Marching Down Main

C alvert H all C elebrates 50 Y ears wit H D isne Y

Walt Disney World is magical. It is an experience like none other and unites individuals of all ages. Calvert Hall’s marching band has had the unique experience of embracing the emotion, pageantry and pride of performing down one of the most iconic Disney parade routes since its inception. This time-honored tradition places the spotlight of one of the most magical stages directly on our student-musicians.

Director of Instrumental Music, Brian Ecton, shares, “Marching in the Main Street USA parade is a rite of passage for all Band members that dates back to 1972 when the park opened. Continuing that tradition every four years is a milestone event that will be remembered and cherished forever. I think it’s about the atmosphere and how supportive and appreciative the audience is as you march by them. Thousands upon thousands of complete strangers line the parade route and absolutely lose their minds cheering for a group with whom most have no affiliation. There is something special for the band members knowing this tradition ties all band members together.”

After the trip down Main Street USA, the instrumental and vocal ensembles performed in the Orlando Fest competition. The Jazz Orchestra, Symphonic Band, and Wind Ensemble all earned top “Superior” ratings as well as First Place in the AA Class. Big Band and the Hallmen earned “Superior” ratings, and the Jazz Lab earned an “Excellent” rating along with First Place Open Class. Director of Vocal Music, Dr. George Wilkerson, Jr. expressed, “The Florida trip for The Hallmen Chorus was not only fun for the students (and directors), it was also the culmination of months of hard work the boys put towards the songs performed on the trip. We were blessed to have amazing judges who gave us great feedback and presented an extremely helpful clinic after our performance, which the judges also rated “Superior”.

339 INCOMING STUDENTS

Class Of 2027

78 % 12 %

LASALLE PROGRAM STUDENTS

18

28 McMULLEN SCHOLARS

6 % 4 %

SPANISH FRENCH GERMAN LATIN

FOREIGN LANGUAGES TAKEN AT THE HALL

24

BR. TOM MILLER SCHOLARS

2 KNOTT SCHOLARS

5 SETS OF TWINS

83

DIFFERENT ZIP CODES

100 DIFFERENT MIDDLE SCHOOLS REPRESENTED

PENNSYLVANIA NATIVES

5

CLOSEST STUDENT

0.3

FURTHEST STUDENT

82.1

MILES FROM THE HALL (LOCH RAVEN VILLAGE)

MILES FROM THE HALL (HAGERSTOWN - APPROX. 1 HOUR 22-MINUTE COMMUTE)

At Calvert Hall, students pride themselves on the diverse community that is created by the student body. Each student utilizes their individual and unique talents to enhance their experience through the vast opportunities that Calvert Hall offers. For several days throughout the school year, students compete in Calvert Hall’s Annual Zeal Week. Zeal Week is an opportunity for students to bond together and participate in both group and individual competitions against other classes to win points for their respective grades. Each grade is represented by a Calvert Hall color: white for the freshmen, black for the sophomores, gold for the juniors, and red for the seniors. For the students, Zeal Week fosters a competitive school spirit, marked with intensity, camaraderie, and the building of new relationships.

Zeal Week has been a lively tradition at Calvert Hall for almost a decade. In 2015, Marc Parisi, Calvert Hall’s Director of Student Activities, created Zeal Week. Prior to its existence as a celebrated event at Calvert Hall, it was simply an after-school activity. This year, Zeal Week occurred during Lent, taking place from March 20-23, so as students strengthened their faith, so was their school spirit. Led by Spirit Director, Quinn Gardner ’23, more than a dozen events for the students to cheer on and compete in were implemented. Zeal Week started off with a humorous tournament of bubble ball soccer. As the week progressed, each grade participated in fierce competitions such as Penny Wars, Wii Boxing, and a CHC edition of Family Feud. As the week came to an end, each grade had point scores close in proximity, so each of the final events were important to capitalize on and win. Despite the seniors being heavy favorites, the juniors pulled off an upset by dominating in four out of the final six events. The junior’s victory ended the 4-year streak of each senior class winning Zeal Week, dating back to 2019.

One of the main attractions that students look forward to during Zeal Week is Penny Wars. The one-day event provides a combination of both competitiveness and cleverness for students to display. Penny Wars is a class wide competition in which students from each grade are encouraged to add pennies to their class bucket in the Dining Hall. Grades can lower the totals of opposing classes by adding other change in their buckets such as nickels, dimes, quarters, and dollars. Essentially, pennies counted in buckets add to the total score of the grade, while any other currency in the bucket subtracts from the grade’s score. This year, Penny Wars raised approximately $1,500 with all proceeds going to the De La Salle Blackfeet School in Browning, Montana.

When asked about the significance of winning Zeal Week, Junior Class President, Peter Buttarazzi ’24, shared, “To be one of the first junior classes in a while to win Zeal Week is awesome. Watching all of our teams pull through and win against the other classes despite what they expected from us was really cool. I’m grateful for all the guys that played and everyone that cheered for us.”

During Zeal Week, only one class can hoist the trophy; however, every student from each class exits Zeal Week with something valuable. When asked about the effect of Zeal Week upon the student body, Gardner ’23 said, “Everyone’s cheering on their grade together in the gym. It’s times like this when everyone is together living in the moment that make real connections between us all.” Once again, Zeal Week contributed to the Brotherhood of Calvert Hall and will continue to do so for future students at The Hall.