Teddy Dlugosch (Class IV) was determined to fulfill his dream. A sweet, candy-filled dream. And he needed a team to see it through. The goal? Access Head of School Cathy Hall’s office to supply Dlugosch’s pockets with endless amounts of taffy.
It sounds simple — perhaps even mundane for the average Nobles student, many of whom casually enter Hall’s office to satisfy their candy cravings. But what awaited Dlugosch one fateful Friday when he attempted to do the same was entirely unprecedented: a closed door.
Dlugosch panicked. Was the door locked? Was Hall in a meeting? Had the taffy bowl finally been moved for safekeeping? So many questions. So few answers. In that moment, Dlugosch’s pursuit of candy was elevated from some ordinary errand to a full-scale heist.
Taking a seat at the bench just out of sight of the office, Dlugosch pulled out his computer and fired off the speediest email of his life to Executive Assistant to the Head of School Meghan Thomsen. The message consisted of just four words: “Is the doc in [a meeting]?”
Less than a minute later, Dlugosch ecstatically read Thomsen’s reply: “She is free …” In his excitement, Dlugosch shut his computer as quickly, but also as quietly, as possible, missing the longer portion of Thomsen’s email explaining that Hall’s door was, in all likelihood, unlocked and that he was welcome to enter.
With newfound knowledge that Hall’s office was free for the taking, Dlugosch hatched the rest of his plan and gathered his team.
First to arrive was Vedant Kulkarni (Class I), a hallway wanderer in the middle of his French V Honors class. Upon receiving Dlugosch’s text asking him to act as the team’s hacker, Kulkarni did not hesitate. He abandoned class, prepared to spin the wildest of excuses for his French teacher, Amadou Seck.
Meanwhile, getaway driver Calais Mack (Class IV) stationed herself outside the stairs leading down to the Shattuck basement — just out of view of Hall’s office. Passersby were treated to a truly remarkable sight: skilled equestrian Mack tying her trusty steed Rocco to a conveniently placed railing. Mack, too, had stepped away from her own French II class for the cause. Désolé, French teachers. Sometimes candy just takes priority!
In fact, on this occasion, candy proved too tempting an opportunity for Choral Director Cheney Doane to pass up. Paired with History and Social Science Faculty Steele Sternberg, the dynamic duo warmed up their voices in Lawrence Auditorium before uniting with Dlugosch. No, they weren’t preparing to sing. They were preparing to laugh. The necessary musical element of the operation was reserved for the one and only Kazoo Krew, ready to fill the hallway with their unforgettable rendition of Blondie’s “One Way or Another.”
The final piece of the puzzle arrived in the form of Samantha Pinkas (Class III), who cartwheeled her way out of the Academic Center from her Global History II class. By sheer coincidence, she had received Dlugosch’s text just as her class began discussing the Louvre Museum heist of October 2025. Feeling inspired, Pinkas stealthily slipped out of class and cartwheeled the rest of the way to the admissions office faster than the speed of light.
Once assembled, the team reviewed the plan. This wasn’t a professionally thought-out mission, but it had the stakes of one. What would happen if they failed? No assembly excuses? No snacks for a week? No weekends for the rest of the year? They simply couldn’t fail.
After getting into position, Dlugosch signaled Kulkarni to cut the hallway lights, plunging the scene into dramatic obscurity. With undoubtedly the hardest task of the mission completed, Dlugosch was confident the rest would be smooth sailing.
He then cued Sternberg and Doane, who burst into perfectly punchline-free laughter, alongside the musical chaos of the Kazoo Krew. The hallway was filled with a cacophony so distracting that Hall surely wouldn’t want to open her door to investigate.
This overwhelming environment was perfect for Pinkas’ moment. She somersaulted toward the office door and, as she finished the move, flawlessly reached for the hairpin she naturally kept in her hair. But before Pinkas could somersault again and aim for the coveted taffy bowl on Hall’s coffee table, the door began to creak open from the inside. Standing there was, of course, Hall herself, clearly unprepared to see students and faculty suspiciously positioned throughout the hallway.
“You know,” Hall said, leaning against her door, “You could’ve just walked in if you wanted some taffy,” finally unveiling the taffy bowl from behind her back.
As Hall passed out taffy pieces to each member of the technically unsuccessful heist, Dlugosch realized that his dream had never really been about candy at all. With a few more minutes before the end of the academic day, the entire crew piled onto Mack’s stallion and rode off together into the nonexistent sunset — newly bonded forever by their shared experience. The real candy, Dlugosch understood, was the friends he made along the way.
