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Volume 74, Issue 1
Spring
April 17, 2025
A Student Publication of the Belmont Hill School
Woodburys
Impress
BH
Students
By Ben Gong ’26 & Bradford Adams ’26 Panel Staff Whether it be a tale of a first kiss gone horribly awry or a story about the brotherhood a student found in the Belmont Hill JV hockey team, this year’s Woodbury Public Speaking contest certainly did not fail to disappoint. This year’s speakers, Brady Paquette ’25, Will Achtmeyer ’26, Alex Tosi ’25, Thomas Sheehan ’25, Jordan Summers ’25, and Maksim Roman ’25 all did a fantastic job and provided the Belmont Hill community with speeches that will be remembered for years to come. The proceedings began with Brady’s heartfelt speech about the bond he found within his Chinese class. As a floundering student in Spanish, he turned to Chinese with Mr. Shen, and formed a bond with his classmates that turned language from a chore into a class that he looked forward to every day. Brady stressed the importance of brotherhood, and finding joy in our work, a lesson that surely resonates with many in the Belmont Hill community. After Brady’s speech, Will Achtmeyer spoke about the importance of letting things go and showing gratitude. His vivid description of receiving
Spring Woodburys; Brady Paquette ’25 delivered on video a scolding from his mother after showing disrespect after a simple question - and his mother’s ability to put that aside to wave to a total stranger on the street - hopefully, touched some of the first and second-formers in attendance. Will emphasized the effect that empathy has on others and encouraged Belmont Hill to show it at every opportunity. Following Will’s speech, Alex Tosi described his disastrous attempt at a first kiss. Humorously taking us through his planning, the act itself, and his awful quip after the fact, Alex had the entire chapel laughing with heads in hands over some of his 13-year-old self ’s poor decisions. In the words of
JJ Pena ’26
the man himself: “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail,” a message Belmont Hill students can certainly take to heart with exams around the corner. Next, Thomas Sheehan shed light on his journey from aspiring hockey star to almost joining strength and conditioning before eventually sticking with hockey. Thomas described rediscovering his love of hockey with the small Belmont Hill JV Hockey team, where he made a number of friends and scored four goals. Thomas’ story highlighted the importance of sports at Belmont Hill and the value they can bring even if a student does not star for varsity. Jordan Summers’ speech was
Again
next, and he discussed the intense games of “HORSE” he played with his father. Jordan vividly described how he and his father would not just horse around, but rather use the game to practice real shots and improve. His message about pursuing your goals with conviction was one that resonated with the Belmont Hill community. Lastly, Maksim Roman talked about his harrowing experience of being hospitalized after being hit by a discus. Max talked about how right after he was hit - where he was at his lowest point - the care the community showed for him was never greater. Whether it be Mr. Zellner sprinting - as Max said - for the first time in 15 years or Mr. Chin immediately coming to assist him, Max’s story reminded us that the Belmont Community will always be there for us no matter what. The field this year was particularly strong, with some teachers calling it the best in their decades of experience. Students agreed and generally raved about the quality of the speeches. After intense deliberation, the judges selected Alex Tosi as the victor. The Panel would like to congratulate each of the contestants for their efforts, and looks forward to the next installment this fall! ☐
BH Students Inspired by Noelle Lambert’s Story By Eli Norden ’26 Panel Staff On Thursday, March 6, the Belmont Hill community gathered to hear the incredible life story of Paralympian and American record holder Noelle Lambert. Born in Londonderry, New Hampshire, Ms. Lambert grew up in a home surrounded by athletic brothers. As a child, she learned to be gritty in the face of friendly competition with her brothers. After a stellar career as a high school athlete, she committed to play Division 1 Lacrosse at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. She had an outstanding freshman year on the field, beginning her college career seemingly destined for greatness. When on a trip with friends in the Summer of 2016 on Martha’s Vineyard, Ms. Lambert mounted a moped for the first time ever. On her joyride with friends, she crashed into a truck, suddenly losing her entire left leg. Rushed to adequate care, Ms. Lambert was put in emergency surgery, and doctors saved her life. She began her re-
Noelle Lambert Chapel
covery journey quickly, aiming to play lacrosse at any point in the following season. Months after her accident, she rejoined practice, making clear to her coaches that she wanted to be held to the same standards as her two-legged teammates. In her first game back, she scored a remarkable goal, that she describes as the best of her life. After college, many track coaches pressured Ms. Lambert to join the sport,
A Look Inside The Panel Page 2: Blood Drive Sam Leviton ’28 recaps this year’s successful edition of the on-campus blood drive, a highlight of the Belmont Hill community service calendar that brings in many participants.
Page 5: AOTI Mr. Patterson Patrick Snail ’28 dives deep into Brother P’s artistic life, both in and out of school, highlighting the upbeat music teacher’s accomplishments and interesting life story.
Page 3: Football Reconstruction Nicky Jones ’26, alongside Jack Coughlin ’26, highlights recent news in ISL football, including scheduling changes and league design that will be implemented next season.
Page 10: Athlete Entitlement Charlie Maws ’26 comments on supposed entitlement in professional sports, making a strong case that some athletes take it too far on and off the camera.
BH Communications citing her determination and work ethic on and off the field. After graduating from UMass Lowell cum laude, she pivoted her career to become a track and field athlete. Following many trials and tribulations, such as only finishing seventh in national qualifiers, Ms. Lambert was en route to Tokyo for the 2020 Paralympic Games. At the games, she broke her own American record in the 100m for her disability class.
Following four more years of intense training—including picking up the long jump and a stint as the first-ever above-the-knee amputee on Survivor in 2022—Ms. Lambert competed in Paris last summer, placing a remarkable fourth in her new event. Looking back at her Olympic career, she lamented not having won: she promised Belmont Hill to bring a gold back home to Massachusetts after the 2028 Los Angeles Games. Throughout her career, Ms. Lambert has prioritized giving back. Her accident “has made [her] realize what’s important in life.” Accordingly, she founded the Born to Run Foundation, an organization that helps children and adults alike obtain often expensive prosthetics. At the end of her speech, Ms. Lambert reflected deeply, “When I look back on my accident now, I view it as such a positive and I view it as something to be extremely grateful for.” The entire Belmont Hill community is incredibly grateful to Ms. Lambert for offering her honesty and wisdom to make every single member a better athlete, teammate, and student. ☐
Letter from the Editor: Welcome to Issue 1 of Volume 74! This month, our news and arts sections spotlight a variety of school events and Performances including the school-wide blood drive, the hypnosis Chapel of David Hall, and the most recent Landau Gallery hosting Gordon Chase’s artwork. Meanwhile, our sports section features Cooper Tarlie ’25 as our Athlete of the Issue and features articles focusing on March Madness at Belmont Hill and the downfall of the Bruins. Finally, the centerspread of this issue highlights the compiled op-eds of this year’s Ad-
vanced Action Research (AAR) team and their findings from data they gathered over the past year on different topics within the school community, as well as their experience at the UPenn SPARC Conference. This issue marks the first of Volume 74 as we transition into a new staff of editors and assistant editors; we thank all of the writers, editors, and faculty who have helped make our previous volume possible. We are truly proud of what we accomplished in this volume, and it would not have been possible without all of you. Thank you, and enjoy Volume 74!