The Hamilton School’s Alumni Community to be Honored with the 2023-24 Hamilton Life Achievement Award

November 15, 2023

As we celebrate the 35th year of the Hamilton School at Wheeler, we are proud to announce that the latest recipients of the Hamilton Life Achievement Award are all of the school’s alumni.

“For nearly 30 years, we have honored several important individuals with learning differences who have made a significant contribution to the world as our Hamilton Life Achievement Award recipients. In honor of this milestone year for our school, we decided to reflect on the numerous changemakers, innovators, creative professionals, and talented individuals who have formed the incredible fabric of the Hamilton School since its beginning,” says Head of the Hamilton School at Wheeler Bill McCarthy. “I am thrilled that we will honor all Hamilton School alumni as this year’s Life Achievement Award recipients since their individual and collective impact on our school community and beyond has been profound. My hope is that many alumni and their families, as well as current and former faculty, staff, and families, will be able to join us for this special event to recognize and celebrate our Hamilton School alums.”

Six alumni ambassadors, who currently work in a range of professional fields, will represent their fellow Hamilton graduates in receiving the Life Achievement Award at the annual Mind Your ps and qs event on Friday, March 1. They include financial analyst and former Wheeler Alumni Board President Peter Brown ’03; science educator Chris Freeman ’97; veterinarian Laura Gordon-Roman ’98, P’32; competitive horseback rider and entrepreneur Kate Mancosh ’13; Wheeler Dance Program Founder and Teacher Erin (Gildea) Muccino ’04; and dentist Daniel Pickar ’11. The Hamilton School Alumni Ambassadors will also be part of celebratory and educational events throughout the school day for students across Wheeler, including classroom conversations and a panel discussion for the entire school community.

Hamilton Alumni Ambassadors (pictured clockwise from top left): Peter Brown ’03; Chris Freeman ’97; Erin (Gildea) Muccino ’04; Laura Gordon-Roman ’98; Daniel Pickar ’11; and Kate Mancosh ’13.

The Hamilton School alumni community will be the 29th recipient of the Life Achievement Award, which recognizes people who have used their learning differences to their advantage in accomplishing great things. The honorees, who have included such distinguished individuals as deep-sea explorer Robert D. Ballard, who received the award last year, serve as an inspiration to our school community. Since its founding in 1988, The Hamilton School at Wheeler has provided students who have great cognitive ability, but who struggle with reading, organization, and study skills due to learning differences, with the individualized instruction that leads to success, all in the context of a larger independent school.

To learn more about the Hamilton School’s 35th-anniversary year, please visit the Hamilton website. A registration link for the March 1 Mind Your ps and qs event will be shared with all members of the Hamilton and Wheeler community in early January.

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