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Marcelle
C. Zanetti Reflections on Life at Monson Academy First impressions: Leaving a large public high school in Springfield, Massachusetts, the summer before my junior year led me down a new path I eagerly awaited! A little apprehensive at first, a little shy, I hardly spoke with anyone the first two weeks of school. Six female students intruding on an all-male school. The diversity I found came in shades of color, culture, and socioeconomic variety. The flavors, the eventual and sometimes lasting friendships opened my eyes to a fascinating world. Turbulent times, marching up Academy Hill as a cohesive student body seemed to draw all of us closer together. Funny, I don't remember what our protest was about, but I do remember the energy exuded by our unified group! Academically: Chaucer, Pope, T. S. Eliot, "mud luscious and puddle wonderful," I was turned on to reading! Mr. Hill sure had a way of making even Shakespeare come to life! I still have the aluminum bracelet Mr. Benton, my French teacher, awarded me for being the first to get a response from a pen pal in France. He was the nicest man. I even gave him a ride home once or twice on my travels back and forth. He lived on the highest part of Ridge Road where the view was incredible. I was intimidated by Mr. Harrell, my math teacher who turned out to be strict yet at the same time gentle and helpful. Those are a few of the many teachers that stood out. After I graduated, one person I met at an alumni gathering cannot be overlooked. Mr. Casey, the headmaster of WMA who took over from Mr. Tuttle, truly had a unique way to make people feel special. I remember an alumni gathering at the Estey's beautiful home at Lighthouse Point, Florida, where I introduced Mr. Casey to my husband, Andy. Out of the blue, he came out with names of people and places from Andy's neighborhood. I will never forget watching the gift he had for making people feel comfortable! Extracurricular: We had the best wrestling team in our division! I remember going to Maine to cheer our guys on to victory! Mr. Harrell led the football team; we watched soccer and baseball among other sports as we sat in the grass on the hill looking down. I remember being taught to shoot when the rifle team was practicing. All these years later I think it surprised my family when they saw I knew how to handle a rifle on a skeet shooting adventure at Greenbriar. Somehow even detention was an adventure at Monson Academy. Cleaning that old empty dorm for three hours on a Saturday wasn't a highlight, but the fun we had when we weren't being checked on was! Skiing down the hill behind the dining hall was a challenge. Remember how it suddenly ended at the bales of hay? Couldn't miss those or you would be looking below at the train tracks. Swinging on the rope over the little stream. Looking up and watching the many shades of green blur together. Those were wonderful times I'll never forget! I always loved the window seats in Holmbrook dining hall entrance. They don't make dining halls like that anymore! The academics, the student body, the faculty, in these few sentences are but a few of the memories that shaped my life at Monson Academy. I always have felt very fortunate to have been a part of that school. Editor's note: Marcelle Zanetti holds the distinction of being the last person to receive the Monson Academy diploma in 1971. |