ADVANCEMENT NEWS

ALUMNI BUZZ

2017 Alumna Shares Professional Update

SAVE THE DATE!

• Oct. 29: Lower School Halloween Parade, Augur Field at 2 p.m.
• Nov. 5: No Middle/Upper School Classes / Lower School in Session.
• Nov. 7: Open House, 1-3 p.m. Click here to register.
• Nov. 12: No Classes. Lower School Parent-Teacher Conferences; Middle/Upper School Parent-Advisor Meetings.
• Nov. 15-Nov. 19: All-School Stuff A Bus Community Service Project.
• Nov. 16: Photo Retake Day.
• Nov. 18:  Parents' Association Pie Sale Pick Up.
• Nov. 18: Admissions Campus Tours, 9-10:30 a.m. Click here to register.
• Nov. 22-Nov. 26: School Closed, Thanksgiving Break.

HALLERS OF FAME

SPORTING HORNETS

PARENTS' ASSOCIATION

^{Upper School students enjoyed carnival-themed activities at our Skiff Street Athletic Complex in celebration of Homecoming 2021.}

The Hamden Hall community was elated to come together to celebrate Homecoming 2021.

 

Students, faculty, families

past and present, and

alumni enjoyed two days

-worth of events and

activities in celebration of all things Hamden Hall, including the school’s first-ever Color Run.

 

With a DJ and a cued-up playlist, families and friends enjoyed a morning-full of fun activities Saturday, October 16, at the Skiff Street Athletic Complex. A marked trail behind the Beckerman Athletic Center was set up with Color Run stations. Participants wore white T-shirts and neon sunglasses as they walked, jogged, or raced through rainbow-colored clouds. By the end of the run, each runner was colorfully dusted from head-to-toe.

 

Meanwhile, on an opposite side field later in the day, it was back to the nest for our alumni Hornets. Alumni across several decades returned to reconnect with old friends while enjoying treats, giveaways, and the afternoon's Varsity games. Members of the Parents’ Association grilled and served hamburgers, hotdogs, snack, and drinks to Homecoming attendees.

 

“It meant the world to me to have an in-person Homecoming,” said senior and Student Body President Michael Ferneini. “I think that the excitement level around Homecoming this year was the highest I remember in my high school career. Everyone got involved in decking out either their cars or their faces with paint; it was amazing to see. This was the first time in a while where the student body could go all out and they delivered. This was personally my favorite ever.”

 

Vehicles were indeed decked out in the Whitney Avenue parking lot on the Friday, October 15, as students and faculty participated in Spirit Day. The campus was filled with swarms of green and white for Hornet pride. Outfitted in costumes or spirit wear, students spent the day at different areas of campus partaking in field day-style activities.

 

Click here to read more.

 

‘Scroll’ Under the Virtual Pines this Holiday Season

It’s Scroll Time! From the comfort of your home, celebrate the holiday season early by shopping for one-of-a-kind, specialty gifts that can’t be found online or in retail stores during our annual Hamden Hall Holiday Auction.

 

Going live on Monday, November 8, and running through November 17, our online auction will allow you to scroll through a variety of handmade items and donated gifts from parents, past parents, faculty, alumni, and friends of Hamden Hall. Beat the crowds, and be the best gift-giver this holiday season!

 

And, since we all love a good Black Friday deal, we’ve established our own “Green Friday” for shoppers to purchase items outright before they land in our auction queue. Some of our exclusive Green Friday deals include a Mini Hornet Super Fan Experience and Campus Naming Opportunities! Be sure to view all of our "Buy It Now!" Green Friday items on Friday, November 5.  

 

Click here to pre-register today and get a sneak peek at our special offerings and surprises.

 

For more information about the auction, please contact Carissa Civitello at ccivitello@hamdenhall.org.

 

Other Happenings:

Student Art Exhibit Honors the Hamden Hall Community

^{"Now We Are Here" Student  Art Exhibit now on display in the Moira Fitzsimmons Arons Art Gallery.}

After taking a brief intermission during the 2020-2021 school year, the art gallery is back open

with a brand-new student art installation.

 

Located in the Moira Fitzsimmons Arons

Art Gallery, the exhibit titled Now We are Here

features colorful notecards strung together along

the wall filled with thank-you messages dedicated to fellow school community members.

The handwritten messages serve as a visual commemoration of the hard work and devotion of faculty members, support staff, coaches, and more.

 

Seniors Carolyn Qin and Lucy Liu, the student co-curators of the exhibit, said they wanted to provide students with the opportunity to not only share their art work, but create a platform for the community to express its gratitude.

 

Click here to read more.

 

Museum Theater Comes Alive for Fourth-Grade Students

_{Mrs. Belova sharing her immigration story with fourth-grade students.}

Fourth-grade students traveled

back to 1876 through an

interactive role-playing lesson to

learn about immigration and the

importance of family heritage.

The program is part of the school’s partnership with

Mystic Seaport.

 

Seated in their classroom on the

lower level of Whitson, students

were greeted by Mrs. Belova,

a young Russian woman who had come to share her immigration story. Throughout the story, she explained her family’s decision to migrate by way of ship to different parts of the United States including San Francisco, Calif., all the way to her current residence in New London, Conn.

 

Through these countless travels, she revealed more stories about growing up, getting married, and having children. At the end of the presentation, Mrs. Belova asked the class to close their eyes as she turned around, took off her hat, and revealed her true self: a woman named Natasha Przybylski.

 

Following the reveal, Natasha explained to students who she is, what she does, and how her character came to be. As a historical role-player at Mystic Seaport Museum, she said she created her composite character as an homage to her family.

 

Immigration and Family Heritage has always been part of the fourth-grade curriculum. Grade 4 teacher Emily Schimelman 2002 noted the unit has become fully immersive and interdisciplinary as part of the cross-curricular instruction. The curriculum theme “One Class, Many Cultures” allows students to explore their family history through personal heritage projects and understand the diverse cultures of their fellow classmates.

 

Click here to read more.

 

Grade 1 Students Garner Lesson on Fire Safety

^{Grade 1 students with "Firefighter Mike."}

As part of National Fire Prevention Month and to kick off their fire safety unit, Grade 1 students received a lesson from a very special guest – “Firefighter Mike.” 

 

Gathered outside of their

classroom behind the Alpert and Butler buildings, students sat on the lawn as Mike Blatchley from the Wilton Fire Department set up his uniform and equipment using matches, smoke detectors, a fire extinguisher, breathing apparatuses, and other gear to make the presentation engaging and informative.

 

"Awareness and education are vital to fire prevention and safety — we make every effort to instill this message in children," said Mike.

 

Click here to read more.

 

Socktober Drive Benefits Local Organizations

In their first community service project of the year, Lower School students and faculty collected 1,588 pairs of socks. 

 

The donations benefit the Christopher Martin's Thanksgiving Dinner for the Homeless and Working Poor and

Hamden's Keefe Community Center.

 

The entire Hamden Hall school community will participate in the next community service project - our annual Stuff A Bus, November 15-19, which will garner food items for the Keefe Community Center's food pantry. 

 

Athletics Under the Pines

With the Fall sports season underway, history teacher and longtime coach Bud Kohler gives us a first-person view of all that's happening on the field and court.

 

Click here to read updates on our various athletics teams, and follow the Swarm Instagram page at @hhswarm for daily information on games, results, and announcements.