/ the social dilemma

Not Your Parents’ Sex Ed

Pomfret kicked off a new program designed to educate and empower students to make informed decisions regarding healthy and mature relationships. The four-part series addresses healthy relationships, sexual health and consent, and general human anatomy.

“Our students are surrounded by sexuality — online and in television shows and movies — whether they’re looking for it or not,” says Art Department Head Lindsay Lehmann, who co-leads the Sexuality program this year. “We hope the program will answer their questions, so they have confidence and understanding to communicate their wants and needs.”

Students will learn how to communicate about relationships and respect their partners. The program will also educate them about human bodies and how they work. The goal of the conversations is to prepare them so that if and when they engage with a partner, they are safe — both physically and emotionally.

Under Winter Moon

As the GriffTones sang of snowflakes dancing in moonbeams, snow gently fell outside Clark Chapel, blanketing the Hilltop in the first snow of the season. Andy Beck’s “Under Winter Moon” was one of many songs the GriffTones, Chamber Ensemble, and Festival Chorus performed for the School and more than one hundred members of the Pomfret community. The snow helped make the return of the annual Candlelight tradition — after a twoyear, Covid-induced hiatus — even more magical.

“Watch the light spread to fill this room. Imagine the ways you are drawn to be light in the world,” Director of Spiritual Life Bobby Fisher remarked before lighting his candle and sharing the flame with the performers and students who read poems containing messages of light and hope. “Recognize the powerful reach you have and each person has as a light to brighten a room, a life, and the world around us.” As those in attendance lit their candles, the Chapel was filled with light.

In thanking the organizers and performers of the Candlelight celebration, in his opening remarks, Head of School Tim Richards said, “you are truly lighting the way for us as we enter these cold, dark, snowy days of the winter season.”

I See Stars

When Theater Director Chip Lamb announced to the Pomfret School Theater group that the high school version of the musical Mean Girls was the winter production, there was a range of chatter — or gossip — throughout the theater. Rumors started to circulate last year that this iconic production was going to be the show selected.

The performers got to work staging the production. With so many songs and moving set pieces, they rehearsed around the clock to bring the musical to life. All their hard work resulted in three outstanding performances of the two-act, coming-of-age musical comedy written by Tina Fey. “What these students were able to accomplish is pretty remarkable,” says Lamb. “We’re a small school. The theater group had only twenty performers. They were able to put on this two-plus hour musical. That’s a significant feat.”

“My favorite part of the show was the final musical number,” shares Kylie Corrigan ’25, who played Cady. The final song — “I See Stars” — and the show have a great message. “It reminded the audience to be themselves. I think that a lot of people have a similar sort of story to Cady’s — about being new and wanting to fit in — and hopefully, that resonated with people.”

Penny’s Flight

In November, at the age of sixteen, Penny Doerge ’25, lost her courageous battle with glioblastoma multiforme, a kind of brain cancer resulting from neurofibromatosis, a disease she had lived with since infancy. Penny never let her illness define her and chose joy, humor, and bravery as her way of life — every day.

Her parents created the Penny’s Flight Foundation to celebrate her life and raise funds for neurofibromatosis research, expand knowledge around the disease, and inspire others to find beauty in imperfection, positivity in the face of challenge, and faith over fear.

Joining schools across the country, Pomfret hosted Be a Butterfly events to support the Foundation, honor Penny’s memory, and remind people to “Spread your wings, shine your light. What is truly important is your wingspan, not your lifespan.”

The More Everyone One Gets

On Martin Luther King Jr. Day, we explored ways to continue the activism and advocacy for civil and human rights that Dr. King was known for. Akailah Jenkins McIntyre and Kalea Selmon from the Wells Collective, LLC and LGBT+ advocates Jay Potter and Damián Lima guided discussions on how our students can make an impact on the future of a just society.

Students learned about inequality, equality, equity, and justice. They discussed how improving the environment so everyone can flourish would not negatively impact those who previously experienced advantages in life. “Privilege and human rights are not a pie. It’s not that the more we get, the less you get. It’s the more everyone gets, the more everyone gets,” explained Potter. Selmon emphasized that no one will lose if we create a more inclusive society. “It is not just a zero-sum game. If we fix the system, somebody is not going to lose,” she said. “Everybody will be golden.”

Potter and Lima, both transgender men, spoke about the Pomfret Experience and the effect they believe our students will have on the future of society. “You have the ability to be a change maker. This country is going to look to the students in this room to stand up and make a difference,” imparted Potter. “When you leave Pomfret, take the energy we have created today and be a mover and shaker. Take what you have gained today into your career and use that power for good to help the people around you.”

Ser escuchado

At an event held in celebration of National Hispanic Heritage Month, the du Pont Library could have been mistaken for La Biblioteca du Pont. The second floor was filled with students who gathered to listen to some of our native Spanish-speaking faculty recite poems, share songs, and read short stories.

World Languages Department Head Pablo Montoro Alonso and Spanish Teacher Natalia Aragón both shared short stories from one of their favorite writers, Julio Cortázar. “Learning about our teachers’ favorite stories was eye-opening,” shared Sarah Pothel ’24. “It inspires me to study more complex literature so I can continue to learn the meaning and the gravity of Pablo’s reading.”

Spanish Teacher Sara Villalba made and shared a photo slideshow of images she has taken since leaving her home country of Spain in 2016, accompanied by the song “Madre Tierra” by Chayanne, a Puerto Rican bestselling Latin music artist and actor. Dean of Enrollment Management Susan Mantilla-Goin finished the program by sharing the poem “AmeRícan” by Tato Laviera and giving a brief history of Puerto Rico and Puerto Rican and Nuyorican culture.

Nametags

“It’s not what happens to you. It’s what you do with what happens to you.” If a tour group had walked passed Hard Auditorium during a recent QUEST assembly, they would have heard those two phrases being chanted out numerous times by the entire school. It’s the mantra seven-time Paralympian Chris Waddell lives by and encompasses the work of his foundation’s Nametag program.

Waddell shared his personal journey and encouraged students to look past the nametags and limitations they have been given and create a new label that represents what they want to become. He looked past his paraplegic nametag and became a monoskier. “If I had never had my accident, I would have never become the best in the world at anything,” Waddell said.

After the presentation, students explored resilience, selfawareness, inclusion, and perception in small groups. They discussed the importance of acceptance and being a part of a good team. “Chris’ powerful message motivated me, and my fellow students, to reflect on obstacles in our lives and find ways to not only overcome them but to be inspired by them,” shared Ellis Perryman ’23, a QUEST student leader.

Top of the Hill

For the fourth year in a row, Pomfret has been ranked in the top 4 percent of all independent schools in the country by Niche — the market leader in secondary school rankings. The rankings are based on a rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents. Pomfret received top marks in academics, teachers, college prep, diversity, clubs and activities, and sports.

One recent graduate posted on Niche, “The small class size and the way the teachers approach group discussions allow for a real understanding of topics. I feel very prepared for college. Plus, the community of students and faculty is very welcoming.” Of the students and parents who submitted a review, 100 percent agreed that the teachers genuinely care about the students, and 98 percent of students reported liking Pomfret and feeling happy on the Hilltop.

Pomfret has built a reputation as one of the best small schools in the nation. Bold initiatives and interesting offerings like the Grauer Family Institute, Experiential Travel Program, and Certificate Program have caught the eye of families looking for a school that both pushes and pulls its students to succeed.

Getting It Right

As Pomfret’s fourteenth W.P. Carey Lecture Series speaker, Sam Prouty, director of admissions from Middlebury College, gave tips to help families approach the college process the right way. “If you start with the college and go backward, you’re doing it wrong,” he advised. Instead of thinking about a specific school, students — with the support of their family and college counselor — should approach their college search with the goal of answering three important questions: who are you right now, who are you in the process of becoming, and how is a particular college or university going to help you get there.

Prouty also shared key factors most liberal arts schools are looking for when making admission decisions. He reminded families of the importance of recommendation letters as a great supplement to an application. “When we read those recommendations and student profiles, we’re reading the profile of a student who is deeply known and is represented holistically and thoroughly in the process,” says Prouty.

The lecture series, endowed by William Polk Carey ’48, brings a representative from a renowned college or university admissions office to the Hilltop to address students, parents, and faculty on the latest perspectives on the college search and application process.

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