Time Capsule

“I remember going to lunch in the old dining room on a bright November day and being suddenly told that we were on time (Fay for absolute quiet)! I remember looking down at my bright orange tie with skiers on it and wondering what was going on...being on time was never a welcome sign. Mr. Reinke came in and said, "I have very bad news for you...President Kennedy has been shot..." Everyone really went totally on time including the kitchen; not even a fork dropped. I can still feel the chill that went down my spine, roughly fifty-seven years ago! I still wear the tie every November 23.” —Marco Pittore ’65

 

“I was one of the first girls to ever attend Fay School... that in itself was a moment in time that I'll certainly never forget.” —Mindy Hohman Holgate ’77

 

“We were all sitting in the lodge at Ward Hill, drinking hot chocolate and watching the space shuttle take off with local teacher Christa McAuliffe on board, when it exploded. I remember the sinking pit in my stomach as I watched. It was the first time I had witnessed first-hand a loss of life. She was a celebrity in Massachusetts at the time. It felt like we'd just lost someone we knew.” —Tom Higgins ’87

 

“I was playing God Bless America in handbell class when we found out that the Space Shuttle Challenger blew up.”  —Jillian Langord King ’87

 

“It was my first year teaching. Students in the Learning Center were on the Internet and stumbled across the news about the World Trade Center. I remember where I was standing, the students in the room, and how the school responded.”  —Angela Arigoni-Mesfioui, faculty, 2001-2007

 

“Watching the first Super Bowl on the TV in the Common Room.” —Tony Fisher ’68

 

“The day [the Blizzard of ’78] started, we went on a field trip to Faneuil Hall to eat at a French restaurant. There was no stress in the morning, but when we got back all of the day students were being evacuated like there was going to be an invasion. Massive snow and no school was not such a bad thing for us boarders!” —Tim Arnold ’78

 

“[During the blizzard] we hauled people off the highway in our four-wheel drive vehicles and brought them to St. Mark’s and Fay. They slept on our wrestling mats on the floor of the Reinke building. Some were stranded for five or more days. We got a police escort to lead our bus out of town for the ski trip to Stowe, Vermont.” —William Stockwell, faculty, 1971-1980

 

“I remember walking into the auditorium to watch the inauguration of President Obama and feeling how monumental his election was. I listened to his words, but I remember noticing his deep voice and feeling hopeful for the future, even if I couldn't express that precisely in the moment. I was in sixth grade, and my brother, Jack, was also a student in ninth grade at Fay. His class was able to attend the Inauguration while on their class trip. Watching his speech and taking that moment in has meant a lot more over time, but to witness it for myself I think I understood how important it was to the country. The entire school stopped classes to watch the event, which hinted at the significance of the moment. I appreciate now, more than ever, that Fay understood this in January of 2009, and took time out of our hectic lives to witness history.” —Sam Vogel ’12