KENT — A somber tribute was held for Marcus Rogers before the start of Housatonic co-op hockey’s first game since the player’s tragic death.
While on his way to practice last Tuesday, Rogers, 16, and his grandfather, William O’Leary, 84, died after a head-on collision on Route 44 in Winsted. After the game against Tri-Town on Saturday, Feb. 4, Rogers’ #20 jersey was retired by the team, which has players from HVRHS, Northwestern, Torrington, Oliver Wolcott Tech, and Wamogo. Rogers, from New Hartford, was a student at Wolcott Tech.
The number 20 filled scoreboards inside Stockdale Arena at the South Kent School as fans piled into the rink on Saturday night. Housatonic Coach Dean Diamond and Rogers’ father, also named Marcus, spoke passionately to the crowd of over 500 attendees before the game began.
“The amount of love, well-wishing and fans that have come our way this week have gone a long way in easing the pain in our hearts that we all feel,” said Diamond. “As I look at my team on the goal line, I know that Marcus is standing side-by-side with each and every one of them getting ready to play the game that he loves.”
“It’s been a tough four days, but you guys made it a lot easier,” said Rogers. “It’ll never get easier, but you guys sure helped a lot.”
Tri-Town players provided the grieving family with bouquets of flowers after the heartfelt speeches. Rogers then presented his son’s jersey to Housatonic defender Colin Goguen, close friend and teammate of Rogers since age 4.
Goguen wore #20 throughout the game so Rogers’ jersey could grace the ice one final time. A ceremonial face-off occurred before the official start of the game, during which cheers of “Marcus Rogers” filled the arena while Goguen held the puck in center-ice through a 20-second countdown.
Once the chanting from the crowd subdued, the game commenced as scheduled. Housy played with passion and pride, but Tri-Town prevailed in the end with a final score of 6-2. Housatonic’s goals both came in the third period; one from Kobe Brown and the other from Sean Mercogliano.
After the match, Housatonic’s season record stood at 2-8 and Tri-Town advanced to 6-6-1. Housy returns to Stockdale Arena on Saturday, Feb. 11, when they host the Bethel-Brookfield-Danbury co-op at 3:15 p.m.
The family of Marcus Rogers joined together and looked toward the heavens in remembrance of Marcus before the game against Tri-town on Feb. 4. Rogers, 16, was tragically killed in a head-on collision while on his way to hockey practice on Tuesday, Jan. 31. Photo by Riley Klein
The Mountaineers' record advanced to 5-1 with a cumulative 41-point goal differential halfway through the season. The lone loss came at Watertown High School on April 10.
Georgie Clayton draws four Lakeview defenders. She scored five goals in the game May 6.Photo by Riley Klein
"We will be playing [Watertown] in the championship on the 28th of May," declared Coach Laura Bushey at the midway point of the 2025 season. Last year, HVRHS lost to St. Paul Catholic High School by one point in the Western Connecticut Lacrosse Conference championship.
The game against Lakeview May 7 went on despite ominous cloud cover at starting time. Rain earlier in the day made for a wet field, but the clouds parted by the second quarter for a sunny afternoon of lacrosse.
HVRHS wasted no time setting the tone. Georgie Clayton repeatedly sliced and diced her way through midfield to create offensive opportunities for the Mountaineers, who took a 7-1 lead in the first quarter.
Tessa Dekker elevates for one of her three goals against Lakeview May 6.Photo by Riley Klein
The lead grew to 11-3 by halftime. Seniors Lola Clayton and Tessa Dekker created a one-two punch on attack with Dekker setting up plays from behind the net as Clayton cut to the crease. The pair combined for five goals in the game.
Once the lead extended to double digits in the second half, the clock ran continuously. Lakeview found scoring chances but HVRHS sophomore goalie Sophia DeDominicis-Fitzpatrck saved more shots (7) than she let by.
The game ended 18-6 in favor of HVRHS.
Lola Clayton bounces a shot past the Lakeview defense.Photo by Riley Klein
The following players scored for the Mountaineers: Georgie Clayton (5), Tessa Dekker (3), Lola Clayton (2), Islay Sheil (2), Katie Crane (2), Annabelle Carden (2), Mollie Ford (1) and Chloe Hill (1).
Lakeview's goals were scored by Layla Jones (2), Isabelle Deforge (2), Juliana Bailey (1) and Caroline Donnelly (1).
Goalie Sophia DeDominicis-Fitzpatrick secures the ball.Photo by Riley Klein
Participating students and teachers gathered for the traditional photo at the 2025 Troutbeck Symposium on Thursday, May 1.
A showing of student artworks within the theme of linking the past with the present opened the symposium on Wednesday evening. Each work of art had to draw on historical research to foster an informed dialogue between the artist and the contemporary audience.
The second day was devoted to student research presentations, showcasing teams from the region’s leading public and private schools with strong programs aimed at cultivating engaged young historians. Primary source materials and live interviews with descendants were included in the process.
Topics were divided into blocks with guest commentators providing reactive response as each block of student presentations concluded. Serving as commentators were Dr. Hasan Kwame Jeffries, Ohio State University, and Dr. Christine Proenza-Coles, University of Virginia.
Resistance in the face of oppression and stories of resilience that spanned generations formed an important theme as students presented the stories of area settlers and residents who suffered but endured.
As a sampling, The Taconic School teamed up with The Salisbury School to unearth untold stories of Boston Corners. The Hotchkiss School looked into the activities of the Ku Klux Klan in Connecticut. The Cornwall Consolidated School students stepped up with their untold stories of early Cornwall women.
Other presentations explored criminal justice — witchcraft trials — dealing with society’s “undesirable” elements, individuals in history who took action, people and movements that formed resistance, and various forms of discrimination.
Praising the work of the students, Dr. Jeffries identified a theme of resistance and survival.
“The war ended but the resistance did not,” Jeffries said. “We don’t take indigenous people seriously,” he added. “White supremacy happened in our own back yards.”
“We saw the evolution of research,” said a Cornwall Consolidated School representative. That project moved into civic engagement by the students that moved beyond the classroom.
“This is not the past; this is part of the present,” said Dr. Proenza-Coles.
A panel discussion among educators whose students had participated in the 2025 Troutbeck Symposium was held on Friday, May 2, to offer reflections on the symposium, its value and future development. Panelists from left to right were Jessica Jenkins, Litchfield Historical Society;Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason, Brown University; Morgan Bengal, Old New-Gate Prison; Frank Mitchell, Connecticut Humanities; and student representatives Dominik Valcin of Salisbury School, and Shanaya Duprey of Housatonic Valley Regional High School. Leila Hawken
The third day invited area history educators to assemble and share ideas for redesigning elements of history education, a day of reflection.
The panel included Jessica Jenkins, Litchfield Historical Society; Wunneanatsu Lamb-Cason, Brown University; Morgan Bengal, Old New-Gate Prison; Frank Mitchell, Connecticut Humanities; and student representatives Dominik Valcin of Salisbury School, and Shanaya Duprey of Housatonic Valley Regional High School.
Valcin reflected on his work as a shared project within The Salisbury School, one where the inquiry would seek to find “the deeper story behind a base story.”
Duprey also spoke of process and the educational value of engaging with historical inquiry.
Each representing a profession that brings them into contact with historical inquiry, the panelists recounted tedious history classes of past decades. Jenkins described her own career as “public history.”Lamb-Canon’s experience began with choosing history electives in college. Bengal spoke of community engagement and the power of involvement with history.
“History is not the opposite of scientific inquiry,” said Bengal.
Significant discussion centered on the possibility of offering the Troutbeck Symposium model to a wider audience of school systems throughout the U.S.
“A community approach to education,” was a characterization offered by Troutbeck owner Charlie Champalimaud, commenting during a brief interview at the end of the symposium on Friday, May 2. She encouraged a push toward increasing even more the number of participating schools, their educational communities and symposium sponsors.
