the
SPECTRUM
“Your Voice in Print”
blakespectrum.org
SUNDAY | NOVEMBER 30 | 2025
ISSUE IV
The Blake School
“Hadestown” Debuts
What’s Inside?
Do political differences matter in friendships? Read more about how important they are. Opinions: Page 5
Pets evoke fond and nostalgic stories. Read more about the pet experience. In-Depth: Page 6,7
Ben Aviles
Sloane Blomquist ‘28 delivers the closing monologue as Hermes about cyclical stories. Regarding the singing in the show, Stage Manager Arianna Munene ‘29 said, “You can just feel the emotion from the song.” Actor Wallace said, “building a piece of art … brings people together in a really impactful way.”
Musical retells old love tale
Anya Vallapureddy | Staff Writer
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he fall musical, “Hadestown,” took place on Nov. 21-23 in the Mitchell Performing Arts Center (MPAC), featuring a cast of 14 students. The narrative retells a classic myth, intertwined with complex historical context and a tragic love story. The musical “blends together the
myth of Hades and Persephone with the myth of Orpheus and Eurydice,” said director Taous Khazem. Harry Wallace ‘27, who played Orpheus, described the show as “inspiring.” Khazem elaborated: “These characters are telling a really universal story that a lot of people can relate to.” She added that “Hadestown” is set “in the 1930s in the backdrop of the Great Depression,” and as a result, “there are so many layers to uncover.” Charlee Jones ‘26, who played Eurydice, explained it is a “political
class commentary, and a love story” all in the same show. To unpack the musical, Khazem explained that they had “dramaturgy talks” where she “invited faculty members … to help unearth a lot of these themes and ideas.” Khazem stated that the musical was moved to the fall this year because “it gives [them] two additional weeks of rehearsal,” which is necessary in a show this demanding. Check blakespectrum.org for more photos.
Religion is a pillar of identity. Learn how students connect around and through religion. Features: Page 11
Maximalist, Minimalist
Galleries Open
New Head Speaks with Spectrum winters. In terms of academics, In his immediate family, Torino has East Coaster with 30 nesota Torino recounts how he was “in a a son and a daughter. He described of ways, a better math student that his “son graduated from Wesleyan years of experience lot than English student.” And yet, Torino University a couple of years ago and majored in English, playing baseball lives in the Boston area, and [his] to fill position alongside his studies at Amherst Col- daughter is a junior at Kenyon.” To-
Izzie Miller | Managing Editor
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tarting at the beginning of the 2026-27 school year, Christopher (Chris) Torino will take the Head of School position. Torino has over 30 years of experience in education, previously working at the Collegiate School in New York and Cushing Academy in Massachusetts. Most recently, Torino worked at The Episcopal Academy, located in Newtown Square, Pennsylvania as Assistant Head of School. Torino grew up in Marmack, NH, attending public schools all the way through 12th grade. He described how he always loved school as a child, participating in various clubs, extracurricular activities, and sports. From a geographical standpoint, Torino noted, “my childhood in New Hampshire was really snowy,” pointing out similarities in New Hampshire and Min-
lege for his undergraduate degree. After college, Torino taught at a boarding school for three years in Maine. According to Torino, this opportunity allowed him to continue to “be in the classroom as an English teacher” as well as coach “soccer, basketball, and baseball.” This was all while he lived in a dormitory with students. After marrying his wife, Dina, Torino made a promise to her: “I’ll go to graduate school wherever you get your first job.” At that point, Dina was a horse trainer, and her job led him to pursue his master’s degree in English from the University of Louisville. Torino described himself as a lifelong learner. As a person who has always relished education, he received a second degree in education from Harvard University about 20 years after his first and “loved every aspect of it.” He noted, “The older you get, or at least the older I get, the more of a privilege it is to be a student.”
rino’s daughter majors in both English and Philosophy, taking after Torino as they both “can’t go into a bookstore without buying a book…or several.”
Ben Aviles
The maximalist part of the exhibit features photos with packed imagery. Fabric separates the maximalist and minimalist sections.
Contrast of style breeds unique exhibit Leo Mithun | Staff Writer
T Submitted by Torino
“Being so grateful for having had such great teachers and coaches and adults I could just turn to” led Torino to the education field.
he Bennett Gallery exhibit features minimalist and maximalist pieces from the Advanced Photography and Painting classes. Minimalism features a small number of objects in the frame, creating a seemingly quiet image and an uncluttered, peaceful piece of art. In contrast, maximalism fills the frame. Brian Sago said the dichotomy was intentional. “We collectively created the idea to split the gallery in half, with one side being overwhelming, and another side being very open and tranquil.” For students, there were no specific barriers to the necessary aspects; anything worked as long as it conveyed a unique kind of intent.