ADVANCEMENT NEWS

 
It’s Time to CHEER - We Reached our GOAL this YEAR! 
 
Thank you for Continuing the Legacy of generosity on Giving Tuesday 2024. Your gifts have a lasting impact on our students of today and tomorrow. We are grateful for your support.

It’s not too late to make a gift! Click here to GIVE today.

ALUMNI BUZZ

Yoga and the Pursuit of Understanding with
1999 Alumnus

Class of 1999 alumnus Josh Kane works in pursuit of mindfulness and deeper understanding as he has opened Gandiva Yoga, a boutique yoga studio located in New Haven that focuses on different meditation practices. Click here to read more.

A Note from Alumni Relations Director Herb Emanuelson 1982

With Reunion 2025 planning underway, we are seeking Class Representatives for our Alumni Classes! If you're interested
in becoming a class representative for your graduation class, please contact
Herb Emanuelson at 203.752.2620 or hemanuelson@hamdenhall.org.

HALLERS OF FAME

 
Members of the Boys’ Varsity Ice Hockey Team, juniors Kaelen Annes, Noah Bush, Vincenzo Federico, and sophomores Andrew and Michael Feldman, competed and won the 2024-2025 Youth 16U Tier II Championship as part of the Connecticut Hockey Conference with their travel team. They will head to the National Championship later this season.
 
Junior Mae McDonnell has been invited to sing with the Yale Camerata for the ensemble's annual Advent Concert on Saturday, December 7. This marks Mae’s second season signing with the choir.
Yale Camerata is a 70-voice vocal ensemble whose members are Yale graduate and undergraduate students, faculty, staff, and experienced singers from the New Haven community. 

SPORTING HORNETS

The Boys' Varsity Basketball Team won its season opener at the Beckerman Athletic Center against Harvey School with a score of 90-72 on Wednesday, December 4.
The Girls' Varsity Basketball Team won its season opener at the Beckerman Athletic Center against Canterbury School with a score of 73-36 on Tuesday, December 3. 
The Boys' Varsity Wrestling Team will compete in its first tournament of the season hosted at Pomfret School on Saturday, December 7, at 2:30 p.m.
The Boys' Varsity Ice Hockey Team will host Branford High School for its opening game of the season at Ralph Walker Rink on Saturday, December 7, at 3:30 p.m.

PARENTS' ASSOCIATION

Thank you to everyone in our Hamden Hall Community for making our annual Pie Sale a great success! We hope you all enjoyed your holiday pies.
 
Click here to learn more about all Parents’ Association events and happenings.

SCHOOL STORE

With the winter season approaching, the school store has a nice selection of apparel to keep you warm including the brand new Hornet logo quarter zip fleece pullover available in both men's and women's. 
Reminder: the holiday season is in full swing, and our online school store makes gift-giving a breeze. Click here to check out all clothing and merchandise. 

SAVE THE DATE!

  • Now - Dec. 16: All School Holiday Toy and Book Drive. 
  • Dec. 12: Admissions Campus Tours, 9 a.m. Click here to register.
  • Dec. 13: All School PJ Day.
  • Dec. 13-14: Middle School Musical Shrek Jr., Taylor Performing Arts Center, 7 p.m. Click here to purchase tickets.
  • Dec. 16 - Dec. 20: Scholastic Book Fair. 
  • Dec. 16: PreSchool/ PreKindergarten Gingerbread House Family Event, 8:15 a.m. 
  • Dec. 17: Kindergarten-Grade 2 Winter Concert, Taylor Performing Arts Center, 8:30 a.m.
  • Dec. 17: Middle and Upper School Orchestral Concert, Taylor Performing Arts Center, 7 p.m.
  • Dec. 18: Grades 3/4 Winter Concert, Taylor Performing Arts Center, 8:30 a.m.
  • Dec. 18: Middle and Upper School Choral Concert, St. Rita's Church, 7 p.m.
  • Dec. 19: Grades 5/6 Winter Concert, Taylor Performing Arts Center, 8:30 a.m.
  • Dec. 20: Last Day of Classes.
  • Dec. 23-Jan. 3: No School, Winter Break.
  • Jan. 6: Classes Resume.
Volume: XV  Issue: 7
December 5, 2024     

Choral and Instrumental Students Take Musical Talent
to Regional Festival

The Upper School choral and instrumental students advancing to the Southern Region High School Music Festival along with Vocal Music Director Matt Harrison and Instrumental Music Director Melissa Hudson.
The Upper School Music Department has been recognized for its talent and continued excellence as a combined 32 students have earned a place in the Southern Regional Honor Choirs and Honors Orchestra and Band following successful auditions.

The students advanced to compete in the Southern Region High School Music Festival sponsored by the Connecticut Music Educators’ Association on January 17 and 18, 2025, at Naugatuck High School.

The choral student representatives for Mixed Choir include seniors Sanjiv Persaud and Jacob Schonberger; juniors Kevin Cai, Flynn Carney, Luca Correa, Alma Goren-Eisenberg, Leon Jiang, Evelyn Liu, Tobias Liu, Bruno Massaro, Mae McDonnell, Alex Pu, Paula Wang, Jason Xie, Jiali Yang, and Perry Yang; sophomores Bethel Desta and Yiwei Zhang; and freshmen Anna Aslan, Trista Luan, Daniela McTiernan Huge, and Trin Sukduang. The student representatives for Treble Choir include senior Daniella Li; sophomore Becky Liu; and freshmen Kristina Carlson and Abella Cheng.

“I am proud of the students who worked hard to earn a place in the Southern Regional Honor Choirs,” said Upper School Vocal Music Director Matt Harrison. “We were close to our school record of delegates; and with our young talent pool, I expect our growing program to continue receiving regional and state recognition in the months ahead.”

The instrumental student representatives include senior Sissi Zhang on violin for Orchestra; juniors Cole Christman on trumpet for Band, Ravindu Karunaratne on violin for Orchestra, Victor Ma on percussion for Band, and Andrew Yang on trumpet for Band and violin for Orchestra; and sophomore Allison Yang on violin for Orchestra.
 
Click here to read more.
 

Grade 4 Students Host Heritage Food and Art Show

The Personal Profile art paintings on display in the Dining Hall as Grade 4 hosted the Heritage Food and Art Show event.  
The smell of delicious and diverse cuisines filled the air as fourth-grade students welcomed their families to the Dining Hall for the Heritage Food and Art Show as the culminating cross-curricular event for the classes’ Immigration Unit. 

With guidance from teachers Emily Schimelman 2002 and Taylor DePalma, the students began the morning sharing a personal narrative reflection on their family roots noting what countries make up their heritage and what new and interesting facts they learned about immigration while studying in class. The students said they really enjoyed learning about Ellis Island and the Irish Potato Famine. 

The showcase incorporated language arts, history/social studies, and visual arts along with a culinary feast. As the presentation concluded, the students and families were welcome to travel through the dining hall to try all the different cuisines. The tables were filled with a variety of foods and desserts including saffron rice pudding from
Iran, rugelach from Poland, onigiri from Japan, Šakotis from Lithuania, challah,
caprese salad, knot cookies, and more.

For the art show portion, the students designed personal profile paintings using the outline of their silhouette on a canvas under the guidance of art teacher Sue Bennett 1973. Using paint and markers, the students filled the drawings with images, symbols, and other visualizations related to their family heritage. The students also created posters on how our world is a salad bowl full of different cultures, food, music, languages, and family stories. 
 
Click here to read more.

Middle School Thespians Travel ‘Far Far Away’ in Stage Production of Shrek Jr.

A group of Middle School students rehearsing for their musical production of Shrek Jr.
Step into the whimsical world of Shrek, Donkey, Fiona, and an array of fantastical characters as the Middle School Theater Department invites you to their musical production of Shrek Jr.
 
The performance dates are Friday, December 13, and Saturday, December 14, at 7 p.m. in the Taylor Performing Arts Center.
 
Join the talented group of seventh-and-eighth graders as they whisk audiences to a far-away swamp for an enchanting evening full of music, laughter, and fairy-tale magic.
 
Click here to purchase your tickets today.
 

Other Happenings:

Collegiate Athletes Celebrated During Division I
Football Signing 

On Early National Signing Day, three scholar-athletes and members of the Boys' Varsity Football Team gathered in front of their families, teammates, coaches, and friends in Taylor Gymnasium to sign their Letters of Intent to play Division I football at the collegiate level.
 
Pictured from left to right: Vlad Acosta, Asher Wasserman, and Qeanu Johnson.
 
Vlad will play football at Bryant University, Asher will play football at Duke University, and Qeanu will play football at Duke University.
 

Rival Game Showdown for Boys' Varsity Basketball 

The rivalry is on the line as the Boys' Varsity Basketball Team takes on Hopkins School on Wednesday, December 11, at 6 p.m. at the Beckerman Athletic Center. 
 
Please come out and support with your Green and White spirit wear!
 
All Hamden Hall family, friends, and alumni are welcome to join.
 
The first 100 Hornet fans will receive FREE spirit gifts (while supplies last).
 
We hope to see you there! Go Hornets!
 

Get Cozy and Honor Second-Grader Ben Rabinowitz
on Pajama Day

Hamden Hall is once against participating in the PJ Day for the Kids to honor second grader Ben Rabinowitz.
 
Ben is currently receiving exceptional care and treatment at Connecticut Children's.    
 
Please join his sister and first-grade student Vivian in wearing your favorite pair of pajamas on Friday, December 13, and donating $1.
 
All donations will be collected by homeroom teachers, Class Deans, Middle School Director Brian Christman, or Upper School Dean of Students John Greenawalt.
 
PJ Day for the Kids supports the Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at Connecticut Children's.