Red and White @ Silver

We dragged “Red & White @ Silver” out of mothballs for one last announcement: it’s time for the Class of 2001’s 25-year Reunion! The guys welcomed back Class President Morgan Miller to share the broad plans for our October 24 event on the NFA Campus and These Guys Brewing Company. Please look out for the formal invitations being sent out electronically and in the mail so that you can hopefully let us know you’ll be in attendance! (Ignore the part in this episode where we talk about a google form. We had a change in plans!) If you’re off the grid other than being subscribed to this podcast and would like to receive the invitation, please reach out to Jack Espinoza of the NFA Foundation at [email protected] with your email address, or reach out to class officers Morgan Miller, Ian Cheney, Debby Allard, or Kelsey Iovino.

On June 15, 2001, about 500 Norwich Free Academy Wildcats strolled across the graduation stage. And now, on the silver anniversary of that day, a podcast about their experiences ends. In this episode, recorded earlier this month after a year away from their mics, Ian, Jim, and Zack reminisce one last time. They reflect on their experiences doing the podcast. They describe the special qualities of NFA. They also put together a sort of “clip show,” splicing together excerpts of each of our guests talking about NFA’s beautiful campus, special community, and more. Additionally, they share the latest on the class reunion process and identify opportunities later this year for the Class of 2001 to come together on campus. Oh, and of course there’s some trivia. Special thanks to the NFA Foundation for supporting this podcast from the beginning. To find out how you can be the difference at NFA, please reach out to the Foundation for details. Once a Wildcat, always a Wildcat! Their names are Ian Cheney, Zack Lamothe, and Jim Wheeler, and they were honored to interview members of the NFA Class of 2001.

In the penultimate episode of “Red & White @ Silver,” for the third and final time the cohosts interview one of their own. This week, it’s finally Ian’s turn in the hot seat. You’ll hear about his dubious diet and exercise philosophy, his aimlessness as a high school and freshman college student, and how he turned it all around to eventually become a teacher at Waterford High School. (NFA Human Resources did not return his phone calls.) This episode gives insight into his teaching strategy, an approach that siphons inspiration from a specific couple of NFA teachers.You’ll also get to hear about his personal life. Is he married? Does he have kids? Why did he self-publish a book if he knew no one was going to read it? And most important, what you really want to know: What is the status of “Presidential Politics For America”?Ian also has the privilege of being the final RWS guest to reflect on his time at the Norwich Free Academy. He gushes about how the school facilitated his transition from a small town, he barely controls his emotions when talking about the dedication and grace of his teachers, and he tries to summarize everything that makes his high school so incredible.His name is Ian Cheney, a proud cohost of Red & White @ Silver, and a member of the NFA Class of 2001.

In early June 2001, Tony Blair and his Labor Party held on to power after Parliamentary elections; President George W. Bush and his Republican Party signed a trillion dollar tax cut into law; and Justin Mazzella found himself just 13 days from his high school graduation. Twenty-five years later, he finds himself Zooming in to “Red & White @ Silver” as Ian, Jim, and Zack’s last interviewee.And what a final interview it was! After listening to this episode, you might think we saved the best for last, as the truly hilarious and zany Justin brought the goods. His post-NFA life includes catering, ballroom dancing, barista-turned-corporate-Starbucks-man, hula hoop making, DJing at Margaritaville, a labor dispute with a robot, a labor dispute over wearing pants, and his becoming one of the premiere magicians in southern New England. (And he’s available for your next event at FunMagicBirthday.com!) You’ll love listening to the journey.Then, Justin looks back at a Norwich Free Academy experience that he describes as “a blast.” He relays some of his favorite teachers, including yet another splendid description of the great Mr. Heffernan, and his gratitude at having such a quality culinary education. He also does some high-caliber introspection, as we all do from time to time, reflecting on young Justin and what he liked about him but also what makes him cringe. It’s a great episode, so don’t miss our final interview. (But fear not, RWS listeners. We still have two more episodes to go!)His name is Justin Mazzella, and he’s a member of the NFA Class of 2001.

Even after 38 episodes we still had another NFA sending town to represent. Joining Norwich, Sprague, Franklin, Lisbon, Preston, Voluntown, and Sterling is now the beautiful Canterbury. Representing it is our wonderful classmate Shailyn Guy.In this episode, Shailyn walks us through the last quarter-century of her life. Included are adventures in masseusery, Covid disruptions to her business, and now nursing school. Shailyn also shares her passion for nutrition as Jim peppers her with questions about meat. As the sole Canterbury representative on “Red & White @ Silver,” she also has to withstand obligatory Canterbury trivia. Now married with children, Shailyn went deep into the memory banks to share what she remembers about her time at the Norwich Free Academy, including lots of extracurriculars, singing at coffee houses, and old friends. In the process, the panel dissects the modern relationships we have with old friends we only see on social media. Oh, and Ian predicts a deep Patriots playoff run a year before it happens.Her name is Shailyn Guy, now Shailyn Metcalfe, and she’s a member of the NFA Class of 2001.