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Three Songs That Changed My Summer

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Kellen Anthoine ’26

Music is something that influences our wellbeing much more than we realize. It has been scientifically proven that the tempo, timbre, lyrics, pitch, and key of the songs we listen to significantly influence our mood. Our mood influences our thoughts, and our thoughts influence our actions. Therefore, it is critical to be aware of the effect your choice of music has on you. Personally, my choice of music in the past has negatively impacted my life. I have listened to dark, depressing songs that cover pessimistic topics for far too long. This summer, though, I consciously made a change. Here are the top three songs I listened to on repeat that made my experience more positive and how each of them impacted me differently:

3. Club Bizarre—U96

The first time I heard “Club Bizarre” by U96 was when I stayed at Artem’s house in Žilina, Slovakia in June. The first time I heard it, I was intrigued by the uniquely hopeful and uplifting synth melody, its ambient, colorful background chords, and catchy beat. When I listen to it, I feel any previous anxieties slip away. 

The first half of the song is very positive and happy, however in the middle it suddenly shifts to include a sad woodwind melody. Through this new melody, though, the beat continues. 

The instrumentals of this song resonate with me deeply, helping me to remember the dualistic nature of life. The contrast between the first half and second half, yet the constantly returning beat, reminds me that life has ups and downs, success and failure, yet in its entirety is both enjoyable and meaningful. I’ve listened to “Club Bizarre” in both the good times and the bad, and it has helped me through. That’s how it impacted my summer.

2. Фраер—михаил круг

I cannot understand a single word of Фраер by михаил круг. Despite this, I know all the lyrics and pronunciations by heart because of the sheer amount of times I’ve listened to it and how much of an influence it has had on me.

I was originally introduced to this song by my close friend Nazar in 2023 when we were spending our Friday night together in Atwood listening to music and chatting with some of our other football teammates and friends. Right away, with the good memory, and its upbeatness and catchiness, it became one of my favorites.

The actual story of Фраер is about a police officer falling in love with a girl, only to later find out that she’s a criminal. This story means very little to me, however, and I don’t speak the language anyway. One would wonder, then, why I love it. The thing is: that’s why it’s so important to me. In a world full of responsibilities, pain, love, and deep thought, this song allowed me to briefly escape it into a world of positivity when I began listening to it once again this summer while Nazar stayed at my house. The instrumentals—face-paced drums, spontaneous, cheerful, diverse brass instruments, and the traditional Russian folk feel bring my mood up in a way no other song can do. That’s how Фраер made my summer just that much more positive. 

1. Free Bird—Lynyrd Skynyrd

As is obvious from the name, “Free Bird” by Lynyrd Skynyrd is a song about freedom. The message is about a man who leaves his woman in pursuit of independence and travel, but much like with Фраер, this means little to me. 

I first came across this song in July when putting my Apple Music playlist on infinite mode, letting the app find similar music that it thinks I would like. Once I reached the guitar solo, I instantly knew that I would listen to it more times than I can count. It motivated me and gave me energy in a truly unique way to the point where I made it a habit to listen to it every single day on the way to work.

The reason this song resonates with me personally is because of the reminder of freedom. When I listen to it, I remember something essential: I truly am free. If I so choose, I can act however I choose as long as I am willing to deal with the consequences. This freedom isn’t about acting out my selfish desires, however. Instead, it’s about remembering that my circumstances and output are almost entirely in my control. That realization, while intimidating, is essential to living a meaningful life, and that’s why “Free Bird” made my summer all that much better. 

Hello From the Editors

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My name is Casidhe Madsen, and I’m a proud member of Hebron’s Class of ‘26. This is my third year here, and I’m a Field Hockey captain, as well as a ski racer and lacrosse player. In my free time, I love reading and writing. I can’t wait to see where the blog takes us this year!

Hi there! My name is Ceci Ross and I am in the class of 28′ at Hebron. This is my second year and Hebron! I enjoy singing, am an avid writer and poet! I love experiences and adventures and I can’t wait to hear about yours in the Hebron Blog!

This year, we’re looking for a variety of different pieces, and we’re also hoping to find more consistent writers to join us. Plus, we’re planning to post every other week! We’re both super excited about this new opportunity to bring our community together and make it even better.

Girl’s Varsity Soccer MAISAD Semi-Finals

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By Riley Phillips ’27

Last Wednesday, the Girls Varsity Soccer (GVS) team faced off against Kents Hill in the MAISAD Semifinals. Just two Wednesdays ago, we played Kents Hill and lost with a final score of 4-6. After a rough season of losses, we arrived at Kents Hill ready to turn our season around. With a TWEET from the ref’s whistle, the game kicked off. Within the first 5 minutes, Kents Hill sunk one into the back of our net off of a corner kick. While this quick goal was demoralizing, we kept our heads up and continued to fight. With only 6 minutes left in the first half, Kents Hill scored yet another goal off of a penalty kick as a result of a foul within the 18-yard box. 

Going into the second half with a score of 0-2 was quite unencouraging, but in the 55th minute, Oda Maier ‘26 scored off a corner kick! Putting one on the board perked the whole team up and Evie Willer ‘26 scored another beautiful goal just over 15 minutes later. With the score now 2-2, it was anyone’s game. Unfortunately, Kents Hill scored again, making it 2-3 and putting Hebron in the losing position once more. We continued pushing offensively and were granted a direct kick just outside of their 18-yard box. Evie Willer took the kick and Riley Phillips ‘27 (me) tapped it into the goal, tying up the game once more to 3-3.  We ended regulation playing time as a tie, meaning we were heading into overtime! 

The whole team was brimming with excitement but also very exhausted from having already played 90 minutes of soccer and now being asked to play 20 minutes more. Hebron’s girls were looking strong in overtime though, getting off quite a few shots on goal. In the second 10-minute half of overtime, 3 or 4 Hebron girls collided with 2 Kents Hill girls within our box. It was all very confusing, but the ref granted Kents Hill another penalty kick. In the 103rd minute of playing time, the opposing team scored, making the score 4-3. That score would be the final score. The ref’s whistle blew one last time, marking the end of our soccer season and the end of one of the most exciting games of soccer in GVS history.

About Ms. Blakelock!

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By Louisa Strong ’26

This school year, Hebron is welcoming many new students and teachers, including Ms. Blakelock, teacher of printmaking, sculpture, and drawing, all classes either new to Hebron or revived this year. This is her eighth official year teaching; previously to Hebron, she taught at Korea International School on Jeju Island and the Rectory School in Pomfret, Connecticut. Ms. Blakelock has had a love for art as far back as she can remember, which led her to major in art history and studio art at Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Her favorite project was a silk screening she did on a tapestry because of the way the colors were absorbed into the fabric, which made it look very dimensional. With her major, she originally intended to work in art museums and auction houses, which she did for a little while. Ms. Blakelock interned in the American paintings department in Christie’s in New York, which is a fine art, luxury, and antiques auction house. However, working at a summer camp made Ms. Blakelock realized that teaching was much more fun than working at auction houses and museums. Ms. Blakelock says, “I think one of the things that I love about teaching is that I’m often inspired by my students, what they’re making, and their ideas and I can bring that back into my own work. I feel like it feeds the whole artistic, creative cycle.”

Keeping Quiet

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By Brody Levering ’27

Now we will count to six eleven times

And hold a much needed breath

For once we are on the ice;

Stop your thinking and just breathe.

Something goes in the net,

Don’t threaten with something that wont happen.

It would be a reflecting moment

Without anger, without disbelief in yourself;

We would be calm and ready to move on.

In a very quick manner.

Parents in the stands

Won’t yell at the refs on the ice;

And the skaters on the ice

Wont start throwing hands with their opponents

Those who prepare fights on the ice

Fight with bare knuckles, fights ending with blood,

With only one winner

Would keep the gloves on

And skate about like nothing was going to happen.

What happens on the ice should not be similar 

To young hockey with no contact or anything at all.

But a good clean game

Where we win with great success as a team

If goalies were not so focused on being perfect in the net

And instead relaxing and trying to be the best 

while improving on what you can.

Then relaxation would cause huge growths in a goalies play

Which would impact him and the others around him

Causing everyone else to change and be more calm.

A calm mind may teach more than a 

Clouded or heated mind.

Hello From The Blog Editors!

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Hi, my name is Sylvie Gill and I am a sophomore boarding student. This is my fourth year at Hebron Academy. In the fall I play soccer, I ski in the winter, and I do track and field in the spring. A few of my favorite hobbies are reading, drawing, and playing the piano. 

I’m Louisa Strong and I’m a sophomore day student at Hebron. I’ve been going to Hebron since 6th grade. I dance year round and I ski for fun in the winter time. One of my favorite places is my family’s cabin on Frenchboro, an island off of Mount Desert. 

We are so excited to be the blog editors for the 2024 – 25 school year! We hope to upload articles and new stories consistently. The Hebron Blog is a place to find news about recent events at Hebron, work students are proud of, opinion pieces, and much more. We’re looking forward to making some big changes to blog, so keep an eye out!

Filling the Frame

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By: Cassidy Russell ’25

This photo was taken in the fall, for my photography class. At the time, we were working on composition and learning how to operate our cameras. This was one of my early pictures, and it displays “fill the frame”. Filling the frame is achieved by composing an image with its subject taking up most of the space on the photo.

Is a Hotdog a Sandwich?

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By: Mason Hatfield ’24

The mid-July sun is beating down so hard you can hear it. The croaking haze roars, giving way only to a gentle breeze and the sizzling of the grill. Minutes later, a still-crackling hot dog is placed on a bun and served. We have all had a hotdog at one point or another, and we have all had a sandwich at one point or another. Both hotdogs and sandwiches have been around for centuries, and hundreds of thousands of people have sunk their teeth into each numerous times. With their long and intertwining history, the question of what exactly is a hotdog has arisen. Is a hot dog a sandwich? After some extensive research and continuous in-depth thought, I have come to the conclusion that a hotdog is in fact a sandwich.

I know this conclusion may upset some people. If you look at the cold hard facts and set aside personal opinions, you will come to the same conclusion. I was once on the not-a-sandwich side and firmly believed that sandwiches and hotdogs were completely separate beings. One defining factor set this sword in stone for me; a sandwich requires two slices of bread. Then came along something that would pull that sword from the stone; subs. I’m sure you’ve been to a Subway sandwich shop. Subway sandwiches are undoubtedly sandwiches, right? Well, they have only one piece of bread, with a singular slice that gets stuffed with meat and whatever else you want. That sounds familiar. That sounds like a hotdog.

This astonishing revelation got me thinking, if we count subs and sandwiches then we have to count hot dogs, right? I needed an answer to this question so I did some research. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), a sandwich is “a meat or poultry filling between two slices of bread, a bun, or a biscuit.” With this definition, both hotdogs and subs can be considered sandwiches, finally settling the “beef” between Team Sandwich and Team Not a Sandwich. 

After unquantifiable amounts of research and thinking, I have come to the conclusion that a hotdog is undoubtedly a sandwich. The x-factor to this conversation is subs, if I never realized subs and hotdogs are eerily similar I never would’ve been enlightened to the sandwichness of hotdogs. Subs catalyzed hotdogs into the sandwich category.