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Campus Connection
A Sparkling Performance of Mamma Mia! in the Newly Renovated Walker Auditorium
PHOTOS BY SCOTT BARROW
THE CAST, CREW, MUSICIANS, acoustics, and lighting all shone for the premiere of Mamma Mia! as it marked the opening of the newly renovated Walker Auditorium. The feel-good musical, which included four HDA performances in February, marked the reopening in grand style.
In total, more than 50 students performed in the show, with another 15 helping with lighting, sound, set building, and other production work.
Prior to the Feb. 12 performance, Head of School Craig Bradley offered thanks to the Board of Trustees, the families of the Classes of 2019 and 2020, and many other donors who helped make the renovation a success. In particular, he expressed gratitude to the Gould family for making a critically important leadership gift. Robert R. Gould ’77 serves as the Board of Trustees’s co-president. The Gould family gift was made in honor of Jean Gould, Bob’s mother, and the stage is named for her.
To the delight of everyone in attendance, Academy Award winning actress Meryl Streep P’98 (who starred in the film version of Mamma Mia!) sent a congratulatory video to the cast and crew. Shown prior to the show, the audience was thrilled by the surprise, which sparked high energy and excitement for the entire production.
“Sending you so much love and congratulations to all of you,” Ms. Streep added, before signing off by singing the musical’s famous chorus line, “Mamma mia, here we go again!”
Walker was constructed in 1967 with a gift from Shaw Walker ’33, P’81,’83,’86,’87 as a venue for theater, dance, and musical performances. Since then, Walker has evolved to be much more than an event space; it is a touchstone of community life at Hotchkiss as it enables excellent teaching and supports vital community and arts programming. Walker will be a place of fun and enjoyment now and for generations to come. H
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Boys Basketball Wins New England Title
THE TOP-SEEDED BOYS varsity basketball team made history this season, capturing the 2022 NEPSAC Class A tournament title for the first championship in the program’s history with a hard-fought 65-62 victory over #3 Belmont Hill.
As the final buzzer sounded, players and fans for Hotchkiss (23-1) spilled onto the court in jubilation, celebrating the culmination of head coach Yassine Talhaoui’s vision since taking over the program five years ago.
Emblematic of the team’s cohesion and generosity, the day’s effort featured four players in double figures but an individual high of 14 points by starting guards Kenny Noland ’22 and Brandon McCreesh ’23.
Dean Hogans ’25 and Nosa Okunbo ’22 would prove essential bench contributors, with Hogans hitting two clutch threepointers and Okunbo corralling a teamhigh 13 rebounds, competing inside against a big, physical Belmont Hill squad.
But it seemed at first as though the visitors, who had upset #2 St. Sebastian’s by 20 points in the semifinals, might be headed for another dominating victory.
For most of the first half, the Bearcats battled to cut into the lead, only to see the Sextants push the margin back out again. Hotchkiss finally closed the half on a 7-0 run to take a slim 28-26 lead into the break.
In the second half, momentum seemed to switch sides, and this time it was Hotchkiss who managed to hold onto a narrow lead despite several Belmont Hill charges.
Slowly, methodically, Hotchkiss pulled away from the visitors, opening up its largest lead at 54-44 with four minutes left to play.
Belmont Hill proved they were not going down without a fight, cutting the margin to five points with a pair of free throws and 1:33 left.
The final 60 seconds featured frantic, intense play from both sides as Belmont Hill hit a two-pointer, stole the ball off the press, and made another inside basket to cut the lead to just a single point.
But the drama would not be finished just yet, as Belmont Hill hit a three-pointer with four seconds remaining and McCreesh hit one of two free throws to give the visitors a glimmer of hope. But after inbounding the ball at midcourt, the Sextants were not able to get off a shot, and the Hotchkiss team erupted in celebration as the horn sounded.
Following the game and trophy presentation from Co-Athletic Director Danny Smith, players and coaches cut down one of the nets, and Talhaoui gave a short speech praising the team for their hard work and their character throughout the season. H
Coach Talhaoui was named the NEPSAC Coach of the Year following this season’s spectacular showing by the boys varsity basketball team. Top: Brandon McCreesh ’23 drives to the hoop Bottom: Ceremonial net cutting with Dean Hogans ’25
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Athletics Round-up
Kasturi ’22 Second at Diving New Englands
Meera Kasturi ’22 concluded a remarkable high school diving career with a second-place finish at the New England championships, her best place ever at the event.
She adds another podium place to her Hotchkiss diving legacy, which includes three Founders League titles, three topfour New England finishes, and both Hotchkiss girls diving records.
Swimming Places Third at Founders
Swimmers for both the boys and girls teams concluded their seasons in memorable fashion, with both teams finishing third in front of a spirited home crowd in Hixon Pool on Feb. 26.
Each team won multiple events, with the boys scoring a total of 392 points and finishing third behind champion Choate and runner-up Loomis. The girls finished with 322 points, with Loomis and Choate swapping the top two spots.
On Saturday, fellow captain Emily Bukowski ’22 added to the team’s haul with two event wins of her own in the 50-yard freestyle (24.96) and the 100yard breaststroke (1:07.18).
For the boys, Carter Levine ’22 and James Yae ’23 each won a pair of titles on Saturday. Levine captured the 100yard backstroke (54.16) and Yae won the 100-yard breastroke (1:00.09). The two also combined with Ryan Tse ’23 and Alex Tolis ’23 to win the 200-yard medley relay (1:38.90).
Squash Competes at Nationals
The boys and girls squash teams traveled to Philadelphia to compete in the 2022 U.S. High School Team Squash Championships on Feb. 25-27, finishing fifth and tenth, respectively.
Wrestling Sends Five to Nationals
Five Hotchkiss wrestlers earned trips to the 2022 National Prep tournament by placing in their weight classes at the New England championships.
Ben Johnson ’22 placed fourth at 195 lbs. and Sean Donovan ’23 placed fifth at 220 lbs. in the open division, and Kadie Singh ’25 (120 lbs.), Sadie Salter ’25 (126 lbs.), and Aimee Carrasco ’24 (132 lbs.) each placed fourth in the girls division to book their trip to Maryland.
Additional Winter Teams in Playoffs
Enjoying a renaissance this season, the girls varsity basketball team (10-8) returned to the tournament for the first time in nearly a decade. The Bearcats qualified as the eighth seed for a neutral-court matchup against top-seeded Thayer. The two teams did not play against each other this season. The final score: Hotchkiss 37 – Thayer 47
On the ice, the girls varsity hockey team (8-9-1) also punched its postseason ticket entering the bracket as the sixth seed against third Choate. The final score: Hotchkiss 2 – Choate 1. Advancing to the quarterfinals, Hotchkiss played second Buckingham Browne & Nichols. The final score: Hotchkiss 1 – BB&N 3.
Current Team Sweeps Seven Tournaments and Heads into Spring Season
BY ROBERTA JENCKES
HOTCHKISS DEBATERS HAVE SWEPT
all seven of the league’s parliamentary debating tournaments this past season, continuing a tradition of excellence that dates back to the 19th century when the School launched its inaugural debating club, the Areopagus Society, a year after Hotchkiss opened. At that time, the School placed great importance on public speaking, awarding the student giving the best English oration a prize of $25 in gold. Some well-known Hotchkiss alumni— including Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Archibald MacLeish ’11 and Time Inc. founder Henry Luce ’16—were debaters.
Like their predecessors, the School’s 21st-century teams consistently have shined, winning regional events and sending outstanding orators into the international and world championships. If there is any difference with the School’s current debaters, it may be a matter of style. Today’s group of 30 members, coached by David Conti P’18,’22, instructor in classics, and Dr. Thomas Fisher, instructor in history, philosophy, and religion, shares much in common with an athletic team.
“They work together to make cases,” says Conti. “The captains train new students, and they celebrate wins as a team. Everyone works together to prepare for a competition. In debate, the advanced team can win, but the novice team needs to win as well for us to win a tournament. This connection between the groups helps develop an especially cohesive team—the advanced debaters are invested in the development of the novices, and the novices are always looking forward to the time when they can move up to the advanced division. There are lots of individual awards, but the team is most pleased when we take home the team trophy. “Students say they like the competition, the ability to construct a fantastic case and to systematically dismantle the other side’s case. Dr. Fisher and I try to balance this desire to win and dismantle the other team’s case with a focus on building a strong affirmative case and hearing what the other side has to say,” Conti says.
Rahul Kalavagunta ’22 agrees with his coach and sees debating as a valuable experience for every student, even though he recalls being “a little hesitant” about joining speech and debate as a lower mid. “I’ve always been afraid of public speaking, and especially of debate,” he says. “But after a few meetings, I came to realize it was something I could truly enjoy. Debate then became a way for me to face my fear of public speaking, and I started looking forward to practices and competitions. By being forced to defend a side objectively and interacting with many different ideologies and forms of argumentation, debaters learn how to clearly and respectfully discuss their ideas and understand the views of others. Especially given how polarized and opinionated our society has become in recent years, these skills and the tolerance they build are essential.”
Captain Beatrice Conti ’22, who joined speech and debate in her prep year, has qualified to represent Hotchkiss at the World Championships this spring. She also qualified as a lower mid and an upper mid, the only Hotchkiss debater to qualify three times in more than 10 years. A student qualifies for World’s either by performing well at a fall international competition or by winning a league-wide tournament at the advanced level. She looks forward to competing in the virtual event this spring.
“As a captain, I provide instruction and support for the younger members on the team. At meetings, you can find me practicing with my partner, helping newer debaters
This year’s outstanding debaters include (from left): Elizabeth Abelow, Maadhavan Prasanna, Aaliyah Wang, Spencer Humes, Vanessa Guerra, Max Salzinger, Lisa Berlizova, Beatrice Conti (Co-captain), Peter Berlizov, Rahul Kalavagunta (Co-captain), Stella Ren (Co-captain), Meilan Antonucci, Jaden Morgan, Ben Who, and Caroline Block.
build cases, or providing feedback to novices after rounds. I love that our team consists of students from all four grades and that every member is equally important to the team. I’ve met many mentors on the debate team and now have the wonderful opportunity to mentor new members,” she says.
Meeting fellow debaters from schools around New England and the world has been a rewarding feature of the students’ experience that has changed due to COVID19 restrictions. “The switch to virtual for our league started in spring of 2020,” says Coach Conti. “And we’ve been refining online competition for every tournament. We’ve got it down now, and the debating experience for our students is very good. One benefit is more participation—the league is offering more competitions because of the ease of hosting. Hotchkiss has hosted two tournaments each year for the last two years after only hosting one for many years. This means more opportunities for more debaters to compete. We’ve also had online debate practices with peer schools, but everyone is looking forward to the time when we can be together in person again.”
“I have so many wonderful memories from my time on the debate team,” adds Beatrice. “In my lower-mid year, I attended the International Independent Schools Public Speaking Competition, held in Boston that year by co-hosts Hotchkiss and the Buckingham Browne and Nichols School. After one long night of competition, all the competitors went to a Boston Bruins game together. The entire weekend was filled with opportunities to get to know students from all over the world who also love public speaking, but that evening spent huddled in the stands in business-formal attire, cheering on the Bruins and chatting about global nuclear disarmament with peers from England, Canada, South Africa, and South Korea was certainly a highlight for me.” H
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following funds at Hotchkiss support speech and debate or public speaking: the Lightcap Family Fund for Speech and Debate; the Foran Speech and Debate Fund; and the John S. Reed ’35 Public Speaking Fund.
A Look Back on the Hotchkiss Debate Club
1903
The Oratorical Competition awards $25 in gold to a Senior who writes and pronounces an English oration in the best manner.
1907
1914
In August, Classmates Archibald MacLeish ’11, Poet Laureate of the U.S. and recipient of three Pulitzer Prizes, and Douglas Stuart Moore ’11, Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and one of few American opera composers, return to the U.S, on the Lusitania from a trip to England.
1923
In March, the first issue of Time magazine is produced by former Hotchkiss debaters Briton Hadden ’16 and Henry Luce ’16 (pictured far left in the 1916 Debate Team photo below).
1933
Potter Stewart ’33 was a member of the Debate Union. In 1958, he was nominated by President Dwight D. Eisenhower as an Associate Justice of the United States Supreme Court.
1945
James Alexander Linen III ’30 becomes publisher of Time magazine. He was captain of the Angora Debating Team while at Hotchkiss.
1956-1961
Engraved with the results of the Triangular Debate between Hotchkiss, Taft, and Choate from 1956 to 1961, this sterling silver bowl is believed to be given in memory of John Joseph Piel ’36.
1968
The debate team took on the faculty to debate whether Hotchkiss should admit girls. The students, who sided against it, won.
1974
Hotchkiss opens its doors to girls. Female students become more active members of the debating team.
1980
Malcome Baldrige ’40, a member of the Debate Union while at Hotchkiss, becomes Secretary of Commerce.
1991
Model UN participant Jessica Harley ’92 is elected school president and becomes the first female student to assume the role.
2001
Kate Vavpetic, debate coach (far right), jumpstarted the debate team after years of dormancy.
2015
The Team wins Best Large Delegation at the Yale Model UN.
2019
Hotchkiss hosts the International Independent School Public Speaking Championship in Boston.
2022
Hotchkiss sweeps all seven of the league’s parliamentary debating tournaments.
