, parents, and employees together in a “make-up” celebration planned after the cancellation of Homecoming last fall. The event featured spring athletic contests, carnival games, rides, food trucks, a traditional BBQ, free giveaways, swag for sale, and a matinee performance of “The Prom,” the Upper Division spring musical. All seven athletic teams in action – boys and girls lacrosse, baseball, softball, girls rugby, boys tennis, and boys volleyball – came up with wins!

Urban Aid returned to HM after a nine-year hiatus and offered a full slate of performances including student and faculty rock bands, poetry readings, and solo acts. The money raised is being directed to supporting HM’s community partner agencies.

This spring’s annual SciTech Conference provided a venue for two Upper Division science research classes to present their findings to the community. SciRes 1 presented data and conclusions from their examination of the uses and creation of bioplastics. SciRes 2 students highlighted the research that they collected last summer in science internships outside of school. The featured keynote speaker this year was Anushka Gupta of the Class of 2014, a senior manager at Bristol Myers Squibb who works on the development of new drugs.

The Upper Division celebrated Earth Day 2024 with a Green Day Assembly that raised awareness about a wide range of student projects. The presentation included poetry about nature and ecosystems, student research on environmentally friendly bioplastics, a discussion about the benefits of urban farming for the environment, and initiatives to reduce food waste.

The Upper Division is offering the following new courses for the 2024-2025 academic year:

• Modern World History
• Music of Protest:  The Soundtrack of Social Revolution and Activism
• Seminar in Literary Studies:  Russian Literature
• Linear Algebra

Many students in the Upper Division have received recognition this year for achievements and activities, both in school and off campus in the community. Here are some recent highlights:

• Three students represented Horace Mann at Regeron’s International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF), the most in the school’s history. The ISEF took place from May 11-17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Their projects incorporated math, engineering, and computer science in the exploration of the following topics: (1) Using a mathematical machine-learning model to predict the melting of Arctic Sea ice; (2) researching the relationship between mental health and music; and (3) the development of a lower extremity exoskeleton aimed at assisting older adults with walking.

• The Scholastic Gold Key Awards are the nation’s longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens. This year, more than 3,500 students in grades 7 through 12 submitted over 13,000 works to the New York City Region of the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, representing schools in all five boroughs. A total of 32 HM students – 10 seniors, 3 juniors, 12 sophomores, five freshmen, and two eighth-graders – were honored with the Gold Key, Scholastic’s highest award, for their achievements in the areas of photography, mixed media, photography, drawing and illustration, sculpture, film and animation, and painting.

• Aryan Palla ’24 of Bronxville has been named a recipient of a National Merit Scholarship. He plans to pursue a career in physics.

• Avery Vukhac ’25 was recognized as an honorable mention in the New York Post Scholars Contest, which is open to students in grades 9 to 11 living in the Tristate region. Her piece is entitled, “It Doesn’t Add Up:  Girls Need Math, Not ‘Girl Math.’”  Click here to read Avery's article

Return to The Lion's Pride - Spring 2024