News Detail
Jennifer Shackett Berry '83, P'07, '10, '15, H'19
From student to faculty to parent, learn why Jennifer gave back to New Hampton School.
Q: How did you discover New Hampton School as a student? Why did you attend New Hampton School?
A: My father was a postgraduate, graduating in the class of 1959. He placed a high value on his time at New Hampton School and maintained lifelong friendships with Bud Moore, Lou A, John Conkling, and Dr. Walsh_relationships that originated at NHS. In 1971-72, he coached the men’s varsity basketball team and connected with current faculty members. From that point onward, I had friends who were faculty children. Eventually, the opportunity to attend NHS presented itself, and my twin brother, Jeff, and I enrolled as freshmen day students in the fall of 1979.
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A: My father was a postgraduate, graduating in the class of 1959. He placed a high value on his time at New Hampton School and maintained lifelong friendships with Bud Moore, Lou A, John Conkling, and Dr. Walsh_relationships that originated at NHS. In 1971-72, he coached the men’s varsity basketball team and connected with current faculty members. From that point onward, I had friends who were faculty children. Eventually, the opportunity to attend NHS presented itself, and my twin brother, Jeff, and I enrolled as freshmen day students in the fall of 1979.
I attended because my parents were both educators and wanted to provide the best education available to us in the local area. It was a huge investment given there were two of us. They also wanted us to have unique experiences. The local high school was unable to differentiate our schedules. We were in all of the same classes. At NHS, we never had the same class and this allowed us to grow as individuals rather than as the Shackett twins.
Q: What part of your time at NHS was most influential?
A: I was given opportunities to be a leader. I sat on discipline committees, was on student council, edited the yearbook, and captained teams. Project’s Period was also influential. I was able to travel for two of the years. I worked in the Advancement Office creating a hockey newsletter one year and volunteered at the Bristol Community Center mentoring youth in floor hockey and pillow polo the other. These experiences served me very well in college as well as in my professional and personal life. I have a love of travel, enjoy being creative to design and bring to publication interesting material, and feel an intrinsic need to serve my community; these were all mined while at NHS.
Q: Why did you make a gift to NHS in your estate?
Q: What were the steps you took to include NHS in your estate?
A: When we established a will we asked that NHS be included as a beneficiary of our estate.
Q: What part of your time at NHS was most influential?
A: I was given opportunities to be a leader. I sat on discipline committees, was on student council, edited the yearbook, and captained teams. Project’s Period was also influential. I was able to travel for two of the years. I worked in the Advancement Office creating a hockey newsletter one year and volunteered at the Bristol Community Center mentoring youth in floor hockey and pillow polo the other. These experiences served me very well in college as well as in my professional and personal life. I have a love of travel, enjoy being creative to design and bring to publication interesting material, and feel an intrinsic need to serve my community; these were all mined while at NHS.
Q: Why did you make a gift to NHS in your estate?
A: NHS has given me and my family so much. As a student, my provincial world was expanded, as a faculty member I have been able to teach amazing students alongside talented peers, as a parent, my children have benefitted in identical ways.
New Hampton School needs the support. The endowment needs to grow to ensure the fourth generation of Shacketts can attend. Bob Kennedy told me that a gift to NHS makes a larger impact than a gift to my college; I know this to be true.
Q: What were the steps you took to include NHS in your estate?
A: When we established a will we asked that NHS be included as a beneficiary of our estate.
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