Belmont Hill t h e bu ll e t i n for be l m o n t h i ll s c h o ol
s u m m e r | fa ll 2021
contents
features
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chapel talk
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branford marsalis gives inaugural performance in renovated hamilton chapel
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growth of belmont hill’s speaker program
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commencement
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departments
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from the belmont hill archives
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community & diversity
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arts on the hill
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coaches’ corner
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new faculty biographies
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corporation news
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spring events & visiting speakers
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class notes
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in memoriam
our mission statement working together
Belmont Hill School educates boys in mind, body, and spirit to develop men of good character. Our community encourages and challenges students to discover and pursue passions, seek excellence, and face adversity with resilience. We cultivate critical thinking and creativity, teamwork and competition, hard work and reflection, tradition and innovation. Valuing our differences and working together, we embrace camaraderie, compassion, and service to others. Our school strives to instill in each boy ethical judgment, a sense of common humanity, and a lifelong love of learning. On front cover: Branford Marsalis, April 2, 2021, Hamilton Chapel. Inside front cover: Brooks Rayment ’21 crafting his canoe for Mr. Tahan’s “Maine Coast: A Cultural History” class.
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chapel talk
CHAPEL TALK
Remarks delivered by Gregory J. Schneider, Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School, on April 1, 2021
heightening the national conversation around racial discrimination against Asian American and Pacific Islanders in our country. The Atlanta shooting has brought a spotlight upon conversations about the experiences of Asian American women in the United States, in particular. Certainly, we want to send our thoughts and prayers to all of the victims and their families of these tragedies first and foremost.
Welcome back, boys, from what I trust was a restful spring break. We return now to what we hope to be on-campus learning until graduation, and I could not feel more grateful for being on this journey with all of you. In particular, spring becomes a moment where we focus even more deeply on our Form VI boys who will shortly be launching from Belmont Hill for the next chapters of their education and adult lives. While we know how much we will miss them, we look forward to the great time we all will have together this spring. They have been the true heroes of our success together this year. Before I turn my attention to the topic of our collective mental health today, I want to pause and acknowledge the two horrific shootings we witnessed across the country during our spring break. Most recently, we know there was a terrifying shooting in a Boulder, Colorado grocery store, killing ten people. We also know of the earlier horrifying shooting in Atlanta, killing eight, appropriately
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During the past year, we have seen the emergence of a new alumni effort here at Belmont Hill, through our Multicultural Alumni Partnership, focused upon supporting not only our Asian American students but our students of Middle Eastern descent as well. This is also an important moment for me to thank Mr. Choi and Mr. Shen publicly for their work supporting these students at Belmont Hill in new ways this year. My hope is that our entire community will continue to dig into important conversations related to these topics as we work to foster an even deeper sense of belonging for all members of the Belmont Hill community. Certainly, the shootings over break feel like additional national events in a year that has been filled with so many noteworthy challenges. This reality leads me back into my topic today in discussing our collective mental health. I suspect that all of us have hit a wall of sorts during this pandemic year at one time or another. I know that I felt this on a personal level back in February, when I began to question if things would ever improve. Sadly, during that time, I learned that two of my college football teammates had brothers who took their own lives this winter. While I didn’t know either of these men and suspect that their mental health issues may have predated COVID-19, I have no doubt that this pandemic heightened their personal challenges. One of the main drivers behind our desire to learn on campus this year, to help you be physically active, and to try to find ways to experience joy—has been for this very reason: our concern about your collective mental health. We are blessed at Belmont Hill with an amazing
team of professionals to support all of you in this regard, including Ms. Schmunk, Ms. Ginsberg, and Dr. Thompson, and Ms. Rupley and Ms. David in related areas. This is a chance for me to thank them publicly for their truly exceptional work this year, along with the attention and care of all of our faculty advisors. I don’t want to minimize that we certainly have had our share of boys struggle for various reasons this year, but I believe our focus upon mental health has been one of our great accomplishments as well. The pandemic landscape has catalyzed me to speak to you today a bit more broadly about mental health as you consider the remainder of your time at Belmont Hill and beyond. We all watched videos this year in our advisories with testimonials by athletes like Kevin Love and Lebron James helping to demystify the stigma around mental health and to promote meditation. Others like DeMar DeRozan have spoken out publicly about bouts with depression in recent years. These people and others have done a great deal to bring mental health issues more clearly into the public spotlight. In one sense, we have always been aware of the connection between mental acuity, mental toughness, and athletic performance. Whether it is sustaining your golf swing for 18 holes or battling mental demons on the pitcher’s mound, confidence and mental stability are critical to our athletic success. As we head into baseball season, I can share that I personally remember that sense of pressure on the mound, specifically with the bases loaded trying to throw a strike—yet the challenge of the moment had very little to do with my physical ability to do so. Similarly, we know that worry, anxiety, and stress can all lead to poor academic performance just as easily. It is hard to imagine that you will not have some meaningful experience with these issues during your lifetime journey at Belmont Hill and elsewhere. I will openly share that I have had periods in my own life where stress and worry have led to migraines, loss of sleep, and even brief periods of vertigo. If one’s mental house is not in order, it is clear to me that our bodies will let us know about it fairly quickly. I am a massive believer that your social emotional well-being is a necessity in order for you to learn at your highest capacity. One of my favorite educational speakers in this area is Marc Brackett, the director of the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence. In his evidence-based RULER framework, he provides us with a useful acronym to channel emotions and feelings more positively: R: Recognizing emotions in oneself and others U: Understanding the causes and consequences of emotions L: Labeling emotions with nuanced vocabulary E: Expressing emotions within social norms and cultural context R: Regulating emotions with helpful strategies One useful tool he provides, which I have used, is an app he calls the “mood meter”—encouraging us to be in a continual process of labeling our emotional state and expanding our emotional vocabulary. This self-awareness allows us to feel more secure while simultaneously building our capacity for empathy. For teachers, there is
no question that being able to impact mood and emotion within a classroom may be the single most important factor in generating the learning outcomes we want to see. Whether intentional or not, teachers have always deployed strategies to alter mood in your classes: zany, somber, competitive, serious—all of these energies play a critical role in great learning. Over my three years here, I can also say that I have seen the range of emotions impact all of you on our athletic fields. By and large, I have been so impressed with your character and leadership. And yet I have also seen game-misconducts occur when one of our players lost his cool about a bad call or through an altercation with someone on the other team. I have seen technical fouls called when frustration has led to complaining with the referees. One of my favorite lacrosse coaches at another school once told me that we should never see what he loved to refer to as “palms up” on our teams—a look that I sadly do see in ISL competition and in professional sports as well. While Belmont Hill is a school known for exceptional sportsmanship and character, we also know that there are times on our fields when our emotions get the better of us. I might sum all of this reflection up in the following manner—if your Belmont Hill education provides you with the most amazing knowledge and skills around academic content along with dynamic athletic skills without the tools to attend to your mental health and emotional state, then we have failed you. All of the academic training in the world is useless in the absence of strong mental health and related emotional skills. And yet a boys’ school culture doesn’t always make these conversations or these tools around feelings and emotions explicit or obvious. They may not be the normal topic in our locker rooms or lunch tables in normal years. I have certainly witnessed a penchant in our community—among both students and adults—to feel pressure to always have things under control. We love to teach toughness and accountability at Belmont Hill, but we must also teach you to be in touch with your feelings and the feelings of others. I want to be clear that I have been amazed by the unique capacity for vulnerability at this boys’ school; we have many boys here who are deeply in tune with their emotional state. We also have faculty members who possess an almost other-worldly ability to ascertain the emotional state of their students. For me, the insight of this pandemic has been to reveal just how important emotional capacities will be for all of us over time—especially when life gets hard. And it’s pretty hard right now; it really is. One of our trustees gave me a useful metaphor recently—while we may see the end of the pandemic in sight, they tell you at the doctor’s office to finish the prescription even after you feel better. We need to finish the pandemic prescription this spring by continuing to take our protocols seriously—even though it is mentally challenging to do so.
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chapel talk
commitment. Just recently, Form VI student Matthew Britt-Webb launched an effort to spark more conversations within his class around these issues. I suspect that our second year of Advanced Action Research will also continue this dialogue in some powerful ways as well. As we consider this seemingly never-ending pandemic, it strikes me that a final critical aspect of our mission focused upon character is keeping an eye on the mental health of each other. Beyond making sure your own house is in order, your friendships and connections are incredibly powerful during this challenging pandemic year. Check in on each other, and reach out to adults you trust when you are concerned. For Form VI boys, you’ll need to check in on each other after you graduate as well and start life on new campuses. You will be less well known there to start with, and it will present unexpected challenges for many of you. Don’t forget strong mental health as a key aspect of the brotherhood we have formed here together.
Last summer, when I found myself engaged with our young alumni of color, it was noteworthy how those conversations presented a kind of intersectionality between issues of race and masculinity—or in some cases, mental health. Time and again I heard that Ms. Schmunk’s family group was a lifeline to so many of these alumni of color, and it was a lifeline that they wish they had found earlier. Last year, our Advanced Action Research group, under the leadership of Dr. Tift and in partnership with UPENN, did some remarkable work on the notion of living up to the ideal image of a Belmont Hill boy. This concept was explored in the context of race, class, religion, sexual identity, arts, athletics, and any number of other considerations. While the study came to completion just as the pandemic hit, its conclusion was pretty telling— that many in our community feel pressure to live up to a preconceived ideal of what it means to be a Belmont Hill boy. I suspect one part of this masculine concept has been connected to mental health and not being emotionally vulnerable. If there is anything I have learned over my years as an adult, it is that one can’t love others fully until one fully loves oneself. I hope that as you continue to navigate your adolescence on this campus, you take some time to explore this side of yourself and become more closely connected with all that you love about you. It is clear to me that Belmont Hill now enjoys tools and resources that were not here a few years ago. The addition of a director of health and wellness along with a second counselor speak to an increasing level of institutional
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During this past football season, we saw Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott opening up about his own mental health challenges in connection with a suicide and other illness in his family. One of his strongest supporters has been Russell Wilson of the Seattle Seahawks. He has said many times that this kind of vulnerability takes hard work and courage. To quote him directly: “If we start being honest about our pain, our anger, and our shortcomings instead of pretending they don’t exist, then maybe we’ll leave the world a better place than we found it.” It is my hope that we can continue building upon the progress we have made in supporting mental health at Belmont Hill. There is much that we cannot control this spring, but we absolutely can control our own attitudes and we have a choice to care for one another in positive ways. This spring is a chance for us to think about brotherhood and character in an even deeper way at a time when we need it most. Let’s commit to being there for each other and make this the best possible spring it can be, especially for our seniors who have sacrificed so much during this particular year. Welcome back to campus, gentlemen, and let’s now officially launch a fantastic spring together on campus. Sixth Form.
branford marsalis
LEGENDARY MUSICIAN BRANFORD MARSALIS
Gives Inaugural Performance in Renovated Hamilton Chapel April 2, 2021 By Bill Mahoney The triumphant inaugural performance of the renovated Hamilton Chapel featured a most distinguished guest indeed. Branford Marsalis is a Grammy Award-winning saxophonist, composer, and bandleader, and his appearance at Belmont Hill, delayed a year due to the pandemic, was eagerly anticipated and did not disappoint. The appearance was made possible through the kindness of the Wilkins family. Brian is a distinguished member of the Class of 2020, while his father, David, is a former member of the Board of Trustees and co-chair of the Diversity Committee at Belmont Hill. Greg Schneider, Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School, paid special tribute to Ann Marie Wilkins, who has served as Mr. Marsalis’s agent and was instrumental in bringing him to the Hill. “I will never forget Ann Marie showing me a few pictures of our speaker today in her home, suggesting perhaps he might one day come address the boys of Belmont Hill,” Mr. Schneider said. “Lest anyone doubt that she is a woman of her word, here we stand today.” Mr. Marsalis has spent four decades in the international spotlight, with three Grammys, a citation by the National Endowment for the Arts as a Jazz Master, and a broad range of contemporary artistic excellence. Mr. Marsalis has collaborated with renowned artists such as Sting and the Grateful Dead, and has garnered a Drama Desk Award and Tony nominations for the acclaimed revivals of Children of a Lesser God, Fences, and A Raisin in the Sun. His screen credits include original music composed for: Spike Lee’s Mo’ Better Blues, The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks starring Oprah Winfrey, and Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom starring Viola Davis and the late Chadwick Boseman. Mr. Marsalis has also formed enduring teaching relationships at Michigan State, San Francisco State, and North Carolina Central Universities, while conducting workshops across the world.
Mr. Marsalis performed “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing” to begin the program.
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branford marsalis
It is that background as an educator that Mr. Marsalis displayed most prominently in his Chapel appearance. After an introduction from Mr. Schneider, Mr. Marsalis took the stage to perform “The Star-Spangled Banner” and “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which is often referred to as the Black National Anthem. Mr. Marsalis then took to the podium to address the boys fortunate enough to be in the Chapel, as well as all those watching via livestream. Centering his talk on what constitutes excellence, he provided a variety of examples, telling the boys they needed to determine what excellence means to them and for them. “For me excellence is a dedication to a craft, regardless of its popularity, and through the rigorous method of trial and error, and error, and more error, one gradually develops a sense beyond mere cognition, which we call intuition.” He explained his good fortune in growing up in New Orleans—which he described as one of the greatest music cities in the world—and the many opportunities he had to learn about music. “As high school kids, my brothers and I could play in the youth orchestra, a traditional jazz band, a funk band, a rock band, a marching band, a stage band—and a concert band. Some, all at the same time. These adventures in rhythm and melody and sound launched me on my path.”
Dan Fiori, David Wilkins, Brian Wilkins ’20, Branford Marsalis, Ann Marie Wilkins, and Greg Schneider.
Expounding on his path in music, he detailed his background in jazz and how he eventually came to start performing classical music in his 40s. “It surprised classical musicians that I sounded like a classical musician, not a jazz musician playing classical music. But I’d been playing and listening to classical music since I was seven.” He concluded by delving more deeply into his perception of excellence. “Excellence is about pursuing something in less than a transactional way,” he said. “You pursue it not just because you can envision a positive outcome for yourself, but because it deserves the effort that you give it.” Urging the boys to invest in their education, he stressed the importance of being curious and dedicated. “There is no shortcut. You have to put the time in. There’s no guarantee that you’ll get there if you do these things, but there’s definitely a guarantee that you won’t if you don’t do these things.”
Donnell Patterson, Dan Fiori, and Branford Marsalis.
With that, Mr. Marsalis closed and received a rousing ovation. He took questions from the boys, and then performed first with Mr. Fiori on piano and subsequently with Mr. Schneider, also with his saxophone. It was a very special moment, and quite a fitting debut for the beautifully renovated Hamilton Chapel.
“ For me excellence is a dedication to a craft, regardless of its popularity,
and through the rigorous method of trial and error, and error, and more error, one gradually develops a sense beyond mere cognition, which we call intuition.” – Branford Marsalis
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growth of belmont hill’s speaker program
GROWTH OF BELMONT HILL’S SPEAKER PROGRAM: Providing New Opportunities for Learning By Bill Mahoney
Through the years, Belmont Hill has offered a broad range of speakers in many different settings on campus. Most familiar to alumni, of course, are the Chapel speakers. Faculty, alumni, and the Head of School have regularly addressed students on a variety of topics. Politicians, educators, journalists, military figures, activists, authors, poets, and athletes, to name just a few, have also shared their wisdom and enriched the learning experience outside the classroom for all. (See “From the Archives” on page 9 to learn more about past notable Belmont Hill speakers.) Over time, the Speaker Series has expanded in a number of ways. Through the remarkable generosity of the Belmont Hill community, we have brought an even greater range of
The MAP Speaker Series The Multicultural Alumni Partnership (MAP) Speaker Series, established in 2020, was funded by the Diversity Initiative Fund. Understanding that character education is at the center of Belmont Hill’s mission, the series recognizes that diversity, equity, and inclusion awareness is a fundamental part of character development. The series has already brought exciting guest speakers such as Caroline Randall Williams, an award-winning poet, young adult novelist, and cookbook author as well as an activist, public intellectual, performance artist, and scholar. Dr. Ibram X. Kendi, the Andrew W. Mellon Professor in the Humanities at Boston University and the founding director of the BU Center for Antiracist Research, spoke to the community about antiracism and noted the steps one can take to incorporate this into one’s life. He authored three #1 New York Times bestsellers: How to Be an Antiracist; Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You, co-authored with Jason Reynolds; and Antiracist Baby, illustrated by Ashley Lukashevsky. Also, Arshay Cooper, a rower, Benjamin Franklin award-winning author and the protagonist of the powerful documentary A Most Beautiful Thing, addressed the School. A Golden Oar recipient for his contributions to the sport of rowing, Mr. Cooper is a motivational speaker and activist.
speakers to the School. Take a look at some of the ways the Speaker Series at Belmont Hill has grown.
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growth of belmont hill’s speaker program
The Michael Sherman Lecture Series
Parents’ Council Speaker Series
Formerly the Nalebuff Lecture Series, Dr. and Mrs. Edward Nalebuff and their son Barry ’76 (now a professor at Yale) gave the lectureship to Belmont Hill in 1999. In 2011, they renamed the Series in honor of beloved longtime math teacher Michael Sherman. Through the years, many prominent scholars, including distinguished Belmont Hill alumni, have contributed their expertise to this series, primarily scientific in nature. In the fall of 2013, geneticist and featured speaker Dr. Hunt Willard ’71 thanked the Nalebuffs prior to his remarks to the students. “Because of their generosity in establishing the annual Michael Sherman Lecture, they chose to honor the profession of teaching,” Dr. Willard explained. “They have recognized, as I have, the critical importance of good teaching in awakening the love of learning that each of you—whether you recognize it yet or not—will carry with you as you leave this place in the years ahead. Wherever you go and whatever you do with your life, you, like me and like the Nalebuffs’ son, will look back on your days here at Belmont Hill as providing the essence of who you will have become. The embodiment of that awareness, I assure you, will be the one or two teachers you’ve had here who made all the difference in that awakening. So, I thank the Nalebuffs for recognizing that and for honoring Mr. Sherman in this way.”
Parents deal with a plethora of issues related to school life for their sons, and the School makes a great effort to identify those issues and provide resources for families to cope with them. The Parents’ Council regularly features guest speakers for the parent community on topics including advice on teens’ social media and gaming activity, anxiety and depression, alcohol and substance use, setting appropriate limits, prom night, and, most recently, dealing with life during the pandemic, among other concerns. Belmont Hill’s own Dr. Michael Thompson has spoken many times at such events, and has always been a voice of warmth, wisdom, and comfort. Faculty speakers have provided helpful advice and information, as have a variety of guest speakers who are experts at analyzing and offering counsel for parent concerns. “The Parents’ Council Speaker Series is one of the ways we bring our parents together around shared concerns,” says Director of Parent Engage-
The Kageyama-Hunt Lecture Series
Katharine Wrisley Atkins Women’s Series
The Kageyama-Hunt Lecture Series, established in 2012 by Belmont Hill parents Bill Hunt and Yuko KageyamaHunt, brings speakers to campus who model global citizenship and can inspire generations of Belmont Hill boys to embrace the challenges and opportunities of an interconnected world. Topics have covered an expanse of issues from educating refugee children to climate engineering, to support of free and democratic elections, and climate change and sustainability.
Established in 2005 with the leadership of Kathy Whelan and named for the first female member of the Belmont Hill School Executive Committee, the Katharine Wrisley Atkins (KWA) Women’s Series offers a variety of enrichment opportunities, including renowned speakers and workshops for women in the Belmont Hill community. KWA presentations have featured Ann Romney, Lisa Monaco, Bunny Melvoin, Dr. Mallika Marshall, Winston Flowers, Thuy Ha-Ngoc, Sandra Fenwick, Joyce Kulhawik, Marian Ryan, Kathy Whelan, Ann Marie Wilkins, Tony Maws ’88, and Ruthanne Fuller, among many others.
“Through the Series, students experience firsthand the valiant struggles, setbacks, and victories that frontline global actors contend with when tackling issues on the ground,” notes Director of Global Experiences Juliette Zener. “Topics that may seem two-dimensional in the classroom take on a vivid urgency when described by frontline participants: autocracy vs. constitutional governments; freedom of speech; the transformative potential of geothermal energy. We are tremendously grateful to the Kageyama-Hunt family.”
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ment Lora Farkas. “In addition to providing information and perspectives on adolescent issues, the conversations and friendships sparked by these gatherings provide support and strengthen our community.”
“Katharine Wrisley Atkins’s legacy is an important part of Belmont Hill history, as she laid the vital groundwork for the important role women have taken in the shaping of the School,” says KWA Co-Chair Lynne Gaynor. Adds fellow Co-Chair Margy Dunn, “This Series pays homage to her groundbreaking achievements on the Hill.”
belmont hill archives
FROM THE ARCHIVES By Caroline Kenney, School Archivist
a look back at past speakers at belmont hill We couldn’t possibly list all of the remarkable speakers that we’ve had on campus over the years, but here is a look back at some of the most memorable.
dr. noam chomsky | 2002 Dr. Noam Chomsky, well-known and impactful professor, activist, and writer, visited to speak about the Arab-Israeli conflict and the involvement of the U.S. government. Dr. Chomsky spoke about his upbringing in an immigrant family from Eastern Europe, which he stated led to his interest in researching topics such as this. He addressed the differences in positions between Israel and Palestine, which has led to the imbalance in the conflict. He also discussed foreign policy and the need to have a “universal standard” amongst nations. Dr. Chomsky retired from MIT in 2017, where he had worked since 1955.
mark mathabane | 2004 Mark Mathabane, author of Kaffir Boy, shared his journey of coming to the United States from apartheid South Africa with the help of tennis champion Stan Smith. He spoke of his difficult childhood and overcoming obstacles as well as his experience of returning home to South Africa after the end of apartheid. Mathabane encouraged students to practice gratitude every day and to give back with the privileges that we have. Since Kaffir Boy, Mathabane has written six more titles, including Kaffir Boy in America: An Encounter with Apartheid, and was a White House Fellow. Mathabane is also a motivational speaker.
dr. paul farmer | 2008 In an incredibly impactful Nalebuff Lecture (now the Michael Sherman Lecture), Dr. Paul Farmer spoke about his humanitarian and global health work through Partners In Health, an organization that he co-founded. He holds the chief strategist position. Dr. Farmer has developed strategies to improve the health conditions in countries throughout the world through community-based initiatives, and he spoke about initiatives such as creating clinics and training local citizens to work in them. He also spoke about the younger generation and what they can do to help improve our world. In addition to his work with Partners In Health, Dr. Farmer is the chief of the Division of Social medicine and medical inequalities at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the chair of the department of global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard Medical School. Dr. Farmer is the subject of Tracy Kidder’s book, Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World.
rena finder | 2014 Through the organization Facing History and Ourselves, Holocaust survivor Rena Finder delivered her powerful message in Chapel. Mrs. Finder is a founding survivor of Facing History and Ourselves and has spoken in classrooms all over the country. She spoke of her early years growing up in Krakow, Poland in a middle-class neighborhood. The German invasion of Poland in 1939 forced Jewish families like Mrs. Finder’s to move into the ghetto, isolated from the rest of the city. Eventually, all residents were moved to the Plaszów work camp. She recounted the horrors of life in the camp, and how she was eventually saved by Oskar Schindler, a German industrialist who saved the lives of 1,200 Jews during the Holocaust by employing them in his enamelware and ammunitions factories. Mrs. Finder closed by telling the boys, “Many people did not say anything, did not do anything. They gave power to those who did wrong. I hope that you will remember that you have the power to change the world for your children and your grandchildren.”
anderson cooper | 2014 Journalist Anderson Cooper visited campus as part of the endowed Global Citizen Speaker Series. He spoke to the boys about his experiences as a journalist, especially his work in war zones. He detailed the look into humanity that comes with being in those war areas and how he best represents his experiences and the experiences of others. Mr. Cooper also spoke about life in general and how to face the challenges that come a person’s way. Mr. Cooper has worked for CNN, ABC News, and 60 Minutes; he is now the host of Anderson Cooper 360.°
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general mark a. milley ’76 | 2015 When General Mark A. Milley received his Distinguished Alumni Award, he also took the time to visit the School’s war memorial and to speak to the students the following day. His message was of gratitude and freedom, freedom to live in this country and gratitude to those who have sacrificed so much for that freedom. In 2019, General Milley was named Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, our nation’s highest ranking military position.
dr. rachel levine ’75 | 2016 Pediatrician Dr. Levine spoke openly about her transition and being a transgender woman in the world today. Dr. Levine also spoke about treating people with kindness and accepting them for who they are. Her speech ended with a standing ovation, which was a clear indication of its impact and power. Dr. Levine is the Assistant Secretary of Health under the Biden administration and a professor of pediatrics and psychiatry at the Penn State College of Medicine. She is one of the only openly transgender government officials in the United States.
anthony ray hinton | 2016 In an incredibly moving speech, Anthony Ray Hinton spoke about his 30 harrowing years on Alabama’s death row as an innocent man. Hinton spoke about racism within the justice system, which he believed ultimately led to his conviction. You could hear a pin drop during his powerful speech, a mark of how he touched this community in the short time that he was here. Since his visit, he has published his account of the experience in The Sun Does Shine, which includes a foreword by his attorney, Bryan Stevenson.
dr. george q. daley md, p h d p ’17, ’19 | 2017 As the guest speaker for the Michael Sherman Lecture, Dr. Daley spoke about the ever-changing world around us, especially in the progressive world of science, and how it related to his own life. Dr. Daley is dean of Harvard Medical School, the Caroline Shields Walker Professor of Medicine, and professor of biological chemistry and molecular pharmacology at Harvard Medical School.
david e. kelley ’75 | 2019 As the Commencement speaker, David E. Kelley, prominent television writer and producer, spoke about his experience at Belmont Hill, his time at Princeton, and the life lessons learned along the way. He told the story of how he first got into writing, in which he wrote a paper in the form of a play, which resulted in his professor encouraging him to pursue it further. Kelley explained to the boys to “never lose the plot,” always go to class, and that you never know what is “going to be on the menu” of life. Kelley has written and created numerous shows, such as L.A. Law, Chicago Hope, The Practice, and Ally McBeal; most recently, he created the series Big Little Lies, Goliath, and Big Sky. Other notable speakers include: • Sam Kennedy P ’22, Red Sox President and CEO. The 2018 visit included the four World Series Championship trophies won in this century. • Tim Buckley ’87, Chairman and CEO of Vanguard. The 2019 visit was part of the annual Michael Sherman Lecture Series. • Chris Herren, former NBA player and recovering addict. • Admiral James Stavridis, former Supreme Allied Commander of NATO. • Travis Roy, former BU hockey player, founder of the Travis Roy Foundation, and spinal cord research advocate. • Robert Carlock ’91, writer for Saturday Night Live, Friends, and 30 Rock.
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• Barry Nalebuff ’76, expert on game theory, Rhodes scholar, and Yale professor. • Bobby Orr P ’92, ’95, former Boston Bruin and one of the best players in NHL history. • Andy Cadiff ’73, film director and producer for Spin City, Quantum Leap, and Home Improvement. • George Romney GP ’88, ’90, ’93, ’96, ’99; GGP ’20, ’22, former Governor of Michigan and Secretary of Housing and Urban Development. • Joe Garagiola, former MLB player, former NBC broadcaster and Today show co-host, and advocate against chewing tobacco.
community & diversity
MAP MENTORING PROGRAM OFFERS MEANINGFUL OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS By Caleb Collins ’93, P ’25, Director of Community and Diversity
MAP directors have discussed creating a mentoring program for a number of years that would pair current students with alumni. After a few unsuccessful attempts to create a sustainable mentoring program, I am excited to celebrate the conclusion of the first year of the MAP Mentoring program. Led by Will Forde ’05, Groom Dinkneh ’09, Greg Paul ’09, and Aman Shah ’10, the program strives to improve the overall experience of current students of color at Belmont Hill. Groom has prior experience in this type of initiative as he was instrumental in creating a similar program at Tufts. In addition, it has engaged and leveraged alumni in a meaningful way.
Featured Speakers David Antonelli ’06 Andrew Cornelia ’08 Nicholas Rellas ’08 Layla Tabatabaie David Walker ’82
During the summer of 2020, while the nation dealt with two pandemics, Greg Schneider and members of the Board held a series of listening calls with recent alumni of color. These calls were humbling and challenging, as alumni shared their collective experiences as Belmont Hill students. It was evident that for a number of alumni, Belmont Hill had fallen short. The School has been committed to DEI initiatives for decades, but this narrative of Belmont Hill was new for many of the Board members participating on those calls. The mentoring program served as an exciting opportunity for alumni to work jointly with current students. The program intentionally began with students of color in Forms V and VI, as we felt upperclassmen would be most prepared for these connections. The strength of the program thus far has been the level of interest from the alumni base. In fact, each student has been paired
with at least two alumni mentors. These alumni come from many generations and are able to closely relate to the experiences and challenges that our students face in the community today. In many cases, the alumni mentors have reconnected with their school. Mentoring groups meet as frequently as they can. Each month, there is a joint call where students hear from a featured speaker and also check in with their mentors. These featured speakers (listed to the left) are alumni who serve as MAP directors as well as alumni who have taken a less traditional career path since Belmont Hill. In order to guarantee the long-term success of the program, mentors commit to serving at least two years with the option to remain involved. It would also be ideal for our mentees to transition into a mentor role once they graduate. I would be remiss if I did not mention the collective involvement of the Alumni House and a few faculty members. Without the help of the best Alumni and Development Office in the world, this program simply would not happen. Bryson Rosser and Corey Cofield have served as faculty liaisons on campus. Our hope is that as the program grows, a broader group of students will be involved. I envision a program where mentoring connections will exist for all of our underrepresented students. If you have any interest in becoming involved in this exciting new program either as a mentor or featured speaker, please reach out to either me or the Alumni House.
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Prize Day
PRIZE DAY June 2, 2021
In a departure from the traditional Prize Day, awards and prizes were awarded on the last day of school for students in Forms I-VI. Members of the junior class were present in Hamilton Chapel for the awards, while younger students watched the event through a livestream with their advisory group. Following the program, all students came to the Chapel lawn for individually packaged snacks prior to
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departing for the year. Form VI students were presented with their awards on June 4 during a celebration for seniors and their families.
prize day 1.
Luke Carroll ’22.
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Kevin Jiang ’22.
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Daniel Drucker ’23 and John Goguen ’23.
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Will Achtmeyer ’26.
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Kachi Ezeani ’22.
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Will Smith ’22.
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Max Wagner ’23.
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TJ Cannistraro ’24.
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Boston Ezedi ’26.
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Jacob Czarnecki ’22.
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Joshua Baldwin ’22.
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Arec Keomurjian ’22.
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Reuben Seigel ’23.
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To see a complete list of 2020–2021 prizes and awards, scan this code with your phone: www.belmonthill.org
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Faculty & Staff Recognition
faculty & staff recognition 35 Years of Service John B. McAlpin 30 Years of Service Beverly S. Coughlin Christopher Richards 25 Years of Service Kathleen A. Richards Ruth W. Sweeney George P. Tahan
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20 Years of Service Dennis Chin Michael R. Grant Adam T. Harder 15 Years of Service William D. Mahoney Kelly A. McNamara Alfred J. Murphy III ’98 Bruce A. Musler Donnell L. Patterson Edward J. Stanford 10 Years of Service Stephen W. Carr, Jr. ’93 Todd A. Davis Elizabeth F. Girioni Jeremiah S.P. McCarthy ’94 Penghua Shen
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5 Years of Service Corey L. Cofield Walker C. Coppedge ’94 Shannon H. Hutteman Craig C. Schneider
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Craig Schneider, Ruth Sweeney, and Corey Cofield.
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John McAlpin.
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Steve Carr ’93.
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Michael Grant, Dennis Chin, and Adam Harder.
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George Tahan.
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Donnell Patterson and Bill Mahoney.
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Baccalaureate Address
BACCALAUREATE ADDRESS Address delivered by Kenneth M. Martin III ’65 on June 4, 2021
When I was asked to give the Baccalaureate Speech this year, I had to stop and think about it. I have been a teacher at Belmont Hill for 49 years. How can I even begin to talk about my journey as a teacher? How can I talk about the six years and all that the Class of 2021 has done for the School? Should I mention that I taught your father or uncles and then you? I went to Bowdoin College, and during the freshman year we had to take a public-speaking class. Students had to pass it to graduate. There was a junior in my class, and he had failed two times already. I was taught the three B’s of public speaking: Be brief, Be insightful, Be gone. Now, about my journey. First, I will talk briefly about my journey as a teacher. When I came to teach at Belmont Hill, I was fortunate that I knew so many of the teachers.
Mr. Jenney, who wrote the Latin textbook, also taught me when I was a student. He helped me with my lessons and was supportive as to how I should handle the students. Mr. Croke was the athletic director, and he was critical and supportive at the same time. We had some players who were rough around the edges. He told me that the players needed discipline and focus to be successful in sports. Mr. Croke was an amazing mentor, and I had coffee with him almost every day. I have followed in his footsteps, and I have coffee in the back room in the dining hall every day. There are several teachers who are regulars, and some just come in to ask about how to handle a certain situation with a parent or a student. My mentors taught me that there are two classrooms at Belmont Hill, the academic one and the other one—as Mr. Gallagher called it—the athletic www.belmonthill.org
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Baccalaureate Address
classroom. Students learn life lessons in the classroom as well as on the athletic fields. I see this as one thing that makes the Belmont Hill education special. We get to know the students so well. Students view teachers differently when they see them on the playing fields, and teachers see the students differently in athletics. Back to hockey and changing student behavior. I always believed that your team was only as good as the leadership of the seniors. The seniors set the tone for success by their actions and work ethic. We started by making sure the players learned to respect the game, the officials, and the opponents. First, we had a three-penalty rule. Three in a game and you were done for the game. The players learned quickly to play within the rules—except one player. He had a penalty in his first shift, and when he came out of the box he received another penalty. I made him sit for the rest of the period. I spoke to him about this between periods, and he started the second period only to receive another penalty. Done for the game in just three shifts. He was a slow learner, but he learned this rule quickly. The next rule was to pick up the puck for the refs and hand it to them. Without the refs, there would be no game. They have good days and bad days, but helping to pick up the puck would change their outlook. The next rule was to respect your opponent. I know today there is a lot of trash talking. I believe that if you are thinking about trash talking, you are not focused on the game, and you are not respecting your opponent. I can’t end without talking a bit about Latin, and how the boys learn to be accountable every day when they show up for class. They learn about Latin’s grammatical constructions, and how they compare with English grammar. As you remember, vocabulary quizzes were common, and you students learned that many of the Latin words are exactly the same in English. Latin was not easy at first, but many took on the challenge of mastering Latin as their language. I have never met a Latin student who did not recall something from their study of it. I heard from many Upper School teachers about their students becoming better writers in English and History after taking Latin because they understood the different grammatical constructions and word order.
Next, came Form II. We took the whole Form to Washington, D.C., and you had dinner with General Milley and his wife, and he gave you a tour of his house. You also saw almost every memorial, including the Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial and we read his quotes. At Arlington National Cemetery, four students placed a wreath at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. This was a great bonding experience for the Class of 2021. Finally, Form III. Your whole Form worked together to set high goals and you surpassed them with your Thanksgiving Turkey Drive. Your Form was amazing at working together! I see this outstanding class with many talented young men ready to take on the challenges ahead. I am sure you will be helping your college roommate to write an essay. Remember that “working together” will always bring you success! One day you will need help from him. I would like to leave you with a song. Don’t worry, I am not going to sing it. But the Rascal Flatts have influenced me. My wish for you is that this life becomes all that you want it to be, that your dreams stay big, and your worries stay small. You never need to carry more than you can hold. And while you’re out there, getting where you’re getting to, I hope you know that Belmont Hill loves you! And wants the same things too! I say goodbye and wish you all the best, but it is not goodbye forever, as I will look forward to hearing from all of you. I hope you will return often and that the Class of 2021 will become leaders and active alumni. I hope you will listen to the Rascal Flatts song, “My Wish.” The song contains my wishes for all of you.
Now, on to your journey with me through Middle School, as this was how I came to learn about your Form. Number one, the trip to Camp Burgess where you started to become a class, and you became good friends. This was the beginning of learning what “working together” was all about. Then, you had the Greek and Roman Field Day at the end of the year, where your friendships became stronger.
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Ken Martin ’65, Belmont Hill Faculty 1972–2021.
commencement 2021
Senior Celebration
senior celebration 1.
Students walking into the Chapel for awards.
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Yazeed Dahleh, Timmy McCormack, Connor Monahan, John Barry, and Jayson Firmin.
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Featured speaker Jalen Walker.
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Seniors proceeding down the Head’s Hill to the Chapel.
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Musical performance by Julian Dalziel and Adam Alto.
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Seniors watched a slideshow of photos taken during the fall of their arrival and their most recent photo.
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Sreetej Digumarthi and George Tahan.
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Adam Alto, Quinn Peck, Michael Hauswirth, and Justin Paré.
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Sam Freed, Theo Stoll, and Julian Dalziel.
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Commencement Address
COMMENCEMENT ADDRESS Address delivered by Jason Gay ’88 on June 5, 2021
but for a daily financial newspaper your grandparents read. My friends, you’re looking at a man who is wearing a necktie for the first time in close to a decade. In fact, this is the first time I have not been wearing drawstring Adidas sweatpants in more than a year. But look: I’m grateful for this chance, and I’ll try not to squander it, on this beautiful day, under this tent, on this lawn, in front of this glorious Chapel, where I once sat, many years ago, wearing this tie, in the same spot you are now sitting in, wondering when on earth the Commencement speaker was going to stop yapping so I could go get my diploma, take some pictures, and bounce. I have been where you are.
Jason Gay ’88 is The Wall Street Journal’s sports columnist and a humor columnist for its “Review” section.
Thank you for the opportunity to be here today. I’m deeply honored to spend this morning with the Class of 2021, their families and friends, and the entire Belmont Hill School community. Please know: If you are surprised to see me standing up here, how do you think I feel? I’ve never been more surprised in my entire life. Nobody I attended Belmont Hill with is going to believe this. And I’m going to be honest: It’s very possible Belmont Hill has made a tremendous mistake. You know, in the past, this speaking slot on Commencement day has been reserved for the truly accomplished—innovators, academics, entrepreneurs, governors, former presidential candidates, Olympians, Hobey Baker Award winners, and other important figures of their time. And today? Well... You’re looking at a person who writes about sports— sports! It’s basically the comics page, without the artistic talent — and does it NOT for ESPN, or Sports Illustrated,
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But when I went to Belmont Hill, things were quite a bit different. This was roughly the Triassic era. Dinosaurs still roamed the earth. The fields behind us were mostly molten lava. Nobody had iPhones. There was no TikTok. Classrooms were lit by torches. For lunch, we’d wander into the woods behind the track, and hunt with bows and arrows for turtle and squirrel. Back then, Belmont Hill offered only three subjects: Latin. And then: Latin II. And then: Latin III. That was it. All of them, incidentally, taught by the one and only Mr. Martin, a true Belmont Hill legend, and someone I’m honored to see today. I just pray he doesn’t ask me if I remember any Latin. That was a long time ago. But I know this is a momentous day. Not just for the Class of 2021—we will get to you guys in a second—but for the entirety of the expanded Belmont Hill universe. I mean the faculty, staff, every employee behind the scenes, the administrative team, development team, the grounds crew, the alumni, trustees, coaches, friends, neighbors, rivals, enemies, frenemies, nemeses, and, of course, the important contributions of all the campus dogs. The effort and creative thinking that went into making this year happen was extraordinary. Belmont Hill literally reimagined Belmont Hill. What an achievement it is to get here today.
Just the fact that we are not doing this on Zoom or FaceTime or Google Hangouts feels like a minor miracle. Everyone on this lawn has been, at some point, locked down, quarantined, masked, tested, retested, tested again, tested one more time, and likely vaccinated and vaccinated again. It’s been a LOT to endure. But if you’ll indulge me, I’d like to take a moment here to address today’s true MVPs: the parents. The moms, the dads. And also, if it applies, the single parents, the stepparents, the grandparents, the great-grandparents, the aunts, the uncles, the guardians, the protectors, the siblings, and, yes, all of your household pets. You all must be so thrilled to reach this day. You look upon these young men and you know them better than anyone. You once held them in your arms when they were the size of footballs, or very small Thanksgiving turkeys, and now, as if in a flash, they are Belmont Hill graduates. Your hearts must be bursting with pride. As difficult as this past year has been, I’m sure there is a small part of every parent that enjoyed getting some extra, unexpected time with their son. They were getting ready to leave the nest, and then, suddenly, there were unexpected dinners, breakfasts, lunches, snacks, midnight snacks, movie nights, then more snacks, family walks, country drives, weekend hikes, fishing trips, and on and on and on and on. It has been a true silver lining. And now, as the world opens up again, all of the parents must be sitting there, thinking to themselves: I cannot wait for this kid to be out of the house. Graduates! Don’t be offended. Your parents are intensely happy for you
today. When you go off to college or gap years or other projects or ambitions, you will watch your parents break down and cry, because they know they will miss you very much. However…your parents are also making big plans. For instance, your bedroom. There’s really no need for it to be your bedroom anymore. Maybe it can become an office. Or an arts and crafts studio. Or a library. Maybe a weight room — Mom and Dad could get totally ripped. Better yet, let’s turn your bedroom into a tiki bar. Maybe your parents will build themselves a gaming room, with a PlayStation 5, custom controls, and gaming chairs. They will focus on playing Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto, Call of Duty, and Resident Evil. They’ve priced the whole thing out and are ready to go. How often do you intend to come home, anyway? Five times a year? Six? Eight? That’s not a lot. So you can sleep on the living room couch. There’s really no need to make your parents take apart their new tiki bar. Just grab a pillow and go to sleep. Parents of Belmont Hill: I salute you. I recognize the sacrifices and commitments you made to get here. The world has no idea how many baseball, soccer, hockey, and lacrosse practices you were forced to drive to over the years. My own mother is here today. It’s 30 years later, and she’s still mad about all the baseball and soccer practices she had to drive me to. In fact, my own children are not here today…because they have practice. This is how parenting goes. You begin as your child’s idol, and turn into their driver.
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Commencement Address
OK, let’s turn our attention to the Class of 2021. Look at you. Radiant with hope, enthusiasm, confidence, and, from the looks of it, lots of recently purchased and iron-pressed pants. You know, I was shocked to hear that the dress code was relaxed for this year. I know we had a global health emergency, but I cannot imagine attending Belmont Hill School without having to wear a navy blue blazer. What is this, BB&N? You are fashion pioneers, gentlemen. Well done. Now you’ve made it, and you’re on to what’s next. New schools, new opportunities, fresh challenges and anxieties. College will be a different world. Your school will likely be bigger than this. Your school will probably be co-educational. And, I don’t know if anyone has told you this, but: Your school is probably not going to serve you a giant pile of chocolate chip cookies every day around 9:45 a.m. Yes: That mid-morning sugar fix is going to be a very hard habit for you to break. Still, I know you’ll persevere, because the past year and a half has made you stronger. It was not exactly a picnic. Masks, social distancing…your final year in school was weird in ways you could have never expected. These are breathtakingly minor issues, at a time when so many people suffered so much worse. But you learned to adapt. And consciously or not, I believe it will impact you. I like to hope that this experience will make all of us stronger, more considerate, kinder to strangers and new ideas. But then I go read stuff on the internet, and I’m not so sure. These remain volatile, noisy times. Conflict continues to rule the day. Sometimes it feels like the primary way people express themselves is by shouting others down. You have the opportunity to opt out of that, to turn down the volume, and set a new, more compassionate example. After all, to have attended a school like this was a great privilege — but I know it did not come without personal hurdles, and you have arrived here with patience and grace. Let that patience and grace guide you. If that’s all you take from these past 15 or so months — the ability to be patient, to listen, to be empathetic to the world around you, to stop and consider life experiences apart from your own — you will have the ability to not just shape your own path, but also this planet we all are supposed to share. You know, it’s probably already shaped you in ways you don’t realize. You are truly a graduating class unlike any other in the history of this school.
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Now it’s on to the road ahead. I envy you. You’re going to have adventures and misadventures. You’re going to own bad cars and ugly couches, miss airplanes, and lose your phones at exactly the wrong time. You’ll have successes and failures and take a lesson from every one of them. Maybe you’ll travel the world, swim with whales, teach school, create a breakthrough technology, write a play, plant a tree, or win a Grammy. And maybe you’ll start your own family, and one day, you might find yourself back here, with your own child, under this tent, on this lawn, next to this glorious Chapel, which hopefully will not have been sold and turned into a drive-thru Panera. As time goes on, I’m confident you’ll be blessed with a paradoxical epiphany: The more you learn, the more you see the beauty in what you don’t know. Trust me: This is not a scary feeling. It’s actually quite inspiring. Because to get older is to gain the wisdom that an education never ends. Today you will leave this school, alumni of Belmont Hill, but wherever you go, whatever you accomplish, as long as you live, you will always be a student, capable of learning, growing, improving, and hopefully surprising even yourselves. Congratulations, Class of 2021. Thank you for letting me join you today. If nothing else: Thank you for getting me out of my sweatpants.
commencement 2021
Commencement Photos
commencement 2021 1.
Seniors filed down Head’s Hill to Hamilton Chapel before entering the Commencement tent.
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Aidan McCormick ’21.
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Tim McCormack ’21.
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Jalen Walker ’21.
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Abe Tolkoff ’21 and Greg Schneider.
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Sasha Vasu ’22.
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Graduates Mateen Nickpour-Reyes, Erick Silva, Jayson Firmin, Kai Ogenah, Jonathan Dieujuste, and Jalen Walker.
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Graduates celebrate following the program.
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Family and guests in the Commencement tent.
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College Choices
COLLEGES ACCEPTING MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 2021 American University
Fairfield University
Providence College
Amherst College
Fordham University
Quinnipiac University
Arizona State University
Franklin & Marshall College
Rice University
Assumption University
George Washington University
University of Richmond
Babson College
Georgetown University
Rivier University
Bard College
Georgia Institute of Technology
Roger Williams University
Bates College
Hamilton College
Sacred Heart University
Boston College
Harvard College
Skidmore College
Boston University
Haverford College
St. Andrew’s University
Bowdoin College
Hobart College
St. Anselm College
Brandeis University
College of the Holy Cross
St. Lawrence University
Brown University
Indiana University – Bloomington
St. Michael’s College
Bucknell University
Kenyon College
University of South Carolina
University of California – Irvine
Lafayette College
University of Southern California
University of California – Merced
Lehigh University
Southern Methodist University
University of California – Riverside
Long Island University – Post
Swarthmore College
University of California – Santa Cruz
University of Massachusetts – Amherst
Syracuse University
Carleton College
University of Massachusetts – Boston
University of Toronto
Carnegie Mellon University
University of Massachusetts – Lowell
Trinity College
University of Chicago
McGill University
Tufts University
Clark University
Merrimack College
Tulane University of Louisiana
Colby College
University of Michigan – Ann Arbor
Union College
Colgate University
Middlebury College
University of Vermont
University of Colorado – Boulder
University of Minnesota
Villanova University
Connecticut College
New England College
University of Virginia
Cornell University
University of New Hampshire
Wake Forest University
Curry College
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Washington University in St. Louis
Dartmouth College
Northeastern University
Wesleyan University
Davidson College
Northwestern University
Williams College
University of Denver
University of Notre Dame
University of Wisconsin – Madison
Dickinson College
Occidental College
Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Elon University
Ohio Wesleyan University
Yale University
Emory University (Oxford)
University of Oregon
Endicott College
Princeton University
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commencement 2021
Senior Events
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recruited athletes celebration 1.
Recruited Athletes Celebration at the Alumni House.
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Charlie Kenney P ’06 addressed the recruited student-athletes and their families.
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Kneeling: Nick Hebard, Zach Travaglini, Ikenna Ugbaja, Mateen Nickpour-Reyes, Charlie Penzone, Doug Conigliaro, Brooks Rayment, Jayson Firmin, Luke Curtin, and Cam Rubin. Standing: Sam Freed, Christiaan Eikeboom, Caleb Joseph Sheldrick McGrath, Christian O’Brien, Casey Rockett, Luke Bobo, Henry Harrison, Peter Jones, Conner Willett, Mike Marinello, Cam Reirden, Grant Litchfield, Brendan Murphy, and Cal Place.
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Seniors relaxed following the Yearbook presentations.
2., 3., 4. The 2021 Sundial was dedicated to: (2). faculty member Ken Martin ’65, (3). Elton Matos and the facilities team, and (4). Dan Butler and the IT Department. Yearbook editors Abe Tolkoff ’21 and Connor Monahan ’21 presented dedication pages in their honor.
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Senior Events
senior family picnic 1.
Doug Conigliaro ’21, Phil Conigliaro ’19, and Bob Brownell.
2., 3. A festive Jordan Athletic Center was the backdrop of the Senior Family Picnic. 4.
Greg Schneider.
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Erick Silva ’21, Brendan Logan, and Cal Place.
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Spike Ball.
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Tim McCormack ’21 and Casey Rockett ’21.
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Charlie Wells, Sam Freed, Tyler Forg, Abe Tolkoff, Nick Hebard, Christiaan Eikeboom, Aaron Bellluck, and Sritaj Digumarthi.
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Tyler Rubin, Zach Travaglini, Trey Brown, Grant Litchfield, Michael Marinello, and Brooks Rayment.
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Arts on the Hill
arts on the hill
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The Combined Ensemble performing “Bridge Over Troubled Water” by Paul Simon, including B-Flats, Orchestra, and Upper School Jazz Ensemble: • David Carter ’22, trumpet. • Alexander Behn ’24, trombone. • Davin Roy ’24, violin. • Andrew Bittner ’24, trumpet. • Daniel Bittner ’22, trumpet. • Howard Huang ’22, violin. • Kevin Jiang ’22, clarinet. • William Lloyd ’23, tenor saxophone. • Cotter Healey ’22, violin. • Jayden Lotin ’26, violin. • Ryan Cannistraro ’21, voice. • Matthew Travaglini ’21, voice. • Kailen Richards ’22, voice. • Liam Horkan ’22, voice. • Wesley Zhu ’25, violin. • Brian Lee ’24, cello.
• Abraham Tolkoff ’21, clarinet. 2. • Charles Geddes ’22, baritone saxophone. • Jaiden Lee ’26, cello. • Jacob Czarnecki ’22, voice. • Gabriel Klug ’22, voice. • Daniel Rashes ’22, voice. • Mr. Donnell Patterson, voice. • Yareh Constant ’25, double bass. • CJ Collins ’25, clarinet. • Samuel Freed ’21, guitar. 3. • Benjamin Gong ’26, cello. • Cameron Connell ’23, keyboard. • TJ Cannistraro ’24, electric bass. • Ms. Fiona Ahearne, cello. • Quinn Peck ’21, drums. • Background: Mr. Donnell Patterson, piano; Adrian Tan ’25, piano; Mr. Dan Fiori, piano.
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The Cello Ensemble performing “Canción de Sueños” from Suite Hispaniola by Carole Neuen-Rabinowitz: • Jaiden Lee ’26, cello. • Benjamin Gong ’26, cello. • Timothée Simonin ’22, cello. • Brian Lee ’24, cello. • Ms. Fiona Ahearne, cello. • Theodore Stoll ’21, cello. • Ms. Meghan Carye, cello. The Middle School Jazz Ensemble performing “Mercy, Mercy, Mercy” by Josef Zawinul: • Brady Paquette ’25, alto saxophone. • Derrick Huang ’25, alto saxophone. • Ethan Xie ’26, alto saxophone. • Daniel Xie ’24, tenor saxophone. • David Luo ’25, trumpet. • Carson Yoo ’26, trumpet. • Brandon Li ’26, alto saxophone. • Justin Li ’26, piano. • Jackson Rich ’25, drums. • John Pena ’26, electric bass.
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The Upper School Jazz Ensemble performing “Povo” by Wayne Shorter: • Alexander Behn ’24, trombone. • David Carter ’22, trumpet. • Andrew Bittner ’24, trumpet. • Daniel Bittner ’22, trumpet. • William Lloyd ’23, tenor saxophone. • Charles Geddes ’22, alto saxophone. • Cameron Connell ’23, keyboard. • Samuel Freed ’21, guitar. • Thomas Cannistraro ’24, electric bass. • Quinn Peck ’21, drums.
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Orchestra performing selections from “Peer Gynt Suite” by Edvard Grieg: • Cotter Healey ’26, violin. • Davin Roy ’24, violin. • Julian Dalziel ’21, viola. • Abraham Tolkoff ’21, clarinet.
• Kevin Jiang ’22, clarinet. • Jayden Lotin ’26, violin. • Howard Huang ’22, violin. • Wesley Zhu ’25, violin. • Arec Keomurjian ’22, piano. • Aleksander Vasu ’22, guitar.
• Benjamin Gong ’26, guitar. • Brian Lee ’24, cello. • Timothée Simonin ’22, cello. • Jaiden Lee ’26, cello. • Adrian Tan ’25, piano.
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theater
By Paul DiResta, Director of Theater Our yearlong efforts to develop actors, directors, tech experts, playwrights, and film gurus included both individual and group projects, drawing on the joy students found in improv, public speaking, creating their own works of fiction, and bringing them to life on screen. In our numerous individual projects, students studied and recorded scenes or monologues from famous works from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to famous films and cult classics, which were edited and compiled for our final screening of the school year back in June. We had two group projects. The first brought scenes from William Achtmeyer’s (Form I) original screenplay to life, which we hope to produce next year. The second major project began in August 2020 and continues through this summer and fall, and brings together a diverse cast in an original thriller movie, They went remote... written, directed, filmed, edited, and produced by students—the first of its kind! While most scenes have been shot, the major editing process is still underway. They went remote... follows the story of two high school students who come together as friends during COVID-19 to unravel the mysterious disappearances of their classmates. We hope to host a full screening during this coming academic year to the entire school, to showcase the wide array of talents and hard work these Belmont Hill students have consistently put forth during the most trying of times.
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Aaaand Action! (From left to right: Boston Ezedi ’26, Jeremy Eaton ’23, TJ Cannistraro ’24, Wesley Lindstrom-Chalpin ’24.
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Welcome back! (From left to right: Wesley Lindstrom-Chalpin ’24, TJ Cannistraro ’24).
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Hatching a plan (From left to right: TJ Cannistraro ’24, Boston Ezedi ’26).
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Mr. Wyman’s Class (From left to right: TJ Cannistraro ’24, Boston Ezedi ’26, Wesley Lindstrom-Chalpin ’24).
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Zack’s not sure (Boston Ezedi ’26).
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Mr. Hanover and Zack (Joshua Houston-Davis ’23, Boston Ezedi ’26).
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Mr. Wyman and Zack (Jeremy Eaton ’23, Boston Ezedi ’26).
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Nick Ascione ’24, CJ Wichenbaugh ’24, Richard Gaskin ’24, Scott Black ’24, and Marco Beshere ’24 with their campfire chairs made in Mrs. Kaplan’s woodworking class.
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Cord Vallis ’24.
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Scott Black ’24.
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James Mullowney ’24.
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Will Marra ’23.
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Jackson Pagan ’24.
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Alex Schmidek ’24.
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Coaches’ Corner
coaches’ corner
Alpine Skiing CAROLINE KENNEY, Interim Head Coach
In the face of COVID-19 restrictions, the Alpine Ski team was still able to have a great 2020–2021 season. Initially, we weren’t even sure that Nashoba Valley was going to be open for racing programs. Fortunately, we were able to get on the hill two times per week for practices and even have a race season with other ISL teams. It wasn’t the easiest of seasons, but we made the most of it, both skiers and coaches alike. We were all happy to be outside on the hill. Despite the season not counting, we dominated the majority of the races with a 6-1 record. Captain Jack Theberge ’21, Anton Schmitt ’22, Danny Crowley ’22, Luke Theberge ’23, and Nathan Pappas ’24 were at the helm, along with newcomers Topher Batchelder and Charlie Crowley ’25, and James Hauser ’21. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, we raced as a school, sending all our racers one after the other, which was an extremely different experience from the normal racing by seeds. In a way, this experience was positive for the boys, who were able to cheer their fellow teammates on during a very difficult season.
This season wouldn’t have been possible without the flexibility and effort of our athletic department, especially the support of George Tahan. I also would like to thank my assistants, Tyson Trautz and Harrison Rohrer, for their incredible help and support throughout the season. I realize how fortunate we were to have a racing season in such a trying year, and we’re forever thankful for the effort of our administration to make the school year and athletics as normal as it could possibly be for the students. Our team will be led by captains Danny Crowley and Anton Schmitt next year. They have been incredible contributors during their three years on the team. I know they will be great leaders as we head back into formal competition. We’re excited to get back to a normal season next year, defend our ISL Championship from 2019–2020, and set our sights on a New England Championship.
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coaches’ corner
Basketball AL MURPHY ’98, Head Coach
At the start of the school year, we did not know what, if anything, the season would bring. The overwhelming sentiment from the players and coaches was that we wanted something. We started in November with a series of skill-based practices with limited contact. When the season approached, we were given an opportunity to have a season, just not in the traditional sense. We had modified rules like no jump balls, no baseline inbounds plays, and all the players were required to wear masks. If healthy, the team would be allowed to have home-andhome games with an opponent each weekend.
I could not have been prouder of how our players, especially the seniors, approached the year. Our seniors— Casey Rockett, Max Hall, Luke Bobo, Kai Ogenah, Timmy McCormack, and Jayson Firman—brought a great sense of purpose and gratitude to each day. They played every day like it could be the last practice or the last game. Their intensity and commitment to each other, on and off the court, is exactly what we strive for from our players. We played 16 games, which was one of the highest totals in the league. We had the usual ups and downs of a season. Max Hall and Josh Baldwin ’22 got us off to a fast start, scoring 22 and 15 for an opening win vs. Sebs. Casey Rockett showed everyone what elite defending looked like, locking down the best option on the opposing side. Trent Mosquera ’22 settled in nicely the next night, scoring 23 points vs. Sebs. He proved to be difficult to guard all year, averaging 14 points a game. Harry Lodge ’22 provided a presence inside and his touch around the rim made him an offensive threat all season, especially when he took over the Nobles game. The team played a few games at a very high level. One weekend, Milton seemed like they could barely get the ball over midcourt. Jaden Hill ’22 and Martin Wilson ’22 were flying around, causing 47 turnovers over two games. It was Belmont Hill basketball at its finest. I would like to thank coaches Cofield, Cayemite, and Moore for their tireless efforts. It is truly the best staff in the league. Thank you, coaches Kimball, Anderson, Collins, Fritz, Ekhator, Bracken, Otley, and Walsh, for your work with the sub-varsity teams. Thank you, Mr. Chin and Ms. Ruys, for your care and treatment of the boys. Thank you, Mr. Negron and Mr. Wade, for your work in the equipment room. Thank you, Mr. Tahan and Mr. Rosser, for your support. Thank you, seniors. You will be missed.
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Hockey BRIAN PHINNEY, Head Coach
While the pandemic certainly added an element of unpredictability to our daily routine, the players, coaches, and athletic department all worked together, and at times made on-the-fly adjustments, to produce a season that included 14 games against familiar opponents. Whether it was at the rink, in a Zoom workout, or in dryland training, the players approached each day with a high level of competitiveness, enthusiasm, and a willingness to adjust and grow. The team was able to play an impressive brand of hockey, one that made Belmont Hill a tough opponent. Wins against opponents such as Nobles, Rivers, and Thayer were a product of the boys’ consistent hard work. This year’s captains, Tyler Rubin ’21, Brendan Murphy ’21, and Tom Goguen ’22, were the heartbeat of the team, and their optimism, patience, and adaptability provided a sense of stability to the group. Aside from Rubin and Murphy, the rest of the senior class was Paul Halloran, Michael Hauswirth, Charlie Lambert, Kevin McCallum, Justin Pare, and team manager Grant Litchfield. This group did not dwell on what was missed due to the pandemic and instead embraced the opportunity that each day provided. This class modeled high character and a sense of purpose that will be carried on by the returning players. While the seniors did not have the season they had envisioned due to the pandemic, what they were able to accomplish, and the culture they created for all of those involved, was truly impressive.
The underclassmen were juniors Drew Blackwell ’22 (Haverhill), Jack Bosco ’22 (Winchester), Charlie Cave ’22 (Arlington), Jack Houser ’22 (Arlington), Aaron Matthews ’22 (Newton), Brendan Monahan ’22 (Winchester), and Braden Reilly ’22 (Reading); sophomores Matthew Biotti ’23 (Cambridge), Mason Daignault ’23 (N. Providence, RI), Josh Doolan ’23 (Southborough), James Fisher ’23 (Wilmington), Danny Markham ’23 (Winchester), and Ronan O’Donnell ’23 (Fairfield, CT); and freshmen Jake McManus ’24 (Winthrop) and Sam Scopa ’24 (Lexington). In a year that asked more from all of those involved with the program, thanks to coaches Robert Wright, Dan Holland, and Jerry Pawloski. Extra special thanks to everyone who supported the team, including faculty and staff, family, and friends, Athletic Director George Tahan, Assistant Athletic Director Bryson Rosser, Willis Negron, Dennis Chin, Jennifer Ruys, Keith Carey, Shawn Anderson, and the staff at Jordan Athletic Center. Thank you to the sub-varsity coaches Andrew Davis ’07, Dave Cunningham ’12, Mike Cherpak, Eric Smith, Dan Duarte, Jack Najjar, Jon Halverson, George Tahan, Jim Peck ’77, Wayne Griffith, and Chris Sweeney ’83. Best of luck to next year’s team.
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coaches’ corner
Nordic Skiing FIONA AHEARNE, Head Coach
The Nordic ski team finished another successful winter season—although this year “success” was defined less by race results and more by team camaraderie, creative problem-solving, and building skills and comfort on skis. The season presented our team with significant challenges—from travel restrictions to the lack of snow for the entire month of January, to having far fewer races than a “normal” season would present. Rather than dwelling on the harsh realities that we could not control, however, this team recognized an opportunity to make this season its own. Led by our fabulous seniors, the skiers impressed me each day with their patience, resilience, and positivity. We had a lot of fun this winter—even when we only had 0.5 km of snow to work with—and I am so proud of the team for making the most of the circumstances. Because our races were few and far between, the team approached each opportunity to compete with heightened enthusiasm and appreciation for racing. Thanks to the Weston Ski Track, we had a few time trials with Rivers under the lights on Friday evenings—all of which Belmont Hill won handily. The Massachusetts State Championship Race—another evening race hosted by Weston—was certainly a season highlight. We were fortunate enough to send almost our entire team to compete with the best skiers from across the state. In a field of 85 racers, Will Walton ’25 and Christiaan Eikeboom (senior captain) placed 12th and 15th, respectively, and
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James Donahue ’22 earned 32nd place—an impressive achievement for his second season on skis! Christiaan also distinguished himself among New England’s top high school and collegiate skiers when he competed at two Eastern Cup (regional) races in Dublin, New Hampshire in late February in the Classic 10k. On several occasions we turned to ourselves for competition when we could not find it elsewhere. The relays and sprint simulations we did as a team were by far some of the most fun—and exhausting—practices this winter. We also regularly played games at practice, which were excellent agility challenges, but most of all a good time. Favorites include capture the flag, manhunt, zippy fun ball, and sharks and minnows. I owe a debt of gratitude to my fabulous assistant coaches, Mr. DeCaprio and the legendary Coach Kirby, both of whom care deeply for this school and the success of the Nordic ski program. A special thank you to the captains— Charlie Wells and Christiaan Eikeboom—for their enthusiasm and commitment to the team this winter, and to all the seniors—Abe Tolkoff, Ryan Cannistraro, and Sreetej Digumarthi—for their amazing leadership in these unprecedented times. Best of luck in your next chapters and remember that skiing is a lifelong sport!
Squash ROBERT BROWNELL, Head Coach
Like all teams, we tried to make the best out of the circumstances of a COVID-19 season, and like all teams, we were thirsty to compete and establish ourselves as a national top-tier team, as we knew going into the season that we were a talented bunch. I’m certain that we would have, if we had gotten the chance, and I’m so sorry that the winds of fate blew the way they did. Senior co-captains Doug Conigliaro and Sam Freed finished their brilliant careers as Belmont Hill stalwarts and I am forever grateful for their leadership and positivity this season. They will make us proud as they venture off to Trinity and F&M next fall, and they both have left legacies of excellence and commitment that this coach shall miss dearly. New captains-elect William Okurowski ’22 and Dietrich Jacobs ’22 are certainly up to the task of maintaining our team’s excellence, and next season can’t start soon enough in my opinion. Our future remains bright. Chris Egan ’22, Hayden Okurowski ’25, Luke Wagner ’22, and Aaron Green ’23 will be our veteran returners, and we are counting on them to step up and become cornerstones for our team next year as we strive for another ISL title and beyond. They will be pushed by brilliant, young newcomers Angus Harrison ’24 and Leighton Calhoun ’25 for varsity ladder positions. Jack Abbrecht ’23, Will Nolan ’25, Sam Atalla ’23, and Austin Curtis ’23 rounded out our roster and they proved to be wonderfully dedicated teammates for our club.
I’m grateful to everyone for their daily positive energy, which certainly mitigated the frustrating aspects of the pandemic. I can’t thank assistant coach Gary Gargan enough for his help and support all season long. Words simply cannot express how important he was to us. I’m also grateful to our athletic director, George Tahan, who continues to support our program. I am forever indebted to him and his staff. Most importantly, I thank the boys and their parents. I am honored and humbled to stand beside them. While we all ended the season still thirsty, I honestly believe we did our very best and this year’s group represented the Belmont Hill uniform proudly.
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coaches’ corner
Wrestling DON BRADLEY, Head Coach
Not surprisingly, the virus and all the accompanying protocols impacted our sport more so than any other at Belmont Hill. Gratefully, we did meet three times a week for practice on our second great mat in the gym, but nothing resembling a traditional season ensued. Like so much else this year, it was a bit surreal. We never set foot as a team into our wrestling room. Nor did our parents. As coaches, we were in the room quite regularly, but it was as teachers with desks and video screens for class. In the locker room, the lockers were still taped with the names of last years’ champions and their team photo still hung over the inner doorway. Practice was over each day at 3:30—before we would normally have started. The scale came out but once and that was for weight certifications and not until March for a National Prep tournament that was still only a wish and a prayer. And, in a season when everyone could eat, we could not do so together. As I rhymed for our post-season banquet—which was a similarly different experience, in the theater, sitting apart, and with parents Zooming in— “Winning the league and New England’s—is no easy feat, I never thought about it being harder—to just not compete…” It was hard, but not surprisingly, “hard” for this team did not mean resignation and self-pity. Champions play the hand dealt to the best of their ability, and so we did. Led by captains Jimmy Harrington, Kailen Richards, and Adam Figler, the team trained with resistance bands, slam balls, jump ropes, and Bulgarian weight bags in
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workouts crafted by coach Dave Leonardis and led by him and Luca Pontone ’19. When weather permitted, coaches Todd Davis and George Sullivan ’07 would take the boys outside for cardio work. All of this was leavened with many fun and fiercely competitive games of spike ball, ultimate Frisbee, and dodgeball. If ever there was a wrestling team built to withstand all the uncertainties and disappointments of this year, it was this one. Not only did the team emerge more fit and knowledgeable about wrestling-related training, but they also did so with a greater appreciation for what they had missed and for each other. The bonds are tighter than ever and, with the exception of Luca—who we look forward to seeing return to and compete at Princeton— every single teammate, including all three captains, will be back for next season. On one last happy note, the National Prep Tournament was held in early May in Wilkes Barre, PA. Seven of our wrestlers who were qualified, healthy, and not involved in spring athletics, competed: sophomores Freddy Pimental, Josh Houston-Davis, and Turner Rayment, along with juniors Kailen Richards and Danny Bittner. Freshman Cord Vallis and junior Jimmy Harrington both achieved All-American status and Jimmy won outright to become the third Belmont Hill National Prep Champion. As always, great thanks to my fellow coaches, our athletic trainers Dennis Chin and Jennifer Ruys, and our athletic director and assistant athletic director, George Tahan and Bryson Rosser, respectively.
Baseball MICHAEL GRANT, Head Coach
As with so many other events of the past 15 months leading to the end of the school year, this was a different sort of baseball season, and the boys of spring at Belmont Hill were truly blessed just to be back together playing the game they love with their teammates. Thanks to the indefatigable efforts of George Tahan and the Athletic Department staff, the team was able to have a four-week inter-squad season in the fall and an extended competitive season in the spring. No, there was no league championship to pursue or even records kept, but the gift of competition back on the diamond was one the boys all greatly appreciated. The fall season was defined by technique instruction and “navy vs. maroon” inter-squad games, with the boys reveling in the ability to be back on Gallagher Field together. After losing the spring of 2020, much attention was paid to the building blocks of program culture—hard work, support for teammates, and competition. The spring started a little later than usual, with our first practice coming on the first day back from March break, and then an unfortunate ten-day quarantine heading
into our opening scrimmages. Still, Mr. Tahan scheduled one of the most competitive preseason slates in all of New England, as the whole roster was able to test its mettle against the likes of Brunswick, Andover, Exeter, Winchendon, and Dexter. As we moved into ISL play, gone was the usual rhythm of Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday games, replaced by three-game series on Fridays and Saturdays, usually against the same opponent. Again, the focus was development, competition, and wide participation across the roster. With such unusual conditions and a return to baseball after missing a whole season, the team relied on the great leadership of its senior class and returning members of the championship 2019 squad. Senior captains Peter Jones and Caleb McGrath-Scheldrick and junior captain Anthony Pellagrini, as well as fellow seniors Cal Place, Christian O’Brien, and Myles Cutler turned in one of the best leadership performances in recent memory, fully passing on so much of the Belmont Hill baseball culture to younger players. We thank them for a legacy that will be seen for years to come.
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coaches’ corner
Crew CHRIS RICHARDS, Head Coach
After a challenging pandemic year, the 2021 crew season felt in many ways almost normal: We were on the water through the spring, eventually without masks, and all of our crews had some great racing—culminating with a bronze medal for our 1V4 at Youth Nationals in June. We began the season in late March, a couple of weeks later than usual. Our traditional “2k Tuesday” kick-off on the ergometers indicated that we were certainly well behind the curve relative to past years in terms of overall fitness, but the guys turned their focus to training and set a very positive tone of hard work and improvement that would continue for the remainder of the season. Competition began in mid-April, with scrimmages against BC High and Nobles, and the results were encouraging; our crews raced hard and prevailed in most of the pieces. Our novices showed their game not just by racing after just two days on the water, but by hopping back in to continue rowing after flipping their 4+! The building rhythm of the season was interrupted for a spell when two of our athletes were diagnosed with COVID-19 and had to be quarantined, but such was life in the early spring of 2021. With no NEIRAs this year, we had to make do in May with full-team ‘mini-regattas’ on the Charles against Nobles, Deerfield, and Brooks, along with some racing against Andover and Exeter on their home courses. The mini-regattas got progressively better: After a tough Saturday against Nobles for our upper boats, the 1V4 had a terrific race against Deerfield and then all of our crews defeated their Brooks opponents. The young and promising (all 9th & 10th graders) 3V8 finished the season undefeated (including a ‘race of the season’ come-from-behind win over Deerfield), as did the 4V8, affectionately known as ‘The Hogs.’
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By virtue of the speed and race-savvy shown against Brooks, a belated decision was made for the 1V4 to go to Nationals, and in early June we traveled to Benderson Park in Sarasota, FL to compete in the Boys 4+ event against almost 50 crews from around the country. Our crew of junior Stephen Warming and seniors Christiaan Eikeboom, Nick Hebard, Tyler Forg, and cox Sreetej Digumarthi had a terrific regatta and finished third overall with a superb race in the A-final. We could not have achieved what we did this year without the exceptional coaching talents of Steve George, Tobias McDougal, Ray Parejo, Nick Plaut, and Henry Bellew. While it is hard as always to lose our talented seniors to graduation, next year’s young group, led by captains and rising seniors Howard Huang, Ben Trotsky, and Stephen Warming, is looking forward to next season and our return to NEIRAs with great enthusiasm. We are anticipating a strong 2022 season!
Golf CHARLIE DOAR, Head Coach
Belmont Hill’s golf team was fortunate to play a relatively normal golf season with a schedule that included nearly 20 matches and two additional stroke-play tournaments. With an overall record of 16-1-1 and an undefeated ISL campaign (14-0), this team proved to be one of the best in New England. On May 8, six Belmont Hill golfers played in the McCampbell Cup at Cranston Country Club. Competing against the best golf teams in Rhode Island and a particularly strong Hamden Hall squad from Connecticut, Belmont Hill earned a decisive 10-stroke victory. Five players traveled to the Kittansett Club on May 17 to compete against 13 other ISL schools in the Kingman Tournament, an 18-hole stroke-play contest. Unable to defend our Kingman victory from 2019, we didn’t have our best at Kittansett and ultimately finished a disappointing second. That result did little to tarnish an undefeated ISL regular season, however.
and a second-place individual finish at the McCampbell Cup (71), Conner showed that he was one of the best players in the league this year. He is poised to have a great career on the Georgetown golf team. Henry Harrison, a four-year varsity member, also served as captain, always offering energy for our group. He finished with a 10-2-3 match-play record and will undoubtedly be an asset on Middlebury’s golf team in the next four years. Not to be outdone by his fellow seniors, Wyatt Barlage was a rock for us this season, earning a 12-2-2 record and shooting 74 at the McCampbell Cup. We wish him well at Boston College next year. While we will miss this senior leadership and thank them for their commitment to our program, we have a talented group ready to continue Belmont Hill’s run atop the ISL next year.
We were led by three outstanding seniors this year. Co-captain Conner Willett was a reliable, five-year member of our program. With an 11-1-2 match-play record
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coaches’ corner
Lacrosse TIM SULLIVAN, Head Coach
The 2021 varsity lacrosse season was unlike any season we have ever encountered in the almost forty-year history of the program. After the pandemic led to the cancellation of the 2020 season, we felt incredibly fortunate and thankful to start our season with a series of practices in the fall. Working together, competing, and having fun three-days-a-week, the team was able to build the foundation for a successful and memorable spring season.
Captains Grant Litchfield ’21, Brooks Rayment ’21, and Zach Travaglini ’21, as well as fellow seniors Jack Barry, Trey Brown, Luke Curtin, Michael Marinello, Kevin McCallum, Connor Monahan, Chris O’Connell, Justin Santana, and Jack Theberge, all worked together to provide outstanding leadership, grit, character, and dedication throughout the season. Finally, endless gratitude to Mr. Schneider, Mr. Tahan, Mr. Rosser, Mr. Chin, Ms. Ruys, Mr. Negron, and many others for the countless
The 2021 season began with our customary week of spring break practices and scrimmages against Taft, Brunswick, and Andover. The regular season featured three practices per week with back-to-back games played on Friday and Saturday. The team finished with a 12-1 record, including a perfect 11-0 in ISL play with victories over St. Sebastian’s, Roxbury Latin, Governor’s Academy, Nobles, and Milton. For its efforts, the team was ranked 15th in the country, the highest end-of-season national ranking ever achieved by the program.
hours and decision-making that went into making this season possible. Every single day, this team played with gratitude and played for each other. In a season full of many memories, a few stand out above the rest. After not playing an ISL game in almost two years, the team began its ISL season with a convincing 15-5 victory over Rivers. The offense was led by Zach Travaglini (2g, 3a), Braden Reilly ’22 (3g, 2a), and Adam Figler ’22 (2g, 3a). Luke Curtin won 80% of the faceoffs and Michael Marinello made 14 saves behind a defense led by Christian Brunner ’23, Finn Fox ’22, Drew Dummer ’22, Charlie Hazard ’23, Trey Brown, Tom Goguen ’22 and Grant Litchfield (1g). Because of the schedule, we were able to play St. Sebastian’s on a history-making three occasions, beating them 9-8 and then 13-9 on consecutive days in April. In both of those games, exceptional faceoff play by Kevin McCallum and Luke Curtin and two-way midfield play by Brooks Rayment, Ethan O’Neill ’22, and Charlie Cave ’22 led the team. The season concluded on a beautiful and sunny Wednesday in May as the team faced off against St. Sebastian’s for a third and final time in front of a large and energetic home crowd. A series of runs by both teams found Belmont Hill leading 8-6 at the half. Timely goals by Eli Goldstein ’23 and Liam Horkan ’22 (4g, 1a) and ground balls by Henry Hasselbeck ’24, Connor Monahan, and Jack Barry pushed the lead to 13-8. It was a fitting way for the Class of 2021 to end their careers. The 2022 varsity lacrosse team will be led by Tom Goguen and Charlie Cave, as well as a talented group of 22 letter winners.
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Sailing FIONA AHEARNE, Assistant Coach
Belmont Hill’s sailing team completed a successful season under challenging circumstances. Having missed last year’s competitive sailing season, the boys cherished the opportunity to be together and back out on the water. The team practiced at least four times a week and raced in four competitions as well. In our final race of the season, we competed against Winthrop at the Cottage Park Yacht Club, home club of co-captain Wilton Lawton ’22. At the conclusion of the competition, the Lawton Family hosted a team dinner in the boathouse. It was a wonderful culmination of a season in which the team rallied to make the most of our time together.
larly proud of our upperclassmen, who were so amazing and patient, especially with our two underclassmen. Captains Wilton Lawton and Michael Salvatore ’22 displayed outstanding leadership to set the tone for the team. Abe Tolkoff ’21, Dietrich Jacobs ’22, Quinn Healey ’23, Alexander Lo ’23, Jake Kornmehl ’24, Michael Furey ’25, and Panos Gianoukos ’26 all made remarkable contributions. They worked hard, bonded as a team, and proudly represented the School quite well. The team is already looking forward to next season and a return to regular competition!
I want to pay tribute to our head coach, Kevin Dooley. Kevin’s impressive teaching skills surely helped each of the boys become even better sailors. Also, I am particu-
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coaches’ corner
Tennis KATIE MCNAMARA, Head Coach AND MIKE MCNAMARA ’11, Head Coach
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It was a joy to coach the 2021 tennis team this past spring. Captain Aaron Belluck ’21 and Yazeed Dahlel ’21 provided important leadership to the Belmont Hill squad, which consisted of many young players. Aaron was one of our top doubles players and the king of nail-biter
Jarrett was voted next year’s team captain with classmate Chris Egan ’22. Chris and William Okurowski ’22 were able to successfully transition from squash to tennis this spring season. The Belmont Hill tennis future looks bright, as the core of our team includes five ninth graders:
singles victories at the #4 position. Yazeed finished the season with a sweet win against Milton Academy. Bobby Cooper ’23 led the team at the #1 position. He proved to be one of the top players in the ISL and all of New England among players in his age group. Right behind Bobby at the #2 position was Jarrett Chen ’22, who had huge wins at the #1 position against both Roxbury Latin and Milton Academy—stepping up while Bobby was out with an injury.
Jackson Rich played solidly at the #3 position, Ernest Lai was a valuable winner at #5, and Ethan Sidman earned a place at #1 doubles with his dominant lefty serve and quick hands at the net. Aidan Lee clinched the team’s win against St. Sebastian’s at the #6 position and Carver Porter rounded out this fabulous 5 class. Yazeed Dahlel will join former Belmont Hill captain Tommy Smith at Davidson, and Aaron Belluck will join last year’s teammate Chetan Shukla at Brown.
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Track ADAM HARDER, Head Coach
Due to the complete loss of a 2020 season, this spring was definitely a rebuilding year for Belmont Hill track and field. The good news is that we were able to compete every weekend of the season, and the even better news is that we have established a strong foundation upon which to build for next spring’s return to normality: scored meets and ISL and New England Championship competitions. For 2021, the ISL track coaches opted for holding all of our meets as scrimmages/invitationals, hence no formal team scores were kept. That said, we certainly were once again one of the strongest teams in the league, boasting a strong throws squad, an outstanding horizontal and vertical jumps corps, and a talented middle-distance group. Each year, I consider the strength of our team based on a set of performance standards. This year’s squad exceeded 12 of those 17 standards, which is quite remarkable after the loss of the 2020 season. A 12' pole vaulter? Check. High jumper 6' or higher? Check. High hurdler under 16 seconds? Check. Certainly the top three individual performances during the season belong to James Donahue ’22. He established school records in the 800m, 1500m, and 3000m runs, and he competed in a national championship meet in Eugene, OR in early July in the mile run finishing 4th. In an open meet in Alabama in early June, James clocked a personal record of 4:09.49 at the RunningLane Track Championships. In addition, Miles Sandoski ’24 emerged by the end of the season as one of the top freshmen middle-distance runners in the state, clocking just over 2:00 in the 800m. In an open meet in early June, he hit the qualifying standard to qualify to compete in the Freshman Mile race at the same national championship meet. Other highlight performances this year included personal bests by David Carter ’22 in the two hurdles races, and certainly he will be in the mix to be the ISL and New England champion in 2022. Captain Jayson Firmin ’21 was a stalwart force in the horizontal jumps and sprints, and he recorded the team’s top marks in the 100m, triple jump, and high jump. Will Dean ’22 led the team in the pole vault and long jump, while also competing in the triple jump and 4 x 100m relay. Captain Matthew Britt-Webb ’21 clocked the team’s best time in the 400m,
while also running the 800m and 4 x 400m relay. Will Lloyd ’23 saved his best high-jump performance for the last meet (6' 2"), and has a bright future ahead of him in the pole vault as well. Though injured for a good portion of the campaign, captain Tim McCormack ’21 always gave us 100% effort in the 400m and 4 x 400m relay. In the throws, captain Casey Rockett ’21 posted the top javelin toss of the season, and was a solid performer in the shot. By season’s end, Michael Ahonen ’22 was our top shot putter and also, impressively, our top 200m runner. Nolan Parchesky ’22, also in his first season throwing, emerged as our top discus thrower, and next year will be in the mix for winning the two championship meets. We hosted the majority of our competitions, traveling only twice: to Governor’s Academy and the season finale at Thayer. Because of scheduling and COVID-19 numbers restrictions, we did not compete against every team in the ISL, but certainly we did go head-to-head against the stronger squads. Certainly, much credit for the team’s successes this spring may be attributed to the effort from our athletes in daily training and competitive zeal in competitions. But as a team, we would not have made the progress we did without the attention to detail, expertise, and motivation from the coaching staff. Coaches Warren Fowler (shot and discus), Bryson Rosser (sprints), Sadie Otley (sprints), Fran Kirby (hurdles and horizontal jumps), Miles Walsh (javelin), Jake DeCaprio (distance), Maya Gorman (distance), Charlie Richards (horizontal jumps and hurdles), and Larry Anam (sprints) pushed each individual and the team as a group to be at its best. We look forward to next spring’s championships, and also look forward to defending our last ISL title, attained back in 2019. A change for us in 2022 is a move up to the Class A New England Championships meet, where we can test our mettle against perennial powerhouses Andover, Exeter, and Loomis Chaffee. We welcome the challenge!
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new faculty biographies
NEW FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES
mr. joseph laliberte ’14
dr. graeme calloway Having received his Ph.D. in English in the spring of 2021 from Tufts University, where he was also a first-year writing program instructor and technology and teaching assistant, Dr. Calloway joins Belmont Hill as a faculty member in the English Department. With extensive experience as a head coach of the Riverside Boat Club and as the captain of his varsity rowing team at Dartmouth College (where he received his B.A. in English with honors in 2012), Dr. Calloway will also coach crew. Prior to his time at Tufts University, he worked at the Frederick Gunn School, where he also taught English, and served as both a dorm parent and student advisor.
mr. andrew davis ’07 A 2011 graduate of Tufts University, where he was captain of the varsity hockey team, Mr. Davis returns to Belmont Hill, where he will teach Latin and woodworking. In addition, he will serve as the assistant director of athletics and coach JV hockey and Middle School baseball. Most recently, he was a faculty member at Mount Alvernia High School, where he taught Latin, algebra, and ancient history while serving as the assistant athletic director and the JV and varsity soccer coach. Mr. Davis also worked at LABB Career Directions, where he assisted moderate to severe special-needs students with organization, time management, and assignments. At Belmont Hill, covering for a sabbatical in 2015–2016, he taught Latin and woodworking and worked in athletics.
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Mr. LaLiberte joins the School as a member of the Math Department. In addition to teaching four sections of math, he will coach Middle School basketball and assist with coaching the varsity football team. Mr. LaLiberte returns to Belmont Hill after teaching math and Spanish and coaching football at Delbarton School in Morristown, NJ. There, he was nominated as one of eleven 2018–2019 Distinguished Educators by peers—recognized for a successful workshop with the student body on masculinity. Mr. LaLiberte holds a B.A. in Sociology/ Anthropology with a minor in Education Studies and Spanish from Middlebury College, from which he graduated in 2018. He is currently pursuing a Master of Education from the University of Pennsylvania in the Independent School Leadership Program, which he is expected to complete in July 2022.
mr. peter o’connell ’17 Mr. O’Connell returns to Belmont Hill as a one-year interim teaching fellow upon receiving his B.A. in Government and Legal Studies in American Politics from Bowdoin College in May 2021. He will teach three classes, coach, and advise students. During his college career, Mr. O’Connell held internships at Spark Fitness, where he worked with athletes rehabilitating from injuries and coached and mentored high school and college athletes. He also was a senior field organizer for the John Kingston for U.S. Senate campaign. Mr. O’Connell served as the captain of the Bowdoin College varsity baseball team and a member of Bowdoin Votes, which contributed key voter research data to help better educate the student body regarding the 2020 election.
mr. matthew ziff
mr. william ryan ’17 Mr. Ryan returns to Belmont Hill as a one-year interim teaching fellow, where he will teach three classes, coach, and advise students. After completing his degree at Columbia University and graduating in May 2021 with a B.S. in Computer Engineering and a minor in Music Theory, Mr. Ryan will also contribute to Belmont Hill’s emerging robotics and STEAM programs using his proficiency in coding in C, Python, Java, and Verilog HDL. At Columbia University, he was a member of the Heavyweight Division 1 rowing team and also made the Dean’s List.
Mr. Ziff joins Belmont Hill as the School’s new Director of Makerspace. In this role, he will connect with faculty to support existing programs as well as forge new pathways for faculty and students to utilize Belmont Hill’s new Makerspace. Mr. Ziff will advise and lead the School’s robotics team, which will train to participate in competitions. He will coordinate with faculty in interdisciplinary coursework including building, podcasting programs, and emerging courses in new areas. Most recently, Mr. Ziff worked at City College of New York, where he was an adjunct lecturer and taught a capstone design course for its Master in Translational Medicine (MTM) program and mentored students on capstone biodesign projects. He also managed the MTM Makerspace, trained students in the use of rapid-prototyping equipment, and created 3D models for student projects using Fusion 360. Mr. Ziff holds a B.S. and an M.S. in Industrial Engineering from the University of Miami as well as an M.S. in Biomedical Engineering from the City College of New York.
mr. martin williams Mr. Williams joins Belmont Hill from the Brunswick School in Greenwich, CT, where he taught Upper School history. A 2020 graduate of Middlebury College with a B.A. in History, Mr. Williams will join the faculty of the History Department, coach football and wrestling, and advise students. While at Middlebury, he was the captain of the varsity football team. In addition to his teaching experience at the Brunswick School, he also taught English while studying abroad and held numerous positions during summers as a group leader and counselor at various summer-camp programs.
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corporation news
CORPORATION NEWS In April, Belmont Hill Corporation updates were shared virtually. In addition to the election of new Board of Trustees and Corporation members welcomed by Tagg Romney ’88, a State of the School address was provided by Greg Schneider, and a financial report was given by Board Treasurer Tony Ryan.
COMMITTEE ON TRUSTEES Taggart M. Romney ’88, Chair
Emmett E. Lyne ’77
Jon M. Biotti ’87
Amy B. Madden
Marsha Feinberg
Carl J. Martignetti ’77
John T. Grady, Jr. ’66
Gregory J. Schneider
Danielle A. Heard
Margaret M. Wade
Jason H. Hurd ’90
NEW TRUSTEE
GROOM DINKNEH ’09 Groom Dinkneh (he/him) lives in Milton and is a member of the Belmont Hill Class of 2009. He has remained actively involved in the School through his work as a Multicultural Alumni Partnership (MAP) Director, class agent, member of the Class of 2009 reunion committee, and a founder and leader of the MAP Mentorship Program. Groom was elected to the Belmont Hill Corporation in 2018. He is a brand manager at Thrasio, the largest acquirer of Amazon FBA brands. He was previously the co-founder of GoLocker, a startup providing retailers with convenient and secure pickup points for their customers. As a startup ops leader, he was responsible for business strategy, pricing, and lead generation of the company’s business-to-business platform. Groom attended Tufts University, where he earned a B.A. in Economics. An active community engager and volunteer, he was awarded the Young Alumni Service Award by the Tufts University Alumni Association for his work developing a mentorship curriculum for alumni of color fostering relationships with undergraduate students. When he’s not working, he enjoys mentoring youth, running, cycling, listening to Afrobeats, and speculating the next crazy application for augmented reality and virtual reality.
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NEW CORPORATION MEMBERS
STEPHEN J. AGULAR ’92, P ’25 — Steve Agular is a managing director at Silicon Valley Bank. He is a member of the Bel-
mont Hill Class of 1992, and went on to earn his A.B. from Harvard College in 1996, and his M.B.A. from the Anderson School of Management at UCLA in 2003. Steve is involved in the Belmont Hill networking program, and is a self-described foodie who also enjoys golfing, skiing, and world travel. He lives in Belmont with his wife, Jacqueline; his sons, Stephen, of Belmont Hill’s Class of 2025, and Andrew, currently at Chenery Middle School; and daughter, Natalia, who is at Newton Country Day School.
SAMUEL P. BARTLETT P ’26 — Sam Bartlett is a managing director of Charlesbank Capital Partners. A graduate of
Amherst College, where he earned his B.A. in 1996, Sam lives in Winchester with his wife, Annie, and their sons, Ben, currently a student at Concord Academy, and Jack, a member of the Belmont Hill Class of 2026. He enjoys skiing, biking, hiking, fishing, and history. At Belmont Hill, Sam is a member of the Parents Fund Committee.
MICHELLE R. BLACK P ’24 — Michelle Black is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania (B.A., ’93) and Harvard
Business School (M.B.A., 2000). She lives in Waban with her husband, Darren, and four children: Evan (Tufts ’24), Scott (Belmont Hill ’24), Emily (Gann Academy ’24), and Alex (Rashi School ’24). Michelle is a member of the Belmont Hill Parents Fund Committee and volunteers at the Newton Food Pantry. She is the co-founder of Tribe Talk, an organization designed to help Jewish high school students make meaningful connections to Jewish life on their future college campus. She is an avid adult learner, and loves cooking and walking with friends.
JOHN C. CLIFFORD ’00 — John Clifford is a member of the Belmont Hill Class of 2000. He is a partner at Cayuse Partners, an impact investment fund. He is a 2004 graduate of Bowdoin College, where he earned a B.A., and Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth, where he earned an M.B.A. in 2010. At Belmont Hill, John is a class agent and member of the Class of 2000 reunion committee. John lives in San Francisco with his wife, Katrina, and sons, Rollo and Charlie.
BARBARA G. MELVOIN — Bunny Melvoin is the wife of Rick Melvoin, former Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School at Belmont Hill. They live in Cambridge. Bunny worked in college counseling for 25 years, including at Belmont Hill. She is a 1974 graduate of the University of Michigan, where she earned her B.A. She went on to earn an M.A. in Psychology and Religion from Andover Newton Theological School. Bunny was a founding board member of the International Boys’ School Coalition. Her daughters are Becca Melvoin and Sarah Melvoin Bridich. In her free time, she enjoys reading, walking, kayaking, studying and practicing energy medicine, volunteering at Beacon Academy, taking care of grandchildren, and…chocolate.
THEODORE N. MITROPOULOS ’11 — Teddy Mitropoulos is a member of the Belmont Hill Class of 2011. He is very active
at Belmont Hill as our Young Alumni chair, class agent, reunion committee member, and a member of the Alumni Networking Program. He lives in Wellesley and is senior coordinator, special projects, for Fenway Sports Management. A 2015 graduate of Boston College, where he earned a B.A., Teddy enjoys golf, travel, and teaching, and is a Boston College Freshman League coach.
THEODORE E. SHASTA JR. ’69 — Ted Shasta is a member of the Belmont Hill Class of 1969. He earned a B.A. at Harvard
College in 1973. He is a retired partner of Wellington Management Company, where he specialized in the insurance industry and is now a director of Chubb Limited and MBIA, Inc. Ted lives in Harvard with his wife, Mary. He is a class agent and a member of his reunion committee for Belmont Hill and assists with the Alumni Networking Program. His community and civic interests include the Harvard Conservation Trust, Worcester Art Museum, and Loaves & Fishes, a local food pantry. He enjoys gardening, maintains a collection of sports cars, spends too much time on model railroading, and is fascinated with almost anything mechanical.
LORI DINGMAN WADSWORTH P ’85 — Lori Dingman Wadsworth resides in Lexington with her husband, Chris, former Head of School at Belmont Hill. They have two sons: Benjamin ’85 and Timothy. She graduated from Simmons University in 1962 with a B.S. in physical therapy. Lori worked for 32 years as a pediatric physical therapist, 14 of them at the Professional Center for Child Development.
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visiting speakers
SPRING EVENTS & VISITING SPEAKERS kwa virtual event: women’s health | February 4, 2021 The Katharine Wrisley Atkins (KWA) Women’s Series welcomed Mallika Marshall, MD, P’23, ’26, SP ’90; Sarah Fortune, MD P’20; and Susan Wolf-Fordham, JD, MPA, SP ’76 for a conversation about the future of COVID-19 and women’s health. They discussed the safety of the vaccine, what we can expect in the next few months, and best practices moving forward. KWA co-chairs Lynne Gaynor and Margy Dunn moderated the discussion. All women in the Belmont Hill School community are invited to KWA events. Visit us online at www.belmonthill.org/kwa or contact alumni@belmonthill.org for more information. Invitations are shared through email.
virtual middle school grandparents and honored guests day | February 18, 2021 Grandparents and friends were treated to a variety of messages and videos about life in the Middle School. Grandparent Chairs Jane and Bill Hogan ’59 GP ’24 provided a warm welcome and overview. The menu of options that guests were able to enjoy remotely also included virtual musical performances, school leadership messages from Lauren Hamilton and Greg Schneider, updates on the advisory program, diversity initiatives, athletics, and curriculum, as well as a Q & A panel with current Middle School students. The special Grandparents Day landing page also featured photo slideshows which included the boys’ fall school portrait.
dr. michael thompson – parenting during the pandemic part 2 | February 18, 2021 The Parents’ Council hosted a follow-up to Dr. Michael Thompson’s discussion held in the fall. The past year has challenged us all in new ways. Dr. Thompson helped shed light on the issues facing families and shared his perspective and wisdom on parenting during the pandemic. Later in the spring, Dr. Thompson held a webinar for Form VI parents.
virtual form ii trip to washington, d.c. guests day | March and April Traditionally, Form II would travel to Washington, D.C., just before spring break. Thanks to the creativity of the Form II Advisors and the Alumni/ Development Team, the School created a “Virtual Washington, D.C. Program.” During a series of lunch sessions, the School hosted Zoom calls and video messages from alumni in the D.C. area as well as friends of our extended Belmont Hill family. The common themes were lessons of character, commitment, and service. Speakers included Sabrina Siddiqui and Ali Jafri ’05. Ms. Siddiqui is a White House reporter for The Wall Street Journal in Washington, D.C., where she covers the Biden presidency. Mr. Jafri ’05 is a national security professional focusing on strategy, armed groups, and human security. Recent graduate Max Peterson ’20 led a presentation about the website “13,” which he helped create to honor Belmont Hill’s fallen soldiers. Mrs. Rupley moderated a discussion with Los Angeles Times reporter Noah Bierman. Senator Mitt Romney sent in a personal greeting. To wrap up the programming (pictured), Form II students gathered in Chapel to hear from General Mark A. Milley ’76 and his wife, Hollyanne. In addition to his time at Belmont Hill as a student and his career serving our country, General Milley spoke about competence, commitment, compassion, courage, and character in broader terms and took questions from students. Mrs. Milley discussed the impact of art therapy for wounded veterans and shared some of the projects completed by wounded warriors.
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global investing webinar | March 8, 2021 Belmont Hill and Winsor co-hosted a webinar for parents and alumni featuring Belmont Hill alumnus Tim Buckley ’87 (bottom, right), chairman and CEO at Vanguard, and Winsor parent Jean Hynes (bottom, left), Winsor P ’16, ’18, ’18, ’21, managing partner and incoming CEO at Wellington Management. The event was moderated by George Sullivan ’07 (top, right), Belmont Hill Form V Head Advisor and teacher of history and economics. The event drew nearly 600 attendees.
arshay cooper – martin luther king jr. day speaker School Meeting | (Rescheduled to February 26, 2021) Parents’ Council Speaker | March 10, 2021
Author, activist, and rower Arshay Cooper (top right) was the featured Martin Luther King Jr. Day speaker. He was also joined by a local rower, Aquil Abdullah (top, left). Caleb Collins ’93 (bottom right) and Stephen George (bottom, left) moderated the discussion, which also included questions from students. Mr. Cooper’s memoir, A Most Beautiful Thing, was the basis of the documentary film by rower and Belmont Hill parent Mary Mazzio and was previewed in school prior to his visit. He grew up on the West Side of Chicago, raised by a single mom in a neighborhood surrounded by gangs and drugs. In 1997, he joined (and later became captain of ) the first all-Black high school rowing team at Manley High School, an experience that changed Mr. Cooper’s life. Mr. Abdullah rowed at The George Washington University, graduating in 1996 with a degree in physics. He was on the U.S. national team, where he competed at the 2001 and 2002 World Championships, the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, and several World Cup regattas, and the 1999 Pan American Games, where he earned a silver medal. He was the first African American male rower to qualify for the Summer Olympics (2004), where he made the final in the men’s double. Both discussed the opportunities and lessons learned from rowing.
parents’ council spring event | February 18, 2021 Parents were invited to enjoy a private virtual tour of the Museum of Fine Arts’ signature spring event, “Art in Bloom.” An MFA art guide and a floral guide presented the program, focusing on nine works of art by women artists with a floral pairing, and then saved time for questions and discussion.
faculty-led masterclass | May 6, 2021 Parents, faculty, and staff were invited to a masterclass discussing the breakthrough Broadway play, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom by August Wilson, led by Belmont Hill faculty members Jeanne Tift and Matthew Conway. Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom — now a 2020 Academy Award-nominated film (starring Chadwick Boseman in his final role) — evokes a 1920s blues recording session in Chicago, illuminating issues of race, art, spirituality, and the exploitation of Black artists by white executives. Moving from hilarious to rowdy to intensely serious and back again, Wilson’s story helps us understand not only the blues but also humanity itself. Dr. Tift wrote her doctoral dissertation on the play, and Mr. Conway is a graduate of the Yale School of Drama, where six of August Wilson’s ten-play Century Cycle— including Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom—premiered. The event featured clips from the film, a behind-the-scenes perspective, and a Q & A session.
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Andrew Reed ’10 ( far left), Men’s 4, Tokyo Olympics.
Class Notes
Dara Alizadeh ’11, Team Bermuda, Men’s Single Scull, Tokyo Olympics.
Benny Wanger ’15, Team Israel Baseball, Tokyo Olympics.
Alexander Richards ’14 (center), Men’s 8, Tokyo Olympics.
class notes
ALUMNI, FACULTY, AND STAFF: We would love to hear from you and share your latest news with the Belmont Hill School community. Please email your notes and photos to alumni@belmonthill.org. Length and content are subject to editorial approval; some submissions may appear as excerpts. The deadline for the Winter/Spring Bulletin is December 1, 2021. VETERAN’S PROFILE: Have you served in the military? To be publicly recognized in the Belmont Hill School Military Register, please complete the online form found under “Alumni” on the website. If you have any questions, please call the Alumni Office at 617.993.5203.
1951 From BOB BLACKLOW ’51 comes: “The last five years have seen a slow but gradual decrease in my activities. I still teach a seminar in the spring semester at Harvard Medical School, which has been hampered this year and last by the pandemic. One positive outcome is that I have become proficient at setting up a Zoom call and even more proficient in watching one, though some are very boring. Webinar is my favorite because no one can see what else you are doing! We still go to the Vineyard in the summer and rent a place in Sanibel for several months in the winter. We plan to do this again next year. Wini continues her lace making, quilt making, bird carving, and shell craft activities. Our three sons and their spouses are all over 50 (!) and all but one of our grandchildren will be out of high school this June (we will spare you our bragging rights about them all, but hope you can see them in the picture we sent in). This makes us realize that we really are in the elderly category. (Geriatricians call those over 70 “elderly”; those over 85 “elderly elderly”!) I am still on a couple of nonprofit boards, which I will step off of when my terms end next year. I hope that many of us will Zoom together this spring. It is a shame that we cannot be together in person. Wini and I seem to be among the fortunate ones thus far.”
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Ann Collins and Jim Tillotson ’47, summer 2021, Cohasset, MA.
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Leigh Quinn ’49 celebrating his 90th birthday with grandson Drew ’07 and son Leigh ’74.
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Class of 1951 70th Reunion Zoom left to right, top to bottom: Bob Blacklow, Ken Martin ’65 (faculty), Howie Ulfelder, Ben Draper, and Truman Casner.
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Bob Blacklow ’51 and family.
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Enjoying a round of golf at Brae Burn Country Club, Bob Cleary ’83, Andrew Cleary ’01, Bill Cleary ’52, and Bill Cleary ’81.
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class notes
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Class of 1952 left to right, top to bottom: Corey Cofield (faculty), Bill Cleary, Bill Fleck, Tim Sturtevant, and Ely Pierce.
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Class of 1954 Reunion Zoom left to right, top to bottom: Paul Doherty, Burt Perlmutter, Bill Taggart, Steve Kaplan ’83 (faculty), Peter Harvey, and Ben Stevens.
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Class of 1955 Reunion Zoom left to right, top to bottom: Bob Togneri, Tom Hunt, Jeff Eaton, Chris Sweeney ’83 (faculty), John Hurd, Ted Davis, Sam Parkhill, Tony Federer, Mike Forman, and Henry Bolan.
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Class of 1956 65th Reunion Zoom left to right, top to bottom: Tim Sullivan (faculty), Dick Spence, Bill Cunningham, Bruce Denny-Brown, Doug Barnard, and Dave Hawkins.
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Class of 1960 Reunion Zoom left to right, top to bottom: Jeff Fast (faculty), Alan Kline, Steven Weller, Skip Robinson, John Welch, Rick Wile, Larry Feinberg, Bob Russo, John Brooks, Art Norton, Mike Morgan, Myles Denny-Brown, Greg Hunt, Bill Duncan, Gerry Patrick, Chris Wadsworth, and Jim MacMahon.
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1960 classmates Bill Duncan and Steve Weller send greetings from Colorado.
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Dave Brooks ’60 stopped by the Alumni House on July 14, 2021 for a visit to campus with his grandson, Tyler. Dave and his wife, Judy, drove cross-country from their home in San Francisco. He enjoyed seeing the campus after so many years.
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1960 JOHN WELCH ’60 writes, “We managed to cope with the pandemic by spending the summer at Lake Winnipesaukee, where my brother CLAUDE ’57 gave out ‘diplomas’ to graduating grandchildren and I spent time gardening and playing golf. We enjoyed our youngest grandchild Paton (John Paton Welch II) and hockey with granddaughter Gigi.”
1961 PETER SEGAL ’61 writes, “I spent my freshman year of college at Lawrence College in Appleton, Wisconsin. Nice school, but not for me. I transferred to Tufts College and from there went to BU Law School. Having spent all my life in Boston, it seemed like a good idea to have a different experience. So, I accepted a position working for the General Counsel of HUD in Washington, D.C. Having not been involved in politics, it was an eye-opener and an experience I’m glad to have had. I shook hands with several U.S. presidents and senators, members of Congress, and cabinet members, and it was a great indoctrination. I liked Washington but did not see myself being a government lawyer forever. I went from HUD to a medium-size D.C. law firm for a few years before joining two other lawyers and launching what became a 36-lawyer D.C. law firm. Then, I was elected for life as its managing partner. It was my most wonderful work experience, surrounded by superb lawyers in a congenial work environment with terrific clients. Soon, the practice blossomed to where clients kept asking that we grow and expand our capabilities beyond real estate matters, taxes, and litigation issues. To preserve my
client relationships, I had to be a part of a larger firm. I knew people in the D.C. office of an Atlanta-based firm, and we shared a common client. The transition was easy, and particularly for a hundred plus lawyers, a terrific culture. After some fifteen years there, with my encouragement, the firm agreed to merge with a firm where I had an irreconcilable client conflict. At that point, I was spending a lot of time in our Vail, Colorado house, which my partners in the Atlanta firm tolerated but not every firm would. With regrets I had to move on, and this time to an even larger firm based in Chicago with multiple offices. In 1971, I married Carole Williams, a native Washingtonian. Carole worked in politics and as an event coordinator at the Kennedy Center before finding her passion owning children’s toy, book, and clothing stores in D.C. and McLean, Virginia. In 1975, Jonathan Segal arrived. He went on to graduate from Duke and join CBS Sports, where he is now a producer of NFL and men’s college basketball and the recipient of four Emmys for his work. He and his wife and two fabulous boys live in New York City. We gave
up our D.C. home in 2015 to live primarily in Vail with residences in New York City and Southampton, all of which I love. I have grown in more recent years to collect contemporary art and enjoy classical music. During my professional career, I enjoyed a number of nonprofit boards, including one at the Kennedy Center in D.C. and the New England Conservatory in Boston. I was also elected to the National Housing Hall of Fame during my tenure as legal counsel for the National Association of Homebuilders.
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Class of 1961 60th Reunion Zoom left to right, top to bottom: Brad Dewey, Paul DiResta (faculty), Geoff Parker, Peter Segal, Tom Clark, Bill Hoffman, Bill Morrison, Steve Carr, Tom Lee, and Rob Elwell.
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Class of 1962 Reunion Zoom left to right, top to bottom: Ron Druker, Foster Furcolo, David Wallace, Mark Weinbaum, Caleb Collins ’93 (faculty), Lansing Palmer, Daniel Barnard, and Jonathan Smith.
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class notes
After a total knee and hip replacement, my skiing, tennis, and squash days ended. I try to play golf now. In D.C. I used to see KEN ANNIS ’61 and more recently HANK AMON ’61 and STEVE CARR ’61 and occasionally TOM LEE ’61 here in New York. I had a nice reunion with RON DRUKER ’62 last year and had the opportunity to get to know Rick Melvoin. What a gift Rick was to our school! I feel fortunate to have been a part of the Belmont Hill family and how it contributed to my life. Regards to all.”
1966 STEVE HARTZ ’66 writes, “I am grateful, given my health issues, for the opportunity of writing a note for our 55th Belmont Hill reunion. I recently retired from my law firm after a long affiliation. I am lucky to have lived as long as I have. But that is only a fraction of the luck that I have enjoyed in life. I see more and more that we were all lucky to have attended Belmont Hill. We were also lucky to have had parents who had the means to send us to Belmont Hill and the insight to know that we would be better positioned in life for having had the Belmont Hill experience. My luckiest moment in life was when I met Jan Lindsay in a museum on my one day off from work as a young lawyer
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Class of 1966 55th Reunion Zoom left to right, top to bottom: Eddie Gallagher, George Sullivan ’07 (faculty), Steve Machen, Roger Lamson, Steve Hartz, Carl Forziati, Steve Lane, Richard Silk, and John Grady.
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Emmett Lyne ’77 and John Grady ’66 in downtown Boston on Federal Street on a Monday morning, ready for work.
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Martin Mugar, Joe Barth, and Jay Paris visiting in Maine prior to COVID-19.
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Class of 1968 Reunion Zoom left to right, top to bottom: Peter Clark, Stefan Mattlage, Walker Coppedge ’94 (faculty), Bob Wright, Lee Todd, Donald Hague, Max Pizer, Conrad Wright, Jaime Henriquez, Paul Lombroso, Henry Ogilby, Len Edgerly, and Chip Edgarton.
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investing experience. All I can say about that is, Belmont Hill’s loss and Rivers’ gain! I attended many of the ceremonies where he received recognition for his deep devotion and foresight to ensure the continued financial health of that school. His memory lives on at Rivers, where the conference room at the business office was dedicated in his name.
Class of 1970 Reunion Zoom left to right, top to bottom: Arthur Zervas, Henry Magno, Rob Gogan, Bill Samuelson, Steve Carr ’93 ( faculty), Joel Linden, Harris Contos, Ken Simons, Craig Stockwell, Steve Carr, Alan Cath, Brian Bixby, Stephen Johnson, and Bill Schley.
in New York. I could not have asked for a greater and more inspiring life partner. We have been blessed to live in paradise in Key Largo, Florida, after a long working life in Miami. I continue to study Hebrew and lead services from time to time at the local synagogue. Jan, a retired clinical psychologist, is an award-winning artistic photographer. I am still an active amateur radio operator, as I was in our school days, surfing the world on the wings of the ionosphere. Of course, we have all had to work hard to survive the race of life in the face of never-ending challenges and tragedies. But luck has been with us for the most part. Today, the challenge for me is to help others who have had less luck and to help everyone to understand that everyone on the planet is important and deserves the opportunity to thrive.”
1971 This from DOUG AMSBARY ’71, “One of the most lifelong memories I experienced at Belmont Hill, although a very private moment, has stayed with me for over 50 years. I was standing with HENRY SAWYER ’32, Hank Van Beever, and Roy Fowler. Roy looked down and saw a penny lying on the ground. He said to me, ‘Doug, there’s a penny,’ looking down at the ground. I was too proud, I guess, to bend down and pick it up. Roy looked right at me and said, ‘Well, I’m not too proud,’ and bent down, picked it up, and
put it in his pocket. Such a small moment and embarrassing to say the least, but it was one of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences that stays with you forever. From that point on, anytime I saw a coin on the ground, I bent down to pick it up. While we were visiting Nantucket with Julie and SINCLAIR WEEKS ’71, my wife and I were walking to town. On the way home, I was walking by a bush, and there perched amongst the branches was a twenty dollar bill. Where else in the world would this happen? From lessons learned, I of course bent down to fetch it out of the bushes. Who says money doesn’t grow on trees? Speaking of which, my brother BRUCE ’70 had a favorite saying: ‘Pecunia in arbotis non crescit.’ For those of you who don’t recall your Latin, it translates to ‘money doesn’t grow on trees.’ I think I proved him wrong! Bruce’s passing in late 2019 has left a big hole in my life and heart. Both our parents passed away when they were 71. Bruce didn’t make it to 69 and I turned 69 this past February. I guess it is up to me to overcome our family’s short-lived history. I have such great admiration for Bruce and all he did for The Rivers School during his 28-year tenure there, and for all the help he gave me running my building business. I remember he had applied to be the business manager at Belmont Hill and was passed over in favor of another manager that at that point had more
I never would have thought while at school that Roger Duncan would have had such a lasting influence on me. In 1984, my mother gave me Roger’s book, Friendship Sloops. I remember being glued to his book during most of Christmas Day, and, at the end of the day, I vowed to own one of the most beautiful gaff-rigged sloops ever designed. Well, a couple of years later, I bought a Pemaquid design Friendship Sloop. It was 25' on deck but 34' overall with the long bowsprit and boom overhanging the stern and sported a cuddy cabin where you could camp out. At the first skippers meeting at the annual Friendship Sloop Regatta, Roger came right up to me, welcoming me into the Society. I raced against Roger in Boothbay Harbor and Rockland Harbor for many years. I would occasionally see him out sailing at Pemaquid Harbor, where we kept our boat. But because his boat was significantly larger and sported five sails, I did not see much of him after the start of any race. Well, I met my wife, Irene, and it quickly became apparent that a bigger boat that had more creature comforts was in order, so I traded the Pemaquid for a 31' Dictator design with an overall length of 44', which had standing headroom, an enclosed head, and a more or less full galley. During our membership in the Friendship Sloop Society, I rose to become the membership chairman for about 15 years. I also started their chandlery and publicity departments. We had that boat for many years, and we had it brought back to Sugar Hill from Maine’s Pemaquid Peninsula every year so I could take care of the maintenance that any mostly wooden boat needs. It was quite a sight to see it being trucked through the steep Crawford Notch to get it back to Sugar Hill, so eventually I sold Departure, mainly because the extensive and time-consuming maintenance it required was wearing me down and the times of being able to use the boat versus
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Class of 1971 50th Reunion Zoom, left to right, top to bottom. Doug Amsbary, Bob Samuelson, John Magee, Sinclair Weeks, John Samuelson, Soma Hunter, Nate Hubbard, Max Mason, Dan Dorian, Philip Magnuson, Stephen McConnell, Allen Sheldon, Harold Prenatt (retired faculty), George Seeley (retired faculty), Glenn Stewart, Jamie Nemiah, Dave Wright, Hunt Willard, Scott St. Clair, Michael Schelzi, Eric Woodward, Roger Stokey, Ned Wood, Ken Hintlian, Tim Wood, Tim Counihan, Bobby Kittredge, Chris Pye, and Peter Fox.
the amount of time I spent maintaining it just did not equate. But, being boatless did not last very long, and I went on to acquire a 1964 Pearson Vanguard (33' L.O.A.) and still own that boat. I have two other smaller boats, a 16' gaff-rigged Herseshoff 12-½ and a 14' Cape Dory Handy Cat, also gaff-rigged. So my passion for sailing obviously runs deep. I think it is ironic that I live in the middle of the White Mountains of New Hampshire and am so far from salt water. I think back to what inspired me to carve The Pietà for my panel. I am still not entirely certain it was the right image for me to leave my mark at the School. Sometime during my 10th-grade year, I was sent to McLean Hospital to be tested to see what
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conventional occupation I might be better suited for, as a career in an intellectual field was obviously not in the cards. The tests came back in this order: 1. clergyman, 2. carpenter, 3. electrician, 4. plumber. I think I have pretty well mastered the carpentry, electrical, and plumbing trades, but that clergyman thing still eludes me. This might be best left for some future psychologist to sort out. I was thinking that I might have been the youngest Zamboni driver, at least at Belmont Hill. I guess both Roy Fowler and HENRY SAWYER ’32 took a shining to my skills of driving. I’ve held a CDL commercial license for over 40 years now, as that is one of the requirements of being in our local volunteer fire department, which I have
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been a member of for 46 years. I was assistant chief for about 12 years and treasurer since the late 1980s. I well remember the Lawrenceville hockey tournament and the year we won that. I recall the final game, when we were playing Nichols. I think we were down 4-1 in the third period with little hope of winning the game. Their captain, a PG student, was larger than any of our team members by quite some and was pretty much their whole team. I distinctly remember him cross checking JIM MARDULIER ’71 right off his feet, fortunately within sight of the referee. Well, he was thrown out of the game and we emerged the winner after the smoke cleared. I believe it was 7-4. That brief moment during the time at school has
also stayed with me as a reminder that no one person should have enough influence to affect an outcome. No walk through the woods would be complete without commenting on health issues. That seems to dominate any social gathering I attend nowadays. In 2010, I had same-day bilateral total-knee replacements. It had gotten to a point where I couldn’t climb a ladder and it was very difficult using stairs. Sleep was equally elusive because of the constant pain. I had an extremely long recovery period. According to my surgeon, it was the longest recovery period he has ever encountered. But, it was the best thing I ever did. It changed my life! Rotator cuff surgery (60% tear) and ligament damage repairs in my foot were also on my list of body rebuilds. Wearing eyeglasses and hearing aids are the norm now. Of late, when clients have asked me about where I went to school, I have mentioned Belmont Hill and have minimally gotten a raised eyebrow that obviously indicated that they have heard about it and evidently hold it in high esteem. I am proud that I went there but do have reservations about whether it was the best school for me. I obviously had artistic abilities but they were not encouraged or promoted at Belmont Hill. They were considered ‘extracurricular’ while we were there. I sincerely hope that has changed. I don’t want to end on a sour note, so I will sign off with the fact that I am doing exactly what I want to be doing right now and content with the thought that retirement from the building business is in the not-too-distant future. Stay well, my friends.” PETER FOX ’71 writes, “In short, I graduated from Stanford and was lost in my 20s before I discovered river rafting. I guided from 1980 to 1987, participating in notable first descents in Chile and British Columbia. Then, I pursued a 25-year photography career in Palo Alto. I started teaching at whitewater rowing schools in 2014, and retired to Bend, Oregon, in 2015. I have been married for 33 years to a woman I met playing football in Arlington in 1984. I have two grown kids. I have been writing a book about whitewater rowing for the past six years.”
THOMAS (SOMA) HUNTER ’71 writes, “The love of my life has been freedom. It started to get clear for me when I graduated from Harvard 44 years ago with a degree in biology and a possible career in medicine. It took five years for me to struggle through Harvard, never really finding something I was passionate enough about to commit to. The greatest gift I received while at Harvard was my exposure to the arts, world culture, and a sense of privilege and responsibility in thinking for myself. I learned to powerfully accept my place in the creative changes that must come if our society is to mature and grow into the egalitarian, wise elder in a global society of kind and helpful individuals, wealthy in spirit and integrity as well as generous and productive economically. The passion I found when I left the well-trodden road to ‘success’ laid out before me at the end of my Harvard years was for community. Now here was something like a family—which I loved unquestionably—and which led me to Belmont Hill, a second family of which I have admittedly been a wayward son! I have spent the last 40 years developing my own connection with a global spiritual community centered in its international community headquarters for a revolutionary global visionary who founded it, Emissaries of Divine Light, 89 years ago. I have been instrumental in the continuation of this spiritual lineage in the earth by living its truth every day in community for the past 40 years. Just this month, I find myself at a new juncture in my life of leaving the safe confines of this community and going on a walkabout travel time this year to explore new options for the remaining decades of my productive life. It is still very much about freedom AND community for me. If you would like to talk more about where this is leading me in the future, I would gladly reciprocate with an email or phone call from you. My email is tshunter@emnet.org and my phone is 970-332-8872. Blessings, brothers!” BOB KITTREDGE ’71 writes in response to the question, What did you carve on your panel and why?, “In March of 1971, this procrastinating and wood-carving-intimidated senior began his Belmont Hill panel. I also turned 19 years of age that month, an age most irrelevant except for the war in
Vietnam. Our student deferment was about to be revoked; my lottery number (remember them?) was 54 out of 366 (1952 was a leap year); the military could pluck me out of Williams College at will. My 1953-yeared, or plus-100 lottery numbered classmates were safe. At least for another year. I was not. Naïve as I was: women, love, money etc., I knew the war in Vietnam was bogus. I was right, but I paid the price with heated arguments about it. I made a vow then to never raise my voice in political discussions again. Fifty years later—vow honored. So when panel-deciding time arrived, I wanted nothing to do with ‘the war at home,’ government’s ‘credibility gap,’ politics, industry, my draft status, etc. The gold standard for panels in my mind was always COWBOY FISHER ’68, older brother of classmate DAVID FISHER ’71, both sons of the varsity football coach. He had brilliantly reenacted his name, a joyous cowboy—reins in one hand, cowboy hat in the other—riding a bucking fish. I had nothing so clever and remember embarrassment at my choice. At the time, I had a subscription to National Wildlife magazine. The natural world was the perfect countermeasure to all my verboten topics. The image chosen: a mature male elk in full winter coat and mane. The image was made more dramatic by its crop—neck, head, and antlers only. And what a neck! A neck so long it seemed anatomically incorrect; but there it was, an untouched photo. Mr. T did most of the work. Now is the time for some reverse metaphorizing, because at the time I had no such thoughts, such as, ‘Would I stick my neck out?’ Answer: not at Williams, not at IBM. But 2½ years into my IBM employment, I really did. I dropped out of the corporate world completely. I became a hippie; a polyamorous, dope-growing and smoking, living frugally off savings, nude Frisbee on the beach, hippie. A full 180. How prescient my panel was!” JAMIE NEMIAH ’71 writes, “I moved to Anacortes, Washington in April 2021 to start a new life. Nice small town, on an (almost) island, with fabulous scenery, boats everywhere, and lots of nice people. I am chief legal officer at Seeq, a software startup that does advanced analytics for industrial companies. It is growing rapidly and attracting lots of interest. I am looking for an exit
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in a couple of years, but fascinating business, lots of good people, and fun problems to solve. I was retired a while back, but got antsy after 18 months. I intend to make the second try succeed! I would love to hear from anyone in the class, as I am working to expand my friendship network after many years of neglecting it.” GORDY SCANNELL ’71 writes, “I pick up where I left off in my 25th Reunion report. Not that I expect anyone to remember that report, but the task of updating the last 25 years is daunting enough without going back to explain how I got as far as our 25th in 1996. It’s hard to believe another 25 years have passed, with many changes and transitions, and I’m more myself every year, it seems. I am still in Maine. I was divorced in 2009, and married Kimberly Moody in 2011. Kim, who I had known casually through the running and the cross-country skiing community since I moved to Maine in 1983, is a wonderful companion and true soulmate. We share an inclination towards outdoor activities and exercise. Kim has an impressive résumé as an endurance athlete, me not so much, but we both have many running miles and cross-country kilometers under our belts. We are lucky to be healthy, still using our original parts, and able to get out and enjoy ourselves. On the work front, Kim recently retired after 25-plus years as a professor of nursing at University of Southern Maine and as a per diem nurse in the CICU at Maine Medical Center. I am not yet retired, but sometimes it’s hard to tell. I joined Perkins Thompson, a 20-person law firm in Portland, in 2001 after a number of years at a smaller firm in Auburn. My practice area is generally real estate, but since 2007, it has been increasingly focused on timberland in northern Maine and Vermont and related issues, and that now comprises about 90% of my practice. I enjoy it, and it gives me the opportunity to get up to far northern Maine and the forests on occasion. We moved to Pownal, about 20 miles north of Portland, in 2012. Our house abuts Pineland Farms and its 30 kilometers of trails for cross-country skiing, mountain biking, and running, which works well for us. We get over to New Hampshire and Vermont frequently, out west less frequently, and we
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go hiking and skiing. We have a 30' sailboat we keep in Falmouth, and we get out on the water and down the Maine coast for much of the summer. Between us, Kim and I have two daughters and two sons close in age (between 30 and 32, some twins in the mix), all healthy. In the words of Paulo Coelho, they’re doing what fills them with enthusiasm, following their legends. All weathered COVID-19, I often think too comfortably, given what many endured, and the political climate less so. But we are still standing. Good to see many classmates on the 50th Reunion Zoom on May 18. We are a good group. Thank you to those who had kind and thoughtful words for those no longer with us—BLAIR BROOKS, GEORGE WIGHTMAN, BILLY KAY, JOEY VACCARO, and perhaps others. Our numbers will inevitably dwindle in the coming years, and it is good to remember the absent members. I have kept in touch with a few in our class, and hope to be in touch with more in the coming years. I ended my 25th Reunion Report noting that Belmont Hill was a rich and formative part of my life, ironically becoming a bigger part as my six years at the School is a smaller percentage of my time here on Earth. That is even more true today.” ALLEN SHELDON ’71 writes, “50 Years! Doesn’t seem possible. After graduation, I headed to Franklin & Marshall College where I majored in baseball and soccer with a minor in political science. Then, I went back to Boston to get an MBA at BU. I met my future wife, Debbie, while pitching for the softball team at the accounting firm where she worked. We were married in 1983 and settled in Lexington (still there), where we raised our two daughters, Amy and Kari. We were neighbors with KEN HINTLIAN ’71. My professional career began in 1977 at the New England Pressed Steel Company, which we morphed into Backsaver Products, the nation’s leading manufacturer and marketer of high-end ergonomic furniture and back care products. A couple of the more humorous highlights were Judge Ito sitting on our chair while presiding over the OJ trial and the subsequent answer to a question on Jeopardy!. I’m retired now and spend winters in Palm Beach Gardens.
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Florida allows us to spend a lot of time with our daughter, Amy, her husband, Craig, and our three-year-old granddaughter, Madison. Our younger daughter, Kari, lives in New York, where she is director of sales for a fashion designer. Debbie and I have traveled extensively and both love to play golf.” GLENN STEWART ’71 writes, “What a ‘long and winding road’ it has been when reflecting back on 50 years... And indeed it does lead back to Belmont Hill, as evidenced by our 50th Reunion virtual celebration on May 18 via Zoom! It was quite moving seeing and listening to everyone share their feelings about Belmont Hill and various moments in their lives. I am left with the thought that I wish I had been able to do more during my last few years at school to unite our class and not leave anyone behind that may have felt left out and/or not accepted. Unfortunately, I did not have that skill set back then, but hopefully I am doing a better job of it these days, starting with my own daughters. When each was born, I forced myself to choose one adjective that I hoped they could be, and each time it was the same: for them to be ‘kind.’ Sharing a John Lennon type fantasy, my vision is, if each parent could teach each of their children to be ‘kind,’ what a wonderful world it would be. In closing, I only mention some brief career stuff, as I was quite fascinated that so many of our classmates were already enjoying retirement. I am only able to share that plateau with those individuals vicariously, as my target date is 87 years old plus one day in order to tie or beat my mother, who retired at 87. I also want to be able to afford supporting a couple of our daughters’ enchantments with the equestrian world. To recap quickly, after college, I went on to briefly explore pursuing a doctorate in clinical psychology, a career in education, and teaching for three years for a class of five 6th graders, five 7th graders, and five 8th graders all in the same classroom, before finally settling on a career in business. I started off as a corporate turnaround guy and ended up starting my own company, Spirit International, which has had moments of glory and moments of despair over the last 26 years. We are at the
precipice of a five-year journey in product development for LED lighting systems at the moment, so we shall see where the next chapter takes us! Thinking of you all as we hang out in a little section of horse country here in Colleyville, TX… And wishing you only the very best till we meet again.” SINCLAIR WEEKS ’71 writes, “After graduation, I attended University of New Hampshire, earning a B.S. in plant science. My life work has been in landscape design and tree care. I had my own business for eight years, and then joined an employee-owned tree and landscape firm in Needham. I spent 30 gratifying years there doing sales, designs, and tree doctoring. Julia and I have been married 42 years this fall, and still live in Belmont. Our kids (Matt ’05, 35, and Emma, 32, Winsor ’07) both are married and live in Maine. We visit them frequently, especially now that we have a grandson. He is nine months old and pure joy. I continue to love sailing and motor boating in New England waters and skiing the mountains of New Hampshire, Maine, Utah, and Colorado. Being retired has its advantages, like midweek senior ski passes. I recently took up wood carving again—thanks, Mr. T, for inspiring me 50 years ago. It was a real pleasure this spring to Zoom and catch up with 32 of my classmates. Our 50-year reunion—what?!? Not possible! Looking forward to our next reunion. Best to all.” From NED WOOD ’71 comes: “It’s hard to believe that 50 years have passed since we graduated. I often look back at my years at Belmont Hill, and I marvel at the breadth of experiences that I had on the Hill, from study skills that have been invaluable in my subsequent studies and teaching; to an appreciation for fitness, teamwork, and competition from the athletic fields; to an interest in music from glee club; and in working with my hands from shop. I even learned table manners from Mr. Funk’s lunches. Most of it was fun, all of it was challenging, and unquestionably my six years at Belmont Hill have had a huge impact on who I am and what’s important to me. We had a great class, and as I look at our senior class photo, I’m impressed with the incredible mix of personalities among our classmates. I wish that I had gotten to know each person
more than I did. I’m sad that, as close as our class was, we’ve gone our separate ways since June 3, 1971, and I’ve lost touch with the majority of our classmates. I am now living in Washington, D.C., and would love to be a tour guide, grab a beer, cup of coffee, a meal, or go for a sail on Chesapeake Bay with any classmate who is in town. After college, I became a high school teacher and coach (like many of our classmates), and no doubt I chose this profession due to the amazing faculty that we had at Belmont Hill. Over the years, I’ve come to appreciate the impact of the teachers and coaches I had, especially the ones whom I’ve often overlooked from my 7th–9th grade years, who gave me the foundation to be successful in the Upper School. Teaching has taken me to many interesting places, starting in Santiago, Chile; Asunción, Paraguay; Deerfield, MA; Noble & Greenough School; Iowa City; and St Louis. Each school had its strengths and weaknesses, but they were all well-respected schools and I enjoyed my time at each one. At various times, I’ve taught physical education, psychology, English, history, Spanish, and Latin, and coached soccer, football, ice hockey, rowing, basketball, and competitive cycling. Near almost every place I’ve lived, I’ve been able to locate a boathouse, and I’ve been rowing and coaching crew off and on since 1976. I met my wife while I was teaching at Nobles. We were in an Outward Bound course together one summer, and she has been my better half ever since. She is a professor of law and business and associate dean at Georgetown, and a consultant for women’s leadership at various firms and institutions around the country. Her work took us to the Midwest and to D.C., and high school teaching jobs have transferred easily from one location to another. We have one daughter who is graduating from Hamilton College this spring. I had the good fortune to teach her Spanish as an 8th grader (I’m not sure that she would describe it the same way), to be at school with her for her 7th–12th grade years, and to coach her in rowing from her 9th–12th grade years. Incredibly, she has continued to row very successfully at Hamilton (four years in the 1st varsity boat and three years as co-captain) and minored in Spanish. She has become fascinated by the political atmosphere of D.C., and is
hoping to begin her career in public service here on Capitol Hill. Our Zoom virtual reunion was really fun, and it was great to see so many familiar faces. In some of the schools where I’ve taught (and I think at Belmont Hill when I was a student), I remember 50th reunion class representatives who have addressed the school community, reminiscing about ancient times at the School—50 years is a long time! I was inspired and encouraged to see the vigor and acuity of our classmates. There are many chapters still to be written. I hope that someday soon we can see each other face-to-face at a post-50th reunion at Belmont Hill and have more time to catch up. Until then, please let me know if you ever come to D.C. It would be great to see you here.” ERIC WOODWARD ’71 writes, “50! They must be talking about some other class. Me: five-year architecture degree from Syracuse; move to Southampton, New York; work for a couple of architects and go Hilary, Emma, Lucy, and out on my own; Eric Woodward ’71. marry Hilary Herrick!; have daughter Emma; have daughter Lucy (Hilary does the work); do lavish houses for NYC movers and shakers; become an avid antique postcard collector; spend a week doing skeleton at the Lake Placid Olympic center; start playing volleyball—everybody else is younger; design lots more fancy shingled houses (see www. MichaelDavis.com—nine out of ten of these are my design); ‘sabbatical’—Hilary and I ride bicycles west to east across the country; Emma is a preservation carpenter in New Hampshire—www.sanbornmills.org; Lucy is co-director of Maui Surfer Girls—www. mauisurfergirls.com and is an EMT; design more houses, employ five people; develop arterial fibrillation and serious panic attacks; recover; travel when possible; try to retire from architecture, but not yet. Family is well except Hilary had a bicycle accident and a bad concussion a month ago, recovering. All in all, it’s been good. And, yes, Belmont Hill was an excellent education.”
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From DAVID WRIGHT ’71 comes: “It seems hard to believe that we are at the 50th reunion celebration. Everything about our time on the Hill remains extremely fresh in my memory. I truly loved the place, and we had a terrific group of classmates and friends. I do look forward to the day when we can gather in person on campus and enjoy each other’s company once more. Until then, here’s to all of us, those who are still here and those who may have gone on. I have had a full and eventful series of adventures and experiences in the years since graduation. After Princeton (which I also loved—I remain an avid Tiger), I performed and went on the road as a professional musician for a number of years
and had some amazing experiences (enough for an interesting book, some might say). After dealing with agents, managers, and contracts, I decided on law school with the express intent of trying to stay hip while disciplining my mind and going forward in the more traditional working world. I went through culture shock, but I was pretty successful in both meeting my goal and enjoying a rewarding and challenging career as an attorney. I served as a banking and securities lawyer in private practice and then with a number of large corporations, including John Hancock, Fidelity, and MetLife. I also continued to keep my fingers nimble and play as a professional musician. Now that I am retired from the business and law world, I have been expanding my repertoire with new songs and look forward
to the taverns opening up again. And yes, I still have and play JOEY VACCARO ’71’s red Gibson ES-335. I loved getting married, and then I was happy getting divorced. Hope springs eternal, though, so who knows what the future may bring? Perhaps there is a lovely woman out there just waiting. I don’t have any children, but I do have a fabulous sister, who gave me a kidney almost nine years ago (I also have a great brother). I have been blessed in many ways, I must say. I will always be grateful for my Belmont Hill education, experiences, and memories, including our amazing teachers, coaches, administrative staff, and tremendous classmates. I send out cheers and huzzahs to all!”
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On March 9, several members of the Class of 1972 met. Faculty Member Ken Martin ’65 joined them and gave an update on school this year. From left to right, top to bottom: Ken Martin ’65, Gary Joyal, Carl Dawson, Steven Hanson, Bob Harrison, Bill Widing, Sandy Starr, Andy Tod, and Bob Rowley.
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Mark Jennings ’73 and Jim McGrath ’73 back on the Hill!
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Andy and Dan Schley ’73 in the mixed doubles at the Head of the Housatonic Regatta, 2015.
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Class of 1973 Zoom Meeting –May 4, 2021. Top to bottom, left to right: Bob Cronin, Jim Stratton, Ken Ashjian, Austy Lyne, Ken Gould, Bill Achtmeyer, Burry Gowen, Frank Sennott, Jim Burnham, Tony Starr, Andy Cadiff, Joe Knowles, Steve Price, Jon White, Clem Darling, Jim McGrath, Alan Glickman, Jim Foley, Ron Braunstein, Don Rober, Ken Victor, Mark Jennings, Tom Magno, John Taylor, Dan Schley, Paul Petersen, and Bob Cesari.
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Henry Emmet ’73 (right) supporting the Red Sox and the travel industry by visiting classmate Dan Cheatham ’73 (left) in California.
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David E. Kelley ’75 spoke remotely to the senior class this spring about his time at Belmont Hill and Princeton and how the confluence of hockey, skipping class, and a love for writing shaped his future.
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Class of 1976 45th Reunion Zoom: left to right, top to bottom: Will Peirce, Marc Harrington, David Needham, Adam Heard, Pete Fordham, Clay Stobaugh, Kevin Fitzgerald, Scott Van Duyne, Harold Prenatt (retired faculty), Ames Stevens, Bob Puopolo, George Nardi, Barry Braunstein, Doug Weiner, Chip Raffi, Richard Casner, Barry Nalebuff, Dennis Collins, Jerry Bird, Larry Diran, and Dexter Peavy.
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Connie and George Nardi ’76 enjoying a fall day in New Hampshire.
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TOM DARLING ’77 is helping to grow the sport of rowing in the Fall River area, especially with teens who might not be able to access it otherwise. He’s a board member and advisor for the Watuppa Rowing Center, a nonprofit club on Fall River’s South Watuppa Pond that was founded in 2018. The pond is one of a handful of rowing sites in the U.S. that has been approved for Olympic trials, and the only one in the area. In addition to programs for teens, he is working to bring para rowing to Watuppa Rowing Center, to accommodate wounded veterans and other people with physical disabilities.
JAMIE HINTLIAN ’78 writes, “Greetings from Ithaca, where Carolyn and I celebrated WILLIAM ’17’s graduation from Cornell this Memorial Day weekend, where I did the same, um... late last century. We both agree that it was Belmont Hill that made the celebration possible! We have stayed healthy and well this last year, keeping the lines running at Teddie Peanut Butter and spending a little time teaching at Cornell in the business school. It makes me appreciate even more just how hard it is to teach effectively, let alone at the high level we experienced on the Hill. We are so grateful for that! I’ll let William provide his own update.”
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Curtis Whitney ’77 hosted members of the legendary Class of 1977 at his house in Bourne, MA for a clambake and a toast to his mother Edie’s 88th birthday (pictured with Charlie Feuer ’77).
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Tom Darling ’77 who was a member of the men’s eight team that won the Silver Medal at the 1984 Olympics spoke to the Belmont Hill crew at their only race of the year.
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Tom Darling ’77, who now lives in Swampscott, spoke at a meeting of the Rotary Club of Fall River this summer, where he walked through his rowing career and talked about bringing the sport to youths and people with physical disabilities. From left, Kim South from the board of directors for the Watuppa Rowing Center, WRC rower Monica Smith, rowing coach Sandra Cardillo, and WRC board members Tom Darling ’77, Holly Bronhard, and Jack Flynn.
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Three-time U.S. Olympian Tom Darling managed to get everyone out for a row on Buzzard’s Bay without anyone capsizing. From left to right, front to back, Curtis Whitney, Brian Mullaney, Steve Lubrano, Hal Melcher, Tom Darling, Ted Saraceno, Tom Green, Ed Nardi ’78, Charlie Feuer, and Emmett Lyne.
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Jamie ’78, William ’17, and Carolyn Hintlian.
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SEAN COUGHLIN ’83 writes, “I enjoyed the article about Belmont Hill’s rowers’ Olympic aspirations. BRAD SMITH ’76 was a member of the U.S. National team and the Pan American team and was my first coach of rowing when I attended Belmont Hill in the early 1980s. Coach Bassett also produced a number of rowers who were successful team captains at schools like Princeton, Yale, the U.S. Naval Academy, and many others, as well as other rowers who went on to compete in the Pan American Games, the World University Games, and the Olympics. I rowed for a long time and had a noteworthy rowing career myself, but the absolute best rowing coach I ever rowed for was Coach Charles ‘Kim’ Bassett. My friends who were not rowers also testify to the strength of his amazing abilities to mold and build young men. I miss him every day. God Bless You, Coach Bassett! Semper Fi!!!”
This from MICHAEL DRUCKER ’86: “I can’t believe our 35th reunion is in May! I have great memories of Belmont Hill both academically and athletically, but my fondest memories are of the friends, faculty, staff, and administrators who made my six years at Belmont Hill last throughout my lifetime. Belmont Hill was the perfect place for me. Belmont Hill expected a lot out of you, and if you put in the effort, you became a better person with the tools to be successful in life. I am fortunate to be surrounded by an amazing family here in Atlanta, which I have made my home since 1993. I have been married to Laura for 23 years and she has done an amazing job making our family a family. My son Sam is a junior at Indiana University studying exercise science, my son Max is a freshman at the University of Alabama studying business, and my daughter Evie is
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in 11th grade at Woodward Academy, a school that has always reminded me of Belmont Hill. After working as counsel for the Collegiate Licensing Company/IMG College for 21 years, I semi-retired in 2014, took a year off, and then took a job as the operations director at Camp Barney Medintz in the North Georgia mountains, a camp where all of my children were campers. I chose to focus my life on impacting young adults and children, but quickly learned that they impacted me in more ways than I could imagine. I also teach a sport law class at Georgia State University to students pursuing a graduate degree in sport administration, so my efforts impacting and being impacted by young adults is what makes me tick. Congratulations to everyone celebrating our 35th reunion. You all provided me with memories that have lasted a lifetime.”
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Graham Masiiwa (Belmont Hill assistant director of Admission), Joe Curtin ’80, and Emmett Lyne ’77 on their periodic walk by Morses Pond in Wellesley.
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Laura and Michael Drucker ’86 with their children, Evie, Max, and Sam.
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1986 Reunion Zoom: Class of 1986 35th Reunion Zoom: left to right, top to bottom: Bob Leary, Peter Landau, C.J. Young, Ken Martin ’65 (faculty), Michael Drucker, David Spark, Geoff Stewart, Rene Robert, Scott Krattenmaker, Jon Skinner, David Parrot, and Phil Privitera.
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David Sparks ’86 with his wife, Joy, and sons, Jonah and Jack.
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class notes
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John Carroll ’89 (right) is part of the ownership group at Mt. Abram Ski Area and Bike Park in Greenwood, ME. Ajay Zutshi ’89 lives a few miles up the road at Gould Academy in Bethel, ME. These two alumni run into each other on the slopes from time to time.
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Class of 1991 30th Reunion Zoom: left to right, top to bottom: Ted Martellini (faculty), Ari Katz, Jake Dwinnell, JP Paquin, Chris Dahlberg, Jay Fritz, Andrew Hack, Tom Whelton, Charlie Rosenberger, Steve Stepanian, Michael Yunes, Brendan Monahan, Scott Almon, Timothy Ehrlich, Jamie Young, Alex Khan, Kevin Davidsen, Sean Harte, and Mark Rooney.
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The Katz family enjoying Thanksgiving 2020 in the Smokey Mountains—Hannah, Sophie, Stacey, Noa, Zak, and Ari ’91.
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Therese, Ellery, Gwendolyn, Sean, and Sean Harte ’91 enjoying a night at Fenway Park, summer 2019.
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Tara and Reid Jordan ’91 with their children, Mark and Lucy.
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1991 SCOTT ALMON ’91 writes, “We’ve been living in Darien, CT since 2019 after spending my post-college years in NYC. My wife, Jennifer, and I have three children: Logan, seven; Hunter, four; and Sadie, one. Logan is of course already into hockey.”
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REID JORDAN ’91 writes, “Happy 30th Reunion to my fellow Blue Devils. (That never quite caught on, did it?) Sorry to miss everyone in person. Rumor has it they were going to bring in a C+C Music Factory cover band just for the ’91’ers. I’ve been living and working in Boston for the past 15 years now. For better or worse, time seems to fly by as 50 looms large on the horizon. My wife, Tara, and I have Lucy, who’s in seventh grade at Newton Country Day, and Mark, who’s in fifth grade at Kingsley Montessori School. We were both extremely lucky to be able to work from home this past year but are looking forward to things opening up again (writing this on April 28). Hope to see everyone at some point soon. All the best!”
JP PAQUIN ’91 writes: “I hope everyone in the Belmont Hill community is doing well during what has been a very difficult time. One silver lining for me was the opportunity to spend more time with my family. Not commuting to downtown Manhattan meant more time at our home on the Connecticut shore last summer, which we really enjoyed!” SCOTT PARROT ’91 writes, “My best to the Class of 1991. I hope everyone is healthy, safe, and sound given the challenging 2020 we just had. I am still living, working, and married with two boys (12 and 10) in enemy territory in NYC. Please look me up if you are also living in Manhattan or plan on visiting when things open up. Always happy to host a belated 30th down here and share a few laughs with classmates!”
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1995 This year MARK GALLAGHER ’95 launched a new online wine and spirits website, offering wine education and personalized wine recommendations: www.wineinvestigators.com.
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JP Paquin ’91 with daughters, Chloe and Ursula, and his wife, Claire.
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Trevor, Tyler, Jamie, and Scott Parrot ’91.
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Don Bradley and Peter Folan ’93. In the spring, Peter spoke in the Chapel to Form VI students about college experience as part of the Things You Should Know program.
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Class of 1996 25th Reunion Zoom: left to right, top to bottom: Brad Page, Don Bradley (faculty), Dave Bordeau, Rob Rudnick, David Levinson, David Schoetz, Stanley Watt, Ryan Hoffman, Alex Herzlinger, Ian Bass, Andy Apstein, and James Sforza.
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Mike Silverstein ’97 paid a visit to the campus in July.
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Tim Whelan ’99 sporting a Belmont Hill mask aboard a flight with daughter, Grace, in May 2021.
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class notes
2001 MARK FERRAGUTO ’01 has written Beethoven 1806, a well-received addition to the scholarly literature commemorating the 250th anniversary of the composer’s birth, published by Oxford University Press. The book chronicles a watershed year in Beethoven’s career when he makes important changes in his compositional style. Mark continues as a professor in the music department at Penn State University, teaching music history and musicology. DAVID HYDE ’01 writes, “I became a father in July 2020 to pandemic baby Sophie. I’m working full time and getting out to go mountain biking, skiing, and kayaking when I can. I’m writing for blogflyfish.com. I’m also an active member at Cambridge Boat Club.”
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2002 JANSEN JONES ’02 writes, “I get paid to work out, shoot, and jump out of armored vehicles with a team of America’s finest.” WILL SIMMONS ’02 will co-write the film adaptation of Hardcore for Universal Pictures with director Adam Wingard. Will wrote reboots for Sleepy Hollow and Internal Affairs, both at Paramount. He previously adapted Day Men for Universal and Boom Studios. 3
2003 CHRIS STOECKLE ’03 writes, “My wife, Lizzy, and I recently completed the adoption of our two-and-a-half-year-old son, Vutomi, from South Africa. We have been in Johannesburg for about three months and we
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absolutely love it here, although we’re excited to get home soon. Vutomi has handled the transition into our family very well and is just the most amazing little guy. We are very proud and lucky that he is officially our son.”
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Owen Foye Murphy born on June 16, 2021 to Lauren and Matt Murphy ’00. Owen is being held by his cousin, Brigid Murphy, daughter of Al Murphy ’98.
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Ryan Matthew Galvin, born on May 12, 2021 to Allison and Kevin Galvin ’01. Ryan joins big sister Harper who is keeping him in line!
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Class of 2001 20th Reunion Zoom: left to right, top to bottom: James Simcoke, Jeff Hamilton, Scott Aldrich, A.J. Nary, Jason Kass, Steve Kaplan ’83 (faculty), Dave Crane, Paul Kelly, Taylor Davis, David Hyde, George Tahan (faculty), Andrew McCarthy, Matthew Brogan, Joe Schipani, Zack Page, Matt Stoeckle, and Andrew O’Brien. Not pictured: Steve Gogolak, Andrew Cleary, and Phil Arias.
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Katharine and Joe Schipani ’01 with daughters, Aria and Eloise.
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Lizzy and Chris Stoeckle ’03 with their son, Tomi.
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2006 CHUKS EKWELUM ’06 writes, “Josiah will be four in May and is loving his new school, friends, and teachers! We had our first-ever parent-teacher conference with his lead teacher a couple of weeks ago and were happy to learn that he’s earning high marks in every category. His sister, Hadassah, will be two in July. Like her brother, she is quite precocious and always looking for an adventure! Vanessa and I have had our hands full, preparing to launch our very own secondary school, Legacy of Excellence Academy, Rwanda’s (and Africa’s) very first 100% virtual school! Longtime Belmont Hill faculty member Carl Hobert sits on our board of directors as chair. You and others may check out our school’s website www.legacyrw.org; it’s live, but still under construction (about 90% complete). We’re working hard to get it 100% done before our public launch on social
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Class of 2006 15th Reunion Zoom: left to right, top to bottom: Chris Butler (faculty), Nyadenya Inyagwa, Jay Donovan, David Antonelli, Zach Zizza, Matt O’Connell, Daniel Fine, Chuks Ekwelum, Chris Brown, Robert Butler, Juan Evereteze, Danny Gaynor, Ben Berkowitz, and Mark Fuller. Not pictured: Matt Gordon and Wes Stephanian.
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Vanessa and Chuks Ekwelum ’06 with their children, Hadassah and Josiah.
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Jackson Sperry Lynch, born on February 23, 2021 to Annaliese and Matthew Lynch ’06.
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Katie Leighton and Sam Baker ’07 were married in August 2020 on Cape Cod in the presence of their parents and siblings.
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media and before the start of our financial campaign next week. I’m also part owner of an educational consulting firm called Mirror Start Educational Consulting (not as far along as LEA, but getting there). So, yeah! Really exciting stuff on this end. I hope you all understand why I’m not able to be as engaged in Belmont Hill affairs as in the past, not to mention the six to seven hours’ time difference between us. We’ve been really busy, but enjoying the process at the same time. Stay tuned for more updates.”
Nyadenya Oghenovo Oritsebemegho Francis Inyagwa. I guess my biggest accomplishment is developing a hard-work ethic as a chef at a breakfast diner in Somerville, Massachusetts, a skill I intend to take with me on future adventures in my career. My latest interests: space technology and space travel. I thank Mr. McAlpin for laying the groundwork and sparking my interests in science and the stars after passing his astronomy course when I was a young man attending the wonderful Belmont Hill School. I still remember an activity we did in class where we stood on the athletic field and created a mock solar system. I have so many great memories from astronomy class, in fact I have so many great memories from all my classes. I can’t forget my greatest memory of being a three-sport varsity athlete, though. I guess that is why I joined the Somerville Boxing Club. I don’t believe in luck or fate, I believe in hard work and grit.”
From LORD NYADENYA OGHENOVO ORITSEBEMEGHO FRANCIS INYAGWA ’06 comes: “First off, after graduating from the University of Massachusetts Boston in 2012 and working many rigorous and odd jobs, a prospective life began to unfold for me after I bought property in Scotland and changed my title to Lord Nyadenya in 2020. Now, I have a title to live up to: Lord
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class notes
2007 RON HSIN ’07 writes, “I met my wife, Liza, in college at UMass in 2007 and we got married in May of 2017. Our son, Darren, was born March 2, 2020 right before everything got crazy with the pandemic. We are expecting a second child this November! I graduated from Tufts Dental School in 2016 and have worked at New England Dental Group in Southborough as a general dentist for the last 4+ years. We currently live in Holden, MA. I still frequently travel back to Newton and Brookline to get my Anna’s Taqueria fix!”
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2011 NICHOLAS ANDRE ’11 writes, “Just left Google this past January to work at a biotech startup called 10X Genomics doing security engineering. At Google, I worked on the Cloud team doing software for part of their security product. I have a Goldendoodle named Oliver, who just turned three. I’m still bothering my friends and family by taking pictures. In my spare time I’ve been researching nutrition and health and love to give talks/rant about it from time to time. I’m still in the Seattle area, but the new job is fully remote, and I may be trying out a few new cities this next winter. So, feel free to send recommendations my way.”
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This from EDWARD HARVEY ’11: “I’m teaching and coaching at Nobles these days!” 5
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Liza and Ron Hsin ’07 with their son, Darren.
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Michael DiSanto ’08 spoke to the Belmont Hill crew during one of their practices in April 2021.
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Rachael and Mike Kinnealey ’08 with son Mick, age 3, and daughter Mary Kate, age 4.
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Tony Uglietto ’09 and Kaitlyn Frenette were married on May 22, 2021. Attending from the Class of 2009: Ugo DiBiase, Ryan Walsh, Henry Meyer, Mike Blake, Tony Uglietto, Mike Condon, Greg Karelitz, Jack McNamara, and Matt Ronan.
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Class of 2011 10th Reunion Zoom: left to right, top to bottom: Jack O’Leary, Nicholas Andre, JR Arakelian, Taylor Shortsleeve, Edward Harvey, Caleb Collins ’93 (faculty), Julian Kirby, Thomas Pagani, Geoff Sullivan, Teddy Mitropoulos, and Matt Weinstein.
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In the Form VI TYSK “Things You Should Know” program in the spring, a panel of recent graduates focused on the topic of careers. The panel included: Geoff Sullivan ’11 (entertainment), Carl Reid ’13 (private equity), Parker Mundt ’12 (construction), EJ Cayemite ’12 (sports), and Dave Luo ’13 (finance/corporate strategy).
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2020
FRANK ZAPATA ’16 writes, “I graduate from Vanderbilt’s Master in Finance program in May 2021. I will be moving to New York to pursue a career in investment banking.”
BRIAN WILKINS ’20 will be a production assistant for the movie Mothership, which is being filmed in Boston in June. It will star Halle Berry.
FACULTY NOTES
Tod Rodger, Mike Sherman, and Lyn Rodger in Kittery, Maine on July 15, 2021.
Papa Dave Hegarty and his grandson, Cormac Eoin Hegarty.
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Colton Bradley ’15 graduated from U.S. Army Flight School on June 17, 2021. He will be flying the UH-60 Blackhawk for the MEDEVAC unit at Camp Humphreys, South Korea.
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Lucas Ribiero ’15 (University of Oregon) competing at the Track and Field PAC-12 Championships in May. Lucas then continued to Nationals in Texas.
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Class of 2016 5th Reunion Zoom left to right, top to bottom: Michael Grant (faculty), Chip Daley, Peter Tedesco, Pete Bechtol, Timmy Brownell, Brian Melly, Blake Gilbert-Bono, Alex Afeyan, Jake DeCaprio, Ben Lebowitz, David Perdoni, Greg Katz, John Gosselin, Alessandro Zenati, Vishnu Nair, Charlie Danziger, Max Rudzinsky, Brendan Pulsifer, Tommy Ruggles, Gabriel Schmittlein, David Yellen, Lucas Jurgensen, Harrison Rohrer, Brian Matthews, and George Hu.
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Class of 2020 classmates Charlie Mullaney and Lucas Meade met Coach Richards for a fun lunch and reunion in Vero Beach, FL.
5., 6., 7. General Mark A. Milley ’76 and Cadet Quinn Richards ’20 at the Air Force Academy Commencement. Quinn, who just finished his first year at the Academy, was presented a coin by the General. The coin has information about General Milley, who is the 20th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a Four Star General. The coin has little circles for the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, and the Coast Guard.
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class notes
class of 2020 picnic June 8, 2021 The Class of 2020 was invited back to campus for lunch with the faculty.
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Jack McHugh, Emmett Greenwood, Danny Madden, and Archie Perry.
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Gabe Raffa, James Markis, and Craig Schneider.
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Bennett Teceno and Zephan Kraus.
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Jack Winston, James Markis, Glenn Harvey, Preston Adams, David Bergantino, and Brahm Agnihotri.
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The Class of 2020 returned to campus for the first time since March 12, 2020.
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Andrew Lee, Charlie Richards, Liam Peterson, Brahm Agnihotri, Jack O’Donnell, and David Bergantino.
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Jack Curtin, Charlie Stevenson, and Jack O’Donnell.
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Jake DiCaprio ’16, Tyson Trautz, Charlie Donahue, and Aidan McGaugh.
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Michael Montanaro, Andrew Lee, Griffin Hamilton, Andrew Lee, June Schmunk, Nancy Montanaro, and Jack Henehan.
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In Memoriam
in memoriam
STANLEY W. MACK ’46
JAMES R. MURRAY ’48
Stanley W. Mack died on November 16, 2020. He was 93.
James Reynolds Murray, of Arlington, MA and Wolfeboro, NH, died on January 22, 2021. He was 91.
Mr. Mack was born and brought up in West Newton, MA. He went on to Tufts University and began employment in Boston with Massachusetts Mutual Insurance Company. He subsequently moved to Phoenix, AZ as regional manager for employee benefits with Paul Revere Life Insurance Company. It was there that he met his beloved wife, Bobbie. In 1971, they moved to Worthington, OH, where they eventually chose to live in their retirement. Mr. Mack was actively involved in professional sales management and received the degree of chartered life underwriter. Closer to his purpose was that he came to Christ at Liberty Church in Delaware, and he and Bobbie were active with several churches until they had to move into senior care facilities in 2015. He enjoyed traveling, golf, college football, dining out, and, most of all, time spent with family. He had a great sense of humor, was warm and loving to all around him, had a great positive attitude, and will be greatly missed.
Mr. Murray was born in Winchester, MA, the son of the late Dr. John Milne Murray and Edna Frick Murray. He attended Winchester High School, Belmont Hill, Dartmouth College, and the University of New Hampshire. Additionally, he attended the University of Edinburgh and Northeastern University for graduate study. He served in the U.S. Air Force in Morocco, North Africa. When he returned to the States, he worked in pharmaceutical sales and later in counseling and social work for the remainder of his career. He had a great fondness of classical music and stamp collecting and was adept at repairing all kinds of things. He had an immense knowledge of history and could explain many events of our past. He always put his family first. He was the husband of Marilyn Breed Murray, who died on December 25, 2020. Mr. Murray is survived by his two sons, James Reynolds Murray Jr. and his wife, Elizabeth (Kirby), of Westborough, MA, and their children, James III and Ashlyn; and John Milne Murray III and his wife, Laurie (Hennessey), of Exeter, NH, and their children, Jack, Ryanne, and Evan. He was the brother of the late John Milne Murray, Jr. of Exeter.
Mr. Dunphy was the son of the late Helen Hurley Dunphy and Dr. John J. Dunphy. He went on to Harvard College, from which he graduated in 1953. During his time at Harvard, he joined the Marine Corps PLC program. Upon his graduation he received his 2nd Lieutenant commission and served in Korea. Retiring as a Marine captain, he received his M.B.A. from Northeastern University. His business career included stints with Raytheon, Edo Corp., and United Technologies. Mr. Dunphy was a tennis player and a golfer; however, most importantly, he was a passionate fisherman all his life. He was an active member of the South Carolina Angler Tagging Program. He is survived by his wife, Joan Glover Dunphy; three children, Linda Gibson, of Southborough, MA; Jonathan Dunphy ’74, of Fripp Island; and Leslie Austin, of Mechanicsville, VA. Four grandchildren and four great-grandchildren also survive him.
MICHAEL TAGGART SR. ’49
Michael Taggart Sr. died on July 27, 2019, at his summer home in Michigan. He was 88. Mr. Taggart attended Princeton University and Colorado College. He taught English at Ojai Valley School in the early ’60s, was a hippie professor in the late ’60s and early ’70s, and later taught English literature at Ventura College for many years. He was beloved by his many students.
JOHN W. MORIARTY ’48
John Weant (Jack) Moriarty, of West Newfield, ME, died on October 5, 2019. He was 89. Born in 1930, he was raised in Winchester, MA. He enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1952 and married his wife of 58 years, Shirley West, that same year in Fort Knox, KY, where he was stationed.
JOHN DUNPHY ’49
John Dunphy, of Fripp Island, SC, died on June 24, 2021. He was 90.
He was also an avid tennis player, winning his first tournament in 1953. In his 60s, he and his partner won the senior national doubles title, with oh-so-many matches in
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in memoriam
between. He loved everything that moved fast, and was a serious collector of cars, boats, and motorcycles. His Ojai garage has been a destination for many vintage car and motorcycle enthusiasts over the decades.
Nancy Goorno and her husband, Warren; and the late Judith Delman and her surviving husband, Alan. He was a fond uncle to his many nieces and nephews, grandnieces and grandnephews.
He is survived by his children, Rebecca Taggart and Michael Taggart; their spouses, Mikkel Aaland and Lori Taggart; his granddaughters, Miranda and Ana Aaland; and his longtime partner, Hiroko Yoshimoto.
RANDALL THOMPSON JR. ’53
Randall (Robin) Thompson Jr., of Lincoln, MA, died on June 12, 2021. He was 87.
ROBERT M. COPELAND ’51
Robert M. Copeland, of Wolfeboro, NH, died on December 31, 2020. He was 88.
ALTON G. LIPKIN ’50
Alton G. (Al) Lipkin, of Needham, MA, formerly of Chestnut Hill, Belmont, New Seabury, and Palm Beach Gardens, FL, died on July 5, 2021. He was 89. Mr. Lipkin went on to Brown University and became an accomplished and respected force in the amusement and souvenir industries, eventually being inducted into the New England Amusement Association Hall of Fame. He was a true patriarch, friend to all, avid golfer, philanthropist, and sports enthusiast. For 60 years, Mr. Lipkin was the beloved husband of the late Dr. Marjorie (Midge) Brenner Lipkin. He is survived by his son, Stephen Lipkin ’78 and his wife, Janet; his daughters Debbie Seresky and her husband, Peter; Amy Robbins and her husband, David; and his grandchildren, Michelle and her fiancé, Dan; Heather; Todd and his wife, Melissa; Margo and her husband, Ben; Robyn and her fiancé, Jon; Jodi; and Jason. Mr. Lipkin was also the brother of the late Bette Brown and Marjorie Tanner, and the brother-in-law of Barbara Levine and her husband, Robert;
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Mr. Copeland went on to Boston University, where he joined Lambda Chi Alpha fraternity and rowed on the varsity crew as an undergraduate. He completed business school and three semesters of law school before enlisting in the U.S. Navy, where he was commissioned as an ensign and undertook further training and service on the U.S.S. Taconic in the Mediterranean. He later completed law school, passed the Massachusetts Bar, and joined the Ford Motor Company sales organization in Michigan. In the course of his career with Ford, Mr. Copeland was responsible for franchise administration, purchase and sale negotiation, the Northeast region, and the national dealer investment office. He finished his career as a senior member of the Ford dealer policy board. He is survived by his wife of many years, Carla Thorgerson Copeland, his two daughters, Kirsten and Kimberly and their husbands, and four grandchildren. He was the brother of the late John Copeland ’54 and uncle of J. Todd Copeland ’86.
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Mr. Thompson was born in 1934 in New York City, the son of the late composer Randall Thompson and Margaret Quayle Whitney. He went on from Belmont Hill to three years of service in the 82nd Airborne Division, then studied architecture at the Boston Architectural Center before opening his practice in Cambridge, MA, where he lived until the family moved to Lincoln, MA in 1991. He was an all-around athlete, an avid skier and boater, a lover of beauty and design, be it in pruning a tree, crafting filigree, or choosing the correct bow tie for riding a tractor. Mr. Thompson was a skilled woodworker who delighted in making graceful wooden spoons and other implements, as well as properly scaled furniture for his grandchildren. In these projects, as in his architectural plans, there was the same quiet elegance that distinguished his life. He had an innate confidence and trust in others and a kindness that touched all he knew. He will be missed. He is survived by his wife, Bina Hayes, three sons and daughters-in-law: Robin Thompson and his wife, Betty Christen, Sam Thompson and Anne Bunn, Colin Thompson and Victoria Manley; and six grandchildren.
appeals. He was an advisor to Sonoma Valley Hospital’s strategic planning and finance committees and a board member and chair of Partnership Health Plan for many years. He met and married his wife, Carrie Kane, while both were working in San Francisco. Their three children were born in Fullerton during his time with Hunt Wesson.
ROBERT J. FITZSIMMONS ’54
RICHARD L. FOGG ’55
Robert J. (Fitz) Fitzsimmons died on December 10, 2020. He was 84.
Richard Lloyd (Dick) Fogg died on April 7, 2021. He was 84.
Born in 1936 in Malden, MA to the late Reverend John P. and Maizie M. Fitzsimmons, he went on to Boston College and later played hockey at Bowdoin College. Following two years as a medic in France serving the U.S. Army, he received his Master’s degree in English from Olivet College in Minnesota.
Born in 1937 in Boston, MA to the late Mildred Cass Fogg and Dr. Lloyd Clarke Fogg, Mr. Fogg attended public schools in Newton, MA, where he was class president. He went on from Belmont Hill to earn his A.B. at Bowdoin College, where he was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and lettered in cross-country running. He received his M.B.A. from the SC Johnson College of Business at Cornell University.
Mr. Fitzsimmons was recruited by 3M and came to Woodbury, MN in 1967. He also worked for Brown and Bigelow, Medtronic, Surgidev Corp., and Eye Technology Inc., which he founded. He was loved by all who knew him and had many passions: Gopher hockey, boating on the St. Croix, golfing at North Oaks, his love of the English language, and especially family get-togethers. He is survived by three children, Susie Fitzsimmons, of Minneapolis, MN; Jack Fitzsimmons II, of Lake Elmo, MN; and Pamela (Phil) Lawrence, of Woodbury; his grandchildren, Travis, Jack III, Katie, and Tyler Fitzsimmons, and Madeline, Hootie, and Maizie Lawrence; and great-grandchildren, Kailee, Jack IV, Nora, and Robert II. He was the brother of the late Paul E. Fitzsimmons and Faith Robertson.
Mr. Fogg began his business career in brand management at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati, OH. His business trail next took him to San Francisco as an account executive for Guild, Bascom and Bonfigli Advertising. He went on to work in brand management at Hunt Wesson Foods in Fullerton, CA as marketing director. While with Amfac Foods in Portland, OR, he became president of one of its subsidiaries, Fisher Cheese Company, in Lima, OH. Next came Land O’Lakes in Arden Hills, MN, where he was chief operating officer and executive vice president. After a stint as president of Orval Kent Foods in Chicago, he retired to Sonoma, CA in 1997. Along the way, he served as a PTA president, fundraising chair for United Way of St. Paul, MN, and was elected to the City Council in North Oaks, MN.
They spent their favorite family vacations whitewater rafting the mighty western rivers. Mr. Fogg holds the dubious distinction of accidentally bodysurfing Clavey Falls on the Tuolumne River, a Class 5 rapid. Road trips with the children to historic destinations and state and national parks in the family’s old orange Volvo were always an adventure. Together, he and Carrie visited six continents, missing only Antarctica because their ship caught fire. So, that year they went to the North Pole instead. Mr. Fogg was a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox and a season ticket holder for the Cal Bears football team. He spent many happy moments puttering in the garden and sitting in the sun on the deck reading the New York Times. He was a kind man of great integrity and a gentle sense of humor, known to his grandchildren as Boppa. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Carolyn Kane Fogg; his children Amanda Fogg, of Eagan, MN, Jennifer Eiklenborg (Travis) of Blaine, MN, and Timothy Fogg of Sonoma, CA; his grandchildren Colton and Gwen Eiklenborg of Blaine, MN; his sister-in-law Susie Kane Singer (Steve) of Alta, WY; and a number of nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his brother, Dr. Lyman Babcock Fogg, of Vernon, CT.
In retirement, Mr. Fogg served on the Sonoma Valley Citizens Advisory Commission and was instrumental in developing the 2020 Sonoma County General Plan as chair. He spent many years on the Sonoma County planning commission and the board of zoning
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Fairbanks, Mr. Fairbanks grew up in Lincoln, MA, where he developed his love of the outdoors and baseball. He went on to Cornell University and continued a passion for learning and literature at Harvard Divinity School, the University of Chicago, Northwestern University, and University of Otago, New Zealand.
GEORGE H. JASPERT III ’55
George Henry Jaspert III, of Thomasville, GA, died on September 28, 2018. He was 81. Born in Philadelphia in 1936, Mr. Jaspert grew up in Andover, MA and went on to Duke University, where he graduated in 1959. He lived for many years in south Florida, first in Fort Lauderdale and later in Delray Beach. He was the general sales manager for radio station WEAT AM/FM in West Palm Beach until his retirement in 2000. Mr. Jaspert was an active member and past president of the Antique Car Club of Palm Beach County. He had an outstanding collection of cars throughout the years. They were his passion and his hobby. He is survived by his wife, Hannah Jean; three children, Christina Kennedy of Granbury, TX, George Jaspert IV of Oceanside, CA, and John Jaspert of Delray Beach, FL; and seven grandchildren.
R. JONATHAN FAIRBANKS JR. ’57
R. Jonathan Fairbanks Jr. died on April 2, 2021 in Silver Spring, MD. He was 81. Born in 1939 in St. Johns, MI, to the late Rev. Dr. Rollin Jonathan and Phyllis Maynard
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During those years, he also shared his love of adventure with others as an instructor at the Colorado Outward Bound School. In 1964, he taught at the Devon Outward Bound School (England) on his way to New Zealand, a hiker and climber’s paradise. For four years, Mr. Fairbanks taught at the University of Otago while he researched wilderness and literature, earning his Ph.D. in English. He, his wife, Nancy, and their Kiwi-born son, Terry, explored, hiked, and camped in “the southern Alps” at every opportunity. After a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of New Brunswick, when daughter Kristin had just entered the family, he joined the faculty and subsequently earned tenure at the State University of New York in Potsdam. There, he bought his dream farmhouse and wooded land, where he and Nancy raised their children. He also enjoyed cutting firewood; raising chickens and growing vegetables on his farm; and hiking, canoeing, and climbing in the high peaks region of the Adirondack Mountains. While teaching Canadian and American Literature, he created and developed the Wilderness Workshop at Potsdam College. This popular program, which combined the reading of wilderness literature with immersion in the wilderness, was carried on at the Adirondack Institute at Skidmore College, with programs held in several disciplines and in multiple locations from the Adirondacks to the Northern Ontario lake region, to the Colorado Rockies. Mr. Fairbanks went on to share his love of teaching and adventurous spirit with students at St. Mary’s College in Maryland, Marlboro College in Vermont, and the American University in Bulgaria before retiring to his beloved farm, where he continued to cut his own firewood and never missed a Clarkson women’s hockey game.
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He is survived by his children, Rollin J. (Terry) Fairbanks III (Mary Linda) and Kristin Fairbanks Luther (former husband John); his grandchildren Eleanor, Henry, Miles, Max, and Theo; his sisters, Jennifer Davenport (Clark) and Pamela Kirkpatrick (Rick); his brother, Peter (Pippa); his many nieces and nephews and their families; his former spouse, Nancy; his special friend, Geri McNeil; and his many other longtime friends.
GERARD R. PATRICK ’60
Gerard R. (Gerry) Patrick, of Lexington, MA, died on May 7, 2021. He was 79. Born in 1941, Mr. Patrick was the only child of the late Rowland and Elizabeth Patrick. He grew up in Winchester, MA and went on to earn his bachelor’s degree at Amherst College. He then continued his education at Tufts University, where he earned a master’s degree in electrical engineering. He went on to have a rewarding career in medical devices, first with Hewlett-Packard Company, then with Agilent Technologies, and finally with Philips Electronics. Throughout his career, he designed cardiac-monitoring equipment for hospital use. Upon retirement, he became active in a local computer and technology group, in which he assumed the role of antivirus expert. He also chaired the landscape committee at the condominium community where he lived. Mr. Patrick was a lover of classical music and enjoyed attending concerts in the Boston area. He savored spending time with family, especially hiking in New Hampshire with his children. He was good at coming up with innovative solutions to problems, especially
those of a technical nature. Throughout his life, he exemplified the values he absorbed during his years at Belmont Hill. He is survived by his wife of 50 years, Sally Patrick; his daughter, Amanda Patrick, and her husband, Joseph Stein, of Concord, MA; his son, Owen Patrick, and his wife, Christina, of Yarmouth, ME; and his four grandchildren.
historically in battle. Instead of talking about movies, he invited his staff and their families over to watch his favorites. He preferred to demonstrate the values of Scouting by being first down the zip line or to rappel off cliffs.
E. RICH HAWKES ’63
Earl Rich Hawkes died on November 9, 2019, in St. George, UT. He was 74. Born in Dayton, OH in 1944, Mr. Hawkes was the only child of the late Elden Earl and Editha Emeline Hawkes and grew up in Cambridge, MA. Later, he and his parents
KENNETH J. ANNIS ’61
Kenneth J. Annis, of Potomac, MD, died on April 9, 2021. He was 78. Mr. Annis went on to earn his A.B. degree at Harvard College and later his J.D. at Georgetown University Law School. He opened his own law practice in 1972 and was an accomplished personal injury attorney for over 40 years. Mr. Annis was a past president of the local chapter of Inns of Court, a past president of the local chapter of the American Board of Trial Advocates, a member of the board of governors of the American Association for Justice, and one of the original members of the Washington, D.C. chapter of the International Network of Boutique and Independent Law Firms. He is survived by his wife of 46 years, Susan Annis; his daughter, Michelle Towbin (Mitch); his son, Robert (Juliana Rodriguez), and grandsons, Mason and Tyler Towbin.
relocated to Salt Lake City, UT, where his father worked as publisher of the Deseret News. He served a full-time mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Australia, where he learned to crack a whip. He graduated from Brigham Young University, where he honed his showmanship as a radio DJ. His booming bass voice joined the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. Mr. Hawkes had many interests, including history, movies, books, music, geology, and the outdoors. He loved animals and had many furry, feathered, and scaled friends throughout his life who adored him.
In 1994, he married De Ann Papworth, the love of his life. They were sealed for eternity in the St. George, Utah, Temple on November 24, 2018. His last and only wish was to be with De Ann. Mr. Hawkes is survived by his wife, De Ann; his children: Clarice (Chris) Goodwin, Elden (Tracy) Hawkes, Rich (Maranda) Hawkes, and Emily (Jimmy) Bokinskie; his stepsons, Mark Emerson, Todd (Dianne) Emerson, and Ryan (ShawnaLee) Emerson; twelve grandchildren, fifteen stepgrandchildren, and one step-great-grandchild. He was also the father of the late Bradley Rich Hawkes.
At the time of publication, Belmont Hill learned of the deaths of James A. Anderson ’47 on July 24, 2021, at age 93, Edward (Tony) Watters Jr. ’58 on July 28, 2021, at age 82, and David C. Hawkins ’57 on August 27, 2021, at age 82. Full obituaries will appear in the next edition of the Bulletin.
He pursued a career as a district executive for the Boy Scouts of America in the Great Salt Lake Council. He became beloved for his work as camp director at Steiner in the High Uintas and Cub Country in Millcreek Canyon. Scouts and staff members alike remember him fondly as “Indy,” “Zorro,” and “Crocodile Hawkes,” and had fun learning from him how to fence and crack whips. When Mr. Hawkes loved something, his enthusiasm was contagious. Rather than lecture about history, he showed Scouts how actual armor and weapons were used
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2021–2022
Belmont Hill School
Board of Trustees Jon M. Biotti ’87, President William F. Achtmeyer ’73, Vice President Gregory J. Schneider, Secretary Anthony W. Ryan, Treasurer Jinane Abounadi Dewey J. Awad Mark D. Chandler ’74 Gretchen R. Cook-Anderson Warren Cross, Jr. ’83 Carl D. Dawson ’72 Groom Dinkneh ’09 Jeffrey D. Drucker ’90 Ronald M. Druker ’62 Jean C. Egan Daniel S. Farb William A. Forde ’05 John T. Grady, Jr. ’66 Christopher J. Hadley Danielle A. Heard Jason H. Hurd ’90 Stephen R. Karp ’57 Jonathan A. Kraft ’82 George W. Lynch II ’88 ex officio
Emmett E. Lyne ’77 Amy B. Madden Carl J. Martignetti ’77 Kirk D. McKeown ’95 Sarah H. Pelmas Taggart M. Romney ’88 Jill M. Shah Brian J. Shortsleeve ’91 Margaret M. Wade Herbert S. Wagner III Meghan R. Weldon ex officio honorary trustees John M. Connors, Jr. John A. Pike ’49
350 Prospect Street Belmont, MA 02478 617.484.4410 www.belmonthill.org We welcome your comments and suggestions. Please address all correspondence to the Bulletin Editor at the above address, or email us at communications@belmonthill.org. managing editor Bill Mahoney editors Amy Hirsch Lindsey Taylor class notes & in memoriam Eileen Foley Harold Prenatt photography John Gillooly, John Gillooly IV, Kristie Gillooly Dean, Neal Hamberg, Amy Hirsch, Bill Mahoney, Adam Richins, Matt Risley, and the Belmont Hill School Archives ©2021 Belmont Hill School. All rights reserved. Design by: amn brand + design amnbrand.com
Below: All School Meeting, May 28, 2021. On back cover: Davis Barrett ’26, Panos Gianoukos ’26, and Logan Marra ’26.
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