Hackley Celebrates Opening of Center for the Creative Arts and Technology

The new Center brings our performing arts, visual arts and computer science departments into one state-of-the-art facility and will empower students to explore their passions, push creative boundaries and develop essential skills for the future. The opening ceremony featured performances by Upper School musical groups and remarks from students across the divisions. 

Fourth graders Ravi M., Aidan P. and Posey P. read a poem written by the whole fourth grade entitled “New Beginnings.” 

Seventh grade visual arts major Xi H. shared her excitement about the new Center and how she looks forward to continuing her visual arts studies there. “In art, you get to impart a part of your own identity into what you make,” Xi said. “Of course, there’s also a practical side to art. You can’t learn art without the proper materials or without a neat, organized space. That’s one of the reasons I’m so excited about this new Center for the Creative Arts and Technology, which contains dozens of clean, beautiful classrooms; an enormous, new auditorium; and even an art gallery. With all this new space, learning art — all forms of it — becomes even better and easier.”

“Another important part of this new building,” Xi added, “is that now we have a physical structure completely dedicated to the arts. … The building of this project itself shows the importance of art and learning art in our community.”

Senior Phoebe Dungca then spoke about her experiences as a Computer Science student at Hackley, from entering her first coding competition in sixth grade to being the president of Girls Who Code and the first female teaching assistant in computer science and initiating Hackley’s first Hackathon, which will be held in the new Center later this year. “I am excited for everyone here today and future Hackley students to continue to grow the Computer Science Department,” she said. 

“On a more personal level,” Phoebe added, “I hope I have touched at least one person here. Whoever you are, I want to encourage you to follow your passions, don’t be afraid to be different, and use these new spaces, your teachers and classmates to help you achieve your goals. My goal now is to help my community and beyond and make a difference in the world in my own little way — one code, one algorithm, one model at a time.”

Hackley Head of School Charles Franklin began his remarks by recognizing the people who made the building possible, including architects Pelli Clarke & Partners, construction firm Consigli, and Colliers, who partnered with Hackley on the project. “In order to build a building like this, it takes hundreds and hundreds of people working in close collaboration, all having the same vision, dream and goal — truly an embodiment of our core value of United, we help one another.” 

Mr. Franklin also thanked the Board of Trustees for their vision and all the donors whose philanthropic leadership helps provide us with world-class facilities on the Hilltop. “Finally, I want to pause to recognize the person at Hackley who deserves our enduring appreciation for his tireless leadership,” Mr. Franklin said. “I can tell you assuredly if it were not for this person, we would not be here today with this building able to celebrate all that we are. And so I would love if we could give a warm Hackley round of applause to our Director of Operations and Campus Planning Bobby Aldrich.”

Mr. Franklin continued: “I’ve thought about the moment that Theodore Chickering Williams [Hackley’s first head of school] and Seaver Buck [a founding faculty member] brought Mrs. Hackley to this site for the first time. I wonder what she thought in that moment. I wonder if her mind ever wandered to what might become of her school 125 years later. Perhaps she didn’t take the time to dream; perhaps she was too busy with the quotidian tasks of building a school on a new site to think about us today. But then again, maybe I need to give Mrs. Hackley more credit. Perhaps there was a spark of inspiration and imagination in her eyes that when she closed them — maybe right where we’re standing today — she could envision what this school might become. And in Mrs. Hackley’s story, we see a tangible example of what can come from one person’s dreams. One moment, one springboard into a new opportunity, one push to see the world differently than what it currently is, this is how you change the future.”

“And so we fast forward to today and to all of you and to the opening of the Center for the Creative Arts and Technology,” Mr. Franklin told the crowd. “How will you fill this building with your dreams, with your visions of what might be? We’re honored to open this building today not only as an architectural marvel, but as a place where each one of you will have the opportunity to experience the power of community and the power of the performing arts, the visual arts and computer science. Your creativity and imagination will be sparked here. My question for you is this: What will you do for the world with your creativity? How will you take what you learned in the Center for the Creative Arts and Technology and go forth and spread beauty and light?”

The ceremony concluded with our student speakers cutting the ribbon to officially open the new Center and a beautiful performance of our Hackley alma mater.