Bob Maginn P’19, ’22, ’23, Zack McLeod ’10, Tammy and Pat McLeod P’08, ’10, ’13, ’16, and Middle School Director Mary Dolbear at Zack’s plaque dedication.
Zack McLeod ‘10 honored at Middle School Motto Assembly The annual Motto Assembly at the Middle School is always a moving and inspiring event at which eighth grade Banner Students address new Middle School students about their own triumphs and failures over the past year. This year’s Banner Recipients (Mehdi Epee-Bounya ’21, Ava Long ’21, Walker Oberg ’21, and Abigail Rabieh ’21) offered personal anecdotes containing great examples of what to do, and sometimes more importantly, what not to do, in order to find success and happiness at 80 Sparks Street. The Motto Assembly this year had an added level of inspiration as Zack McLeod ’10 was honored for his constant and continued resilience and perseverance in the face of adversity, and the ways in which he exemplifies the School’s motto. Zack suffered a traumatic head injury in 2008 at the beginning of his junior year at BB&N. A plaque in Zack’s honor has been installed in the entryway to the Big Room that reads: “In the face of overwhelming adversity, his persevering faith, joyful spirit, and selfless character continue to inspire the BB&N community and embody the school motto: Honor Scholarship Kindness.”
Seniors Receive Junior Profile Recognition Four BB&N seniors have received top honors in the annual Junior Profile Contest, the final event in the cornerstone English project for all eleventh graders. Deliberating over the summer, a panel of judges— writers and editors outside of BB&N—awarded first prize to Lucas Fried ’17 and honorable mentions to Erica Jarrell ’17, Bayard Eton ’17, and Lexie Massa ’17. For more than 30 years, the Junior Profile project has challenged students to harness their practiced skills in analytical thinking and writing about literature and apply them to a subject beyond the classroom walls. Over the course of six weeks, through several drafts, and with the ongoing feedback of their teachers, they produce an 8-to10-paged New Yorker-style profile of an interesting person at work. Speaking for the panel, one judge wrote, “These profiles must juggle a number of elements: setting, process, background, characterization, narrative, and more. The best profiles are able to unify all of these elements and bring a person to life on the page.” When “empathy and craft come together,” the judge continued, the result is “wonderful writing.” Junior profile winners clockwise from bottom left: Erica Jarrell ’17, Bayard Eton ’17, Lexie Massa ’17, and Lucas Fried ’17.
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In addition to the professions depicted in the prize-winning profiles, others in this year’s pool of outstanding essays include a stringed instrument repairman, a children’s librarian, a theater set carpenter, a symphony orchestra conductor, a doll restorer, and a nail salon owner.