Black Alumni Association Endowment Fund Established
In February 2021, Shipley’s Black Alumni Association (BAA) set out to raise $100,000 in order to establish the Black Alumni Association Endowment Fund at Shipley. The Fund’s annual proceeds would support curricular and cultural needs of current Black students and teachers, with a preference for activities and programs that would provide the entire school community with a diverse, African-American experience integral to a shared American experience. With the support of the Shipley community and the tremendous leadership of Hakiem Coles ’07, the BAA and Shipley proudly announce that the goal of $100,000 has been met and exceeded by 30%!
“I am ecstatic that the BAA, in concert with Shipley, has successfully achieved our goal of establishing an endowed fund at Shipley,” says Hakiem. “What an opportunity it has been, as the advocate and organizer behind this initiative… The support from everyone has been incredible. This endowment would have been impossible to attain without the support, empathy, and compassion of over 100 individuals—Shipley alumni from the 1960s and as recent as 2019, teachers (current and former), friends, and families—as well as the generosity of the Halloran Philanthropies and The Shipley School, itself. We did this together!”
Hakiem concludes, “This partnership with Shipley has confirmed that there is a generous commitment to promoting and creating everlasting, inclusive, and equitable change for their students. The most exciting part of this established partnership is preparing for what the future of this endowment will represent. The real work begins now.”
Hakiem “Hak” Coles ‘07 was the youngest and first black alumnus to receive Shipley’s Alumni Service Award for his efforts to create the BAA Fund. The Alumni Council chose Hak in recognition of his steadfast commitment to helping Shipley create a fully culturally sustaining and inclusive environment. The award was presented at Alumni Reunion Weekend on Friday, April 29, 2022. Read his award citation and acceptance speech.Read a Q&A with Hak. Read a 2021 Shipley profile about Hak.
Hakiem “Hak” Coles ‘07 was the youngest and first black alumnus to receive Shipley’s Alumni Service Award for his efforts to create the BAA Fund. The Alumni Council chose Hak in recognition of his steadfast commitment to helping Shipley create a fully culturally sustaining and inclusive environment. The award was presented at Alumni Reunion Weekend on Friday, April 29, 2022.
Shipley's Upper School Boys' and Girls' Varsity Squash teams competed at the National Squash Championships in Philadelphia, finishing 34th and 64th in the country, respectively.
Since Dr. Roberta Brandao’s arrival to chair Shipley’s STEAM department in the fall of 2022, she has created a learning environment that fosters creativity, provides relevance, and pushes students to think critically. Learn more about Dr. Brandao's approach and how she makes students feel comfortable about taking creative risks.
This year’s Upper School Spring Musical is Mean Girls, a modern adaptation of the classic movie from 2004. Shipley theater star and Beacon writer Colin Harkins ’23 tells us why audiences should be excited to see the show March 2-4, 2023 in Riely Theatre.
Shipley’s theater program is excited to announce that it will partner with Broadway Green Alliance, a corporation that tries to bring more sustainable and environmentally friendly practices into theaters all around the country. Read more in this article originally published in the Beacon student newspaper.
View a performance of the Lunar New Year Overture by Shipley's Chamber Orchestra, in an arrangement by Richard Liu ’25 and Bambi Tang ’23, and conducted by Mr. Jhonnatan Mata. The performance was organized by the Asian Student Alliance and the Chamber Orchestra in celebration of Lantern Festival, or the end of Lunar New Year.
After an extensive international search, Head of School Michael G. Turner announced the appointment of Chantra Reinman as Shipley’s next Head of Middle School, effective July 1, 2023.
In the Lower School Student Council, fourth and fifth graders hone leadership skills like collaboration, public speaking, and planning as they help with divisional assemblies and other student-led initiatives, while serving as student representatives at admissions events and more. Though the group is diverse, they all have one thing in common: a desire to give back to Shipley.
Shipley's Middle School Boys' and Girls' Squash teams competed at the National Squash Championships in Philadelphia, finishing ninth and 20th, respectively.
Congratulations to Shipley senior Zion Alexis ’23 for receiving numerous awards in the 2023 Scholastic Art & Writing Awards, presented by Philadelphia Writing Project, including a Gold Key for his poem, "black boy, PREP SCHOOL." Read the poem and learn more about Zion, his interest in creative expression, and how Shipley has pushed him to grow as a writer in this Q&A.
Head of School Michael Turner announced that Rebekah Adens will be Shipley’s next Director of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, effective July 1, 2023.
Middle School science teacher Ace Schwarz was one of 10 educators selected to participate in the 2023 NASA/IPAC Teacher Archive Research Program (NITARP), which partners small groups of educators with a research astronomer for original, year-long, authentic research projects.
On Saturday, December 3, Shipley’s Upper School Science Olympiad team participated in the 2nd Annual Dick Smith Memorial Invitational. Competing in the B Division, Shipley’s Upper School team finished 31 out of 74 teams. Several students also placed in individual events.
Chess team members Srijan Velamuri ’23 and Adithi Srinivasan ’25 earned first and second places, respectively, at the Interscholastic Chess Tournament, hosted by Shipley on December 9, 2022.
What happens when you combine passion, professional learning, and appreciation of beauty and excellence? You get a teacher who brings enthusiasm and energy to her classroom and students who learn while doing. Learn more about how Middle School Latin teacher Anne Smith shares her passion for mosaics, Roman history, and the Latin language with her students through multiple modalities.
Dr. Harley Givler asked his third grade students to imagine what a storybook's characters would sound like as a musical composition. The third graders performed the composition for their PreK Book Buddies, sharing lessons in emotions, tolerance, and being an upstander, as well as inspiring a love of music.
On Friday, December 2, Shipley hosted the Philadelphia Area Math League for Independent Schools 2022 Playoffs. As a result, the Gators finished fifth out of ten teams in the group category and Bambi Tang ‘23 finished first in the individual category.
The Shipley School is a private, coeducational day school for pre-kindergarten through 12th grade students, located in Bryn Mawr, PA. Through our commitment to educational excellence, we develop within each student a love of learning and a desire for compassionate participation in the world.