December 5, 2025
Raider Report
Pen is Mightier Than the Sword.”— Edward Bulwer-Lytton
Let's Call it
By Arthur Osborne’26
A
Day! "42nd Street" Musical Comes to a Close
Fryeburg Academy’s 2025 AllSchool Musical, 42nd Street, closed last weekend after a hugely successful run from November 13th to November 16th. The community’s appreciation of the show is sincerely appreciated by everyone involved with its creation. The show came together as the result of months of hard work and dedication, and seeing that labor validated by such dazzling reviews is fantastically encouraging. For some students, this show has been in the works since July, and for director Emy Holden and other collaborating faculty, it’s been in the works since before the end of last school year. In that time, several rigorous dance
numbers were choreographed, learned, and perfected; student actors learned and memorized over two hours’ worth of music, lines, and stage directions; John Lucy and others built the captivating scenery, including wing frescos and a fully mobile scene wagon; Emy Holden costumed and provided wigs for a cast exceeding 30 students (some costumes contributed by Patty Hibbert), and Ethan Swayze led the charge in collaborating with Emy Holden on the excellent light design and sound effects, which were ultimately executed by himself and an incredibly hard-working crew of student technicians. As usual, FA’s AllSchool Musical also featured Cont. School Life 2
Academy Student Shapes Fryeburg’s Future at Town Office
By Aspen Hazlewood ‘26
At Fryeburg Academy, students benefit from several unique resources, but many have overlooked resources offered by the town itself. That is until Aidan Taljard ‘26 connected with faculty and community members Mary Bazanchuk and Greg Huang-Dale to secure an internship at the Fryeburg Town Office. Now, every Wednesday and Thursday, Aidan works with Academy Alumnus Caleb Bowles ‘19, Town Code Enforcement Officer. Cont. School Life 2
Dancer in the musical (Photo- Holym Han '26)
Aerial view of the town.
Pink Out for a Purpose
By Olivia Eveleth ‘29
On October 24th, the day of the last regular season home football game, the Girl Up Club hosted a fundraiser for the Maine Cancer Foundation in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In support, students were seen in pink throughout the halls, and in the stands. Before, and during the football game, the club set up a table which offered a variety of pink accessories. Including bandannas, breast cancer awareness ribbon pins, and face painting, a lot of interaction and support came from the club’s presence. There was especially lots of excitement for the face painting from big and little kids alike! Earlier that day, Girl Up hosted a bake sale during lunch, just above the Student Union where students could also purchase pink accessories. In total, the Girl Up Club raised a total of $400 for the Maine Cancer Foundation! Thank you to all who donated, the Girl Up Club greatly appreciated your generosity.
RAIDER REPORT STAFF
President and Manager of Publication: Holym Han ‘26
Vice President and Manager of Writing: Lilia Vishnyakov ‘26
Layout Designer and Assistant Manager of Publication: Serena Di Nucci ‘27
Senior Editors: Will McDonnell ‘26, Arthur Osborne ‘26
Web Management: Anton Liesnoi ‘26
Club Advisor and Publication Supervisor Ms. Ayer
Playing For a Purpose: Fryeburg's First-Ever Turkey Bowl!
By Olivia Eveleth ‘29
In early November, the girls’ soccer team and girls’ field hockey team participated in the Turkey Bowl. In this event they faced each other in a high energy flag football match. Girls’ soccer ended up winning the match with a score of 0-22. Touchdowns were made by Mathilde Buschholz ‘27, Bryielgh Gerry ‘28, and Eden True ‘26. Bryielgh had almost made another touchdown for her team however, the touchdown had not counted as she forgot to put on her flags. The field hockey girls were aggressive throughout and gave it their all, never giving up. One star player that stood out during the match for the field hockey girls was Addison Valente ‘28. Addison ran many yards keeping the energy for the field hockey girls high. The highlight of this event, however, was the fundraising. Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Meier worked together to figure out what food our community needed during Thanksgiving time. Mrs. Murphy
stated that, “Due to SNAP Benefits being taken away during the Federal shutdown, it became apparent that our community would struggle with food insecurity.” Spectators and participants of the game were given the choice between donating food or cash. Mrs. Murphy and Mrs. Meier fulfilled their goal raising cash donations of 350$ and more than 8 pounds of food. All of the families have had their needs met and extra cash will be used for gas cards for families in need. However, Mrs. Murphy would not like to take all the credit for this event. She stated, “Such an event would not have happened without the leadership of Sally Baptista. I merely was there to support.” The Turkey Bowl brought on good energy with the students, and made a real world impact. This was a much needed event for student life, as well as all the families in need. Hopefully this event will continue next year.
Top and bottom- Student sections in full pink (Photos- Holym Han '26)
Clara Yager '26
(Photo- Holym Han '26)
Coaches Will McDonell '26 and Tucker Barnaby '26 (Photo- Holym Han '26)
SCHOOL LIFE
Continued from front page: Academy Student Shapes Fryeburg’s Future at Town Office
Being the first student in Academy history to intern at the Town Office, Aidan’s role is largely undefined. Aspiring to major in urban planning, Aidan speaks highly of the experience he gets shadowing Bowles; he says, “It’s pretty interesting. You might think that it’s just looking at paperwork but, a few weeks ago, someone came to [Bowles] asking to build a mobile massage parlor on Weston's beach, so it’s pretty exciting.” That being said, a big part of Aidan’s internship is paperwork. At the moment, he’s contributing to the planning of a new municipal building. His role includes grant writing, and a lot of creative problem solving. Under previous administration, federal government backed agencies had awarded the town the necessary funds to raise the building, but the grants have since been terminated.
Aidan is a boarding student at the Academy, coming from Johannesburg, South Africa. He attributes much of his career aspirations to his upbringing, bearing witness to countless scenes of infrastruc-
tural mismanagement and political corruption. While facts are hard to extract from an area so afflicted by political discord, many have claimed that over 40 million USD leak from government funds through embezzlement each day.
“Everyone can tell you what a chef or a doctor does, but when people ask me ‘What does an urban planner do?’ I don't even really know, so that's why I'm doing this internship.”
—Aidan Taljard ‘26
Before coming to Fryeburg, Aidan visited New York City several times. In recalling his visits, he says, “It’s not like anywhere else: completely chaotic, traffic is horrendous, might get stabbed, yet it all kind of works. To me, albeit it has its issues, it’s an
Thanksgiving From The Dorms
By Dasha Kolosovska ‘26
Every November, Fryeburg Academy takes a week off of school to share warm family gatherings during the Thanksgiving break. For day students, this time is usually spent at home, surrounded by relatives, familiar meals, and well-deserved rest before midterm exams. But what about boarding students? Where will they stay? Who will they celebrate with? And what does Thanksgiving even feel like in the U.S.? These are the types of questions November break brings to all international students. FA, in turn, puts a great deal of effort into supporting students with planning their break. This year, the Academy once again offers kids a variety of opportunities to spend the break engaging. One such opportunity gives dorm students a chance to travel and spend a week in Boston, exploring different colleges, or stay in Portland, enjoying the beautiful city, a Thanksgiving meal, and Black Friday shopping.
However, some students want to experience what it is like to spend a real Thanksgiving with an American family and its traditions. For such cases, FA connects students with local host families. Families in Fryeburg generously open their homes, giving international students the chance to experience an authentic experience in a warm, welcoming environment. Some day-student families even invite dorm students to join their own celebrations, extending the sense of community even further.
Most of the planning is led by Ms. Chewning and Mr. Wilson, who put in endless effort to make the week special and memorable for the kids. However, regardless of the position held, the whole school helps create a home-like feeling, so nobody is left out during Thanksgiving.
inspiration to what other cities could be.”
At the time of writing, Aidan’s firstchoice school—Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey—is less than an hour from the city. He is most attracted to the school by their highly esteemed urban planning program, ranked 3rd in the country in 2023. Having recognized the NYC subway as a system capable of making a profound change in Johannesburg, Aidan hopes to specialize in public transportation planning. While he’s felt drawn to a profession in the field of urban planning since he was eleven or twelve years old, “everyone can tell you what a chef or a doctor does, but when people ask me ‘What does an urban planner do?’ I don't even really know, so that's why I'm doing this internship.”
Aidan’s internship is not only a means of strengthening his college application, but also a way to explore a field of interest and obtain valuable experience. Like Aidan, all students have the opportunity to get ahead through the rich pool of resources we have around and within the Academy.
ARTS
Continued from front page: 42nd Street Comes to a Close
Fryeburg Academy’s 2025 All-School Musical, 42nd Street, closed recently after a hugely successful run from November 13th to November 16th. The community’s appreciation of the show is sincerely appreciated by everyone involved with its creation. The show came together as the result of months of hard work and dedication, and seeing that labor validated by such dazzling reviews is fantastically encouraging. For some students, this show has been in the works since July, and for director Emy Holden and other collaborating faculty, it’s been in the works since before the end of last school year. In that time, several rigorous dance numbers were choreographed, learned, and perfected; student actors learned and memorized over two hours’ worth of music, lines, and stage directions; John Lucy and others built the
captivating scenery, including wing frescos and a fully mobile scene wagon; Emy Holden costumed and provided wigs for a cast exceeding 30 students (some costumes contributed by Patty Hibbert), and Ethan Swayze led the charge in collaborating with Emy Holden on the excellent light design and sound effects, which were ultimately executed by himself and an incredibly hard-working crew of student technicians.
As usual, FA’s All-School Musical also featured a full pit orchestra directed by Mr. Sakash, and staffed entirely by students with the exception of Mr. Kaschub, vocal director John Waldie, and Mr. Sakash himself. 42nd Street presented a unique musical challenge to the pit and company alike in that the music was written about 100 years ago, leading to some unfamiliar technical and stylistic elements. However, we here at Fryeburg Academy are fortunate enough to take direction from Mr. Sakash in all things jazz from about late November to the end
of second semester in the context of jazz combos and big band, so many of the music program veterans were well equipped to tackle the challenging and vibrant score of 42nd Street. The musicians and company were also challenged by the incorporation of several rhythmically complex tap numbers throughout the show. Even beyond the skill and practice required of the dancers to master their routines, the dancers and pit were tasked with synching up rhythmically to produce a smooth and unified sound, while also following the vocals. 42nd Street was a feat of collaboration and artistic labor that will be remembered fondly by all involved, and hopefully, all who saw.
Right to left: Sally Baptista '26, Kai Cannon-Steele '27 (Photo- Holym Han '26)
Dodge Mixer-Bailey (Photo- Holym Han '26)
The musical in action (Photo- Holym Han '26)
ARTS
Setting up “42nd Street”
By Lilia Vishnyakov ‘26
From vibrant circus stages on wheels to multi-story platforms inspired by Parisian architecture, the sets of Fryeburg Academy’s All-School Musicals are always impressive and dynamic projects. This year is no different, as set designer John Lucy works to bring the streets of 1930’s New York City alive in our very own Leura Hill Eastman Performing Arts Center. Mr. Lucy gave some insight into the process of creating the sets for Fryeburg Academy’s musicals, and the way that stacks of plywood are transformed into magical worlds is nothing short of captivating.
Mr. Lucy’s biggest inspiration for the sets is Broadway. The show follows an aspiring chorus girl, who traverses the highs and lows of showbiz from a small town in Pennsylvania to the theatrical heart of New York City. After a meeting during
the summer with director Emmy Holden, Mr. Lucy got to work on bringing this vision to life. “42nd Street” in particular utilizes many movable set pieces and lighting effects, many of which are being reused from recent shows such as Amelíe and Big Fish. The sets for “42nd Street” are truly unique in their design, and paired with the correspondence with choreography they will surely lend to an exciting visual experience.
After 30 years of working with school plays, Mr. Lucy is inspired by the unique challenges that each show brings, and feels fulfilled in his contributions to Fryeburg Academy’s arts program. The team of creatives leading the production of “42nd Street” is enthusiastic about making it a success, which would not be possible without the dedication of John Lucy in the set department.
FA Artists Attend National Portfolio Day
By Wasp Harlow ‘26
On October 19th, a group of students consisting of Bea Tufts, Enzi Moore, Wasp Harlow, Asa Schipper, Serena Di Nucci, Lexie Gagnon, Maria Cornett, and Olayla McKenzie made the long trip to Boston, Massachusetts. National Portfolio day was happening in the Hynes Convention Center in the Prudential Center in Back Bay! National Portfolio day is an event where 41 art colleges from around the country meet with potential students. They offer speedy reviews of students’ portfolios: a collection of work that represents an artist’s skills and is a major part of college applications, like an artistic resume. Along with these reviews, the representatives also answered any questions prospective students had about their school. Every choice made in that loud, jam packed room full of people could affect the course of the entire trip. Wait in the long lines for the top schools, or go to the shorter lines for the sake of quantity over quality? It's a highly recommended event to any students who hope to go to college
for art—especially Juniors-–who can benefit from feedback on their art while still having plenty of time to hone their craft, and Seniors, who could also receive valuable feedback and potentially be made aware of any scholarship (and other) opportunities when meeting with representatives from a chosen school. While this one has already passed, there's always next year!
Classical Allstate Auditions
By Arthur Osborne ’26
Every October, the Maine Musical Education Association (MMEA) holds Classical All-State band, orchestra and choir auditions both in-person at northern and southern Maine audition locations, and through virtual submission for those who cannot make the trip. Although the Fryeburg Academy turnout at Classical All-State is often quite low, due to the festival coinciding with FA prom, this year the Academy brought two students, Arthur Osborne ‘26 and Lily Coriaty ‘28, to the southern Maine audition location at Brunswick High School to audition for the Maine state choir and band, respectively. The FA music department always encourages students to audition for MMEA festivals in person due to the value of audition practice, which speaks to the dedication and care Mike Sakash and the music department have for the future success of their students. Audition results have not yet been announced, but regardless of the outcome, these students will have gained valuable experience in stepping out of their comfort zones in preparing for and executing an audition away from home.
42nd Street Musical (Photo- Holym Han '26)
42nd Street Musical (Photo- Holym Han '26)
42nd St. In Photos
Mona Wilson '27 (Photo- Holym Han '26)
Dancers in the musical (Photo- Holym Han '26) Excitement at the musical (Photo- Holym Han '26)
Right to left: Lily Bryan '26, Arthur Osborne '26 (Photo- Holym Han '26)
A Riddle from Elise
Good morrow, friend! Attend mine riddle well: I dwell in chambers small and bright, Where metal walls reflect my light. I hum a tune both soft and grave, And make the coldest heart behave.
What am I?
Answer: A microwave. It waits all year for one big moment, gets lifted with care, passed around proudly, and judged by every relative…
yet it never takes a single bite.
What is it?
Answer: The Turkey
Girls Soccer Season Closing
By Sally Baptista ‘26
The moment an athlete steps onto the playing field for the last time in high school is one that they will remember for a long time, especially if they played all four years in their sport. Fryeburg Academy's Girls Soccer started off strong with a win against Wells (1-0), and ended their home season with a win against GNG, (3-2), they had a season filled with growth, unity, and love. To end the season, the girls have a final video that can be found on YouTube and is titled “FA Girls Soccer 2025 Season Recap” providing a glimpse into what Fryeburg Academy means to different people in the program. This season for Girls Soccer, they started to compete against harder teams that challenged them to move forward into every game with a new mindset. In an interview with the Conway Daily Sun, Coach David Hart reviewed the girls' tough game against Yarmouth with pride saying, “ We played well, and we’re coming together defensively, and the offense is starting to click. It's the first time in my five years that we’ve beaten Waynflete. Hopefully, we’ll
build on this.” A big part of the Fryeburg Academy Girls Soccer is how each season carries onto the next. Everyone on the team is dedicated to building off of each year and ways to improve from previous seasons. Girls soccer has a Junior Varsity team led by Coach Kayrin Johnson and a Varsity team led by Coach David Hart. Captain Galligan ‘26 celebrates the way FA girls soccer athletes rely on each other, saying, “whether you are on JV or Varsity, at the end of the day, no matter who we are playing with or playing against, we are all working towards the same goal and we all come together as one team.” Eden True ‘26 echoes this saying, “one of the most important things I've learned from girls soccer is really the value in working together and lifting each other up.” The season came to a close with a tough game against Lake Region resulting in a loss of 1-0. From this season, the team grew with the mental and technical side of soccer and having to learn all of these different aspects. FA girls soccer is excited for next year and are all in agreement that “the raiders rode!”
Boys Soccer Season Closing
By William McDonnell ‘26
The final game of the Men’s soccer season was here at home against the Lakes Region Lakers. The Raiders scored an early-game goal, but a very controversial call against Jacob Eveleth ‘26 caused Fryeburg to be forced to play the final 50 minutes of the game down a player. While playing with an extra man, Lakes Region tied the game 1-1. The game was ended early due to sportsmanship violations, resulting in a tie game, which eliminated both teams from playoff contention. Next season, 4-year returners will be Abe Grace, Ayden VanderVeur, and Emmett Lounsbury. Go Raiders!
Avery Bariteau '27 (Photo- Lakyn Osgood Ela '12)
Brady Eagan '28 (Photo- Paula Grace)
Boys' soccer in action (Photo- Holym Han '26)
Wrestling
By Sy Stevens ’27
The 2024-25 wrestling season resulted in “pretty good records” for most of the team, with 5 people going to states. Of those who went to states, Clinton Trussel ‘27 placed 3rd and Adrian Luck ‘25 placed 4th. Geza Labancz ‘25 won at states, allstates, then placed 4th in New England. All of the seniors grabbed well-rounded records, and they will be missed this coming season. Even without the guidance and skill of last year's seniors, the team hopes for a successful year. The team also looks forward to an exciting new class of freshman, who will hopefully provide a young core to develop into talented athletes.
Basketball
By Peter Priestman ‘29
The 2025-2026 Winter sports are upon us, which means that boys’ and girls’ basketball will soon commence. The girls’ varsity team is coached by Kristin Stacy, and girls’ JV will be coached by Sarah Sartory. Going into the season they do not have a single senior on the roster which leaves them without any obvious captain or leadership. The boys’ team is coming off of a 20242025 season led by Coach Dan Thomas that resulted in a Class-A semifinal run. This run was cut short by the #1 team in the state: the Falmouth Navigators. The Raiders will be debuting their season against Grey-New Gloucester on December 23rd.
Mount Washington Valley Ski Team
By Jacob Palestrant '27
On October 9th, Fryeburg Academy’s girls’ The MWV U16 team had a strong and steady season, racing across New Hampshire and regularly placing athletes in the top 30. Highlights included Lea Sturhan ‘26 and Campbell Barnaby ‘28 qualifying for the U16 Eastern Finals, while McKenna Lennon ‘27 advanced from Eastern Championships all the way to the U16 National Championships. The MWV team is made up of athletes from multiple schools, with Fryeburg students being Simon Portabella ‘28, Lea Sturhan ‘26, Campbell Barnaby ‘28, Brennan Slosberg ‘27, and McKenna Lennon ‘27 leading the way. Training took place almost daily at Cranmore, Attitash, Wildcat, and Bretton Woods.
The U18/FIS group (MWV’s older athletes) competed throughout the Northeast. Skiers like Caitlyn Nippins ‘25, Mia Astrauskas ‘25, Grace Audette ‘25, Ella Dean ‘26, Nathan Chandler ‘26,
Tucker Barnaby ‘26, Quin Dickey ‘25, and Liam Cummings ‘26 raced against college athletes and national team members. Many earned strong top-30 results and successfully lowered their FIS points. Both teams kicked off their season training in Hintertux, Austria, and are set to head to Winter Park and Copper, Colorado this year.
Nordic
By William McDonnell '26
The Nordic Ski Team begins its season on Monday, December 1st. Returning to the team are William McDonnell ‘26, Oren Monteith ‘27, Sy Stevens ‘27, Thomas Hubbell ‘27, Lou Knowles ‘28, Serena di Nucci ‘27, and Ayten Soylemez ‘25. Joining the team this year are Norwegian Sigurd Nyheim ‘26 and Jackson-commuter Alda Dufhilo ‘29. Last season, the boys' team had a strong season with now-graduated scoring skier Owen Reinbach ‘25. They placed second in the Conference Championship Pursuit (overall) with a team score of 765 to Yarmouth’s 784 (Yarmouth’s boys finished the state meet as the second-best team across all classes). This year, through improvements and new additions, the team hopes to overcome that difference despite the loss of Reinbach. On the girls' side, di Nucci stands to continue to lead the team this season after competing strongly and picking up 172 points for the girls in last year’s conference championships. It’s not too late to join the team. If you’re unsure: keep in mind that skiing builds power and endurance throughout the entire body, and that Nordic skiers often have the most impressive VO2 maxes across all athletes.
Wrestling in action
(Photo-Lakyn Osgood Ela '12)
Cody Boyd '26 (Photo- Lakyn Osgood Ela '12)
Boys' basketball in action (Photo- Lakyn Osgood Ela '12)
Owen Reinbach '25 (Photo- Pheobe Montieth)
MWV race prep (Photo-MWV Ski Club)
Indoor Track
By Sally Baptista’26
Last year's Indoor Track and Field team had an outstanding season both individually and across the team. Exemplifying individual success, Ty Boone and Avery Bariteau competed in Massachusetts for the New England Indoor Track and Field Championships. In the regular season, Avery Bariteau finished 1st place in the 200m (26.10) and 3nd in the 55m in States (7.47). Ty Boone won 1st in States for the High Jump with 6 '2'’, qualifying both for the Championships. Bariteau, qualifying for both the 55 meter dash and the 200 meter dash, finished the Championships with 19th in the 55m, and 10th in the 300m. Boone, qualifying for the High Jump, finished 15th overall. Haruki Takagi finished 3rd place in the 55m at States overall with a time of 6.74, and won 2nd place in the 200m with a time of 23.71. The boys relay team finished 2nd in States, with a time of 1:36.24. For the team as a whole, it was the first time in Fryeburg Academy history that the boys’ team finished 2nd overall, which is a great improvement and accomplishment for FAIT.
Co-op Hockey
By Benedikt Arnason’27
The Fall sports season has officially come to an end. Now, Winter athletes get ready for their season. Girls’ CO-OP hockey, Gorham- Fryeburg- Bonny Eagle-Westbrook, will open their season on the road versus the Greely Rangers. Last year, Girls’ Hockey made it to the regional semifinals. Girls’ Hockey has played one exhibition matchup against the Falmouth Navigators, tying them 3-3. The Ice Cats, Fryeburg-Lake Region-Oxford Hills, are getting ready for the ‘25-26 season. The boys start their season away, at Windham on December 5th. Last year, the Cats finished 12th in class A with a 4-14 WinLoss record. Their first home game is on December 9th versus Portland/Sopo.
Alpine
By Brady Chappell’26
Last year, the Alpine Ski Team made an impressive state run, just narrowly edging out Edward Little for the #2 spot. This year, the team doesn't plan to slow down. With a strong returning core, the team has the potential to do great again. Last year, the team fell just shy at states, but with a dismantled Yarmouth dynasty and a still fresh Fryeburg team, success is written in the stars. Other promising racers have remained on the team, like Oliver Dean ‘28 and Lexie Gagnon ‘27. A solid group of seniors leads the team into the coming season, including but not limited to Haley Spofford ‘26, Merrik Iacozili ‘26, Zane Tully ‘26, Camden Blake ‘26, and Brady Chappell ‘26.
Indoor warming up (Photo- Holym Han '26)
Indoor Podium (Photo- Holym Han '26)
Hockey locker room (Photo- Holym Han '26)
Alpine Slalom (Photo- Jen Stacy Bartlett '93)
Field hockey in action (Photo- Holym Han '26)
Boys' soccer in action (Photo- Holym Han '26)
Football sidelines action (Photo- Holym Han '26)
Girls' soccer (Photo- Holym Han '26)
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Contributors
Subeen An
Pavlo Tsybran
Daria Kolosovska
Sally Baptista
Benedikt Arnason
Sy Stevens
Arthur Osborne, Zonder McKenzie
Holym Han
Wasp Harlow
Jeehoo Lee
Andrew Meier
Brady Chappell
Bridget Wilson
Olivia Eveleth
Peter Priestman
Elise Dunn
Lilia Vishnyakov
Rylan McBride
Serena Di Nucci
Connor Spofford
Aspen Hazlewood
Anton Liesnoi
Calden Mcnulty
Thomas Gilmore-Merritt
Anhelina Kalishchuk
William McDonnell
Rhett Harper
Benny Harper
Haley Spofford