Pallium Preview

from Pallium | Fall/Winter 2018-19

by Canterbury School

PALLIUM

MOMENTUM BUILDS

With steadfast purpose, committed leadership, and the transformative philanthropy of alumni, parents, grandparents, faculty, staff, and friends, Mission & Momentum: The Campaign for Canterbury has reached $74 Million toward its $90 Million goal. This comprehensive capital campaign is raising funds to construct new and update existing campus facilities, grow the Endowment, and sustain a growing Annual Fund. Even more so, Mission & Momentum is building

a future for every student who aspires to a life-changing education.

Within one year of announcing the reignited campaign— including its centerpiece of a new, 22,000-square-foot, student-centric building and campus square—Mission & Momentum has garnered the support and affirmation of 81 donors who have contributed $15.6 Million specifically for the $17 Million construction projects. We are deeply grateful for the generosity of these donors—

who cross all segments of the extended Canterbury family—for it is their extraordinary energy, enthusiasm, and support that fuels our momentum.

Carefully guided by our strategic plan, Canterbury continues on a path toward greater financial sustainability. We are committed to completing these critical construction projects without incurring additional debt. We have completed extensive value engineering and construction bidding processes, exercising great

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HILLTOP HAPPENINGS

saints on the hill

jessica ’19 • “faith” grant ’19 • “discovery” michaela ’19 • “family” nick ’20 • “perserverance”

john ’19 • “legacy” jilly ’20 • “acceptance” claire ’19 • “grit” brigida ’20 • “overcome”

joyce ’20 • “listen”

sabrina ’21 • “service”

jenna ’21 • “memory”

maeve ’20 • “remember”

Saints on the Hill began as a way for students to share their stories, and, in doing so, find underlying similarities in their apparent differences. Now in its third consecutive year as a staple piece of Thursday School Meeting, students have imparted stories from the impact of the Lourdes trip to overcoming athletic injury to carrying on the legacy of a beloved faculty member. With each presentation, the Saints community leaves Maguire Auditorium feeling just that much more connected to one another and the hilltop.

Maeve O’Donnell, a Fifth Form boarding student from Massapequa, Long Island, was the first presenter to speak in

September of this academic year. She spoke about her father’s role as a first responder at the scene of the Twin Towers on September 11, 2001 and the camaraderie of his fellow firefighters. When Maeve concluded her Saints on the Hill, her parents were among the crowd standing in applause. (And you can bet there was not a dry eye in sight when she—and everyone else—realized they were there.)

We spoke to Maeve about her family, her values, and how they’re tightly intertwined in a Five Minute Interview.

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If a crystal ball could tell you anything about your future, what would you want to discover? Currently, I would want to know if I find a major and a college that is perfect for me. So, that in the future after college, I know I have a life that I love, that I’m making an impact on the world, and that I’m growing as a person while helping others grow...and ultimately am just happy!

You’ve been one of the vocal student leaders of the Sustainability Club and have been very involved this year in initiating programming for the community. At what point did you realize that environmental justice was important to you? One year, for Christmas, my dad gave my siblings and me really special gifts. They came in FedEx boxes but weren’t actual things...for me, he wrote a note saying that my gift was a trip to any National Park in the U.S. I chose Acadia in Maine, and so we went camping there together for a few days. That was one of the main pieces in my childhood that I can point back to and say that it made an impact on my desire to protect our planet.

What is your biggest fear? My biggest fear is related to the fear of the unknown, but unlike the typical fear of dying or death, it’s blindness. The unknown or uncertain factor that terrifies me is not being able to see.

Do you think that ties into your love of being outside and surrounded by nature at all? Beauty can be interpreted in many different ways. Musically-inclined people can find a lot of beauty in music—listening and performing—but I like watching things. I like watching sunsets and going on hikes and seeing the views. So, yes, I think it is! For me, some of the most beautiful things are defined through sight.

Alright, another sense question—what’s your favorite sound? When it’s snowing! Or when I’m walking through the snow. That quietness that you can almost hold. It seems to be still, but it’s not because it’s snowing and there are those small flakes peppering the sky everywhere. Winter is my favorite season so it makes sense that that is my favorite sound!

Ok, last one, it’s quick! Sunrise or sunset? I’d like to say both, but I’ll stick to sunset. It’s hard to wake up early enough for the sunrise, you know!

5 MINUTE INTERVIEW: Maeve O’Donnell ’20

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HILLTOP HAPPENINGS

GUNNERY DAY

CANTERBURY SCHOOL VERSUS THE GUNNERY: A PLAY-BY-PLAY OF THE NATURAL RIVALRY TURNED HONORED TRADITION

While Gunnery Day games were the final regular season competitions for each team, Girls’ Varsity Soccer and Varsity Field Hockey both pulled away with wins to help each team advance to the postseason New England tournament.

The day began early. Friday morning classes don’t typically start until 8:15 AM, but the campus was buzzing by 6:00 AM, cars pulling in and out of the Duffy lot as faculty and staff began preparations for the evening’s gathering.

The Sixth Form Council shuffled their way around the Student Center, sneaking into classrooms and offices to hang columbia streamers and navy balloons across every surface. Firemen could be found outside of South House, parked with their ladder trucks, already setting themselves up to secure the lawn that slopes down across lower campus. Jack-of-all-trades Ross Coco (also known as Associate Plant Manager) was up and out, working determinedly even before the sun rose, with personnel from across Litchfield County to steady the slowly rising, hut-like structure of huge logs outside of South House. The bonfire,

the glowing mass of sparks, was to be that evening upon the culmination of Canterbury’s second-ever Fall Spirit Week. Administrators zipped around campus in golf carts to ensure a successful event.

When the rest of the campus awoke that morning for classes, Friday morning’s grogg quickly rolled away when met with the excitement of those who had been preparing for hours. The entire School community rallied into a singular body of school spirit, a sheer machine of optimism and encouragement. Canterbury was ready to take on the weekend’s events.

Gunnery Day, now in its second year as a fall tradition to close out the athletic season, is more than just a morning of soccer and field hockey games. It’s a welding together of school spirit, a unified end to a long fall

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season that has indoctrinated students into the Saints family, into championing the Saints, into becoming Saints. With each game, practice, rehearsal, and more, every team and student group creates Saints. Spirit Week is a time for the community to fully embody the essence of what it means to compete as a Saint.

The buzz on campus continued well into the evening, as the start time for the highly prepped bonfire and preceding pep rally quickly approached. Sixth Form Council and Dean of Students Jake Dellorco bundled into Pigott

Arena all afternoon, watching Varsity teams rehearse their skits to be shown at the rally, tying all loose ends, making sure all were stage ready for the awaiting crowds. Across campus, teams holed up together, wherever they could find space, to rehearse before the evening performance.

Pigott Arena, 7:00 PM, students piled into seats. The Sixth Form Council took control of the stage, microphones in hand, scripts stuffed into pockets, jokes poised. The air stood still until a singular “Roll Saints” broke the silence

TWO-PEAT FOR SAINTS ON GUNNERY’S TURF

“We are looking forward to great sportsmanship and competition between the two outstanding schools for years to come,” reflected Director of Athletics Jim Stone. “We’ve already had a natural rivalry given our schools’ proximity, and our students are looking forward to this spirited week and day.”

The Canterbury-Gunnery Cup is awarded each May to the school who accumulates the highest number of overall wins throughout the year. As teams entered their spring season competitions, Canterbury maintained a steady lead for 2019!

7-1

CBURY-GUNNERY GAME DAY RESULT

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Varsity teams initiated laughs, cheers, and groans from the student body during Friday evening’s Pep Rally in Pigott Arena. Each skit provided insight into the team’s spirit, from demonstrating a silly dance they had practiced for several weeks or their perception of their team and coaches.

from deep within the waiting crowd.

Each line fell into the next, inside jokes delivered on top of inside jokes, every word hitting the crowd with a responding giggle or resounding roar. Spirit rose through lighthearted impressions of faculty members and too-true impressions of other students.

Varsity teams swooped in one after another, pulling up their song on the speaker before breaking into dance, or, like Varsity Football, a country song-fueled kick line. Everything stopped when Boys’ Varsity Soccer gathered on the Arena floor, breath held, knowing what was to come—a timely and accurate impression of Coaches Ganow and Omaña, down to the daily practice uniform and facial expressions. The team did not disappoint as Zach Riccitelli ’20 speeded in on Mr. Omaña’s bike, Paco and

Daisy (the Omañas’ small and beloved dogs) bouncing along behind him.

When the time finally came to celebrate the bonfire on South Lawn, the Sixth Formers paraded in two lines, flanked by Underformers on either side, with torches to toss into the glowing heap. The carrying of the torch is both a literal and symbolic gesture for all of the Sixth Formers honored during the evening’s mounting festivities.

Friday evening’s festivities translated to Saturday’s nervous jitters as Varsity Field Hockey and Girls’ Varsity Soccer loaded into toasters to make the easy ride over to The Gunnery at 8:00 AM. Boys’ Soccer—both JV and Varsity—boarded a bit later in the morning. While rain had poured down on the fields post-bonfire, Gunnery’s turf held up

as the mud and dampness settled. All games went off without a hitch, and all Varsity teams brought home a win. Saturday morning’s activity paralleled Friday morning’s energy with students, faculty, staff, alumni, family, and friends all buzzing around Gunnery’s campus to fight (or cheer) valiantly for the faith once delivered to the Saints. Our school motto alive and in motion on Gunnery’s campus.

While a coalescence of Spirit Week’s buzz, the morning’s games also held double significance as the final regular season games of the fall season, traditionally recognized as senior games for our Sixth Form athletes. It was the last time that Boys’ Varsity Soccer stepped out onto the field together. Before their game, Varsity Girls’ Soccer took a moment to honor their Sixth Formers in a tight-knit circle. The Gunnery’s Field Hockey Coach even included the Canterbury Field Hockey Sixth Formers during a traditional post-game ceremony for the team.

With Girls’ Soccer competing in the backdrop and fans lining the stands shoulderto-shoulder, the morning of Gunnery Day was a blended mix of what the week was all about—a centuries-old, good-spirited, and natural rivalry for Canterbury to celebrate our growth and prowess as Saints.

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BATTLE OF THE

FORMS

It is practically Canterbury tradition to think that your Form is the Form. The best one, across every comparable marker. The Form with the most School spirit, the one that shows up to all the games, all the concerts. And, even then, the one with the greatest number of students playing in those games and at those concerts. The Form with the smartest kid at the School. The Form that sets the tone for the entire year.

This Form-specific pride is grown from the moment students arrive on the hilltop and seeps through most of the student-led activities hosted throughout each semester. But Battle of the Forms, a two-hour competition in late February, is where Form pride really takes center stage. For one evening each winter, Pigott Arena transforms into a battle ground between the four clashing classes. Four Forms, four colors, about four dozen competitions. One Form to be declared the best and have the other Forms admit it, too…if only for a moment.

From half-court shots to a math competition and scavenger hunt, no skill is left unearthed by the end of the evening. The pride is absolutely palpable.

The Third Form, shedding any timidness after a semester of finding their footing, identify with a popping green. The Fourth Form scream their spirit in bright orange, while the Fifth carries deep red and the Sixth, a strong, Canterbury navy blue. Each Form grows into the next Form’s color with each passing year at Canterbury.

And while the competition is said to be fair and square... we all know that Sixth Form nearly always wins. This year, after the three-legged race concluded and all the scores were tallied up, was no exception. Go class of 2019! A few more months to be declared the best!

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ACADEMICS

a [river]bed of hands-on learning

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ACADEMICS

a state test site, so, excitingly, as a class, we are able to update the work of the the long-term study even after the study has ceased to exist.

What is the impact of human development on where we yield our water? WEC examines this essential question which guides our course by going onsite to the very locations that help supply the water for our hilltop. As a group, students determined three specific locations of local water sources to test, brainstormed ideas of what information we would need to measure to assess the quality, and then created a model of what we thought the quality might be based on prior knowledge of the surrounding area.

The three locations for our water quality measurements were all within New Milford— the East Aspetuck River on the widely-traveled Route 202, Great Brook on the quieter Grove Street, and West Aspetuck River along Housatonic Avenue. As a class, we spent several weeks traveling between campus and the sites to gather data which included physical, chemical and biological information. East Aspetuck

River runs parallel to a busy road: how would the close proximity of car pollutants affect the quality of the tributary? Great Brook is lined with roots and shielded physically from human erosion: do those barriers have measurable effects on the water quality?

Students examined the stream corridor for character of the stream, flow, width, depth, temperature, amount of tree cover, and pollution. They then donned hip waders to walk into the streams and do all of the actual collecting of data. This part of the experiment allows them to be part of hands-on science that has a broad impact on their lives and ramifications in what feels like their own backyard!

To measure for chemicals, our class tested nitrates, total dissolved solids, pH, alkalinity, and dissolved oxygen. Lastly, we collected benthic macroinvertebrates (bugs) which can give us an indication of biodiversity and quality depending on the types of insects that we found. We also did a quick bacteria test to see if any were present in the three water sources. This year’s

The classroom comes to life: Students traveled to their three chosen water sources—three nearby tributaries—to gather onsite measurements.

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THE BEAT GOES ON

Dave Overthrow has been making music at Canterbury since 1998, but his legacy extends beyond our hilltop through the generations of alumni in whom he has helped inspire musical talent and pursuance.

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PERFORMING ARTS

BY MADDIE LORD

In his twenty plus years as a member of the Canterbury community, David Overthrow

has touched the entire campus with the depth of his musical knowledge...quite literally! He has seen the Music Department move all over the hilltop, from Old Schoolhouse, to temporary trailers, and finally to its current location near Pigott Arena. While the Department has changed locations, it has never lost its core intention—guiding students towards a love of music—due to Dave’s careful stewardship of his students and their work. As Director of the program, Dave has not only been responsible for physically transporting this space (“We had to lug the drum set over to the trailers and back again!”) but also for transporting the hearts of generations of students through the joys of music.

Dave’s drive to teach music is fueled by students’ “aha” moments when they realize the full extent of what they are capable of achieving. Many of his students report simply being unaware of their abilities prior to their lessons and echo Dave’s sentiment of finding their own ‘aha’ moments during practices with him. “I didn’t think I was going to be playing music when I arrived at Canterbury,” says Nick Graham ’21, a current student in Dave’s Jazz/Rock/Pop Ensemble. “But my uncertainties went away through his gentle guidance to help me become a better musician. He makes you trust him and then you go with it.” This sentiment is reflected across generations of alumni for whom Dave has encouraged musical talent. Will Tully ’06, also a drummer, was intent on playing basketball during his years at Canterbury. Instead, he found himself in an introductory music class taught by Dave. He picked up the instrument over the course of a semester, each day a new “aha” moment as he learned what he was capable of with a pair of drumsticks and Dave’s guidance. Nick currently serves as the lead