A Place to Belong - New Leadership, State of the School, May Day, and much more!

Volume: VII Issue: 3, March 2025 . SHS Home . Alumni Page . Online Giving. On

A Place to Belong is brought to you by Shady Hill’s Advancement Office, Marketing and Communications Office, and the Alumni Board. Now, more than ever, we are committed to sharing news that reminds us all how vibrant and innovative Shady Hill continues to be, while forever embracing the mission and values you hold so dear.

Betsy Ginsberg to Retire this Summer

Betsy Ginsberg, Shady Hill's Director of Development and Alumni Relations, will be retiring June 30, having served the school with distinction for the past seven years. Devon Wilson-Hill, who has been Assistant Director of Development and Alumni Relations under Betsy, will step into the department leader role.

Mark Stanek commented, "Betsy has led Shady Hill’s fundraising admirably; under her seven-year leadership, Shady Hill has logged over $22 million in philanthropic gifts for a variety of purposes, chief among them the Shady Hill Fund, Financial Aid, the Lower School Playground, and the Endowment. Betsy has been a strong fundraiser and an equally dedicated community-builder, especially when we needed to reconnect after the COVID years. She has poured herself into working with the Alumni Board and other alumni relations, and partnering with Parents Council, DASH, and the Equity Office on community-building programming of all sorts."

Betsy said, "We all know Shady Hill is an immersive experience for our young learners, and it's equally immersive for those of us who work here. I will take with me so many wonderful memories and relationships, and I look forward to staying in touch with this magical place and its people. I know the transition will be smooth; you are in fine hands!"

Board chair Alyssa Haywoode adds, "Betsy has both a deep commitment to making fundraising joyful and a deep commitment to building a joyful community. Her connections to parents, alumni, Trustees, and her colleagues have helped strengthen the fabric of Shady Hill."

State of the School

The 2024-25 State of the School has reached mailboxes! You can also read it electronically by clicking here.

May Day of Giving: May 14, 2025

Shady Hill's Annual Giving Day is right around the corner on May 14, 2025! Gifts of all sizes count towards this participation challenge, with matching gift incentives for everyone. Leading up to the day when we celebrate students and showcase Central Subject through grade wide performances, there will be ways to show your school spirit. Please make your Shady Hill Fund giving day gift by midnight on May 14 to be counted! We are hopeful for strong participation from parents, students, grandparents and graduates alike!

Give Today!

Sharing Love on Valentine's Day

Almost 1,000 Valentine's messages were delivered to current and former faculty members as part of Shady Hill's 2025 Valentines Campaign. The video above illustrates the love that was shared around campus, and beyond. Thank you to all who sent in messages and gifts, supporting our community.

Black History Assembly

This year's Black History Assembly was as powerful as ever, if not more so. Mark Stanek opened the program by proudly proclaiming Shady Hill's commitment to amplifying underrepresented peoples' history and culture year-round, not just at one assembly or for one month. To roaring crowd approval, Mark declared, "Now more than ever, we need to stand in solidarity and speak out...We need to be upstanders. We need to be allies. When other underrepresented groups are attacked or targeted, we are attacked and targeted. We will not allow this! ...We see this important work as critical to our values and our mission here at Shady Hill."

The Assembly featured truly impressive performances by students in all grades. Guest speakers included alum Rob Forbes '73 (upper photo) and children's book author Gwendolyn Wallace (center of lower photo). Prof. Forbes, a historian, introduced the community to Venture Smith, an enslaved man who succeeded in buying his freedom in 1765 and went on to succeed in business and to publish his life story – now considered the first known autobiography of a Black American. Ms. Wallace spoke movingly of her inspiration for her best-selling children's books, and urged all students to "let your inner light shine." She was swarmed afterwards by students eager to connect.

To watch the entire Assembly, click here.

A Peek into Classrooms: Grade III

The community gathered on the Green this week to wave off three ships’ worth of brave sailors embarking from New Bedford on a multi-year, round-the-world whaling voyage. The Mayor of New Bedford (Mark Stanek) and the ship owners (Kirk Goetchius '76 TTC '86 and Betsy Leahy TTC '83) wished the captains and sailors “greasy luck” and instructed them not to return until their holds were full of oil. Grade IV teacher Niko Brattke TTC '20 and Music teacher Kabir Sen '92 TTC '07 led everyone in whaling work songs and sea chanties. Well-wishers tearfully waved goodbye as the happy sailors loaded all their goods and provisions on board and set sail eastward to the Azores.

A Peek into Classrooms: Middle School

Shady Hill Middle Schoolers are enjoying an expanded Student Board program this year, with more opportunities for meaningful involvement by more students, through a wider array of committees. One of the new student board committees that has taken off is the "BFGs," named for Roald Dahl's Big Friendly Giants. The BFG's seek to create community across the whole school, spreading school spirit and programming into the Lower School, which had previously not been part of the student board's reach. To this end, the BFG's have launched a whole school Read-A-Thon with a goal of reading 2,000 books over a six-week period. The BFG's outlined the project's goals:

- to Encourage Reading

- to Strengthen Community

- to Celebrate Accomplishments

Shown here are BFG spokespeople introducing the Read-A-Thon to lower schoolers at a recent assembly.

Students as Admissions Ambassadors

When we asked our Shady Hill students what they would tell a new student who was considering coming to Shady Hill, they became animated and excited. They shared what they thought was special about our school and the joy was apparent in the answers. There's no more charming ambassador for Shady Hill than a current student!

RSVP for the Alumni Art Show

The Alumni Art Show includes artwork from Shady Hill current and former faculty and staff, alumni, and TTC graduates. The youngest artist graduated in 2021 - support young alumni and all artists as you visit with your Shady Hill friends for a cocktail reception and art exhibition.

Date: Wednesday, April 2

Time: 7:00 PM–9:00 PM

Location: Assembly Hall

RSVP

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