Dear Blair community,
Through the end of the school year, our students continued to embrace all that is best about Blair in the spring. We welcomed our Board of Trustees to campus and officially broke ground on our new Center for Health and Well-Being adjacent to Hardwick Hall; construction of the new facility will begin in earnest this month.
Our designs will enlarge the Can and expand student gathering space on the building’s first floor, which will serve as a community hub where students can study and socialize. So much of what we do at Blair is to encourage our students to engage with one another and with our faculty in person, and this new facility will be another place of connection; additionally, this new building will allow our health services and counseling teams to be in one central location for the first time in school history.
Our Trustees also continued conversations about potential plans to renovate the exteriors and interiors of Mason and Freeman Halls, as well as make significant upgrades to the Bowl with work to take place over two consecutive summers in 2025 and 2026. We will keep you updated as we finalize the certainty, scope and timeline of these projects in the coming months.
It was a pleasure to see many of you on the hilltop at the Class of 2024's Commencement and at the Kaufman Music Center in New York City for the performance by Blair’s Chamber Choir, Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Combo at the end of April. It was truly an incredible show, and we are fortunate to be so close to New York when these types of opportunities arise; it was inspiring to see the talent of our students and the leadership of our faculty shared on such a prominent stage.
A few weeks ago, all of us on campus eagerly welcomed our “Blair Bridges” advisory board of college and university admission deans and directors. Representatives from Middlebury College, Spelman College, Elon University, Lehigh University, Grinnell College, Rice University and UC Berkeley spent two days on campus diving into a wide variety of forward-thinking topics that will help shape our curriculum and programs. The student restaurateurs who run our pop-up restaurant, Lords by the Lake, wowed this esteemed group with their culinary creations at Sharpe House.
As the quiet days of summer settle over the hilltop in the coming weeks, there's one exciting exception on the horizon: Alumni Weekend! Should your travels take you to Blairstown, I hope you will join the fun and festivities. As always, thank you for your support and partnership, and I look forward to catching up next time you are on campus.
Cheers,
Blair Unveils a New Advanced Curriculum for the 2024-2025 School Year
After a redesign of its advanced curriculum offerings to more closely align with the School’s vision for its graduates, Blair Academy has released the 2024-2025 Advanced Course Catalog. Advanced coursework at Blair best positions students to develop rich relationships with both their learning community and the ideas with which they engage. With the goals of giving students a greater sampling of college-level work and ownership of coursework with room to explore with their teachers, starting in fall 2024, Blair will offer advanced survey and advanced seminar courses in all disciplines, focused on fostering deep understanding and meaning making.
“We are excited to release the advanced course catalog for Blair’s 2024-25 school year,” Assistant Head of School for Academics Nathan Molteni shared. “The Advanced Curriculum initiative has significantly expanded the options available to students and each course will challenge students to make deeper meaning of their classroom learning.”
The School’s advanced curriculum embodies the best of the academic experience at Blair: In partnership with the academic office, faculty members design and develop courses based on their passions and areas of expertise. As with every aspect of the Blair experience, relationship-based learning and feedback are paramount. Whether students pursue advanced survey courses equivalent to a first-year college class or advanced seminar courses that hone in on particular topic areas or disciplines, both are designed to give Blair students the time, space and opportunity for deep investigation of ideas, questions or themes.
“Students will encounter both broad surveys and deep dive seminars in the program, designed by faculty members experienced with what works best for Blair students,” Mr. Molteni explained. “We can’t wait to get started on this new chapter of Blair’s academic program in the fall.”
The faculty members who create and teach these classes go through a rigorous proposal, regular evaluation and annual audit process led by the School’s academic team, in which they outline how the design of their curriculum aligns with Blair’s overall vision for advanced coursework. Assessed for conceptual complexity, cultural responsiveness, student-centered learning experiences and meaningful reflection, Blair’s advanced courses measure student learning outcomes through assessments designed to capture mastery of major concepts and skills, as well as the ability of students to apply these to real-world problems and issues. Every advanced Blair course aligns with the department’s vision and “portrait of a graduate.”
“There has been so much internal anticipation around the launch of the program; we are thrilled that students and families are finally able to see the forty plus advanced course options offered at Blair,” Director of Advanced Curriculum Shelly Mantegna said. “It feels really exciting to be part of this growth!”
To help everyone better understand and navigate the new courses Blair has to offer, the School has created a website that allows you to visualize your academic journey through the School’s curriculum.
Blair Breaks Ground on Center for Health & Well-Being
Blair Trustees, faculty and staff came together in April to break ground on the School’s Center for Health and Well-Being. The new facility, set to open in January 2026, will serve as a community hub where students can access health resources, learn, study and socialize. With a crowd of almost 50 looking on, Chair of Blair’s Buildings and Grounds Committee Rob Sigety ’75, P’16 ’18 ’20 ’21 did the honors, hoisting the first shovel-full of dirt as the School celebrated the official launch of the 14-to-16-month construction project adjacent to Hardwick Hall.
Board of Trustees Chair Maria Vinci Savettiere, Esq., P’17 thanked the Board for its support of the Center, which will allow Blair’s health services, counseling and athletic training teams to occupy the same space for the first time in School history.
“The combination of the quality and rigor of Blair’s academics, its student-centered environment, and the teaching and nurturing of health and well-being tools, will ensure that every Blair student reaches their full academic and life potential,” she said. “As we bring this new Center to life, we deliver on this mission as we invest in developing kind, good people, who leave Blair understanding the value of balance and well-being and how they impact academic and professional success.”
Supporting and advancing the well-being of individual students and the Blair community as a whole is critical to the School’s mission, added Head of School Peter G. Curran P’27 ’27. “Conceptualizing this state-of-the-art facility that will further enhance the student experience visibly shows current and prospective families how much of a priority health and well-being are at Blair,” he said.
To date, the School has raised more than $19 million in gifts and pledges in support of the project, for which construction will begin in earnest this month. To see how the Center will transform the area of campus surrounding the Bowl, as well as to see architectural renderings of its interior spaces, click the button below.
Dr. Vikram Mansharamani ’92: A Generalist’s Journey
Even at 16 years old, Vikram Mansharamani ’92 stood out. The intrepid Blair junior possessed a wide-ranging curiosity that led him to pursue a variety of interests and activities, and in the spring of 1991, Vikram decided it was time to follow his passion for investing. So he wrote to founder of The Vanguard Group, fellow Blair alum Jack Bogle ’47, asking about available internships. Mr. Bogle graciously connected Vikram with Mitch Jennings Jr. ’63, a fellow Blair alum and executive at Bear Stearns, and from there, Vikram’s journey took flight.
Vikram showed up at 245 Park Avenue in Manhattan that summer and found that his talents and the connections he made would soon lead him from moving boxes in the stock room to the bustling equity trading floor of Wall Street. In a few years, the gifted student would find his way to Yale University, where he earned his bachelor’s degree, and, later, to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, where he earned two master’s degrees and a PhD.
Today, Vikram has carved a niche for himself at the forefront of multiple industries, embracing his role as a “generalist.” An entrepreneur, economist and scholar, he was a lecturer at the Harvard John A. Paulson School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and writes a weekly column (available at mansharamani.substack.com). The bestselling author of titles like Boombustology: Spotting Financial Bubbles Before They Burst, Vikram’s insights have appeared in Bloomberg, Fortune, Forbes and others. Notably, LinkedIn.com has twice named Dr. Mansharamani their No. 1 top voice on the topics of money, finance and global economics. Worth magazine listed him as one of the 100 Most Powerful People in Global Finance. And in 2022, he ventured into politics, becoming a candidate for one of New Hampshire’s seats in the U.S. Senate.
In early March, Vikram returned to Blair, sharing his journey from a working-class immigrant household to becoming a student at Blair, and ultimately, a leading voice in American business, government, academia and journalism.
During School Meeting on March 4, Vikram joined English teacher Bob Brandwood, who coached Vikram in swimming at Blair, to share his insights about the importance of curiosity, broad-minded thinking and the benefits of being a generalist. “You will all face pressure to specialize–to get narrow and to develop an expertise–because that will be seen as the basis to differentiate yourself.” The benefit of rethinking that framework, Vikram noted, is that “Specialists don’t see the full context of their decisions,” drawing an analogy to the limitations of having only one tool in a toolbox. “You see the world differently when you look through different lenses,” he advised, encouraging students to gather multiple tools. “We need to keep experts on tap, not on top. Integrating multiple insights–that will emerge to be your true competitive advantage.”
Throughout the day, Vikram engaged in more in-depth discussions with classes and left students with a piece of advice that resonated: “Blair is an amazing place to explore and get to know your peers and faculty…where one can do eclectic, fun things and not feel guilty about it. That’s a luxury. Use that curiosity to its full advantage here at Blair.” Vikram generously provided Blair students and faculty with copies of his book The Making of a Generalist: An Independent Thinker Finds Unconventional Success in an Uncertain World, in which he expands upon the message shared in the all-School assembly.
International Weekend Sparks Joy & Ignites Intercultural Learning
Blair opened a window into the lives and cultures of our community members with International Weekend in early April. Organized by the Inclusivity Committee and the Blair International Awareness Club (BIAC), the long-running tradition celebrated the diversity of campus while creating a space for sharing and learning.
“International Weekend is a beautiful example of community collaboration,” Dean of Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Evan Thomas said. “It takes all of us—student leaders, dining, grounds, housekeeping, parents and faculty—but it is an immersive experience we all benefit from. It’s so exciting to see our students, parents and faculty engage in this experience and I think it gets better year after year!”
The weekend kicked off with grocery store runs and a quick trip to a local Asian food market to gather the necessary ingredients for the weekend’s festivities. Members of the faculty hosted small group experiences at their homes in the afternoon, including a French immersion into the world of cheese tasting and macaron creation at the Issenchmidts and a spring roll tutorial at the Devaney residence.
The evening was capped off with a few beloved traditions that have become staples in the International Weekend programming—a World Cup soccer tournament on the turf and International Karaoke in the Can. A delicious taco food truck was on hand to satisfy hungry spectators, soccer players and performers alike!
The preparations continued when the full community pulled together to host the global food bazaar in the the Chiang-Elghanayan Center for Innovation and Collaboration. Dining hall staff worked alongside faculty, students and parents to bring the cuisine and customs of more than 15 different countries to the hilltop in celebration of the diverse backgrounds that make Blair special.
“I love hosting International Weekend on campus because it allows me to share the rich tapestry of my Nigerian culture with others while also engaging in discussions that will deepen my connection to Blair’s diverse global community,” Atlas Akinyemiju ’25 explained.
Adolescent Health & Well-Being Series Provides Insights into Wellness at Blair
In the World Happiness Report, an annual survey that uses Gallup poll data to assess life satisfaction and citizen well-being in 150 nations, Denmark consistently earns top ranking. In fact, the Danish prioritize health and well-being to such an extent that they have coined a single, dedicated word for it: “hygge.” Within Danish culture, the concept of “hygge” holds deep significance, embodying the feelings of warmth, security and contentment arising from moments shared with close companions in a cozy setting.
Denmark isn’t alone in valuing health and well-being so much that they designate a single term to describe it. The Bantu-speaking nations of Zimbabwe and South Africa embrace “ubuntu,” which focuses on compassion through humanity to neighbors. Croatia uses “fjaka” to encapsulate the state of distraction-free tranquility and inner peace that comes with downtime, while Germany has “Waldeinsamkeit” to encourage citizens to seek the serenity that comes from solitude in nature. Each term reflects how each culture envisions the means to wellness differently and, in turn, reflects a unique facet of the many and varied ways that people across the globe pursue health and wellness.
Defining Health & Well-Being at Blair
Though English lacks a single, resonant term to encapsulate health and well-being, at Blair, we highly prioritize these values. Ensuring health and well-being for students encompasses a wide variety of initiatives that include supporting spirituality and fostering a culture of inclusion, so that every member of the community feels a sense of belonging. It means promoting healthy nutrition, sleep and time management habits, as well as providing regular opportunities for all community members to exercise meditation and mindfulness practices, which reduce stress and anxiety while boosting self-awareness and joy. Of course, Blair’s team of full-time counseling professionals also serves as a confidential resource where students can talk through different stressors, support them with problem solving, interpersonal skills, and help them to develop tools to deal with the challenges that will inevitably arise.
Blair’s Director of Counseling, Ally Thomas, LCSW, underscores the importance of student involvement in informing the School’s holistic approach to well-being: “Student organizations, like Project Ally and Be Well, bring attention to themes that students want to learn more about. School counselors often hear themes in the conversations we have with individual students as well. There are also various adult spaces where we discuss areas of need when it comes to supporting students, like our student focused Health and Well-Being Committee.” In addition, she says, Blair gleans insight from the data collected from its Authentic Connections surveys. “All of those factors help refine our strategies for supporting students’ health and well-being.”
This year, Blair has also increased educational and programmatic offerings to help students, families and all those interested in learning how to support children’s wellness. “We know parents and guardians are an important part of a student's team. We want to ensure parents are equipped with information and tools to help their student,” Mrs. Thomas says. “The more informed parents are with the issues teens are facing—and the better they know how to support their student—the better the outcome for the students.”
Empowering Parents & Guardians
As Mrs. Thomas knows, many of the issues that parents find children facing today are not ones with which they have deep experience. Social media, she says, is just one example. “The online interaction that exists today is nothing like what existed when most parents were teens. In many ways, our kids are navigating things that we, as parents, aren’t always fully familiar with. It is so important to give information that is current and also try to help parents navigate those situations with their kids.”
Through Blair’s new Adolescent Health & Well-Being Series, speakers have visited the hilltop throughout the year for all-School presentations about topics related to adolescent health and well-being. These programs were paired with parent education sessions so Blair can better partner with parents.
Expert Perspectives
The first to occur this year featured Max Stossel, founder and CEO of Social Awakening. Recognized by Forbes as one of the best storytellers of the year, Mr. Stossel, a former social media strategist who once designed notification structures in social media apps, now advocates for disconnecting from social media devices to lead happier, healthier and more fulfilling lives. During an all-School presentation in September, Mr. Stossel spoke to Blair students about the impact of technology on their lives and encouraged them to prioritize real-life connections, which bring much greater fulfillment.
In subsequent sessions, Blair welcomed pediatrician and adolescent medicine practitioner Dr. Monique Nickels who offered a medical perspective and discussed substance use and the effect on the teenage brain, and clinical psychologist Dr. Kathleen Wawrzyniak Webb ’95 spoke to the various ways that anxiety can present in young adults and how parents can support adolescents dealing with anxiety. Dr. Webb is the founder of Greater Hartford Wellness in Avon, Connecticut, and specializes in anxiety and trauma in adolescence.
“All these speakers are about giving kids the tools for taking care of themselves and giving parents the tools to support their children,” Mrs. Thomas noted. The Adolescent Health & Well-Being Series will continue to bring expert perspectives to campus next year with the aim of educating and empowering students to make healthful changes in their own lives.
Building a Wellness Lexicon
Like the nations of Denmark and Zimbabwe, Germany and Croatia, over time, Blair has cultivated its own unique lexicon to capture health and wellness that reflects an informed, holistic approach and that recognizes there is no one way to be well. Rather, we provide different opportunities for our students—exposing them to academic coursework, spaces for spirituality, prevention wellness education, exposure to mindfulness practices and resources to meet individual needs, through our health center and school counseling teams. In addition to the comprehensive support we offer students, we know it is imperative to also equip the adults in their lives with information and tools. Blair intentionally does this through faculty training and is now providing this opportunity for parents and guardians.
Equity Lab Day Lifts Black Stories & Community Learning
Bisa Butler. Lewis Latimer. Marsha P. Johnson. Robert Smalls. They may not be household names, but that doesn’t make their tremendous impact any less significant. During Equity Lab Day and Black History Month Seminars at Blair, the community examined the stories of these influential figures and others, learning from some of the voices they learn from best—one another.
“In this community, we nurture strong relationships and genuinely care for one another, and this day is a celebration of that,” Dean of Equity, Inclusion and Belonging Evan Thomas explained. “Today is a day for acknowledging the richness and importance of Black stories and honoring community learning. It requires a great lift from all of us to put this event together, but it equally benefits all of us as well.”
The “lift” Mr. Thomas refers to began in the early morning, when faculty and staff assumed the role of students in classrooms around campus, taking part in seminars led by their fellow colleagues. A host of topics were offered for conversation, including “Ethics & AI,” “Systems & Drivers of Behavior” and “IQEE: How to Respond to Everyday Prejudice, Bigotry and Stereotypes.” The seminars offered a valuable opportunity to discuss topics and issues unique to our community with others who could empathize, fostering greater understanding and collaborative learning in the process.
Society of Skeptics Welcomes Lecturers
Once again this year, one of Blair’s most esteemed traditions, the Society of Skeptics proved to be an exciting and thought-provoking series, inviting lecturers with myriad experiences to campus to discuss and debate important global issues with the community. Read on to learn more about this year’s guest speakers.
Track & Field Assistant Coach Mark Williams Wins National Title
At the 2024 Masters Indoor Track National Championships, Blair’s assistant track coach Mark Willams took home the national title in the 400-meter event with a time of 55.31 seconds.
“The success which I have seen on the track has deep meaning to me,” Mr. Williams said. “It shows that with dedication and consistent hard work, you can reach heights you thought were not possible.”
As a young runner, Mr. Williams earned All-Area first-team honors in the 800-meter event during the 1991 track season while attending Sussex County Technical School in Sparta, New Jersey. He had the fastest 800-meter time in the county that year at 2:02.3, which was also his high school personal record (PR). Mr. Williams then went on to attend Rutgers University, where he competed in Division I track and field. During his junior and senior years, he was a member of the indoor 4x800 team that earned all-east honors in the IC4A conference. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science.
“The passion I have for track is similar to what I have in life. Work hard, share the knowledge and try to raise everybody with you,” Mr. Williams explained. “As with life, it takes a village to do almost everything meaningful, and sports, especially track and field, are no different.”
Blair Academy Players Present ‘Argonautika’
Blair’s Musicians Grace Manhattan
This spring, amid the towering skyscrapers and bustling streets of Manhattan, a group of Blair high school students found themselves gracing the stage of one of the city's most prestigious concert halls.
Opening its doors on Manhattan’s Upper West Side in 1978, the Kaufman Music Center has for nearly half a century made its mission providing access to music at the highest level. On April 30, the musicians in Blair’s Chamber Choir, Chamber Orchestra and Jazz Combo took center stage of the Kaufman Center’s Merkin Hall to perform a variety of classical and contemporary works, including compositions by Black and female artists alongside pieces from Blair’s standard repertoire.
Director of Instrumental Music and performing arts chair Jennifer Pagotto was delighted when the opportunity to perform at this renowned venue–with exceptional acoustics–fell into her lap. Serendipitously, Blair alum Jonathan Slawson ’05 reached out and invited her to a concert at Merkin this past fall. That connection led to the concert, which, Mrs. Pagotto says, offered our musicians the joy of bringing their music off campus and sharing it with a larger audience.
Big City Benefits
One of the advantages of studying music at a school located so close to New York City is the wealth of opportunities it offers Blair’s musicians beyond the classroom. From access to iconic concert halls and professional performances to networking and cultural immersion, Blair’s students benefit from exploring one of the world’s most dynamic music hubs and vibrant cultural centers. The performance at the Kaufman Center was certainly one such occasion, with students sampling the city’s international cuisine before settling in with the hall’s professional recording and lighting crews, who offered their expertise during sound checks, rehearsals that afternoon and the concert that evening. “Some of the best a cappella groups in the world perform at Merkin Hall regularly,” Mrs. Pagotto emphasized. “This was a wonderful opportunity for our students to perform on that stage.”
Ninth Annual Day of Giving Brews Success for the Blair Fund
Like a perfect cup of coffee, the Blair Academy campus was steeped in Buccaneer pride on April 4 for our ninth annual Day of Giving in honor of Founders’ Day. For 24 hours, faithful supporters of the School contributed to the annual Blair Fund, making a collective 751 gifts. The total number of contributions was well above this year’s goal of 645 gifts, one for every member of the Blair community.
In total, the group effort effectively raised more than $500,000 for one of the School’s most important fundraising initiatives, providing day-to-day support for the perfect Blair blend: academics; athletics; arts; campus life; Diversity, Equity, Inclusion and Belonging (DEIB); and scholarships. The Blair Fund strengthens and ensures a robust Blair experience for today’s students and faculty. To continue the tradition of academic and extracurricular excellence, the School relies upon consistent financial support.
“The day’s efforts represented the strength of the Blair community,” Director of Annual Giving Emma Barnes O’Neill said. “It was a perfect opportunity to honor a teacher, coach, friend, dining hall staffer or other behind-the-scenes person who makes the Blair experience special.”
For 176 years, Blair has been home to students of all walks of life. All share one thing: the pivotal difference Blair made in their lives. For many, the Blair experience was, and continues to be, possible thanks to the gifts of others. All of us at Blair appreciate the community’s efforts in helping us brew success.
The Blair Fund provides the resources to ensure that Blair students feel known and supported and that Blair faculty and staff members have the tools to provide a rich and meaningful educational experience.