A Place to Belong is brought to you by Shady Hill’s Communications and Advancement Offices in collaboration with 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.
The Communications and Advancement Offices and the Alumni Board
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Our Shady Hill community continues to show strength and resilience as we enter our fourth month of school. Despite COVID-19 challenges, our skillful faculty have discovered, designed, created and adopted new ways to teach and keep learning going. Faculty and students have geared up (and layered up) to embrace our School's open air traditions of outdoor classes and plenty of recess play. Each day, rain or shine, teachers show up eager to engage with their students. Earlier this fall, families organized a gratitude parade, decorating their cars with banners and balloons to thank teachers and staff for all their hard work these past months.
Click here to watch an appreciation video featuring Shady Hill families
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Shady Hill has a deeply-rooted commitment to diversity, inclusion, and equity and.. there is always work to be done towards creating a more equitable
environment and community. Earlier this year, Erica Pernell, Director of Inclusion and Multicultural Practice, and Mark Stanek, Head of School, engaged in listening sessions with members of our Black community to discuss their experiences at Shady Hill and amplify their voices.
Thanks to the stories shared, the School has developed short-term and long-term action plans, with immediate meaningful steps to move us towards racial equity. Some of the focus areas will be to expand demographic diversity, identify racial bias and implement curricular programs that advance anti-racism culture.
Click here for more on the 2020 racial equity response
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Now more than ever, the School is relying on the Shady Hill Fund to cover the expenses of pandemic related wellness and safety equipment, supplies, staffing, and protocols. Gifts from our entire community - of any size - will help us meet these costs and provide joyful learning for students who are so grateful to experience in-person school this year. Please make your gift today!
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The Shady Hill Fair tradition carried on, albeit virtually. Over 1,000 guests participated in at-home fair activities including cake decorating, pie eating and ice cream sundae decorating contests. Students also brought their talents to the virtual stage in the form of 17 wonderful performances. The 2020 Shady Hill Fair proved that even during challenging times, our community remains connected.
Click here for a fair recap!
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Pam Dickinson, Director of External Relations, will be retiring from Shady Hill at the end of December. Pam’s decision centers around her family; her husband Ty retired this fall, and as new empty-nesters, they decided to relocate to their beloved Vermont home.
Pam has been a SHS fixture for nearly 20 years—a parent of four SHS graduates, a former trustee, a dedicated volunteer, and most recently, a senior administrator. Mark Stanek observed, "In Pam’s three years as the inaugural Director of External Relations, she instituted major changes in personnel and program in each of the three departments she led—Advancement, Admission, and Communications. As a key administrator, she has also been an important member of our pandemic crisis planning team. She has been an indispensable thought partner to me and a fierce advocate for all things Shady Hill. While I will be sorry to see Pam go, I am grateful for her transformational work at Shady Hill and am excited for her and Ty’s next adventure."
Pam shared her thoughts about leaving saying, “It has been an honor to put my deep understanding of and love for Shady Hill to good purpose as Director of External Relations these past three years, shining a light on our amazing school to our full range of constituencies. While the results of much of this work are quantifiable, I leave the School most proud of those things that are hardest to measure—our extraordinary level of community affinity, trust, goodwill, and connection.”
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After six years as Director of Communications, Chris Randall retired at the end of October. A year ago his wife Lynn was injured in a bike accident; by retiring, Chris will be better able to aid in her recovery. A true team player, Chris gave ample notice and stayed on until a new director was in place and up to speed (see third announcement, below).
Chris became known as the person around campus toting a camera. His photojournalistic style captured the School’s mission in action. Through the magazine, website, this eNewsletter, A Place to Belong, and other vehicles, Chris’s reporting captured the essence and feeling of classroom projects, events, and School traditions. Reflecting on his tenure, Chris said, “It's been a happy six years. I’ve been inspired by the joy, passion, and connection that run deep through all aspects of Shady Hill. It’s been a great privilege to be part of this vibrant community and to support the work of such a remarkable, dynamic school.”
Speaking together, Pam and Mark emphasized, "We are grateful for the many ways Chris has brought the Shady Hill story to life and wish him and his family the best going forward."
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Joining us this fall is Wanita Niehaus, director of the newly formed Marketing & Communications department. Wanita is a marketing and communications professional with more than 20 years of experience in strategy, branding, design, public affairs, and corporate social responsibility. Wanita began her career as a journalist before working with HGTV, Food Network and the Travel Channel where she served as the Vice President of Marketing and Corporate Communications. Since 2015 Wanita has operated her own marketing consulting company, supporting start-up companies, global brands, large and small non-profit associations, and federal government agencies.
While her work experience has been in the corporate and non-profit arena, her sensitivities are clearly aligned with Shady Hill. “I’m thrilled to be joining this vibrant school community that fosters curiosity, learning and compassion,” she said. “This year is an extraordinary moment in time, offering unique opportunities and challenges for supporting education. I’m looking forward to collaborating, communicating and growing with Shady Hill as it fulfills its promise to develop inclusive, ethical and joyful learners.”
Mark emphasized, "The outward-facing work of the External Relations department-- Advancement, Admission, and Marketing & Communications--is vital to the School's strength and standing. These departments shine the light on our mission, educational program, dedicated teachers, and shared commitment to community to all external audiences. I could not be more proud of the strides we have made in these areas in the past few years.”
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Shady Hill is accepting applications for the fall of 2021 and has several upcoming events available for interested families, including a Middle School Informational event on December 12, 1:00- 2:30 PM. If you have friends or family who may be interested in applying their children to Shady Hill, please feel free to send them our way!
Click here for more information about our upcoming Admission events.
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The average American charitable bequest is not huge, but the sheer number of bequests means they add up to a very hefty sum: The total, nationwide, comes to over $40 billion a year.
Nearly every year, Shady Hill receives a few charitable bequests. No matter the size, these legacy gifts signal the donor's lasting gratitude to Shady Hill, and the desire to "pay it forward" for future generations.
To learn more about supporting Shady Hill through your will or retirement plan, we invite you to visit here.
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Alumni Board Invites New Members
Shady Hill's Alumni Board is dedicated to fostering engagement between alumni and the School, and among the alumni themselves. We meet four times a year (virtually by Zoom these days) to plan and carry out various projects, ranging from this very e-newsletter to the biennial Alumni Art Show, from the beloved Slush Booth at the Shady Hill Fair to Class Notes. We welcome new members willing to roll up their sleeves!
Click here to email the Alumni Board's outreach officer, Melinda Margetson '76. For more information visit here.
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Are you following the Shady Hill Alumni Spotlight series on social media? We welcome nominations! Whether their work relates to the medical response to COVID, its economic fallout, or the fight for social justice, email your suggestions to [email protected] or submit your nominations here.
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If you would prefer not to receive future issues, please email [email protected] to unsubscribe. If you use the Constant Contact unsubscribe link below you will be opting out of all future communications including invitations to events and important School announcements. If you learn of someone we are not reaching, who would appreciate being added to the subscription list, please forward this to them and have them email us at [email protected].
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