Hudson Schools Alumni Newsletter

This message includes:

• Alvirne Announces Inaugural Hall of Fame Class
• Alvirne Trustees Honored as NHSAA Champion for Children
• Cabaret Continues to Dazzle Ahead of this Weekend's Diamond Jubilee Performance
• School Election Results - March 10
• Upcoming Athletics Schedule
• Blast from the Past
• Calendar Reminders

In celebration of Alvirne High School's 75th anniversary, the school has created a Hall of Fame to recognize distinguished alumni, dedicated staff members, and community supporters. The ten-person Induction Committee received 52 strong nominations. All nominations are good for five years. If interested in submitting a nomination, please visit https://www.sau81.org/ahs/hall-of-fame and select the nomination document on the left side of the page for the category they fall under. The following ten most deserving recipients will be inducted as members of the inaugural class:

Community Supporters:

Hills Family Members:

Dr. Alfred Hills, Virginia (Creutzborg) Hills, Mary (Field) Creutzborg,

Jesse (Norwell) Hills, and Arthur Stedman Hills

Alvirne School Trustees

Dedicated Staff:

Barbara Hamilton

Margaret (Peggy) Lavoie

Joan Mountford

Distinguished Alumni:

David Alukonis, Class of 1979

Paul Bellerive, Class of 1967

Ryan Phaneuf, Class of 2007

Talesha Saint-Marc, Class of 2002

Katherine (Katie) Thyne, Class of 2013

The Induction Ceremony will be held on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, beginning at 4:30pm in the Alvirne High School gymnasium. Please feel free to contact Principal Steven Beals with any questions. Email to sbeals@sau81.org or call 603-886-1260 x75000.

The Alvirne Trustees have been named the 2026 recipient of the Champion for Children Award for the South Central region, as announced by the New Hampshire School Administrators Association (NHSAA).

The honor, which is given annually to various regions throughout the state, is presented to New Hampshire residents who have performed exemplary public service in the interest of children. Established in 1951, the Alvirne Trustees is a volunteer group that manages the Hills Family Trust, which was established by the benefactors who founded Alvirne High School.

The board has helped fund special projects to enhance the educational experience at Alvirne High School. These contributions have amounted to roughly $4,000,000 over the past 14 years for various school activities. Among the projects, the Trustees helped renovate the Family and Consumer Science Lab, nine other science labs, a mini theater, and a school elevator during that time. They have also funded a school greenhouse, purchased transportation vans for activities, installed lights at the tennis courts, and funded an equipment barn for the Alvirne Farm.

“They are remarkable supporters of public education at Alvirne High School,” said Principal Steven Beals. “Beyond the many funded projects, the Trustees participate in countless school activities, as they are deeply invested in the school, preserve its history, and ensure their funded activities support all learners and benefit the greater good. I am so appreciative of their continued generosity and investment.”

As the South Central regional champion, the Alvirne Trustees now serve as the region’s nominee for the statewide Champion for Children award. The final selection will be announced as part of a celebration event hosted by the NHSAA on May 20 at 9 am at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord.

For nearly 30 years, Cabaret has been more than just an annual performance at Alvirne High School; it has become a signature event that many Hudson residents circle on their calendars.

The 27th edition of the show is set to pay homage to the school’s 75th anniversary with a “Diamond Jubilee” theme. Fans will be treated to a trio of performances beginning at 1:00 pm on March 21, followed by a 6:00 pm show that same evening, and concluding with a matinée at 1:00 pm on March 22.

In 1998, the show began with the idea of hosting a concert, but seating attendees at tables with finger food, instead of in standard chairs. The original iteration saw the Alvirne band and choir trade off performances on one stage, with food provided by the culinary department. Now, in 2026, Cabaret continues to grow and evolve.

“By year three, it started to have a theme, and now we have three shows over the weekend,” said Hudson School District Music Director and Cabaret co-director Rob Scagnelli. “Now, we have three stages set up and all sorts of decorations along with 40 tables throughout the gymnasium.”

Scagnelli also described the show as a “round-robin” where audience members shift in their seats to watch whichever stage is performing at that time. “There will be a group on this stage, then a group backstage, then a group on this stage,” said Scagnelli, describing the flow of the show.

Around 135 students are taking part in this year’s Cabaret. Scagnelli, along with fellow show co-director and Alvirne Choral Director Mike Gallagan, teamed up with that group in the months leading up to the opening day. Work is done to prepare decorations, fine-tune the band and choral performances, and rehearse.

Past the staff and students, another group puts in a lot of time and effort to make sure Cabaret runs smoothly.

“We have a crew of parents who help make the vision happen,” said Scagnelli. “On the Friday before the show, we have parents who are in and out all day, from basically 7 am on. Then on the day of the show, there's always a crew of parents who are either ushers, showing people where their table is, or just helping with tickets and all that.”

It’s not just parents of current students who help make Cabaret happen. Parents of former students still volunteer their time to help make the show a Hudson community hallmark event, as well as a unique tradition.

“This is a pretty successful, popular, and meaningful event because it doesn't really happen elsewhere like this,” said Scagnelli. “People might have concerts in the round or with themes, but it’s rarely a large-scale event like this.”

In this year’s rendition, audience members can expect each of the band and choir groups to perform four pieces each, which will be accompanied by eight solo acts. A total of 15 solo acts will be showcased over the course of the weekend, but are broken up into eight performances for each showing.

Attendees can also expect a newly commissioned piece, created specifically for the Alvirne band and Cabaret, to premiere this weekend. The composition, which was written by University of New Hampshire music professor Andrew Boysen Jr., was funded through the Alvirne Trustees and included some collaboration to complete.

“We received the piece in January, and he [Boysen Jr.] actually came to the school to work with the students,” said Scagnelli. “The students got to interact with the composer of the piece, and it’ll be a world premiere because it’s never been heard and didn’t exist until just recently.”

As of the time of publication, tickets for the 1:00 showing on March 21 and the 1:00 showing on March 22 are still available. The 6:00 showing on March 21 is officially sold out. To purchase tickets to the remaining shows, you can go online at alvirnemusic.ludus.com.

The 2026 Hudson School District election was held on Tuesday, March 10, at Alvirne High School and Hudson Memorial School. A complete list of results can be found here or by clicking the image below.

From the 1990 Alvirne High School Yearbook

From the 2017 Alvirne High School Yearbook

If you have any questions or would like to help contribute to the newsletter, please contact Will LeBlond, Communications Coordinator, at wleblond@sau81.org. Thank you!