HRA alumnus and 2026 All-Alumni Tailgate performer Doug Parsons ’81

Every fall, Homecoming weekend is a joyful celebration of the entire Hampton Roads Academy community—current students, families, faculty and staff past and present, and especially our alumni, lifelong Navigators who have a home on Academy Lane no matter when they graduated or how far away they have moved.

This year’s Homecoming festivities will be especially meaningful, brought to life with music performed live by two alumni celebrating landmark class reunions.

Guitarist and singer Doug Parsons ’81, in town for his forty-fifth reunion, will treat his fellow Navigators to a mix of classic rock, swing, and hits from all class years represented during the All-Alumni Tailgate on the evening of Friday, October 23. Parsons will also serve as an honorary host of the event, a prelude to that night’s varsity football game.

Navigator and Susie & the Pistols frontwoman Susannah Hornsby ’01, who will play this fall’s on-campus reunion party with her band during Homecoming weekend

The following evening, accordionist and vocalist Susannah Hornsby ’01, marking a quarter-century since her graduation from HRA, will get her fellow alumni on their feet as her band Susie & the Pistols puts on a lively “Cajun-tonk” performance at an on-campus reunion party for classes ending in ones and sixes. The niece of singer-songwriter Bruce Hornsby, a non-graduating HRA alumnus known for such songs as the 1986 hit “The Way It Is” with the Range, Hornsby will be joined on bass by her father Bobby Hornsby, also a former HRA student.

The two alumni performances will be a testament not only to the incredible musical abilities that many of HRA’s graduates began cultivating at the Academy, but also to Navigators’ investment in the community that gathers on campus each October.

“Having alumni play here on campus lands differently, because it makes it feel more like a true homecoming or a family gathering,” said Director of Alumni Relations Tommy Yevak ’83, who invited Parsons and Hornsby to provide the weekend’s entertainment. “It has a more comfortable vibe with heightened appreciation not only for their talents, but for our shared roots or teenage beginnings. As a fellow alum, I’ll feel like I’d be welcome to pick up a shaky rhythm egg and add some beat to the song being played—just as I would at my own family Thanksgiving post-dinner song time.”

Solitary Harmonies by Doug Parsons: A Lifelong Passion Rediscovered

Performing under the name Solitary Harmonies, Parsons was thrilled by the opportunity to bring his guitar and his voice back to the school where he laid a foundation for his musical career, playing in a rock band during his senior year.

“I loved HRA,” he said. “I had a blast there.” 

As a student who transferred to the Academy from Menchville High School in the eleventh grade, Parsons recalled that “going to HRA from public school was like going to college.” He credited several “phenomenal” former faculty members—from math and English teacher Dr. Fran Ward (née Cunningham) and history teachers Wilson Ellis and Jim Holt to his track coach Larry Knight (also an art teacher) and his football coach and athletic director Tom Henderson—with helping him learn strong study habits and the focus and discipline that have guided him toward success throughout his career.

Parsons (far right) and his teammates engage in post-game horseplay during the fall 1980 football season

At HRA, he developed into a distinguished athlete, playing basketball and throwing shot put and discus while also setting himself apart on the gridiron. Alongside fellow Navigator and eventual HRA head football coach David Legg ’80, he would continue playing football at Hampden-Sydney College, starting and earning all-conference honors each of his four years on the team. After he graduated, the San Diego Chargers invited him to try out to play at the professional level, but he passed on this opportunity because his sights were set on the other passion that would determine the trajectory of his life: being a rock-and-roller.

Coming from a family of athletes and artists, Parsons deeply valued the opportunities he discovered at HRA to excel in music as well as sports. Like football, performing would be a constant between his HRA and Hampden-Sydney years, as he found himself joining a band again. But music would follow him beyond college, through work with a local band, a church choir, and companies for which he recorded jingles.

Parsons pursued music while building a career in the plumbing and HVAC industry and later in construction and renovations. He eventually established his own company, D.A. Parsons Construction, in Chesapeake, which afforded him the immensely rewarding opportunity to hire local high school graduates for an apprenticeship program that launched numerous successful careers. In the 2000s, the strain of a grueling performance schedule alongside the pressures of running a business led him to make the difficult decision to step away from music.

Parsons performs at the Portsmouth Olde Town Shakedown in July 2026

But four years ago, an invitation from his church choir director got him back into playing the guitar. Now semi-retired, working only occasionally as a service technician for the Thompson Creek Window Company, he delights in the freedom to focus his energies on performing and building his talents in a wide array of genres.

Parsons’ current act includes both acoustic and classical guitar with a percussion accompaniment and complex harmonies to create the sound of a full band. He caters his musical style to the taste of his varied audiences, from flamenco and faith music (which he creates as music director for Tidewater Emmaus, a local Christian community organization) to country and, of course, classic rock.

Having attended multiple HRA class reunions, most recently his fortieth in 2021, Parsons noted that he eagerly looks forward not only to his performance at the All-Alumni Tailgate, but also his first-ever on-campus reunion party. He expressed his excitement to reconnect with classmates as well as underclassmen with whom he grew close as a member of HRA’s tight-knit, grade-crossing student community.

Susie & the Pistols: Connecting with Community through Music

A lifelong performer, Hornsby sings “A Little Brains, a Little Talent” during a spring 1998 HRA production of Damn Yankees

For Hornsby, this fall’s multi-class reunion will be her first since she graduated from HRA. As she explained, she could think of no better time than the milestone of 25 years to return to campus, see how familiar spaces have physically transformed, and catch up with fellow Navigators.

Surrounded by a range of athletes, artists, and scholars in her class, Hornsby said, “I really loved that HRA allowed me to access different ways of being in the world.” The budding performer had diverse interests, and at the Academy, she felt supported in exploring them all. She was a strong student and softball player, captain of the varsity field hockey team, a talented guitarist and member of the chorus, and a regular lead in yearly musicals.

“I didn’t need to be defined by one or more of the things I was doing,” she said. “If I had the time and the bandwidth, I could show up authentically in any number of spaces.”

Combined with a broad-based liberal arts education, the wide variety of opportunities available to her at HRA shaped Hornsby’s path after graduation. Inspired by language arts teachers like Ric Beard and Shannon Casey, her theatre director Mike Oehmann, and her forensics coach Connie Holmes, she decided to major in English literature at the University of Virginia. Perhaps no one helped her find her voice as a performer and storyteller more than former HRA Middle and Upper School choral director Robin Steinberger, “a real champion of the arts” whose farewell concert upon her retirement in 2023 last brought Hornsby back to HRA. She still considers her relationships with these faculty members to be the foundation of her current career in marketing and consulting, the heart of which is vivid storytelling on behalf of small businesses.

Hornsby (second from left) wears her costume from a 2001 HRA production of Annie Get Your Gun for a Halloween performance with Susie & the Pistols at Stinson Vineyards in White Hall

Hornsby founded her own marketing firm while living in New York after college. While there, she also played in a band and met her husband, Andrew Green, a fellow musician. When the couple moved back to Hornsby’s home state in 2013, they formed Susie & the Pistols with friends in Charlottesville as a way to keep music-making on the calendar alongside their busy careers.

Blending honky-tonk, zydeco, outlaw country, and the blues, the Pistols, said their frontwoman, create “music that feels good for easy afternoons.” Along with Hornsby on accordion and lead vocals, the band features a bassist, a guitarist, a drummer, and a rotating cast of horn players and keyboardists. Susie & the Pistols have brought their distinctive Americana sound to venues across the Commonwealth, and they will soon release a new album, titled Wander.

“It’s always really fun to be in community and in family around music,” Hornsby said. She could think of no clearer proof than her upcoming gig at HRA, when she will play alongside her husband and father for an audience of old friends.

A Weekend of Excitement

Hornsby (center) with her daughter Lois, fellow HRA alumna Lauren Yevak ’13 (far left), and Director of Alumni Relations Tommy Yevak ’83 after a Pistols concert at Glasshouse Winery in Free Union

Hornsby’s and Parsons’ performances promise to elevate a weekend full of highlights at HRA, October 23-24.

Capping off an energetic Spirit Week, the All-Alumni Tailgate, starting at 5:00 pm on Friday, will allow Navigators from throughout the decades to celebrate with one another and with past and current faculty members as they gear up for the Homecoming football game at 6:30. Solitary Harmonies by Doug Parsons will lend a nostalgic groove to the event, complete with delicious libations and bites prepared by HRA’s own Executive Chef Uwe Schluszas. Held in the picnic area adjacent to Lester Grace Field, the tailgate will transition seamlessly into the game. The entire Navigator community will cheer on Coach Rodney Taylor and his varsity players during a much-anticipated matchup under the lights against The Covenant School.

On Saturday evening, classes observing reunions will gather on campus once more for a party in the state-of-the-art Mary and Larry Pope Dining Hall, where Chef Uwe will serve up gourmet heavy hors d’oeuvres and Susie & the Pistols will bring down the house. Student-led campus tours will begin at 4:45 pm, and the doors will open at 6:00. Spanning all eras of HRA’s history, the reunion celebration will make for a night of laughs, memories, and Navigator spirit.

Registration for all 2026 Homecoming events is open now. This beloved fall tradition will be an occasion no HRA alumnus will want to miss.

Seventh graders cheer from the sidewalk as their eighth-grade peers proudly parade past the front of the Academy following the annual Crossing Ceremony

The Hampton Roads Academy Middle School student body, faculty, and families gathered in the Svein J. Lassen Auditorium on the morning of Tuesday, May 19, to recognize the accomplishments of Navigators in Grades 5 through 8 and honor the eighth graders’ transition to the Upper School at the annual Middle School Awards and Crossing Ceremony.

A time-honored tradition, the assembly provided an opportunity for the HRA community to celebrate the remarkable work and growth of our students during the crucial middle chapter of their Navigator journeys. Awards presented recognized excellence in scholarship, the arts, character, and citizenship.

For the rising ninth-grade class, the Crossing represented the culmination of four years of learning and achievement that have laid a strong foundation for an academically rigorous final stage of their college-preparatory experience. With a joyful car parade in these students’ honor following the assembly, the day marked a spirited tribute to their many successes and a warm welcome to the Upper School.

“This is an outstanding group of 50 students,” Interim Director of Middle School Karen Gillespie said of the Class of 2030. “They have proven themselves in so many ways.”

Honoring Student Excellence across the Middle School

Interim Director of Middle School Karen Gillespie congratulates Compass Award winner Blaine Averett ’30

For more than three decades, the Middle School has assembled at the end of the spring semester to acknowledge the outstanding achievements of students throughout the division. In keeping with this tradition, after opening remarks from Gillespie, the 2025-2026 division-wide year-end ceremony kicked off with recognitions for exceptional students at all grade levels.

This year’s honorees have distinguished themselves not only in academics, but also in a wide variety of pursuits beyond the classroom, reflecting their growth into compassionate and engaged leaders.

Highest Honors

Students earn the designation of Highest Honors by achieving a grade of 90 or above in all courses through the third marking period of the current academic year. This year’s honorees are:

• Fifth grade: Emma Angus ’33, Jordyn Brown ’33, Shloak Joshi ’33, and John Lamm ’33
• Sixth grade: Paolo Ibba ’32, Leila Mygas ’32, Alex Nguyen ’32, and Liam Quinlan ’32
• Seventh grade: Henry Barnhart ’31, A-Ri Chae ’31, Bridget Kaplow ’31, Luke Lam ’31, Liliana Mercado ’31, and Haze Skinner ’31
• Eighth grade: Blaine Averett ’30, Lauren Cash ’30, Alex Chen ’30, Ady Heder ’30, Mark Hospodar ’30, Suhani Joshi ’30, Bella Nguyen ’30, Arnesh Paul ’30, Madeleine Wells ’30, and Elizabeth Yancey ’30

Scholarship Award

This award honors the student with the highest cumulative grade point average in each grade. This year’s winners are:

• Fifth grade: Shloak Joshi ’33
• Sixth grade: Liam Quinlan ’32
• Seventh grade: Bridget Kaplow ’31
• Eighth grade: Suhani Joshi ’30

Faculty Award

This prize recognizes a student in each class who is an exemplar of HRA’s core values of honesty, respect, and responsibility, maintaining high standards of conduct in every aspect of student life. This year’s winners are:

• Fifth grade: Jordyn Brown ’33
• Sixth grade: Grayson Godfrey ’32
• Seventh grade: Bridget Kaplow ’31
• Eighth grade: Elizabeth Yancey ’30

Citizenship Award

This award is presented to a student in each grade who, through upstanding behavior and positive action, upholds and enhances the life of the school. This year’s recipients are:

• Fifth grade: Sarah Beaudin ’33
• Sixth grade: Audrey Colburn ’32
• Seventh grade: Henry Barnhart ’31
• Eighth grade: Harrison Bursi ’30

Blue and Gold Award

This honor, named for the Academy’s colors, is conferred upon a student in each class who demonstrates genuine enthusiasm for the HRA community and serves as a role model for others, fostering school pride through participation in varied activities and an infectious attitude. This year’s awardees are:

• Fifth grade: Crew Sorensen ’33
• Sixth grade: Virginia Hankins ’32
• Seventh grade: Marin Mazzurco ’31
• Eighth grade: Bella Pacheco ’30

Performing Arts Award

This special recognition is presented to a student who exhibits outstanding abilities and mastery of varied performance techniques in the classroom and on stage.

The recipient is Arnesh Paul ’30.

Visual Arts Award

This prize is awarded to a student who demonstrates exceptional skill, understanding, and pursuit of mastery in all artistic techniques, both within the studio and beyond.

The recipient is Claire Blancett ’30.

Compass Award

This is the highest award presented in the Middle School, honoring an eighth grader who stands as a model of spirit, determination, positivity, high personal standards, involvement in the life of the school, and commitment to others, along with overall academic excellence. The winner of the Compass Award embodies what it means to be a Navigator.

Congratulations to this year’s honoree, Blaine Averett ’30.

Crossing into New Waters

Mrs. Gillespie personally congratulates each eighth grader during the Crossing Ceremony

Following the presentation of awards and a special acknowledgment of Middle School Parents’ Association representative Holly Jeffreys, a slideshow tracing each eighth grader’s growth from infancy through their Lower and Middle School years marked the beginning of a much-anticipated rite of passage: the Crossing.

Introduced twenty years ago under then-Director of Middle School Susanne Swain ’78 (now HRA’s Director of Lower School), this cherished tradition highlights a major academic milestone for the eighth graders, soon to embark on a new adventure in the Upper School, as well as the cohesion between the Academy’s divisions.

Head of School Jay Lasley opened this year’s Crossing Ceremony by inviting the students to reflect on a challenge they had faced in the past year and how their teachers, coaches, and mentors helped them not only navigate, but also grow, through the process.

“We are there, walking with you [parents] and your children, when it’s dark and cloudy—when the seas are not smooth,” Lasley said. “This is what sets Hampton Roads Academy apart: the constant and consistent care, the support, the commitment by every adult with whom your children interact.”

Middle School math teacher Jemma Kennedy addresses the Class of 2030

Next, two speakers chosen by the eighth-grade class took the podium. First came Middle School math teacher Jemma Kennedy, who likened the rising ninth graders at this moment of possibilities to a compressed spring or a stretched rubber band, full of potential energy.

“Realizing your goals and becoming who you are meant to be requires a willingness to be compressed, to be stretched, and to be able to hold the tension of ideas and viewpoints that challenge your current understanding,” Kennedy told the students. “As you do this, I have no doubt that you will launch into an amazing journey and soar into the next four years.”

Student speaker Arnesh Paul ’30 reflects on a Middle School experience that has allowed him and his classmates to grow in remarkable ways, emphasizing character above all else

Eighth grader and Performing Arts Award winner Arnesh Paul ’30 then addressed his fellow students and the assembled guests, highlighting treasured memories ranging from his class’s fifth-grade trip to Operation Smile headquarters in Virginia Beach to their yearly volunteering experiences at the Virginia Peninsula Foodbank in Hampton.

“Being in this community has deeply developed our characters,” Paul said. “However, the path has not ended yet. There is still a lot more to do in high school, and wherever else you want to go after that. What I can say with full confidence is that every single person in my class has a gift.”

Following the speeches, eighth-grade TEAM leader and history teacher Kerry LiBrando, soon to take on the role of Middle School Dean of Students, read the rising ninth graders’ names as they crossed the stage to shake hands with Gillespie, then Assistant Head of School and Director of Upper School Ben Rous. Rous extended an enthusiastic welcome to the newest Upper Schoolers before Gillespie brought the exercises to a close.

Parading in Style

A celebration of the rising ninth graders and their families

The proud eighth graders were invited to leave campus with their loved ones to celebrate after the assembly. Before they departed, though, one last joyful HRA tradition awaited them: the annual car parade. First instituted by then-Director of Middle School Rhonda DeChirico in 2020 as a way to salute the eighth-grade class amidst COVID-19–era social distancing, the parade has since become a beloved fixture of the Academy’s end-of-year festivities.

With many of their cars vividly decorated for the occasion, the students and their families took a turn past the front of the school as teachers and peers cheered them on from the sidewalk with noisemakers, bubbles, and applause. Lining the parade route were members of the seventh-grade class, themselves just one year away from this momentous milestone.

According to Gillespie, the annual Crossing Ceremony and car parade give the HRA community a chance to celebrate not only the eighth-grade students, but also the supportive parents and guardians who have invested their time, energy, and resources in their children’s education. Their engagement is extraordinary, and the Middle School’s springtime traditions pay tribute to how far they and their students have come as a family as they together look forward to the next step.

“We have a great parent body, and they’re very much connected to the school,” Gillespie said, noting that her colleagues in the public school system regularly lament a level of parental involvement that falls far short of what is simply the norm at HRA. “We are very fortunate.”

Ready for What Lies Ahead

As the eighth graders revel in their triumphs over the past four years, Gillespie noted, meaningful challenges—and opportunities for growth—await them in Upper School.

First and foremost, they will tackle a rigorous curriculum designed to shape them into well-rounded and creative thinkers who are equipped to excel in all their pursuits after graduation. From the start of ninth grade, their performance in their academically demanding courses will be reflected in the transcript with which they will eventually apply to colleges.

Along with heightened expectations in the classroom will come considerably greater freedom—a challenge as well as a privilege. As Upper Schoolers, the current eighth graders will have the opportunity to select courses and co-curricular activities that align with their interests and goals, dress to their personalities in accordance with a more flexible dress code, complete independent research projects, and pursue internships and other invaluable pre-professional experiences that will help shape their visions of the future.

“It’s all about growing up and learning to make mature choices,” Gillespie said.

Crucially, according to the Middle School director, the students have benefitted from studying with “an amazing group of eighth-grade teachers, who have a real understanding of what the next step is going to require. They have been working all year to get them ready for this.” Gillespie pointed to numerous examples, including English teacher Hannah Hislop’s exploration of challenging literature with her students, Jemma Kennedy’s extraordinary efforts to lay a foundation for upper-level math courses, and Kerry LiBrando’s brilliant use of project work in American studies to build collaboration and critical thinking skills.

Entering Upper School with this strong academic base, Gillespie confidently asserted, the Class of 2030 is poised to thrive. “They are much more like high schoolers than they are like middle schoolers at this point,” she said.

Assured that they are ready for what lies ahead, the eighth graders have embraced the celebratory spirit of a season full of memorable traditions. From their grade-wide visit to Busch Gardens on May 1 to the landmark Crossing Ceremony and car parade to an exciting three-day applied learning trip to Washington, D.C., starting the following morning, the students have capped off their Middle School years with an array of incredible experiences that they will surely never forget.

As she concludes her term as Middle School director, Mrs. Gillespie extends her congratulations to the Class of 2030 and salutes a deeply grateful Academy

Junior Abigail Berg ’27 proudly holds up the trophy for First Place Class A Concert Band

Hampton Roads Academy congratulates our Middle School Choir Club and combined Middle and Upper School Spring Trip Festival Band on their award-winning performances at the 2026 Music in the Parks Festival, hosted on Saturday, May 9, at Kings Dominion. The instrumentalists took home the first-place prize for Class A Concert Band, while HRA as a whole was recognized with the Esprit de Corps Award, the coveted final trophy bestowed at the awards ceremony.

The Music in the Parks program invites student ensembles from across the United States and Canada to perform for expert adjudicators and receive valuable feedback before spending a fun-filled day in a regional amusement park. Participation in the festival is a highly anticipated annual tradition for performing arts groups at the Academy. This year, HRA’s talented student musicians, led by Director of Bands Brian Grieb and Middle and Upper School choir director Marshall Severin, competed against 35 ensembles representing 16 different schools across four states.

The Spring Trip Festival Band’s top honors in the High School Concert Band category are a testament to the strength of HRA’s band program as a whole, which recently distinguished itself with a historic performance at the VBODA District VIII Jazz Assessment. The Middle School Choir Club’s strong showing, meanwhile, indicates a bright future for a vocal program that has recently set itself apart through a consistent record of district-leading VMEA Honors Choir participation and the unprecedented success of the eighth- through twelfth-grade pop a cappella group Nowhere to Hide on campus and beyond.

A day of music and fun at Kings Dominion

HRA is especially proud to have earned the Esprit de Corps Award, the only Music in the Parks honor conferred upon a school, rather than an individual ensemble. The prize recognizes the participating school that has best demonstrated maturity, professionalism, respect, and kindness.

“We were honored to accept the award and are grateful to all of our wonderful students who represented the best of the Navigator spirit,” Severin said. “They truly embodied the ideas of honor, respect, and responsibility. It is a pleasure to see this cultivated and made manifest in the arts classrooms here at HRA.”

Severin and Grieb extended special thanks the chaperones who helped make the trip to Kings Dominion a wonderful time for all. Upper School history teacher Christopher Joyce, Middle School history teacher Christine Joyce, and a large team of parent volunteers made the day’s triumphs possible, and the choir and band directors expressed deep gratitude for their role in supporting, shaping, and celebrating an outstanding group of young musicians.

We cannot wait to see what the future holds for HRA’s band and choral ensembles!

Director of Bands Brian Grieb (center) with the members of the 7 O’Clock Jazz Band (left to right): Elizabeth Smith ’26, Weston Stilley ’28, Aaron Carlson ’27, Mark Nesterenko ’29, Zion McHenry-Wilson ’28, Myles Raines ’28, and Grace Bradley ’29

Hampton Roads Academy applauds its very own 7 O’Clock Jazz Band for earning straight superior ratings—the highest possible distinction—from all three adjudicators in the Virginia Band and Orchestra Directors Association (VBODA) District VIII Jazz Assessment, held at Christopher Newport University on Tuesday, April 28.

This outstanding result marks the first time that an HRA jazz ensemble has ever achieved this honor. The Academy is especially proud to have delivered such a strong performance as the only independent school represented at the assessment.

Congratulations to all the talented Upper School musicians who participated: saxophonists Grace Bradley ’29 and Myles Raines ’28, bassist and vocalist Aaron Carlson ’27, trombonist Zion McHenry-Wilson ’28, pianist Mark Nesterenko ’29, drummer Elizabeth Smith ’26, and trumpeter Weston Stilley ’28.

These dedicated students’ achievement was the result of considerable preparation and exceptional focus. Beginning in February, the members of the ensemble committed to twice weekly morning rehearsals, bringing them to campus a full hour before the start of the school day.

“What they accomplished in that limited time, especially in comparison to many peer ensembles, is remarkable,” said Brian Grieb, HRA’s Director of Bands and faculty sponsor of the 7 O’Clock Jazz Band. “Our students represented HRA with exceptional musicianship, professionalism, and pride.”

According to Grieb, his students’ success is also a testament to the strength of the HRA community. He especially praised Director of Theatre Kate Goddin, who chaperoned the trip; Sous Chef Jesse Rowe and the dining hall team, who prepared boxed lunches for the students; and bus driver Debbie Foltz, who provided transportation.

“I am grateful to be part of a school that supports its students and programs so fully,” Grieb said.

Fresh off their historic performance, the 7 O’Clock Jazz Band will take the stage once more during HRA’s spring instrumental concert at 5:00 pm on Saturday, May 2 (following a choral concert that afternoon at 2:00 pm) in the Svein J. Lassen Auditorium.

Students proudly representing HRA at Virginia Governor’s Schools in summer 2026 (left to right): Ryan Wartell ’27, Lily Doan ’28, Caroline Short ’27, Jaya Amin ’27, and Simón Molina Alarcon ’27 (not present: Merritt Jones ’27)

Hampton Roads Academy extends its congratulations to six talented Upper School students who have been accepted to highly selective residential Virginia Governor’s Schools for summer 2026. This year’s outstanding cohort consists of sophomore Lily Doan ’28 and juniors Jaya Amin ’27, Merritt Jones ’27, Simón Molina Alarcon ’27, Caroline Short ’27, and Ryan Wartell ’27.

The Governor’s School Program, administered by the Virginia Department of Education’s Office of Advanced Learning, in partnership with local school divisions, colleges, and universities, offers rising juniors and seniors the opportunity to work with seasoned educators and take a “deep dive” into a field of academic, artistic, or professional interest. Experiencing life on a college campus for four weeks, students meet peers from all parts of the state as they engage in fun and challenging activities inside and outside the classroom.

“Our students are competing against other highly qualified applicants from across the entire Commonwealth of Virginia,” said Upper School English teacher and Dean of Student Life Laurie Hager. “It is a significant honor to be invited to attend.”

“An Immersive and Impactful Experience”

A faculty member for the Humanities Summer Residential Governor’s School for four years prior to joining HRA, Hager stressed the interdisciplinary nature of these prestigious programs, challenging students to build connections among multiple subject areas. As she explained, Governor’s School instructors consistently design innovative courses prioritizing deep learning opportunities for students.

“It was an immersive and impactful experience for me as an educator, and it informs my teaching and administrative philosophy to this day,” Hager said.

Year after year, HRA Upper Schoolers who have found their time studying at Virginia Governor’s Schools to be equally enriching.

“I was surrounded by peers who were uniquely passionate and ambitious for the subject,” said senior Gage Beach ’26, an alumnus of the summer 2025 Latin program hosted by Randolph-Macon College. The unique curriculum, his teachers’ depth of involvement, and an environment that allowed for the sort of independence he will soon encounter in college, Beach explained, “rejuvenated my spirits and enjoyment of academia.”

For junior Aaron Carlson ’27, who attended the vocal music program at Radford University last summer, the true value of a Governor’s School program lies in a curriculum that offers invaluable lessons for life beyond the classroom. Carlson recalled that he not only gained technical insights into topics like arranging and composing music, but also learned about such matters of professional conduct as networking skills, audition protocol, and performance etiquette.

“Gov School for music taught me that being a better musician meant becoming a better person,” he said, “and that talent and technique only take you halfway.”

An Outstanding Achievement

HRA’s newest group of Governor’s School students began their journey toward such rewarding educational experiences in the very first month of the 2025-2026 school year. In September, Hager introduced prospective ninth-, tenth-, and eleventh-grade applicants to this summer’s residential programs during a Homeroom period where recent Governor’s School alumni, including Carlson and Beach, fielded questions from their peers.

In October, current sophomores and juniors were invited to submit their names and programs of interest to the Academy Affairs Committee, which evaluated the candidates and nominated the most highly qualified students based on their coursework, relevant experiences, and overall maturity.

Nine nominees then began a rigorous application process. Depending on their chosen program, students prepared essays, completed auditions, took challenging tests, or faced some combination of these forms of adjudication in December.

Successful applicants passed both regional and state-level selection rounds during the spring semester and were offered admission to programs in math, science, & technology, engineering, visual arts, agriculture, and the humanities in April. Accepted students are most often rising seniors, but on occasion—as was the case this year—a rising junior will be admitted to a Virginia Governor’s School as well.

HRA’s 2026 Virginia Governor’s School Cohort

Each of this year’s Governor’s School students is an exceptional scholar with an impressive record of achievement in their areas of interest and in their studies as a whole. The range of programs to which these outstanding Upper Schoolers were accepted reflects the Navigator community’s incredible range of unique talents and unmatched standard of excellence.

Engineering (in Partnership with Jefferson Lab): Lily Doan ’28

Tenth grader Lily Doan was one of only six students from throughout the Commonwealth to be admitted to this year’s summer Governor’s School for Engineering, hosted by William & Mary in partnership with Jefferson Lab. “To be selected to participate in the JLab program as a sophomore is a real accomplishment,” said Upper School science teacher Dr. Maribel Gendreau, “and I am super proud of her!”

Doan’s acceptance into this competitive program marks the latest in a string of accomplishments in the sciences during the first half of her Upper School career. In the spring of her freshman year, she joined HRA’s REACH (Real-world Experience and Academic Choice) Initiative, directed by Gendreau, with a focus on applied sciences and technology. After Gendreau introduced her to Girls Who Code, a nonprofit that seeks to close the gender gap in STEM-based careers, Doan quickly enrolled in the organization’s summer Pathways program, where she learned about game design and web development. This past fall, she established a Girls Who Code Club at HRA to help other female students deepen their knowledge of coding. For her own part, she is currently taking Dr. Devi Adhikari’s Python programming class at HRA and plans to continue studying computer science next year.

Visual & Performing Arts: Jaya Amin ’27

Under the mentorship of Visual Art Department Chair Emma Kamerer, junior Jaya Amin qualified for the highly prestigious Visual Arts program at Radford University by assembling an exceptional portfolio of graphite drawings and monochromatic oil paintings. As she explained, her work explores “the actions and emotions we go through without words … through the human body, an intricate structure that allows said complex thoughts and ideas to be created inside of it.”

An AP Drawing student and National Art Honor Society (NAHS) member, Amin has earned an impressive list of honors and creative opportunities as a student at HRA. During summer 2025, she completed an internship with Williamsburg Art Gallery (as well as a shadowing experience with Virginia Plastic Surgery) through the REACH Initiative. This spring, she was one of eight talented HRA Upper School artists featured in the student exhibition Prefaces at the Mary M. Torggler Fine Arts Center at Christopher Newport University. Amin’s work has also been selected for the 2026 NAHS Juried Art Show, held concurrently with the inaugural HRA Art Show on April 17-19, allowing her to forge meaningful connections with established professional artists. 

Humanities: Merritt Jones ’27 and Ryan Wartell ’27

This year, HRA was honored to have two students accepted to the Virginia Governor’s School for the Humanities at Radford University: juniors Merritt Jones and Ryan Wartell. This interdisciplinary program, spanning philosophy, English, history, and international relations, will allow the students to explore a wide-ranging selection of courses complementing their individual interests.

Both Jones and Wartell have built up résumés that are as well-rounded as the educational experience they will enjoy over the summer. On top of a challenging course load at HRA, Wartell is a member of the varsity boys tennis team team and a curatorial staff volunteer at the Mariners’ Museum and Park. He is also deeply involved in both the visual and performing arts, participating in NAHS and the a cappella group Nowhere to Hide and competing with distinction in prose interpretation as a member of HRA’s forensics team.

Jones is likewise engaged in both athletics and the arts as a varsity field hockey player and treasurer of the Academy’s NAHS chapter. She has further distinguished herself in leadership on the Mayor’s Youth Commission of Newport News, for which she served as a delegate at the 2025 National League of Cities annual conference. Firmly committed to community service, she is a member of both the Youth Volunteer Corps and the Operation Smile Club and volunteers with THRIVE Peninsula food pantry.

Math, Science, & Technology: Caroline Short ’27

Participating in the Governor’s School for Math, Science, & Technology at the University of Lynchburg in summer 2026, junior Caroline Short is a highly accomplished STEM student on campus at HRA and beyond. She has pursued a wide range of internship opportunities to build a foundation for her intended professional path as a labor and delivery nurse and gain exposure to careers in the sciences more broadly. Last summer alone, through REACH, she worked with Navigator parent Dr. Brittney Drames at Suffolk Pediatrics and HRA alumna Sarah Matheson Harris ’09 at Matheson Oyster Co., a sustainable oyster farming business in Gloucester.

This school year, Short has built on her summer internship and shadowing experiences by taking both Dr. Gendreau’s anatomy and physiology class and Marcy Ouellette’s AP Environmental Science class. She also serves as secretary of HRA’s Women in STEM and Engineering (WISE) program. During the coming summer, she plans to pursue an independent research project in addition to studying at the Virginia Governor’s School.

Agriculture: Simón Molina Alarcon ’27

For Simón Molina Alarcon, participating in the Agriculture program at Virginia Tech will be something of a full-circle experience. The junior grew up with significant exposure to farming as he assisted family members who worked in agriculture. Now, through the Virginia Governor’s School, he will apply rigorous scientific knowledge to this critical professional field.

Since joining HRA last year, Alarcon has become highly active in the school community as a member of NAHS and the varsity boys tennis team. His service work has been extensive, including volunteering for the library, tutoring peers in Spanish and geometry, and teaching English in the community. As president of the STEM Club, he has demonstrated leadership skills in advancing the sciences at HRA, a background that will serve him well as he pursues his studies in agriculture this summer.

HRA applauds all six of the incredible students representing the Academy at Virginia Governor’s Schools in 2026!

On Friday, April 17, the entire Hampton Roads Academy community will come together for the school’s annual day of giving,

This exciting three-day event will feature both in-person and online sales of original works by an astounding 79 professional artists from throughout Hampton Roads and beyond. Offering stunning paintings, sculptures, pottery, jewelry, photographic prints, mixed-media pieces, and more, the pre-juried show will support local artists’ creativity and raise funds to advance an unparalleled educational experience in the arts at HRA.

In-person art sales will begin in the Charles R. Spencer Gymnasium during an opening reception at 5:00 pm on April 17, then continue over the next two days, from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm on Saturday, April 18, and from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on Sunday, April 19. The Art Show is open to the public with no admission fee, and a food truck from BLZN Tacos will serve up delicious bites on campus on Saturday.

Digital sales are already underway, and all are invited to preview and purchase the selection of works available online now.

The only event of its kind at an independent school on the Peninsula, the HRA Art Show will not only highlight the talent of experienced artists, but also allow students to connect with these professionals as they explore the work on display and share creations of their own. 11 exceptional Upper School student artists will be featured at the show in a designated booth, showcasing the remarkable creativity emanating from HRA’s Visual Art Department and the potential impact of attendees’ investment in the arts at the Academy.

“Building connections between Hampton Roads Academy and the regional arts community is incredibly important, because art thrives when ideas, experiences, and perspectives are shared,” said incoming HRA trustee and Navigator parent Lauren Jett ’06, who is co-chairing the event with her mother Chrissy Garner. “Bringing local artists into the HRA community creates a meaningful opportunity for students, families, and visitors to engage with working artists while also celebrating the incredible creative talent that exists throughout Hampton Roads.”

A One-of-a-Kind Celebration of the Arts

Emma Louise Kamerer, Rite of the Rut (oil on canvas)

In addition to the sheer scale of the event and the range of media featured, the HRA Art Show will be distinguished by the degree of freedom and interaction participants will enjoy.

Unlike other regional independent schools’ expositions, in which artists typically drop off works to be displayed in their absence throughout the halls, the Academy’s Art Show will allow creators to present as many pieces as they like within a 10-foot-by-10-foot booth in the Spencer Gym and engage in live conversations with attendees about their inspirations and creative process.

For participating artists, this festival-style format is one of the HRA Art Show’s greatest draws. “I love seeing a school have a focus on the arts,” said jeweler and wearable art creator Jama Watts. “I enjoy talking about my work and see[ing] what others create. I’m always looking for new places to exhibit, and I found the concept of the show at the Academy intriguing.”

Visual Art Department Chair Emma Kamerer, a painter who will be featured at the show, echoed Watts. “As a practicing artist beyond my role at Hampton Roads Academy, I seek meaningful ways to engage with and contribute to the local arts community,” she said. Having relocated to Virginia under a year ago, Kamerer commented that she is “excited to establish new connections and participate in creative dialogue within this new environment.”

“A Deeper Understanding of the Contemporary Art World”

This dialogue will include not only professional artists like Kamerer, but also the budding creators she teaches every day at HRA.

This year, she and her fellow Middle and Upper School visual arts teacher Jack Westervelt have worked to facilitate meaningful connections between regional artists and creatively talented Navigators by holding the annual National Art Honor Society (NAHS) Juried Art Show in conjunction with the inaugural HRA Art Show. Together, Kamerer and Westervelt carefully reviewed and selected both two-dimensional and ceramic works submitted by ninth through twelfth graders to be displayed in the exhibition.

This year’s featured student artists include seniors Percy Bevilacqua ’26, Dylan Evans ’26, Ellen Owen ’26, and Elizabeth Smith ’26; juniors Jaya Amin ’27, Vince Husband ’27, Merritt Jones ’27, and Ellie Richardson ’27; sophomores Katie Brown ’28 and Jadain Wojciechowski ’28; and one outstanding member of the freshman class, Grace Bradley ’29.

According to Kamerer, bringing their work out of the classroom will allow students to learn about “the many professional responsibilities that take place behind the scenes,” such as preparing and installing their artwork for display, weighing the practicalities of pricing, engaging with viewers, and presenting their ideas in a public space.

“In addition to exhibiting their work, students will be able to network with professional artists and to speak about their creative processes with a broader audience,” she added. “These experiences [will] foster confidence, professionalism, and a deeper understanding of the contemporary art world.”

After the Art Show, select student works will be considered for the NAHS Purchase Award, through which HRA will acquire one piece for permanent display in the Upper School. This honor not only recognizes our students’ exceptional artistic achievement, but also provides them an opportunity to leave a lasting, tangible legacy on HRA’s campus.

Meet the Artists

The HRA Art Show will shine a spotlight on incredible works in a wide array of visual media, but their creators’ stories are as diverse as the artforms and techniques that will be on view.

Emily Cahoon

Emily Cahoon, Just a Pop of Color (photography on metal)

A photographer since age 13 and a graphic designer since age 15, Emily Cahoon seeks to capture both the beauty of human beings and the tranquility of nature in her work. The Chesapeake-based artist, who has previously been featured in a magazine and an international art show, enriches every subject she captures in her lens with creative explorations of light. Cahoon’s photography focuses principally on “Spiritual Giants,” which she described as “those elements of the natural world that command presence and offer a perspective far greater than myself.” As she explained, profound insights may sometimes be found in the smallest, most delicate objects, such as the colorful flowers that she photographs against stark black or white backgrounds to accentuate the stillness she perceives in the blooms.

Mary Katherine Evans Hogg

Mary Katherine Evans Hogg, Wave 1 (oil on panel)

By day, Mary Katherine Evans Hogg is a senior vice president for investments at the Newport News firm Davenport & Company. On the side, her passion is oil painting, a love she developed early in life through her admiration for Claude Monet and an impulsive decision to buy a painting far outside her budget at age 22. It was not until the COVID-19 pandemic, however, that she first picked up a brush herself. After taking a three-session virtual painting class that she discovered by chance on her Facebook feed, she was hooked. Since then, she has independently honed her craft, taken classes with local artists, and participated in art workshops in Italy, France, and western Virginia. A native of Hampton, Evans Hogg is deeply committed to her local community, working with such regional institutions as the Mariners’ Museum, sponsoring area art shows, and exhibiting artwork of her own. Her paintings themselves are also thematically informed by her connection to the region, focusing on water, waves, shorelines, and coastal sunrises and sunsets—all familiar sights from visits to her family cottage in Buckroe Beach. “My goal with each painting,” she said, “is for people to feel something from it or take them back to a favorite memory or time in life.”

Gloria Coker

Gloria Coker, A Touch of Nature (acrylic on canvas)

Gloria Coker started her artistic career as a newsroom illustrator for the Daily Press in Newport News, creating images for news features as well as courtroom art, some of which was showcased in the 2020 Netflix documentary The Innocence Files. She now works full-time as a fine artist, producing poetic, vibrant, and colorful acrylic paintings. Her works depicting human subjects—musicians, dancers, athletes, and others engaged in their passions and everyday activities—have garnered numerous accolades and appeared in collections across the region. She has also been invited to speak about her paintings throughout the South, demonstrating her craft live in college classrooms, at fundraiser auctions, and at the Virginia Living Museum. The pieces Coker will offer at the HRA Art Show feature both longtime subjects for her, such as an oyster boat inspired by her home’s proximity to Menchville Marina, and newly discovered interests, namely flowers. “I recently hoped that I could paint floral images in a different way, my way, [with an] emphasis on color and even a little movement,” she said. Like her previous subjects, though, her flowers blend memory with invention, brought to life in colors drawn from the artist’s imagination.

Hellen Bennett

Hellen Bennett, Irish Pasture (watercolor on Arches cold press)

It was only later in life, after a fulfilling career in the healthcare field, that Hellen Bennett discovered a love of watercolor painting. Trained by several prominent artists in Michigan and Virginia, she draws inspiration from beautiful nature scenes in her garden, her neighborhood in Williamsburg, and her travels both near and far. As Bennett explained, her artistic style is “representational, exploring a more intense application of color than is sometimes seen with watercolor pigments.” This inventive, even experimental approach reflects Bennett’s goal of learning from the process of crafting every piece and challenging herself to communicate what delights her in each of her subjects. As the HRA Art Show approaches, she said, “I look forward to putting a collection together which others hopefully will enjoy as much as I enjoyed creating.”

Liz Valentine

Liz Valentine, Fall Fits (mixed media – acrylic, charcoal, pastel, and oil)

A Charlottesville-based mixed-media artist who studied portraiture and figure drawing in high school and college, Liz Valentine has since built a career focusing on abstract pieces, primarily in large format, crafted to elevate interiors with color, movement, and a visual manifestation of dynamic environments and states of mind. Whether she has set out to depict botanicals or large landscapes, Valentine explained, “I frequently paint from imagination, allowing color and gesture to guide the development of a dreamlike environment. These works unfold gradually, revealing themselves as I step away and return to the canvas.” This “subconscious process,” she noted, is driven largely by her diverse materials themselves, including self-mixed pigments and such tools as charcoal, pastels, and crayon, which allow for exploratory line work as they interact with painted surfaces. “Often the most compelling forms appear intuitively as the piece evolves,” Valentine said.

Jama Watts

Jama Watts, Where’s the Frog? (bead embroidery and weaving)

Jama Watts is an award-winning artist and craftsperson whose jewelry has been featured in multiple galleries and competitions, as well as the HGTV program That’s Clever! In a previous life, though, she wore many different hats—librarian, genealogist, web designer, and gallery owner. The subject matter of her wearable artwork is just as eclectic as her career history. She has drawn inspiration from creative challenges she has laid out for herself, from the themes of art shows she has entered, and from topics that have simply piqued her interest by chance. While some of her works explore whimsical motifs, as in her recreations of animals in beads, others reflect societal issues about which she feels strongly, from victim-blaming to strip mining in Appalachia. Uniting her lighthearted and serious pieces is her underlying belief that we can collectively commit to building a better world.

At the inaugural HRA Art Show, beautiful creations and profound insights will take center stage, providing an occasion for meaningful conversations and the formation of lasting connections between HRA and the community of which it is a part.

Interested in volunteering at the inaugural HRA Art Show? We welcome your help! Please sign up for a slot here.

Seniors Nancy Arena ’26, Carys Casper ’26, and Khloe Jobson ’26 take in historic works of art at the VMFA

Hampton Roads Academy embraces the ideals of a liberal arts education, providing students with both broad and meaningful exposure to a diverse range of disciplines. The goal of this approach is not merely to equip students to quote Shakespeare and evaluate integrals. Rather, the Academy’s well-rounded curriculum challenges students to think critically and draw connections between topics to arrive at deeper insights—an ability that will serve them well both in college and throughout their lives.

HRA’s soon-to-graduate twelfth graders spent a full day practicing this crucial skill on Thursday, March 19, during the fifth annual senior field trip to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts (VMFA). Featuring more than 50,000 works from throughout history and across the globe, this world-class art museum, conveniently located just up the road in Richmond, provided a perfect environment not only to admire breathtaking paintings, sculptures, ceramics, and more, but also to use art as a lens for exploring subjects ranging from history to mathematics.

As in past years, in organizing the trip, AP Literature teacher and Dean of Student Life Laurie Hager made an effort to invite Upper School faculty members from a variety of disciplinary backgrounds to facilitate this experience.

Among them were two veteran chaperones: Upper School counselor and psychology teacher Elizabeth Rous, who explored cognitive phenomena through Impressionist paintings, and English Department Chair Scott George, who discussed mythology with students in the ancient world gallery. New to the trip were math teacher Farica Erwin, who highlighted the mathematics behind Renaissance artwork; visual arts teacher Jack Westervelt, who tackled the intermingling of Eastern and Western cultural traditions in the East Asian galleries; and Director of Theatre Kate Goddin, who used the VMFA’s collection of Fabergé eggs to open up conversations about Russian history and contemporary drama.

Middle and Upper School visual arts teacher Jack Westervelt challenges students to consider how works on display at the museum reflect the meeting and intermingling of cultures throughout world history

During their visit, the students freely moved between the chaperones’ stations, along the way completing a hunt for literary motifs in works of art that reflected their readings from throughout the year.

This “interdisciplinary juggernaut,” Hager explained, provided “a platform for different [teachers] to bring in their expertise and their ideas—and for students also to bring in their experiences and be able to perceive fresh inspiration by looking at art in a different way.”

“Out in the world, being able to synthesize information will be vital to being a lifelong learner and will enrich their lives,” Westervelt added. “I’m very grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of that.”

A Nexus of Interdisciplinarity

When Hager initiated the tradition of bringing the senior class to the VMFA in 2022, she was drawing on a deep background in interdisciplinary education.

For a number of years prior to joining the faculty at HRA, she taught for the summer Virginia Governor’s School for the Humanities at the University of Richmond, where cross-disciplinary dialogue between students focused on disparate topics, from history and journalism to visual art and theatre, was an integral facet of the curriculum. In previous roles, she also taught AP European History and AP World History, as well as the strongly interdisciplinary IB Theory of Knowledge course. Since pivoting to teaching English at HRA, she has made a point of incorporating elements of her prior disciplinary foci to challenge students to consider the historical context, the musical soundscape, and the popular culture of the eras in which literary works were produced.

Cam Hall ’26 and Ares Marvell-Nguyen ’26 study a glazed ceramic vessel from eighteenth-century Japan

The VMFA, Hager noted, is perfectly designed to facilitate similar connections between subjects that are too often siloed from one another. Boasting extraordinary collections spanning the European Renaissance, the ancient world, twentieth-century modernism, and rich Asian and African art traditions, all presented with “top-notch” interpretation and arranged in a space that is manageable within a day, the museum naturally invites visitors to consider links between a variety of periods, movements, and cultures across all continents.

Throughout the year, Hager has helped students develop the skills they would eventually apply on the field trip. Asking seniors to examine works of art from throughout world history, she has challenged them to articulate how these images visually mirror the themes and characterization they have encountered in linguistic form in the works they have read.

“This is what I’m asking them to do when we get to the museum,” she said. “Make these broader connections. Make these stronger links. Find meaning. Don’t be intimidated by art. Don’t be intimidated by literature. You bring something fresh and new to the experience based on your own experiences.”

As an instructor who works with twelfth graders every day, Hager is confident that her students are ready for this challenge each spring. “One of the wonderful things about being a teacher of seniors is that I get to walk with them through this final stage of their high school experience,” she observed. “We reflect back frequently on the ways in which their knowledge and their expertise and their interests can play into their interpretation of literature within the context of the class, but we can also extend this beyond the classroom.”

According to the Dean of Student Life, applying what one has learned in a new setting like a museum is valuable practice for taking ownership of new experiences in college and in one’s career—and the key to finding meaning and connection in each phase of life.

The World Reflected in Art

During the trip, students were presented with a list of literary motifs, harkening back to works they had encountered this year in their AP Literature and comparative literature classes, for which Hager and George tasked them with hunting throughout the museum. Subjects included a forest scene reminiscent of A Midsummer Night’s Dream, a work symbolizing the sort of control wielded by Nurse Ratched in One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and a piece that thematically echoes absurdist fiction. There was no one work students were to identify for each theme. Rather, the goal was for them to provide an evidence-based justification for each of the connections they had drawn.

As they navigated the galleries, the students encountered and engaged in intellectual boundary-bridging activities with their faculty chaperones, whom Hager described as “pivotal in making this annual trip such a meaningful experience for our senior class.”

English Department Chair Scott George and Nancy Arena ’26 discuss a statue of the Roman Emperor Caligula in the ancient world gallery

George, for example, explored mythological stories reflected in works in the VMFA’s ancient art collections. His goal, as he explained, was not to dwell on the particularities of millennia-old cultures, but rather to highlight universal themes with which thinkers and artists have grappled across time.

“I like to focus on how ‘we’—as in humanity—express ourselves, because we’re all asking and trying to answer the same questions, no matter what era we live in,” George said.

Westervelt similarly strove to cross chasms of time and space during his workshop in the East Asian galleries. Centering creative expression, he asked students to observe and meditate on a piece of art and compose a haiku. To guide the seniors’ reflections during this activity, he drew their attention to such works as an eleventh-century Chinese bodhisattva and eighteenth-century pottery from Joseon-period Korea to discuss the differences between Eastern and Western artistic and philosophical traditions and the eventual “meeting” of the two through trade and the emergence of composite styles like Dutch Delftware and Art Deco. The art teacher connected these changes to the modern phenomenon of globalization, inspiring students to consider how the Internet has allowed for an intermingling of cultures and artforms on an unprecedented scale.

Just as Westervelt drew on East Asian pieces to explore a larger history of cultural exchange, Goddin leaned into her love of storytelling by using the VMFA’s priceless Fabergé eggs as an entry point for telling the story of their former owners, Russia’s ill-fated royal family, the Romanovs. Focusing on the dramatic tale of Anna Anderson, the imposter who claimed to be the princess Anastasia, having escaped execution by the Bolsheviks, the Director of Theatre explained how art could provide a window into a gripping story that lives on through film and television adaptations and the Broadway musical Anastasia.

Unexpected Connections

The day’s presentations demonstrated that one cannot fully understand a work of art without contemplating subjects often treated as wholly separate from creative expression.

One of the clearest illustrations of this idea was Erwin’s presentation in the Renaissance gallery. This year’s trip marked the first time that the Math Department had been included in the VMFA field trip, and Erwin, certified to teach both mathematics and art, seized the opportunity to explain “how those worlds intersect.” Addressing such topics as perspective and composition, she challenged students to identify the math underlying the construction of Renaissance masterpieces and noted how these precisely crafted works reflect a movement to explain the world scientifically in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries.

Upper School counselor and psychology teacher Elizabeth Rous asks students to examine their subjective experience of paintings through the lens of perceptual grouping principles

Rous took a similarly surprising tack when she referred to paintings by such artists as Claude Monet, Pierre-Auguste Renoir, and Eugène Boudin to illustrate the Gestalt theory of perception in psychology. Rous explained how the Impressionists implicitly took into account five principles of perceptual grouping, which she outlined in a brochure, in order to convey messages and emotions through their works. As she explained to the students, “We use these grouping principles throughout our lives—not just in art galleries, but while watching a football game, at a performance in the theatre, listening to music, and even when shopping on Amazon.”

As students began to grasp the connections between century-old artwork and the incredible complexity of human psychology and everyday experience, Rous said, “The ‘a-ha’ moments are so cool to witness!”

Making Memories before Graduation

Every year, according to Hager, the VMFA field trip makes for an unforgettable day for the graduating seniors. As she noted, this tradition marks “one of the rare times that they all get to come together as a class to have an experience that’s external to the building.”

Students enjoy lunch—and reflect on connections they made in the galleries—in the VMFA’s Robin Sculpture Garden

The experience was made more meaningful by the freedom and trust the faculty chaperones extended to the students as a testament to their growth as they prepare to begin their next chapter. Their teachers allowed them to explore the galleries independently, confident that they would interact respectfully with other museumgoers and with the works on display. Inviting the students to dress in jeans and college sweatshirts, Hager hoped their fellow museum patrons would view them not as high school students on a field trip, but rather as young adults, perhaps university students who had simply taken a morning to visit the VMFA.

Hager’s favorite part of the day, she remarked, was sitting on the grass with the students in the museum’s Robin Sculpture Garden, where they enjoyed boxed lunches prepared by Chef Uwe Schluszas and reflected on everything they had encountered in the galleries. As she interacted with the seniors, she was delighted by their surprise at their teachers’ depth of knowledge about topics entirely apart from the focus of their courses.

“It’s not so much the art itself,” she said. “It’s that they’re coming to a new meaning and a new appreciation by listening to the expertise of the faculty members and being challenged to think about art in a new way.”

“Connections are everywhere if we’re willing to look for them,” Goddin observed. “We have to stay curious and be open to taking in new information.”

Contemporary artist and longtime supporter of HRA Dathan Kane (photo credit: Justin Parker)

Dathan Kane’s latest painting is not just a beautiful work of art. It is an embodiment of its creator’s unwavering commitment to his community—and especially to the students at Hampton Roads Academy.

“THEIR FUTURE” 2026, a striking black-and-white acrylic painting on canvas in a beautiful red mahogany wood stain frame, will feature among the many silent auction items offered at HRA’s upcoming Tidewater Table & Auction fundraiser, held on campus at 6:00 pm on Saturday, February 21.

The highly anticipated event, a tribute to regional flavors as well as the HRA community, marks the fourth time since 2015 that Kane has donated his work to support educational programs at HRA. With no prior connection to the Academy, as either an alumnus, parent, or faculty member, Kane has contributed to multiple school fundraisers out of a pure desire to help HRA continue to extend unparalleled opportunities to students in the classroom and beyond.

“I’m intentional about using my work to give back and support programs that champion the next generation,” Kane said. “I’m proud to stand behind HRA each year with that initiative.”

An Iconic Presence in the Local Community

A contemporary abstract artist based in Hampton Roads, Kane holds a BFA in art and design from Virginia State University. His work has been acquired by private collectors across the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom, and France.

Many of his proudest contributions, though, have been to the local art world. Kane’s paintings can be seen in the collections of the Newport News city mayor, the Hampton Roads Biomedical Research Consortium, the Virginia Department of Health, the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and many other institutions across the region. He has also exhibited his works at numerous area art festivals and at such prestigious local museums as the Chrysler Museum of Art and Virginia Museum of Contemporary Art, as well as the Sichuan Contemporary Institute in China. His documentary film CURATE (2022), produced by WHRO Public Media in Norfolk, has aired throughout southeastern Virginia, North Carolina, and the Boston area. He is currently a board member of the Hermitage Museum in Norfolk and the Contemporary Arts Network in Newport News.

Above all, Kane’s work has left a visible mark on the face of Hampton Roads.

Kane at work on “THEIR FUTURE” 2026 in his studio (photo credit: Dathan Kane)

“My work focuses on the constant dualities that define the human experience: order and chaos, presence and absence, choice and consequence,” he said. “I address these themes using bold, organic, black-and-white shapes to explore this complexity and present a sense of balance.”

Navigator parent Brynn Beal recalled that Kane’s distinctive style first caught her eye on the side of a building in downtown Newport News. “Dathan uses his gift to brighten landscapes and show people an entirely different perspective of beauty in his large building murals,” she said. “I love Dathan’s work because I see something different each time I look at it. It’s whimsical and happy.”

Along with her husband, current Chair of the HRA Board of Trustees Chris Beal, she was inspired to commission a piece for their home in which she continues to find just as much joy and opportunity for continual rediscovery as in the rest of Kane’s oeuvre. In the past decade, several other members of the HRA community have also acquired his works, including the Prillaman family, the Winfield family, and Director of Athletics Laura Stoner and her husband, varsity baseball Head Coach Tom Richardson.

“When I see his abstracts in friend’s homes, at local businesses, and on buildings and mural projects around Virginia, I think of him and what he represents,” said current trustee and HRA parent Marissa Lanier, who was instrumental in securing Kane’s donation for the Tidewater Table & Auction. “He is bright, generous, talented, and just so cool. He makes a huge and very sincere effort towards community and thoughtfully giving back.”

A Long-Running Relationship with HRA

For more than ten years now, Kane has given back to HRA—and invested in the future of its students—through his art.

He initially became involved with the Navigator community in 2015, when fellow painter and HRA alumnus Asa Jackson ’07 invited him to participate in the school’s annual fundraiser auction, held at the 670 Gallery in Hampton, cofounded and curated by Jackson himself.

“It was the very first auction of my career,” Kane said, affording him an early “opportunity to contribute to a great cause.”

Since then, Kane has shown his support through donations of original pieces for the school’s spring gala, fall Golf Classic, and teacher appreciation events. Sales of his generously donated works have helped the Academy maintain an unmatched standard of excellence in academics and athletics.

When Beal and Lanier reached out to him about the 2026 Tidewater Table & Auction, Kane said, “It was a full-circle moment,” allowing him to continue his long-running tradition of philanthropy and tangible impact on Navigators’ lives.

An Evening to Savor

Dathan Kane, “THEIR FUTURE” 2026 (acrylic on canvas, 36in. x 48in., framed)

At Tidewater Table, Kane’s latest HRA auction will represent the culmination of an evening that no one in the Navigator community will want to miss.

A celebration of everything that makes the Tidewater region feel like home, the night will blend coastal traditions with modern flavors. The fundraiser dinner will feature fresh local oysters, slow-smoked pork, plump shrimp, and hearty bowls of Brunswick stew and crab chowder, along with a selection of craft beers, crisp wines, and a signature bourbon cocktail. Afterward, guests will hit the dancefloor to the musical stylings of the Tidewater Drive Band and help raise critical dollars for HRA’s students by participating in an exciting auction.

In addition to Kane’s brand-new painting, donated auction offerings will include exciting travel experiences, an exclusive golf outing at the picturesque Kingsmill Resort, a hands-on cooking class with HRA’s own Executive Chef Uwe Schluszas, a curated collection of complex aged bourbon, the opportunity for a lucky bidder’s child to serve as Head of Lower School for a day, and so much more.

Kane’s work is a particularly fitting prize for the event, as it is not only visually stunning, but also a celebration of everything the evening stands for.

The aptly titled “THEIR FUTURE” 2026, the artist explained, “represents the support we give to the next generation to chase their goals and dreams. I wanted the composition to evoke movement.”

Thanks to the dedication of every member of the HRA community and generous friends like Kane, HRA will help students dream big and achieve more than they ever thought possible.

There is still time to register for the Tidewater Table & Auction. Buy tickets and explore sponsorship opportunities here, and start bidding in the silent auction today!

This winter, Hampton Roads Academy’s

A musical adventure based on the beloved 2005 DreamWorks animated feature, with a book by Kevin Del Aguila and music and lyrics by George Noriega and Joel Someillan, Madagascar Jr. follows a zebra, a lion, a hippopotamus, and a giraffe who escape from New York’s Central Park Zoo and embark on a wild journey to the titular African island. The musical will run for three shows, the evenings of Friday, February 6, and Saturday, February 7, at 7:00 pm and the afternoon of Sunday, February 8, at 2:00 pm.

The production represents a coordinated effort by students and faculty members as well as dedicated alumni and community partners. With a large cast of 38 students in Grades 5 through 8, the musical will feature performers from all four years of Middle School under the leadership of Director of Theatre Kate Goddin. Middle and Upper School choir director Marshall Severin will serve as music director, while Dance Works, run by Emma Mead and her daughters, 2025 HRA graduates Hannah and Sarah Mead, will work with Goddin on choreography. Fellow alumnus Jeff Stout ’15 will assist with set design, lighting, and sound, working closely with HRA’s technical theatre students to bring the stage to life with visual projections and a variety of props.

“This show is truly an ensemble piece,” Goodin said. “Theatre is all about collaboration, and storytelling requires many voices working together.”

With a familiar story and upbeat musical numbers—including Reel 2 Real’s “I Like to Move It,” an iconic track from the film—Madagascar Jr. promises to provide spirit-lifting entertainment for all ages, as well as an unforgettable theatrical experience for every student on stage.

A Celebration of Friendship for the Whole Community

According to Goddin, her goal in setting out to stage Madagascar Jr. was to make the production “a community event.” Whereas the upcoming Upper School play She Kills Monsters, as well as last fall’s one-act musical The Anxiety Project, tackle mature subject matter that is not appropriate for younger audiences, Goddin explained, “this is one that the Lower, the Middle, and the Upper School students, families, everybody can attend. It’s joyful, it’s fun, and I think, in the winter months, it’s nice to have that.”

Moreover, the director noted, the central theme of Madagascar Jr., with its colorful collection of animal companions who help one another grow, is friendship. “That is always an important story to tell,” Goddin said, “especially for Middle School students, who are in the thick of trying to figure out who their friends are and what the groups are like.”

The four leads at rehearsal for Madagascar Jr. (left to right): Marty (Ady Heder ’30), Gloria (Bella Pacheco ’30), Alex (Amelia Bate ’30), and Melman (Kayla Pacheco ’30)

A spirit of friendship has run through the rehearsal process as well as the story unfolding on stage. The camaraderie has been palpable for eighth grader Ady Heder ’30, who just joined the Academy this school year and will be portraying Marty the zebra, famously voiced on screen by Chris Rock. “As a new student, landing a lead role in my first musical at HRA has made me feel incredibly welcomed and supported by everyone involved,” Heder said. “It’s been a great way to connect with new people and feel like I’m really part of the community.”

For fellow lead Amelia Bate ’30, stepping into Ben Stiller’s former role as Alex the Lion, the musical offers other important lessons—not easily learned in a classroom—for students soon to embark on their Upper School careers.

“It is exciting to take on a character like Alex who faces multiple conflicts,” said Bate, an eighth grader who previously starred in the 2024 Middle School musical Finding Nemo Jr., as well as last year’s Upper School production of The Lightning Thief: The Percy Jackson Musical. “The story starts with Alex’s best friend, Marty, wanting to run away and explore the world outside of the zoo they are confined in. Madagascar teaches the audience that change can be good, and you should push for it even if there are others who disagree.”

“It Reminds Me of Why I Do What I Do”

The humorous and musical exploration of these important themes would not be possible without a large cast of Middle Schoolers eager to take the stage.

“Every time I do a Middle School show, the thing that excites me the most is the joy of the students from the moment they begin the rehearsal process,” Goddin said. “That’s what brings me joy: seeing their joy and excitement.”

As the students prepare for Madagascar Jr., their enthusiasm is undeniable. Though the original film was released before even the eldest eligible performers were born, an incredible number turned out for auditions, leading to the largest Middle School cast Goddin has directed in her time at HRA.

The theatre director attributed much of the interest in her program to the work of Lower School music teacher Erika Caulford, who ensures that students gain experience on stage from Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 4. “Those fifth graders are excited to be part of a show because they’ve done it every year,” Goddin said.

Younger students are deeply appreciative of the opportunity to perform alongside their more experienced eighth-grade peers. Seventh grader Marin Mazzurco ’31, cast as her favorite Madagascar character, the slick penguin leader Skipper, remarked that she is “honored that they would trust me with such a role.” Every afternoon she spends in the auditorium with her castmates, staging the show and wearing “silly costumes,” she said, has become a personal highlight of the winter theatre season.

The eighth graders wholeheartedly agree. As she gears up for her final Middle School production, Bate said, “I am looking forward to working with students from all four years in Middle School because I don’t typically spend time with so many age groups.”

“I love getting to work with such a talented cast,” Heder added.

Such excitement among Middle School performers, Goddin explained, is the foundation of a thriving theatre program in the Upper School. As she recalled, “I tell my students all the time, ‘If I can get you on stage one time, you’re never gonna want to leave the stage again.’ And I’ve seen it happen over and over. I’ve had students come to me and say, ‘You were right. I want to do it again and again.’”

“It reminds me of why I do what I do,” she said.

Tickets for Madagascar Jr. are available now.

Madagascar – A Musical Adventure Jr. is presented through special arrangement with Music Theatre International (MTI). All authorized performance materials are also supplied by MTI. www.MTIshows.com