Directed by Will Cutrer and Meara Palmer-Young, and with pianist Brenda Pike and Laura Michaels on french horn, the operetta featured the following Hyde School students: Zach Rosenbaum, Madeline Moritz, Gage Verronneau, Nora Curran, Erica Fagien, Maddy Schley, Adam Ben-Hanania, Lincoln Sherman, Aletheia Preston, Nick Buratynski, Jabon Chubbuck, Kun Il Kim, Alanna Priest, Alex Stoupas, Chuck Watson, Caitlyn Yablonski, Tim Hallenbeck, Evan Berger, Camryn Bindra, Jabon Chubbuck, Simi DeAngelis, Alice Guo, Nick Sackman, Alex Smart, Kelly Xie, Amanda Ashe, Bailey Bloom, Carly Cotnoir, Sarah Sherman, and Sarah Trager. The tech crew were Matt Lyon on lighting, Alex Pepino, stage manager and sound, and Jackie Bonadio, stagehand extraordinaire.

Check out these photos from the show.

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Sarah Grant and friends in Zambia in 2008.

Sarah Grant ’00 recently returned to Hyde-Woodstock to meet with John Rigney’s senior English class, share her experiences in Zambia, and highlight a few of the defining moments that helped inspire her to found Color Me In, a non-profit organization that administers micro-loans to small African businesses. One memory stood out for her. “I was teaching young school children in Kananda, a small rural village in the Northern Part of the country 5km from the nearest town. One day I asked the children in my class to draw what people use trees for, and I noticed many were drawing small boxes. It struck me pretty hard when I found out they were coffins. I learned from experiences like that how much I wanted to help these children and their families have a better future.”

Sarah with her brother Jesse in 2009.

After graduating from Dickinson College, Sarah joined the Peace Corps in 2005 and lived and worked in a village in Zambia sponsored by an international relief organization. “Here was a community of people—people with all this amazing potential—who were stuck in a grinding cycle of dependence and poverty.” When Sarah returned to the U.S. in 2007, she felt her job wasn’t done. “My experience with the Peace Corps made me realize that what I really wanted to do was empower the people in these villages with the skills they needed to change their lives.” Grant returned to Zambia in 2008 and lived once again in the rural areas working with women’s clubs, local schools and visiting her old village in the North. Returning to the US, Sarah’s initial goal of helping her Zambian village to build a school quickly turned to more sustainable thoughts about a program which would empower people to continually generate the income that they needed to build their own schools and address their own needs, while also addressing the deep issue of deforestation in the country.

Color Me In, or CMI, works by pairing micro-loans for small business development in Zambia with local tree plantings. Grant explained, “Village clubs who do not typically have access to micro-loans can take out a small amount of credit with no collateral required and pay it back by planting trees. In a country decimated by deforestation, planting a single tree can make a big difference.”

Sarah calls this process “green lending.” “Let’s say a women’s group or farming club applies for a loan with CMI in conjunction with a volunteer partner organization on the ground. After submitting a business plan and budget, the group receives a loan and can satisfy up to 75% of their debt by planting trees - one tree per 50 cents borrowed. The group can pay back the remaining 25% to CMI or reinvest that payment into their community. For example, one women’s club who borrowed $1,000 to begin a poultry enterprise forwarded $200 to an organization helping widows, orphans and differently-abled community members. By “paying forward” part of their loan, that women’s club helped the Kaskota Social Care for the Vulnerable open its doors to its first 55 clients.”

Grant credits her Hyde experience with much of the drive and determination she needed to explore her passion and ultimately found the non-profit organization CMI. “At Hyde I learned through experience to view challenge and risk as good things —things which can help me to feel good at the end of the day and pave a path to feel good about what I am doing in the world. I always say that if I had not gone to Hyde then I would have still excelled at sports in high school, gone to a good college and maybe even done the Peace Corps, but it is highly unlikely that I would have taken the risks that I’ve needed to create a purpose-driven life.”

To learn more about Color Me In!, current groups who are seeking support for a loan and the Green Loan concept, please visit: www.colormein.org

Hyde-Woodstock Drama Performance 2009 from Richard Curran on Vimeo.

Noah Kaplan

Noah Kaplan ’04 has come a long way since his undergraduate days at Hyde-Woodstock. Kaplan graduated Cum Laude in 2009 from Brandeis University with a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and recently joined the Hyde Alumni Association Board.

When asked to describe how he felt about his Hyde experience, Noah doesn’t hesitate to reply, “Conflicted. I learned a lot about myself but it was very hard and there were aspects of it that I just didn’t agree with.”

Noah remembers some struggles he had during his time at Hyde, but also credits the school with teaching him a lot about taking risks and connecting with other people. ”Singing in front of the community and getting up at school meetings-anticipating what I might say or do before getting up and presenting made the minutes leading up to it pure hell-but all it took was a minute into the song and I’d feel as if I had conquered my fear. This was powerful for me.”

Kaplan adds, “One aspect of dealing with issues and talking about personal stuff at Hyde was that when I got to college I could see how much easier it was for me to relate to teachers and fellow students. I didn’t expect that.”

In his sophomore year at Brandeis, Noah cofounded (with Jonah Peppiatt) National Collegiate Volunteers (NCV), a non-profit that develops students into leaders who take on innovative, high-impact projects in disadvantaged communities around the United States. In the last two years NCV has brought students to New Orleans to help with Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts.  “Organizing and running NCV has been a profound experience for me. You can read up about us at http://nationalcollegiatevolunteers.org, and find out about how you can get involved in make a positive difference in the world and, most importantly, in young people’s lives.”

Why did Noah join the Alumni Association Board?  “I think it’s important for Hyde Alumni to connect, both on a personal and professional level. There’s something great about meeting alumni who have achieved happiness and success in life. There’s a sense of pride that we all harbor that is untapped. One of the ways to uncover it will be through the various alumni chapter events and gatherings in cities across the country. I plan to spearhead the NYC chapter with a handful of passionate fellow alumni.”

On the horizon? An accomplished guitarist, Noah will sing and play lead guitar in a band and has started a company called Dynamic Mixologist. He will also be in Woodstock January 8-10th for the Return of Recent Grads and will be hosting get-togethers in NYC.

What was a high point of Noah’s Hyde experience? “I’ll never forget playing the Star-Spangled Banner at the Spring and End-of-Year shows. I felt like a rock star at boarding school. How often can someone honestly attest to that?”

To register for the Woodstock Return of Recent Grads, CLICK HERE. To connect via Facebook, CLICK HERE.

To email Noah for more information about National Collegiate Volunteers or the Hyde Alumni Organization, CLICK HERE.

Jesika Holmes ’09

Roxbury Community College freshman and Hyde-Woodstock graduate Jesika Holmes ’09 has been named Division III Player of the Week by the National Junior College Athletic Association. Holmes earned the honor by leading the Roxbury Lady Tigers to a 79-53 win over the Dean College Bulldogs, a Division II team. Holmes dominated play with 22 rebounds and 36 points. Lady Tigers Head Coach Mark Leszczyk called Holmes’ feat “one of the most incredible individual performances that I have ever had the pleasure of watching.” Woodstock Girls Varsity Basketball coach Pam Bertschy added, ” The Hyde community is very proud of her. Her natural leadership and toughness as a competitor make her the complete package. ” Read about Jesika’s game-winning play and her NJCAA honor.

Hyde-Woodstock Fall Sports 09 from Richard Curran on Vimeo.