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‘Twas the Night Before Hackathon

V.Parker
'Twas the night before Hackathon, when all through the school
Not a tool was working, not until Saturday for that was the rule;
The electronics were placed by the tables with care,
In hopes that Mr. Mitchell soon would be there….


During the final Upper School Town Meeting before the break, there was a special poetic promotion for the upcoming Hackathon. St. Luke’s junior Connor Rosow recited his “Twas the Night Before Hackathon” poem along with Clara Pakman ‘19, Marco Volpitta ’20, and Jamie Ullman ‘21. All four students participated in last year’s Hackathon.


‘Twas the Night Before Hackathon
By Connor Rosow ‘20

'Twas the night before Hackathon, when all through the school
Not a tool was working, not until Saturday for that was the rule;
The electronics were placed by the tables with care,
In hopes that Mr. Mitchell soon would be there;

The makers were nestled all snug in their beds,
While visions of computers danced in their heads;
And Marco in his 'kerchief, and Jamie and I in our caps,
Had just settled down for a long winter's nap,

When out on the plaza there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from the SPAC to see what was the matter.
Away to the lobby I flew like a flash,
Tore open the doors and ran out with a dash.

The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow
Gave the lustre of mid-day to the objects below,
When, what to my wondering eyes should appear,
But the genius himself, and eight of his STEM peers,

With a little old driver, so lively and agile,
I knew in a moment it must be Mr. Mitchell.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name;

"Now, BRUSKO! now, GERARDI! now, CLAVELLI and WARNER!
On, FENDELMAN! on LEBRIS! on, CHUHTA and SCHNEIDER!
To the top of the field! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!"
As dry leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky,
So up to the school-top the coursers they flew,
With the car full of wires, and Mr. Mitchell too.

And then, in a twinkling, I heard in the school
The whirring and humming of all his little tools.
As I drew in my hand and was turning around,
Through the Designlab Mr. Mitchell came with a bound.

He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with sawdust and soot;
A bundle of Arduinos he had flung on his back,
And he looked like an IT expert just opening his pack.

His eyes -- how they twinkled! his dimples how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard of his chin was as white as the snow;

With a 3D printer held tightly in hand,
The look in his eye made it clear what he'd planned,
An incredible Hackathon for one and for all,
Perhaps even topping Blues Band back in the fall,

He was skinny and tall, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head,
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;

He spoke not a word, but went straight to his task,
And made the Scratch program work, it was not a big ask,
And giving the student’s laptop a swift close,
He gave a quick nod, and up from the table he rose;

He sprang to his car, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the launch of a missile.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight,
MERRY HACKATHON TO ALL, AND TO ALL A FUN FILLED-NIGHT!




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St. Luke’s School is a secular (non-religious), private school in New Canaan, CT for grades 5 through 12 serving over 35 towns in Connecticut and New York. Our exceptional academics and diverse co-educational community foster students’ intellectual and ethical development and prepare them for top colleges. St. Luke’s Center for Leadership builds the commitment to serve and the confidence to lead.