But Greenhills never really leaves them.
That’s why so many return to Greenhills again and again for alumni reunions and faculty retirements, attend events across the country, and maintain meaningful connections to the school that last a lifetime.
Alumni Bettering the World
Twenty-four years after graduating from Greenhills School, Naveen Kumar and Angela Smedley are still close friends. In this piece, the two talk about their formative experiences at Greenhills, which teachers made the greatest impact, and how they’ve stayed connected.
When Barry Levy ’90 moved to Ann Arbor to begin 9th grade at Greenhills, his recognizable Boston accent and culture shock gave him away.
Emily Wu ’13 enrolled at Greenhills starting in high school, and quickly found her people through participating in the National Ocean Science Bowl, music program, and JV tennis and volleyball teams. She shares how the school’s close-knit community inspired her to grow beyond her comfort zone and how calculated risk-taking can be beneficial both to your professional life and rewarding in itself.
On March 13, 2024 I received a text message from Gabe Seir, who graduated from Greenhills in 2020 and is a current senior at Stanford studying biomedical engineering. He said he recently received some exciting news from Stanford and hoped to share it with me. It was the middle of the school day, so we set a time to connect later that afternoon. I wasn’t sure what news he had to share, but I was very curious to hear more. What he shared with me was that he was in the top one percent of his graduating class in engineering and, as a result, was the recipient of the Frederick Emmons Terman Engineering Scholastic Award. I was delighted to hear this news and so pleased he wanted to share this with me. What caught me totally off guard was that the award includes a ceremony to which each recipient is asked to invite “the most influential secondary or pre-college teacher who guided them during the formative stages of their academic career,” and Gabe had chosen me. To say I was honored to be invited is a total understatement!
“Dive, dive” the loudspeaker booms throughout the 18,000-ton vessel as it slices through the blue waters of the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington just outside the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Spray billows into the air as Lieutenant Jackie Stokes ’15 confidently orders the crew of the USS Louisiana (SSBN 743) to submerge the ballistic missile submarine to periscope depth in preparation for classified operations “deeper than 400 feet and faster than 20 knots.” Holding a high level security clearance, she can’t tell us much more than that about the submarine’s operations at sea—but, happily she did take time on a recent visit to Greenhills to catch me up on her adventures since leaving our hallowed cinder block walls back in 2015.
Nearly 20 years after graduating from Greenhills School in 2004, Danye Bartscht sits down with Greenhills Head of School Peter B. Fayroian to talk about co-founding and managing Eastern Market Brewing Co. Bartscht shares his path to entrepreneurship, lessons learned along the way, and the role Greenhills played in preparing him to lead a burgeoning business.
JOIN US.
We hope you’ll be able to attend one of our frequent alumni gatherings, either here in southeast Michigan or in cities coast to coast; serve as an alumni mentor; plan local alumni events in your area; and/or network with fellow Gryphons. In the meantime, please stay in touch through social media, and don’t hesitate to let us know how we can best support you as Greenhills alums.
As you know, our school is built on the close bonds that develop among students, and between students and faculty, and we are dedicated to fostering these ongoing relationships.
There are so many ways Greenhills alums can help the school maintain and strengthen its vibrant community. One key alumni role is class agent. These alumni volunteers assist with annual fundraising appeals to classmates, alumni event planning, and class communications.
If you're interested in serving as a class agent, please contact the alumni office.
Have you moved recently? Changed your email address? Please complete the form below to let us know of any changes in your contact information so we can stay connected.
There is a lot going on at Greenhills, including alumni events, speakers, performances, and more, and you're invited.
View EventsRead the most recent edition of The Forum (formerly known as The Alumni Forum) magazine:
Forum Magazine – 2022-2023
