Hawken welcomes new Head of School, opens new Middle School

Over 1,000 Hawken School alumni, parents, students and friends gathered Sunday, August 27, at the Lyndhurst campus to celebrate both the installation of the 10th Head of School, D. Scott Looney, and the dedication of Lincoln Hall, the new Middle School. The gala capped over a year`s worth of activity that had the School preparing for Looney`s arrival as well as building the new $12 million facility. Widely regarded as one of the emerging leaders in the world of independent schools, Looney comes to Hawken from Cranbrook Schools-a coeducational day and boarding school in Bloomfield, Michigan, for grades PK through 12 with over 1,600 students, 280 faculty/staff and five campuses-where he served as Assistant Director of Schools. He said during his installation speech that his role in moving Hawken into the future is to ensure that the School stays faithful to founder James Hawken`s vision. "I will use his guiding principles to help sustain and bolster a community where the adults believe in children, help them to fully engage and envelop them in our purposeful community," he said. "I look forward to working with all of you to ensure that future for Hawken School." In addition to being formally introduced to Looney, event attendees received their first look at the newly constructed, 31,000 square-foot Lincoln Hall, which was funded entirely through the philanthropy of over 450 Hawken supporters. The building will house grades six through eight and is named after the Lincoln family, founders of Lincoln Electric and longtime Hawken patrons. The celebration was an afternoon that featured the installation and dedication ceremony with Cellist and Hawken senior David Ellis, a movie chronicling Hawken`s distinguished history, and a ceremonial ribbon cutting. Following was a reception with a spread of fine hors d`oeuvres and music from a jazz ensemble comprising both Upper and Middle school Hawken students. Click here to listen to Looney`s address. Arlyce Seibert, Director of Cranbrook Schools, gave Looney`s introduction. Listen to that here.