Horace Mann School students captured top awards at the sixth annual NY Alliance Film Festival with films they produced in their HM film studies classes. The awards were announced in an online ceremony on June 25, 2021, that also featured excerpts from the winning films. The NY Alliance Film Festival was launched in 2015 by Grace Church School History teacher Jason McDonald, together with film teachers from other independent schools. The festival's goal is to connect students from independent high schools throughout New York State who are interested in filmmaking. Seventy films were submitted to this year's competition, and reviewed by filmmaking teachers and experienced filmmakers who served as judges. Click to read more.

Horace Mann School alum Bethany Donaphin '98 is a leader among today's professional athletes engaged in pursuing social justice.

A former center for the New York Liberty basketball team—after her starring on the Girls and Women's Varsity Basketball teams at HM and at Stanford University, as well as on overseas teams—Donaphin is now Head of League Operations for the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA). This position sees her assisting every team in the League coordinate its players' equity activism. WNBA athletes are at the forefront of this effort, with a social justice focus intrinsic to the history of the League, now celebrating its first quarter century. Donaphin spoke about the WNBA's long record of activism, that was heightened during last year's 2020 season, on a "Sports and Social Justice: Creating Platforms for Change" panel during the espnW Summit NYC, held virtually on May 13, 2021.

Sports competitions have returned to Horace Mann School, following a year-long hiatus resulting from COVID-19 safety precautions. Throughout the 2020-2021 school year HM's student athletes involved in fall and winter sports engaged in practices, drills, and studied techniques together in the school's gyms and on its fields when classes were in session on campus, and with strict COVID-19 safety provisions in place. They also maintained their practice schedules via Zoom meetings with their coaches and teammates during the remote learning periods that HM had planned before the start of the school year. However, last fall's increased possibility of COVID-19 exposure, and the indoor aspect of winter sports, prevented competitions with other schools from taking place. As spring 2021 sees a gradual release in COVID-19 restrictions, with most adults and many Upper Division students having received vaccinations, HM athletes will participate in a limited number of contests with the other Hilltop Schools.

Students in Horace Mann School's Middle Division brought their best to the 2021 National Latin Exam (NLE), with four HMers logging perfect scores, and almost all achieving the exam's worldwide average, or above. The scores of the test, taken by a total of 79,627 students from 2,607 schools around the world were announced April 15, 2021.

Horace Mann School student Ericka Familia '21 is one of 104 graduating high school seniors nationwide selected to receive a prestigious Cooke College Scholarship from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation. Familia was selected from among 5,800 applicants from all 50 states and U.S. Territories to receive up to $40,000 annually to cover costs associated with their undergraduate education. Cooke College Scholars are granted financial support, along with ongoing educational advising from Foundation staff, as well as access to a network of over 2,800 active Cooke Scholars and Alumni. Scholars also gain opportunities for internships, study abroad, and are eligible to apply for further funding for graduate school from the Foundation. Established in 2000, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation "is dedicated to advancing the education of exceptionally promising students who have financial need."

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 98^th year. National winners were announced on March 17, 2021. Click to read more about all of HM's winners.