Hamden Hall Country Day School
Educating Students in PreSchool through Grade 12
Educating Students in PreSchool through Grade 12
News Detail
Lifers Don T-Shirts in Recognition of Their Longevity
While many of this year’s 11 Lifers couldn’t remember the name of the senior they shirted back when they were in PreKindergarten, most recalled something from the Lifers’ Shirting Ceremony they participated in more than a decade ago.
The Class of 2015 Lifers, meaning they have attended Hamden Hall since PreKindergarten or Kindergarten, includes Marilee Bodden, Mansell Carloni, Austin DiMartino, Loren Dunn, Sara Haney, Richard Haney, John Marando, Josie Maynard, Jay Moran, Kostas Sousoulas, and Elijah. A recent all-school assembly recognized the Lifers' longevity by shirting them with T-shirts created by the school's youngest students.
Click here to view a special slideshow of Hamden Hall's 2015 Lifers.
“I remember walking up on the stage and the kid who I shirted had come into our class and visited,” said senior Elijah Cordova, who started his educational career at Hamden Hall in PreKindergarten.
Click here to view a special slideshow of Hamden Hall's 2015 Lifers.
While many of this year’s 11 Lifers couldn’t remember the name of the senior they shirted back when they were in PreKindergarten, most recalled something from the Lifers’ Shirting Ceremony they participated in more than a decade ago.
“I remember walking up on the stage and the kid who I shirted had come into our class and visited,” said senior Elijah Cordova, who started his educational career at Hamden Hall in PreKindergarten.
Sara Haney said she couldn’t recall the actual ceremony, but did remember singing with her brother, fellow lifer Richard Haney, at the subsequent Valentine Bake Sale, for which the annual shirting ceremony acts as an advertisement due to both the all-school assembly and the T-shirts lifers and others don.
“We sang a special song at the bake sale and we had to stand in front of some bleachers and perform for everyone,” said Sara, who also entered Hamden Hall in PreKindergarten.
The Class of 2015 Lifers, meaning they have attended Hamden Hall since PreKindergarten or Kindergarten, includes Marilee Bodden, Mansell Carloni, Austin DiMartino, Loren Dunn, John Marando, Josie Maynard, Jay Moran, and Kostas Sousoulas – in addition to Elijah and the Haney twins.
Each Lifer was shirted during an all-school assembly by a PreKindergartner or Kindergartner, meaning that the little ones stood on the Taylor Gym stage behind their senior and pulled (and tugged!) a T-shirt over the Lifers’ heads. This year’s T-shirts featured hand-drawn faces and the names of each of the PreSchool, PreKindergarten, and Kindergarten st of which was contained in a large heart.
The Shirting Ceremony has taken place annually since 1982. So has the singing of the “C is for Cookie” song, the lyrics of which were written by Shirting Ceremony founder Kathie Harris, who joined the Hamden Hall faculty in 1974 as the school’s PreKindergarten teacher. Despite having since retired after a long and storied career at Hamden Hall, Kathie returned to campus for the Shirting Ceremony this year and was “shirted” in her own right at the behest of Head of School Bob Izzo.
A reception for the Lifers and their families and special friends followed the assembly.
1108 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
Hamden Hall Country Day School, located less than two miles from Yale University, is one of the best private schools in Connecticut to enroll elementary, middle, and high school students. Our nurturing and inclusive community provides a dynamic learning environment that promotes academic excellence by understanding each child and fostering their individual growth.
