Parent Academy

This winter, several Hyde parents have joined the community as part of Parent Academy to present experiential workshops that share their careers, interests and life experiences.  These presentations energize our community and students gain valuable insights and knowledge to bring to their daily lives and goals for the future.  Debbie Ginsberg, mother of Amy ’13, held a “Fitness & Toning Class” for nineteen students.  Debbie writes, “We warmed up and got our hearts pumping, stretched and flexed on the mats and then danced out the letters L-O-V-E plus Xs and Os, this being Valentine’s Day.  We talked about the value of exercising for everyone and laughed as we burnt calories.  I think I had more fun than the students!”

A second workshop was presented by Grace Edwards, mother of Brian ’14.  Students were given a wealth of information (an MBA in two hours) on how to start your own business from scratch.   Some students were observed as taking more copious notes in that workshop than they have done in their regular academic classes.  Grace Edwards writes, “Parent Academy gave me the opportunity to interact with students and share my knowledge and personal experiences in the business world.  I hope they were able to leave the workshop with some information that might leave them curious about a future in business.”

We are very grateful for the time and energy all of our parent volunteers have given.  Parent Academy will be held again in December next school year.

Seniors Present “This I Believe” Essays

This past Monday, Hyde-Bath seniors read their “This I Believe” essays during English class under the chandelier.  The pieces are based on the essay form made popular by the NPR Series, and they offer insight into what beliefs the seniors are developing from their own unique experiences.

Essays read offered many insights with more than a few of the seniors stating their belief that no experience is without purpose and that every event happens for a reason.  Others believe in non-concrete concepts such as happiness and compassion.  On the more concrete side, we heard beliefs which varied from philosophies grounded in bicycles to the value of dictatorship.  As the senior English students prepared their essays, they studied models available on the “This I Believe” web site, honed their skills in peer revision, and then took the “stage” under the Mansion chandelier to present their written work to a wider audience.  Every semester the seniors present their work, and themselves, in this same forum in preparation for graduation and for life.

Biology in Boston

Members of the biology and advanced biology classes boarded a bus early this morning for a trip to the Museum of Science in Boston.  The trip is part of the evolution module in the curriculum of the two courses.  The students will be engaged in hands-on exhibits, multi-media presentations, and informal research that will be incorporated into their final assignments of the term.  Included in their visit will be a special presentation called “Race:  Are We So Different” which examines race from both an evolutionary perspective and a cultural perspective.  It is a film about Australia that looks at how organisms adapt and evolve in order to survive in a harsh and unusual climate. The students will also visit the Human Body Connection to explore the evolution and adaptations humans have undergone over the millenniums.

COOL LINKS: SS Workshop Next Week | Malcolm’s Blog | Summer Sessions | Dance Pics | Upcoming TBJ Workshops

WOODSTOCK CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

Dinner at Six!

This Monday, the Hyde faculty provided a rarely found opportunity to its students: the chance to go on a date without even leaving campus. The Wolf Den was transformed into the high-class restaurant Chez Loup, serving a four-course meal including appetizer, soup or salad, main course, and dessert.  Faculty cooked, set and cleared the tables, shuttled plates from an upstairs apartment, waitressed, and set flowers at the tables for a romantic evening. The couples showed their appreciation with a round of applause for the chef. To quote one satisfied diner, “We should do this every few weeks. Maybe some of the students could cook!” The Valentine’s Day menu included Dal Tarka, Sweet Potato Gnocchi and Apricot Ginger Pork. Much thanks goes to faculty member Colin Fredericks, the mastermind behind the evening!

Leadership Luncheon

The Hyde Leadership Society sat down to lunch with three Hyde parents to hear their leadership story and learn about their personal leadership philosophy. It was amazing how connected each speech was aligned to the Hyde mission. Senior parents Hunt Eldridge and Peter DeNunzio shared their experience in the advertising world and non-profit institutions. HAPA parent Eric Karp spoke of his experience leading his synagogue and managing a law firm. Some of their leadership wisdom included:

• Be ready for anything!
• No one is required to follow you, therefore you need to stand for something that motivates and inspires others.
• If you want to be a successful leader, empower others around you to become successful.
• Passion for what you are doing plus hard work and rigor will move mountains.
• Leadership is all about integrity – never lie or sugar coat something, but remember you will also need to inspire your team with a roadmap to success.
• Humility – you need enough ego to want to do a great job, but also need to understand your limitations.
• Believe in the unique potential of your organization and your people.
• It’s not just talking; it’s also absorbing, growing and learning.

As Hunt Eldridge said, “I started with a desk, a phone and a goal.” It was a captivating conversation. The students expressed their inspiration and admiration to the speakers. Blake Smaldone said, “This discussion gets me really excited to work on my leadership, both here at school and in my future.”

Girl Power

The Hyde-Woodstock Girls Varsity Basketball came out on top against Williams 47-72.  The ladies made the trip to New London and the campus of Connecticut College to face Williams in a league game.  For the first time in weeks, the team was almost at full strength.  In the first half of the game Williams was playing well and shooting lights out.  Hyde, on the other hand, struggled to contain Williams defensively and the only player who was scoring was Andrea Crute ’12.  The team went into halftime thirteen points down.  During halftime the Wolf Pack decided on the strategy of taking the ball to the hoop in order to force the other team to foul.  This strategy had worked earlier in the week against Wheeler.  Gradually the team closed the gap behind the scoring of Lara Cornelius ’11 and Andrea Crute ’12 each respectably scored twelve and thirteen points in the second half.  Rebounding was also a key in getting second chance points offensively and preventing Williams from getting second chance points.  Becca Katz ’12 hit four critical free-throws to put Woodstock ahead.  With the clock winding down and Hyde up by three, Bryn Nolan ’12 stole an inbounds pass and made a basket to put the Wolf Pack up by five and the game out of Williams’ reach.  It was a great team effort and bodes well for next year with a lot of the team returning.  The scoring was as follows; Katie Smith ’12 (0-1-1), Katherine Hagood ’13 (1-0-2), Becca Katz ’12 (0-4-4), Bryn Nolan ’12 (3-0-6), Lara Cornelius ’11 (4-4-12), and Andrea Crute ’12 (7-6-22).

History Debate

The Honors 20^th Century History class has been exploring the morality and practical reasons surrounding the decision to drop the Atomic Bomb to end WWII against Japan.  Divided into three groups, they were given President Truman’s options which brought into play many issues. Students presented their options through Power Point presentations and this week, they faced off in a debate.  Faculty member Donna Dubinsky said, “This is a complex issue and I have been impressed with the willingness and energy of the students to view all positions.” LDG/DM

COOL LINKS: Woodstock Wrestling at Class Act | Another Rigney Rant | Summer Sessions | Equestrian Pics | Malcolm’s Blog | Upcoming TBJ Workshops

Snow Day

As our students often lament, because we are a boarding school we don’t have snow days, but we got our fair share of snow on Wednesday.  About 14” fell on the campus which brought out the snowboards and sleds to be used at various sloped spots.  The storm did force all of our athletic competitions to be postponed for the day, but it offered the opportunity for students and faculty alike to have snowball fights, group sliding parties and in general, enjoy the white stuff.

Poetry Out Loud!

The school was treated to a series of oral presentations as part of the national Poetry Out Loud competition.  Taking home first place was Ian Andolsek ’13, for his renditions of “Ozymandias” by Percy Bysshe Shelley, and “Chicago” by Carl Sandburg.  Runner up was Ted Cercos ’11 who recited “Dulce et Decorum Est” by Wilfred Owen and “Ballad of Birmingham” by Dudley Randall.

A Lesson in Community Building

The end of the week had our school community calling a few “audibles.”  Our school meeting ran a little long on Thursday followed by a rare night-time school meeting that evening, and a portion of Friday morning was devoted to working and seminaring in dorms.  So what happened?  In short, a group of leadership students (Robert Outerbridge ’11, Ted Cercos ’11, and Nat Abernethy ’11) facilitated the school meeting yesterday which evolved into a discussion focused on commitment to oneself and to those in your community.  It was a truly student-led meeting with plenty of honest and open dialogue.  In the evening, another group of students (Alyssa Thomas ’11, Alex Beidermann ’11 and Gabi Harvie ’11) continued the discussion with an added twist; students divided into self-selected groups depending on their level of commitment to self and community. Finally, the student leadership group felt spending time in their dorm groups would be beneficial to continue the open conversations and to strengthen relationships.  What is most exciting to see is these very able students step into leadership roles, embrace the responsibility for their school community, and feel good about the positive risks they are taking with each other.

COOL LINKS: Holy Snow | Open House | Malcolm’s Blog | Download Center | PSST. Spread the Word

WOODSTOCK CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

China Visit

Over the past two weeks, a group of Hyde faculty has been visiting China to both connect with our current families as well as to meet new ones. Laura Gauld, Bob Felt and Cindy Guan have visited Beijing, Shanghai, Shenzhen and Hong Kong. They conducted parent receptions in each city and met with alumni families in Hong Kong. At each presentation, the group talked about the founding mission of the school, the character based curriculum and focus on the family. Laura Gauld writes, “Despite the language barrier, all the parents we spoke with wanted their child to maximize their potential. They have a strong focus on university and college acceptance, yet the leadership emphasis at Hyde has brought about confidence in their child.” Some of the comments expressed by parents included:

• “In China, the child is everything.”
• “Hyde’s five words are needed in China as we do not always emphasize these enough.”
• “We want our child to get into the best college or university he/she can.”
• “It is hard to let go of our child, but it is for their future.”

Bob Felt commented, “When you boil it all down, there are more similarities than there are differences. We all want the best for our children.” Cindy Guan did an outstanding job being both a Hyde faculty member and translator for the trip. An amazing trip of learning!

Alumni Winter Weekend

Our first weekend back provided an opportunity to learn from the Hyde alumni.  Beginning on Friday, graduates from 2010 and earlier trickled onto campus.  They met students, caught up with faculty, played with faculty kids and reminded the community of the step beyond these gates that await all Hyde students.  On Saturday morning they spoke to the community and shared comments and reflections of their time at Hyde and spoke about the value of a Hyde education once outside its walls.  They shared:

“Embrace the opportunity here and connect with faculty.”

“I wish I’d listened to the advice given me.”

“It took me leaving to really understand and appreciate the relationships Hyde helped me build.”

“My family continues to grow and learn.  A lot of the skills we use now we learned when I was at Hyde.”

It was wonderful to see so many of them return to campus, enthusiastic about the gifts received from Hyde and excited about the opportunities in their futures.

Second Annual QVCC Spelling Bee

Last night a faculty team charged to victory in an effort to support the local community college by participating in the 2^nd Annual Quinebaug Valley Community College Spelling Bee.  The 2010 competition was steeped in controversy as the Wolf Pack came in second place having incorrectly spelled the word “tiddlywinks.”  Only upon review and research was it determined that Hyde spelled it correctly and that the judges preferred an alternate, and less-familiar, spelling.  Having spent the year in training and reflection, the Hyde Wolf Pack (a.k.a., “Team Tiddlywinks”) departed campus on Thursday evening with a mission: to gain redemption and come home victorious.  The returning team included faculty members Meara Palmer-Young, Mark Duethorn, Dan Osar, and Laura Michaels.  After ten rounds of spelling (and 19 teams), with words like spontaneity, phlebotomy, electrolysis, recidivist, and egalitarianism, the team found themselves in the final four.  Two teams quickly dropped out allowing the Wolf Pack to beat out “The Fighting Irish” to the win with Palmer-Young’s final word challenge of plenipotentiary.  Great job bringing home the trophy!

COOL LINKS: We Got Snow | Open House | Malcolm’s Blog | Download Center | PSST. Spread the Word

Welcome Back

Before jumping back into classes on Tuesday morning, Assistant Head of School, Rich Truluck, welcomed the students back with a community meeting.  A quick and informal poll of students and faculty showed that about a quarter of the school spent some time outside of the US and about a third spent time in a warm climate (75 or more!).  It was also interesting to note that about a third of the school answered in the affirmative that this vacation had encompassed “one of the best days I have ever spent with my family.”  Afterwards, the students split into groups to begin preparing and planning for an eventful two months.  Some of the breakout groups were:  weekend fun activities; Head of School holiday; Martin Luther King, Jr. Day; Northern New England Invitational Wrestling Tournament (Hyde is hosting this on Feb. 5); performing arts and international student liaison program. 

Coming at you Live!

The school meeting this week was devoted to faculty evaluations.  About half of the teachers had the opportunity to sit in front of the student body and receive comments in two broad categories: the strengths of their teaching and areas in need of improvement.  Considering that teaching at Hyde extends well beyond the classroom, the student comments also ranged beyond the classroom, incorporating the teacher’s roles as a coach, Discovery Group leader, dorm parent and mentor.  As usual, the faculty found this to be a valuable source of information to improve their performance both professionally and personally, and the students did a very good job of giving insightful feedback.

First College Acceptances

The senior class had their first acceptances of the winter.  Congratulations to Gabi Harvie (Elon University- early decision), Mali Perry (Parsons New School for Design- early decision) and Patrick Serra (Naropa University) on being admitted to their top choice schools.  More acceptances to come in the weeks ahead!

COOL LINKS: Mal’s Year in Review | Wrestling Pics – Part 1 | Wrestling Pics – Part 2 | Upcoming Open House

WOODSTOCK CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

It’s a Girl

While the campus cleared out for the holiday break, Rachel Folan was experiencing the early signs of labor and on Sunday, December 19, 2010, Rachel and Kevin welcomed Quinn Margaret Folan into the world. Weighing 7 lbs., 2 oz. and measuring almost 21 inches, Quinn showed her beauty off in a series of pictures sent out to the community. Her perfect turned up nose and sweet face turned her father into mush and the rest of us, well, immediately attached! Good job Mom and we welcome this new member into the Hyde community.

Faculty FLC

As the students traveled back to the campus, the faculty gathered for the traditional faculty FLC, a time where faculty go through the self-discovery exercises that are part of the Hyde parent program. Sunday afternoon and evening were spent sharing defining moments in our life and an exercise where we completed the following sentences:

I am excited about…

I worry that…

A challenge I will face personally is…

The strength that I offer this team is…

If I let myself, I can feel (lonely, angry, sad, disappointed, etc.)…

If I didn’t have to do it perfectly, I would…

A person on this team that I would like to connect with is…

I beat myself up about…

Right now, I need to ask for help with…

Faculty talked about the value of taking the time to interact as a team in this way. Everyone agreed that it was a valuable way to start the winter period.  John Rigney said, “Every time I go into one of these, I come away with a renewed sense of why I work here and live here with my family.” Terry Walsh added, “When I allow myself to learn through these exercises, I can learn from everyone.” This is just another reminder of the importance of parents and faculty experiencing the same character curriculum as the students.

Welcome to Woodstock

As a community, we’re happy to welcome both new students and a new faculty member this week.  Students arrived this week from across the country and around the globe and jumped right into classes, sports and other activities.  We are also happy to welcome new faculty member, and former Hyde-Bath student, Michael Aronski  ’06.  After a successful collegiate career at Rollins College in Orlando, Florida, Mike recognized the relevance of his Hyde education and decided to return as a faculty member to further the Hyde mission.  As a student-athlete at Hyde, Mike defined himself as a tenacious competitor and an inspiring leader.  He took those attributes to the Rollins soccer team as he captained the Tars his senior year to a runner-up finish in the Division II National Championship held in Louisville, Kentucky.  We are excited to have Mike’s energy and enthusiasm on our faculty team.

COOL LINKS: Mal’s Year in Review | Dodgeball Pics | Upcoming Open House | Upcoming Events | Woodstock Reunion

Big Week in Basketball

Hyde Women’s Basketball Champions of the First Annual Aleigh Mills Memorial Tournament

The Hyde-Bath Varsity Women’s Basketball team opened their season with two victories over the weekend, winning against Hyde’s sister school from Woodstock and then bringing home the championship trophy from the Aleigh Mills Memorial Tournament held at Kents Hill School.  The tournament was established in honor of Aleigh Mills, a former Kents Hill student and basketball player who passed away last year.  In Friday night’s preliminary game Hyde-Bath celebrated its first victory against the Hyde-Woodstock team in four years, their last win being in the James Roman Tournament of 2006. Hyde-Bath led the entire game, bringing the margin to as many as 14 points at one point.  The final score was 19-31. The Hyde team found its leadership this weekend in senior Sage Harris, who was honored as the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player with 21 points in both Friday and Saturdays’ contests as well as seven steals on the weekend. The frontcourt duo of senior Alyssa Thomas and junior Laughlynn Bragg combined for 17 points and an outstanding 41 rebounds over the two games. Thomas also had five blocked shots in the two games, four of which came at key points in the final round on Saturday. Senior Lily Smith contributed to Hyde’s impressive rebounding efforts with 4 rebounds on Friday night and 8 rebounds on Saturday, playing the full 32 minutes in the championship game due mostly to her tenacious defense.  The final score was 38-41, Hyde-Bath.

James Roman Tournament

The Men’s Varsity Team also had a great weekend in basketball, playing two games for the James Roman Tournament, winning their first game on Friday against North Yarmouth Academy (53-29) and losing in a closely contested game against Hyde-Woodstock on Saturday, with the final score of 44-46.  Standouts over the weekend were junior Jonah Alexander, and sophomore Ben Burlock for their defensive play and work on the boards.  The offense was led by seniors Ted Cercos and Harry Smith along with senior Wes Freston and junior Chris Moulton who contributed during crucial stretches.

Senior Trip to the JFK Museum

On Tuesday the senior Government classes went to the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum in Boston to conduct a unit on Civil Rights.  They spent the morning in a classroom setting analyzing primary documents, viewing video clips and discussing JFK’s political involvement in the Civil Rights movement during the 1960’s.  After the classroom activity, the students had the opportunity to tour the Museum and research specific exhibits.  Quotes from some of the seniors included, “I had no idea that JFK created the Peace Corps; that’s pretty cool,” and “I just touched the actual Berlin Wall!” After touring the Museum, seniors spent some down time in Quincy Market shopping and eating lunch.  Overall, the Boston trip was both informative and a great opportunity to bond as a class.

Know Yourself/Be Yourself

The Camden-Rockport Middle School invited Hyde School back this week to lead almost 100 7th grade students through the second installment of Know Yourself/Be Yourself, Hyde’s outreach program to encourage leadership and self-discovery in middle school students.

Thirty-nine Hyde students, mostly juniors and seniors, spent the morning of December 9th leading activities and discussions aimed at engaging the 7th graders with their deeper selves and each other.  The participants experienced Hyde’s tried and true “Who Am I?” and trust fall activities as well as rousing games of Yee Haw that allow everyone, even the middle school teachers, to “get out of themselves.”

The teachers at Camden-Rockport Middle School admired the Hyde students’ maturity, engagement and caring.  The 7th graders said a big, “Thank you!” for the Hyde students’ leadership and for their openness.  One 7th grade girl was heard to say, “You are my 7th grade best friend, but she is my Hyde best friend.”

The Hyde students not only give of their time and energy while facilitating, they also receive a great deal in return.  Here is what the Hyde students had to say about the value of KY/BY for themselves:

“Practicing leadership with a different age group helps my confidence.”

“I came into this expecting it to be boring and that I would just have to deal with it.  But after meeting the kids and doing the first activity, I realized how much fun I was having.  Doing this today made me see the leadership inside of me that I thought was slipping away.  I had a lot of fun and the kids were great.”

“This experience brought back some memories and gave me a chance to help kids be ready for the experiences ahead of them.”

“I value learning about how I teach and lead others.  I think the kids learned a lot about their peers.”

“This gave me confidence in doing things in which I am not comfortable.  I also realize I love working with kids.”

“I came here to be a teacher and a leader, but I learned a lot about myself too.”

“I learned to trust myself as a leader.”

COOL LINKS: James Roman Tournament | Malcolm’s Recent Post | Character Education | Unique View of Hyde Schools

WOODSTOCK CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

Winter Sports Begin!

The Woodstock gym is transformed in the winter months as the entire school fills every corner of the space.   With five basketball teams, wrestlers and faculty looking to bring their workout indoors, it becomes the hub of athletics.   This past weekend, several teams had the opportunity to test their teamwork.

Varsity Wrestling had their season opener this past Saturday with a quad meet. The Wolf Pack lost a “nail biter” against Williston Northampton, lost to a more experienced Suffield team and had a decisive win over Hopkins. Coach Jenkins cited some highlights with Marcos Mercado ’13, Alex Houston ’12, Kendrick Vincent ’12, James Ziede ’12, Zach Guidice ’12, and Jae Kang Lee ’14. The coach also commented on the team, “I am excited about this team, their attitudes and their potential.”

Women’s Varsity Basketball went to Kents Hill for a tournament and split results with a loss to Hyde-Bath and a victory over Kents Hill. The Men’s Varsity Basketball team traveled to Hyde-Bath for the James Roman Tournament where they won two exciting games – the first win over Kents Hill and the second game where the team hung on to beat Hyde-Bath by two points. Both basketball coaches were encouraged by the potential of the teams.

Learning from Each Other

The international center started a new initiative for this term which they have coined the Peer Immersion Program. PIP is designed to advance the immersion experience and challenge international students to be more aware of their English language learning. It requires intentional intrusion and collaboration from both groups. Both American and International students are the mentors. The pairs sit together at all school meetings and lunches. They meet twice a week where they learn about each other and ultimately create a Power Point Presentation that will reveal something that they have learned from each other. Mrs. Warnick and Ms. Guan will be checking with each pair during the term. This week, the program was kicked off with “twin day” as the pairs donned matching outfits to solidify their connections. Mrs. Warnick said, “At first, we were slow to start, but there is some excitement building for this program.”

Parent Academy

For the fifth year, the Woodstock community welcomed parents to Parent Academy, where the passions, insights and experience of Hyde parents transform the campus for a few days and students benefit from the resources in our parent body. This year, we offered the following classes:

Rick Chesley (Nate ’12) – Reading the Wall Street Journal, Legal Professions and Candy Making

Sharon DeNunzio (Sarah ’11) - Understanding Toxins
Mary Angel Coehlo (Anthony Callahan ’11)- Budget Skills and Risk Management

Deb Carreau (Adam ’11)/ Mrs. Beane (her mom)/Kerri Walsh/ Diane Rushin (Tom ’12)/ Pam Jussuame (Paige ’12) - Sewing

Irene Boudreau/Brooke Felt/Linda Felt (Bob ’90)/Cindy Guan – Knitting

Scott Trager (Sarah ’10, Alex ’12) – Off Roading

Kat Wren (Bath Parent of Chris Moreau ’13) – Turning Obstacles into Opportunities

Roger Sherman – Video Shooting

Dorothy Kalins (Lincoln ’11) – Magazine and Book Editing

Claude and Becky Errera (Ben ’12) – Peace Corps

Colin Fredericks – College Survival Tips

Paul and Kathy Connolly (Scott ’11) - Career Counseling

The offerings this year were excellent and the buzz around campus was felt by students, faculty and staff. Comments included:

“The editing class was very helpful and gave me tips on working on my senior thesis project.”

“It’s great to work with parents in a different capacity.”

“I was knitting and it helped me reconnect to my grandmother who taught me to knit twenty years ago.”

“I was inspired by my Mom coming up to do this.”

Inspiration of the week: watching Hyde students tackle a new sport and in the process, find the potential for excellence.                  LDG/DM

COOL LINKS: Hyde Parent Academy | Character Education | Unique View of Hyde Schools | Boys Varsity Basketball

November 2010 Honor Guard Announced

The students who earned the prestige of being a part of Hyde-Bath’s Honor Guard were announced this week.  The following students were part of the 4+/1/0 Club meaning they have received four or more Honors, no more than one Transition and no Warnings (Honors/Transitions/Warnings):

The following students were part of the 5+/0/0 Club meaning they received five or more Honors and no Transitions or Warnings (Honors/Transitions/Warnings):

Kayla Derby ’11 5/0/0 Yuan (Herman) Gao ’12 6/0/0

Craig Bartlett ’12 6/0/0 Carrie Basch ’13 5/0/0

Brian Edwards ’14 5/0/0 Scott Georgaklis ’12 5/0/0

Wonseo Huh ’11 5/0/0 Wilson MacMillan ’14 5/0/0

Emily Rose ’11 5/0/0 Mengzhiyi Zhang ’12 5/0/0

Fall 2010 Academic Awards

On Tuesday, we held our Fall Academic Awards Ceremony and the following students were acknowledged for the great work they completed this past term either as a Most Improved Learner or Most Valuable Learner:

Winter Athletics Begin

The winter athletic season started this week with the men’s prep basketball team beating Berwick Academy in a closely contested battle.  The final score was 73-70 and the game wasn’t decided until two free throws by Harry Smith ’11, sealed the victory.  Standouts in the game included Chris Moulton ’12, Ted Cercos ’11, Ben Burlock ’13 and Wes Freston ’11.  The team continues competition this weekend when they host the James Roman Tournament.  The women’s basketball squad travels to Kents Hill School for a weekend tournament and the wrestling team also kicks off their season on Saturday with a meet at Bath Middle School.  Good luck to all!

Cool Links: James Roman Tournament | Open House | Wear Your Hyde Gear | A Teacher’s Impact | Winter Calendar | Character Education is the Way Forward

WOODSTOCK CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

Welcome Back!

The students returned this week and the week was kicked off with our traditional themes for this first segment of the winter term. After sharing highlights and challenges from the break, Assistant Head John Rigney outlined the three themes – Connections, Curiosity and Community. The three weeks have been structured to focus on the synergy that comes from connecting with individuals in the school, tapping into the curiosity in classes through project-based learning and helping others in the larger community. Each Discovery Group has chosen a community service project or act of kindness to help make someone’s life a little better. In the meeting, students were asked to identify areas where they feel connected in the community. Some thoughts shared:

“I feel connected to my discovery group.”

“I feel connected when we are all at an athletic event as a school cheering each other on.”

“I feel connected to the faculty here and can go to most anyone on the faculty.”

The school also discussed ways in which we can connect more to each other and to our best this winter.

Look Sharp Ladies!

The Hyde women on both campuses have worked this fall to strengthen the female dress code. While the young men on the campus have a “uniform” of tie and jacket which helps keep them looking good, the women have struggled to find excellence in our total appearance. A group of women and faculty on each campus met to move away from rules and more to a principle-centered approach to our daily dress. Thus, after lively discussion, the cornerstone of the Hyde female dress code was formed:

• Fitting
• Classy
• Respectful
• Sharp

It was a great moment this week to have Victoria Taylor ’14 waltz into my office and declare, “I am looking fit, classy, respectful and sharp!” She certainly was. Thanks to Bath faculty members Kirstie Truluck, Mary Moore, Claire Grant and Laura Lokitis along with Woodstock faculty Linda McGuire who have spearheaded this effort.

Intellectual Discovery

During the next three weeks, classes are focusing on group and individual assignments that will tap into creativity and motivation. Examples include:

Sophomore English – will work on three modes of poetry (prose, free verse and metrical) and then select and explain the significance of a 24-32 line poem.

Latin American Studies – will study Simon Bolivar, the Liberator of Latin America and create their own visual presentation of him after exploring other artistic and political images.

Spanish II – will study children’s literature and creating cartoons like Curious George (Jorge el curioso) in order to practice past tenses.

Freshmen English – students are doing a timeline of the fifteen most significant events of their life which they will organize through text, color, photos and magazine clippings.

ESL class – will work on public speaking and deliver a personal essay guided by the This I Believe format in front of the school.

Critical Race Relations – students will be reading and discussing Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, written by Harriet Jacobs and write a reflective essay to connect their own struggles and character traits in relation to the historical figure covered.

All in all, we are back with a bang!     LDG/DM

Cool Links: James Roman Tournament | Open House | Wear Your Hyde Gear | A Teacher’s Impact | Winter Calendar | Character Education is the Way Forward

“No Power” Monday

After hearing of the benefits our sister campus experienced with their “No-Tech Tuesdays,” the Bath campus went one better and had a “No Power” Monday.  We were aided in our efforts by a wind storm that knocked out phone and internet service for the day, along with most of the electricity in the Mansion, Student Union and a couple of the dorms.  We did have enough power in the remaining parts of the campus to have classes and a fairly normal day.  At this time, there are no plans to repeat “No Power” Monday, at least on a voluntary basis.

Veteran’s Day Observance

John Romac, retired Navy, and Carl Young, retired Marine Corps, led the school meeting on Thursday.  Mr. Romac began and ended the meeting with the quote, “We warm ourselves with fires we did not build and drink from wells we did not dig.” As a way to honor our veterans, he asked all of us to find a way to serve others in our lives in the spirit that others have already served us.  Blending personal reflections and experiences with historical facts in a slide show format, Mr. Romac shared with us why remembering the sacrifices of those in the military is important to him.  It was a moving presentation that left many with a tear in their eye.

Senior Speeches

On Friday, the seniors kicked off their year of public speaking under the chandelier.  Each senior presented a short dissertation on Jonathan Swift’s satire Gulliver’s Travels.  Topics of their talks ranged from “Jonathan Swift’s Use of Satirical Devices” by Patrick Serra to “The Purpose of Captain Mendez” by Taylor Lewis to Ashton Ghaffaar’s presentation entitled, “Dystopia and Gulliver’s Reaction to the Houyhnhnms.”  “As the first installment in the public speaking component of the Senior English Curriculum,” teacher Hillary Kidwell said afterwards, “students focused mainly on clarity, fluidity, poise and formal presentation skills.”

COOL LINKS: Friday Night Lights | Share Upcoming Program | According to Truluck | The Kitchen Sink

WOODSTOCK CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

The Voice of Hyde

At Monday’s morning meeting, the school brought Mrs. “Susie” Racine to the front of the theater for a special birthday.  Matan Peltier ’10 gave her a bouquet of flowers and the community shared thoughts about what makes Mrs. Racine so special. Comments had a unifying theme:

“When I am having a tough day, just walking by your desk brightens my day.”

“You can put a smile on anyone’s day.”

“When I came to Hyde for my interview, I wasn’t prepared for such a positive reception.”

“You give back to this community but also to many other groups outside of Hyde.”

“Hi, how are you honey?” is a constant in our lives.

Susie thanked the students and talked about what Hyde was like in the first year of the school’s founding. She ended with, “Hyde keeps me going every day of my life. Every Monday I love coming to work and I truly love all the students; while they are here and long after they graduate!”  Thank you Susie!

Leadership Luncheon

The Hyde Leadership Society had lunch with the Board of Governors this past week during their Board meeting and had the opportunity to listen to each Board member discuss their own commitment to leadership and to the Hyde mission. It was one of those Only @ Hyde moments and the student leaders were clearly attentive to each speech. Jeff Black ’78, Chairman of the Board, spoke about the importance of making commitments early in the year and supporting the best in each other. He said, “Don’t wait in terms of making your leadership felt in the school.   If you do, it might be too late.  I also challenge you to increase the size of this group and bring in those peers who can support your efforts.” Members of the Hyde Leadership Society include Mari Barnett, Adam Ben-Hanania, Julia Biederman, Zack Birnbaum, Michael Cannon, Adam Carreau, Nate Chesley, Jabon Chubbuck, Caitlyn Colley, Lara Cornelius, Sarah DeNunzio, Hope Eldridge, Kun-ll Kim, Derek Kubitz, Ben Lieber, Shannon Ludeke, Mac McGuire, Bryn Nolan, Matan Peltier, Lincoln Sherman, Dan Swanson, Justen Wilson.

Charter School Teachers Here

The Woodstock campus hosted thirty teachers from the Washington DC and Bronx Charter Schools this week. The teachers had training sessions with Foundation trainer Jennifer Burns and Foundation Director Joanne Goubourn. They joined the weekly school meeting where the topic of “integrity” was explored, did the high ropes course and sang a Hyde audition. Ms. Goubourn said, “I am inspired by the teachers and their courage, commitment and openness to learning.”

We are Proud of You

One of the great aspects of the Hyde community is that transformation happens; in the classroom, on the stage and on the playing fields. This week, we proudly shared in the transformation of our men’s varsity soccer team who became men as they avenged an earlier tie to 4^th place seed Williams to play in the semi-finals against the top seeded Marianapolis. With MVP of the game Brian Sanz leading the team, the squad stepped up and never quit against a very talented team. While it was a disappointing 2 – 1 loss, the pride we all felt after the game was overwhelming. In the words of Coach John Rigney, “The varsity soccer team grew leaps and bounds this fall.  And, not merely as athletes.  They grew as young men, as fitness freaks and as comrades.  They proved themselves to be honorable and hard-working, tireless in their pursuit of victory and their best.”

COOL LINKS: Friday Night Lights | Share Upcoming Program | Stars of the Week | The Kitchen Sink

Honor Guard Announced

The second honors/warnings designations were posted this week.  The following students made the Honor Guard (at least 4 honors and no warnings):

Seniors – Nathaniel  Abernethy; Aneth Batamuliza; Theodore Cercos; Rachel de Molina; Emeline Ferguson; Paxton Hansard; Wonseo Huh; Jane Miller; Emily Rose; Brendan Trometer

Juniors – James Allen; Craig Bartlett; Yan Chen; Yuan (Herman) Gao; Scott Georgaklis; Weina Kong; Zhihong (Elvis) Leng; Weida (Brian) Liu; Isaac Pfosi ; Tobias Weymar ; Mengzhiyi Zhang

Sophomores – Ian Andolsek; Carrie Basch; Valeria DiGregorio; Nicholas Hatch; Zachary Leighninger; Madeline Preece; Shusa (Rainey) Wu; Shizhu (June) Yu

Freshmen – Elan Livnat; Wilson MacMillan; Evan Robish

The following students were recognized at the community meeting for making significant improvement from the last honors/warnings period:  Yousuf Al-Taie ’14; Clifton Bauman ’13; Ross D’Amato  ’12; Nabil Eshraghian ’13; Peter Higgins  ’13; Chester Hill ’12; Isaac Preston ’13; Will Shaw ’12; Hanfei Zhang  ’13.

Congratulations to all those students recognized for their efforts in academics!

Hyde Students in the Community

Two community service opportunities for students kicked off this week.  Ten students spent time on Monday evening visiting with residents of the Plant Home, a local elderly community. The residents and students shared stories about growing up, hometowns and hobbies.  On Tuesday evening, another group of students had their first visit to the Winship Green Nursing Home.  Faculty advisor, John Chesterton, wrote about the visit to the Plant Home, “The kids went right in and sat next to a resident and just started talking. The people there were so receptive and were so appreciative that the students came to visit with them that it warmed my heart. One generation talking to another in such a close and loving way; it was just what we wanted for our kids and according to the Activities Director there, just what the people needed.  It was great!!!!!”

Future Top Chef:  Chip Wohlstetter
Each morning at 6:00, senior Chip Wohlstetter reports to the kitchen to begin his cooking duties.  Chip aspires to work in culinary arts in the future and decided not to wait for a college internship to start gaining valuable experience.  So far Chip has had a hand in preparing breakfast pastries, desserts and soups for lunch.  Long-time Hyde chef, John Brawn stated, “Chip has a knack for what he does and has enthusiasm for his future.”

COOL LINKS: Latest Blog Posts | Bullying Still Thrives in Schools | Share Open House | Join the BLT

WOODSTOCK CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

Soccer Team Rocks

Both soccer teams inspired all of us this week with their grit and guts. Each took on St. Andrews and the men won 1-0 and though the women tied, their commitment to push for the win was amazing. The men will represent Hyde in the SENE championships this coming week. Coach Rachel Folan shared this about her team:  “From the opening whistle, it was clear that the Hyde team had shown up to play and win.  The ball was moved well through the midfield, kept to the flank, and played beautifully into the goal over and over.  Marcy Altobello ’14 led much of this play, as she charged down the left sideline, pushing a great ball through to Andrea Sayegh ’12, who took on her defender.  Earning a corner kick, Bryn Nolan ’12 sent a beautiful ball into the goal which Sayegh drilled toward the goal off her head.  Though the goalie made the initial save, Sayegh followed up her attack, gathering the rebound to earn her first goal of the season, just nine minutes into the game.  Though Hyde maintained complete control of the game, St. Andrew’s earned a counter attack ten minutes later, catching the Wolf Pack defense off-guard.  Though the defense balanced well, St. Andrew’s got a shot off just inside the 18-yard box, barely trickling into the goal, yet evening the score.  With the half-time score tied, Hyde’s 11-2 shot advantage propelled them to up the play even more for the second half. Hyde saw fantastic play from Mari Barnett ’11, Aine Zaniewski ’13, Altobello, and Rianna Arellano ’12 in the midfield, Nolan and Sayegh on offense, and Becca Katz ’12, Camryn Bindra ’13, Hope Eldridge ’11 and Caitlyn Colley ’11 on defense

Know Yourself/Be Yourself

The campus was alive with the sounds of 100 high energy middle schoolers on Wednesday with a visit from the Woodstock 7^th grade for a Know Yourself/Be Yourself Workshop. Forty-seven Hyde students stepped up to run the workshop in small groups.  The middle school returned after lunch for team-building exercises before the final debrief.  The program had three goals:

1. Each one of us is unique.
2. It takes courage to be yourself.
3. We all need help.

At the end of the day, the young students thanked individual facilitators for their help, feedback and concern. One student shared , “I inspired myself when I had to start the song ‘Lean on Me’ in my group.” Another commented, “I learned to trust my group because I had to when they carried me to the theatre,” during the afternoon session. Hyde students were inspired by the depth of their conversations with the middle school students and the level of concern the younger students showed for one another.  Special thanks to faculty members Sarah Robinson and Donna Dubinsky for their leadership in making this day such a success for all.

Setting Goals
In the weekly school meeting, the school divided up into two groups; those that are focused on using the school for their leadership and those that need the structure to strengthen their attitudes. Each group had the same topic and shared thoughts on setting high expectations, dealing with the tension between vision and reality, and having the courage to declare a goal. Each meeting was productive and the general feeling was that we need to do more with smaller groups in order to allow for greater participation. Some of the goals shared by faculty and students included:

Megan Belka – “A goal in my life is to go to and graduate from UCLA.”

Laura Leonard – “A goal for my life is to become a nurse so that I can give back to the world.”

Cindy Guan – “My long term goal is to make a positive impact on many individuals and to inspire young people to do the same.”

Graham Davidson – “Get good grades, get into a good college, maintain a ski scholarship and get along with my brothers.”

Yi “Joy” Yang – “I will stay here for two years, go to a good college and make my parents proud of me.”

Mac McGuire – “A goal I have for my life is to join the Peace Corp.”

Katherine Hagood – “…to play basketball for the College of Charleston.”

Jackson Bender – “..to have a great relationship with my whole family.”

Bryn Nolan – “…to maintain a healthy, active life and love whatever career I choose.”

Colin Fredericks – “I would like to start my own school someday.”

COOL LINKS: Hyde Parent Academy | Bullying Still Thrives in Schools | Share Open House | Join the BLT

Class Meetings

• The Seniors and faculty spent some time on Monday doing evaluations, i.e., “What is going well for this student/teacher?” and “What are challenges or opportunities for this student/teacher?”  The seniors were very up front and honest with both their classmates and the teachers evaluated, and so more time was allotted to continue this process during class meetings on Wednesday.
• John Romac facilitated the Junior class meeting and reported, “The junior class worked on Moments of Truth.  After reading and discussing the “Man in the Mirror,” we broke into small groups of 3 or 4 to recall Moments of Truth for each of the IPSES.  The discussions and sharing were pretty deep. Yan Chen, Jamie McCracken, Jonah Alexander and Herman Gao displayed courage in their sharing of moments of truth.”
• The Sophomores used their time to view “The Last Lecture” by Randy Pausch and discuss some of the lessons from the video.  Sophomore teacher Jesse Sataloff writes: “As we debated living life to the fullest, placing people over material goods, a Coach Graham figure (people who push you because they care), and other ideas, Ian Andolsek, Chris Moreau, Ben Burlock, and Mady Preece all contributed a lot to the lively talk.”
• The Freshmen, needing some fun, engaged in a spirited bowling contest.  Will Beckham writes, “The spirit and energy was high as the class split up into two teams for an intense, team-centered duel. The score was tight until the 6^th frame when the squad consisting of Yousuf Al-Taie, Victoria Cowman, Elan Livnat, Evander Lenardson, and Ben Fusco blew away, besting the opposing team by over 100 points after it was all said and done. It was a great time had by all and the freshmen are already talking strategies for round 2.”

Football and the Efforts Savings Bank

The football team won its first game of the season by defeating Holderness School by a score of 27 – 20.  We talked about this in the school meeting for two reasons:  first, we always want to celebrate our successes, and second, the team’s success was a good example of the concept of the Effort Savings Bank.  The football team has been working hard since early September.  Their team attitude has been good, and they have kept positive and displayed exemplary sportsmanship even as the losses have mounted.  The idea of the Effort Savings Bank is that any time we put our best into our various endeavors, it never goes for naught.  Sometimes it comes back to us immediately (we win the game that weekend or do well on a test we studied for); sometimes the effort is rewarded later in the same area (the collective effort of the football team in early September pays off in a late October victory); and sometimes we just need to trust it will pay off in another area of our lives.  This point was punctuated by an alum whose son was featured on the Today Show for donating his birthday money to the Ronald McDonald House.  In a personal communication, the alum expressed his appreciation for the effort he had to exert in general while at Hyde because he now sees how it helps in his role as a parent.  The point is simple:  Trust that if you work hard and give it your best, eventually the effort will pay off, even if we don’t always know how or when.

Accreditation Visit Complete
The eight visiting committee members from schools such as Phillips Andover, Pomfret School, Vermont Academy and Hampshire School arrived Sunday night.  During the next three days they visited all of our classes, met with faculty and staff, Board of Trustee members and students, and current and alumni parents.  They looked us over from all angles:  academic progam; financial resources; teacher training and development; safety plans; residential life; family program and more.  They were part of our school meeting, faculty meetings, senior/faculty evaluations, Dean’s Area morning meetings and any other meeting they happened upon!  While we will not hear officially until January, the committee did express their admiration and respect for the education Hyde is offering students and families.  They noted the openness with which all constituencies communicated with each other and the clear commitment to character and the individual.  We enjoyed their visit and look forward to their final report.

COOL LINKS: Hyde Hosting New England Championship | Latest Blog Post from Malcolm | Pics | Share Open House | Great Resource for Parents

WOODSTOCK CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

Rigor, Synergy, Conscience

With exquisite fall colors as a backdrop, the Woodstock campus welcomed the Hyde families for a jam packed weekend of education, character and family renewal. Students shared highlights of the fall in the community meetings and parents attended a full rotation of classes. The football team wowed the crowd Friday night under the lights and parents learned Wolf Pack cheers that were heard throughout the weekend. One of the highlights was the Saturday morning presentation by Mr. Dick Hoyt, who has inspired the world with his journey to compete with his son in marathons and triathlons despite their obstacles. His message of “Together We Can” brought deep emotion out of all of us.

The Fair Share Campaign leaders rallied us to end the weekend with 98% participation from the attending parents and the faculty and staff, once again, set the bar with 100% participation in the annual fund Fair Share drive.

Finally, President Malcolm Gauld spoke in the final community meeting about teaching, parenting and listening to conscience. He said, “When you are ‘all in’ and fully committed to your best, good stuff happens!” Good stuff indeed happened this past weekend.

Please take a moment to complete the survey regarding Fall Family Weekend.  The link is as follows:  http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/KCSZX2Y

Effort Pays Off!

During Fall Family Weekend under the lights, the Wolf Pack got back on the winning track for the first time in quite a while. Behind tough defense and the impressive running of PG Justen Wilson (11 carries for 263 yards and 4TD’s), Hyde dominated the line of scrimmage and rolled to victory on senior appreciation night with a victory over Hebron Academy. Quarterback Derek Kubitz ’11 was 6-10 passing for 98 yards, 1TD, 1 INT and 7 rushes for 81 yards. PG Jalen Hill hauled in two catches for 48 yards and 1TD. Offensive line standouts included Joshua McGowan ’12 and PG Tyler Berardino.  Special teams’ player of the game was Mike Zinn ’12. Mike’s kick-off coverage was outstanding and he also ran the ball tough in the second half of the game. For his efforts, Justen Wilson was named the Norwich Bulletin Offensive Player of the Week for Northeastern Connecticut. The Wolf Pack will travel to Brookline, MA next Saturday to take on Dexter School.

Hyde-O-Ween Happenings
This week, Hyde is celebrating Halloween in style. The sophomore class decided that they wanted to put a Halloween celebration together for the young faculty kids.  They held two fund raisers, decorated the Wolf Den and gave candy to the young goblins and ninjas. Kudos to Camryn Bindra ’13, who took the lead on the project. Another group put a great deal of work into the Haunted Theater.  Helpers such as Jahmilia St. Claire ’13, Julian Goldenberg ’13, Bryn Nolan ’12, Ben Lieber ’12, John Nelson ’13, Nate Chesley ’12, Camryn Bindra ’12, and many others have pitched in, sacrificing their free time, to bring some fun and fright to the community.  The students have turned the downstairs of our theater into an eerie place that features rooms such as the dreaded Dean’s Area, blood soaked Doctor’s Office, glowing Psychiatrist’s Room and the crazed Beauty Queen’s Dressing Room.  Students also set up committees to run a costume party and dance for Saturday night.  Faculty member Wes Jenkins, who helped the students commented, “The community really came together to create a fright fest and a memorable Halloween weekend!”

COOL LINKS: Family Weekend Pics | Woodstock Gets Inspiration from Dick Hoyt | Latest Blog Post from Malcolm | Share Open House | Great Resource for Parents

From the Frying Pan into the Fire
Family Weekend proved to be a success on many fronts and so, on Monday, we enjoyed a Headmaster’s Holiday.  After a mid-morning brunch, students were able to enjoy the nice weather, catch up on some sleep or do a little homework.  As we swung back into a semi-regular schedule on Tuesday, we had to quickly shift our focus to our New England Association of Schools and Colleges accreditation visit which begins Sunday night.  The accreditation visit occurs once every ten years.  A team of nine teachers and administrators from colleague schools will spend three days reviewing our self-study, interviewing teachers, staff, students and parents, and finally writing their own report.  We should get their findings in a few weeks.

Discovery Group Competition

After having plenty of reflection time during the recent Family Weekend, the school meeting time this week was geared towards some friendly competition.  Each Discovery Group answered the same 15 multiple-choice questions about varied topics such as the BP oil spill, US unemployment rates, cell phone ownership and college graduation rates as well as some plain old general trivia questions.  After a heated contest, Mrs. Coleman’s group prevailed- Yousuf Al-Taie ’14; Gabi Harvie ’11; Elvis Leng ’12; Courtney Mulherin ’12; Kevin Oh ’11; Maddy Preece ’13; Brendan Trometer ’11 and Austin Walls ’12.  A sample of the questions, with answers, is below:

1. What percentage of American adults own a cell phone?- 82%
2. What percentage of last spring’s college graduates planned on moving back home with their parents?- 85%
3. How many dollars are added to the average American’s yearly shopping bill due to theft?- $423
4. What percentage of the American population has a college degree?- about 28%
5. For 2009, the median household income in the US was- about $50,000
6. On average, how many barrels of oil were released per day during the Gulf oil spill- 58K

Afternoon Support Study Hall
In an effort to help students finish well academically during the fall term, an afternoon study hall, proctored by available faculty members, began this week for those with outstanding assignments. Students will attend the study hall twice per week until all of the assignments are completed.

COOL LINKS: Holy Photos! | Malcolm’s Bloggin’ | Share Open House | Game Reports | Family Weekend a Success!

WOODSTOCK CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

Learning Takes to the Road

Two classes took field trips this week to capitalize on the historical offerings in the area. To culminate their study of the revolutionary war, Kevin Folan’s AP U.S. history class took a trip into Boston to walk in the footsteps of some of the Founding Fathers.  Exploring such historical sites as the Bunker Hill Monument (yes, they climbed all 294 steps to the top!), seeing the U.S.S. Constitution herself, and perusing Faneuil Hall, the class had an opportunity to make history come alive.  With 16 stops on the Freedom Trail, each student prepared a brief presentation for each historical place to educate the group. Dean Folan said, “With the beautiful weather, our trip was educational and fun.”

On Monday, a group of 40 students accompanied by faculty members Pam Bertschy, Bill Fabiano and Wes Jenkins, left the campus at 8:30am to go back in time.  The students were part of an annual U.S. History class trip that traveled to Old Sturbridge Village to get an experiential lesson on life in the 1830’s.  Students walked through buildings and structures of the mid-19^th century from all over New England, and enjoyed a quieter period of American history.  The lack of electricity and technological conveniences allowed students to see how much more of a community these small towns would need in order to function as a successful unit.  Students also each had a job that they were responsible for researching in more depth to better understand what it was like to be employed during this time.  Jobs ranged from farm wives to potters and coopers, to the most popular, blacksmith.  After a long day of walking, many students commented on how they learned a great deal from their experience.  Faculty member Jenkins added, “It was refreshing to see how well they all represented Hyde through their politeness, curiosity and respectful conduct for the day.”

JV Nicknaming Ceremony – Only @ Hyde

Following a time honored Hyde Tradition, this week the JV Football players went from “boys” to “men” as they received their monikers. Started at Hyde by beloved faculty member Mike Dawes, this rite of passage provides the opportunity for the JV athletes to engage their deeper gridiron selves. As Mr. Dawes would say in his bellowing voice, “We come together to transform in order to transcend our everyday problems. Let the naming begin!” Some of this year’s names include: Jimmy Neutron, Predator, Junkyard, Dash, Mr. President, Rice-A-Roni, La Bamba.

The Biggest Job We’ll Ever Have
Tuesday evening, 140 parents from the West Hartford community took part in a Biggest Job Workshop held at the Kingswood-Oxford School.   The workshop was the vision of HAPA parent Lori Warchol (Max, Bath ’10), who began garnering interest last spring.  The parents who attended were excited to learn parenting excellence tools through the 10 Priorities of the program; they understood the need for a new emphasis on the character culture over the achievement culture in their homes and schools.  They laughed at some of the parent mantras, like “Never negotiate with a terrorist attitude,” and took seriously the advice given in “Believe in your child’s unique potential and the larger forces at work,” and “Raise your child to be accountable to life.”

If you are interested in bringing The Biggest Job to your community, please contact Pam Hardy at phardy@hyde.edu.

COOL LINKS: Photos Galore | Heather Cavali ‘Chimes’ in | Share Open House | Team Hoyt to Speak at Hyde | Game Reports

College Essay Day
While the sophomores and juniors took the PSAT on Wednesday morning, the seniors worked to refine their college application essays.  From Beverly Coleman, Head of College Placement:

Working in small groups of peers and faculty, seniors had the opportunity to further revise the drafts they created in the first unit of Senior English or develop an entirely new essay.  “Could I do it in the form of a soliloquy?” asked Patrick Serra—who then went on to produce a creative, unique approach to the application essay.  “I listened to what Ms. Coleman said and realized my first essay was more about football than it was about me,” said Michael Perez, whose second attempt is beginning to reveal the depth of his character beyond athletic accomplishments.  “This day gave me a chance to write a completely new essay that I love,” shared Lily Smith.  Emily Rose summed up the feelings of many in the class, “I wish we had an entire day like this—not just a morning.”  Faculty, too, were inspired by the seniors’ stories and their excitement for the writing process.

Alumni Visitors
Columbus Day means a long weekend for many college students.   Dexter Jenks ’10 and Robin Platte ’10, both in their first year at the College of Charleston, used their long weekend to visit campus.  They each shared one thing that they are learning about college life with the students during the community meeting:

• Lesson #1:  Work hard now so that the “step up” to college work is less drastic.

Dexter shared that his busy senior year in high school is making his freshmen year in college manageable.

• Lesson #2:  Be careful in choosing your college; talk to a lot of people- friends, family, teachers.

Robin shared that her college feels different now that it is in-session compared to how it felt when she toured it last year during a vacation.

As usual, the Hyde students were all ears as they were able to get some insight into their future lives in college.

Family Weekend Prep
We have spent a little extra time putting together a couple of performing arts numbers for the weekend, along with the usual class prep, midterm grades and athletic practices.  Some students and parents got an early start on the weekend by participating in an intensive FLC from Monday to Wednesday.  There is both nervousness and excitement for the parents to arrive, which is probably about the same for the parents too!

COOL LINKS: Math and Integrity | Classic Quips | Share Hyde | Malcolm on the radio | Sporty Stuff

WOODSTOCK CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

Korean Night
This past Sunday we had the opportunity to enjoy some home cooked Korean food in honor of the Korean Autumn Harvest Holiday.  Hyesong Back ’12 was the lead chef and cooked for at least four hours, preparing a feast for over 15 people.  It was truly a collaborative operation as students from all backgrounds came by to help, including Shannon Ludeke ’12, Jae Kang Lee ’14, faculty member Mark Deuthorn, and Joseph Su ’12.  Kun-Il Kim ’12 also assisted in the preparation and was the key student leader who organized the event.  The display of food was vast.  Kim Chi, Job Chai, Sea Weed, Sticky Rice, Korean Beef Barbeque, and San Juck satisfied the appetites of students and faculty who have been anticipating this event for weeks.  Kun-Il commented, “None of the food tasted like the actual Korean food that we usually eat at home but somehow, people liked it and appreciated it; for that I am thankful.”  Faculty member Charles Fraser provided transportation to a nearby Asian market to buy the food, Colleen Warnick lent her kitchen for preparation and cooking and Laura Gauld hosted the festive event at her home.

Women and Men
This week, the school meeting started out with male and female meetings to discuss leadership, respect and student mentoring. The young men talked about the following:

• State of the male community and how we are respecting our campus and each other;
• Stereotypes of being a man, characteristics of being a gentleman;
• How do we respond to peer authority?

Dean Folan said, “I am encouraged by the tone and maturity of the meeting.”

The women talked about expectations and wrote them out on index cards. Examples include:

Expectations from society – “I have to do it all, have a career, raise my children, and take care of the home.”

Expectations from mother – “You do not need a man to be fulfilled.”  “You can do whatever you set your mind to.”

Expectations from males in your life – “Be yourself and look natural.”

Positive and negative messages you give yourself -“I am not good enough.” “I have confidence in myself and let go of the judgments of others.”

Pam Bertschy commented, “We have a strong group of females and I am excited about what we can all accomplish.”

“No Tech Tuesday” Hits the Road
While the community is assessing the lessons learned from our month long experiment of forgoing technology for each Tuesday of September, a group of students went with the Head of School to speak to the journalism students at Quabbin Regional High School in Barre, MA. The Woodstock students who led the panel discussion were seniors Hope Eldridge ’11, Rudwan Bakhsh ’11, Caityn Colley ’11 and Kun-Il Kim ’12. Some of the issues that were raised and discussed were:

• What did we learn by letting go of technology in the classroom?
• How do Hyde students handle not having regular use of cell phones?
• Is there a difference in the way adults and students handle technology?
• What is everyone’s responsibility with internet bullying?

The discussion was lively and the Hyde students were effective public speaker.  They drew out great responses and probing questions from the class. At one point, one of the students from Quabbin blurted out, “Are you guys in high school? I thought you were college kids!” It was a day to be proud of Hyde and the confidence that these students exhibited.

COOL LINKS: Family Weekend for Siblings! | Leaving it better than you found it | Another Rigney Rant | Share Hyde | Malcolm on the radio

Honor Guard
Every few weeks, students and teachers do an Honors and Warnings assessment for each student in each class.  “Honors and Warnings” is primarily a reflection of the student’s effort level (participation, preparedness, punctuality) and attitude (working with classmates, asking for help, offering help) in class as well as their academic achievement.  For the first Honors and Warnings period, the following students earned the distinction of being named to the Honor Guard for receiving 4 or more honors and no warnings:  Nathaniel Abernethy ’11; James Allen ’12; Craig Bartlett ’12; Aneth Batamuliza ’11; Theodore Cercos ’11; Yan (Rita) Chen ’12; Rachel de Molina ’11; Brian Edwards ’14; Wylie Fresne ’12; Barry Gao ’11; Yuan (Herman) Gao ’12; John Garvey ’11; Gregory Georgaklis ’12; Nicholas Hatch ’13; Wonseo Huh ’11; Zhihong (Elvis) Leng ’12; Wilson MacMillan ’14; Jane Miller ’11; Kyung Joon (KJ) Oh ’11; Emily Rose ’11; Lily Smith ’11; Ou (Austin)Wang ’13; Mengzhiyi Zhang ’12; Wei Jie (Jessie) Zhao ’11.

Know Yourself/Be Yourself Workshop
The Hyde-Bath campus played host for two days this week to St. John’s, a local parochial school.  Hyde students introduced the 6^th, 7^th and 8^th graders and their teachers to our character curriculum.  The objectives of the workshops were to teach and practice three objectives:

• We are all unique and we all want to be somebody.
• It takes courage to be ourselves.
• We need the help of others to see and know who we truly are.

It was a great success for all involved.  At the end of the last day, the St. John’s students were asked what they had learned.  Some responses:

“… my being quiet was really a cover-up for who I really am and that we all have courage, we just have to use it.”

“…it’s not as hard as I thought to tell others what I’m feeling.”

“…that I can be a leader; I just need to believe that I can.”

A big thanks goes to the Hyde seniors who facilitated the workshop:  Gabby Harvie, Tyrone Freston, KJ Oh, Jane Miller, Nat Abernethy, Rachel de Molina, Jacob Leighton, Emeline Ferguson, Emily Rose, John Garvey, Ted Cercos, Wonseo Huh, Kayla Sheldon, and Alex Biedermann.

Men’s Soccer
Wednesday was a cold, rainy day as the men’s varsity soccer team took the field against Hebron Academy.  At the end of a hard fought game, the Hyde Phoenix was on the losing end of a 4-2 score.  As a fan, I could not have been prouder of the team if they had won the game, but I have come to expect that from this group.  They play extremely hard, they have no quit in them and they get the most from the talent they have.  Many of these players were either marginal varsity players last year or JV players who have decided to “up it a notch” this year.  Of special note is the much improved effort and play this year from Brendan Trometer ’11, Alex Armstead ’11, Alex Beidermann ’11 and Alex Hays ’11. The team has also seen great play from newcomers to the team Jamal Frazer-Borden ’13, Nabil Eshraghian ’13 and Alex Randall ’12.

COOL LINKS: New Hyde.edu | Photo Galleries |  Math and Integrity | Family Weekend for Siblings | Article on Bullying (please share)

WOODSTOCK CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS

Learning Curve

This week, we clocked four weeks in classes and everyone is settling into the change to the six class rotation. With the extra period, students are able to take an elective, sample the fantastic art department or have extra time in a daytime study hall for AP students. While there are some faculty members and students who are feeling overwhelmed, the general consensus is excitement about the possibilities. Teachers shared some current assignments:

• Honors Chemistry is doing a chemical identification lab. It’s a three-day extravaganza in which students have nine unknown chemicals and must identify them by comparing them with known samples. It’s a really tough lab, but also very rewarding, partly because it’s the sort of thing that real chemists do.
• AP Environmental class did a lab where the students looked at the dynamics of populations by examining a cemetery in Putnam. We looked at grave stones from pre-1900 and post-1900.
• English 11 is four weeks into their creative writing block that takes place every Friday.  So far, the students have written a limited perspective piece covering a well-known place through the ignorant eyes of a visiting alien.  They have written their own ekphrastic poem or prose by dramatizing Pieter Brueghel’s painting Big Fish, Little Fish. The students have rewritten the ending as they see fit to Ursula K. LeGuin’s The Wife’s Story. And lastly, they have taken a cue from Miller William’s poem “The Curator” and described an important object in their life down to every last detail, including the emotion and memory connected with it.  This has allowed the students to tap into their own creativity and learn various tools to inspire their writings in the future.

Welcome to Hyde

For the first half of the week, the Hyde-Woodstock community hosted a team of nine educators from various New England boarding and day schools.  Their visit was the culmination of over a year’s worth of self-reflection and discussion framed around fourteen standards of accreditation by the New England Association of Schools & Colleges (NEASC).   This process has been extremely fruitful for our community and institution as we reviewed our mission, our programs, our practices and more.  The report produced earlier this August speaks to the vision for Hyde’s future in recognizing the areas where we excel and in identifying steps for improvement and growth.  The support and cooperation of students, parents, faculty and staff helped to make this process and the recent visit successful.

If I was the King of the Forest
The school explored the concept of courage this week. In the Monday morning meeting, discovery groups shared their definition of courage. Auditions by Bryn Nolan ’12 and faculty member Wes Jenkins brought rousing applause. At the sit-down lunch, faculty member Pam Bertschy asked the school to think about a step of courage that each person needed to take. Some of the comments shared included:

“I need to decide if I want to connect to my father and have him in my life.”

“I need to find the courage to participate more in classes.”

“I am homesick right now and need the courage to stick with this.”

Later in the school meeting, the school journaled on the following: The courage to be myself, intellectual courage, physical courage and courage with my family. All-in-all, we clocked a lot of time to explore this important principle. As founder Joey Gauld told the students, “This was the first word that I came up with as it fuels all the others and is the foundation of our character.”

COOL LINKS: New Hyde.edu | Photo Galleries | Another Rant By Rigney | Family Weekend for Siblings | Article on Bullying (please share)

Five Words and the EEMO Scale
The school meeting this week centered around a self-assessment based on the 5 words (courage, integrity, leadership, curiosity and concern).  Each student and teacher was asked to rate themselves using the EEMO scale (Excellence, Effort, Motions & Off Track) on each of the 5 words.  Afterwards, students and teachers shared which word had the most significance for them in their assessment and why.  Some responses were:

“Leadership stuck out for me because I am trying to be more of a leader this year, but I also have to learn how to lead from concern and lead with courage.”- Nat Abernethy ’11

“Courage is my word because I’m challenging my peers more and speaking up more than I did last year.” – Colin Foye, faculty member

“I’m struggling to find things I can be curious about but I want to be curious.”- Laughlynn Bragg, ‘12

Dunk-a-Thon
For a change of pace, the usual announcement time on Monday was used to welcome a pair of basketball performers who demonstrated their ball handling skills and tricks for the students.  Jason Gibbons, a resident of Bath, has performed at the NBA All-Star weekend and travels across the country.  Accompanying him was Kenny Dobbs, who travels the world performing his dunking skills.  It was also announced at the assembly that he had recently been offered a spot with the Harlem Globetrotters.  In addition to their on-court performance, Mr. Dobbs shared part of his life story and the adversity he had to overcome to reach his goals.  His punch line to the students:  “We all have a leader inside of us and the only thing standing between us and our dreams is the willingness to work to make them a reality.”

Leadership Society
The initial group for the Hyde Leadership Society completed their interviews and met for the first time with faculty advisor Steve Levesque.  Congratulations to the following seniors:

John Garvey, Jacob Leighton, Emily Rose, Jane Miller, James Frazier, Wonseo Huh, Harry Smith, Juno Ra, Aneth Batamuliza, Emeline Ferguson, Ying Ying Tan, Nat Abernethy, Sage Harris, Tyrone Freston, Rachel de Molina, Richard Stites, Alex Hays, Alyssa Thomas, Barry Gao, Mali Perry and Gabi Harvie.

Juniors interested in joining will begin their application and interview process in the coming weeks.

COOL LINKS: Alumni Weekend | What’s Cooking? | Family Weekend For Siblings | According to Truluck | Open House – Spread the Word!

WOODSTOCK HIGHLIGHTS

D-A-W-E-S

On Sunday, the entire community welcomed several hundred guests for the celebration of beloved veteran Hyde faculty member, Michael V. Dawes. From the opening strains of the student body singing Carole King’s, “Way over Yonder” to the laughter of the infamous JV Football nicknaming ceremony, the afternoon was a memorable one. The emotion of the slideshow highlighted Mike’s special gift to make everyone he came in contact with feel special. Don MacMillan summed up the lessons he learned from Mike when he spoke:

1. Be happy. A smile can be contagious.
2. Be nice to people for no reason other than they like it and it makes them feel good.
3. Be grateful especially when life is difficult.
4. See the best in people. It was a rare family interview when Mike didn’t say, “That’s a great kid. We want them here.”
5. Take time to listen. We all know that Mike was a great talker and could make people feel better with his banter, but he also knew the importance of giving all of his attention to a lonely student, a frustrated teacher or a bewildered parent.
6. Laugh.

Huge Win

On a hot day, the Wolf Pack came out to face the most fearsome team on our schedule; a team that has historically beaten us by a sizable margin. Today was to be different. The unity and determination of this JV football squad persevered through dominance on both sides of the ball.

Parker Vaughan ’12 led the offense behind a wall of impenetrable blockers; Lincoln Sherman ’11, Jackson Bender ’13, Alex Underwood ’12, Jon White ’14, Julian Goldenberg ’13, John Nelson ’14, Marcus LaGuardia ’14, Jihu ‘Walter’ Kim ’12 and Aaron Miller ’12. Running back Peter Markham ’13 had a phenomenal day with two touchdown runs and approximately 150 yards. Ben Errera ’12 ran one in for 6 yards and Vaughan ran for 24 yards. Halfway through the third, a disrupted pass play resulted in Vaughan running to the outside and taking a hit to the shin. Needing a quarterback, senior and sole returning JV player from last year, Pablo Miranda ’11 stepped up and ran a solid offense.

Defensively, the tone of the game was set early on as we demonstrated the spirit of Hyde JV football with raucous cries of ‘Release the Kraken!’ ‘Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop!’ and solid play. The defense held Kingswood-Oxford to zero until late in the 4^th quarter.  Clay Vernon ’14, and Jackson Bender ’13 struck fear in the Kingswood-Oxford quarter back, assisted by David Underwood, Lincoln Sherman, Jon White and linebackers Greg Dulka ’12, Apache He ’12 and Errera. The pass coverage held and Kingswood-Oxford only had two receptions for the day thanks to heavy pressure in the backfield and a secondary consisting of Aaron Lyons ’12, Mason Spector ’12, Chris Hershberg ’12, Ryan London ’14, David Smith ’14, and Miranda Pablo.  Proud day for those boys and for the school!

We Help Each Other Achieve Our Best
Some students approached me and wanted to do some teaching in the school meeting on Hyde’s Brother’s Keeper ethic. We asked the faculty to sit back and the group led us in understanding the foundation for holding high standards for each other. Several students shared the person in their life who was their brother or sister’s keeper. A few examples:

• “My mother has always challenged me to go after my best.”
• “My grandfather was a role model for me to push myself more.”
• “After being at Hyde, I challenged someone in my neighborhood for disrespecting a female and he ended up apologizing to her.”
• “I challenged my mother to look at some issues in her life.”
• “My roommate is on me but in a good way.”

It was some great teaching and a reminder that the students are often the best teachers.

COOL LINKS: Rigney’s Rant | Mike Dawes Celebration of Life | Family Weekend For Siblings | Education Reform | Open House – Spread the Word!

Alumni Weekend
Friday evening marks the beginning of Alumni Weekend.  As a school, we spent time on Wednesday working on team cheers to build excitement for the weekend and to prepare for the bonfire pep rally scheduled for Friday night.  Highlights on Saturday will include:

• A community meeting during which alums share what their Hyde education means on the other side of graduation and current students give an update on the Hyde education of today
• Official opening of the turf field, followed by varsity football vs. Tilton; Hyde Invitational XC race; and women’s varsity soccer vs. Greely
• Alumni basketball and soccer games
• Reunion dinner of seafood and prime rib for alums and current students
• The “Alumni Got Talent” performances which will include musical numbers by alums, students and faculty

Clash of the Titans
The regular Monday community meeting was the site for the championship match of last weekend’s ping pong tournament.  Peter Higgins ’12 had survived a grueling stretch in the qualifying rounds to make it to the finals. There he met tournament favorite Austin Wang ’12. Much to the surprise of the loud and raucous crowd, Peter took an early lead.  Austin took a brief time out to regain his composure and then put on a clinic of spinning serves and smashing returns.  In the end, Austin took home first prize by a score of 21-15.  A special thanks goes to KJ Oh ’11 who organized the tournament for close to 40 participants.

College Visits Begin
The fall semester is the time when colleges come calling to inform and recruit seniors for their schools.  This week representatives from Bowdoin, Gettysburg, University of Maine, St. Lawrence and Wheaton College made the trip to Bath.  A group of seniors will also be attending a college fair this coming Sunday to learn more about colleges throughout New England.

COOL LINKS: New Writer’s Workshop | Celebrate Turf! | OPEN HOUSE | Family Weekend For Siblings

WOODSTOCK HIGHLIGHTS

Winning Women
This year, the Hyde women have made a commitment to “up their game” and it is starting to show. The Hyde School Girls’ Varsity Soccer Team earned its second victory of the season Saturday, September 18 at MacDuffie School. Hyde was able to control the field for much of the game with Mari Barnett ’11 and Bryn Nolan ’12 moving the ball through the midfield.  Though the halftime score was 0-0, Hyde had the upper hand as the teams moved into the last forty minutes of play.  With 29:40 left in the game, Nolan, outstanding all game, hustled to intercept a MacDuffie goal kick, blasting the ball past the keeper into the upper right corner of the net, giving Hyde the only goal of the game.  MacDuffie worked to earn a few fast breaks, threatening the Hyde lead throughout the final minutes of the game, but Caitlyn Colley ’11 and Marcy Altobello ’14 maintained composure on defense to keep their opponent scoreless.  Stand-in goal keeper Hope Eldridge ’11 made the shut-out possible with 9 saves. The Wolf Pack looks to continue to improve its record and reconnect as a team.

Harvest Moon
Our Chinese students inspired curiosity this Wednesday as they put on an informative and energetic performance explaining the origin of their much celebrated  holiday, Zhong Qiu Jie (Mid-Autumn Festival).  Joe Su ’12, who is a Chinese American, started by explaining the history and importance of Moon Cakes, a treat the Chinese students shared with their American friends throughout the day.  Tina Zhang ’12 narrated the performance as Apache He ’12, Grace Lin ’12, Wei Wei ’12, Steve Wang ’13, Joy Yang ’12, and Paul Pan ’12 gave a stunning depiction of the legend of the Harvest Moon.  Sam Zhao ’12, Joy Yang ’12 and Wenjun Guo ’14 made the power point slides and wrote the script while Shenae Hu ’12 directed.  Shenae commented that, “This experience helped me to realize that I have a leadership role among my peers and I see that as a great opportunity for myself.”  The audience was engaged through a question and answer session and everyone was invited to enjoy a dinner at the dining hall that provided typical dishes served during their “Thanksgiving” feast.  The morning meeting left the school with much to talk about for the day and faculty member Donna Dubinsky expressed her anticipation to see more moments where culture is shared in the future.

We Are In This Together
This week, the school had its first official school meeting where everyone is the community gathered to discuss a range of topics including issues of the day as they relate to our individual character. This week, we started with a Hyde tradition, “life stories.” A student, faculty or staff member speaks for about six minutes and shares some of the following:

• Upbringing
• Defining moments in your life
• Important relationships
• Meaningful successes and failures
• What inspires you

Faculty member Sean Saucier talked about his commitment to his family.  Jabon Chubbuck ’11 spoke about traveling to Washington, DC and being inspired by Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech. Shannon Ludeke ’12 shared how she found her voice in her family and gained grit confidence in herself. Everyone was inspired by these leaders.

COOL LINKS: Laura Gauld on NBC CT | OPEN HOUSE | Family Weekend For Siblings | No Tech Tuesday

• Physics at Fun Town- Mr. Romac’s physics classes made their annual trek to Fun Town, an amusement park in Saco, ME for physics day. In addition to getting to ride the roller coasters, the students actually apply what they have been learning in class to determine rates of speed, velocity and energy used. “It was a beautiful day, we got to go on all of the rides, and reflect on physics.”- Alex Merkin ’10
• Senior Exams and Evaluations- The seniors took a respite from evaluation process to finish the academic portion of their Hyde School careers. Beginning Tuesday with Government and English tests, and ending with Language exams on Friday, the seniors exalted in the accomplishment of wrapping up their classroom expectations. They will begin working on graduation speeches this afternoon, and meet with Joey Gauld on Sunday to talk about dreams and visions for their future. It is an intense time for the seniors and is proving to be full of self-reflection, insights and recognition of their successes, strength, challenges and growth during their time at Hyde.
• Spring Athletic Awards- Congratulations to the men’s track team for their MAISAD championship season and to the women’s lacrosse team for their victory last Saturday to capture the league championship as well. Below are the end of the season recognitions that were awarded earlier this week:
• Men’s Track:

MVP: Kenton Powell ’10

MIP: Ryan Sunshine ’12

New England Champions: Kenton Powell – shot put

MAISAD All-Star: Kenton Powell, Dexter Jenks ’10, Wes Freston ’11 and Chris Moulton ’12

• Women’s Track

MVP: Robin Platte ’10

MIP: Emeline Ferguson ’11

New England Champion: Robin Platte- high jump

MAISAD All-Star: Robin Platte & Caroline Jackson ’10

• Tennis Team

MVP: Sage Harris ’11

MIP: Tyrone Freston ’11

MAISAD All-Star: Sage Harris

• Men’s Varsity Lacrosse

MVP: Tyler Works ’10

MIP: Alex Needham ’10

MASIAD All-Star: Connor Harbert ’11 & Tyler Works

• Women’s Varsity Lacrosse

MVP’s: Scout Gauld ’10 & Olivia Chance ’10

MIP: Alyssa Thomas ’11

MAISAD All-Star: Alyssa Thomas, Scout Gauld, Olivia Chance, Zoe Dorian ’10

• Men’s Junior Varsity Lacrosse

MVP: Jon Levitt ’11

MIP: Alec Randall ’12

COOL LINKS: Graduation Release | According to Truluck | Cool Class Lesson | Meet the Summer Program Directors | Follow us on Twitter

Woodstock Highlights:

• Parent Academy continues – Rick Chesley, father of Nate Chesley ’12, came and taught a class period to Bill Fabiano’s US History classes and Kevin Folan’s AP US History class on the Battle of Vicksburg. Rick was a history major in college and while he decided to go on to law school instead of teaching, he has always kept up a love for history. He brought in letters from Civil War soldiers to their family and friends as an example of how the Civil War was one of the first wars fought by literate soldiers. The students asked many questions and really appreciated Rick’s perspective on the Civil War. Faculty member Bill Fabiano stated, “It was so impressive that someone, not in the teaching field, has such a strong passion for history and is willing to share it with students.”
• Run Baby Run – This past weekend the Woodstock campus, students, and faculty geared up to host the Division III Track & Field New England Championship. With over twenty teams visiting, the campus was abuzz with activity from mid-morning through dinner time. Hyde Woodstock Track & Field athletes performed well, bringing home a few ribbons and medals. Many of them also set personal records. Nora Curran ’10 set a new school record in the pole vault and won first in her event. Shawn Campbell (PG) earned three first places in the Long Jump, the 100 m dash, and the 200 m dash. Shawn’s effort in the Long Jump placed him in the New England record books with a whopping 23′ 2″. Senior Lexi Burke placed 4^th in the shot put and added two feet to her best discus throw. Senior Tim Hallenbeck put great heart into his 110 High Hurdles and dropped half a second from his race. Junior Mac McGuire placed 4^th in the pole vault. Overall, Hyde’s men’s team came in 7^th place and the women’s team came in 10^th overall. While each athlete’s success stands out, the overall effort from the entire team and community to make this event happen was very impressive.Assistant Head John Rigney led a great Hyde team of event coordinators that impressed everyone who attended!
• Ladies Luncheon – On Monday, the female seniors, faculty and staff donned spring finery and gathered at the Head’s house to have a power lunch and share wisdom. Each senior was presented with a bracelet made by Sue Schofield and Mamie Horstmann and then listened to “pearls of wisdom” from their elders. The group then gathered and shared these insights:

1. Be true to yourself and let go of people pleasing.

2. Stand for something and play big.

3. Say what you mean, but don’t say it in a mean way.

4. If you decide to get married, prepare for a lot of hard work.

5. Find female mentors on your life and ask for their guidance.

6. Live within your means and you will be happier.

7. Know when a relationship is holding you back.

8. Laugh at yourself frequently.

9. Manners and poise will take you a long way.

10. Never forget the power of a hand-written thank you note!

• Thank you seniors! – As the school prepared for commencement, we had our last school meeting with the seniors. Seniors stood and shared the lessons learned from the evaluation process. Then, the students and faculty shared thoughts and feelings about the seniors and their legacy to the school. It was both emotional and powerful. Some of the comments that seniors said to students and faculty: “You helped me become a man.” “I reconnected to my love of learning.” “You believed in me when others did not.” “I didn’t want to come and now I don’t want to leave.” LDG/DM

COOL LINKS: Graduation Release | Track Championships | Cavalli Chatter | Meet the Summer Program Directors | Follow us on Twitter

• Season Championships- It is a busy time for our athletic teams as they all participate in end of the season championships. The men’s track team won the MAISAD championship last Tuesday. The team bested the second place finisher 140 to 127. The team was led by Chris Moulton ’12 (1^st javelin), Justin Castor ’11 (2^nd javelin; 3^rd 300m IH), Dexter Jenks ’10 (1^st pole vault), Jonah Alexander ’12 (2^nd high jump) Kenton Powell ’10 (1^st shot put; 1^st long jump; 3^rd discus), Wes Freston ’11 (1^st 200m; 3^rd 100m), Ryan Sunshine ’12 (2^nd 3000m) Zach Pfosi ’10 (3^rd 1500m ).
• The women’s track team also competed and took home a fourth place finish, after recording many personal bests in their events. Robin Platte ’10 won the pole vault, and took second in both the high jump and the triple jump. In discus, Lily Smith ’11 (2^nd) and Jheanelle Duhaney ’10 (3^rd) both scored points. Other top finishers were Tierra Williams ’10 (3^rd 300 IH; 3^rd shot put) CeCe Jackson ’10 (1^st 1500m; 4^th 800 m), Emma Falkinburg ’13 (2^nd 400m) and Emeline Ferguson ’11 (3^rd 400m).
• The tennis team had their singles championship on Wednesday with the doubles tournament set for Saturday. Although none of the players advanced to the finals, Sage Harris ’11, was able to advance to the quarterfinals before falling to Kents Hill School’s Nico Sarcher in a tightly contested match.
• In lacrosse, the men’s varsity lost in the opening round 10 – 3 to Hebron after playing some of its best lacrosse of the season in the first half. Connor Harbert ’11, and Curt Chessman ’10 paced the offense, while standouts defensively for the team were Mike Ingalls ’10, Tyler Works ’10, Alex Needham ’10 and Max Warchol ’10. Likewise, the men’s jv lacrosse team fell in the first round after earning a number two seed. Alex Armstead ’11 and Matan Peletier ’11 led the offense from their attack positions while Wonseo Huh ’11 and Jon Levitt ’11 played well, controlling the midfield action. The women’s lacrosse team triumphed in their initial playoff game and will be vying for the championship this Saturday at Hebron Academy. Olivia Chance ’10 (5 goals 1 assist), Scout Gauld ’10 (4g) and Zoe Dorian ’10 (1g 4a) provided the spark offensively while Alyssa Thomas ’11 (22 saves) backstopped the defense.
• Student to Student- On Monday, a group of Hyde international students representing Rwanda, Haiti, China, Korea, Spain and England were interviewed by the Bath Middle School students about their culture and customs. On Thursday, 40 students traveled to Camden, Maine to present a Know Yourself/Be Yourself workshop with the entire sixth grade. These opportunities always seem to bring out the best in both the Hyde students and the middle schoolers. Maria Libby, the principal at Camden, said the visits by the Hyde students are “far and away, the best thing our kids do all year.”
• Senior Soliloquies, Part II- As a culmination to their year in English, the seniors wrote soliloquies and performed them under the Chandelier on Friday. During the winter, their soliloquies focused on moments of challenge and struggle. This spring, the seniors focused on their moments of enlightenment during the year. The seniors addressed topics such as moments from the athletic fields, leading the Spirit/Fun committee for weekend events, learning to listen and the excitement and anxiety of stepping fully into adulthood.

COOL LINKS: New Podcast | According to Truluck | Hoffman Update | Meet the Summer Program Directors | Follow us on Twitter

Woodstock Highlights:

• Power of Grandparents – On Friday, we welcomed over thirty grandparents to the Woodstock campus for a wonderful day. The group met with Hyde’s Founder Joey Gauld to hear about the founding of the school and thoughts on the importance of grandparents. After a tour of the school, the students and their grandparents sat down to a fabulous lunch prepared by Chef Mo and Annhurst lounge was filled with discussion and laughter. Grandparents of Sarah DeNunzio ’11 and Jackson Bender ’11 realized they knew each other from their Princeton days. Many other grandparents traveled long distances to visit the school and learn more about Hyde. At the school meeting, the students performed numbers from the school show and then talked about life lessons learned from their grandparents. Comments included:

“I learned manners, character and dignity from my grandparents.”

“My grandmother taught me that family comes first.”

“I learned from my grandfather the value of hard work.”

At the end of the day, each student wrote a statement to their grandparents about their gifts and this was read to the whole group. Associate Head Bob Felt said, “We all elevated today with our grandparents here.” The line of the day for me was George Hammond’s grandfather, Jim Hammond, who was a long-time Holderness faculty and coach. As he shook my hand, he said with a twinkle in his eye, “I used to coach with Joey Gauld back when he was still Joe!”

• Song of Myself – As part of their final exam and final projects, the seniors created personal expressions of themselves in conjunction with textual analyses of Walt Whitman’s Song of Myself. The final projects incorporated artistic presentations with video, photography, and three- dimensional arts. Seniors shared these on Thursday evening with peers and some faculty as part of the evaluation and academic process. Assistant Head John Rigney commented, “I am proud of the way the senior class has integrated insightful and powerful statements of self-discovery and academic achievement.”
• Explorations in Science – A week and a half ago, eight students from the Explorations in the Sciences class took a trip to the Boston Museum of Science, to take pictures, experience science hands-on, and learn more about their topic. Tuesday these students stood in front of an all-school assembly to give their final presentations. Explorations is a project-based course that allows students to pursue their individual interests in science and technology, and each student had researched a particular topic, from solar power to nanotechnology to dinosaur evolution. The presentations as a whole were well-received by the school, even those who identified themselves as “non-science types,” and helped to spark curiosity in these final days of the spring term. LDG/DM

COOL LINKS: College Tee Day | SFW VID | Hoffman Update | Meet the Summer Program Directors | Follow us on Twitter