All In The Campaign for Blair Academy 2018-2025

From Hilltop to Home

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This e-newsletter is sent to all Blair parents by Associate Head of School Ryan M. Pagotto. The goal of the monthly communication is to keep parents abreast of what's happening in the Blair community and, hopefully, set their minds at ease during times of the year that can be challenging.

From September to May, new issues of From Hilltop to Home are posted here. If you have questions, comments or suggestions related to these letters, please contact Mr. Pagotto at pagotr@blair.edu.

Students on campus

“There’s no failure in sports. There are good days, bad days. Some days you are able to be successful, some days you’re not. Some days it’s your turn, some days it’s not your turn.” You may recall this quote from the Greek-Nigerian basketball player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, when he responded to an interviewer about whether he considered their loss to the Miami Heat last spring a failure. I stumbled upon it recently and thought I would use it to begin this letter as we transition from the winter to the spring athletic season and embark on a week of interschool competition known as the Headmasters’ Societies Games.

Read More about February 2024
Students on campus

After a spectacular J-term period, we moved into the routine of second semester classes on Monday. I was glad to be back to giving high fives and holding open the Clinton Hall door while Mr. Curran—with Bowdoin at his side—gave fist bumps to all who passed by for first block class. The energy was high and most students seemed eager to have returned to routine.

Read More about January 2024
Students on campus

It was a pleasure connecting with many of you during Family Weekend and at Peddie Day, the  latter of which was held this past weekend at Blair. It was a glorious day—our campus was sparkling with the colors of autumn blended with the blue and gray that adorned our athletes, fans, parents and the many alumni who ventured back to cheer on their Bucs. As you know by now, the day concluded in a tie, and, as protocol dictates, each team holds the Kelley-Potter Cup for half the year and the home team is the first to get the Cup.

Read More about November 2023
Locke Hall with wreaths on its doors

We are now into the second month of school with two community weekends and the “long” weekend under our belts, and it’s hard to believe we have crested the mid-semester mark. Fall athletic teams have experienced a host of wins and losses, actors are well into the process of learning their lines for the fall production, They Promised Her the Moon, and every student now has an advisor!

Read More about October 2023
Locke Hall with wreaths on its doors

During the last week of July, our family escaped to a favorite Jersey shore town for one final summer getaway. Now that our kids are a bit older, our time at the beach was noticeably more relaxed than in prior years when we were concerned about them wandering too close to the water or getting lost in the sea of beach umbrellas.

Read More about September 2023