I think that Zach Birnbaum is a Star of the Week because after the meeting on Monday, he noticed that I was having a hard time and pulled me aside to have a conversation.  He really went out of his way for me and gave me a chance to speak my mind. Thanks again Zach!

Pablo Miranda is my Star of the Week - he reluctantly agreed to participate in a Mock Interview with Mr. Hammond, and then put himself fully forward by agreeing to make sure the interview happened, met Mr. Hammond early and then sent me an email afterward letting me know how it went and thanking me for nudging him to do the interview. His excitement about having done something he didn’t realize he wanted to do is the fuel to my fire! Go College Process!! SATs May 1st - get ready!!!

I nominate Danielle Cohen for Star of the Week.  After arriving on Wednesday, Danielle helped the women’s varsity lacrosse team in a big way by stepping up and playing in the game against Lincoln. Being a new student, she showed great courage by joining the players for an away game.  Without her willingness, we would not have been as successful as a small, but mighty team. Thank you Danny, for taking this risk!

I would like to nominate Jake Lifson. When he caught a Boston Blazers shirt at the game he realized it was too small and gave it to a young kid sitting in front of us.  He has also been working very hard since he has returned to break from his old image and become a positive member of the community.

On Friday, Haruka Koda, Bryn Nolan, Nathan Chesley, Ryan Delaney, and Nora Curran had lunch with a group of my classmates who were visiting campus.  All of the students were engaging, honest, and enthusiastic so much so that my classmates identified that lunch as the best part of the visit.  They were inspired by the way in which the students identified their personal connection to the process and maturity to engage in such a dialogue.

I nominate Zach Birnbaum.  Zach has jumped in with both feet and is trying to utilize all the resources available to him for growth in his family.  He initiated an FLC with his dad who he hasn’t communicated with in a few years and handled the FLC with a maturity beyond his years.  He also has volunteered to facilitate the FLC this weekend.  He is a great example of a student led process!

I want to nominate Chuck Watson.  I cannot say enough about this young man’s commitment to his best as an athlete.  It’s truly a character trait that is so rare and wonderful to watch, coach, and to be a part of.  What amazes me even more than his athleticism is his willingness to step into an uncomfortable situation and try and make the best out of it, as well as learning something about himself in the process. Chucky’s performance in the play probably won’t win him any acting jobs in Hollywood anytime soon, but he did show the community someone who is willing to put himself out there, make himself uncomfortable, and have fun.

Simon is a true inspiration to everyone around him. Almost every day for the past two weeks, I have seen him taking leadership and working hard to regain his Senior-ship. His dedication to this is absolutely astounding and truly shows the true content of his character.  He is definitely a star to me.

I would like to nominate Ryan Delaney and Tucker Mara. They came into my office with a concern for a student and set up a meeting. They worked hard to help this student with both support and challenge. It was inspiring to see brother’s keeper being played out in such a personal way.

I nominate Gabe Durand for coming to a new wing and immediately stepping up and taking leadership. It shows a lot of character as well as how far he has come. He is a model of what a Hyde senior should be and sets the standard high for underclassmen to meet.

Mac McGuire taught his Honors Chemistry class about Electrochemistry on Monday. Despite having a tough and complex topic that was not his first choice, Mac put in a ton of work. He taught for the entire period, answered everyone’s questions, was prepared with diagrams and explanations, and did an overall excellent job.

Nothing can describe my pride as a coach as we left the SENE’s on Wednesday night.  We went in an underdog team against a team we had lost to already, and a team ranked fairly well in the conference, and almost left with a banner.  The tenacity and perseverance I saw that day was incredible.  All wrestlers fought off their backs, forced their opponents into decisions and made some solid pins resulting in both matches being decided by a single bout.  We nearly won the SENE title and I know in a year, we will continue to grow as a team.  A ref who had been the official at earlier matches for us stated, “These guys have really come a long way, they looked great out there today!”  This comment made my season and is what keeps me coaching and teaching at Hyde.  Congrats men!—Wes Jenkins

Our last match of the day was against Forman. The score was very lopsided due to the small roster that the school brought with them. With only 3 official wrestlers and 1 exhibition match, this was to be a very quick match up. Mac McGuire ‘11 did not have much gas left in the tank from going the distance in his two previous matches and lost a heartbreaker of a match to his opponent in an 8-3 decision. Jake Schuster ‘10 had another quick pin of the day, sticking his man with a vicious arm bar. And Marcos Mercado ‘13 pinned his opponent at the 112lb class, finishing the day 2-1. Forman brought a 171lb wrestler for an exhibition, and Jon Sanbar ‘12 quickly dispatched of his third opponent of the day, making him finish with a 3-0 record. His performance on Wednesday shows a lot of promise for his future in wrestling, and I am excited to see what that will entail. So a more realistic score (minus forfeits) would be 12-3 for team score since the line-up was so low. We look forward to this upcoming Saturday the 6th when Hyde-Woodstock will host the Northern New England Invitational Tournament, a very large competition with evenly matched teams. Many of these young men can find success, and several are seeded wrestlers in the tourney. Let’s all go to support the Wolf Pack Grapplers, and cheer them on to hopefully get some pins and wins for the day.

Go Wolf Pack!

Our second match of the day was against Taft, a school known for a solid wrestling program. The match-ups worked against our team as we struggled to get a foothold in from the onset of the match. Several of our lower weight match-ups fell to Taft and put us at a 30pt deficit. Our standouts for the day came from Brendan Stier ‘13 who won his first varsity match of the season, and displayed some real talent against his opponent. He is an up-and-comer in the sport and I hope to have him for the next few seasons to build upon his natural athleticism. Mac McGuire ‘11 went the distance again, beating his opponent in a 13-6 decision. He fought through physical exhaustion to stay in control in an up-and-down match that could have went either way. Jake Schuster ‘10 earned a major decision over his opponent at the 160lb weight class with a 10-2 win. Jon Sanbar ‘12 won his second match of the day with a pin in the first period. As a side note, Sanbar was not slated to come with us for the day, but stepped up to fill a spot when our usual 171lb wrestler did not make weight. His last minute addition helped to make the day as successful as it was. Brian Fegan ‘10 also won his second match of the day with a 36 second pin against his opponent. Although we lost to Taft, the spirits were up due to the effort everyone put into each match, and we were left with our final match of the day against Forman.

In Ms. Manyak’s Biology class, Noah Bell has really stepped up with his junior leadership skills.  Ms. Manyak asked for someone to help me out in class, and he stepped up and helped out. Noah Bell is truly Star of the Week status.

Sean Kadagian is making a significant effort to reach out to the community.  He is extremely capable of expressing himself on paper and I see him more and more on campus and at meals engaging with the community.  He is following through with the statement he made at the morning meeting and that is a step of leadership and commitment that I have not yet seen of him

A star of the week I would recommend is Kyle Freitag. He has done everything asked from him. He has proctored JV basketball crew and been a leader at practice and games. He shows a great deal of concern for his peers and always makes sure they are performing to their best, I thank Kyle for this.

Jake Abelman has been a positive presence around campus.  Not only did Jake work hard helping to get the ice rink ready, he was helpful in working alongside 2-4 on Wednesday.

If anyone has taken the time to skate, you may have noticed the tireless effort of Mr. Rigney who has spent hours making sure the ice is up to the standards needed for hockey or free skating.  Beyond sweeping, chipping, and re-flooding the rink, Mr. Rigney has even created a “home-beeni” (or homemade zamboni) to smooth the ice.  This dedication to making the weekends a little more special definitely deserves a star of the week shout out!

Alanna Priest not only has been a positive member of the community since her arrival with her smile, sense of humor and ability to brighten spirits around her (one in particular*,) but she has also taken the time to create a phenomenal  poster for the Varsity Drama team to be proud of.  Assistant to the Athletic Director Bill Fabiano even remarked, “this is like good enough to be used for Broadway or something,” as he wiped away a glistening layer of tears.  Hopefully her artwork will pull people in by the masses to see Pirates of Penzance February 19th and 20th at 730 in the Cultural Center Theatre at Hyde School located at 150 Route 169 Woodstock, CT 06281…tell your friends.

The Hyde Wolf Pack traveled to Hamden, CT yesterday to face off in a quad-meet against Taft, Forman, and Hamden Hall. The teams in attendance were tough, yet beatable, and this gave the Wolf Pack the confidence they needed to have a great day. We opened against the host school, and found success early on in the day. Marcos Mercado ‘13 started our streak of pins with a swift win over his opponent at the 112lb weight class. His pin was followed by an amazing match where Mingxuan Xiao ‘11 went the distance against a very tough opponent and won by a 13-9 decision at the 130lb weight class. This was his first win of the season, and his match set the tone for the day. He embodied toughness and perseverance. Adam Carreau ‘11 had an exhilarating match against his opponent at the 145lb weight class, and earned a pin for the day. The match was high intensity and very aggressive on both wrestlers parts. His match was followed by team captain Mac McGuire ‘11 who went the distance for a 16-8 decision. Jon Sanbar ‘12 had an excellent match that displayed his learning attitude through the moves he had practiced and brought to the match. He hit a Ball & Chain tilt on his opponent, and won the match in a 4-1 decision. Brian Fegan ‘10 also had a pin for the day at the 189lb weight class, and continues to dominate on the mat. The victory against Hamden Hall was the momentum we needed to head into our next two matches.

Brian Fegan has stepped up in several areas of the school recently, and probably feels that no one notices, but as his coach, wing parent, Wolf Den Maestro, and DG leader, I can say that I have found a partnership with him that is indispensible to my day to day life at Hyde. He has helped to be a leader on the wrestling team and stepped up on crew, maintains a sense of professionalism and commitment to his duties as a worker at the Wolf Den, and helps maintain order and cleanliness on the wing. I look forward to seeing how he will test his leadership this year.

Canai Hill helped regulate the chaos of Annhurst upholding the standards of computer and library signup. They made great progress on cutting down on wandering.

Hunter Carruthers checked in at meals and was a palpable presence during the routine of the day.

I would just like to acknowledge the work that Amanda Ashe did last night as a senior on duty. Amanda not only checked in at every meal, a crucial part of keeping the seniors and faculty on the same page (and something that is considered to be, but rarely is, expected), but helped out in several areas throughout the night. Amanda ran the duty binder at dinner, allowing people to sign up for the library and computer lab, designated herself as the senior in Annhurst so that she could oversee what she started with the lab and library sign up, and then single handedly ran the seemingly impossible task of keeping the peace in the health office after study hall. This is a great example of a senior taking hold of something in YOUR school and making sure the task is completed, despite the possible inconvenience it brings on. Great job Amanda, I hope you realize that this is a possible defining moment in your Hyde career/Senior year! Hopefully this will be the spark to get every senior clicking on duty, it does not go unnoticed, and your help is truly appreciated beyond what you may realize.

Saturday, January 23rd, the Wolf Pack boarded the bus on a cold, dark morning and departed for Greenwich, CT at 5a.m. After a two and a half hour drive, the Wolfpack grapplers shook off their grogginess and weighed in at the 15-team tournament held annually at the Brunswick School. Due to SAT’s and other occurrences, we did not bring our usual line-up, so the expectations on how we would do for the day was unclear at best. The day turned out to not only be far exceeding all of our expectations, but allowed some wrestlers to really step up and shine.

Marcos Mercado ‘13 began the day on a bad note, being disqualified for committing an illegal move four times in a match, but he bounced back to finish the day 2-2 with some spectacular pins. Tom Tarricone ‘10 not only received his first win of the season, he also received his second win to finish with a 2-2 record. Red Bakhsh ‘11 worked through back pains to finish the day 1-2, and Addison Wheat ‘11 came out of nowhere to earn 2 wins against some very tough opponents. Brian Fegan ‘10 lucked out in the brackets and received a bye and a forfeit, and after winning a match, he was placed in the finals bracket for the 3rd and 4th place positions, but had to face the wrestler who narrowly beat him in the first round. He finished 4th for the day and earned himself a nice trophy. Jake Schuster ‘10 worked through the ranks, beating several opponents and was also in the consolation bracket finals for 3rd and 4th. He faced a very tough opponent and went the distance, but could not get the win. He also earned a trophy for 4th place. Forrest Smith ‘12 had an amazing day, beating the heavyweight who defeated him at our last match with Marianapolis in the first round and showed real toughness as he picked off one after another of his very large opponents. In the end, Forrest wrestled against an opponent who was 6′4″ and 280lbs, a real giant! This match almost fell Forrest’s way, but one mistake led to him trapped under the full weight of his opponent. Forrest also received a 4th place trophy.

We left the day proud and tired and made our way back to Hyde after an 18 hour day. With such a ragtag group, we accomplished the unbelievable, and even were tied for 6th place in the team scoring at one point of the day. We look forward to our next match at Worcester on Saturday the 30th. Go Wolf Pack!