Although all Hackley students gather on the hilltop at 8:10 for first-period class, the way in which they arrive on campus is a unique experience for all.
Take Graham Klabin as an example, a new ninth grader from the Upper East Side in New York City.
Graham leaves his apartment at 6:50 in the morning on a typical day, for his 40-plus minute commute. He takes the Upper East Side bus, which is one of the many citywide buses that Hackley provides for students who live in the city.
He describes his commute as “calming”, and enjoys listening to music while admiring the scenery during the drive. However, he also thinks of the commute as being “very long”, as well as “bumpy” due to the rigid roads the bus route goes on.
The length he says can especially be inconvenient for him, as he is on the Hackley Varsity Football team and has to deal with hour-long traffic on the way back to his apartment. Most days, Graham arrives home at 7:40 p.m., but when he has games, he may get home as late as 10 p.m. Despite his long commute, he believes that he has had quite a positive experience so far, even though it can be hard to hang out with his friends on the weekend. Overall, he rates his commute experience a 7/10 and thinks in a perfect world his commute would be instead by car and take no more than 30 minutes.
Unlike her fellow peer, Graham, Maddie Edwards has quite a short commute to school, living in Tarrytown, NY.
Living less than a mile away, almost on campus, Maddie begins her day at 7:55 a.m. with a three-minute walk to school. She rates her commute a ten out of ten because it allows her to sleep in most mornings with an easy walk to school. She says she enjoys starting her day off right, with nature.
Although her close proximity to Hackley is a luxury, living beside her teachers is not ideal. She says the close quarters have brought her some awkward interactions with teachers and fellow peers on the weekend. However, she says she can not complain, since she lives so close to school so on the bright side she will never be late to first period with Mr. Arnold ten steps behind her.
Daniel Ehrlich is another ninth-grade student who also has a relatively short commute, living in Greenwich, CT. Although he does not live as close as Maddie, he lives much closer in comparison to many students, like Graham.
His commute is a 20-25 minute commute each morning for him, depending on the traffic. Daniel leaves his house around 7:25 a.m. to 7:40 a.m. each day. He is driven to school by his parents, describes the experience as enjoyable, and uses the time to catch up on any homework missed.
“I make sure every day that I leave on time so that way I don’t get detention,”Daniel said, as the detention rules definitely put pressure on getting to school on time as he doesn’t take the bus. He thinks that in a perfect world, his commute would be a little shorter, to give him extra time to sleep in.
He typically gets home each day around 5:30, as he is exempted for the season but enjoys using the Hackley gym after school. He does believe that his commute is quite good and rates his commute a 10/10, but rates the traffic a 7/10 as it really depends on the day and time. Overall, he believes that his experience of commuting to Hackley has been very positive.
Hackley students make their way to campus in different ways, affecting their school life and bringing a diverse community and experiences to the hilltop.
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