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Summer accomplishments

September 2, 2022

Cheshire Academy is currently called home by more than 300 students, all of whom have unique, exciting, and interesting stories. These students don’t limit their knowledge and talents to just the school year—they apply themselves in every facet of their lives, even when they are away from campus.

This summer, some CA students expanded their knowledge by taking summer courses, while others honed their athletic and artistic skills. Continue reading to see what just a few of our students accomplished over the past few months.

  • Practicing one’s skills is an amazing way to take advantage of free time. Jack Andrews ’23 spent his summer honing his baseball skills, including competing in the Boston Open, averaging .428 with three doubles and one triple.
  • Connor Bellair ’23, Carter Bellair ’24, and Vaugh Rockwell ’24 visited Sitka, Skagway, and Juneau, Alaska, to gain a firsthand understanding of the impact climate change has on glaciers. They also hiked the Mendenhall Glacier and took the White Pass Railway into the Yukon.
  • Layla Bowen ’23 was selected to participate in Yale School of Medicine’s Discovery to Cure High School Internship Program, designed for incoming 12th-grade students. A highly competitive program, Layla worked in the Harriet Kluger Lab, tasked with investigating LAG-3 expression in melanoma. She presented her findings on Aug. 12 to students, families, researchers, and doctors from Yale New Haven Hospital’s Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, & Reproductive Sciences. The research Layla and other participants conducted resulted in discoveries that can now be used toward cancer prevention and treatment.
  • Music is a very impactful way to communicate. This summer, Zoe Lansdale-Alexander ’23 attended a six-week program at one of the nation’s top chamber music festivals for high school students. Lansdale-Alexander learned about and performed masterpieces of chamber repertoire every two weeks, and sang madrigals and choral works while also playing percussion in the orchestra.
  • Devan Fernando ’23, Santino Gambardella ’23, and Anthony Tirado ’23 collected reusable sports equipment toward the end of the 2021-2022 academic year. During the summer, Fernando was able to bring the donated items to the Greater Waterbury Interfaith Ministries, a nonprofit organization that provides food and supplies to those in need. While delivering the donations, Fernando was able to meet with some of the children who will be able to benefit from his and his peers’ work.
  • Before she entered her 12th-grade year, Millie Lanni ’23 looked ahead to the future by attending a two-week pre-college program at Marist College. There, Lanni lived in a senior dorm suite with three other students attending the program, and learned more about film and tv production. Lanni conducted practice interviews, created a news package covering another camp held on campus, and recorded a short film with multi-camera programming.
  • Despite dangerous heatwaves, Stella Liebler ’23 gave it her all on the soccer field this summer. Liebler played for the Olympic Development Program (ODB) East Regional team, which she helped lead to a title at the ODP regional in Massachusetts.
  • Grace Maurice ’23 and Maddy Olmstead ’23 continued to represent the CA girls’ varsity lacrosse team on the field as part of the Connecticut Stars lacrosse game. Maurice and Olmstead were selected out of 44 players to compete in the game.
  • Ryan Perez ’23 dedicated his summer to improving his talents in baseball. Throughout the summer months, he attended several tournaments and showcases, competing against and playing with other talented student-athletes.
  • This summer, Allie Schatz ’23 took advantage of her free time by traveling the west coast. During her ventures, Schatz visited Boulder, Colorado; Jackson, Wyoming; Park City, Utah; Lake Tahoe; the California Coast, Yellowstone National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion National Park, the Grand Canyon, and Las Vegas.
  • While on a walk, Alex Tang ’23 came across a stranger who was injured as a result of a traffic accident. Using his basic life support skills and on-hand first-aid supplies, Tang was able to stop the individual’s bleeding until ambulance personnel arrived.
  • Lukas Witt ’23 attended the LaGrange camp, where he honed his football skills by practicing a variety of drills. Witt has offers from Yale University and Columbia University.
  • Education gives students many opportunities to explore their interests. Yixuan “Claire” Chen ’24 attended summer school at the University of Southern California to further her passion for filmmaking and directing. Chen learned about the ins and outs of film, television, and the hardships presented within the tv and film industries. She was inspired by film director Christopher Beau Landon’s life story, taking away from Landon’s story that life experiences can enrich a person’s heart.
  • Writing is the best way to express ourselves to each other and the world. Danae Bell ’24 and Elise Lurix ’24 were among 12 selected across the state of Connecticut to showcase their writing skills as part of the ASAP!’s 17th annual Celebration of Young Writers, held at the Spring Hill Arts Gathering on June 17.
  • Leo Ehrenfels ’24 and Monica Ehrenfels ’25 had a busy summer practicing their instruments of choice. Before the end of the school year, the two performed as part of the Quinnpiac Symphonic Orchestra, Hamden Symphony, and Piano and Viola recitals. In June, they both attended the Philadelphia International Music Festival and, just one month later, they spent another two weeks at Ithaca College Summer Music Academy. To round out their summer, Leo attended a one-month outdoor adventure at Camp Kabeyun, while Monica went to Camp Deer Run, both in New Hampshire.
  • Exploring the world allows people to develop new ways of thinking. Molly Golden ’24 went on a month-long trip to Israel with the North American Federation for Temple Youth. While there, Golden explored cities and learned about new cultures, climbed sand dunes, hiked mountains, slept in the desert, and swam in the Mediterranean, Red, and Dead seas.
  • Shreeya Gomathinayagam ’24 attended the National Youth Leadership Forum: Medicine, held at the University of Maryland. Through the program, Gomathinayagam participated in hands-on medical simulations, clinical skill rotations, and visited the George Washington Medical School. She was Stop the Bleed certified and completed the “Minds of the Future Program,” held at the R Adams Cowley Shock Trauma Center in Baltimore, Maryland.
  • De’naya Rippey ’24 continued to improve upon her basketball skills during the summer playing for the New Heights New York City team. During the team’s bout in the Select 40 tournament in Indiana, Rippey scored 30 points for the team and got 15 rebounds.
  • Helping others and getting to understand their situation truly makes us better humans. Phuong “Flora’’ Quynh Nguyen ’25 participated in an amazing charitable opportunity. Through the program, she was able to educate elementary school students on the importance of recycling plastic bottles, and even use the containers to grow plants. The students, who live in a rural area of Vietnam, also learned about processing organic waste. While there, Nguyen visited a low-income family, with whom she shared food and words of encouragement.
  • Betty and Margo Weske ’25 kept things cool this summer by sharpening their skills on the ice rink. Not only did they hone their hockey skills, they mentored local first-grade students at the Yellow House, run by Cheshire’s Human Services Department. Through the mentoring program, the Weske sisters helped the students explore their love for reading and improved their comprehension skills.

 

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