List of 6 items.

• Helen Barnstable

  Helen served for 35 years as an educator within our Hamden Hall classrooms. While she concluded her time under the pines at the end of the 2022-2023 school year as an administrator in the role of Director of Curriculum and Instruction, she wore many hats over the span of nearly four decades. 
  
  

  “It was my great fortune to have been able to take on a variety of roles at Hamden Hall, each of which was challenging and enjoyable,” said Helen upon her retirement.
  
  

  She began her tenure in the 1988-1989 school year as a first-grade reading teacher and went on to teach myriad classes in all three divisions including Upper School English classes. She also directed the former Middle School Select Chorus. In 2007, Helen was appointed to the administrative post of Curriculum Coordinator for PreKindergarten through Grade 12. 

• Jim Craddock

  Jim enjoyed a 37-year teaching career at Hamden Hall before retiring in June 2021. He began as a Lower School science teacher and transitioned into the Middle School as a math teacher – and functioned in that capacity for 32 years!
  
  

  “I hope I succeeded in my goal of getting my students excited and engaged in my math curriculum,” maintained Jim.
  
  

  Over the years, Jim also coached soccer, basketball, softball, and baseball. He is also credited with starting the LS Science Fair, coordinating the Middle School Work Study program for more than 30 years, and initiating memorable math projects such as the Egg Drop and Raisin the Roof.
  
  

  Jim’s affinity for Halloween costumes is forever preserved in that the Middle School’s annual costume contest is now known as the Jim Craddock Middle School Costume Contest.

  
  
  

• Suzanne Hamlin-Smith

  Maintaining that French is her native language, Suzanne taught the subject for 45 years at Hamden Hall and immersed her students in the culture and the beauty of the country.
  
  

  “It’s a job I have loved. It’s just been a part of who I am and part of my identity,” said Suzanne in the days leading up to her retirement at the conclusion of the 2024-2025 school year.
  
  

  As the years progressed under the pines for Suzanne, her role extended beyond the World Language Department and the five classes she taught. In 1989 she helped established the Princeton Peer Leadership Program, one of Hamden Hall’s signature programs. Other leadership programs followed including the Middle School Advocate and Lower School Mentors programs. Suzanne was also assigned as a counsellor to students midway through her tenure and eventually became the Dean of Faculty, thus earning the endearment of “Mom” on campus.

• Bill Hunter

  In the fall of 1983, Bill became a member of the Hamden Hall English Department. Thirty-five years later he retired – but not before he tackled such assignments as department chair, legendary debate coach, FACES editor, Professional Development coordinator, class dean, student advisor, and two-time author of poetry books. 
  
  

  “Raising the academic interest of initially diffident students, especially in ninth grade, and in improving their written articulation and range, was highly gratifying,” explained Bill of his tenure in our English classrooms.
  
  

  Perhaps most rewarding for Bill was his establishment of an award-winning debate program for Hamden Hall. He created a new form of debate in our state called “Extemporaneous Pairs,” which fused aspects of policy debate with faster, less evidence-dependent parliamentary debate.

• Mark McEachern

  Mark has been Hamden Hall's Lower School physical education teacher since first arriving under the pines in 1986. His retirement at the end of the 2024-2025 school year - alongside his wife, Joni, who served as the school's athletic equipment manager since 1997 - marked the end of an era.
  
  From spearheading the annual Kid's Heart Challenge that raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for the American Heart Association to his coordination of the annual MayPole Assembly (an undertaking he assumed for 35 years), Mark's commitment to our school community has been unparalleled. His volunteer grill work for the Parents' Association at football games each season and his oversight of the popular school store at the Beckerman Athletic Center will definitely leave a void.
  
  Mark coached myriad of Middle School athletic teams over his four decades of service including football, wrestling, and lacrosse. Perhaps most importantly, Mark introduced his beloved Philadelphia Eagles to scores of students, faculty, and families over the years.

• Fred Richter

  Fred’s Hamden Hall journey launched in 1981 when he began teaching Upper School history and eventually became the department chair. But it was his 30-year tenure as the Director of College Counseling that ensured Fred’s legacy under the pines. His impact on the thousands of students he advised and counseled over the years is immeasurable.
  
  

  “Administration, faculty, staff, students, parents – all have been wonderfully supportive, and I’ve asked more than a little of them,” said Fred upon his retirement in June 2020. That same month, his daughter, Orly, graduated from Hamden Hall and his wife, alumna Beth Richter 1985, retired from the school as well.
  
  

  Myriad alumni advised by Fred have credited him with having assisted with their college placement, educational choices and, ultimately, their courses of action for their career paths.