Woodbury’s:
On October 16, students gathered in Hamilton Chapel to welcome the finalists of the latest Woodbury Public Speaking Contest. The finalists included Will Achtmeyer ’26, Alex Black ’26, Budom Ezeani ’26, Ari Itzkovitz ’28, and Ryan Chang-Wu ’27 (delivered virtually). The Woodbury Public Speaking Contest, named after Glen P. Woodbury, was established in 1956. It provides Belmont Hill boys with the opportunity to deliver speeches to the broader school community based on their lived experiences and interests.
This fall’s speakers offered valuable advice on how to persevere through adversity, living through self-doubt and stress. Topics ranged from missing class to journeying through learning musical instruments, to surviving a bad haircut, to experiences in a low-quality film set, to stepping outside one’s comfort zone on the basketball court, and to surviving for 48 hours, isolated on a beach. Budom Ezeani ’26 was chosen as the winner of the contest; his speech shared how striving through adversity helped him discover a love for basketball. While these students all had varying experiences, they shared one common trait: perseverance through adversity and hardship, as well as expanding beyond their comfort zone, emerging better than before.
Kenney Legacy Trip:
During a recent Chapel gathering on October 20, the Belmont Hill community heard from the Kenney Legacy Trip participants, who shared reflections on their journey through battlefields, memorials, and museums of World War II Europe. The trip was established by the Kenney family to honor the memory of Charlie Kenney ’06, who always had a deep connection to history, holding a deep appreciation for the military, the honor of service, and understanding our past.
This year’s trip was led by Ms. Zener and Mr. Bracken ’15, and the group traveled from London to Paris, Belgium, Normandy, and Germany, tracing key sites of the war. Highlights included the Churchill War Rooms, the Imperial War Museum, the foxholes in Bois Jacques from the Battle of the Bulge, and Omaha Beach. In describing the Churchill War Rooms, Scotty Moreau ’26 said, “Being able to see artifacts in the same places they were 80 years ago during one of the world’s scariest times was absolutely mind-blowing.”
During the guided tour of an American Cemetery in Germany, Eli Norden ’26 declared, “It makes one reflect on the nature of sacrifice. The seemingly endless rows of crosses represent thousands of stories.” The Chapel overall closed with immense gratitude to the Kenney family, whose generosity has helped grant select Belmont Hill boys the opportunity to attend this transformative experience—an opportunity that will continue to provide benefits to the community for years to come.
