This is the bedrock of the Hyde way: a transparent record of following through on your promises and living with mission-driven hard work.

I began to excel in academics and sports, stepped into performing arts, and took on leadership roles all over campus.

The school raised the bar and expected more of me, and I rose to meet those expectations. I graduated with a renewed sense of self, a stronger set of values, and a higher standard for how I live my life.

The school’s curriculum is not just academic; it is a framework for building character, and it taught me to see challenges not as barriers, but as opportunities.

There were teachers, coaches and staff who gave me their best. I earned my share of kitchen duty. Team sports were great and my grades improved as a few of The Five Words began to take hold, until…

What I learned at Hyde was many things: to live by my principals and values, to trust that a circle of caring people can become a family, and to believe that I was (and am!) a good person. Hyde believed in me before I believed in myself.

As a 1974 Black graduate of Hyde School, the most important life lesson I learned was that I mattered and that my voice was just as important and valued as anyone else’s

And then a tectonic shift happened in 10th grade. I went to Hyde, where my character and potential were recognized and pulled out of the hiding places they had found. I was challenged on many levels. I began doing things I didn’t know I could do – like rowing a dory up the Maine coast, sharing my struggles with others, winning medals in sports, and performing solos in front of hundreds of people.

While it is true that times change—fundamental values, ethics, and character do not. Hyde’s approach of developing adolescents into young adults is holistic and focuses on foundational concepts that have withstood the test of time.

We felt privileged that Hyde valued character development, truth above harmony and believed in teaching for your potential.

I honestly believe that if it weren't for Hyde with its incredible philosophy, faculty, and sports programs, I would not have succeeded in life.

What I remember most about my tough first year was the shock of having at least a dozen adults believing and expecting the best out of me every day- checking in on me, having long talks, encouraging me, challenging me.

My experience at Hyde helped to provide me with the resilience to go on to college and law school, embark upon a 30+ year legal career, and be a dad.

The values that Hyde school instilled in me during those years have always served me as guide post along the path of life.

Hyde taught me how to be strong, take things seriously, trust myself, challenge myself and take a tough task head on.

If it weren’t for Hyde I might not have survived, truly. It was a massive gift, albeit not an easy one at all.

In retrospect, I came to realize that the teachers at Hyde were not the enemy but were genuinely invested in guiding students to break the pattern of self-sabotaging behavior and work towards self-strength and growth.In retrospect, I came to realize that the teachers at Hyde were not the enemy but were genuinely invested in guiding students to break the pattern of self-sabotaging behavior and work towards self-strength...

Hyde gave me more than structure; it gave me tools I still use every day. Tools that have shaped how I raise my children, how I build relationships, and how I show up for my community.

I now love attending reunions and listening to other alumni’s amazing accounts of how their experience at Hyde was positively life changing.