February 2025 Update
Stan Madyda, President, Class of 1973
President’s Message:
Winter has certainly gripped the Northeast with sub-freezing temperatures and snow. A big change fromlast year. But, days are getting longer and Spring will be here eventually.
Luckily, your HHS Alumni Association has been busy coordinating activities with the school and planning for our 2025 events. And what great plans we have! You can read all about them below.
2025 Scholarship Fair:
On January 13th, in conjunction with the High School Guidance Office, the HHS Alumni Association once again hosted a scholarship fair at the school. The seniors first gathered in the auditorium to learn the process of applying for scholarships, electronically of course, then joined us in the lobby to learn about the many local scholarships available to them. We were struck by their enthusiasm as the students spoke with us about their goals for the future and where they wanted to start the next chapter of their educations. We are proud that we will be offering 20 scholarships in June, totaling almost $30,000. If you are interested in contributing to a scholarship, go to our new donations page. If you’d like to initiate a scholarship, email us at info@hohalumni.org.
Tara Flaherty Ryan – Girls Varsity Basketball Number 33 RETIRED!
We were thrilled to hear that HHS honored Tara Flaherty Ryan, Class of 2006, with the retirement of her jersey on January 31st. Tara was inducted into the HHS Alumni Association Hall of Fame in 2018. You can watch the January 31, 2025 retirement ceremony HERE.
And you can view Tara’s induction into the 2018 Hall of Fame HERE.
Pictured left: Nancy Skultety Gagliardi, Nancy Maleska, Tara Flaherty Ryan, and Lorraine Johnson Usher.
Alumni Weekend 2025:
We are pleased to announce that this year’s Alumni Weekend activities will take place on Friday, September 19th and Saturday, September 20th. On Friday evening we will once again welcome all alums to join us at the James Harmon Community Center, for our All-Class-Get-Together. Saturday will have us gather at HHS for our annual meeting and school tour, and Saturday night will find us at the Hastings Southside Social and Athletic Club for the 2025 Hall of Excellence Ceremony. Information for other events to be scheduled on that weekend will be provided in the future.
Hall of Excellence Nomination Review Underway:
As mentioned above, the 2025 Hall of Excellence induction ceremony and dinner will be held on Saturday, September 20th. The HOE selection committee is reviewing the applications of the fifteen individuals who were nominated for consideration. No doubt a difficult task. It is expected that the HOE inductees for 2025 will be announced in early March.
Dues and New Memberships:
We are often asked, “Is my membership up-to-date?” Each membership is active for the calendar year. So, if you’ve not paid dues for 2025 yet this year, please submit your payment. It can be difficult to keep track, but we do that for you. Just send an email to info@hohalumni.org and we’ll let you know if you owe dues for 2025. We’ve updated our dues page! Check it out HERE.
We’ve also expanded our membership! At our regular meeting in February, the Board of Directors added several new membership types: Supporting Members (for classmates who didn’t graduate with the class, parents, spouses, and other community members), Teacher/Staff Members (for current and former teachers and staff), and Affiliate Members (for local businesses and organizations interested in supporting our work). Please consider spreading the word about our new membership opportunities!
25th Anniversary Celebration:
Mark your calendars now for the HHS Alumni Association 25th Anniversary Gala to take place on November 8, 2025. We will be celebrating this special milestone at the Newington-Cropsey Foundation in Hastings-on-Hudson. You will hear about the founding of the Alumni Association by Bernie O’Brien and other dedicated alumni, the impetus of the Lindemann Athletic Hall of Fame and the Hall of Excellence, as well as the success of the alumni scholarship program. There will be many opportunities for you to contribute to the success of this event, from the purchase of journal ads celebrating your favorite teachers or classmates, to bidding on weekend getaways, or one-of-a kind artworks.
Send us Your News!
Do you know of an HHS alum who has published a book, appeared in a show, opened a restaurant, or is running for a political office (like alum Phil Weiser from the class of 1986 who is running for Governor of Colorado)? Please let us know. We want to share the news in our Facebook group and are striving to establish an Alumni News page on our website. Keep us posted with what you are up to—get in touch at info@hohalumni.org.
Pictured left: Phil Weiser, Class of 1986
