Rows of students lined the path for guests at the unveiling of the Courage Garden on Sunday, October 1 — an event marking the school’s acknowledgment of the history of sexual assault on campus and its commitment to preventing future cases.
This event was attended by survivors of sexual assault, as well as other alumni and community members.
In 2016, the school hired law firm Carlton Fields to investigate allegations of past sexual assault on campus. The Locke Lord law firm joined the investigation in February 2018 and presented a report in August of that year which recounted allegations of sexual assault against a number of former faculty and staff members. Two years later, the firm delivered a supplementary report with additional allegations.
The Courage Garden was created to provide comfort and peace to survivors of sexual assault, including alumni. A Hotchkiss Alumni Reconciliation Gathering held in November 2020 inspired Martha Bryan ’77, Carlyn Eaton ’77, Andy Luke ’77, Anne Owen Armfield ’77, Margaret Simp- son ’77 and Fred Wacker ’77 to lead the project with the help of the Board of Trustees, the School’s Advisory Committee for Sexual Misconduct Prevention and Education, and other alumni.
Programming began in Elfers Hall with performances by student musicians, followed by a presentation by the garden’s designer, Jenna Pfau from Mariani Landscape. Afterwards, All-School President Richie Mamam Nbiba ’23 recited a poem entitled “Skydive,” which she wrote for the dedication. Head of School Mr. Craig Bradley concluded with a speech apologizing to survivors on behalf of the school and expressing his commitment to student safety. After a short intermission, survivors, alumni, and faculty members walked to the Courage Garden, flanked by student guests. At the garden, survivors and their classmates shared personal reflections, followed by a speech from Liz Hines, Board of Trustees co-president. The dedication officially ended with a performance “One Voice” by student a capella groups Calliope and Blue Notes.
The school remains dedicated to practices designed to prevent future sexual assault cases. For example, community members may report concerns to the Community Conduct Committee (CCC) chaired by Dr. Merrilee Mardon, Associate Head of School and Dean of Faculty. On the CCC, she and a group of trained adults investigate student reports, maintaining confidentiality throughout the process. Regarding the abuse cases of students at the school, Mr. Bradley said, “[The survivors] went to see the Head of School [at the time] and described their experiences, but there was no committee to evaluate the weight of the evidence and they were not believed. With the CCC now established, there’s less of a risk of that today.”
Connecticut state law mandates that all school employees report suspicions of child abuse or neglect. The school has also hired anti-sexual violence organizations “Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network” (RAINN) and “Learning Courage for Adults” to educate faculty and staff about maintaining boundaries and recognizing the more subtle signs of abuse. Mr. Bradley encourages students to reach out to any trusted adult if they feel uncomfortable. He said, “You don’t have to wait until it becomes a big deal to report. It’s useful for us to be able to address an issue when it’s smaller, rather than just letting it go [and] having something else happen. If we could stop it in the first instance, then we can prevent it in the second instance.”
Some students have suggested additional steps that could be taken. Darcy Dwyer ’25 suggested that the school “offer [ all students] courses related to sexual abuse to help them recognize and prevent these incidents.”
Although many plantings have yet to grow to their full size, the Courage Garden is open for visitors to explore.
