The Packer Collegiate Institute

A few 90 degree temperatures couldn’t get us down at last week’s Commencement ceremony! The Class of 2026 graduated in style, with heartfelt speeches, joyful musical performances, and even a video tribute, before heading back to the Packer Garden to celebrate with family and friends. Enjoy a few of our favorite shots from the day. (Grads and families: many more photos to come, stay tuned!)

📷: NJ/NY Mitzvah Photographer

Graduation day is here! Congratulations to the Class of 2026! 🎓🎉

Fourth Graders are getting ready to move up to Middle School! Enjoy a few photos from today’s Fourth Grade Celebration and last week’s Fourth Grade Exposition, where they proudly presented their capstone Monument Projects. After researching historical figures and movements, students designed original monuments and wrote persuasive proposals. Their interdisciplinary projects combine nonfiction research, biography reading, persuasive writing, and their studies of movements for social change in Social Studies

The city is our classroom! It’s field trip season, and students have been taking advantage of the spring weather to explore all New York City has to offer. On a pair of recent Middle School outings, students cheered on the Cyclones in Coney Island and immersed themselves in the food and culture of Chinatown. 🗽⚾️🍜

What a season! The 2026 Upper School Spring sports season wrapped up in exciting fashion, filled with broken team records, new personal bests, and unforgettable milestones. 💥

👟 Varsity Track & Field saw four powerhouse athletes take home medals at the ACIS Championship, while six runners advanced all the way to the NYSAIS State finals.

⚾️ Varsity Baseball finished as conference runners-up and made an exciting run into the NYSAIS State playoffs, fueled by a deeply talented roster and a standout senior class.

🏐 Varsity Boys Volleyball caught fire late in the season, capping things off with a pair of big wins under new head coach (and Packer alum!) Blair Chase ’20.

⛳️ Varsity Golf finished the season strong at the ACIS Championship, with two seniors securing individual 2nd and 3rd place finishes, propelling the team to 3rd overall in the conference.

🥏 Varsity Frisbee kept the streak alive, locking down the #3 spot in the conference and securing their third consecutive playoff appearance.

🥎 Varsity Softball showed true resilience this spring. Despite battling a wave of injuries, a determined mix of seniors and underclassmen stepped up to compete at a high level and build upon last year’s success.

🎾 Varsity Boys Tennis had a strong post-season push, making it to the semi-finals of the conference playoffs.

Congratulations to all of our athletes, coaches, and seniors on your many accomplishments… and for always playing with purpose and heart! 👏

Students in Advanced Topics in Photography and Advanced Topics in Digital Video recently showcased their culminating works!

Photographers explored areas of personal interest, often finding the extraordinary in the mundane. They received invaluable feedback from working professional photographers at the opening reception. Highlights included a behind-the-scenes look at dedicated student-athletes, an exploration of the personal connection between handbags and their owners, and striking visual studies of graffiti art and the subway ecosystem.

And the first year of our Advanced Digital Video course culminated in a wonderful showcase of styles on the silver screen. Audiences were treated to a story about a dog finding his way home, a poignant comedy/drama about friendship at a crossroads, and several clever, genre-blending narratives that kept viewers guessing. After each screening, the student-filmmakers spoke about their creative processes and the technical and creative hurdles they faced. A panel of Packer professionals who are also filmmakers offered feedback.

Kudos to all of the artists!

Our student scientists have been hard at work all year long.

Upper Schoolers in our intensive, 3-year Independent Science Research program recently presented their work. Projects included designing synthetic proteins to support hormone growth, training AI to identify seizure onset, studying how water-repelling protein blocks react to heat and moisture, and much more.

Meanwhile, 5th graders built submersibles and buoys to track ocean health and dolphin migrations, while 6th graders engineered circuit-powered arcade games. 7th graders worked together to solve UN Sustainability goals, including a renewable prototype to address the energy crisis in Sudan. 8th graders innovated everything from advanced fabrics and hair care to solar-powered ocean waste skimmers.

We’re proud of the deep thought, purpose, and heart that goes into our students’ research. Congrats to all the scientists! 🔬🧪🥼

And that’s a wrap! The Upper School production of Footloose radiated contagious energy that hooked the audience from the first beat to the final bow. Congrats to the entire cast and crew for expertly bottling that Footloose magic and leaving it all on the stage!

🎭🎉💃🕺

Friday’s annual May Day Arts Festival was a kaleidoscope of color and joy in the Garden! Students sang and danced their hearts out to hits from across the decades, and the 4th Grade kicked things off with a beautiful performance around a newly refreshed Maypole. The energy was unmatched. This year, Lower School teachers even joined in the celebration, showcasing some seriously impressive dance moves