Kent hangs on to beat Hotchkiss

Kent School’s Nayia Chrysanthopoulos battled in the paint.
Lans Christensen

Kent School’s Nayia Chrysanthopoulos battled in the paint.
KENT — The Hotchkiss School’s girls basketball team came to The Kent School Monday, Dec. 4, for the first of their two season meetings.
They arrived with an impressive record from last season: The 2022-23 Bearcats were the best team in school history with 18 wins, and were also finalists in the Class A Championship.
Kent did not seem intimidated, and the game started with two very well-matched opponents. Ball possession was relatively equal, and two points were the difference in the first quarter.
Kent used a full court press defense, which forced Hotchkiss into sporadic plays and desperate shots. Play at the Kent end was more controlled and baskets successfully sunk.
The second quarter saw Kent take a 4-point lead for the first time, and that was slowly built to a 34-19 lead by halftime. Outstanding offense and shot-making from Kent forwards Phoena Dawson and Morgan Johnson were the driving forces in the go-ahead.
Hotchkiss came back strong and determined in the second half. Ball steals, clutch rebounds and intercepted passes led to frequent Bearcat fast breaks and many baskets.
The start of the fourth period found Kent’s lead slip to just four points with the score at 42-38. A competitive spirit to the game was palpable in the gym.
Kent led by a basket with one and a half minutes left. Hotchkiss, through superior rebounding, looked to even the score or better.
With only seconds left, Johnson sank the 3-pointer shot of the day, a perfect swish, and Kent held on to win 58-53.
CORNWALL — At the Dec. 9 meeting of the Planning and Zoning Commission, the commission had a pre-application discussion with Karl Saliter, owner of Karl on Wheels, who plans to operate his moving business at 26 Kent Road South, which is an existing retail space.
Saliter said he will use the existing retail section of the building as a mixed retail space and office, and the rear of the building for temporary storage during moving operations.
There will be no external “personal” storage proposed for the property.
The commission decided that Saliter should go ahead with a site plan application under the regulations for “retail stores and trades.”
P&Z also set a public hearing on a proposed text amendment on dimensional requirements for properties in the West Cornwall General Business (GB) zone. It will be held Jan. 13, 2026, at 7 p.m. at the Cornwall Library.
FALLS VILLAGE — The Board of Selectmen at its Dec. 17 meeting heard concerns about the condition of Sand Road.
First Selectman David Barger reported a resident came before the board to talk about the road that is often used as feeder between Salisbury and Canaan.
“The person said there is not proper maintenance of that road and it is often the scene of accidents,” Barger said in a phone interview. “There is a problem with the canopy of trees that hang over it, making it hard to keep clear, but there is also the problem of speeding, which is terrible.”
As a former state trooper, he said he is familiar with the problem of drivers going too fast on that road, describing one case in which he had to charge someone for traveling way above the speed limit.
Barger said the town cannot reconfigure the roadway at this time, but officials and road crew members will keep an extra eye on it as a short-term solution.
In other business, Barger said the selectmen plan to call a town meeting sometime next month. Residents will be asked to take the remaining funds, which total $48,200, from the non-recurring capital fund to allow for Allied Engineering to perform engineering studies on the proposed salt shed. Money for construction has already been secured through a STEAP grant, which the town received in the amount of $625,000.
“We’re looking at critical infrastructure projects and this is one component,” he said.
At that town meeting, there will also be a vote to take $2,000 from the town’s discretionary fund to pay Cardinal Engineering for work on repair of the Cobble Road bridge.
About 40 people gathered on the lawn of the White Hart Inn on Sunday, Dec. 14, to mark the anniversary of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.
SALISBURY — Despite frigid temperatures, about 40 people gathered Dec. 14 on the snowy lawn outside the White Hart Inn for an evening vigil honoring the 20 children and six educators killed at Sandy Hook Elementary School, as well as victims of gun violence nationwide and around the world.
Organizers Lee and Sophia deBoer said that while this year marked the 13th anniversary of the 2012 massacre, it was the 14th vigil the community has held.
Sophia deBoer said the annual gathering is driven by both remembrance and personal experience.
In May 2009, while her daughter was finishing her senior year at Wesleyan University, a fatal shooting occurred on campus. The event, she said, reinforced her belief in the importance of public remembrance and collective reflection.
As the vigil began at 5 p.m., Sophia deBoer invited attendees to widen their focus beyond a single tragedy.
“As we take time to remember those at Sandy Hook, take time to remember all the mass shootings,” she said.
State Rep. Maria Horn spoke about the enduring impact of Sandy Hook, noting that recent mass shootings — including incidents at Brown University and in Bondi Beach, Australia — demonstrate the continued global scope of gun violence.
“The freshmen at Brown were the same age the Sandy Hook children would be now,” Horn said.
Horn noted that she has seen a shift in Hartford toward gun-safety measures, which she described as “a sign of hope.”
John Nelson of the Salisbury Congregational Church read from Amanda Gorman’s poem “Hymn for the Hurting,” offering words that spoke to collective grief.
Musicians Ed Thorney and Greg Reiss followed with acoustic performances of two songs from the 1960s — “Get Together,” by Chet Powers, and Stephen Stills’ “For What It’s Worth.”
The selections, they noted, continue to resonate in the context of modern social unrest and violence.
The names of the Sandy Hook children and educators were then read aloud. After each name, a bell tolled.
Louise Brown shared the story of her son, Elliot, 41, who lived in New Orleans and was shot and killed when he answered a knock at his door. Brown recalled words spoken by her daughter-in-law at his funeral: “I was lucky to have him. Most important in life is love. Nothing else matters.”
The vigil concluded with John Carter, retired priest at St. John’s Episcopal Church in Salisbury, leading attendees in a rendition of “Amazing Grace.”
As the gathering ended, church bells rang 26 times — once for each child and educator killed at Sandy Hook — closing the vigil in solemn remembrance.