Max Hall, a Science teacher at Concord Academy since 1998, initially taught at CA for nine years, then left the school to work in engineering for five years before coming back to CA again. This is his 12th year back, and now his departure will be the second time he leaves CA. His genuine care for members of our community and his jolly spirit will be greatly missed.
Hall’s interest in physics and engineering started as a Star Wars fan, fascinated by robots like R2D2, inspiring him to build his own robots in high school. In fact, part of the reason he majored in physics during college was so that he could continue to build robots. After graduation, he taught for two years, built robots professionally, and worked on speech recognition technology.
Originally, he thought he would only do tech-related work, but then at a book club, a CA History teacher recommended he visit CA. Impressed by his visit, Hall decided to join the community and found it to be a new and amazing experience. “I remember my first week at CA there was an assembly where there was a visiting orchestra. And I said to a colleague, not once in my 12 years in engineering, did we take a break in the middle of a day to listen to an orchestra. It's just a different kind of richness. That is wonderful. Crazy, chaotic, wonderful,” Hall says.
Hall’s typical day at CA involves a wide range of things. One day this April, he helped repair a tractor for the Operations crew, had a fundraising meeting in Aloian, attended a department meeting, taught some classes, ran individual help sessions, and worked in the maker space. “That's slightly more packed than normal, but that kind of variety, from community-heavy all the way over to tech-heavy in the same day, that’s one of the things that’s so great about being a teacher at CA.” He thinks being able to take on different roles makes teaching at CA both personally and psychologically rewarding for him. His dedication and passion have enriched the community in a multitude of ways.
Hall added that he loves the way the school tries to get everyone to be their best selves. He loves common trust and thinks it encourages more thoughtful and independent growth. He also notes how the school has transformed him. “I am so much better for having been here, so much better. I'm just that much more thoughtful, empathetic, sympathetic, less judgmental, patient person,” Hall said.
Another great thing about being a teacher is the summer break, where Hall enjoys different opportunities. “I've been hammer and tongs productive in the summer in a very different way than I am at school, like building the amphibious vehicle. That is a very focused mode and so different [from] the interrupt-driven life of school,” said Hall. For the last decade, Hall has been working on a configurable electrical conditioner that allows any electrical generator to charge any battery system. He has constructed a prototype but has not had enough time to complete it. Hall thinks that with more focused time, he will be able to finish construction and hopes to take advantage of his retirement to pursue more projects like this and continue using engineering to help people. He also plans to help teenagers through one-on-one teaching and tutoring.
For more than twenty years, CA’s space has been intertwined with Hall’s memories. One of his favorite places is the chapel. It is not just a physical building, but also the speeches that seniors give, which are intangible but essential to our community. The CA seal holds a similar value to Hall. “People dance around it in special ways,” he says. Hall’s twenty years here will be forever intertwined in CA’s memories as well, as each member helps shape our community and remains a part of CA’s legacy. Let us all wish Max Hall a very fond farewell as he embarks on a new adventure!