Student-conceived and student-driven initiatives are celebrated here at Harley, and we have our fair share of them. This year’s first such endeavor was in support of Alex’s Lemonade Stand for Childhood Cancer, an organization which raises funds to further cancer research. “Alex’s Lemonade Stand Foundation (ALSF) emerged from the front...
Two important classes in our Upper School which relate directly to the Commons and its school-wide programs are Rights & Responsibilities (led by Chris Hartman and Seth O’Bryan) and The Living Building (taught by Seth O’Bryan). Rights & Responsibilities is a mandatory class for 9th graders which lasts a trimester....
While walking around the school, one can find meaningful moments of mindfulness. This is so woven into the fabric of how we behave and what we do in all divisions, that we can sometimes take it for granted. Many of us have established ways of regulating ourselves in response to...
That expansive quote was offered by Seth O’Bryan during our initial meeting with the newly-established Commons Student Council. We were discussing the different aspects of the Commons that captured our passion and interest, and nearly every member of the 12-student team mentioned the compelling, yet undefined, vision of students taking...
During the Homecoming events this fine weekend, workers were still taking care of business inside the Commons. These are the most recent shots of the construction progress.
Here are some photos of the latest work on the exterior of the Commons, making way for the steel supports for the solar panels, and of the now-unpacked furniture in the renovated Beckerman Center! Geothermal drilling: Drilling for the vertical geothermal loop began this week! You can see shots of...
Clearly, with a blog dedicated in name to the Commons, the worry is that only the activities and projects and teaching that take place in that physical space will be featured. What we all know about the work of and in the Commons is that it would not be possible...
Most of you have heard of the annual Greentopia Festival that is held in the High Falls district each September. This year, the festival featured several speakers, one of whom was a young man named Birke Baehr, who gained national recognition after he presented a talk entitled “What’s wrong with...
Blessed with a late start to our new school year, many of the faculty were on campus for the Thursday and Friday after orientation to work and get things all prepared for the students. During those two days, the faculty & staff were given the opportunity to tour the not-quite-complete...
On Monday, August 5th, about 20 Harley folks (admin, faculty and students) attended a full-day workshop on the systems of the Commons building. We were introduced to the various energy-saving and energy-producing elements which will help make it a sustainable building. Chris Costanza, primary architect of the construction, gave an...
