Alumni, parents, past parents, faculty, staff, and friends are invited to join us for the launch of the largest campaign in the history of the Academy. This complimentary evening will include: cocktails, dinner stations, leadership remarks, and live music. The video below will surely get you excited to come home to Byfield! 

To help us plan, RSVP by October 12 by clicking here. 

For more information on With True Courage, The Campaign for Governor’s, please visit our special campaign website here. 

Kevin Zou '18 National Gold Award-winning photograph, The Other Side, has been selected for the Art.Write.Now.Tour 2017-2018, a traveling exhibition of curated works from the 2017 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Only 50 pieces of artwork were chosen for this exhibit from the 320,000 pieces submitted last year in the Scholastic Art and Writing competition. Kevin's award-winning photo is displayed below. 

Kevin is the third student from the Academy who has been selected for this very selective exhibit. Paul Holloway '18 was chosen for 2015 exhibit and Kate Duval '14 was chosen for the 2014 exhibit. 

Congratulations Kevin!

Landing page image of Kevin Zou '18 by Sorieba Fofanah '18 

On Saturday, October 21, over 400 alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends gathered in an elegantly transformed Carl A. Pescosolido, Jr. Field House to celebrate the launch of With True Courage, the Campaign for Governor’s. This comprehensive fundraising campaign is the most ambitious in the Academy’s 255-year history.

The campaign is inspired by the family motto of the school’s founder, Governor William Dummer: “With true courage, nothing is impossible.” Head of School Peter H. Quimby, Ph.D. ’85, P’14 says of the campaign theme, “We chose it because we believe that it accurately describes what happens on our campus every day. Our world needs leaders with the courage to keep on learning and face new challenges, the courage to stand up for their ideals, even when they go against the status quo, and the courage to shape themselves and their world in ways that are true to who they are and the values they hold dear. We build these skills in our students every day, and that’s why this campaign is so important.”

The evening included a cocktail hour, a program featuring remarks from school leadership, two senior students and a faculty member, followed by dinner and dancing. During the program, the bold campaign goal of $75 million was revealed - $36 million of which has already been raised. The campaign is expected to span 3-4 more years. “Achieving the objectives of our campaign will change the trajectory of our school permanently,” said Board of Trustees President Jim Pierce ‘72, P’08. He added, “At Governor’s you learn how to think, collaborate, communicate, and succeed. I believe the 15-18 year old time frame is when these things really are learned and internalized, and that is why I love being involved with this school.”

The With True Courage campaign has three focus areas: endowment, annual fund, and capital projects.  Growing the endowment will allow the Academy to fund additional student financial aid and support the faculty’s professional development. The annual fund is needed every year to supplement tuition dollars and sustain the school’s programs, curriculum, and campus. Finally, there are four exciting capital projects planned: a new environmental research and classroom building along the banks of the Parker River, a renovated and expanded student center, a renovated foreign language classroom building, and new faculty housing. “At its core, this is a campaign about people. The Academy has been known for generations as a family school, and if we are to preserve this essential quality in the future, we have to invest in our faculty, staff, and students,” said Quimby.

The Academy’s last campaign, Campaign to Carry on the Work, ended in 2002 and raised $50 million. Key initiatives during that campaign included capital projects like a new library and program support.

Academy English teacher and department chair Karen Gold was recently featured in The New York Times online Lesson Plans section.

The article, titled, “Reader Idea: Teaching History and Classic Literature With Times Articles,” was posted on October 26. In the article, Mrs. Gold describes how she approached three texts- “The Great Gatsby,” “Julius Caesar,” and the Gettysburg Address by using resources from the Times. An avid New York Times reader herself, Mrs. Gold describes how she uses current events to make connections to the literature or historic time period her students are studying. She uses the Times’ Learning Network resources in her classes, and last summer, teachers were sent a survey asking for examples on how people were using the site. Mrs. Gold sent back her “Gatsby” ideas, and completely forgot about it, she says.

Then, two weeks ago, an editor from the Times contacted her with a request for more detail on the ideas she had provided on “Gatsby”. Then, they asked for more examples, which she provided- on “Julius Caesar” and the Civil War. Eventually, a full column was published, and when Mrs. Gold found out, as she puts it, “It was the best day ever!”

Mrs. Gold’s lesson plan will be featured in a webinar on Wednesday, November 8 called “Ripped from the Headlines and Applied to the Classics: Pairing Often-Taught Literary and History Texts with Times Articles and Multimedia.”

To read the article in The New York Times, click here. 

On Sunday, November 5, The Governor’s Academy hosted its 30^thannual Massachusetts Special Olympics fall soccer tournament on its campus. More than 800 athletes and over 500 volunteers from Governor's as well as the Landmark School and other local communities participated in the event. The athletes, who gather to compete in a series of round-robin soccer matches, represented 64 teams from across the state.  

This year also marks the 50^th anniversary of the Massachusetts Special Olympics games which further added to the festive spirit of the day. 

Students from The Governor’s Academy are responsible for arranging the opening ceremonies, registering athletes, running “Olympic Town,” organizing soccer skills and drills, and preparing lunches for the athletes. 

Highlights of the day this year included inspirational notes that Governor’s students wrote for the athletes, and tucked into their lunches, and a Governor's pep band which played throughout the opening ceremony and had all the athletes dancing and high-fiving the fans as they paraded by the cheering crowds.   

Each year, English faculty member Anna Finch organizes the program with two senior student co-directors. Former faculty members Patty Crowe and Susan Oleszko, and current faculty member Maud Hamovit preceded Ms. Finch as the faculty advisors to Special Olympics.

This year’s co-directors were Lauren Hayes ’18 and Kaitlyn Alimenti ’18. For Lauren, the tournament is personal. "My close family friend died of Downs Syndrome a few years ago. He was really into sports and I know he would love this event.”

Kaitlyn called the annual event one of her favorite days of the year. “The best part is during the awards ceremonies when the athletes' faces light up when they receive their medals. It makes all the work worth it and more."

Many Governor’s students and community members call the day one of their favorite days of the year. Ms. Finch, faculty advisor said, “Special Olympics is a part of my job that I truly love. Year after year I get to work intensively with wonderful students and a great team from Special Olympics Massachusetts (SOMA,) and I have the privilege of helping to coordinate an event that is one of the highlights of the year for more than 800 athletes and their families. The joy the athletes express before, during, and after their competition is something I reflect on all year long. And I also love being part of an international movement that makes life better for millions of people around the globe."

Governor's student Jos Cremers '19 was featured in the Boston Herald on Thursday, November 9.

The article, entitled “Hot Shots: Jos Cremers Hears Cheers at The Governor’s Academy,” describes how Cremers overcame losing his hearing at a young age in Germany and what led him to play football in the United States. The article features interviews with both Cremers and Governor’s Football Head Coach Jim O'Leary. It also features a video of Cremers' interview.

To read the Boston Herald article on their website, click here. You may also read it here:

BYFIELD — Jos Cremers knew from an early age that he was going to eventually lose his hearing.

That moment came in a German classroom when he was 10. A panicked youngster texted his mother to explain what had happened. Cremers was taken to the hospital where, despite numerous tests, there was nothing they could do at the time to restore his hearing.

The family eventually opted for surgery in which cochlear implants were surgically installed. Cremers celebrated the success by calling his mom, who was startled that she could carry on a conversation with her son via phone.

“She could not believe it,” Cremers said with a smile recently while recalling the moment at Governor’s Academy. “The next morning, I woke up, went outside and heard these loud noises which were birds. I couldn’t ever remember hearing them before.”

Shortly thereafter, Cremers discovered football. Because of his size — he’s up to 6-foot-5, 290 pounds — he tried out for the local club football team and was hooked on the sport. Football became so much of a passion that Cremers enrolled in a student exchange program so that he could play in high school in the United States.

“I watched film and YouTube of football here, and I wanted to do it,” Cremers, who came over from Germany and played in Nebraska for Exeter-Milligan High School. “There is such a big difference between football over there and here in the states.”

Once the yearlong exchange program ended, Cremers sought other ways to stay in America.

Fellow German and former NFL defensive lineman Bjorn Werner started an organization called Gridiron Imports in which he brings potential players from overseas to the United States. Like Cremers, Werner played some high school football at the Salisbury School in Connecticut before attending Florida State.

On behalf of Cremers, Werner reached out to several of the local prep schools in the area, including Governor’s Academy.

“We saw the tapes and started recruiting him,” Governor’s coach Jim O’Leary said. “He’s a talented player and an amazing kid. Before the season started, he gave a preseason talk to the team in which he talked about overcoming his own hardships and never to give up.”

Cremers has been a steady factor in the trenches for a Governor’s team that is 5-2 in the Independent School League. Other than a few minor adjustments made to compensate for his hearing (including ISL referees allow him to remove his helmet on the field at times to adjust hearing devices), O’Leary said Cremers is no different than any other player.

“We treat him pretty much the same,” O’Leary said. “One of the minor things we’ve done is to have our quarterback (Jared Dupere) look at him in the huddle just to make sure he understands and can hear the play.”

Considering that in a span of six years, Cremers has lost and regained his hearing, moved from Germany to Nebraska to Byfield without his family (his parents, Louie and Morag, along with younger brother Jan still reside in Germany), he is a well-grounded young man. Cremers credits Governor’s for providing a seamless transition.

“I definitely don’t regret the choice, especially with coach O,” Cremers said. “The people here have been so supportive. If they see you are struggling, they are right there to catch you.

“It’s a great feeling to have that."

- Courtesy of Boston Herald and Dan Ventura

The Governor’s Academy Girls Varsity Field Hockey team won their second consecutive Class B New England (NEPSAC) Championship this weekend.  Under the leadership of Coaches Tracy Stickney and Danielle Kingsbury, they defeated St. Mark’s School, 3-2, in the championship game on Sunday, November 19 at The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT.  

Coach Stickney said, “What this team achieved this year was remarkable. To win the ISL and a New England title in the same year has never happened for Govs Field Hockey. This was our goal at the beginning of the season. We won the ISL in 2015 and won New England’s in 2016. We wanted to put it all together and we did it! This team has grown so much over the course of the season and has literally conquered one team at a time. The contributions this senior class has made over their four years have been remarkable: their growth, leadership, and skill have been invaluable and they leave quite a legacy. This was a great team effort all the way.”  

On Wednesday, November 15, in the quarter-final game, Governor’s defeated a very strong Williston Northampton School, 2-1. Goalie Delaney Bashaw was outstanding in the contest earning 12 saves. Quinn Greer started off the scoring with just 4:21 gone in the first-half when she tipped a shot by Sky Caron. With 23:30 remaining in the second-half, Steph Tamasi finished a shot by Sky Caron. Williston mounted an attack in the second-half, and scored with 20:39 remaining, but the Governor's defensive unit of Alex Sterchele, Reanne Burgess, Rori Nugent, and Delaney Bashaw turned them away time-after-time.    

In the semi-final game on Saturday, November 18, Governor’s avenged a regular season loss and beat Rivers School 3-2 in overtime, advancing to the New England championship game. Rivers scored first and led, 1-0, at halftime. In the second-half, Sky Caron tied it up with 15:27 left in the game. With 3:02 remaining, Rivers scored again to take the lead, but Governor’s answered right back at 1:58 when Reanne Burgess turned away Rivers in the the defensive end, carried the ball out of the zone, and started up the offense. Governor’s quickly earned a corner and Quinn Greer scored on a corner pass from Sky Caron to make it 2-2. In overtime, Rivers had an early chance, but the Governor’s defense turned them away and with 4:26 remaining, Sky Caron buried a pass from Quinn Greer to propel them into the finals.  

The team advanced to the championship game on Sunday, November 19 against St. Mark’s School. Despite scoring opportunities by both teams, the game was scoreless at halftime. With 13:32 remaining in the contest, Governor’s earned a corner and Sky Caron set up twin Finn Caron who tipped one past the goalie. Governor's had the momentum, and Sky Caron scored an unassisted goal just a minute later to make it 2-0. Governor’s dominated play for the next four minutes, and Sky Caron scored the ultimate game winner with 8:38 remaining. St. Mark’s made a late run and scored two goals, but the Governor's defense anchored by Alex Sterchele and Reanne Burgess held off St. Mark’s late in the game to win their second consecutive New England Championship.

The Governor’s Academy is honored to feature the works of photographer Jessica Rinaldi on campus beginning Tuesday, November 28. Rinaldi is a photographer for The Boston Globe and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Feature Photography.

The show, titled “The Life and Times of Strider Wolf,” is comprised of sixteen photographs which earned Rinaldi the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in 2016. The exhibit is a powerful photographic story of a young boy in rural Maine who strives to find his footing after experiencing physical abuse by those he trusted.

“The Life and Times of Strider Wolf” will be on display in The Remis Lobby of The Wilkie Center for the Performing Arts at The Governor’s Academy from Tuesday, November 28 through Sunday, February 11. The opening reception for this poignant exhibit is Friday, December 1 at 6:00 p.m. in The Remis Lobby. The reception is open to the public. 

To learn more about Rinaldi, click here. To view all sixteen of her photos on the Pulitzer Prize website, click here.

On Tuesday, September 26, Governor’s welcomed renowned speaker Jackson Katz to campus. Dr. Katz delivered his speech “Taking it Personally: Why Gender Violence is an Issue for Men” during convocation to students, faculty, and staff.

Dr. Katz's visit was the first in our Katherine Krall Guy Social Justice Speaker Series. Throughout her 40 year career at The Governor's Academy, Kathy championed all issues pertaining to Social Justice, and in her honor, we are committed to bringing a nationally acclaimed social justice speaker to campus every year.

Jackson Katz, Ph.D., is an educator, author, filmmaker and cultural theorist who is internationally renowned for his pioneering scholarship and activism on issues of gender, race, and violence. He has long been a major figure and thought leader in the growing global movement of men working to promote gender equality and prevent gender violence. In 1993, Dr. Katz co-founded the multi-racial, mixed-gender Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program at Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society. MVP is one of the longest-running and most widely influential gender violence and bullying prevention programs in colleges and high schools across North America and beyond.

Dr. Katz spoke to the student body for nearly an hour, beginning by describing how his transition from high school to college inspired his career path. He spoke about issues related to gender and gender violence that our society is facing today. Dr. Katz offered solutions to help our society move forward in a constructive way.

“One of the things that we need to do to go forward, as a society- as a species, is for men to stop responding defensively to women’s assertions of their human rights and dignity and understand how you would feel in their shoes…defensiveness is the enemy of forward progress,” said Dr. Katz.

Following his speech to the student body, Dr. Katz hosted a smaller, informal breakout group for male faculty members. The purpose of this breakout group was for male faculty to work with Dr. Katz on best practices, and to open a dialogue on how best to work with male students around issues of healthy masculinity.

Dr. Katz’s TED talk, “Violence Against Women-it’s a Men’s Issue,” has been viewed more than three (3) million times. He is the author of an influential book entitled The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help, and the critically acclaimed Man Enough? Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and the Politics of Presidential Masculinity. Man Enough won a bronze prize in Foreword Reviews’ Indie Awards for political science books in 2016.

To learn more about Dr. Katz, visit his website here. 

Alumni, parents, past parents, faculty, staff, and friends are invited to join us for the launch of the largest campaign in the history of the Academy. This complimentary evening will include: cocktails, dinner stations, leadership remarks, and live music. The video below will surely get you excited to come home to Byfield! 

To help us plan, RSVP by October 12 by clicking here. 

For more information on With True Courage, The Campaign for Governor’s, please visit our special campaign website here. 

Kevin Zou '18 National Gold Award-winning photograph, The Other Side, has been selected for the Art.Write.Now.Tour 2017-2018, a traveling exhibition of curated works from the 2017 Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Only 50 pieces of artwork were chosen for this exhibit from the 320,000 pieces submitted last year in the Scholastic Art and Writing competition. Kevin's award-winning photo is displayed below. 

Kevin is the third student from the Academy who has been selected for this very selective exhibit. Paul Holloway '18 was chosen for 2015 exhibit and Kate Duval '14 was chosen for the 2014 exhibit. 

Congratulations Kevin!

Landing page image of Kevin Zou '18 by Sorieba Fofanah '18 

On Saturday, October 21, over 400 alumni, parents, faculty, staff, and friends gathered in an elegantly transformed Carl A. Pescosolido, Jr. Field House to celebrate the launch of With True Courage, the Campaign for Governor’s. This comprehensive fundraising campaign is the most ambitious in the Academy’s 255-year history.

The campaign is inspired by the family motto of the school’s founder, Governor William Dummer: “With true courage, nothing is impossible.” Head of School Peter H. Quimby, Ph.D. ’85, P’14 says of the campaign theme, “We chose it because we believe that it accurately describes what happens on our campus every day. Our world needs leaders with the courage to keep on learning and face new challenges, the courage to stand up for their ideals, even when they go against the status quo, and the courage to shape themselves and their world in ways that are true to who they are and the values they hold dear. We build these skills in our students every day, and that’s why this campaign is so important.”

The evening included a cocktail hour, a program featuring remarks from school leadership, two senior students and a faculty member, followed by dinner and dancing. During the program, the bold campaign goal of $75 million was revealed - $36 million of which has already been raised. The campaign is expected to span 3-4 more years. “Achieving the objectives of our campaign will change the trajectory of our school permanently,” said Board of Trustees President Jim Pierce ‘72, P’08. He added, “At Governor’s you learn how to think, collaborate, communicate, and succeed. I believe the 15-18 year old time frame is when these things really are learned and internalized, and that is why I love being involved with this school.”

The With True Courage campaign has three focus areas: endowment, annual fund, and capital projects.  Growing the endowment will allow the Academy to fund additional student financial aid and support the faculty’s professional development. The annual fund is needed every year to supplement tuition dollars and sustain the school’s programs, curriculum, and campus. Finally, there are four exciting capital projects planned: a new environmental research and classroom building along the banks of the Parker River, a renovated and expanded student center, a renovated foreign language classroom building, and new faculty housing. “At its core, this is a campaign about people. The Academy has been known for generations as a family school, and if we are to preserve this essential quality in the future, we have to invest in our faculty, staff, and students,” said Quimby.

The Academy’s last campaign, Campaign to Carry on the Work, ended in 2002 and raised $50 million. Key initiatives during that campaign included capital projects like a new library and program support.

Academy English teacher and department chair Karen Gold was recently featured in The New York Times online Lesson Plans section.

The article, titled, “Reader Idea: Teaching History and Classic Literature With Times Articles,” was posted on October 26. In the article, Mrs. Gold describes how she approached three texts- “The Great Gatsby,” “Julius Caesar,” and the Gettysburg Address by using resources from the Times. An avid New York Times reader herself, Mrs. Gold describes how she uses current events to make connections to the literature or historic time period her students are studying. She uses the Times’ Learning Network resources in her classes, and last summer, teachers were sent a survey asking for examples on how people were using the site. Mrs. Gold sent back her “Gatsby” ideas, and completely forgot about it, she says.

Then, two weeks ago, an editor from the Times contacted her with a request for more detail on the ideas she had provided on “Gatsby”. Then, they asked for more examples, which she provided- on “Julius Caesar” and the Civil War. Eventually, a full column was published, and when Mrs. Gold found out, as she puts it, “It was the best day ever!”

Mrs. Gold’s lesson plan will be featured in a webinar on Wednesday, November 8 called “Ripped from the Headlines and Applied to the Classics: Pairing Often-Taught Literary and History Texts with Times Articles and Multimedia.”

To read the article in The New York Times, click here. 

On Sunday, November 5, The Governor’s Academy hosted its 30^thannual Massachusetts Special Olympics fall soccer tournament on its campus. More than 800 athletes and over 500 volunteers from Governor's as well as the Landmark School and other local communities participated in the event. The athletes, who gather to compete in a series of round-robin soccer matches, represented 64 teams from across the state.  

This year also marks the 50^th anniversary of the Massachusetts Special Olympics games which further added to the festive spirit of the day. 

Students from The Governor’s Academy are responsible for arranging the opening ceremonies, registering athletes, running “Olympic Town,” organizing soccer skills and drills, and preparing lunches for the athletes. 

Highlights of the day this year included inspirational notes that Governor’s students wrote for the athletes, and tucked into their lunches, and a Governor's pep band which played throughout the opening ceremony and had all the athletes dancing and high-fiving the fans as they paraded by the cheering crowds.   

Each year, English faculty member Anna Finch organizes the program with two senior student co-directors. Former faculty members Patty Crowe and Susan Oleszko, and current faculty member Maud Hamovit preceded Ms. Finch as the faculty advisors to Special Olympics.

This year’s co-directors were Lauren Hayes ’18 and Kaitlyn Alimenti ’18. For Lauren, the tournament is personal. "My close family friend died of Downs Syndrome a few years ago. He was really into sports and I know he would love this event.”

Kaitlyn called the annual event one of her favorite days of the year. “The best part is during the awards ceremonies when the athletes' faces light up when they receive their medals. It makes all the work worth it and more."

Many Governor’s students and community members call the day one of their favorite days of the year. Ms. Finch, faculty advisor said, “Special Olympics is a part of my job that I truly love. Year after year I get to work intensively with wonderful students and a great team from Special Olympics Massachusetts (SOMA,) and I have the privilege of helping to coordinate an event that is one of the highlights of the year for more than 800 athletes and their families. The joy the athletes express before, during, and after their competition is something I reflect on all year long. And I also love being part of an international movement that makes life better for millions of people around the globe."

Governor's student Jos Cremers '19 was featured in the Boston Herald on Thursday, November 9.

The article, entitled “Hot Shots: Jos Cremers Hears Cheers at The Governor’s Academy,” describes how Cremers overcame losing his hearing at a young age in Germany and what led him to play football in the United States. The article features interviews with both Cremers and Governor’s Football Head Coach Jim O'Leary. It also features a video of Cremers' interview.

To read the Boston Herald article on their website, click here. You may also read it here:

BYFIELD — Jos Cremers knew from an early age that he was going to eventually lose his hearing.

That moment came in a German classroom when he was 10. A panicked youngster texted his mother to explain what had happened. Cremers was taken to the hospital where, despite numerous tests, there was nothing they could do at the time to restore his hearing.

The family eventually opted for surgery in which cochlear implants were surgically installed. Cremers celebrated the success by calling his mom, who was startled that she could carry on a conversation with her son via phone.

“She could not believe it,” Cremers said with a smile recently while recalling the moment at Governor’s Academy. “The next morning, I woke up, went outside and heard these loud noises which were birds. I couldn’t ever remember hearing them before.”

Shortly thereafter, Cremers discovered football. Because of his size — he’s up to 6-foot-5, 290 pounds — he tried out for the local club football team and was hooked on the sport. Football became so much of a passion that Cremers enrolled in a student exchange program so that he could play in high school in the United States.

“I watched film and YouTube of football here, and I wanted to do it,” Cremers, who came over from Germany and played in Nebraska for Exeter-Milligan High School. “There is such a big difference between football over there and here in the states.”

Once the yearlong exchange program ended, Cremers sought other ways to stay in America.

Fellow German and former NFL defensive lineman Bjorn Werner started an organization called Gridiron Imports in which he brings potential players from overseas to the United States. Like Cremers, Werner played some high school football at the Salisbury School in Connecticut before attending Florida State.

On behalf of Cremers, Werner reached out to several of the local prep schools in the area, including Governor’s Academy.

“We saw the tapes and started recruiting him,” Governor’s coach Jim O’Leary said. “He’s a talented player and an amazing kid. Before the season started, he gave a preseason talk to the team in which he talked about overcoming his own hardships and never to give up.”

Cremers has been a steady factor in the trenches for a Governor’s team that is 5-2 in the Independent School League. Other than a few minor adjustments made to compensate for his hearing (including ISL referees allow him to remove his helmet on the field at times to adjust hearing devices), O’Leary said Cremers is no different than any other player.

“We treat him pretty much the same,” O’Leary said. “One of the minor things we’ve done is to have our quarterback (Jared Dupere) look at him in the huddle just to make sure he understands and can hear the play.”

Considering that in a span of six years, Cremers has lost and regained his hearing, moved from Germany to Nebraska to Byfield without his family (his parents, Louie and Morag, along with younger brother Jan still reside in Germany), he is a well-grounded young man. Cremers credits Governor’s for providing a seamless transition.

“I definitely don’t regret the choice, especially with coach O,” Cremers said. “The people here have been so supportive. If they see you are struggling, they are right there to catch you.

“It’s a great feeling to have that."

- Courtesy of Boston Herald and Dan Ventura

The Governor’s Academy Girls Varsity Field Hockey team won their second consecutive Class B New England (NEPSAC) Championship this weekend.  Under the leadership of Coaches Tracy Stickney and Danielle Kingsbury, they defeated St. Mark’s School, 3-2, in the championship game on Sunday, November 19 at The Ethel Walker School in Simsbury, CT.  

Coach Stickney said, “What this team achieved this year was remarkable. To win the ISL and a New England title in the same year has never happened for Govs Field Hockey. This was our goal at the beginning of the season. We won the ISL in 2015 and won New England’s in 2016. We wanted to put it all together and we did it! This team has grown so much over the course of the season and has literally conquered one team at a time. The contributions this senior class has made over their four years have been remarkable: their growth, leadership, and skill have been invaluable and they leave quite a legacy. This was a great team effort all the way.”  

On Wednesday, November 15, in the quarter-final game, Governor’s defeated a very strong Williston Northampton School, 2-1. Goalie Delaney Bashaw was outstanding in the contest earning 12 saves. Quinn Greer started off the scoring with just 4:21 gone in the first-half when she tipped a shot by Sky Caron. With 23:30 remaining in the second-half, Steph Tamasi finished a shot by Sky Caron. Williston mounted an attack in the second-half, and scored with 20:39 remaining, but the Governor's defensive unit of Alex Sterchele, Reanne Burgess, Rori Nugent, and Delaney Bashaw turned them away time-after-time.    

In the semi-final game on Saturday, November 18, Governor’s avenged a regular season loss and beat Rivers School 3-2 in overtime, advancing to the New England championship game. Rivers scored first and led, 1-0, at halftime. In the second-half, Sky Caron tied it up with 15:27 left in the game. With 3:02 remaining, Rivers scored again to take the lead, but Governor’s answered right back at 1:58 when Reanne Burgess turned away Rivers in the the defensive end, carried the ball out of the zone, and started up the offense. Governor’s quickly earned a corner and Quinn Greer scored on a corner pass from Sky Caron to make it 2-2. In overtime, Rivers had an early chance, but the Governor’s defense turned them away and with 4:26 remaining, Sky Caron buried a pass from Quinn Greer to propel them into the finals.  

The team advanced to the championship game on Sunday, November 19 against St. Mark’s School. Despite scoring opportunities by both teams, the game was scoreless at halftime. With 13:32 remaining in the contest, Governor’s earned a corner and Sky Caron set up twin Finn Caron who tipped one past the goalie. Governor's had the momentum, and Sky Caron scored an unassisted goal just a minute later to make it 2-0. Governor’s dominated play for the next four minutes, and Sky Caron scored the ultimate game winner with 8:38 remaining. St. Mark’s made a late run and scored two goals, but the Governor's defense anchored by Alex Sterchele and Reanne Burgess held off St. Mark’s late in the game to win their second consecutive New England Championship.

The Governor’s Academy is honored to feature the works of photographer Jessica Rinaldi on campus beginning Tuesday, November 28. Rinaldi is a photographer for The Boston Globe and the 2016 Pulitzer Prize Winner for Feature Photography.

The show, titled “The Life and Times of Strider Wolf,” is comprised of sixteen photographs which earned Rinaldi the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in 2016. The exhibit is a powerful photographic story of a young boy in rural Maine who strives to find his footing after experiencing physical abuse by those he trusted.

“The Life and Times of Strider Wolf” will be on display in The Remis Lobby of The Wilkie Center for the Performing Arts at The Governor’s Academy from Tuesday, November 28 through Sunday, February 11. The opening reception for this poignant exhibit is Friday, December 1 at 6:00 p.m. in The Remis Lobby. The reception is open to the public. 

To learn more about Rinaldi, click here. To view all sixteen of her photos on the Pulitzer Prize website, click here.

The Academy’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day programming began on Monday, January 15 with an engaging presentation by Daryl Davis, a blues musician who has spent the past 30 years befriending Ku Klux Klan members in an effort to find out the answer to his question: How can you hate me when you don't even know me? He discussed his encounters meeting with Ku Klux Klan members around the country and attending their rallies as an African American man. Mr. Davis told the community that after years of knowing different members of the Ku Klux Klan, over 200 of them have given up their “robes”. He wrote the book, Klan-destine Relationships about his experiences with the Ku Klux Klan.

To read and/or listen to NPR’s interview with Mr. Davis, please click here.  

The conversation continued after Mr. Davis’ presentation when students gathered in breakout groups across campus. Underclassmen took part in a social justice activity and workshop led by Academy Anti-Defamation League leaders, while upperclassmen met for workshops with “Boston Mobilization,” a group which develops and empowers teen leaders for social justice.

While students (and some faculty members) met in their breakout groups, faculty attended a workshop titled “The Language of Gender” with John Gentile. This workshop was a professional development opportunity for faculty to learn how to develop the language and cultural competencies around the topic of gender in ways that allow them to better serve their students while understanding the rapidly changing landscape of equity and inclusion at independent schools.

Students met in their advisory groups after lunch to process the day’s events, workshops, and activities in a smaller setting. The day concluded with an open-mic community gathering in the Wilkie Center. In the spirit of the theme of the day, empathy, students, faculty, and staff were invited to share a poem, a song, an experience, or a few words of meaning to them . The open-mic session, orchestrated by Governor’s students, was a wonderful way to wrap up the day. Students were affirmed, listening to one another and sharing stories that exemplified the inclusive nature of the Academy’s community.

Dean of Multicultural Education Jadi Taveras, who organized the day’s program, said "This year our MLK Day program was centered around empathy. On Monday we focused on the ability to work with and listen to those who have opposing views or perspectives while further educating our selves on gender identity and racial relations. Our community was moved by Mr. Davis' modeling of empathetic behavior and his message that ‘if you're talking to one another, you're not fighting.’ It was a meaningful day for all of us.”

On Tuesday, September 26, Governor’s welcomed renowned speaker Jackson Katz to campus. Dr. Katz delivered his speech “Taking it Personally: Why Gender Violence is an Issue for Men” during convocation to students, faculty, and staff.

Dr. Katz's visit was the first in our Katherine Krall Guy Social Justice Speaker Series. Throughout her 40 year career at The Governor's Academy, Kathy championed all issues pertaining to Social Justice, and in her honor, we are committed to bringing a nationally acclaimed social justice speaker to campus every year.

Jackson Katz, Ph.D., is an educator, author, filmmaker and cultural theorist who is internationally renowned for his pioneering scholarship and activism on issues of gender, race, and violence. He has long been a major figure and thought leader in the growing global movement of men working to promote gender equality and prevent gender violence. In 1993, Dr. Katz co-founded the multi-racial, mixed-gender Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP) program at Northeastern University's Center for the Study of Sport in Society. MVP is one of the longest-running and most widely influential gender violence and bullying prevention programs in colleges and high schools across North America and beyond.

Dr. Katz spoke to the student body for nearly an hour, beginning by describing how his transition from high school to college inspired his career path. He spoke about issues related to gender and gender violence that our society is facing today. Dr. Katz offered solutions to help our society move forward in a constructive way.

“One of the things that we need to do to go forward, as a society- as a species, is for men to stop responding defensively to women’s assertions of their human rights and dignity and understand how you would feel in their shoes…defensiveness is the enemy of forward progress,” said Dr. Katz.

Following his speech to the student body, Dr. Katz hosted a smaller, informal breakout group for male faculty members. The purpose of this breakout group was for male faculty to work with Dr. Katz on best practices, and to open a dialogue on how best to work with male students around issues of healthy masculinity.

Dr. Katz’s TED talk, “Violence Against Women-it’s a Men’s Issue,” has been viewed more than three (3) million times. He is the author of an influential book entitled The Macho Paradox: Why Some Men Hurt Women and How All Men Can Help, and the critically acclaimed Man Enough? Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton and the Politics of Presidential Masculinity. Man Enough won a bronze prize in Foreword Reviews’ Indie Awards for political science books in 2016.

To learn more about Dr. Katz, visit his website here. 

Alumni, parents, past parents, faculty, staff, and friends are invited to join us for the launch of the largest campaign in the history of the Academy. This complimentary evening will include: cocktails, dinner stations, leadership remarks, and live music. The video below will surely get you excited to come home to Byfield! 

To help us plan, RSVP by October 12 by clicking here. 

For more information on With True Courage, The Campaign for Governor’s, please visit our special campaign website here.