
Red wolf pup, shown at about three weeks old, is one of four born at the Millbrook School’s Trevor Zoo last month.
Daniel Cohen
Red wolf pup, shown at about three weeks old, is one of four born at the Millbrook School’s Trevor Zoo last month.
MILLBROOK — Six weeks ago the Millbrook School’s Trevor Zoo celebrated the birth of four endangered Red Wolf pups, described as the rarest large carnivore in America.
Their birthday was May 2, and since that day zoo staff has left the pups in their mother’s care, avoiding human dependency because the plan is to eventually introduce them to the wild.
Through the nonprofit Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) program — known as SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) programs — the Trevor Zoo, along with similar institutions, has collaborated to prevent the extinction of endangered species.
The birth of the four pups exemplifies the effectiveness of breeding programs and demonstrates Trevor Zoo’s commitment to wildlife conservation. According to the zoo’s website, it currently holds eleven endangered species.
Recommendations from AZA paved the way for the zoo to receive a male and female from other facilities involved in the Red Wolf SAFE program. The wolves traveled by plane and car and were then placed into an off-exhibit enclosure to allow nature to take its course.
The pups were ultimately delivered in the “den,” which is visible through one of the zoo’s live stream camera feeds. It is a compact and dark cube with an opening to its enclosure.
Including the four new pups, the zoo currently hosts eight Red Wolves, which are among less than 270 in the world, mostly at AZA accredited facilities and a “small population in the wild in North Carolina,” the web site notes.
“You don’t want them to be human oriented at all. So we really try to be hands-off other than getting them set up and of course, we have to bring them food, etc.
“But we’re trying to do that in ways that minimize contact with humans so that should pups be born, they are listening to mom more than they are to us, “ said Alan Tousignant, Director of the Trevor Zoo.
Endangered red wolf pups born at the Trevor Zoo at Millbrook School have minimal contact with humans to prepare them for eventual introduction into the wild. Live cam at www.millbrook.org/trevor-zoo-homeDaniel Cohen
Though the plan is tentative and based on the observed behavior of the pups, introduction into the wild would start at what is called a pre-release site. The site would be an enclosed location adjacent to their wild habitat. As hunger is a strong driver for the wolves, presenting live food and allowing them to feel out their new circumstances acts as an initiation for life in the wild.
In the United States, the wild Red Wolf population resides on the coast of North Carolina. Peaking in 2006, the Red Wolf population has been declining. For this reason preserving genetic diversity is vital to the survival of the species.
“These programs are trying to maintain high genetic diversity in the populations. That’s really difficult when you’re trying to work with a population that only has 30 individuals left in the wild,” said Tousignant.
He compares the moving of endangered animals for breeding to a game of chess, where every decision affects the next, but instead of protecting the king in the case of a chess game, here the survival of a species is at risk.
The zoo has a long-standing history of conservation. Tousignant explained that the zoo was first accredited by the AZA in 1989, which allowed it to be involved in Species Rival Plans (SSP), the predecessor of SAFE.
Although Red Pandas are among the most recognizable endangered species protected at the zoo, another SAFE program focuses on the freshwater turtles inhabiting the wetlands around Millbrook School.
“As part of class, we can just get out of class and walk a quarter mile down the street and we’re in a wetland habitat.
“Campus houses a good if not thriving population of wood turtles and that’s an endangered species recognized globally…in New York state [they are] listed as a species of special concern,” says Tousignant.
Red wolf pup gets a Q-Tip treatment.Daniel Cohen
The late Thomas Lovejoy, a renowned conservationist, got his start by studying biodiversity and biology at the Millbrook School. Lovejoy served on the environmental council for the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations.
Lovejoy’s efforts provide Millbrook and the Trevor Zoo a special connection to the world of conservation. After his death in 2021, Lovejoy’s legacy lives on.
Semi-jokingly, Tousignant says his main job is to, “... find and motivate the next Tom Lovejoy.”
Tousignant’s hope aligns with efforts the zoo takes to get students as involved as possible in their time at Millbrook School.
“That’s what I think we have the possibility to do is to continue to find students that develop that level of passion and it becomes their life’s work. I certainly think that I’ve had advisees and students here at the zoo that are already in that role and are on path so we hope to keep doing that,” he said.
With careful supervision, students are given responsibilities tending to the animals — a rarity for zoo programs. The zoo staff believes this is the way to foster a real connection and engagement with nature.
Through summer volunteer programs, the zoo seeks students interested in conservation activities and its academic program.
The Trevor Zoo draws family visitors, especially those with children. Go to: www.millbrook.org/trevor-zoo-home for more information and live cameras inside the wolf den.
Gavin Marr is an intern at The Millerton News. He graduated from the Millbrook School in 2022. Before his first year at Millbrook he volunteered at the zoo, and in his freshman year he worked with the Black and White Ruffed Lemurs.
“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
The group visiting the Colosseum in Rome on the spring break trip.
“This experience allowed me to gain new friendships with people that I had not normally hung out with in my day to day activities,” —Maddy Johnson, a junior at HVRHS
Residents of other countries outside of the United States often have preconceived notions of Americans — especially teenagers.
A group of 39 HVRHS students and chaperones from Northwest Connecticut traveled to Germany, Austria, and Italy in the span of nine days in April. As spectacular and enriching as the experience was, I couldn’t help but notice that we were judged as American tourists.
In Florence, Italy, when passing a group of European teenagers, I overheard, “oh never mind they are Americans.” I found it interesting how just by a glance in our direction it was clear we were foreigners. Some comments, however, had more negative connotations. A biker trying to weave through a crowd muttered, “annoying Americans.” This is how we are seen, as bothersome foreigners even though tourism is a big source of income for places like this. According to The Florentine, in 2015, international tourism brought 2.5 billion euros to Florence, Italy, the place that we were in for the longest time during this trip. That was a 5.2% increase from the previous year.
“Although Americans can be seen as pushy overall as a group, I have never had a problem individually, people have been very kind,” said Deron Bayer, history teacher at HVRHS, and chaperone for the recent trip.
Despite the muttered comments, I had other experiences where we had interesting conversations with foreigners. In Germany, we talked to local teenagers in Munich. They were very interested to hear about America, New York City, if we owned a house, and if we were rich. These questions about us and our lives back in America show how we are viewed.
No matter how our group was seen or reacted to, the experience of traveling internationally was incredibly influential for the students and chaperones that had the opportunity to go.
Students in San Gimignano, Italy, from left to right, Mia Dodge, Ibby Sadeh, Olivia Peterson, Mia DiRocco, and Danny Lesch.Celeste Trabucco
“When I grow up I want to travel and this was a good introduction to traveling internationally,” said Maddy Johnson, a junior at HVRHS who went on this trip.
The travel program EF tours packs so much into so little time — art, history, education and more. We went straight from the airport onto our coach bus with our tour guide, and to our first location in Munich.
Bayer explained why he thinks these trips are so important — “what students got to do by going on that trip was to go to a classroom that was outside of our country … you are learning about yourself and learning how to interact with different people.”
Especially because our school and community is small in size, these types of activities and opportunities have impacts on students’ school experience.
“This experience allowed me to gain new friendships with people that I had not normally hung out with in my day to day activities,” Johnson said.
Traveling brings education to the next level, offering new perspectives, although sometimes judgmental ones, and forging new connections.
“In this part of Connecticut we are very secluded, there is not much to do or see so traveling allows students to see a much broader perspective of the world,” Johnson said.