HOOSAC TODAY Tibbits Hall A watercolor by Kaixi Wan ‘17 SPRING/SUMMER SPRING 2017 2017 A Message from Dean Foster, Head of School HOOSAC TODAY IN THIS ISSUE: Message from the Headmaster .................1 “Spring has sprung,” at Success at Hoosac ....................................2 least that is what it seemed for a few days this past Francis Whitcomb ‘41 ...........................3-4 February. With 60 degree William Marvin ........................................5 days and the sun shining, it Alumni Notes ......................................6-11 was an awakening here on Gadoury & Page, 2012 ...........................12 campus. Smiles replaced grimaces and t-shirts took A Hoosac Love Story .............................13 the place of overcoats. Ambassador for Hoosac .........................14 Lacrosse sticks came out Making Music ........................................15 on the lawn and the hockey goals came off the pond in Grow Wild ..............................................16 the nick of time. A day later Visual Arts .........................................17-18 and they would have been David Burke ...........................................19 lost to depths. Former Faculty .......................................20 But this respite from the winter was not meant to Debate Team ..........................................21 last, soon the temperatures Tibbits Ghost ..........................................22 returned to normal and the Sports ................................................23-24 snow began to fly again. While everyone was sad to see the tournament. For a small school, we Kaixi Wan ‘17 ........................................25 weather return to normal they were certainly had a lot going on! Stay in Touch .........................................26 at the same time relieved that winter Time and tide wait for no man and Editorial Board: was truly not lost to Spring. There the whole school community can take Nancy LaPorte, Co-Editor was still much to accomplish before pride in all that was accomplished this Sherri Craib Klein, Co-Editor winter, from an amazing Boar’s Head Anita Wilson, faculty the end of the academic term and Headmaster: Dean S. Foster beginning of March break. & Yule Log celebration, a spot in states Director of Admission: The end of the second trimester is for the debate team, playoffs for the John Harniman always a busy time for the students. boys basketball team and girls hockey Assistant Admission & Faculty: The hectic classroom pace in antici- and a Championship for boys hockey. Ryan Grant pation of final exams, a busy athletic It has been a wonderful winter. Director of Advancement: Soon the students will return and Susan Schoeninger ‘94 schedule and the frenzy of the VIth Alumni Office: Formers as they complete the college the campus will once again be as busy Nancy LaPorte application process always creates as ever, spring will truly be here and Sherri Craib Klein some angst. while we will still have the occasional Pam Kopala The boys hockey team was con- touch of winter, all eyes will be set on Dean of Students: centrating on winning a second Holt the future and the approaching Prize Kevin Robichaud Day & Commencement ceremonies. Dean of Academics: Conference Championship. The Claudia Stulz boys basketball team fought hard to I encourage you to visit us and see all Director of Athletics: earn their way into a 7th seed in the the wonderful things that are happening Michael Ryan New England Prep School Athletic here in the Valley of the Owl. Business Manager: Council championship tournament. If you can’t make it to campus, be Kathryn Weaver The Girls Hockey team prepared for sure and follow us online through our Hoosac School, Hoosick, NY 12089 the North American Prep Hockey webpage and Facebook and as always, Tel: (518) 686-7331 Association season tournament. The send us information about what you Visit us on Facebook [email protected] debate team was working overtime are up to. www.hoosac.org to earn a spot at the New York State Deus Regit! To College We Go! Guided by faculty member and College; Michaela Simon will attend college counselor Kraig Odabashian, and play hockey at Salve Regina; the college application process is over Kaixi Wan has a choice of several for forty-eight seniors who will soon art schools (see pg 25); Aleksandar exit campus life at Hoosac to embark Kirilov – SUNY Stonybrook and on the next phase of their journey. SUNY Buffalo, awaiting notice of D-1 College acceptance notices are still scholarship for track and field. coming in and are sent directly to the Each year at Prize Day we bid student by the college or university. farewell to our seniors, wishing College acceptance highlights at this them the best, knowing that they are time: Emily Levin will attend Cornell prepared to meet the challenges ahead. University; Djordje Jaksic – Clarkson; Moving from student to alumnus, the Dannick Breton – scholarship hon- big red doors of Tibbits are always ors program University of Southern open for you to stay connected. Deus Maine; Stephen Yetto – Endicott Regit! Success at Hoosac by Daniel Miller ‘18 Coming to Hoosac has dramati- cally changed my life and the way I look at school. Since the beginning of high-school, I didn’t start off the way I planned to. My freshman year, my grades were in a slump and I basically gave up towards the end of the year. My sophomore year, I did pick it up a little and began to do my homework more often and study for tests. I still was having trouble scoring on tests, even though I studied for the whole week for the big test. Since starting my junior year at Hoosac, my grades have gone up with great success. I person- ally think the small classes contributed to my improved grades and also hav- ing that time at night to sit down and actually do work. As soon as Student of the Week in November was posted on Hoosac’s Facebook page, I was getting text messages from multiple family members congratulating me before the last class of the day was done. Being in school with students from other countries is awesome, meeting new people from different parts of the world. Not only have my grades gone up, but I enjoy going to school and enjoy my time being here. Daniel Miller and his dad, Stephen with Tibbits Hall as a backdrop. 22 HOOSAC TODAY Visiting Francis Whitcomb ‘41 by Sherri Craib Klein continued, beautiful as they were with study 1st floor left. Library was in “Hol- wide rivers accompanying the road lydome,” the big dorm for older guys. and gorgeous vistas of snow-covered We went to Chapel at 5:00 pm before pines. Ski country, fishing country, and supper every day. Sometimes it could be then – backroads graced with farm after hilarious - VIth Formers would run the farm in a blanket of fresh snow. I could service when Fr. Whitcomb was away- we went every day! That’s the pond, “...I’ve been associated with now called Tibbits Pond. Used to sneak up there when it was warm once in a Hoosac since 1930.” while for a dip; we used the pond for hockey mid 30s-50s. We scraped snow imagine Fran toward winter’s end in off. And there’s the straightbacked the midst of his maple syrup business, bench painted blue - made by my father checking the weather, preparing to col- for the Chapel, a 2-seater. I think it’s lect the sap and boil it down. still there in Tibbits.” Viewing a 1941- As so many at Hoosac have experi- 42 video: “Ah yes, six-man football, enced, a visit with Fran Whitcomb was Hoosac = Red, Lenox = Green. HaHa, something to look forward to. This visit the other team had cheerleaders! Prob- was different in that he was in his home. ably 1942. There’s Charlie, and Bernie A recent photo of Fran Whitcomb A new Hoosac tie and gift of etched Lamont - killed in the war. Johnny glasses elicited a big smile and excla- Steward, Harold Green, David Farr. Yes, it was time for a road trip to mation. We viewed pictures and films Oh, this one is an Antonian/Graftonian the Northeast Kingdom to see Fran of the old campus: “Memories? Oh I football game - see - no equipment! Whitcomb ’41. The rural remoteness have hundreds! Hoosac was my home Okay- break it up guys! Wow look at of the Whitcomb farm may have been for 11 years, from 1930 to 1941. It was the socks. There’s George Wadding- reflected in his remark last Spring when a very important time in a young boy’s ton’s car! I had a driver’s license, so we spoke of making a trip his way “You life. I’ve been associated with Hoosac should come after mud season!” Mud since 1930. It’s a very special place.” season had long passed and December Fran’s thoughts rolled back in time snow was upon us, but - time to go. The as he commented on each scene: drive itself illustrated this man’s great “Oh Gosh - the athletic fields - I played commitment to serving Hoosac School, my guts out on this field. 11-man foot- Fran having made that 200-mile drive ball, 1932, 12 on a team, not too many many, many times. True to form, when students then - 38 enrolled. School just I remarked about this effort, Fran issued made it - and it wouldn’t have save for his classic lighthearted laugh saying a benefactor. “It’s not any longer than Ben Ford’s Yup, that’s the Kremlin, where the drive!” (Editor’s Note: Ben is Fran’s youngest boys lived - HoHoHo – that nephew, Hoosac class of ‘74, and a looks like the Squealery! Yes...cuz of trustee). the curtains - faculty apartment at the As I drove, I thought of all the years end, Prefects lived in the apartment with Fran had made this trip to Hoosac the Sqealery extending out.