Up Front

Riding the Rapids

Their cellphones left behind, the Class of 2022 kicked off their senior year donning a whole new set of PPE—helmets and life jackets—as they rode the whitewater of the Deerfield River. “One of the things we missed most this past year was not being able to take our traditional overnight class trips,” said Scottie Mobley, senior class advisor. “Trips like these promote connection and build trust so that classes learn to work together and respect one another. Since this class missed out on the traditional 11th-grade trip to the Sargent Center in New Hampshire due to Covid-19, they went this year at the beginning of May.”

Nature’s Classroom

This fall, FA partnered with Nature's Classroom to offer a customized hands-on outdoor learning experience. Small teams of middle schoolers ventured into Beebe Woods where they spent over an hour constructing civilizations out of found objects—sticks and stones, bark and pine cones— and even declined a break so that they could add the finishing touches to their creations. Together they discovered salamanders, experimented with flint and steel, and played old-timey games, including Red Light, Green Light, all so that they might challenge themselves, enjoy the outdoors, and get to know each other a little better.

Jerusalema Dance Challenge

“Jerusalema” is a catchy upbeat tune by South African DJ and record producer Master KG that kicked off an internet dance craze last year and brought hope to the world during COVID. The South African track and Angolan dance steps inspired people from around the globe—from school children to flight attendants— to get up and dance as a sign of solidarity and hope. Taleena Gonneea ’26 thought this was the perfect way to celebrate the start of Black History Month and rallied community members to participate in the dance challenge, FA-style. Nina Garcia, a trained Zumba instructor, donated her time to teach the students the steps, and Matt Kellogg ’26 and Ray Zhang ’26 edited the video, which was screened at All-School Meeting (view on FA’s YouTube page).

The Birds is not “for the birds”

Disillusioned with life in Athens, Euelpides, played by Sarah Plotkin ’22, and Pisthetaerus, played by Ethan Pratt ’22, persuade the world’s birds to reclaim their divinity ahead of the Olympians by creating a new city in the sky, Cuckoo-Land. Aristophanes’ play, which debuted in ancient Greece in 414 BCE and was later adapted by Walter Kerr, was interpreted by a cast and crew of students from every grade. Actors delivered a whimsical performance full of amusing dialogue, in carefully designed costumes, with blocking that kept everyone healthy for the first live student production since 2020.

International Ensemble

This newly formed ensemble electrified the Hermann Theater as the final act of the Midwinter Concert. Their encore performance of Brahms’ “Hungarian Dance No. 5” by Kelly (Junke) Lin ’24 on violin, Joseph Legutko ’26 on viola, Sophia Legutko ’23 on cello, accompanied by bandleader Alzamora (Pengyue) Quan ’22 on piano, was met with impassioned applause and a standing ovation. Later in the spring, the group delighted auction-goers at Cirque des Rêves, Falmouth Academy’s benefit auction, and plan to perform at Falmouth’s Arts Alive in mid-June.

Global Seal of Biliteracy

On Tuesday, February 1st, Academic Dean Dr. Petra Ehrenbrink congratulated Spencer Goldsmith ’22 for qualifying for the Global Seal of Biliteracy, an international credential that conveys proficiency in two or more languages. Goldsmith demonstrated working fluency in English and German. The Seal enables prospective employers and programs to easily validate a student’s language skills and provides recognition. Falmouth Academy now offers the Global Seal of Biliteracy.

Anything But A Backpack

The student body was more than ready for the return of Spirit Week and jumped into the friendly competition with verve, showcasing imaginative costumes on Digit Day and Scrabble Day, cleverly choreographing and performing for Dec-aSenior and Artistic Expression, and giving their all on the field in the Egg Toss and Triathlon. However, it was a new addition to the slate of activities that created a buzz: Anything But A Backpack. Students carried their belongings to school and from class to class in—yes, you guessed it—anything but a backpack. Novel transport vessels included a shopping cart, a fertilizer spreader, a lobster pot, a baby carriage, a guitar case, a sibling, and even the proverbial kitchen sink.

Left to right: Wyatt Thornton ’26, Abigail Lott ’22, and Oona Carroll ’24

NASA Touches Down at Falmouth Academy

Falmouth Academy’s Women in Science (FA WiSE) landed an out-of-this-world speaker when NASA Astronaut Loral O’Hara joined them virtually for their April meeting. O’Hara discussed her career trajectory from an engineer working at WHOI as part of the Alvin submersible team to her current work as a NASA astronaut. She delighted students with stories about a range of topics including astronaut training, the comfortability of modern spacesuits, books and movies that inspired her, and even touched on what happens to space trash when it hits Earth's atmosphere. Students listened with rapt attention, and eagerly asked O’Hara a host of thoughtful questions. It was obvious that there was more than one aspiring astronaut in the audience.

Science and Engineering Fair

The 34th Falmouth Academy Science and Engineering Fair was held in person on February 17, 2022. The event was divided into a middle school and upper school event to foster social distancing. After nearly six months of preparation, 167 projects were presented to over 100 professional scientists, engineers, physicians, researchers, and other experts— including 12 Falmouth Academy alumni.

Sixty-five prizes, scholarships, and honorable mentions were awarded, with top prizes going to Sofia Metri ’22, Emily Lazarus ’24, and Ben Gulmann ’23. Ten upper-school projects advanced to the Region V Science and Engineering Fair, which was held remotely on March 5, 2022 and six students were awarded prizes: Gus McGuire ’24 (first place), Julietta Marzot ’25 (second place), Evan Freedman ’24 (third place), Ben Gulmann ’23 (third place), Sophia Venetis ’22 (third place), and Emily Lazarus ’24 (honorable mention).

Seven students presented virtually at the Massachusetts Science and Engineering Fair on May 5 and 6, 2022, and three were awarded prizes: Gus McGuire ’24 (third place), Emily Lazarus ’24 (third place), and Ben Gulmann ’23 (honorable mention).

Right: Sophia Venetis ’22

Le Grand Concours

This March, French students at Falmouth Academy participated in the Grand Concours, the National French Exam, for the very first time. 42,000 students sat for the exam nationwide and just over 9,000 received awards at the Bronze level or above. French teachers Emily Turner and Christine Carter presented awards at All School Meeting on May 4, 2022. Tarun Gonneea ’22, Luke Okoshi-Michel ’26, Fletcher Parsons ’26, and Sara Cook ’26 were presented certificats d’honneur. Elise Casso ’26 and Taleena Gonneea ’26 received Bronze. Faye McGuire ’26, Emma Bena ’26, Maverick Pil ’26, Fanoula Venetis ’26, Ezra Ackerman ’26, Anne Jeffrey ’25, and Zach Crampton ’22 were awarded Silver; and David Aubrey ’26, Josh McGuire ’26, and Yaz Aubrey ’25 were awarded Gold. Félicitations, students!