Dear Friends,
Happy new year from all of us at The Academy!
It’s so hard to believe that the school year is already half over. Just a few short months ago we welcomed the Class of 2025 to our campus with our traditional greeting: “welcome home”. And, because of the pandemic, the Class of 2024 (now our tenth graders) began attending classes on campus full time for the first time.
While the pandemic continues to present challenges for schools everywhere, our community has risen to the challenge and continues to produce incredible work from across the school. Already this year each of our departments has demonstrated top work in public exhibitions, recitals, shows, concerts, and more, and it feels like we’re just getting started.
Of course, the spirit of every fall is characterized by the Annual AIDS Benefit, and this year’s production was another incredible success, raising more than $13,000 for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. Congratulations to the cast and crew!
We hope that you will join us for our 40th Anniversary Gala, scheduled for Saturday, May 14 at the Radisson Blu Hotel. See the inside for more details!
Amidst all of the successes of our students (and the heroic work of their teachers), we continue to mourn the passing of two Academy legends: Alice Gold and Pat Rusk. Both were foundational to the spirit and success of our school, and their presence will be felt in our community for many generations to come. Rest in peace, dear friends: we owe you both an enormous debt of gratitude.
We hope you will join us and Pat’s family and friends for a celebration of her life on Friday, February 25 at 7:00 PM. Finally, I have some important news about my health. Please see page 17 for more details. We hope you’ll enjoy this newsletter. Happy new year, friends!
Jason Patera
Head of School