Ranney Alumni Revisit Their Roots and Share the College Experience with Current Students

Hands shot through the air, as eager Middle School students awaited the opportunity to ask recent Ranney alumni various questions regarding college life, high school memories and more in the school’s Distance Learning Center. With questions ranging from, “What is the first day of college like?” to “Which do you think was the hardest transition — Middle School to Upper School or Upper School to college?”, both Middle School and Upper School students were afforded a firsthand account of what they can expect to experience in the years to come.

Several types of Alumni Panel discussions were held at Ranney on Thursday, January 6, 2011, as part of the school’s annual College Alumni Luncheon. Although some discussions were comprised of all Upper or Middle School students and held in a more formal auditorium setting, others were held in Lower School classrooms, and still others were one-on-one.

The alumni’s return to Ranney kicked off with a College Guidance hosted panel for Upper School students in the DLC. During an hour-long discussion consisting of a question-and-answer session, seven Ranney graduates informed other college-bound Upper School students about college life, academics and activities. The seven-person panel included intercollegiate athletes Mary Breton ’10 (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) and Matthew Haines ’10 (Hofstra University), honors students such as Christopher Lombardi ’10 (The George Washington University), activity-oriented students such as Taryn Pontolillo ’10 (Bucknell University) and Rachel Brodsky ’10 (Barnard College), and more. Both a sorority member and Field Hockey player at MIT, alumna Mary Breton told the audience, “Ranney prepared me well for the level of work,” and thanked faculty members such as Joseph Tweed, Dean of College Guidance and Assistant Head of Upper School, for pushing her to pursue intercollegiate athletics.

Other panel members also noted the ways in which Ranney helped them prepare for college. Kara Santora ’10 (Northeastern University) said that thanks to her Capstone Project, she “doesn’t stress over five-page papers because [she] did a 40-page one her senior year.”

Meanwhile, Christopher Lombardi of The George Washington University pointed out the benefits of taking Advanced Placement courses while in high school and Matthew Haines said his teachers and coaches really made a difference.

After providing tips on choosing the perfect college and getting good grades, the group then proceeded to RSPA Panther Hall, where they chatted with friends who are now juniors or seniors at Ranney, said hello to old teachers and enjoyed a buffet lunch.

Following lunch, Ranney alumni Ben Mooney ’10 (Ursinus College), Kara Santora ’10, Veronica Maccia ’10 (Muhlenberg College) and Eric Hurd ’10 (University of Scranton) headed to fifth grade classrooms in the Lower School, where they discussed their experiences as Lifers at Ranney, along with academic pursuits and time management. As they spoke with fifth graders in a classroom setting, alumnus Jordan Anderson ’10 of New York University spoke one-on-one with senior Grace Farren, who also plans on attending NYU this upcoming fall. Although transitioning to NYU after spending 15 years in a more personalized setting at Ranney School presented a huge change for Jordan, he found the experience very exhilarating. During the exchange between Jordan and Grace, the two discussed which are the best dormitories, how to get involved in extra-curricular activities at NYU, what the course load is like, and more. “Jordan taught me a lot about what I can expect during my first semester at NYU,” said Grace.

The day’s activities ended with a Middle School Alumni Panel lead by graduates Eric Hurd ’10, Christian Drappi ’10 (Duke University) and Taylor Swanner ’10 (Quinnipiac University), and a dessert social in the Paulus Library, which allowed alumni to reconnect with the Head of School and other faculty members unable to attend the luncheon.

As in the past, this year’s College Alumni Luncheon proved to be a very special day for all. For Mary Breton of the Class of 2010, her return to Ranney was also a way of “paying it forward.” According to Mary, she’ll never forget how influential the Alumni Panel was to her when she herself was a student in the Upper School. “I enjoyed the Alumni Panel when I was a junior or senior and those bits of advice stuck with me,” she said.