Hancock, Then and Now Step inside our first post-pandemic Hancock weekend—and step back in time through Hancock’s history...
I
t’s September 25, 2021, around 7:00 p.m., and nearly every Commonwealth student, teacher, and staff member is sitting under the stars. Wrapped in winter coats, next to Lake Tarleton and surrounded by New Hampshire’s White Mountains, the crowd’s collective gaze is fixed on a porch-turned-makeshift-stage, strung with lights and electric with talent show performances. From a hauntingly restrained acoustic version of “Hotel California” to a horror story reading that is simply haunting, from improvised musicals to improvised kazoos, from soaring faculty solos to a band of seniors rocking out, each act enjoys a rapt crowd punctuating their performances with full-throated cheers. In this era of COVID, such events remain a rare occurrence at Commonwealth. (We’re still holding recess virtually, and the few in-person events we have hosted had attendee limits, vaccination re-
quirements, and other safety measures.) But that cheery, supportive, and—because we were outdoors, unmasked—crowd felt blissfully normal. The rest of the weekend, our first “real” Hancock in two years, also felt much like the Hancocks of old, with kayaking, crafting, and playing board games. Preparing massive meals. Apple picking and pie baking. Cocoa and s’mores around a firepit. Movie nights (Ratatouille and Everybody’s Talking About Jamie). And the general giddiness of running around in a darkening wood. Of course, precautions like masking indoors, HEPA filters buzzing in cabins, and an afternoon of supplemental rapid antigen testing served as reminders that, indeed, a global pandemic continues on. But there was a simple joy in being together, reminded of the depth of our connections beyond Commonwealth’s classrooms. Just as Hancock was always intended to do.
25
