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Fall 2021
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Table of Contents Meet the Proctors…
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Interviews …
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Welcome Sara Alt! Interview with Ms. Southard Interview with Mr. Brouwer Interview with Mr. Midd Interview with Ms. Warner
Current Events…
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The Texas Abortion Ban Afghanistan Research Piece
Opinion Pieces & the Hebron Community…
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Girls on the Mountain Biking Team My Opinion on the New Junior Division This Year vs. Last Year Being an International Student in the Hebron Community
Personal Narratives…
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The End of Summer Bridge the Gap I See
Writing Contest Winners…
Me and My Dog Moments Locked in Time
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Meet the Proctors By Julia Gregory ’22 Dan Král - Czech Republic Why did you want to be a proctor?: To use my leadership skills for helping others. Making sure that all people are treated fairly and equally, and that every person is heard. What is your favorite thing about Hebron?: My favorite thing about Hebron Academy is the atmosphere surrounding athletics at our school. It feels great seeing all my friends cheering for each other. Fun Fact: My fun fact is that I do not like sushi. Frankie Majkowski - Living in Kennebunk, Maine, Born in New Jersey Why did you want to be a proctor?: I wanted to be able to bring the community together. What is your favorite thing about Hebron?: I love how accepting the community can be. Fun Fact: A fun fact about myself is that I love 90’s hip hop. Jack Madden - Lewiston, Maine Why did you want to be a proctor?: I wanted to be a proctor to give my perspective on topics throughout Hebron academy and to experience the true boarding school lifestyle, coming from a day student. Also I wanted to help people the way the old proctors helped me.
What is your favorite thing about Hebron?: My favorite thing about Hebron is the people we have on campus. There are people from many different backgrounds who like many different things. There is always something for everyone to enjoy. Fun Fact: A fun fact about me is that my favorite activity is to lift. Dylan Brand - Hopkins, Massachusetts Why did you want to be a proctor?: I wanted to be a leader for our community and a voice to talk to for the students and faculty. What is your favorite thing about Hebron?: The atmosphere and school spirit. I always love being here and having fun while working along the way! Fun Fact: I love to play the drums and invest in the stock market!
2 Fred Essiembre - Mont-Saint-Hilare, Quebec, Canada Why did you want to be a proctor?: I wanted to be a proctor to help shape my Hebron experience. What is your favorite thing about Hebron?: I love being in a small class and knowing everyone on campus. Fun Fact: I like Hawaiian pizza. Emma Newell - Minot, Maine Why did you want to be a proctor?: I really wanted to be a proctor because of the love I have for Hebron. I started attending Hebron in sixth grade and the first time I stepped on campus the proctors have been super influential so I really wanted to influence someone the way all the other proctors influenced me. What is your favorite thing about Hebron?: My favorite thing about Hebron is definitely how it has always felt like home. Fun Fact: A fun fact about me is that I really hate pineapple on pizza.
Megan Seipp - New York Why did you want to be a proctor?: I wanted to be a proctor so that I could be the person that helps underclassmen the way the proctors did for me when I was younger. Coming to boarding school is a huge transition, and it takes a toll on everyone across different age groups and I love to be an emotional support for others. I also love using my voice to advocate for the student body to the administration. What is your favorite thing about Hebron?: My favorite thing about Hebron is the student-faculty relationships built. Living at school it is crucial to have those faculty members that you look at as parental figures. They are incredibly supportive in an emotional and academic sense. I would not be where I am without these important faculty members. Fun Fact: A fun fact is that I am a certified ski instructor.
Daniela Amiga - Mexico City, Mexico Why did you want to be a proctor?: To be a leader in this community that helped me find myself and my interests. What is your favorite thing about Hebron?: Dorm life and the friends you make in Hebron. Fun Fact: I LOVE Play-Doh.
3 Calvin Grover - Norway, Maine Why did you want to be a proctor?: The Hebron community has done a lot in making me the adventurous, more confident person I am today, and I wanted to give back and support the Hebron that I love by becoming a proctor.
What is your favorite thing about Hebron?: My favorite thing about Hebron is our amazing access to the outdoors, such as our trail systems, or our weekend outings, and our Winterlude trips. Fun Fact: A fun fact about me is that I really enjoy photography in my free time.
Rica Wong - Hong Kong Why did you want to be a proctor?: To help more people! What is your favorite thing about Hebron?: Lepage and the campus trails. Fun Fact: I dislike sweet foods and snacks.
Julia Gregory - South Paris, Maine Why did you want to be a proctor?: I wanted to be a proctor so I could provide students with a strong support system. I wanted to be a welcoming face of campus, and I have always wanted to be a studentleader. What is your favorite thing about Hebron?: My favorite thing is how close I am with the teachers and faculty on campus. The small class sizes provide me the opportunity to get to know teachers on a more personal level and maintain this relationship with them after high school. Fun Fact: I have an extra bone in my foot.
Carlos Lopez - Cancun, Mexico Why did you want to be a proctor?: To help everyone I can and make campus a more accepting place. What is your favorite thing about Hebron?: Our acceptance and the Lepage Art Center. Fun Fact: I love being in the spotlight on stage.
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Student Artwork Top: Jasper Curtis Digital Art, Untitled Bottom: Jasper Curtis, Digital Art, Untitled
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Welcome Sara Alt! By Jasper Curtis ’22 Sara Alt (a.k.a. S. Alt) is a new and wonderful addition to the Hebron Academy Performing Arts department. Ms. Alt was taught to “think creatively and love learning,” which shows in her personal life as well as her teaching style. She enjoys expanding her palate in many fields, like reading and music, and by cooking dishes from around the world. Ms. Alt also loves to travel, and she has participated in many singing tours in the United States, Europe, and the British Isles, performing with the Bel Canto Chorus of Milwaukee, the Milwaukee Symphony Chorus, Skylight Opera, and the New Amsterdam Singers, to name a few. Her experience in music does not end there, as she has been teaching different fields of music across the East Coast and Midwest for twenty plus years, including: chorus, orchestra, band, general music, digital music, and music theory. Ms. Alt has loved getting to know everyone at Hebron Academy and sharing stories by the bonfire. She encourages students to explore music to its fullest and never holds us back from creation. For example, her audio recording class is full of students who prefer to work on projects as a group, as opposed to working alone. She is 100% on board with this type of group; not only is she okay with it, she happily encourages her students to create something they love. When asked about the upcoming Winter Concert, Ms. Alt gave a quote instead of an explanation: "Everything will be revealed at its proper time." Sara Alt is an encouraging and amazing addition to the faculty staff, and we can not wait to see what she, as well as the Performing Arts department, does in the future.
Interview with Ms. Southard By Louisa Strong ’26 Ms. Southard works at Hebron as a sixth and seventh grade ecology teacher, and an eighth grade conceptual physics teacher. She has always loved science, especially because some of her most influential
teachers growing up were her female science teachers. In her classes, Ms. Southard tries to spend as
6 much time as possible with her class working on projects and experiments because, as Ms. Southard stated, “lectures aren’t a fun way to learn, or a fun way to teach.” After studying biology at Wheaton College in Massachusetts, she went to the West African country of Ghana to teach science in a local village. There, she adopted her dog, Alfie, and soon after was forced to leave Ghana (and Alfie) because of the COVID-19 evacuation. After six months of separation, Ms. Southard and her dog were reunited. At that time, Ms. Southard was working for a Boston hospital, and thought that the constant screen time was not for her. Looking to return to her childhood state, Ms. Southard sought out a job in Maine and found Hebron.
Interview with Mr. Brouwer By Louisa Strong ’26 Mr. Brouwer is the director of the middle school and teaches seventh grade pre-algebra. Born and raised in Potsdam, New York, Mr. Brouwer attended Potsdam College. There he studied music, which was good preparation for his time as part of the Gigolo Aunts, the band which played for the popular production Dumb and Dumber. After drumming for the Gigolo Ants from 1988 to 1994, Mr. Brouwer was “getting tired of life on the road, and it was a lot of not knowing what was coming next.” He wanted to have a stable job, and quit being the drummer for the band. After giving lessons in Boston, Mr. Brouwer was sick of the city. He and his wife moved to Hebron to be closer to family, and Mr. Brouwer drove past Hebron every day on his way to his job at Turner’s Tripp Middle School. After going to an open house in 1998, Mr. Brouwer submitted a job application and has been working for the Hebron middle school for twenty three years. Over the years, Mr. Brouwer has made sure to spread the importance of a growth mindset because, as he
said, “challenge is an opportunity.”
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Interview with Mr. Midd By Robert “Cotton” Strong ’23 Mr. Steve Middleton has been working at Hebron Academy for almost twenty years. He’s been a history teacher, an advisor, and is now working as the Director of Alumni relations, after some time away during the 2020-2021 academic year. I sat down with Mr. Midd in his new office at The Red Lion to discuss his return, his new position, and most importantly: sea glass. Question: How was your year away? That must have been a weird break to have with COVID. Mr Midd: It was like a sabbatical, I think when I learned just how intense all the COVID—I don't necessarily want to call them rules, but I guess they were rules—how they were going to restrict teaching and campus, I was surprised. I thought that we were returning to what it was like preCOVID, but we couldn't, which is understandable. And, I just felt that the spring before had been such a challenge for me because doing Zoom teaching was so far removed from the way I was wired as a teacher.
“You know, I like running around chasing people and- and climbing on desks and doing all sorts of things.” You know, I like running around chasing people and- and climbing on desks and doing all sorts of things. And to just sit there in front of a screen and see how many students were suffering. And there was nothing I could do about it, I just did not want to do that again. So it was a, you know, a sabbatical. Some people thought I had retired, but that was never the case. And because it happened relatively quickly, I didn't have a plan. So a life lesson is that, you know, when you're going to take a chunk of time off, have a better plan. So basically things I did- I made rugs. I started focusing on getting a cottage industry of making rugs going. I did a lot of work on our house in Brunswick, and started exercising. I started focusing on my health, and then I also started focusing on the next step in my career. I did work at a school called Harpswell Coastal Academy for the spring, and was contracted to work this year. But luckily, I ended up back here, so that's basically my last year. Q: You’re one of the few people who has been a teacher here and come back after leaving, how does
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8 M: Well, having been here a while, I can name a number of people who, over their careers at Hebron, have left and come back. Ms. Roy downstairs, and even Mrs. Midd worked at Colby for a year and came back five years ago. So, a lot of people do it. I was here for eighteen years before I took that year off. Maybe nineteen. You lose track. I mean, this place is a part of you. When we first came here, my kids were seven and five. So, you know, you raise your kids on a campus. Everywhere I walk around campus, there's a memory that’s personal, but also school-related. You develop a real-think intimate is the right word without, you know, thinking about other things. But it’s an intimate relationship with the school. I mean, I see my kids everywhere. I see my life all over the place, and all those memories are a lot of fun. So it feels good to be back, it really does. I mean, there's a lot of new people here, but I also have a lot of people still here that are friends of mine that I work with. And, yeah, it's great to hang out and see the school moving forward and getting fired up at lunchtime for games and weekend activities and seeing last words and all that stuff. So returning is good. It feels great. It's good. I mean, if somebody had told me in June that I'd be working at Hebron again I would have been a little skeptical. But I met with Mr. Lundblade in the archives at the end of June, and I had so much fun in there with him for a couple of hours, just seeing the history of the school. It just reminded me how much the school meant to me. And then I was thinking, okay, well, who else is on campus? So I came over here to see if Ms. Roy was here, and she was here and we had this great conversation and she started talking about how she really needed help with alumni and some of the publications. Q: For people who don't know, the Director of Alumni Relations is a new position, right? What exactly do you do? M: Yeah, no, the school has not had a Director of Alumni Relations for four years, and it’s completely new for me. I've been in education since 1989, but it's always been as a teacher. And, you know, this role is completely new, but I love it, because what's better than calling up, emailing and communicating with the students I've taught for the last eighteen, nineteen years and coached? It's so much fun to hear their stories and where they are in life. So basically, as the Director of Alumni relations, I am responsible for, not solely, but still, communicating with alumni through the quarterly Hebron Now newsletter. I'm responsible for setting up different receptions over the course of the year to meet with alumni all over the country. You'd be amazed how many alumni, just in the last six weeks, came to campus, and they just
want to visit the school.
9 For example, in September I met with Gigi, whose father graduated in 1924. And she wanted to just see the school where her father came for one year. And I went into the archives and I found her a photo of the basketball team he was on. I showed her where he signed the registrar, she was so happy to see that. They tell great stories and are so glad to be on campus. Anyways, the big news is we just launched alumni social media pages on Instagram and Facebook, which we’ve wanted to do for a while. The Instagram has over 300 followers, because we actually took the Hebron history page and just turned it into the Hebron alumni page. But the Facebook page we just launched this morning. It’s the first time we have an official page, and already 50 people joined in the first hour. So, pretty exciting. A lot of times, alumni think it's all about money and asking for money, but there's so many things that alumni can offer. I mean, they can volunteer to help out at things like career day. They can recommend the school to other people. They can host receptions. They can do all sorts of things. Q: Everyone one knows you like sea glass, but no one seems to know why. Do you have a reason? M: I think for me, it's kind of the perfect storm, because I love colored glass. Like I've always loved stained glass, and I love a treasure hunt. Doesn't everybody love a treasure hunt? I love history, and believe it or not, there's a lot of history in sea glass—trying to figure out what bottles go with [what] glass and when and where it’s from. A lot of times there's embossed writing and you can actually match this tiny fragment by the couple of letters on the piece, and you can try to figure out what bottle it came from. So color, history, and treasure hunts. And I love the ocean, you know, so to take a day and walk a mile long beach is so cool. You find this color, you're thinking about history, and you’re on the beach, so again, for me, it's kind of the perfect storm. Because of those four things. Q: Finally, do you have a favorite piece of sea glass? M: Oh yeah. The second time I ever looked for sea glass, I found an aqua bottle stopper from the 1920s, completely worn and weathered by the sea, but somehow not chipped or broken. It was like magic. So I think that got me hooked. I just picture that bottle stopper in a much larger bottle that ended up in the ocean eight years ago, not breaking up into little pieces, and eventually ending up
there on the beach waiting for me to find it, it was incredible.
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Interview with Ms. Warner By Nola Goodwin ’23 I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Ms. Warner in her office to discuss writing, its importance, and the impact it has had on her life and career so far. In college at Harvard University, Ms. Warner was able to write for The Harvard Crimson, Harvard’s student-run newspaper, for three years. Ms. Warner explained that, before becoming an official staff-writer for the newspaper, she went through a trial period of sorts. It gave her the opportunity to learn the ropes of the organization, as well as the different elements and styles of writing in news articles, as compared to the essays she had written all throughout high school. When I asked what drew her to the Crimson, Ms. Warner responded that she “was always a student that really enjoyed reading and writing and critical thought. When I got to college, I realized that I really knew how to write only one way. I was a very good essayist and that, really, is what I did in high school. I wrote a lot of essays. But when I got to college, I realized that there were a lot of different ways to write. And at The Crimson, it was a big challenge.” Throughout our conversation, it was clear that Ms. Warner had fond memories of her time working for the newspaper, and had carried what she learned there into her professional life. I asked her what her favorite and least favorite things about the experience were, and, laughing, she replied: “The best thing about the Crimson was definitely the people and the sense of mission. We all worked in The Harvard Crimson building. We basically lived there, which was not always so great for your grades. But we had offices and did the print runs, which sounds crazy, but we did the print runs and bundled the paper ourselves. So at 3:00 A.M. in the morning, we were all in the basement, bundling papers and tying them with string. We got to see the whole process, from the germination of the idea to the editorial meetings and all the way through to the actual bundling of the papers
and putting them on the curb for pick up.”
11 I was particularly interested in how Ms. Warner felt writing had impacted her life, and what advantages she felt her skills and experience had brought her. When asked about it, she was very quick to respond, “Writing has been one of the greatest tools I’ve had in my career. I still work on it, and still edit everything. And I rewrite, because it makes a difference. In everything I’ve done, and I’ve worked in corporate jobs and I’ve worked in schools, clarity and communication is really the north star. It is so easy to miscommunicate, and it’s so easy to be misunderstood. So, the ability to communicate clearly is something that I strive for. I’m not always successful so it’s something I still work toward.” To wrap up our interview, I asked Ms. Warner if she had any advice for me and other students interested in pursuing journalism, or writing in general. “Of course,” she answered, “I would say get out and do it now. Get an internship on anything you can find, do any kind of writing you can find online. There are a lot of places you can do some freelance writing and start developing your work. So, just get out there and start getting things published, put together a portfolio, and just keep on going. You’ll find that you’ll start with little things and you’ll build up over a course of time. It takes time to find the topics you want to focus on, so I would say just get out there and do it.”
Student Artwork
Left page, left: Alexandra Hounsell, Marker and Colored Pencil, Untitled Left page, right: Xiangru “Aaron” Han, Ink, Untitled Right page, top to bottom: Sean Gleason, Digital Art, “The Hive,” Rica Wong, Digital Art, “Water Sprite,” Zhen Jiang, Acrylic, Untitled
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The Texas Abortion Ban By Abigail McDonald ‘23
On May 19, 2021, the Texas administration passed Senate Bill 8: a law that bans anyone from having an abortion if they are six weeks, or longer, into their pregnancy, regardless of how the pregnancy occurred. The six weeks marks the average point that a heartbeat can be detected in the embryo. Although this bill was passed in mid-May, it wasn’t meant to be put into action until September 1, 2021. During this time, many citizens, abortion clinics, and members of the Biden administration have fought hard to undue the law. In fact, some pro-choice activists claim that this is the most “extreme” and “radical” abortion law in the nation. The case was even taken to the Supreme Court by Whole Woman's Health, an advocacy organization for women’s health, and they petitioned for the law to be blocked on the grounds that it is unconstitutional. However, the Supreme Court refused to block the law in a vote that went 5-4. President Biden’s reaction to this information was a statement in which he swore to work to undo the law, and continue to protect abortion rights for everyone. The ruling has also caused quite the upheaval due to its conflict with the past ruling on the case Roe v. Wade, which occurred in 1973 and concluded that the constitution protects a pregnant person’s liberty to decide if they want an abortion with no interference from the government. The case has also brought an increase in pro-life movements; believers are pushing to have the Roe v. Wade ruling completely overturned. The Supreme Court has taken on this case, and began its actions on the 1st of October; it's expected to have a final ruling by June of 2022.
14 While many lawsuits and debates are being placed on this new bill, the creation of it has actually made it significantly more difficult for people and businesses to target a specific entity to sue, or blame. The bill itself doesn’t make abortion illegal after six weeks of pregnancy, but it gives citizens of Texas the right to sue any company or organization that performs an abortion after six weeks, whether they have any relation to the person undergoing the operation or not.
“The question now is: what will be the final ruling in June of 2022? Whose rights will remain, those of an unborn fetus, or those of a walking person?” For this reason, the law isn’t directly enforced by the government or law enforcement, and therefore makes it extremely hard for citizens to place direct blame. The government has also granted 10,000 dollars and all-paid attorney expenses to those who sue, as long as they win their case. Overall, this bill has created even more tension between pro-life and pro-choice activists around the country. Many pro-life supporters argue that this law is, in fact, constitutional on the basis that it protects the right to life, while pro-choice activists believe it does just the opposite, forcing pregnant people into a life they do not wish to have. The question now is: what will be the final ruling in June of 2022? Whose rights will remain, those of an unborn fetus, or those of a walking person? Works Cited Liptak, Adam, et al. “Supreme Court, Breaking Silence, Won't Block Texas Abortion Law.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 1 Sept.
2021
Najmabadi, Shannon. “Gov. Greg Abbott Signs into Law One of Nation’s Strictest Abortion Measures, Banning Procedure as Early as Six Weeks into a Pregnancy.” The Texas Tribune, The Texas Tribune, 19 May 2021 Flores, Sergio. Image of Senate Bill 8 Protesters, The New Yorker, 5 September 2021
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Afghanistan Research Piece By Forest Pelletier ’23 Upon the announcement of U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, I was swarmed with a flurry of articles and posts offering their opinions. What surprised me was not that there was turmoil over the decision, but that many Americans seemed to misunderstand why we landed troops in Afghanistan in the first place. This was especially prevalent in people around my age group that would have been too young to understand, or not born at all at the time. Many of these people had only learned about the war in Afghanistan from snippets of information put out by news articles covering current events in the war. As a result of this, I decided not to write about my opinion on the war or withdrawal, but instead to provide a brief summary of why the U.S. went to war in Afghanistan. One of the big things that pushed the Bush administration to act was fear. The September 11, 2001 attacks had just recently occurred, and many Americans feared another attack led by al-Qaeda. They were especially fearful of the possibility of an attack with chemical or nuclear weapons. 9/11 was unprecedented in the minds of the people, and the Bush administration was mortified that this attack was able to happen on American soil. This leads us to the second reason: vengeance. Bush wanted to capture the founder of al-Qaeda, Osama bin Laden, and punish the Taliban that had taken in al-Qaeda and offered protection. This reason was not just in the mind of Bush, polls reported that a majority of Americans wanted revenge. However, it is important to know that once the bombings started, the Taliban offered to negotiate giving up Osama bin Laden to a third country if the U.S. provided proof of his guilt. After hearing of this, Bush stated, “There’s no need to discuss innocence or guilt, we know he’s guilty.” He later communicated that he was not willing to negotiate. Bush didn’t just want to avenge the Americans who had perished in the September 11 attacks, he wanted to go to war in Afghanistan to lift up the American’s spirits, as well as use it as a deterrent for future terrorism and radicalism.
16 I encourage those of you reading this to look into the events of the war, and how America Afghanistan as a whole. While America tried to raise a stable government and provide aid, many of the attempts were unsuccessful for a variety of reasons. As a result of this, many will argue that we should have done a much better job or just left instead of spending so many years in Afghanistan. I challenge you to read more and form your own opinion about the war. Many events of the past may be regrettable, but we cannot change them, so we must learn what we can from the past in order to work towards a better future. Work Cited: “Bush won't bargain for Bin Laden.” The Baltimore Sun. Retrieved October 26, 2021 Engle, J., Gonchar, M.. “Lesson of the day: 'The U.S. War in Afghanistan: How It Started, and How It Ended.'” The New York Times. Retrieved October 26, 2021 Kagan, R. “Opinion | It Wasn't Hubris That Drove America Into Afghanistan. It Was Fear.” The Washington Post. Retrieved October 26, 2021 “A Historical Timeline of Afghanistan.” PBS. Retrieved November 21, 2021 “Image of Tank and Soldiers in Afghanistan.” Reuters. Retrieved November 30, 2021
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Girls on the Mountain Biking Team By Lili-Marie Schmidt ’22 Apparently, mountain biking is a sport dominated by men at Hebron Academy. Even though I have been mountain biking for several years now, I never thought being a girl made me special. Why should girls not do mountain biking? What would make boys better at mountain biking than girls? However, we - that’s Maggie, Sam and I - are the first girls on the mountain biking team in quite a long time, according to what I’ve been told. “After quite a long time” is, in this case, so long ago that the seniors at Hebron can not remember ever seeing a girl on the team. At least we are not the very first, though, as I found a picture of girls on the mountain biking team eleven years ago, in 2010. Maggie, Sam and I are proud to make our team more diverse, representing girls and different nationalities. Hebron gives everyone on our team, regardless of their skill level, the opportunity to reach their full potential. We are incredibly grateful to have such great trails right next to our campus, giving us the opportunity to prepare for our races as best as possible. During our practices, we improve our skills by playing games as a team or going on the trails; we clean the trails and our bikes, and build pump tracks. The races on Wednesdays and Saturdays are the highlight of the week, and we can proudly announce that our team diligently collects medals, not only beating the girls of New England, but also many of the boys. Most of the time, we are five boys and two girls representing Hebron at the races. Each member of our team, including our coach Mr. Bates, supports and empowers us to do our best. During hours worth of bus rides and waiting until the start of the races, we have grown together as a team. I have to admit that I actually enjoy our bus rides. And, despite having never done mountain biking before, Sam already participates in our races.
18 The underrepresentation of girls is apparent at the races. There is still potential to increase the number of girls on Hebron’s mountain biking team, and I really hope to see more girls on the team next year. You are always welcome to join our team, or just borrow my bike on the weekends and try mountain biking for yourself. Mountain biking might seem intimidating at first, but knowing about some tricks makes many of the trails more than doable. The Hebron trail system offers something for all skill levels. I am happy to show you some skills, our trails, and to share my love for biking with you.
My Opinion on the New Junior Division By Kate Dilworth ’25 I have been at Hebron Academy since sixth grade; I’m in ninth grade now. This summer, when Hebron sent out an email explaining the new senior and junior divisions, I was a little confused and upset. I thought that the ninth grade would be grouped with the middle school for academics, sports, boarding, etc. When I started the year, I noticed not much was different; it seemed like the junior division and the senior division were only going to affect sports and boarding. I am not a boarding student, so I wasn’t really affected. I was first upset about not being able to join afterschool art, something I had looked forward to since the sixth grade. I self-advocated, though, emailing Mr. Miller to ask if I could join the program. Within a few days, I was able to join; I was so grateful and I truly love it. Throughout the first half of this fall trimester, I had classes with sophomores and juniors, having no interaction with the sixth, seventh, and eighth graders. When the Fall Ball was announced, I was so excited—until it was announced it would be separated into junior division and senior division. I was so upset, but like I did earlier in the year, I self-advocated along with other ninth graders. How is it fair to do high school homework, tests, and exams later on in the term, to then be “rewarded” with a dance that was full of kids we had barely talked to all year? It made no sense. It would make more sense to have us grouped with the people we know and have classes with, instead of grouping us with kids we have no interaction with. I am so glad the dance was changed, but it still made no sense. I love being able to get my education at Hebron, and I am forever grateful for our teachers and staff.
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This Year vs. Last Year By Sylvie Gill ’26 In many ways, this year at Hebron Academy is a lot different from last year. COVID-19 procedures, sports, and academics are all different from the 2020-2021 school year. COVID procedures are more relaxed this year, thanks to the insight health professionals have gained on the spread of the virus. Last year, all of the students and the desks had to remain six feet apart. After every class, teachers had to sanitize the desks and any in-school materials that were used. At lunch, students could only sit with one other person. Almost all the food was individually packaged. Any food that wasn’t wrapped had to be served by the kitchen staff. Students had to do daily temperature checks and masks had to be worn at all times. This year, we are able to sit with any number of people at lunch, and are able to serve ourselves food. Desks and school materials don’t have to be sanitized after every use, and though masking is sometimes required indoors, we don’t have to wear masks outdoors or social distance. Sports are also very different this year. Last year, I was on the middle school soccer team in the fall, and on the track team in the spring. During soccer in the fall, we had to wear masks and stay six feet apart, which is nearly impossible when playing soccer. We also did not have any games. During the spring, the same rules applied in track and field. While we were able to do a meet, there were a lot of restrictions and only two schools could compete against each other at a time. This year is much better! Even though there are many restrictions due to COVID-19, our sports teams are able to compete with other schools. This year Hebron Academy is a lot more hands on in classes, and uses less devices. Last year, because there were a lot of long-term online students, teachers had to make lesson plans that included the online students. In the school year of 2020-2021, after any breaks where boarding students went home, there was a series of testing and a two-week quarantine period. During quarantine time, school was on Zoom. This year, quarantining for COVID-19 patients is still in place, but quarantining after
breaks is not required for people who test negative.
20 This school year at Hebron Academy is looking to be a huge improvement from many aspects of last year. There are still many restrictions because of the Coronavirus, but because of the vaccine and new knowledge about COVID-19, those restrictions have loosened. The sports this year at Hebron have improved dramatically, and teams are now allowed to play games. Academically, things are so much better without online school. Since the pandemic hit, things have been very hard on everybody, but Hebron Academy is still doing a fantastic job providing an amazing learning experience.
Being An International Student in the Hebron Community By Kaan Uslular ’23 On the first day of Hebron Review, we gathered in Ms. Waterman’s classroom. I was so excited to write, and thankful to Nola for this opportunity. Then I suddenly realized that I was the only international student among my friends. I thought it was a privilege for me, and I had a different life story like everyone else. That’s why I would like to talk about my own experiences being an international student, and what it has been like to be in the Hebron community. Before I became a member of Hebron, I was a public school student in Turkey, and got used to that culture and education system, but I always had a dream of traveling the world and studying abroad.The first advantage of being at Hebron, especially for boarding students, starts here. In my perspective, our biggest disadvantage is not knowing English. It's not shameful not to know, but it is shameful not to ask and learn. For this reason, as international students, we need to be more open-minded to new cultures by being willing to learn. You can easily find this opportunity in the Hebron environment. Here, our teachers and advisors are very helpful and
productive for our needs. For instance, I love playing chess; I found out that in Hebron, there is no
21 chess club for fun and learning strategy skills. Then I emailed Ms. Carton about how to start and run a club. I didn’t know anything at that time, but now we are playing every Thursday with friends. Generally, if you want to ask something that confuses you, the faculty are really passionate about their jobs.This is not abnormal for high school at Hebron; there is a wide range of help for college counseling, according to my observations. Now I am in the eleventh grade, it may seem like it's early for a college decision (in fact it's definitely not early!), but trips and online conversations have already started. For me, my biggest interest is the brain, so I want to be a neurosurgeon in the future. When I look at opportunities about this long journey at Hebron, there are a lot of resources to learn and search in line with our needs. Of course, this is very proportional to the student's desire to learn and how these opportunities are used. For my future dream, the best class is Anatomy and Physiology from amusing Mr. Vining with his wit. From the classes here, I understood that education at Hebron is very different and interactive compared to Turkey. There are also many laboratory and experiment opportunities during the class. Besides, if you are an athlete, Maine is the place to be astonished by nature. The sports opportunities in the campus are endless, such as the gym, Williams Center, and the turf. I am on the football team this fall. No matter what sport you do here, your team feels like family to you. It doesn't change whether you win or lose. Especially when you ring that bell after you win. It is a very nice feeling. I hope everyone at Hebron will know this feeling. This is just one of them that makes us feel like a family. The place of friendships here is very different; there are times when we really learn life lessons from them. Every moment with friends is truly unforgettable. We are all in a place separate from our families, and maybe that gives us power. Everyone here becomes like our family. I think that's the reason I didn't experience a huge culture-shock when I came here. I am very glad to be a part of this school. I am sure that we will develop more, and achieve great success. All we have to do is help each other, and move forward on this journey together. I only have one piece of advice for new ̓Jacks who want to come and join our community: never wait to achieve
anything here. NEVER WAIT AND PROCRASTINATE AT HEBRON!
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“I hope Hebron wi! bring you unforgettable "iendships!!!” - Kaan Uslular
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Student Artwork
Top: Xiangru “Aaron” Han, Watercolor, “Kaleidoscope” Bottom: Lillybeth Randall, Gouache, Untitled
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Top to bottom, left to right: Galia Braun, Spray Paint, “Electric,” Greta Prause, Watercolor and Ink, “Seahorse,” Mya Tucker, Watercolor and Ink, “Bumblebee,”
Abigail McDonald, Ceramics, “The Emperor”
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I See By Robert “Cotton” Strong ’23 The image that follows may seem simple, but in my mind there is nothing more complex. This picture embodies everything about the best and worst months of my life, the months that make up this past summer. In the foreground, you can see rocks, a fireplace, rocks and a chair. I see my moments of peace, with the fire crackling, sparks flying from the unpredictability of the flame in the barely standing brick structure. I see my dog, his favorite spot is just out of frame, a grassy area where he stood preparing to protect us from his most violent enemy: the squirrels. I see my family, gathering near the pit near the end of the day, after we spent the prior hours going to our separate places at our separate times. Beyond this place, you see a boat, you see the bane- James Ann- and the boy on the boat. What you cannot see is that boy, me, struggling with the limited space. Jumping around buckets and crates is a process that I now do so efficiently that I now think of myself as the sole American Ninja Warrior. You definitely cannot even begin to imagine the sting on your nose, as you take in the smell of hundreds of dead fish. You can look at pictures online, but there is no way to appropriately describe pushing through the seemingly endless pile of yellowed herring that have aged so badly they melt like pudding in your hands. Even now, I can feel my exhaustion, paired with the seasickness that is inevitable for even the most experienced fishers. This twisted feeling in my stomach, my chest, my head was a daily routine for so long that even thinking of it gives my body the illusion that I somehow feel it, no matter where I am, or how long it’s been since I have felt any actual fatigue. is inevitable for even the most experienced fishers. This twisted feeling in my stomach, my chest, my head was a daily routine for so long that even thinking of it gives my body the illusion that I somehow feel it, no matter where I am, or how long it’s been since I have felt any actual fatigue. Past my own little bubble of struggle and fish, I can see my captain, grinning as he guns the boat he has named after his two kids, who he is no doubt thinking of as he ignores his constant pain. Beyond our struggles, you see an island, the oceans, the horizon, the sky, and you know of the world beyond. I see the 20-odd traps, each island in the distance, which are hidden from your eyes. I know that behind every island there is a harbor, which will be my point of escape, months after this picture was taken. I know that out in the blue desert, there are hundreds of lobsters already ensnared in yellow cages made just for them, waiting for us, waiting for me. I know that each lobster will feel like a victory in my mind but a step towards defeat for my body. I know that every one of those steps will make the image of completion more and more clear in my mind, an image that I know so well. So I see my moments of peace, until I finally reach them, when I see the fire crackling, sparks flying up from the flame so predictably
unpredictable.
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The End of Summer By Mitchell Nazareth ’23 - Writer of the Week Winner Looking back to the past, I have a strong conclusion on where my summer ended as a child. Growing up half-black in Boston was always a tough part of living. Everyone asked me who I was, and more specifically, what I was. Occasionally, I would get picked up from preschool by a white father, and other days a black mother. On the odd circumstance, both of them at the same time. However, the differences in my life only got more exaggerated once I was home. Nothing a child who could count his years alive on one hand could ever prepare for, even when he prepared for the worst imaginable. Two towering grownups clashing against each other, with booming voices that rumbled through my core. Hastily moving up the stairs with my older brother in hand, a sinking feeling slowly starts to cut through me like a knife through
“Spider-Man.” Ultimate Spider-Man Wiki, https:// thedailybugle.fandom.com/wiki/SpiderMan.
butter. I briskly plopped myself down at the Spider-Man video game that we used to play on our tube TV. Bright colors began to flash as I took the controller, gripping it firmly in my hands. The sounds of arguing below me, slowly washing away like waves on a beach as it's replaced with the action in front of me. Comfort fills over me, and a momentary respite begins to flutter, my mind full with transformation. Playing Spider-Man with my older brother, there was a clear border between the characters. Me, playing the hero saving the day, and the evil-doers distorted by a life of crime. But below me, the arguing that ensued was different. I idolized both sides, both mother and father. Both playing the hero in my story, I had to ask the question: who was the villain? My brain powered up like a rocket ship in search of answers far above my small, powerless self. Passing the controller off to my older brother, who was far better at Spider-Man than I was, I started wondering more about the game I was playing. Who were the people I was fighting with? Why was I hurting these people so badly? Why are these people doing bad things that no one I knew personally would? To these questions, the game had no answer. Only I could come up with the answers to these
questions that I was posing.
28 No one side was correct in their thinking. Two people that were fighting for something they believed to be completely true. A situation riddled with complexity, that for good and bad was forever altering a child's mind. Spider-Man, the game, was over. I had lost interest, as now I could see the falsities hidden inside, clear as day.
Bridge the Gap By Nola Goodwin ’23 - Writer of the Week Winner It started in the summer. We were nine, nothing more important than our sunburnt skin and the grass, soft and slippery, beneath our feet. Her house stood tall behind us, but the heat was worth it, for the world outside was a kingdom and we were in charge. In reality, that kingdom stretched only as far as the outskirts of the yard; but we were free, and we could pretend whatever we wanted. We were knights or princesses, pirates or explorers, sometimes all at once. We had smiles in our eyes and a song on our lips. I was a guest in her house, but it felt like home. Her hand in mine as we ran up the stairs, her siblings on our backs as we raced through the living room. We made a tent in her sheets that night, a space carved out just for us. We were only nine, but already thinking about the future. What would our lives look like? Where would we live, who would we live with? Those answers changed a great many times throughout our friendship, but one thing was always certain: wherever we were, we would be together. Fall came, and we started elementary school. Fourth grade. We weren’t in the same class. While I did math in one room, she practiced writing across the hall. The distance was like a canyon between us, our hearts tied together by an invisible string. But we were okay. Everything was going to turn out fine. I still saw her at lunch, at recess, and she was the same person that I had played pretend with that summer. We could still make each other laugh, giggles rising above the other noises in the lunchroom, tears salty on our tongues. They were good tears, the kind that only your best friend could pull from your eyes, a joke so unfunny it became the best thing
you heard all day.
“School Lunch Table.” Dorval Trading Co., https:// dorvaltrading.com/blog-post/grasping-at-straws-thelunch-table/.
29 There were people at our table. That table was the bridge across the canyon, and it could only hold so much weight. I heard her voice through the din, talking to the other girls. I knew their names of course, our school was small, but they had never talked to me, never shown interest. What else could I do but sit down? I tucked my hands under my legs, felt the smooth wood of the table as my fingers and palms began to fall asleep. Not a single person talked to me. Winter came in like a knife; quick and unexpected. It was early for snow, only October. It was also the first Halloween I had spent without her, only my brother for company. November arrived swiftly as well, and so did my tenth birthday. Self-doubt was a worm in my mind. The girls had stayed at our table, though I no longer felt it was a part of me. I was separate, something for them to observe and wonder about. Why did I care about school so much? Why did I read so many books? I was simultaneously too loud and too quiet, always picking the wrong tone at the wrong time. I was too bossy, yet also too meek. Why couldn’t I make up my mind? I barely talked to my best friend anymore. The canyon had doubled, even tripled, in width and the bridge had snapped a long time ago. Somehow, I was the only one that had fallen. That string between our hearts? It was so frayed it hardly existed. I was tired. And the worst part was, she had done nothing. No insults, no angry words, not even an acknowledgement of the distance. It was like she had simply drifted into the dark. Spring came, and I got up. It was completely unplanned. For months, I had been spending each lunch period in silence. Surrounded by people, but still silent. My best friend talked to her new friends like normal, like they had been doing every day for months. And I was done. So I got up. I was such a non presence that I cannot say for certain whether or not they even noticed me leave. I picked a table that I had wanted to join for months. Every day, I watched the group laugh from across the room. When I sat down, there were no questions. We were friends, just like that. I was suddenly a part of that laughter, that joy that I had been so jealous of. We had the same interests and the same sense of humor. I felt seen. Summer arrived again, and I was a different person. I had new friends, new interests, a better sense of myself. I was no longer best friends with the same girl, and it didn’t hurt as much as I thought it would.
30 We didn’t talk every day, but we were friendly. We smiled and waved and were happy for each other from a distance. She had found her people, and I wasn’t one of them. And that was okay.
Me and My Dog By Bayden Cyr-Guzowski ’27 - Writing Contest Winner This is an old picture of me and my dog. I chose to do this picture because my dog Hartley just passed away and I miss her very much. She was the best dog to ever live, she understood people like a human. She could give hugs and know all of your emotions. Today is a very nice and sunny day, with few clouds in the air. It has the brightest blue sky I can remember. It's the end of summer going into fall and I am so excited to be playing outside. I run outside of my house and take off across my lawn. I get to my play set that I call “The Ship” and I grab the rough rope and run up the ramp as fast as I can with Hartley on my heels. I feel the nice cool breeze on my face and blowing through my hair. I walk up the two steps and wait at the top for my dog. I have just taught Hartley how to go down the slide and I can’t control my excitement to see if she can do it by herself. I lay down on my stomach and she lays down next to me. I hold her tight, getting ready for the rush of going down. We can’t wait. I feel the cool, smooth surface of the slide and Hartley’s warm, soft fur. I put my feet on the ground and push off, we go flying down the slide, laughing and yelling with my dog in my arms. When I hit the bottom me and my dog go tumbling. I feel the damp grass soaking into my body, and leaves crunching under our weight. Then we just lay there without a care in the world. Me and my dog, not moving, and breathing heavy. It is the best feeling in the world. I never want it to end. It is at the point where the leaves are starting to change from green to a yellowish color. I smell the smell of apples and fresh cut grass, and I hear my parents laughing and birds chirping. Then I grab my dog and hug her as hard as I can and give her a kiss on the nose. In return she covers me in wet kisses until I swat her away. We roll around and play fight for a while, rolling around and wrestling before running back to my house and going inside to the fire to warm up. I have a nice warm cup of the tastiest hot chocolate and curl up
with my dog on my couch. We put on a movie and snuggled. Then we do it all again the next day.
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Moments Locked in Time By Nola Goodwin ’23 - Writing Contest Winner Every summer of my life has been spent in virtually the same way: surrounded by family and living in a cold, damp, uninsulated camp on a lake near my house. I wouldn’t change it for the world. My brother and I, along with a large number of cousins around the same age, are the third generation to spend our summers this way. Our cousins are only distantly related to us, but you wouldn’t be able to tell looking in from the outside. The memories we share are some of my greatest treasures. Each summer follows a similar pattern. In the weeks leading up to the Fourth of July, there is an influx of people from all over the country; Indiana, New Jersey, Wisconsin, Florida. I have never consistently talked to any of my cousins throughout the year, and yet, remarkably, it never seems to make a difference. We’re hugging and greeting each other one minute, and the next we’re spilling every tiny detail of the last year of our lives, words gushing out of our lips at a million miles a minute, voices getting progressively louder as we drown each other out without really meaning to. There’s no holding back, nothing is too small. It’s like a weird gap in time; like maybe we never left at all, existing only in this bright summer bubble. The family I spend my summers with is so distantly related that I’m not even sure we share blood at this point. Yet, the bond I have with each one of them is so much stronger than blood could ever be. You don’t get to choose your family, a point that I have been made extremely aware of at times, but even if you could I would still pick these cousins, these people that have become a fixed point in my life. Each summer is so similar, yet so unique, distinctive. We always make a point to play tag in the dark, running around and screaming at the top of our lungs like elementary schoolers at recess; we play so much corn hole it’s amazing I still lose with zero points as often as I do. The s’mores preferences of each one of them are burned into my mind, especially considering the number of arguments that have started over the years, some involving (unserious) threats with fire pokers and gooey marshmallow smeared across faces. Alongside this repetition, though, are their constantly shifting and evolving lives and personalities. I’ve met so many friends and partners, seen them all go through difficult situations in school, and laughed at a variety of terrible haircuts. It’s a gift, and one I haven’t focused on as much as I should have. I love this picture. I distinctly remember taking it, the events before and after, but I hadn’t actually seen it until now.
32 This photo has been a tradition for a very long time. Every year, my brother and I sit on our dock, bare feet in the water, with two of our cousins and pose in the same position, in the same order. We have so many of them, and all four of us are honestly pretty tired of it. This summer, we took the picture at the very last minute. Ellie and Max and their mom were driving back to Indiana immediately after we were done, and it was early. For the summer, at least. It was only nine in the morning, and we had to pose for a picture? I had been about to leave the house, but I was still exhausted. I had just tied my shoes, and now my mom and my aunt wanted me to take them off? I didn’t particularly appreciate that, especially considering I was itching to leave. It sounds like a silly excuse now, and I wish I had just done it, leaned in and enjoyed the moment. Instead, we all sat, shoulder-to-shoulder, fake smiles on our faces, and groaned loudly when our parents took a bit too long to get what they wanted. I’m honestly surprised we look as happy as we do. Next summer is going to be different, even compared to years past. Four of my cousins, Ellie included, are starting their first year of college. We’re even more spread out than we were before, and I don’t know what next year will bring; but I’m not concerned. That photo might be incredibly staged, might not show the events before and after it was taken, but I still think it represents my relationship with my family. The traditions and the changes, and all the memories that go with them, moments locked
in time.
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A Picture Worth 1,000 Words By Erin Keville ’23 - Writing Contest Winner
I saw a quote not too long ago that stated, “Sometimes what didn’t work out for you, really worked out for you.” I could go on and on about how this resonated with me, but the point it will always bring me back to is that I am a strong believer in the thought that everything happens for a reason. Exhibit A: Isn’t it crazy to think of how people who were complete strangers to you just one year ago, mean so much to you today? In my case, it’s almost impossible to think of what life would be like without them coming into mine when they did. The girls and I met through ice hockey just barely over a year ago, and the photo of us I am writing about was taken on a day of lasts. Our last game as players for the same team, my last day of youth hockey, and as of right now the last day that everyone in that picture has been together as a group. We may all still be close, but once the hockey season ends it's never the same. Traveling from different parts of the state isn’t necessary anymore, and schedules no longer align. Playing for a club team is both bitter and sweet. Sweet because you meet so many new people from all over, but bitter because of the inevitable day we happened to capture in a group photo. It was the sweet calm before the bitter evening storm. To give a simple explanation to a very complicated situation, there was a travel ban put on all New England states for hockey from mid October to the end of March. Essentially cancelling my team's 2020-2021 season, because out of all the teams in our division, only one was from the same state as us. However, we made it work. Our all-girls team played the boys teams from the state instead, and we
practiced as we normally would have as if we had a competitive travel-filled schedule. We would
34 continue business as usual until the travel ban was lifted. Which brings me to 6 months later when it was lifted. Just in time for regionals. The regional tournament was held in Connecticut this year, and I was so excited. Every other tournament had been cancelled due to COVID, and tournaments were always the highlights of the season; my friends and I were ecstatic. Fast forward to the final day of the tournament. We were scheduled to play in two games. I woke up at 5am in preparation for the first game of the day, and if you were to see how hyperactive the girls and I happened to be that morning, you would never have been able to guess that the sun had yet to rise. This game was do or die, after suffering two tough losses in the days prior, this game would decide our fate moving forward. A high scoring win? A chance to go to USA Hockey Nationals. Lose? Our last game of the tournament will be the end of our season. I arrive at the rink. We play in our game. Devastating loss. I knew what this meant, but I immediately brushed it aside. I was still trying to obliviously enjoy that calm before the storm. After the game, for breakfast we went to Hooters. Kira, Lauren, Hannah, Emma and I thought it would be absolutely hilarious to celebrate our loss at a random Connecticut Hooters at 10 in the morning. We bought oversized T-shirts from the little gift shop, feasted on some chicken wings, and took a group picture. Before I knew it the hours between our first game passed, and it was time for our last. The game started off so strong, we led the game 4-1. It’s funny how sometimes when you have nothing to lose, it's where you gain the most. I wish the game finished as strong as it started, but somehow we let it slip away from us, and the buzzer sounded with the scoreboard showing 5-8. Defeated, I solemnly walk into the locker room with five of my closest friends. Sitting down, taking off the jersey of the team I had loved so much over the last 3 years for one last time. I couldn’t help but tear up. Dominoes. I turn to my left to see Lauren, somebody in the same boat as me, going to a boarding school too far away to play for this team again. She scolds me as I glare at her, saying that I was not allowed to cry, because she would too. We sobbed. Chain reaction. I look forward to Kira and Emma, trying so hard to not let their emotions slip up, and Hannah in the corner; staying calm and collected.
We undressed from our equipment further, my heart breaking with every rip of velcro I heard as we all got closer to leaving one another. I’m not a crier, but I would consider this the hardest I have ever cried. One after another the girls on my team left the locker room, with a simple goodbye and “Good
35 game.” Mackenzie, somebody who I have yet to mention, I played with for 3 years, we were partners in crime, twin flames, a dynamic duo, hockey soulmates. We could always count on each other on and off the ice. This was our last hurrah. She came over to me and gave me a big hug, I basically fell apart in her arms. Who knows when we will play together again? Who knows if I'll even see her again after tonight? Will I play with anyone here again? Thoughts like this ran through my mind over and over again almost making me sick. The love I had for this team was unreal. I wish I could put into words how incredibly sad all of this made me, but I feel it's just one of those things that if you don't experience a form of this yourself, you just won't fully understand no matter how much I explain. Lauren, Hannah and I carpooled to Chick-fil-A, met up with Mackenzie in the hotel parking lot, and had a picnic outside with our food and Hooters shirts on, and there it was, the day of lasts came to a close. Would I have ever imagined it would end sitting outside of a Holiday Inn, eating Chick-fil-A, crying, wearing a Hooters shirt? No, but I think it’s hilarious and I wouldn't change a thing about it. I also didn't think that the silly group picture we had taken earlier that day would mean as much as it does to me now, but again as I mentioned way back in the start, I'm a firm believer in everything happens for a reason. I know all of us will meet again at one point, and until then I’ll cherish the memories we have until it’s time for us to make new ones.
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Cover Photo: Calvin Grover ’22
Graphic Design Team: Jasper Curtis ’22 Rica Wong ’22 Nora Tobey ’24
Editor: Nola Goodwin ’23
Faculty Advisor: Barbara Waterman Hillory Oakes
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Fall 2021
