LA at a Glance

September 20, 2021

Mountain Day

Lawrence Academy’s Mountain Day always begins with a special guest speaker. This year, LA was pleased to welcome motivational speaker Darryl Bellamy (fearlessinside.com), who spoke to the community about fear: how we can be less fearful, more confident, and challenge ourselves. His goal – to help people transform from fearful to fearless – was put to the test as Darryl joined students and faculty on the hike up Mt. Monadnock! And in the category of LA firsts, Owen Chen, a current senior, took a shortcut to the summit in an airplane that he piloted. Talk about a bird’s-eye view!

September 30, 2021

Lip-Sync Battle

The spirit of SABA (Students Against Boring Assemblies) lives on! The LA community enjoyed a treat this past fall when Mr. Barker and Ms. Svec went head-to-head in an epic lip-sync battle. Mr. Barker and his lip-sync crew, who performed “This Is Me” by Keala Settle, were chosen as the winners over Ms. Svec and her backup dancers, who presented “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” by Beyonce. Regardless of who actually won, Mr. Barker and Ms. Svec gave the LA community an assembly to remember!

October 4, 2021

In-Person Assembly

Monday morning assembly in the Richardson-Mees Performing Arts Center (RMPAC) wouldn’t normally be noteworthy. However, Oct. 4 was the first time LA held an in-person assembly since March 2020! Half of the student body was in the RMPAC, and the other half Zoomed into assembly from their advisory groups. It was great to see the RMPAC (almost) full of Spartans again.

October 22, 2021

Founders’ Day

Founders’ Day was held on Friday, Oct. 22, on campus for the students, faculty, staff, and special guests of Lawrence Academy. Those in the greater LA community who couldn’t join in person, including parents, alumni, and friends and family of the honorees, joined the celebration by Zoom.

In addition to the awards and retirements that are customarily announced, Rich Johnson ’74 presented a handwritten, hand-painted sampler from Groton Academy in 1796 in honor of former faculty member Dick Jeffers P’84, ’86. (Please see the Fall 2021 Academy Journal for more information on this sampler.)

Rich Johnson ’74 and Paul Husted ’64, presenting the sampler to Dick Jeffers P’84, ’86 Kaitlyn Nguyen ’22, recipient of the Greater Good Award

Natasha Huggins P’23, ’24, recipient of the Robert W. Darling Faculty Chair Jarred Gagnon ’03, recipient of the Departmental Chair for Excellence in Teaching Jay Beades ’56, recipient of the Founders’ Day Award for Service to Lawrence Academy Dave Ofgant, director of Dining Services, Kathy Peabody Memorial Book Award winner Kevin Wiercinski P’21, ’23, celebrating 25 years of service

Letter Signings

Congratulations to these senior student-athletes who signed letters of intent to continue their athletic careers in college. Gavin Begonia, Jack Taylor, and Zachary Auble will be playing lacrosse at Ohio State, Jacksonville University, and UMass, respectively. Brooke Ahern is headed to the University of Utah for soccer; Jenesis Perrin will be playing basketball at Howard University; and James Agabedis is Tulane-bound for baseball. Teammates Ty Chan (Notre Dame), Hollis Dirstine (Bryant University), Cam Maguire (Williams College), Matt Ragan (Boston College), and Colin Reynolds (Holy Cross) made commitments to continue their football careers after LA, too.

December 14, 2021

Holiday Celebration

On Dec. 14, LA’s Holiday Concert was filled with light for all. Musical and dance performances, paired with a special holiday meal lovingly created by our dining hall staff, set the warm tone. The entire community then met on the Quad to form a literal circle of candlelight, joining together in a traditional folk song, “This Little Light of Mine.” It was wonderful to have the whole community joined together in light, even close to the shortest day of the year.

January 12, 2022

American Hockey Coaches Association Award

On Jan. 12, the AHCA presented its list of Award-winners for 2022. Included among this year’s honorees was Lawrence Academy Director of Athletic Operations Caroline “Heater” Heatley, who received the Joe Burke Award, presented annually to the person “who has given outstanding contribution, support, and dedication to women’s ice hockey.” Heater has made an enormous impact on women’s hockey throughout her career. Her coaching experience extends far beyond her tenure at LA; she has also worked with the programs at Proctor Academy, Dexter Southfield School, Northeastern University, Boston College, the USA Hockey-affiliated girls’ player development camps, and the women’s national and Olympic teams.

January 17, 2022

MLK Day

In celebration and recognition of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Lawrence Academy’s DEI Office was pleased to present a special panel featuring The Honorable Kimberly S. Budd P ’22, chief justice of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts; Dr. Hise Gibson P ’23, senior lecturer at Harvard Business School, and LA Trustee Pamela Nwaoko Amusa Esq. ’06, assistant general counsel at Navy Federal Credit Union. Assistant Head for Equity and Community Life, Raquel Majeski P ’25, Shelby Richards ’22, and Paloma Harker ’23 moderated the panel.