The Howard Gardner School Alumni-Event organizers were, from left, Joanne Sweeney of Arlington, Katie Wagner of Alexandria, and Deb Leightner of Springfield. Photo by Maggie Szymanek
The Howard Gardner School hosted an Alumni Reunion on Jan. 9 as part of its 10th anniversary celebration. Founded in 2004, HGS is an independent school with graduating classes that average 12 students. One quarter of HGS alumni attended the event to see each other and their former teachers.
Two of the alumni are now teachers at HGS. Hope Peele, Class of 2007, holds a B.A. in human services from Elon University and serves as the HGS internship and community service coordinator. Colin Curry, Class of 2010, earned a B.A. in creative writing at Warren Wilson College and teaches in the HGS Middle School.
The two alumni teachers worked together to create a slide show that included pictures from the school’s history. Catering was provided by another alumnus. Brendan Darwin of Burke, a member of the first HGS graduating class, started La Farfalla after he trained at the Art Institute of Washington and studied culinary arts in Europe. Luke Gilman of Vienna, a member of the Class of 2014, delivered a surprise to the school a few hours before the event — a 6-foot-long papier-mâché reindeer, complete with a gift box filled with candy, flower bouquets, and personalized notes for each teacher – which became a centerpiece for the buffet table.
Decorations related to the 10th Anniversary were designed by Joanne Sweeney of Arlington, the parent of an HGS senior. Themed items included HGS photos arranged on the wall to form a giant number “10” and photos of each graduating class. Sandra Dalal of Alexandria, the mother of a junior, and Lynn Rice from Springfield, who has a son at the school, donated the paper goods and beverages.
All alumni took away a memento — personal luggage tags imprinted with the school name, symbolizing HGS as part of their journey. The tags were donated by Tracy Jones of Lorton, a real estate consultant with Acquire Realty and an HGS parent.
The Howard Gardner School, a small educationally progressive school,
serves college-bound learners in Grades 6 through 12. HGS is fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools under the umbrella AdvancED.
Its rolling admission policy allows for applications to be accepted year-round. Students come from all over the D.C. Metro area.