Poets Find Words for What We Are Feeling Now
From “Together in a Sudden Strangeness: America’s Poets Respond to the Pandemic,” edited by Alice Quinn, Knopf, 2020
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Members of the bands Kate from Baltimore and Elizabeth Forbes and Percussion Talk enjoy time on stage together after their performances at Housatonic Valley Regional High School’s “Battle of the Bands.”
Simon Markow
Next, freshman Samantha Silvernail and Adrian Dykeman performed for the first time as well. The pair showed ambition and composure in front of a large audience, and look like a formidable group should they find more Metallica fans to play covers with next year.
For the third year, Abram Kirshner’s Blossom returned to the stages of Housatonic Valley. The band played two original songs composed by Kirshner and his band members, and covered The Head And The Heart’s “Rivers and Roads,” featuring Anna Gillette’s harmonies with Kirshner. “I think Battle of the Bands really helped build my confidence on stage,” Kirshner said. He began playing music and writing songs less than two years ago, and is continuing his music career at college. “It helped me get used to that sort of pressure.”
Defending last year’s title, Kate from Baltimore played fourth with a very talented squad once again. The band has performed with a few different musicians over the years, but has consistently produced some of the most exciting performances of the night. “Our band practiced a lot and we just had a lot of fun together,” said lead singer Sophia Fitz. “Even if they don’t know if they’re going into music professionally, it still lets everyone show off their talents and lets them practice their instruments.”
This year, the class of 2027 took on the role of hosting the annual event, led by juniors Danny Lesch and Carmela Egan. “It was Danny Lesch,” Fitz said. “Look, I mean, he just blew it out of the park.”
Adam Hock, left, and Abram Kirshner take a bow after their performance.Simon Markow
However, the night wasn’t all smooth sailing.
Prior to the show starting, there were many miscommunications about when the performances would actually begin. A school announcement claimed it began at 7 p.m., however the organizers claimed the show would begin at 6:15 p.m. Ultimately, the show began around 6:45, with enough time for all the bands to set up while ensuring everybody would arrive in time.
There was also some deliberation about the order that the bands would play in. Blossom was initially set to play first, however band order was determined at a sound check that Blossom wasn’t able to attend. Feeling as if opening for the third year in a row, especially as seniors, was unfair, the band protested, and eventually resolved to trade with the newer band Marathon.
With stress creating high tensions in the room, Senior Elizabeth Forbes stepped up to remind the bands that, “We’re all here for fun, ok. This is not something to stress or freak out or get mad at each other over, we’re all just musicians who enjoy playing music.”
Elizabeth Forbes and Percussion Talk played last, covering crowd favorites including “Iris” by The Goo Goo Dolls, and ending the night with the song “Your Toy” from Forbes’s EP Dear Leo.
As a solo artist, Forbes played with juniors Jasper Oyanadel, and first time percussionist Jacob Robles. “I think we did good,” Oyanadel said. “As a band itself we did great … Very few practices, but we definitely picked it up and we stepped up.”
“I thought it was a great experience,” Forbes said. “Everybody in the beginning was a little stressed, and we kind of just all made a big group circle and we were all like, let’s not stress about this, let’s just go out there and jam.”
“I mean, it was, honestly, it’s not even a battle of the bands,” Fitz said. “It’s more like everyone just loves performing. Like, it’s just so fun to perform. And, like, no matter if you win or don’t win, like, the performance is what everyone comes there for.”
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Silas Tripp crosses the finish line at a track meet.
Daniel Chiarenza
Allyn described his role as a senior captain as “A little bit different than being a captain for other sports. The main responsibilities I had were setting a good example and making sure things got done, like bringing equipment up for away games or picking up after home games and practice.”
For many seniors on the team, this goodbye will be a difficult one. “I will miss the culture me and the other seniors created in our four years here,” said Allyn. “We transformed our team from being just a team to more of a family.”
Housatonic runners get set for a long-distance race.Daniel Chiarenza
Senior Silas Tripp has participated in track for all of his four years at Housatonic, and has committed to run track and cross country at University of Hartford next year. “For us captains we really just aim to serve as a role model for the younger athletes on our team, whether that’s providing encouragement during practice or just remaining a positive attitude during a hard workout,” he said. “These make all the difference for our team chemistry.”
Captains, especially seniors, are highly responsible for the team’s environment and players’ experience. While it can be difficult at times, Tripp has greatly enjoyed his time as a track and field captain. “It’s hardest just knowing it’s my last high school sports season, but it’s been a really amazing season and I can’t complain about any of it,” he said.This season, track and field will be saying goodbye to seniors Olivia Brooks, Ava Segalla, Katie Crane, Hannah Johnson, Maddy Johnson, Joseph Villa, Anthony Labbadia, Peter Austin, Cohen Ceccinato, Cole Simonds, Simon Markow, and Silas Tripp.
“Everyone on the team is very close and it really does feel like another family that supports you,” said Tripp.
HVRHS senior Olivia Brooks, right, runs long distance races for the track and field team and participated in cross country running in the fall.Daniel Chiarenza
Housatonic Girl’s Tennis has senior Victoria Brooks, her final year as captain of the girls’ tennis team has not been an easy one. Recovering from a severe wrist injury during her basketball season, Brooks began the season being unable to practice at all, missing the first two matches. After recovering from her injury, Brooks went on to become a Berkshire League Tournament all-star and semi-finalist this season.
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