Hazel Hobbs was a passionate champion for students and schools, and her legacy will endure in the lives of the children she served. Hazel's formidable intellect, tireless energy, sophisticated grace, and boundless compassion empowered her to live a wonderful life full of meaning and love.  

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Hazel earned degrees in Art History and Education from Goucher College in Towson, Maryland where she met her lifetime love and partner, Mike, a student at nearby Johns Hopkins University.  While teaching and serving as a headmistress, Hazel earned her MAT at Manhattanville College and completed the coursework for her doctorate from Columbia Teachers College. 

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Hazel's contributions to education in Connecticut are extraordinary and enduring.  As a founding board member of First Presbyterian Nursery School, a teacher and writing coordinator at Center School in New Canaan, a principal at New Lebanon and Hamilton Avenue Elementary Schools in Greenwich, the founding headmistress of Pear Tree Point School in Darien, an informal advisor to the U.S. Assistant Secretary of Education, a founding board member of Stepping Stones Museum for Children in Norwalk, and a three-term chair of the New Canaan Board of Education, Hazel approached every task with passion and zeal, and focused on making sure every child knew they were special.  Blessed with authentic humility, she gracefully accepted the well-deserved praise of her colleagues and friends, culminating in two different "Hazel Hobbs Days" one in Greenwich and one in New Canaan.

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In addition to her direct work with schools, Hazel served just as passionately on the boards of the New Canaan Historical Society, the New Canaan Library, Family Centers, and the Lone Pine Educational Foundation, always with a focus on education.  She also received both the New Canaan Community Foundation's Spirit of New Canaan Award and the American Association of University Women Woman of the Year Award. 

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Hazel was a passionate champion for children and students, and this needs-based scholarship has been established to honor her legacy and to continue her work on behalf of children.  It is intended to help a NCHS graduate who reflects the character and spirit of the woman it honors.