ALUMNI NEWSLETTER
February 2024
From the Head of School
Head of School Patrick McHonett with 20-year Flint Hill veteran Emma Barnes
Flint Hill Alumni,
During my conversations with Falcons and Huskies, I always hear alumni reference teachers such as Colonel Ferguson Warren, Colonel Gaige, Ms. Casey, Mrs. Krug, Ms. Duncan, and so many others who made a lifelong impact on them. Flint Hill has always been about connections between students, faculty, staff and coaches.
A few weeks ago, I had the joy of gathering our entire Flint Hill community for our annual Flint Hill Day assembly. Flint Hill Day is a celebration of this community, the accomplishments in the school year (so far), and a special nod to the amazing Flint Hill employees who make all the difference in the lives of our current Huskies.
Each year, we take this time together to celebrate employee milestones at the school – specifically those hitting the 20-year mark of service to our students and community. I was able to recognize 2nd Grade teacher Emma Barnes’ service to Flint Hill by including some fun thoughts from her current students.
Next, we honored this year’s recipients of the Driving Spirit Award – the top recognition for any Flint Hill employee, as nominated by students, families, faculty, and staff. This year, I was proud to honor five individual recipients of the Driving Spirit Award. Click here to read more about our inspiring winners, pictured below.
For me, the highlight of revealing each recipient’s name was the joyous applause and cheering from the students and colleagues in the audience. The genuine love and appreciation for these folks, including the positive impact they have had on our students, were tremendous.
Patrick McHonett
Head of School
Leveraging the Flint Hill Alumni Network
As we highlighted in the November Alumni Newsletter, there are many ways alumni can leverage the Flint Hill Alumni Network. Earlier this month we hosted a unique collaboration with Flint Hill School, Georgetown Day School, and The Potomac School bringing together alumni for an evening of industry-focused networking. Net@Night is a networking event to help build professional connections, increase job opportunities, and provide education through career-building programs. For this inaugural event alumni were able to network by multiple industries and we are already planning for the next event in this series.
Sharing Their Expertise - Alumni Visitors on Campus
Alex Long '12
Flint Hill welcomed back alum Alex Long ’12 as the guest speaker for the annual National Girls and Women in Sports Day Luncheon on February 7. Alex played basketball for Flint Hill, continued her academic and athletic career at Davidson College, and now works as a manager of sales operations. Alex reflected on the challenges and joys of competing at a high level and offered words of encouragement for our female athletes.
Jessie Doll '01
Jessie Doll ’01 came to speak with the Investment Club in the Upper School on February 16. Jessie is a financial planner at ReFrame Wealth so she spoke to Upper School students about key factors to consider when investing for retirement. Students then had the opportunity to test these factors with a case study.
Mark Your calendar! reunion Weekend
April 26-27 is Reunion Weekend and there are many ways to reconnect with classmates, former faculty, and your alma mater. Please mark your calendar and join us for the following events!
Falcon Reception - Friday, April 26, 5:00-6:00 p.m.
All Falcons are welcome to attend this annual reception at the Miller House. We are thrilled to have Eliot Brenner ’67 and his band, A Touch of Grey, perform again this year.
Reunion Festivities for Classes Ending in 4 or 9 - Saturday, April 27
Reunion Weekend begins for all alumni from classes ending in a 4 or 9. Check out the full Reunion schedule of events. Registration opens on March 4.
Reunion Reception - Saturday, April 27, 5:00 p.m.
ALL alumni are welcome to attend the annual Reunion Reception at TRIO Grille Restaurant in Falls Church. This is a great opportunity to see friends from reunion classes who are in town celebrating and also current and former faculty who attend the reception.
Alumni Soundbites
Khalan Boyer ’01
What's your favorite Flint Hill memory?
One of my favorite Flint Hill memories is playing for Coach Palmer on the women's basketball team and winning the conference championship in 2000. We were such a tight knit team and bonded through all of the highs and lows, late night and weekend practices, and travel tournaments. Coach Palmer brought so much passion and energy to the sport, which made playing an absolute joy.
How has your experience at Flint Hill been impactful to your life?
Mr. Palmiero was an incredible mentor of mine and sparked my love of the Spanish language. He saw something in me that I didn't know was there and pushed my learning, which led me to attend the Governor School of Spanish, to major in Spanish at Penn State, and then later serve as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Nicaragua. I will forever be grateful for how much he shaped my life.
Khalan Boyer is currently Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Red Ventures - an international media company - where she leads the development and execution of the organization’s company-wide DE&I strategy, with a key focus on fostering inclusivity, increasing representation and driving equitable change. She currently resides in Charlotte, NC with her husband.
Calendar
April
Friday, April 26
Falcon Reception
Friday & Saturday, April 26-27
Reunion Weekend