Author Archives: 26madsenc@hebronacademy.org

Unsettling Dreams 

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By: Peyton Grebinar ’27

After finishing Kafka’s classic novella The Metamorphosis, World Literature students were asked to reimagine the iconic opening sentence. Peyton Grebinar’s humorous take on Kafka’s dilemma resonates with every Hebron student struggling to wake up early and make it to class on time! 

When Peyton woke up one morning from unsettling dreams, she found herself changed in her bed into a monstrous tortoise. After waking up to this new form, Peyton was extremely startled. Most people would freak out and call 911,  but she could not because she did not have fingers. Instead of freaking out, Peyton climbed onto her bedside table, then onto her desk, then took a leap of faith onto the ground, landing with a thud. Being a giant tortoise meant moving a lot slower than normal, but it also saved a lot of time. As a giant reptile, you do not need to spend time doing your hair, makeup, or picking out an outfit. Peyton decided the smartest thing to do would be to get an early start to her day, so she had the idea of leaving to go to class at 7:45. Just as she began her crawl to the door, her roommate Beccy woke up from her sleep. Beccy climbed out of bed, eyes still not fully open. She grabbed her toothbrush and headed towards the door when she caught her foot on a large solid object, and BOOM! Down went beccy. 

After getting up and pulling herself together, Becy gasped as she looked at what Peyton had become. She started laughing out loud uncontrollably for at least five minutes. Once the hysterics were over, Beccy realized Peyton couldn’t do anything on her own, so she grabbed Peytons bag and put it around her large turtle shell, opening the door for Peyton. Beccy watched Peyton waddle her way to the stairs, and begin her walk. While making her time down the stairs, Peyton felt determined to have a good day even though she was now an animal. 

By the time she made it to the last step of the dorm, and out the door, Peyton was famished. To this she decided to stop and grab a bite to eat. She found the most beautiful, scrumptions, tasty looking grass! When she got to the grass she began to nibble, and ate until her belly was full. She then carried on and made it to the sidewalk. At the side walk there were many cars zooming by, but none of them could see little Peyton, only a few inches off the ground waiting to safely cross the road. After a little while there was a break in the line of cars. Peyton decided to be brave and cross quickly. She stepped into the crosswalk and made it about half way when all of a sudden, a giant eighteen wheeler came barreling down the road. In this moment she went into sheer panic mode, wondering whether she should turn back and try to make it back where she started, or to get across to the other side. In all of this time she wasted thinking, the truck had gotten up to her, and she hasn’t moved an inch. What Peyton forgot was that she was now a tortoise. A tortoise with a big strong shell on her back. She used her shell, hiding her body into it and shut her eyes, hoping for the best. 

Peyton waited a moment before sticking her neck back out to check if she was safe. When she looked, she saw the coast was clear, so she wasted no time and quickly crossed. Peyton now began to hurry on her way, still frazzled from what had just happened. She walked across the mile long senior path, smiling at everyone she passed, until she finally made it to the school building. She waited for a group of students to walk out, slipping in the door behind them. Once inside the building, Peyton looked up and saw her arch nemesis: The stairs in the school building. She bravely began her trip up the stairs, looking up as if looking up towards the top of a mountain. When she made it to the landing she stopped just until she caught her breath, then she carried on. She climbed for what felt like forever, passing by many of her fellow friends and teachers. She looked up and realized she had made it up all of the stairs. She hobbled towards Ms. Watermans door, only to realize it was shut and all of the lights were off. Peyton also realized the building was extremely quiet. She pushed open the door to the fire escape only to see the moon smiling back at her. Peyton then heard the bells of the clocktower ring. One ring, Two rings, Three rings, Four rings, on and on until she counted ten rings. TEN RINGS!? That was when Peyton realized how long it took her, and that she had missed her entire day of school because she was turned into a tortoise. 

At this point, all that Peyton could think of was how she was going to explain this to Ms. Teske, and the attendance office. Peyton was in big trouble but hey, at least she got to be a tortois for a day!

Prom ’25 Recap

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By: Addison Lydon ’26

Prom 2025 was all about the people—and what a night it was! Held on Saturday, April 26th at Moonlit Ridge, this year’s prom focused on what really mattered: good music, great company, and a chance to celebrate together.

Students showed up in everything from classic formal wear to bold, creative looks, and the energy was electric from the moment the doors opened. The venue was stylish and simple, letting the vibe of the night shine through without the need for over-the-top decorations or a set theme. The photobooth was a big hit, such a nice and humorous way to remember the night forever. 

The dance floor stayed packed as DJ Alex kept the hits coming, blending pop favorites, music in different languages, throwbacks, and everything in between. Whether you were showing off your best moves or just hanging with friends, the whole night had a relaxed, fun atmosphere that made it feel like one big celebration.

A huge thank you goes out to everyone who helped make prom happen—Ms. Collins, your pina coladas were amazing, Ms Dulac, your plans really came all together! And a big shout out to the  student organizers, the night was wonderful. It was a night full of laughs, dancing, and memories we won’t forget anytime soon.

To wrap up the night, here are a few unofficial (but totally well-earned) shoutouts from prom:

Prom 2025 Superlatives

  • Best Dressed Couple – Simora Grenade Gamble & Jahsir Chadwick – serving style, elegance, and coordination like pros.
  • Best Dressed Individual – Natalie Lutalo – absolutely owned the look from head to toe.
  • Life of the Party – Krum Tsvetkov – never left the dance floor and brought the energy all night.
  • Most Likely to Keep the Night Going – Emma Frumiento – still had energy when the rest of us were ready for bed.
  • Best Dance Moves – Teddy Bemis – stole the spotlight with some serious footwork.
  • Most Unexpected Slay – Salwa Saeed – turned heads and made a statement we didn’t see coming (in the best way).

Last Word

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By: Anonymous Class of 2025

Many of us have warm memories of leaving home to begin a new adventure. Maybe when you  were a young boy or girl, and you went off to summer camp in Maine for the first time. Or  maybe when your parents proudly dropped you off at Hebron Academy and you began your life as a boarding student. 

My memories of leaving Afghanistan in August 2021 to come to the United States are a little  different. We had to flee the Taliban with one day’s notice, struggle through screaming crowds  and loud gunfire to reach Kabul Airport, spend four days huddled inside the airport praying for  an evacuation flight, and inside a packed military-transport plane during the long flight to Qatar and safety. 

These memories still make me sad—and a little afraid. But then I have other memories— beautiful memories—like the day my host family here at Hebron, the Frumientos, took me to their home for the first time. “This house is for you,” their mother, Laurie, said, “this is your home. You should always feel comfortable here.” 

Then they showed me my room, and I shut the door and cried. I cried about  everything I had left behind, but also about everything I had gained. A wonderful new school. A  sense of safety and security. A loving host family whose kindness I can never repay. 

I am so grateful for all that Hebron has provided. So many teachers and advisors have worked  tirelessly for my success. I want to give special thanks to Mr. Hanby, Mrs. Dunbridge, and Mrs. Willer, who were always there for me. I will carry the lessons I have learned at Hebron for the  rest of my life. 

But to be honest, nothing I have learned here, or what I will learn in college, will be more  important than the lessons I learned from my father. He was and will always be my greatest teacher. 

My father loved to study, but as a young man he had to leave school and go to work to support  his family. I am the oldest, and my father wanted all of  his children to get great educations—especially his daughters. 

I think that’s why he was so  determined for me to go to school, even though I was born in a small village where most  families thought it was a scandal for girls to go to school. 

In fact, when I started school as a young child, many of the families in our village changed their  attitudes towards us. People stopped visiting our house. My parents’ friends turned their backs  on them. That’s when my parents decided we would move to a city, where it was more common for girls to go to school. 

But even there, people objected.  That’s when my father decided I should go to SOLA, my  all-girls boarding school in Kabul.

His life-changing decision for me to go to SOLA is what eventually led me to Hebron, and the life  I have today. 

When he dropped me off at SOLA for the first time, he said to me: 

“Be strong and  passionate in your life. 

Don’t listen when people say you can’t do something because you are a  girl. Become the person everyone is fighting to be.” 

That’s what I am trying to do. Thank you to Hebron for helping me become the person I am  fighting to be.

The Unbreakable Spirit of Hebron Girls Basketball

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By: Natalie Lutalo ’26

The 2024-2025 girls basketball season held a unique promise: to breathe new life into Hebron girls basketball. After two challenging years that saw diminishing numbers and a pause on games, the program was eager to reclaim its former glory. This season wasn’t just about basketball; it was about setting the stage for a bright future on the court. With fresh faces and a renewed sense of determination, this season was all about new beginnings. The energy surrounding the team was tangible, as students, teachers, and the community rallied behind us. This team was a symbol of hope and a testament to the enduring spirit of Hebron Athletics. 

We stepped onto the court with a roster that could generously be described as “small”, especially when compared to the seasonal giants we knew we’d be facing. Yet, despite our size disadvantage, our ambitions were anything but small. We were fueled by a shared hope and a fierce, unyielding determination to prove heart and dedication could triumph over anything. Every time we stepped onto the court, we were a team dedicated to leaving it all out there, proving that even a small team can make a monumental impact – something this basketball season taught me firsthand. 

The primary goal wasn’t to chase victories or demand immediate greatness; it was about rebuilding hope and rediscovering the joy of the game. It was about creating a space where laughter echoed through the gym, where every practice was a chance to learn and grow, and where the scoreboard took a backseat to the bonds being forged and the memories being made. In the end, the 2024-2025 Hebron girls basketball season will be remembered not for its record, but for its heart. We may not have achieved instant success, but we accomplished something far more valuable: we reignited a spark, rebuilt a foundation, and reminded everyone that the spirit of the game always endures. And as the final buzzer sounded, one thing was clear: the spirit of Hebron girls basketball was alive and well, ready to soar to new heights in the years to come.

2024-2025 Hebron Boys Varsity Hockey Season Wrap Up

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By: Alex Vogel ’26

The 2024-2025 season for the boys varsity hockey team this winter was disappointing on paper. However, we did have a desire to surprise the New England hockey scene like no other team had. 

Adversity never stopped coming our way, as even before the season started, we had only twenty players and no confirmed coach. Then, we were down to nineteen players and a new coach. Then that coach bailed on us, and we were without a coach once again. But come late October, coach Matthew Lavallee–a former coach at the University of Southern Maine (DIII NCAA)–took the spot of head coach of Hebron’s boys varsity hockey team. With the cementing of our new coach and practices getting started in November, the entire school rallied behind the hockey team for the home opener versus NYA. We won that game 3-2, and a seed of hope was planted for the year as we all went home for Thanksgiving break, eager to start the rest of our season hot. 

But once we came back from Thanksgiving break, we struggled tremendously. The highlight by far, however, was our Brooks-Pingree tournament. 

By the end of the tournament, we were skating with just nine players. Keep in mind hockey has five players and a goalie out at all times! We had two goalies, just enough players for one full group, then another, but minus one player. Those were awful circumstances, and it was no surprise we lost those games. But I’ve never felt so proud walking off the ice before in my life because not only did I feel like I competed with pride, everyone else laid their hearts on the ice! But then came Christmas break, and we all had some time off from team practices. We all worked hard over break to stay in shape and get ready to grind out the rest of the season. Though coming back and going through a brutal losing streak was not fun…

Personally, I couldn’t stand it. It was one of the worst time periods I’ve had as a hockey player. But hindsight is 20/20, and looking back at that gargantuan losing streak, I can proudly say that I’m glad to have gone through that. We learned a lot about each other, ourselves, and found out how to handle the dumpster fires life throws at us. More importantly, I learned what works and doesn’t work for me, on and off the ice, when it comes to being a leader of a team that meant the world to me and still means the world to me now. And without coach Lavallee working tirelessly to keep us all in good spirits, meanwhile balancing recruitment for next year and working in admissions, Hebron Hockey would not be where it is today. 

The entire team, despite only winning five out of thirty-five games, can all agree that we grew, learned, and found out what means more than a team’s record: our family. At the end of the day, whether you’re a parent, student, player, coach, teacher, trainer, or even just a random spectator of Hebron’s numerous sports programs, you are a part of the Hebron Hockey family. And with all of this said, Hebron’s Hockey family is gearing up for one of the most exciting years in Hebron’s elaborate history, the 2025-2026 winter season.

Hebron Academy Ski Team Wrap 24-45

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By: Casidhe Madsen ’26

The 2024-2025 ski season was an incredible journey for the Hebron Academy Race team from the first runs at our new training space at Pleasant Mountain to the final championship races. All of the racers showed so much dedication, skill, and teamwork. This season was filled with intense competition, personal bests, and moments we will never forget. As we wrap up the season, we celebrate the hard work and achievements of every racer and look forward to getting even better times in the future.

For me, this was my second season on the Hebron Ski Team. We are coached by our very dedicated Ms. Stokes (AKA Swaggie). We spent long nights at Pleasant Mountain getting as much time in the gates as possible. While we would have liked to be in the gates more, things got in the way. From snow days to the whole team being sick, we pushed through. We shared so many laughs on the chairlift, to all the serious moments giving each other advice as we slipped the course. We had seven races, some combined with both Giant Slalom and regular Slalom. We ended our season right where we started it at Pleasant Mountain with our championship race. Jack Baratash ‘28 and Elizbeth Stokes ‘27 placed in the top five, and we had three athletes place in the top ten in NEPSACS overall season. I want to thank all the athletes who spent tiring nights putting all the effort in, and I want to thank our amazing coaches. 

Not Always About the Score

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By: Alex Ogagan ’27

This season probably has to be one of the weirdest seasons I’ve ever had. For starters, we didn’t win a single game, but even though we didn’t win a single game, I’m not angry or sad. I’ve kind of made peace with it. I feel like the reason I’m at peace with not winning any games is that it’s shown me that I just need to work harder, and everything isn’t going to go your way sometimes. During the season, there were many instances where I wanted to quit basketball, but every time I said I would quit, I never did it, and I always kept asking myself, “Why won’t you quit? Why do you constantly keep playing just to lose every time?” Then I figured it out. I couldn’t quit the game because I just loved it too much, and I was never going to stop loving it. Even if I told myself multiple times that I hated the game and I should quit, I would still be on the court because I just love it.

I always reflect on the game we had against Lee Academy because even though we got blown out, I had fun. I finished the game off with 5 points, 3 Rebounds, and 4 assists. Before the game, I was a little nervous because the last two games before that I did terribly, and then I started overthinking and worrying about the wrong things. Zander Daniels came up to me and just told me to relax. He then said, “You have so much game in you; you just gotta be confident and believe in your abilities and stop worrying what others think.” The game eventually started, and I was a little nervous, but I remembered what Zander told me, and from that point on till the end of the game, I was relaxed and I felt good. This was a rough season, but I wouldn’t erase it even if I was given the chance. I learned a lot from it.

Hebron Girls Hockey Season Reflection

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By: Isa Fischer ’26

As we wrapped up our final hockey game of the season, I reflect on these past few months, our team, and the memories we’ve created together. We started this year off with two goalies and five players at school, only three of whom were here last year, and we gradually gained girls as we neared the beginning of hockey season, and even afterwards. We were a new team both to each other and to Hebron Academy. Most of us started this season barely knowing one another but, after working with each other day after day, both in the rink and out, to call any member of our team a stranger is about as far from the truth as it is possible to get. Each moment we shared brought our team closer together, whether it be singing in the locker room before games, being stranded outside the closed rink in the cold, or coach Dumais telling us “skibidi,” on multiple occasions. Throughout our whole season, injuries and sickness kept sweeping across our team, but, after every setback, we got back up and kept working hard. Everything we experienced together and each person on our team played an important role in creating a season to be proud of, even if the scoreboard didn’t always agree. This year was not easy, but working together, we were all able to improve so next year will be even better, go Jacks!

To our amazing captains, Belle and Kiera: we are all going to miss you so much, and we wish you both the best wherever you end up next year.