
Eleni Kontokosta, 17, is launching an ACEing Autism program at Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where she will enter her senior year in the fall.
Photo provided
Eleni Kontokosta, 17, is launching an ACEing Autism program at Hotchkiss School in Lakeville, where she will enter her senior year in the fall.
LAKEVILLE — The private Hotchkiss School is launching a new tennis club in early September, introducing a five-week course at its Mars Athletic Center that provides specialized therapeutic tennis instruction for participants ages 5 to 18 with autism spectrum disorders.
The program, initiated by 17-year-old Eleni Kontokosta, a rising senior and stand-out tennis player, is a collaboration between the school and an accredited national nonprofit, ACEing Autism.
According to its mission statement, the organization’s goal is to “help children with autism to grow, develop and benefit from social connections and fitness through affordable tennis programming, uniquely meeting individual needs while filling a national void for this growing and underserved population.”
Since its founding in 2008, the organization has evolved into a volunteer-driven program which from 2022 to 2023 held 131 programs and saw 3,578 registrations throughout 27 states that have an ACEing Autism location. Lakeville is the fourth established program location in Connecticut, joining Ellington, North Haven and the Farmington Valley.
Although the organization has about 20 community programs currently running in schools across the country, including North Carolina, Michigan, New Jersey and about 10 in Southern California, “the Hotchkiss School is unique because it is the first boarding school that will be running a program for us,” said Richard Spurling, the organization’s founder and executive director.
“We are excited the school has recognized our program as an official club and we have several faculty overseeing the program,” he explained, noting that Kontokosta has been tapped as its program director.
The rising senior said a combination of her love of tennis, which she has been playing since she was able to swing a racquet as a toddler, and the quest to bring the sport to children on the autism spectrum, spurred the idea to start an ACEing Autism program locally.
She is hoping to provide a fun environment that would allow participants to engage socially as they learn something new while enjoying a healthy dose of exercise and improve coordination, focus and concentration.
The five-week program at the Mars Athletic Center is scheduled to begin on Sept. 8 and end Oct. 6. The one-hour sessions will take place on Sundays from 10 to 11 a.m. Cost is $120, and a $30 discount is available for registering by Aug. 8.
Kontokosta said participants of any ability and on any level of the spectrum are invited to attend, no prior tennis experience is necessary, and each child is paired with a volunteer based on his or her individual needs. Parents are encouraged to relax during the sessions as their children develop new friends and have fun.
“We’re hoping to launch with between six and 10 attendees, and scholarships are also available if any family needs financial help,” the program director explained. “This really is an introduction to the sport,” and the benefits go beyond skill by enhancing participants’ eye/hand coordination and motor skills.
“It’s good for focusing, social skills, fitness and exercise,” noted Kontokosta.
Last year, research by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control found that nearly one-third of children with autism are severely overweight, compared to 13 percent of typically developing children.
ACEing Autism requires that every location has at least two leaders to provide the best support possible, and all high school program directors are required to have at least one adult as a co-leader on and off the court.
The co-leader at Hotchkiss is Maja Clark, the varsity girls tennis coach, said Kontokosta, who has played on the varsity team since her freshman year and will be a two-year captain starting her senior year.
She said she has been busy this summer getting the program up and running, including recruiting volunteers. While this will be her first time working with those with special needs, she and team leaders are looking forward to upcoming trainings from members of the organization, including virtual and in-person autism and curriculum training.
“I’ve been prepping with a bunch of members from ACEing Autism this summer, getting me ready for all the different things I will have to do,” including spreading word about the new program and reaching out to families of children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder). She said she is also contacting local school districts and youth organizations hoping to attract participants to the September program.
ACEing Autism provides all the equipment, including racquets, mini nets, balls, hoppers, shirts and medals, as well as liability insurance and on-court support as needed.
According to the organization’s vision statement, it aims to be the “preeminent thought leader on how tennis and sport develops children with autism spectrum disorder by reaching 50 percent of the 1+million families in the autism community.”
“I feel very excited to be able to take this opportunity to teach kids — who may have less access to tennis resources — how to play the sport. I’ve been fortunate to have a lot of tennis resources growing up, so I hope I’m able to use my 14 years of experience to put it to good use.”
In the meantime, her quest to recruit volunteers and draw participants is in full swing. She credits school administration and faculty for their support and encouragement.
Looking to the future, Kontokosta said she is optimistic the ACEing Autism club will become a permanent fixture at Hotchkiss.
“I’m not sure that I am going to play tennis in college, but this is something I want to do to make sure tennis has a really big purpose in my life. Even when I leave Hotchkiss, it’s something that can be passed down.”
For more information or to register or volunteer, contact Eleni Kontokosta at lakeville@aceingautism.org. To know more about ACEing Autism, visit https://aceingautism.org
WATERTOWN — Housatonic Valley Regional High School girls lacrosse played Watertown High School for the Western Connecticut Lacrosse Conference championship Wednesday, May 28.
The cold, rainy game went back and forth with three ties and three lead changes. Watertown was ahead when it counted and earned a 6-4 victory to claim the league title.
Under the lights in Watertown, both sides displayed defensive discipline in a hard-fought match. It was the third meeting between these two teams this season and Watertown completed the sweep in the title game.
Watertown scored first in the opening minute. Housatonic quickly evened the score when freshman Annabelle Carden tucked a shot past the goalie on a fast break. The first quarter ended 1-1.
Freshman Annabelle Carden, no. 9, scored the first two goals for HVRHS in the title game May 28.Photo by Riley Klein
HVRHS pulled ahead with another goal from Carden in the second quarter. A few minutes before half time, Watertown tied it up again at 2-2 going into intermission.
Watertown regained the lead in the second half before HVRHS answered with a goal by senior Tessa Dekker. With seconds left in the third quarter, the Warriors went up 4-3.
As the sky darkened and rain intensified in the fourth quarter, Watertown built a lead. They scored twice in a row to start the final period and entered clock-management mode to drain time. Senior Lola Clayton scored once more before time was out and the game ended 6-4.
Housatonic's defense held Watertown to six points in the championship game. Watertown, the number one team in the WCLC, averaged more than 12 goals per game this season.Photo by Riley Klein
The championship’s most valuable player award went to Malia Arline of Watertown. HVRHS had five players chosen to the 2025 all-league team: Lola Clayton, Lou Haemmerle, Mollie Ford, Neve Kline and Georgie Clayton.
“Incredible finals. Incredible game to watch,” said HVRHS Coach Laura Bushey to her team post-game. “You should all be very proud of yourselves.”
“Holding a team to six points is something to be really, really proud of. Especially a team that’s as good as these guys,” said assistant coach Erin Bushey.
HVRHS qualified for the Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference Class S lacrosse tournament. The Mountaineers got matched against Wolcott High School in round one, Friday, May 30, 5 p.m. at HVRHS.
Lou Haemmerle created offensive opportunities for HVRHS in the league final.Photo by Riley Klein
“Some I prefer are the grilled cheese. Pizza’s okay with some sauce. Hamburger too, I guess. The least favorite that I’ve tried is probably the hot ham and cheese. I don’t like that. I’ve started to see that they’re doing French fries, which I kind of like. They should probably start doing more of that.”
“My favorite lunch is probably the mac and cheese and popcorn chicken. I’d like to see it more frequently. Grilled cheese, cheese quesadilla, french toasts sticks, and chicken fajita
can all go.”
“My favorite is beef nacho grande. My least favorite is probably the fajitas.
I wish we had chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes more often.”
“General Tsou’s chicken is my favorite lunch. Also, the popcorn chicken and mac and cheese.
I really don’t like the French toast sticks or that we have pizza every Friday. We need some more variation.”
Photos by Ibby Sadeh and Mia DiRocco
As the 2025 school year concludes, so does the first full year of the Bias Education and Response Team being utilized at Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
This team, or BERT for short, is a team made primarily of students, with staff to supervise, that respond to incidents of bias in the school. This program was presented as an opportunity to combat and respond to incidents of bias and educate the students and faculty on what bias is.
BERT was introduced with a presentation from two counselors and educators outside of the HVRHS community, Carolyn Corrado and Karen Garrity. They taught the school about the Bias Incident Reporting System, or BIRS, which is a google form that anyone from the school community can fill out, reporting bias that they have seen or heard. Then, students on the team respond to these incidents. This system aims to create a positive school environment through addressing bias.
Students and faculty involved with the program traveled to Shepaug in October for the Youth Climate Summit, an event where high schools all over Connecticut came together to discuss ways to improve their schools. The entire team gave a presentation on BERT, the work they’ve been doing, and how to utilize the system. “By seeing and potentially utilizing programs that other schools have implemented and found successful in ours could make the schools climate far better for all students and faculty members,” said Silas Tripp, a member of BERT who attended this summit.
On April 3, three of the team members — Maddy Johnson, Silas Tripp and Ayden Wheeler — and the principal, Ian Strever, made their way to Nashua, New Hampshire, to give a presentation at the New England Association of Schools and Colleges Conference. This was a huge success for the team, Wheeler said, “the presentation seemed to be received well with some school representatives coming up to us and wanting to integrate it into their schools.”
“The goal is to make our school a safe environment for all and to make the students feel at home at our school and I truly believe our attendance to these gatherings are helping us reach this goal,” Tripp said. The team also has plans for reaching out to the regional middle schools and making a presentation in the fall to promote lessons of kindness and equality in grade K-8, said Johnson, the subcommittee lead for this objective.
Richie Crane, Carmela Egan, and Georgie Clayton, the members of the “Who We Are” subcommittee, created an instagram account where they post educational information and videos to spread the word about BIRS and what bias is, which you can follow @hvrhs.bert on Instagram.
High tension after the winners of the corrupt pageant were announced. Pictured left to right, Niya Borst, Sara Huber, Richie Crane, Ella Karcheski, Sara Ireland, and Victoria Brooks.
Across two nights of performances, Unwritten Show drew a crowd of over 250 people to the Housatonic auditorium for “The 37th Annual Holbrook Pageant.”
The original production was full of drama, humor and heart, showcasing what happens when students at Housatonic Valley Regional High School take the stage. From writing to directing, set design, costumes and acting, students handled every aspect of the show.
All pageant contestants dancing together as the competition begins.
Simon Markow
The performance used the setting of a beauty pageant to explore deeper societal issues through satire. “We wanted to speak to the stereotypes and issues that are often faced in the performance world,” co-director and production manager Alex Wilbur said. These matters included inequalities such as nepotism, gender roles and ulterior motives. The students intended to use satire as a tool for reflection, not accusation, and to push performers toward inclusivity. “We need to create a community and support each other in our endeavors, because that’s what it’s all about,” Wilbur said.
Playwright and actress Sara Huber as Claire Voyant chokes on stage, interrupting an important rehearsal.Simon Markow
Sara Huber, the writer and co-director, said the writing process for this show was different than anything she had written before because it didn’t involve extensive planning. “I knew automatically what I wanted to write,” she said. “The message is that even when faced with something that’s corrupt, you can still find community in that and still find a way to come out of it stronger.” Wilbur noted that the creative process was rooted in personal experience. “The best ideas come from self-exploration and the themes of your own life or things happening around you,” he said.
Victoria Brooks as Reese Glimmer.Simon Markow
The cast and crew were pleased with the turnout. All donations made will benefit the program in years to come. The success of this student-led initiative was meaningful to everyone involved. “It is a perfect example of our school community’s ability to create,” Wilbur said.
Actor Richie Crane, who played Nick Grain — the only male pageant contestant — was thrilled with how the production helped prepare students for the future. Passionate about dance and aiming to become a choreographer, Richie not only performed in the show but helped choreograph the cast alongside Elizabeth Forbes and Ella Karcheski. Crane got to experience firsthand what the profession might look like alongside his supportive peers. “Dancing is one of the things I love to do most,” he said. “I wouldn’t get this opportunity anywhere else.”
Elizabeth Forbes doubling as the CEO of the Holbrook Pageant, Baron Dollars, and pageant choreographer Svetlana Yurakova.Simon Markow
Another element that made the production stand out was the absence of a traditional lead role, allowing every cast member to contribute to the story equally. This was intentional. Huber said she purposely wrote an ensemble based production. “That to me is so important to the spirit of Unwritten Show because it’s really about the students coming together and making something.” The decision to avoid a lead role mirrored the show’s message of equality, a theme displayed in both the storyline and developmental process. “Everyone had their own moment to shine in the spotlight and no one person was standing out, you don’t get to see that in every musical,” Crane said.
Elizabeth Forbes as Holbrook Pageant CEO Baron Dollars and Madison Melino.Simon Markow
“The 37th Annual Holbrook Pageant” was HVRHS’s third student-led production. The co-directors agreed that the Unwritten Show is more than just a production, it’s an incredible opportunity for students to explore their creativity and collaborate in meaningful ways. “It shows students that they can pursue their dreams,” Wilbur said. “It also shows teachers and professionals how hard we are working.” Ultimately, the show served as a reflection of the students’ dedication and collective effort.
Richie Crane performing as Nick Grain.Simon Markow