By Sinan Coqui ’26

Our trip to Boston was an adventure from the very start. At 5:30 a.m., we started our journey, gathered bleary-eyed on the Sturtevant porch. Naturally, things couldn’t go smoothly at that early hour, so we had a minor setback when one of the bus drivers was missing in action. It turns out that he had forgotten to wake up to drive us to our train station. But thanks to some hurried organizing, we eventually made it to our train in Brunswick. After a long journey, we finally arrived at Boston’s North Station around 11:30 a.m., just an hour behind schedule. As we stepped off, we were immediately greeted by a familiar scent—Boston’s answer to New York’s “urban perfume,” otherwise known as the unmistakable smell of marijuana and scents of public urination.

After a short walk to Boston Common, we split into groups to explore the Freedom Trail, each group exploring a specific number of landmarks. Our assignment was to record videos where we presented the various historic sites to the camera. My group’s lunch spot was the Faneuil Hall, where there was chaos from a variety of food stands, each with its own unique menu and its own unique price tags. After lunch, we regrouped by the Paul Revere statue, then headed to the Bunker Hill Monument. We had some free time until 4:30 p.m., so I and a few others returned back to Faneuil Hall to check out some of the shops there. Then, after we all met again, we returned to North Station. The trip’s adventure was topped off by a long wait for our delayed train back. By the time we returned to Brunswick Station, Mr. Bonis drove us back to Hebron with his trademark speedy driving, bringing us home in record time.

September 20th was Hebron’s Maine Day, where the various grades went on field trips (or stayed on campus) to learn about different aspects of the surrounding Maine community. We asked a student from each grade to write about their Maine Day experience. The pieces they returned range from brief to long and while some are very literal, others are full of hyperboles that should not be taken too seriously. Thank you to all the local organizations that hosted us! 

Perrin Gill ‘28 on the freshman class

Maine Day was a thrilling opportunity for students to come together and make a positive impact through community service across the state. As 9th graders at Hebron Academy, we stayed on campus, which might not seem exciting at first, but it turned out to be an adventure, as we explored hidden spots that many students had never seen before.

The day began in the science lecture hall, where Dr. Swenton presented the schedule and laid out our plans. My group’s tasks included cleaning the Atwood closet, organizing the Lepage closet, and cutting down trees around the sauna. Though it was hard work, Maine Day offered an amazing chance to connect with nature, bond with my classmates, and gain a deeper appreciation for the beauty of our surroundings. It was more than just a day of service; it was a day of discovery and teamwork, right in our backyard.

Addie Hancock ‘27 on the sophomore class

For the sophomore year trip, we went to Nezinscots. Nezincots is a local farm in Turner with various animals, gardens, and a cafe/bakery. Their store includes various locally sourced crafts and goods, plus an upstairs seating area with cats. It originally was a dairy farm, but over the last three generations, it has expanded to include many other forms of agriculture. The staff there were incredibly welcoming and eager to teach us about their operation, and overall it was a great experience. 

When we arrived, they organized us into groups to take on different tasks around the farm. The first group went over to the animals, helping to feed and care for them. The second group headed to the farm and did general maintenance to prepare for the winter. After that, they harvested some food for the lunch that Nezinscots was preparing for us. The third group went into the bakery to make pizzas and bake a cake for when all of our respective tasks were done. As the groups finished up, we ended by picking flowers and eating a delicious meal. Altogether, this trip was a great hands-on experience that taught us about agriculture and ways of living sustainably and was an incredibly fun way to integrate into the local community.

Cale Proctor ‘26 on the junior class

For a class trip the junior class went to Ricker Hill, which is an apple orchard in Turner Maine. While we were there, we did a multitude of things: we played with animals, we went shopping, we picked apples, and had a great time. While picking apples my friends thought it would be a great idea to start throwing apples at each other, so we walked out of that orchard with more bruises than we walked in with. 

Kate Dilworth ‘25 on the senior class

While everyone else sipped apple cider and pet goats on Maine Day, the Senior class got recruited by a cult in the deep wilderness of Farmington, Maine. To start the day we were introduced to a man fully dripped out in cargo shorts, tucked in flannel button-up, along with a pair of rain boots with no socks on. I know he wasn’t wearing socks because he would take his shoes off multiple times throughout the day to reconnect with nature. Next after a 5-minute walk to the compound itself, we circle up next to a tree with a swing. Now, what Rain Boots man does with this swing is unbelievable. He winds up and flies around the circle, rain boots still on. After introductions to the staff and the oak trees, we are sorted into groups to do the weirdest manual labor. I sat on the floor of a wooden cabin crushing acorns to get the meat out. That’s right acorn meat. Didn’t know that existed until I was sitting on the floor next to a man who was on a deodorant strike and his best friend was an ant who was not there to eat the food in the kitchen. News flash, the ants are there to eat the food in your kitchen. After crushing acorns for thirty minutes we made acorn pancakes which taste about the same as cardboard with maple syrup and by what I mean disgusting. Then we chopped some vegetables which were alright and had a lunch break. I know that rain boot-wearing David Kuresh hated to see all those Dorito bags pulled out of the abyss.  Then came my favorite part. Tree hugging.

Contrary to popular belief tree huggers are not an old wives tale like the bigfoot or the yeti. No, they are real and they wear Blundstone and thrifted fisherman’s sweaters. As we walked in the woods we met the beech trees or the “beech people” and then we had to choose one to cut down. But do not worry guys! This tree’s life is not ending because it will live on in someone’s new hobbit home. I’m not sure what it was but I was just trying not to get brainwashed. When I tell you that these two grown men were crying about cutting down this tree. Tears physically fall down this man’s cheek to cut down a tree. Yes, I understand the consequences that deforestation has on the environment and animal habitats, however when I tell you I saw maybe a million other beach trees in the general area. I don’t think that this tree will be necessarily missed. 

Allison Wernick ’21

‘Black Lives Matter’ – a statement that many of us see plastered throughout social media. We see the post, like it, share it, and then feel like we’ve done everything we can. I felt that way too for a little bit. But after a while, I began feeling like that wasn’t enough. I knew that there had to be more I could do to help than simply sharing a post online. I began researching my options. I saw that I could sign petitions, email police departments, or even donate money to help protests. Yet, even after doing all of those things, I still felt like my voice had yet to be heard. Instead of donating money to protests, I wanted to actually participate in one. I wanted the entire world to hear my voice and the voice of thousands of other people uniting against racism. 

One night, as I was looking at Snapchat, I saw that one of my friends posted a PSA about a protest that would be happening in my area. Many emotions floated throughout my mind. I instantly became excited, knowing that I would actually get the chance to show how infuriated I am with the world. However, I also felt scared. I had seen so many videos of the police throwing tear gas and shooting rubber bullets at peaceful protesters. But there was no way I would let those fears stop me. I knew that the racism in our country and in many parts of the world is so disgustingly unacceptable and I had to do something. I had to fight for what I truly believe in; equality for all and the end of prejudice towards black people. 

A few days after I saw the PSA, I arrived at the Monroe Ponds – the place where the protest would happen. I became nervous after seeing multiple police cars, but I stood my ground. My mom had accompanied me to the protest, and after seeing thousands of people there, we both became teary-eyed. We knew we had made the right decision in protesting. We had to stand up for people that had been oppressed for so many years. Everyone gathered at one end of the pond and my eyes couldn’t stop scanning the crowd. It was so diverse and there were so many amazing signs. One of the most powerful signs read “If you think your mask makes it hard to breathe, imagine being black in America.” This statement really tells it like it is, black people are so oppressed that they can barely breathe. The entire group started walking around the pond and chanting things like “I can’t breathe!” or “No justice, no peace!” After circling the entire pond, we all gathered in one area and listened to people make inspiring speeches about the unacceptable racism in America. 

Going to this protest was such an eye-opening experience. It showed me thousands of people who also believe that racism in this country is unacceptable and change is needed. It was amazing to feel unified with so many other people all fighting for such an amazing cause. If you’re unsure about whether you should protest, I say, definitely do it! Use your voice to make a change!