350 Prospect Street Belmont, MA 02478
Volume 71, Issue 6
Non Profit Org. U.S. Postage Permit #58555 Boston, MA PAID
A Student Publication of the Belmont Hill School
February 9, 2023
100 YEARS OF BELMONT HILL ARTS
Belmont Hill Begins Centennial Celebrations with Arts Chapel
Belmont Hill music ensembles (B Flats, Jazz Band, Orchestra) performing the Celebration Song in the Centennial Arts Chapel By Lev Tolkoff ’24 Panel Staff In January, Belmont Hill convened in the Hamilton Chapel to kickstart the review of its history with a Centennial Arts Chapel that celebrated the last 100 years of arts. To begin the events, Mr. Duarte spoke on the achievements and experience of Belmont Hill students in the arts, including trying new things ranging from ceramics to orchestra. Following, Mr. DiResta spoke about the history of Belmont Hill arts, from the Glee Club started at the school’s inception to Andy Cadiff ’73 and his contributions to
the arts fifty years ago, to now and the excellence displayed by Jeremy Eaten ’23 in the arts. A representative from each era was in that chapel and, Mr. DiResta remarked on how they are all connected through the arts. After hearing from the two art teachers, Bill Achtmeyer ’73 took the stage to “talk about my best friend Andy Cadiff.” He spoke highly of his classmate in his introduction which included his many successes as a movie and television producer and director. Andy Cadiff ’73 has directed a plethora of successful TV sitcoms from Spin City (1996), to Chasing Liberty (2004), and Young and Hungry (2014). He also highlighted Andy’s artistic ability while at Belmont Hill
where he wrote and directed a play, “Poison Ivy,” which details a character’s impossible decision between Princeton and Harvard. Finally, after his introduction, Andy spoke about his time in Hollywood. He talked about how the business he was in, where someone’s success was based on how funny they were. He emphasized this point by pointing out that he is paid whether or not someone laughs at the show and that it is not on the actors, but on him to provide this service. Finally, he talked about writing the play “Poison Ivy” and how the arts were not nearly as prominent a part of Belmont Hill culture as they are today while he was in school. After Andy’s speech, the B flats, as well
BH Communications
as some members of the class of 1973, performed two scenes from his play “The Senior Slump” with Mr. Diresta. Then to conclude the ceremonial chapel, the B-Flats with Mr. Patterson and the orchestra with Mr. Fiori led the school in the Belmont Hill centennial song, ringing throughout the chapel.
Clint Smith Visits Belmont Hill for Chapel Talk By Kevin Weldon ’24 Panel Staff On January 17th, students filed into the Hamilton Chapel for the arrival of Clint Smith, author of the #1 New York Times Bestseller, How the Word is Passed, and Staff Writer for The Atlantic. Mr. Smith has a myriad of accolades, including winning the 2014 National Poetry Slam, receiving the Jerome J. Sheshack Prize in 2017, being named on Ebony’s 2017 Power 100 List, and being included on Forbes 2018 30 under 30 list. A critically acclaimed author and poet, Clint Smith sat down on
the stage with Mr. Collins, the Director of Community and Diversity, to speak about his book and his experience writing it. How the Word is Passed is an account of the landmarks and stories of Smith’s visit to them in the South; he discusses how slavery is intertwined with the United States not just during its development and until the Civil War, but continuing after its abolition and to the current day. Smith had a fascinating conversation with Mr. Collins about how he went through the process of writing, where he discussed a handful of powerful anecdotes from his journey throughout the region. Continued on Page 2.
Look Inside The Panel
Opinions 4 Debate of the Issue: Is Tom Brady actually retiring?
News 2 Mr. Martin ’65 Hockey Rink Dedication
Luke Trevisan ’24 and Lev Tolkoff ’24 debate the second retirement of Tom Brady.
Noah Farb ’24 details the official recognition of the Kenneth M. Martin III ’65 Hockey Rink.
Arts 5 Artist of the Issue: Daniel Cho ’23
Brian Lee ’24 writes about Daniel’s achievements and contributions to the BH Music program playing the cello.
Opinions 4 Russo-Ukrainian War
Duncan Kilbride ’24 provides an in-depth analysis of the ongoing war in Ukraine.
Sports 6 Athlete of the Issue: Will Kelly ’23 Noah Farb ’24 writes about Will’s athletic accomplishments on the varsity Basketball team. Read about Will’s experience also playing soccer and tennis at BH.