My years at Hyde remain some of the best of my life. The teachers, coaches, and students were unlike anything you will find anywhere else. The lessons you learn about yourself, and about life, truly matter. If you trust the process, Hyde shapes you into the best version of yourself.

Since I was a teenager, Hyde School’s Five Words - Courage, Integrity, Leadership, Curiosity, and Concern - have served as the True North of my moral compass. Given that some might reasonably question my objectivity when it comes to reflections about Hyde, I thought I’d simply share five things that would never have happened had I not attended Hyde School.

Hyde challenged me to think deeply about the kind of person I could become. It introduced me to a level of self-reflection and personal growth that many people do not begin until much later in life.

I could begin and end with this: I got so much from my Hyde School education that I sent my daughter. But there is more to the story—and it’s worth telling.

Wrestling at Hyde truly changed my life. It grounded me, disciplined me, and gave me confidence. For the past 15 years, I’ve been coaching kids and teaching them the same lessons I learned at Hyde—about effort, honesty, discipline, and heart.

At Hyde School, I was pushed to explore what Courage, Integrity, Curiosity, and Concern for Others truly meant.

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.