Where Are They Now?

Mary Ellen Sweeney P'98, '01, '06
Associate Director of Admission, Second Form Dorm Head, 1984–2011

Hoyt Taylor P'98, '01, '06
Math/Science Teacher, Varsity Squash Coach, 1984–2012

What keeps you busy now?

We moved to Fearrington Village, eight miles south of University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, in July 2012, and though we've done some interesting travel, we've lived here ever since. We chose this area for the climate, cost of living, and proximity to universities, with their sports teams, academics, and cultural opportunities.

Unlike many of our neighbors at Fearrington, our sons are far afield: Bryden ['98] works in New York City and travels often to Sitka, Alaska, where he is helping to establish a new college modeled after Deep Springs. His bride, however, lives in Los Angeles, so he is there as much as possible. Jack ['01] works and lives in the Northampton, MA area, and Rees ['06] is in the East Bay of California and has recently become engaged to his UNC sweetheart.

We are kept remarkably busy with a variety of activities...

Hoyt: part of FMOB (Fearrington Men on Bikes), doing thirty- to forty-mile bike rides as weather permits; plays tennis twice a week; treasurer of their Homeowner's Association

Mary Ellen: exercises at the nearby athletic center and jogs a few miles on a regular basis; reads to a first grader at a local public school; volunteers at a Chapel Hill soup kitchen

Does a particular aspect of working at Groton stand out to you now?

As much as we enjoy where we live, we do miss being surrounded by young people. For both of us, the highlights of our careers at Groton were the students we got to know. We still keep in touch with a number of them, and we enjoy seeing them as much as we did in the old days when we would attend the Groton alumni receptions. We also have great fun whenever we are able to meet up with Warden and Betsy Dilworth.

What do you miss about Groton? Are there any memories you'd like to share?

Mary Ellen: For our first few years here, one of the things I missed was waking in the night and not hearing the Schoolhouse bells. There are many blessings associated with Groton but the day beginning with Chapel was particularly significant. In our early days at the school, any student could speak and not worry about having "fans" in the first few rows. Also, on two days each week, there were talks from Bill Polk, Jack Smith, and other faculty, which struck a good balance.

I have fun and interesting memories of the Second Form girls I tended (with the tremendous help of prefects) from 1984 to 1993. I appreciate the magic that often took place when I sat with a prospective Groton student in the Admission Office.

Hoyt: Being able to teach the wonders of mathematics to so many bright Upper Schoolers while teaching some of the big ideas of physical science to all the Second Formers was a treat (and who could forget stargazing on the Circle, the fun and rich ideas of Honors Geometry, and Led Zeppelin in the gym classroom in Applied). I loved the subject matter, and I thoroughly enjoyed working with such a range of ages and colorful personalities. Watching the Second Formers grow to be seniors and then beyond was a joy. I also felt lucky to coach the fascinating game of squash to so many smart and talented players, players who understood the value of good sportsmanship and were a credit to the school.

Although we worked on different floors in the Schoolhouse, rarely ate lunch together, sat in different sections from each other in Chapel and in other parts of the room at faculty meetings, we always felt tremendously fortunate that we shared the Groton experience.

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