Why Hyde Was Exactly What I Needed – A Hyde School Alumni Story

A Hyde School Alumni Success Story

This reflection comes from Theresa Locklear, Class of 1987. Her story shows how structure, accountability, and community at Hyde School gave her what she needed to move from instability to confidence and purpose.

Hyde School Alumni Story

Theresa Locklear ’87 and former classmates celebrating her 50th birthday — the lasting connections and support Hyde School fostered.

When I arrived at Hyde School in 1982, I was a struggling teenager from New York City. At that time, the city could be a tough and chaotic place for a young person, especially someone without a strong support system. My home life was marked by instability and a lack of structure. My family, though loving in its own way, was in crisis and unable to provide the consistent boundaries and guidance I needed. Many of the peers I grew up with faced difficult paths, and some encountered outcomes that were heartbreaking. I was drifting in that same direction until Hyde School provided the structure, accountability, and community that helped me find a different way forward.

The current lawsuit against Hyde highlights practices that, from the outside, may appear harsh or outdated. But Hyde School, like many institutions, has changed over the years. Many of the more intense work crew punishments that were part of the program in earlier decades are no longer used. At the same time, the school continues to uphold the values it was founded on, personal accountability, community responsibility, and growth through challenge. For those of us who experienced Hyde’s approach firsthand and credit it with helping us change the course of our lives, the story is more complex than what headlines often reflect. I’d like to share how some of the very elements being criticized were instrumental in saving my life and shaping who I became.

Structure and Accountability Saved Me

At home, I had little structure. At Hyde School, I found something radically different: clear rules, firm expectations, and a community that held me accountable. This wasn’t just about discipline. It was about learning how to take responsibility for myself and my choices. That was something no one had ever taught me before. Or if they did, it never sunk in.

I learned what it meant to be part of a team. I learned how to lead with integrity, and how to show compassion to people I might otherwise have judged or ignored. These lessons laid the groundwork for everything that came afterward in my life, including a successful career at the highest levels of corporate America.

Community Responsibility Is Not Exploitation

Every student at Hyde School is expected to do chores like cleaning bathrooms, sweeping halls, and washing dishes. This isn’t punishment. It’s about taking ownership of the place where you live and understanding that you're part of something bigger than yourself. When I did these tasks, I wasn’t being exploited. I was being taught that communities only work when everyone contributes.

Yes, some students were assigned harder work as a consequence for breaking rules. But these consequences were not arbitrary. When students broke the rules, rules they agreed to in writing when they enrolled, they were given work that encouraged them to reflect. Tedious manual labor projects might seem meaningless to some. But to a student who is angry, reactive, or lost, it can create a moment of quiet clarity. That was true for me.

Doing Hard Things Builds Character

One of the most well-known Hyde traditions is “auditions,” where every student must sing a song, a cappella, in front of the entire school. It is terrifying. It feels exposing. But it is also unforgettable. That moment teaches you how to stand in your fear and do something anyway. That lesson has served me countless times since.

I had never run a mile in my life before Hyde. As a teen, I thought it was inhumane to make us run that far on the first day of sports. But by the time I graduated, I was MVP of two teams. Every student participates in sports, not to be the best, but to learn what it feels like to show up, struggle, and grow stronger.

Empathy Through Service

Community service is a required part of every Hyde School student’s experience. That alone sets Hyde apart. Very few high schools make service to others a core part of their curriculum, and even fewer treat it as an essential tool for personal growth. During my time at Hyde School, I was assigned to volunteer at a local children’s home. I had never been exposed to that kind of hardship before. The experience was humbling and deeply eye-opening. It challenged me to see the world beyond my own struggles and helped me develop a genuine sense of compassion, perspective, and social awareness.

That early exposure to meaningful service shaped the kind of adult I became. It taught me to lead with empathy, to look for the humanity in others, and to stay grounded no matter how high I climbed in my career. It made me a more well-rounded person, not just professionally but personally. I am grateful that Hyde School did not focus solely on academics or discipline. It prioritized developing character through direct and often uncomfortable engagement with the real world. That is rare, and it made all the difference.

Emotional Honesty and Self-Reflection

Hyde School requires all students to participate in group counseling sessions. These are faculty-led forums where students talk openly about what is really going on in their lives, whether at home, at school, or within themselves. These conversations happened in privately classrooms, outdoors, or even during walks around campus. For many of us, it was the first time we were asked to speak honestly about our thoughts and feelings in a space that invited vulnerability. It was uncomfortable. It was challenging. But it was also healing.

These sessions taught me how to take emotional risks, how to listen with empathy, and how to support others who were struggling in ways I had never recognized before. For teens who have never been taught how to name or process their emotions, this kind of work is not just helpful. It is essential. It helped me develop emotional intelligence, resilience, and the ability to build meaningful relationships throughout my life.

Hyde School Didn’t Just Help Me. It Transformed Me.

I am incredibly grateful that my family had the resources and the foresight to send me to Hyde School. The school’s full-life curriculum, its structure, challenge, community, and support, was exactly what I needed to become the person I am today.

It’s easy, especially in today’s climate, to take some of Hyde’s practices out of context or view them through a modern lens that may not reflect the time or intention behind them. Some of the more demanding work crew experiences that shaped my character in the 1980s are no longer part of the school’s daily life. Hyde School, like many institutions, has evolved over the years. But the core values, personal responsibility, community, honesty, and growth through challenge, are still present. For me, and for many of my friends (some of whom I still speak with every day), Hyde was not a place of harm. It was a place of transformation.

To Those Reading This

If you had a different experience, I hear you. There are many platforms and conversations where those stories are being told, and they are important. This site exists to offer something less often heard: the voices of those who found strength, growth, and meaning through their time at Hyde School. These stories deserve a place in the broader conversation too.

I also carry a sense of sadness for those who left Hyde School feeling defeated or harmed. I can’t speak for their experiences, but I do believe that some may never have had the chance, or the support, to fully engage with what Hyde was offering. That loss is real. The chance to push through difficulty and come out stronger on the other side is something I don’t take for granted. It changed my life. And I wish everyone had been able to reach that point.

Hyde School didn’t break me. It built me. And I am forever grateful.

The Lasting Impact of a Hyde School Education

Hyde Voices shares authentic perspectives from Hyde School alumni, parents, and staff. Each story demonstrates how Hyde School’s focus on truth, growth, and character creates lasting change. Explore more Hyde School stories, share your own reflection, or learn more about the school itself at the Hyde School website.