Each moment counts in the hours leading up to Commencement at New Hampton School, and this year is no exception. The final moments on campus together are filled with numerous opportunities to make memories, reflect on their experience, and celebrate their diminishing time as students. By Saturday afternoon, they will be alumni, and depart campus to start on new journeys. From senior week to graduation rehearsal, brunch to Baccalaureate, these events allow both the community and the graduates to celebrate their achievements, their history at the school, and to prepare them to receive their diplomas and depart campus as alumni.
Senior Week
This year’s Senior Week was epic, in a word. After weeks apart at the end of the academic term, Huskies committed to returning for a healthy and safe weeklong celebration. Exams behind them, they were able to engage in many events, meals, and plenty of downtimes to bond and prepare for the big events. Traditional end-of-the-year events also made this week their new home including the arrival of yearbooks, the annual College Celebration hosted by the College Office (catered by Chipotle!), the Spring Sports Awards, 4-Year Student Lunch, and Senior Formal. Even with all of these, there was plenty of time for fun and games.
Huskies headed to Manchester on Tuesday night to take in the Fisher Cats home opener. The double-A baseball team was a welcome sight, and ballpark snacks were plentiful. And, of course, we hosted some of our own games as well. First up was the students vs. faculty softball game. The game was a nailbiter heading into the bottom of the 7th with bases loaded, but the seniors held off their formidable teachers with a score of 8-7! On Wednesday, the game of the day was coed lacrosse on Kennedy Field, and lastly was women’s flag football on Thursday afternoon. Each team was also grateful to take a moment to celebrate the seniors and their spring season.
Senior formal brought out the glamour for an evening under the stars, the voices of the students echoing across campus as they sang along with the music. Friday saw the students heading to Fraconia Notch for a day at Echo Lake and time in the mountains, a grounding break away from campus before returning for more serious celebrations and reflections.
Class of 2021 Brick Dedication
To kick off the traditional weekend, the Class of 2021 joined together to dedicate their classes’ bricks in front of Meservey on Academic Row. Each collection of bricks, which are engraved with the names of the classmates and a granite stone highlighting the year of graduation, represents a tangible way to permanently recognize each member of the graduating class. It also offers a welcoming place to gather and reminisce during future visits for our alumni who return to campus for events such as Homecoming, Reunion, or Founder’s Day. Three student speakers marked the occasion with themes around growth, change, knowing the class’s place in New Hampton School’s history, and becoming alumni very soon.
“The future has few guarantees but based on the past I think I can predict some of them. One is that you will fail, and life will show you that when you make plans, it will laugh in your face.The second is that better days will come from those failures. You will fall. And you will get up. You will grow. The third guarantee is change. We are currently staring down the biggest change of many of our lives... at least I know it is for me. As I prepare to move to somewhere 22 hours away instead of 2 and a half. It’s scary, but it’s exciting...I cannot wait to see what the future holds for me and all of you, too. ” – Nora Kent ’21
“I spent four years here at New Hampton School, almost a quarter of my life so far, so of course I would call this place my home. And I am sure you can say the same thing regardless of how long you have been here. Because it’s not just the length of time that’s making me say this, but it’s what I did and learned here, who I met, all the memories that happened in this small but very special community…which is where we are right now, about to say goodbye to. I won’t ask you to reflect on your time here with me right now because I’m sure you all have been doing that already, but I want you to think about what it means for you to have these bricks, your name, here. For me, it’s a sign that I was here. That I was here and have proudly graduated from this school.” – Takamitsu Suzuki ’21
“When my sister got her brick put in—back in 2018—I laughed at the idea of calling her a brick. Now, looking at our engraved names, it’s apparent that although our time at New Hampton School was fleeting, we were a part of something bigger than ourselves. And know she’ll be able to call me a brick too. We’ll leave knowing that we positively impacted our school’s trajectory and left a legacy for future generations to carry on. Moving forward I encourage everyone to seize hope when you can, remember the people that make you laugh, and walk the path made for you, prepared for hardships but not hindered by them.” – Seraphina Hodgson ’21
