Public Speaking Confidence

Hyde's mission is to develop our characters in order to discover the unique potential in each one of us. Finding our voice and having the courage to use that voice with confidence is something we work on each week. These all-school classes happen on Saturdays, and students and faculty find value in learning how to advance their public speaking skills.

Speaking in public has been called one of humanity's greatest fears, so it is understandable that we all hesitate to put ourselves out there. Most of our traditional schooling put an emphasis on having an Inside Voice that we use when we are asked to sit quietly and take our cues from the teacher up in front of the class. Yet put us on the playground at recess, and you see a very different voice and body movements - "Hey! Throw me the ball! Over here! You can't do that!" This is our Playground Voice, and tapping into it it is a key part of the public speaking process. On Saturday, we started with a demonstration of this by having the seniors reenact a childhood playground scene, and we then discussed the differences between the passive inside voice and the active voice we used when we were out on the playground.

Our main task for this first session was to have each student and faculty get up and experience using their playground voice to rally the group. We practiced with the following words:

"Now is the time for all good people to come to the aid of their country."

Students and faculty went up in groups of five to belt out the line. Some wowed the crowd with their courage, others needed to be encouraged to try again, but everyone in attendance did the exercise. Feedback was given on what was effective and what could be improved upon.

Veteran faculty member Bob Felt said, "It was great to see after just one weekend the amount of support and enthusiasm that was shared today."

Public speaking is not always on everyone's wish list for Saturday morning, but it is something special at Hyde. Alumni often speak about this as a key part of their Hyde education. Saturday was a great start to the year!

Laura D. Gauld '76
President & Head of School

Senior Sunrise

Written by Steven Heil '23

This past Saturday, the class of ‘23 woke up early to watch the sunrise at Popham Beach. As sun rays began to come over the horizon, excitement grew and a sense of awe came over us. After, seniors Finn Dutt ‘23 and Zane Boulet ‘23 even jumped in the water (brr!). Mr. Condon was even able to grab some cinnamon rolls from Café Crème, which was a sweet surprise.

Waking up at five AM isn’t the first thing I want to do on a Saturday, but experiencing a sunrise with my peers isn’t something that I’ve had the opportunity to do. I was able to connect with my class, enjoy the brisk morning air (and those cinnamon rolls), make memories, and take pictures that I will cherish. It was a great bonding experience and one that will not be forgotten.

Discovery Groups

Written by Katherine Mondanaro, Director of Family Education

On Monday in Discovery Group, we had a check-in. This was a time for faculty and students to discuss what was going well in their lives and something with which they were struggling. Students reported things like, “I am excited for school this year!” or, “I am struggling to stay focused in class.” The group provided feedback to help each other celebrate the successes and move forward through the challenges. We then did an exercise, called, “Who am I?” In this exercise, designed to help with self-awareness, public speaking, and tackling challenges, faculty and students each spoke for one minute on the following questions:

• What was I like as a young child?

• What things do I love to do today?

• What do I hope and dream of for my future?

It was fun to get to know each other a little bit more and realize what things we have in common, or who in our group inspired us. In my group, I learned that there are several students who want to be teachers!

On Wednesday, our Discovery Groups met again for our first seminar of the year. The topic was learning Hyde’s five words and definitions: 

CURIOSITY: I am responsible for my own learning. 

COURAGE: I learn the most about myself through challenges and taking risks.

CONCERN: I need a challenging and supportive community to develop my character.

LEADERSHIP: I am a leader by asking the best of myself and others. 

INTEGRITY: Honesty is when my words match my deeds; integrity is when my deeds match my words.

Students chose to write a poem, compose a rap, draw a picture, or write a story to explain what these words mean to them. They had fun and got creative! We will be discussing these words throughout the year, as they are an integral part of our character culture here at Hyde.

Boys' JV Soccer VS Mt. Ararat

0 - 5

The Wolfpack was back in action for their first game of the season on home turf.  The JV boys’ soccer team played local high school Mt. Ararat in loss of 0 – 5 (FINAL).  The start of the season may not have opened with a winning game, but the fight and grit are there for a team to build and grow on what it accomplished this past week. 

Goalie Benji Betancourt ‘24 had a strong start to the game letting one goal in the first half and making numerous saves against Mt. Ararat.  Most of the game was played on the defense and two standout defense players were Jasper Herzog ‘26 and Rafi Goldhirsch ‘23.  They pushed hard from start to finish, but despite best efforts Mt. Ararat was able to get 4 goals in the second half. 

Pedro Lopez ‘25 had two outstanding breakaways in the game pushing the line back to the Mt. Ararat territory.  Leonardo Broccoli ’23 also helped to move the ball out of Hyde defense.  Other notable mentions include Matt Galligos ‘24, Glen Ge ‘25, and Eli Remekie ‘26.

Benj Betancourt '24

Leonardo Broccoli '23