News

Coach Ian MacPhail has been named the 2024 New England Eastern Coach of the Year by USA Lacrosse for the second time in three years. He is a coach that athletes love to play for which is clear by the roster growth under his leadership. Regardless of an athlete’s prior experience or skill, they are welcome and embraced. Senior captain Nick D. reflects that, “Coach asked me to play lacrosse my sophomore year, and it truly changed my life. He pushed me on the field and made me fall in love with the sport.”

Coach MacPhail’s commitment to skill development, team culture, and sharing his passion for lacrosse has led the Chargers to win three league titles since 2018 as well as earn two bids to the McCoy Cup. 

In addition to coaching lacrosse, he has previously assisted the varsity boys’ soccer team, varsity girls’ basketball team and the JV volleyball team at CH-CH. Coach MacPhail has previously coached at The Winchendon School, Arlington High School, and Concord Academy. He played four years of varsity lacrosse at Guilford College. In addition to coaching at CH-CH, he coaches the Penguins Lacrosse Team and PrimeTime Elite Lacrosse Camps. 

Congratulations, Coach MacPhail!

Boys’ Lacrosse - Romeo M. ('26)

Boys’ Tennis - Nate D. ('25)

Girls’ Tennis - Azra A. ('25)

Boys' Lacrosse - Jaylin J. ('25)

Most Improved- Maximo M. ('24)

Coaches’ Award- Jack L. ('25)

Coaches’ Award- Nicholas D. ('24)

Most Valuable Player: Phinley G. ('27)

Coaches’ Award: Zoe T. ('25)

Captains’ Award: Rest A. ('26)

Spirit Award: Margaret C. ('24) 

Spirit Award: Sam M. ('25)

Spirit Award: Camila L.-O. ('25)

Team Player Award: Molly S. ('25)

Most Improved Player: Matilda G. ('26)

Coach’s Award: Olivia M. ('24)

Coach's Award: Jiayue W. ('26)

Spirit Award: Nate D. ('25)

Spirit Award: Jimmy P. ('27)

Spirit Award: Pablo R. ('24)

Impact Pitching Award: Milo T. ('27)

Impact Hitting Award: Adam P. ('26)

Congratulations to Jaylin Johnson (‘25) on being named the 2024 MBIL Boys Lacrosse Most Valuable Player for the third consecutive season. Jaylin’s 2024 season was his most successful statistical season yet. He had 39 goals and 21 assists, including 74 ground balls (5.7 per game) from the attack position. He led the Chargers in both categories, accounting for 60 of the team's 130 goals in the season. Jaylin's presence on the field forced defenses to adjust to limit him, which also opened up opportunities for other players to contribute, and his scoring helped lead the highest-scoring offense in the MBIL (roughly 11 goals per game in league games). 

“Jaylin grew into a leadership role both in word and in play. I am so proud of his continued growth as a lacrosse player” - Coach MacPhail.

Congratulations, Jaylin!

Last week, students took part in the annual Science Expo! The Science Expo is when all students enrolled in a science course present a project or experiment they have been working on. 

From Middle School students in Science 8 who studied the invasive plant species on campus to 12th grade students in Marine Biology who completed a behavior project on an animal of their choice; the presentations showed the range of science courses here at CH-CH!

To see more photos from the Science Expo, view the Flickr album! 

On Tuesday, May 14th, Chapel Hill-Chauncy Hall School recognized the work of twenty-two students with membership into the CH-CH chapter of the National Honor Society. The National Honor Society is the nation’s premier organization established to recognize outstanding high school students. More than just an honor roll, NHS serves to honor those students who have demonstrated excellence in the areas of Scholarship, Leadership, Service, and Character. See full album of photos here.

It has been an eventful year for Raney Aronson-Rath P’27, as the documentary she produced with FRONTLINE, 20 Days in Mariupol, took home the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature Film at the 2024 Academy Awards in March. Aronson-Rath recently visited campus to host a screening of the film, along with a panel discussion, and is excited to return on Saturday, June 1 to deliver the Commencement Address to the Class of 2024.

As the editor-in-chief and executive producer of FRONTLINE, PBS’ investigative journalism documentary series, Aronson-Rath works on twenty films a year. In 2023, one of those films was 20 Days in Mariupol, which follows a Ukrainian journalist, Mstyslav Chernov, as he documents the Russian invasion of Ukraine while trapped in the besieged city of Mariupol.

After its release, the film went on to win the Sundance Film Festival Audience Award for World Cinema Documentary and the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature, among others. 

On Sunday, April 21, Raney Aronson-Rath was joined by the film’s editor, Michelle Mizner, and Arun Rath P’27, host of All Things Considered on WGBH Radio, for a screening and panel discussion that took place in CH-CH’s Mankiw Theater. “I’m so excited to be here,” said Aronson-Rath. “Usually I’m sitting where you are all sitting because I’m here as a mom, and it’s an honor that you’ve invited us here.”

Prior to the discussion, the CH-CH Class of 2024 viewed 20 Days in Mariupol through contextualized segments in their humanities electives throughout the month. They attended the panel discussion and provided the questions for the evening. “I just want to say it meant a lot to hear about the way that the film was shared with students and the conversations that happened around it,” said Mizner. “Thank you for taking such care in the way that it was presented.”

Throughout the discussion, topics ranged from the thoughtful approach to using sensitive footage, how to maintain objectivity in journalism, and how the way a film is distributed can affect its impact (20 Days in Mariupol is available for free on FRONTLINE and YouTube; please note that this documentary displays graphic images of war). “The reason that FRONTLINE films are in front of the paywall is because of Raney,” said Mizner. “You cannot hide this journalism. I’m very proud that it’s free and available to the public, and that it is being screened with audiences like this.”

With the difficult scenes throughout the film, many students asked about the filmmakers ability to not let their emotions impact their ability to remain journalistic. “We ask that question literally all day long,” said Aronson-Rath. “At FRONTLINE, the journalism that we practice is independent journalism. We never want to side with a government, we never want to side with any call to action, because we want to remain independent. We care deeply about just showing what is actually happening, it’s the job of prosecutors and war crimes investigators to look at this film and then do their jobs.”

The FRONTLINE team is currently working on a new film with 20 Days in Mariupol Director, Chernov, and a host of other films, that will shine a light on topics that range from conflicts around the world, to investigative biographies of the U.S. presidential candidates.

Aronson-Rath was able to spend time with the CH-CH Class of 2024, not only during the panel discussion, but after, where students talked about their own stories, and of course, took some photos with Oscar. “Talking with them has given me so many great ideas for topics that matter to them, and for the theme of the Commencement speech,” said Aronson-Rath.

We look forward to welcoming Raney Aronson-Rath back to campus on Saturday, June 1 as she addresses the Class of 2024.

Yesterday we welcomed Grandparents and Special Friends to campus!

As part of this annual event, Grandparents and Special Friends had the chance to hear from members of the faculty and student body, learn about specific classes, and most importantly, spend time with their student! 

To see more photos from the event, check out the Flickr album linked here. 

On Monday, students witnessed a total solar eclipse, which only happens when the Moon passes between the Sun and Earth. Everyone gathered on campus and watched the eclipse as it continued its journey across North America, a rare moment to experience as a community. 

Thank you to Science Department Chair, Mike Savaria, for providing eye protection and finding the best viewing spot! 

Thank you to everyone who joined our Spring Virtual Town Hall this Tuesday!

It was great to come together as a community and hear updates from various members of the faculty, staff, and PGA.

 

If you were unable to attend, view the recording here.

Last week as part of Student Life, women from a wide range of fields and professions came to campus to meet and share their experiences with students in honor of Women’s History Month! 

Guest Speakers: 

Congratulations to Josiah Driscoll (‘24) on being named the 2024 Boys Basketball MVP of the Massachusetts Bay Independent League! Josiah is a two year captain and a three year varsity starter for the Chargers. He has had an outstanding season, averaging 18.6 ppg, 9.8 rpg, 3.2 apg, 2.3 spg, and 1 bpg. In 8 games of league play, including the MBIL tournament, he averaged 19.5 points, 12.8 rebounds, and 3.9 assists, including a 10-13-10 triple double v. Gann in early February.

 

As the numbers indicate, Josiah is an incredibly versatile player.  While he is truly a guard, he is able to operate in the post against smaller defenders, serve a screener or ball handler in pick and roll plays, and he has defended everyone from point guards to 6'7" centers with great effectiveness.

 

In addition to his physical play, Coach Bubar notes, “Josiah is an outstanding and inclusive leader, and one of the best, if not the best, teammates I have ever had the opportunity to coach.” 

 

Josiah helped lead the Chargers to win the 2024 MBIL Championship. The team also secured the #5 seed in the NEPSAC Class C Large School Tournament and travels to Hyde, Maine to take on #4 seed Kents Hill this afternoon.

 

Congratulations, Josiah!

Congratulations to the Varsity Boys’ Basketball team on winning the 2024 Massachusetts Bay Independent League Division I Championship! The Chargers entered the tournament as the #1 seed after going 5-1 in league play. They defeated #4 seeded Brimmer 59-44 in the semi-final match-up and went on to win the championship, defeating #2 seeded Boston Trinity Academy 55-49 in a back and forth battle.

Coach Bubar noted that, "This year's team joined a select group of CH-CH athletes by winning a league title this year, an accomplishment they are rightfully proud of. However, the best part of this team didn't come from winning a title; it came instead from the feeling of family, fostered by an outstanding senior class, that helped make the tough moments more bearable and the joyous moments even better. There is an unforgettable cast of characters on this team, with many different players stepping up at different moments to make an impact, and Coach Loar and I are just lucky to be here for all of it."

The team awaits news of a potential bid to the NEPSAC Class C large school tournament. 

Congratulations, and GO CHARGERS!


Photo credit: Luke DiOrio

Last week, students, faculty, and staff enjoyed participating in the annual CH-CH Winter Carnival! This year’s theme was Majestic Mirth & Magic. 

Students were divided into seven teams and designed art banners, participated in building challenges, and enjoyed a variety of activities all week. Congratulations to this year’s winning team, the Unicorns!