Benchmark School

Last week we celebrated the retirement of three Benchmark long-serving staff members who collectively shared over a century of experience and service to our students and families.💙

Here is a look back at their amazing dedication:

Tom Hurster (45 Years): Mr. Hurster wraps up a monumental 45-year career. He wore countless hats as Benchmark grew, most recently supporting our community as a social worker on the Child and Family Support Services team.🧡

Maria Michetti (26 Years): Mrs. Michetti joined us in 2000 as a support teacher in the Lower School, and most recently brought her love of books to our community as our beloved library assistant. 📚

Laurie Veacock (28 Years): Mrs. Veacock first stepped onto campus for her WCU reading practicum in the summer of 1995. She transitioned to teaching full-time in 1998, ultimately spending nearly three decades filling our halls with music. 🎶

Thank you for your dedication, your passion, and the endless memories. We wish you all the absolute best in your well-deserved retirements! 🎉

This week we celebrated a Benchmark tradition: the Lifer’s Lunch! In honor of these students being here at Benchmark from their youngest years, Dr. MacDonald and Dr. Hancock took them out to lunch.

Congratulations, Charis and Ashley!

On Friday last week, we were thrilled to break ground for the campus revitalization phase of our Grounded in Growth campaign! Together with students, staff, parents/caregivers, trustees, and the Township Manager of Upper Providence, Barry Luber, we celebrated this milestone with words of commemoration and symbolic digging. This special event was joined with Field Day, and we offer appreciation to Fiduciary Trust International , who sponsored our gathering.

At the end of the day, we gifted each student a packet of seeds and a small shovel to further celebrate the groundbreaking. Students can plant the seeds at home and grow along with Benchmark, as Benchmark grows into its exciting next phase over the summer. 🪴

💻 Learn more about the Grounded in Growth campaign on our website.

💙Dream Big, Class of 2026
18 students. 18 stories. Infinite reasons to be proud. 👏

Congratulations to Ashley, Erin, Nick, Henry, Jewel, and Charis! Keep dreaming big, working hard, and believing in yourself!

Here’s to the Class of 2026 — your journey is just beginning, and we’re cheering you on every step of the way! 🎓

Hats off to six more incredible Benchmark graduates! 🎓

Take the lessons and friendships from Benchmark with you as you go. Your new schools are lucky to have you, and we’re always here cheering you on! 🙌

Congratulations Miles, Sawyer, Skyler, Luke, Aaron, and Jack. We are so proud of you! 🎉

Swipe through to see where they’re headed — and drop a ❤️ to wish them well!

🎓 Meet the Class of 2026

This week we are celebrating our incredible graduates, how much they’ve grown, and the bright futures ahead of them!

Swipe through to meet our first six future freshmen and see where they are heading next!

Congratulations Blake, Jamie, Zach D, Gavin, Zach G, and Betsy! We are so proud of you! 🎉

🎓

Buy a brick, build a legacy! Though July 1, 2026 only, you can purchase a personalized, engraved brick that will be installed in the new quad area around the central tree.

Dedicating a brick is a wonderful way to honor a student, remember a loved one, celebrate a teacher, and showcase your family’s school spirit for generations to come.

From today through Tuesday, May 26, you can buy bricks for $400 each.

From May 27 to July 1, all bricks will be $500 each.

https://www.benchmarkschool.org/giving/capital/buy-a-brick-build-a-legacy