Horace Mann School's annual Homecoming, on Saturday, October 12, 2019, drew over 5,000 members of the HM community to the school's Bronx campus for athletic games, activities, a barbecue and family fun fair for the students, families, HM friends, and alumni attending the festivities. Later that Saturday night, over 400 HM alumni attended class reunions in Manhattan.
Horace Mann School alum Chibuzo (Chichi) Ikwuazom, a former HM varsity volleyball team star who now plays at Columbia University, was named National Player of the Week for the week of September 24, 2019, by Sports Import/American Volleyball Coaches Association (AVCA). The honor marked the first time in the history of Columbia University's volleyball program that a player was recognized nationally.
The Horace Mann School community shared an evening of baseball together when some 170 alumni, teachers, coaches, staff and administrators headed out to Citi Field in Queens, N.Y. on Thursday night, June 13, 2019. While they gathered together at the home of the local New York Mets, it was the team's match-up with the visiting St. Louis Cardinals that drew the HM crowd. Starting for the Cardinals in Center Field was HM alum Harrison Bader '12.
For generations Horace Mann School students have committed themselves to serving others, through community service and, over the last decade, through HM's Center for Community Values and Action (CCVA) and its Service Learning program. However, as HM acknowledges, there are always ways for the School and its students to do more. One way is through HM's partnership with Grab the Torch (GTT), an organization that works to develop a "common sense" approach toward giving, volunteering, and philanthropy in young people with the potential to become leaders today and in the future. This partnership resulted in the Grab the Torch/Horace Mann School Summer Institutes. Held in New York and Colorado the GTT/HM Summer Institutes provide girls from Bronx public, charter and independent schools opportunities to learn about ethics, purpose and philanthropic action, and develop related skills. Many GTT/HM Summer Institute participants are only able to attend through scholarship assistance. For the past two years raising money for these scholarships has been the fundraising focus of HM community members who participate in the Boston Marathon. This effort kicked off on April 3, 2019 with a celebratory event at HM attended by Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr., in whose honor the funds would be raised. Click to read more.
Horace Mann School's Athletics Department wrapped up its winter sports schedule on March 7, 2019 with a dinner honoring all of the student athletes who participated on the season's HM Lions teams. The season just past had been a stellar one for HM Athletics, with the Department, a host of teams, and individual athletes recording historic first, several coaches told the students gathered in HM's Cohen Dining Commons enjoying tailgate type treats together at the annual Winter Athletics Banquet. All of HM's coaches, including HM Director of Athletics, Health and Physical Education Robert Annunziata, were on hand to show the athletes their support.
Horace Mann School's Girls and Boys Lions Varsity Basketball teams will meet the Riverdale Falcon Girls and Boys teams in the 68th installment of the Buzzell Tournament on Saturday, February 9, 2019 at Manhattan College. The girls' game begins at 2 p.m. with the boys scheduled to tip off at 4 p.m. This year's Buzzell Tournament promises to be an exciting one. It's been that for generations, as recalled here by HM alum Roy Salomon '55, a former Lions team captain. This year, the HM side brings to Manhattan College's Draddy Gymnasium a Girls Varsity Lions team that's rocking a record of 17 wins and one loss since their season began in late November 2018. On February 6, 2019, the New York State Sportswriters Association (NYSSWA) ranked HM number one in the State's Class B division.
Horace Mann School alum Harrison Bader '12, now completing his second season in Major League Baseball as a centerfielder for the St. Louis Cardinals, is also making his mark on the team. Bader was recently highlighted by New York Times baseball writer Tyler Kenner in his "Extra Innings" column (September 21, 2018) on stand-out players from the MLB's 2018 season. In his column – with the segment about Bader below – Kenner quotes former Gold Glove winner Jim Edmonds, now a Cardinals broadcaster, who praised the HM alum for his hard work, and calling him "awesome to watch."
Horace Mann School athletes recruited to pursue their respective sports in college marked this transitional step in a commemorative moment that symbolized the HM Athletics Department ethos: The athletes all signed ceremonial "commitment" letters together, in team-like spirit. HM athletes compete on the School's 14 Boys, 14 Girls and five mixed Varsity teams wearing Horace Mann School's maroon and white colors, with numbers but no names, on their uniforms. It was thus appropriate for HM to celebrate these students' athletic and academic achievements as one "team." Each of these members of HM's Class of 2018 had already been accepted to their respective colleges and had committed to playing their sport, but HM's first-ever "Recruited Athletes Signing Ceremony" on May 29, 2018 gave the community a chance to recognize these students for their contributions to their School. Click the title link to read more.
For some 4,000 members of the Horace Mann School community HM's Homecoming, on Saturday, October 14, 2017, was a day for celebrating the school. From athletic events throughout the day, to the sprawling tent where students showcased co-curricular and service activities, to the family festival featuring rides and games organized by the Horace Mann School Parents Association, to the fall-themed barbecue Homecoming provided an experience enjoyed by participants of every age and interest. And, as the sun went down on this lively day, hundreds of Horace Mann School alumni headed to reunion dinners and parties in Manhattan. To read more and see photos, click the title link.
