Hakiem Coles ’07: Raising Funds for Shipley’s Black Students and Teachers
Jared Scott Tesler
When he was 12 years old, Hakiem Coles ’07 would wake up at five o’clock in the morning to embark on an hour-and-a-half-long commute, by train and bus, to Shipley. His belief in the power of education to positively impact not only his life but also the lives of other Black students would prompt his return to Shipley’s campus more than a decade later, as a member of the Black Alumni Association Governing Body.
Throughout the past year, together with fellow alumnus Amiyr Jackson ’11 and Director of Development Josie Burri, Coles has worked to establish a named endowed fund, the Black Alumni Association Fund, to support the curricular and cultural needs of Shipley’s Black students and teachers, including activities and programs that provide the entire School community with an African-American experience integral to its shared American experience. Experiences the Fund could support include annual field trips to museums, memorials, and African countries; an African-American diaspora speaker series; and a consultant specially trained in anti-racist mental health practices.
“We can’t do this alone. We’re only going to be able to raise funds with the support of like-minded people who are in favor of creating meaningful change,” Coles says. “The Black Alumni Association Fund is designed to supplement Shipley’s diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts, enriching the culture of its already diverse campus.”
Coles, who went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in history from the University of Pittsburgh, currently serves as Pennco Tech Trade School’s youngest and only Black administrator. As Director of Education, he manages upwards of 400 students and 30 instructors. He would never have had the opportunity to attend Shipley in the first place, he notes, had it not been for the Steppingstone Foundation, which prepares motivated urban schoolchildren for acceptance and success at the top college-preparatory schools in the Philadelphia area.
“I formed a lot of positive relationships with students and teachers at Shipley, and even landed my current job thanks to one of those relationships,” Coles says. “Shipley was life-changing for me. It opened up my world.”
Head of School Michael Turner talks about Shipley's focus on community building during the 2022-2023 school year, highlighting the importance of belonging and connection on the mental health of our students.
The COVID pandemic gave people a unique opportunity to explore the meaning and nature of community. In its absence, we developed a newfound appreciation for its importance and impact in our lives. This has certainly been the case at Shipley, where students, teachers, and administrators have put community building at the forefront in their pursuit of educational excellence.
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To know Betsy Leschinsky (or Mrs. L, as the kids like to call her) is to love her. She is humble about her role in Shipley becoming a leader in social emotional learning, but Mrs. L’s sweet, gentle demeanor and small stature belie a giant in our community. Learn more about Shipley's beloved Lower School SEED Teacher, Betsy Leschinsky.
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“New” traditions can mirror those from the past. And while times may have changed, the goal remains the same: To create a sense of belonging, connection, and school spirit. Learn about two "new" 2022-2023 school year initiatives aimed at generating more school spirit across the divisions.
When Helen “Honey” Beuf ’78 lost her daughter to suicide, she turned her grief into action. Working with a good friend who is a movie producer, Honey and her other daughter, Tess, decided to produce a documentary film called My Sister Liv. In making the film, Honey says she became aware of unmet needs of kids in learning about suicide prevention and mental health.
Carter Barnhart ’10 is the co-founder and CEO of Charlie Health, with the goal of providing high-quality, personalized mental health treatment to a broader population through a virtual intensive outpatient program (IOP) that combines group, individual, and family therapy sessions delivered entirely online. In 2022, Carter was named to Inc. Magazine’s Female Founders 100 list for her work to rapidly grow Charlie Health.
This beloved former French teacher and Admissions Director retired from Shipley in 2009 after 32 years of serving in various teaching and administrative roles. Having served on the Boards of Church Farm School and Benchmark School, Mr. Coleman is back at Shipley as a member of the Board of Trustees.
Shipley is lucky to have two of its own at the helm of a re-energized Alumni Engagement Office after a two-year hiatus from hosting regional and major events. Aly Mason ’07 took over the role of Director in September 2022, joining Assistant Director Ali Schwartz ’10 in the shared endeavor of connecting with alumni of all ages through robust alumni programming.
Jenny Rieg Gellert ’99 attended Shipley for 12 years. While she was a student, she served as captain of the field hockey and lacrosse teams, was Yearbook Editor, and served on the social committee. After graduating from Trinity College, Jenny taught at schools in New York City and the Philadelphia suburbs for 13 years.
Middle School STEAM teacher John Harris thrives on the moments when information becomes crystallized in a student’s mind: “It could be any subject, any day, any project, but it’s rewarding to see them become confident enough to then teach that knowledge to someone else.” An engineer before he came to Shipley, Mr. Harris's background informs his everyday interactions with students. Learn more about Mr. Harris.
As founder and Chief Executive Officer of Keiki Capital, Dan Lichtenberg ’99 marries his technical and financial expertise with his passion for developing creative solutions to global problems—global warming and climate change, food and water insecurity, income and wealth inequality—and transforming data into actionable intelligence.
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The Interpreting Data for Art Installation course combined iterative design with data collection and analysis. Upper School teachers Wendy Eiteljorg ’86, Tania O’Donnell, and Elizabeth Zodda instructed students how to use data on multiple levels to interpret the world around them. For the class's final project, students chose to address climate change for their large-scale multi-media exhibit.
Some of our most memorable experiences as students are the ones teachers curate for us outside of the classroom. After two years of COVID restrictions, Shipley students and their teachers ventured out into the world during the 2021-2022 school year. Scroll through a slideshow of images from some of the trips.
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.