Roxbury Latin Newsletter: Fall 2018 by Marcus Miller

Roxbury Latin T HE N EWS LET TER

FALL 2018

“From those to whom much has been given, much will be expected.”

headmaster

Kerry P. Brennan assistant headmaster

Michael T. Pojman director of external relations

Erin E. Berg director of development

Thomas R. Guden â&#x20AC;&#x2122;96 photography

Gretchen Ertl John Gillooly Marcus Miller Mike Pojman Adam Richins Paul Sugg John Werner design & editorial

Marcus Miller the newsletter

The Roxbury Latin School publishes The Newsletter quarterly for alumni, current and former parents, and friends of the school. contact information

The Roxbury Latin School 101 St. Theresa Avenue West Roxbury, MA 02132 Phone: 617-325-4920 change of address?

Send updated information to julie.garvey@roxburylatin.org. alumni news

Send notes and correspondence to alumni @roxburylatin.org. cover photo

by Gretchen Ertl ÂŠ2018 The Trustees of The Roxbury Latin School

The Newsletter

On a backcountry hiking trip in the Canadian Rockies, rising RL seniors

FALL 2018 | VOLUME 92 | NUMBER 1

pause on the shore of Berg Lake in Mount Robson Provincial Park in British Columbia (photo: Paul Sugg). left to right: Jared Brosnan, Elias Simeonov, David Meneses Ontiveros, Dominic Gaziano, Cam Croce, Ethan Kee, and Makoto Kobayashi.

Contents 4

With Love and Prayers: Remembering Tony Jarvis

Summer Immersion in France and Spain (The Boys, in Their Own Words)

The Responsibility of Privilege, by Headmaster Kerry P. Brennan

Great Outdoors: RLâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s New Outdoor Classroom

Border Scholar: Evan McCormick, Smith Scholar-in-Residence

An Early, Successful Conclusion for Mens Sana In Corpore Sano: A Campaign for Roxbury Latin

Boys of Summer

In the LEAD

Departments 20

Welcome, New Faculty and Staff

Beaver Brook 2018: A Fresh Take on a Decades-Long Tradition

Welcome, New Trustees

Hall Highlights

Student News

Revitalizing our Scholastic Energies: RL Faculty Become Students Each Summer

Class Notes

In Memoriam

Varsity Teams and Athletic Schedule

Faculty Spotlight: John Lieb

Ramblings from the Archives: Whatâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s in a Name?

With Love and Prayers

Remembering Tony Jarvis, Headmaster Emeritus The Reverend F. Washington Jarvis, III, Roxbury Latin’s 10th headmaster, died the morning of October 7, after a long, courageous battle with cancer. Tony served as Headmaster from 1974 to 2004. In Hall on October 9, Headmaster Kerry Brennan addressed the boys and the faculty, in memory of our school’s transformative Headmaster Emeritus. Roxbury Latin’s 10th headmaster, Mr. Tony Jarvis, served from 1974 until his retirement in 2004—a rich, productive 30 years. Suffice it to say that the school we enjoy today is in fundamental ways the result of the extraordinary leadership of Mr. Jarvis. When he arrived on the scene, he renewed the school’s scholastic standing; appointed effective, dedicated faculty; stabilized the financial model; and insisted that a boy’s character be the true measure of his worth. Honesty is expected in all dealings. We care most of all what kind of person a boy is. From those to whom much has been given, much will be expected. And finally, Every boy will be known and loved. All of these elements at the heart of Roxbury Latin’s mission resulted from Mr. Jarvis’s commitment to keeping a school that would transform boys and boys’ lives and inspire them to lead and serve. He regularly admonished all of us to do the right thing, to be reflective about our lives, to love each other. You can look around this campus and appreciate the buildings that rose up during Mr. Jarvis’s tenure: the Gordon Wing, this very Smith Arts Center, the Bauer Science Center, and, finally, named by the Trustees in his honor, the Jarvis Refectory Building. For all that, however, it isn’t that he built buildings that we remember him; it’s that he built men. Thanks to a tireless commitment to every single boy in the school, Mr. Jarvis—mainly through personal agency—positively affected the lives and the outlook of countless boys. It was almost as if anybody could do anything if he knew that Mr. Jarvis believed in him. He held people accountable, but he also appreciated talent and effort and improvement. Mr. Jarvis was a fine teacher of Western Civ, Philosophy, Psychology, and English and somehow found the time to author books, many of which still inform our lives. Mr. Jarvis taught so many of us what it meant to be a committed, lifelong school person. He worked hard; he suffered slings and arrows; he insisted that this school reflected Boston’s great diversity; he enjoyed surefire successes of boys 4

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who made it through thanks to his daily help; he went to every event; he cared deeply; and he loved the unexpected, idiosyncratic, absurd, fun and funny parts of school life. He made it all seem irresistible. And for those of us who so fiercely admired him, we could not imagine our own experiences being any less satisfying than this life in schools had been for Tony Jarvis. And Tony Jarvis regularly reminded us of faith. He routinely reminded us that we were mortal—that death would inevitably come. He taught us how important it was to have faith and to have humility. And in his own suffering and eventual passing, he taught us how to leave this life with courage, determination, and grace. At Hall in 2016, Mr. Jarvis said: “I wonder if, in all the world, there is another room like this one in which are gathered a group of people who are as talented and hard-working, as tough and tender, as privileged as you are here… You are few in number, but in all of history, in every generation, it has always been the few—a few courageous individuals—who have changed the world. You are the few, in your generation, who can make all the difference. Why not decide now to do something great, something courageous, with your one and only earthly life?” We are grateful for Tony Jarvis: for his brilliance; for his singlemindedness; for his commitment to being great as well as good; for his concern for every boy, woman, and man in his midst; for his provocative, inspiring words from the lectern; for his freely offered friendship; for his wicked sense of humor; for his deeply felt convictions (especially as one of the few Republicans in the school!); and, finally for his 45-year commitment to this school, its distinctive mission, and its perennial potential for affecting positively the lives of all those who are associated with Roxbury Latin. Well done, oh good and faithful servant. And flights of angels sing thee to thy rest. Requiescat in Pace.

A more complete tribute to Roxbury Latin’s 10th headmaster will appear in the winter issue of the Newsletter.

Son of Frank Washington Jarvis and Prudence Crandall Jarvis, and born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on June 24, 1939, Tony grew up outside of Cleveland, Ohio; attended St. Mark’s School in Southborough, Massachusetts; and graduated with honors from Harvard College. He received his MA from Cambridge University in England, and his S.T.B. from the Episcopal Theological School in Cambridge, MA. He was awarded honorary doctorates by Bowdoin College (LHD, 1998), Middlebury College (D.Litt., 2004), and the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale (DD, 2016). An Episcopal priest, Tony served from 1964 to 1971 as Curate at St. Paul’s Church in Cleveland. He had special interest in and responsibility for the youth of this large parish, and the program he developed attracted young people from all over the city. In 1971 he was appointed Chairman of the History Department at University School in Cleveland, and the following year Assistant Director, Upper School. After retiring from Roxbury Latin in 2004—having served as the school’s Headmaster for 30 years—Tony served twice as a chaplain and master at Eton College in England, and as scholar-in-residence at schools in Perth and Sydney, Australia. He spoke at numerous educational conferences and schools, and served as a guest preacher and speaker, across the U.S. and abroad. From 2008 to 2016, Tony taught at Yale University, where he was founder and Director of the Educational Leadership and Ministry Program at the Berkeley Divinity School. Tony was past President of the Headmasters Association of the United States and of the Country Day School Headmasters Association, and he was the former Chairman of the Commission on Independent Schools of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges. He served a five-year term as member of the Massachusetts State Ethics Commission. He was a trustee of the Independent School Association of Massachusetts, Winsor School, the American Friends of Maru a Pula (Botswana), and Portsmouth Abbey School. Since 1976 and until the time of his death he was priest associate at the Parish of All Saints, Ashmont, an inner city parish in the Dorchester neighborhood of the City of Boston where he lived. Tony was the author of eight books and numerous articles in the fields of history, education, and religion. His book, With Love and Prayers, a collection of forty addresses to students, won the Christopher Award for adult non-fiction. He was a Member of the Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of St. John of Jerusalem, the Society of Mary, and the Society of King Charles the Martyr. N e w s from l e t tTony e r oJarvis’s f Th eformal R o x bobituary. u r y L at i n S c h o o l This text was excerpted

Linguistic, Historic, and Cultural Immersion (and Fútbol and Churros and Castles and Fun) On June 2, 25 Class III students boarded planes for France and Spain, embarking upon RL’s signature immersion program, now in its eighth year. Nine French students—led by Mme. White and M. Diop—traveled to Caen, and 16 Spanish students—led by Srs. Ryan and Guerra—left for Cadiz. As part of the monthlong experience, students are charged with maintaining blogs of their studies and adventures, their adoptive (homestay) families, and their own reflections and discoveries. Here are windows into their linguistic and cultural immersions. 6

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FRANCE

Market Day and Bayeux June 8, 2018 by Richard Impert, Class II I woke up and went down the street that I usually go down to get to the university where we have our classes. Around me was lively chaos! Fruit and vegetables and people and noise and laughter and French everywhere! We were assigned a packet of questions and a shopping list. We were in a farmer’s market and had to buy things for a picnic later! The French was hard but fun; by saying a question correctly, we got Teurgoule (rice pudding) for free! After we ate (French cuisine is eccentric, to say the least), we boarded a train to Bayeux to view the Bayeux tapestry, a historical documentation of the Battle of Hastings. A semi-tired group of scholars, we ventured through about 50 vibrant, action-packed scenes that depicted an altercation between King William and Harold. Afterward, we boarded the train back and were able to walk home. I ate dinner with my French family and went to bed excited for the next day!

À Vélo! June 12, 2018 by Jonathan Weiss, Class II We started the day presenting characters we had created who followed de Gaulle’s call to resistance and found a way to escape from France to England. Our characters had some very… ingenuitive means of escape. JJ’s character, Tom Brady, member of a prominent baking family, proudly fought his German foes with a baguette. And what, exactly, Lukas’s presentation meant is a mystery to all of us; what I can tell you is that we couldn’t stop laughing. Equally brilliant was the political graffiti that he snuck into others’ presentations, such as distorted pictures of presidential candidates on Aidan’s.

tree-lined biking and walking path. Christian, Eric, and I were a little late on account of the 16-mile bikeathon we took to the town of Mutrécy and back. M. Diop exposed Eric, not for being late but for being our most maladroite biker, stumbling at the beginning and now black bike grease caking his legs! Speaking of M. Diop, Caroline led us in a little surprise birthday party for him, “Joyeux Anniversaire” song and all.

Le Memorial June 13, 2018 by Nicholas Chehwan, Class II The primary purpose of this post is to inform you that I am, indeed, still alive after the series of unfortunate events that occurred this past week. After falling from my Segway twice, being kicked in the face by Richard, suffering a bloody nose, and failing to change the gears of my bicycle, I can confidently say that I am still an active participant of daily activities and that there is nothing to worry about (except, perhaps, Richard’s foot). Now, I’d like to tell you about our visit to the Caen Memorial. We arrived at the site just after a class in which we learned about the Battle of Normandy during WWII. The museum had many detailed exhibits about what exactly happened on D-Day and the months to follow. Interestingly, the museum also contained a well-preserved German bunker from the era, in which we were able to see many artifacts from the war. After spending some time in the museum, we decided to go outside to visit the U.S. memorial. We were all awestruck to see that the memorial is an infinity pool that flows into a natural pond with a plaque for each state and territory, a substantial monument for those who died fighting for the liberation of Normandy and our freedom.

In the afternoon we snacked and played Taps before embarking on some serious biking! Strapping on our practically fluorescent ladybug red helmets and mounting our lightweight red bikes, we set off in stride (in ride, I suppose)—except for one. A mere quarter-mile in, we discovered Nick had all but disappeared! Our intrepid rescue team found that he was struggling to keep up, unable to decipher how to shift out of first gear! We all set off nonetheless to ride freely through the beautiful Voie Verte, Greenway, a former railway converted into an endlessly long N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

SPAIN

June 24, 2018

by Ian Richardson, Class II When we arrived in Granada, one of the first things apparent (save for the sweltering heat of 110 degrees) was the heavy Arabic influence on the city. To those who aren’t familiar with the country’s history, Spain was dominated by Muslim rule for nearly eight centuries—until the late-15th century, when Catholic Monarchs, Ferdinand and Isabella, conquered Granada, the final city held by the Moors. Although we had all learned this history at RL, it came as a shock how different Granada was from the rest of Spain. Yes, there was much that was familiar: the city is incredibly beautiful, and is dotted with bustling plazas connected by a spaghetti-like network of very thin roads. However, frequent Arabic, both written and spoken, and remnants of Arabic styles of architecture give the city its own flare, especially in comparison to the other places we had been thus far. We were given a few hours of free time right when we arrived, which a few friends and I used to explore the hundreds of nearly identical gypsy shops that lined many of the alleys in the city. It was perhaps in these shops that the Moorish influence in Granada was most apparent, through the Muslim symbolism and geometry and Arabic writing on almost everything marketed to tourists. I had fun testing my Spanish abilities to try to haggle down prices, as we had heard was commonplace in shops like these throughout the region. Although I was pretty terrible at it at first, I managed to get a few vendors to concede a few euros by the end of the day.

June 26, 2018 by Blair Zhou, Class II One of the cultural differences between America and Spain that I’ve enjoyed most is being immersed in the Spanish culture of soccer. Before arriving in Spain, I had almost no experience or interest concerning soccer. I believed it was a slow and tedious sport, with few goals being scored, filled with flopping and with terrible refs. This year is a special year because of the World Cup being hosted in Russia, so the spirit of soccer in Spain is even greater than usual. After being in Spain for nearly a month and having played and watched a lot of soccer, I’ve realized that 8

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even though there are few goals in soccer, there are many other parts of it to enjoy. The crafty penalty kicks, megs, and clean jerseys being a few appreciable aspects of soccer. I now know the general rules of soccer and have learned the names of other players besides Ronaldo and Messi, such as Nacho, Iniesta, and Salah. Soccer also brings people together. I’ve seen plenty of bars packed with people watching and cheering on their team in the World Cup. I’ve also seen and participated in a couple soccer-related conversations with strangers, with whom I would otherwise not have had a conversation. I’ve been so intrigued by the culture of soccer in Spain that I’ve bought four (and counting!) soccer jerseys.

The Last Entry by Andrew Zhang, Class II Our final day in Spain was another day well-spent. In the morning, we visited the Prado museum and Reina Sofía museum, visiting some famous paintings by Velázquez, Goya and Picasso. In the Prado, each student presented some background information on the paintings we saw. Las Meninas by Velázquez stood out for its pioneering playing with perspective, and the Black Paintings by Goya were a shocking expression of Goya’s personal trouble and the problems in Spain at the time. At the Reina Sofía, we had the opportunity to see Guernica by Picasso in its full grandeur. It was a satisfying payoff to all we had learned about this work in Spanish 3 this year. In the evening, we had a special dinner in the market of San Miguel. There, we went around the different stalls ordering different tapas, following the Spanish tradition of el tapeo. We got to try a wide variety of foods, as there were so many different specialized stalls. It was a fun and relaxing night and a great way to cap off this exceptional immersion program.

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Responsibi ofPrivilege The

o p e n i n g o f fa l l t e r m a d d r e s s by Headmaster Kerry P. Brennan A few weeks ago, Smith College, a fine women’s college in Northampton, was in the news. During its summer session, a notorious incident occurred. A Black woman in her 20s was eating her lunch in the common room of a dorm. A worker there became nervous when he saw her and called the campus security to report a “suspicious person.” The worker could not even tell if the person was male or female. When the security people arrived they discovered that the woman “in question” was indeed a member of the staff of the college. They apologized for troubling her. She, however, understandably, was not amused and chose to publicize the event. She noted that if the person who feared her had spoken to her, she could easily have explained her presence—“I’m sure I could have made the reporting person understand as I speak four languages, one of which is English.”

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ility

N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

The secular equivalent of grace. I occasionally have shopped in men’s stores with a Black friend of mine who is attractively turned out and, in fact, looks much preppier than I do. Half the time we are in such situations, a salesperson quickly attaches himself to my friend, eager, it seems, to insure that he is not about to shoplift. My friend has three Ivy League degrees and a prominent job. He typically says, “Why are you following me? I’m sure my white friend over there needs your help far more than I do.” Another Black friend of mine, when we are in New York City, always steps back when it comes time to hail a cab. He has learned that when he tries to get a cab, the cabs don’t stop; he prefers then that I signal we would want a cab. A few years ago you heard a similar story of discrimination by Trey Sullivan’s father, a Black man and a distinguished professor at Harvard Law School and a longtime dean of a residential house. He told the story of walking through Harvard Yard on a weekend dressed in casual clothes and being confronted and asked for ID by a security officer. Even in 2018, we have a long way to go to free ourselves from the prejudice of unwarranted stereotypes. Those of you who are women, and those of you of color understand this far better than I. I continue to be sorry that such profiling occurs, and that we have not made enough progress in our quest to judge individuals for “the content of their character” and not as a result of misplaced assumptions about their race, ethnicity,

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gender, or socioeconomic status. Progress in this regard can be encouraged by legislation and legal provisions that protect all sorts of people from discrimination—now as a result of gender, race, religion, sexual orientation, disability, or age. But the hard work needs to be done person by person. Sometimes mistakes are made inadvertently with no harm intended, but when a senior teacher or two doesn’t bother to learn how to recognize Milan, Rohan, or Taalin from each other, eventually an opinion forms about the eagerness of the adult to get it right. Person by person we learn to value each person for his or her talents, idiosyncrasies, background, and potential. These days no one is free from judgment, as now those of us who are white and continue to be in the majority in this country, if not in the City of Boston, a majority-minority city now, are being lambasted for harm over which we have little control either.

let’s talk about white privilege Over the past six months I have been in a couple situations in which I was called out because of my privilege. The person or people signaling that observation of me were basing it principally on the way I looked, and in one instance, the job that I had. “Privilege” has become a rallying cry for antiestablishment forces that are hoping to affect change in our social and political order by pointing out that certain members

of our society are more privileged than others or they are simply privileged. In some cases being called out for one’s privilege is simply meant to cause the purportedly privileged person to feel uncomfortable or guilty or even ashamed. Obviously not all white people are wealthy, and obviously many minorities are rich and powerful. Lots of white people are disadvantaged. But white privilege is something specific and different from the ordinary rising and falling of a free society. It’s the fact that simply by virtue of being a white person, of whatever socioeconomic status, you get the benefit of the doubt. That simply isn’t the case for those of other races in the United States, no matter how wealthy, smart or hardworking they are. Even when Black people work as hard as or harder than their white counterparts, they have this additional barrier to surmount. This shouldn’t be controversial. Agreeing that yes, there is some advantage to being white in the United States, doesn’t then mean stripping white people of their jobs and possessions. A request to acknowledge one’s privilege is just a reminder to be aware—aware that you might not be able to fully understand someone else’s experiences, that the assumptions you were brought up with may be blinding you, that some people may have to struggle for reasons foreign to you. Pointing out that white privilege exists isn’t the same as accusing every white person of being a racist. And acknowledging that you might benefit from such privilege doesn’t mean that you’re “apologizing for being white” or joining the ranks of those dreaded “social justice warriors.” Christine Emba, “This is What White Privilege Is,” The Washington Post, January 22, 2016 I thought we should explore this topic a bit today because the easy accusers would be quick to characterize all of us gathered here in this hallowed space as privileged. Were I to use another “hip” current rhetorical flourish, let me say that I intend to “unpack” that idea today.

the secular equivalent of grace My simple definition of privilege is that it’s the secular equivalent of grace. I have spoken of grace before because I believe it’s one of the most conveniently overlooked factors in who we are and what we are able or inclined to do. Let’s start with the premise that each of us arrived in this world not with a set of credentials or an impressive resume, but, rather, a family of DNA that was to determine to a certain degree who we were. We inherited those genes from our parents and our other forebears. You need only pay attention to the ads for ancestry.com and 23andMe to know what I’m talking about. It has become fashionable to pursue the facts about where we came from. I’m not talking birds and bees here. I’m not talking special delivery by the stork. I’m talking about the passing on by your parents to you of life and then the goods that make you who you are. I have always been interested in my own genealogy. I had the pleasure of growing up with four remarkable grandparents whose histories I knew somewhat. But even for them there were mysteries and unanswered questions. I worked hard to assemble evidence of their lives and where they came from. I pored over documents in city clerks’ offices in this country and visited government bureaucracies in Ireland, Italy and Slovakia to try to learn the truth about where I came from. I inspected ships’ manifests at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. It wasn’t easy. I found some important things. But it was hard going. This, of course, was before we had sophisticated technology that could give you access to important records from the comfort of your home office and with the swipe of a computer key. Last year, the various TV ads about genealogy got to me and I bought the services of genealogy. com. I confess. In the Headmaster’s Office of Roxbury Latin, I spit in a vial, placed the vial in an envelope, and shipped it off to be analyzed. A few weeks later the report came in and the countries from which I believe I had emanated were, in essence, verified, though the results were more regional than national. The part of the inquiry that made me realize it was actually legit was that the report listed a person with nearly identical data and it turned out to be my cousin. I didn’t even know that she had also subscribed to this service. But I digress. When we delve into our family history we learn important facts. We are in essential ways the logical incarnations of what had gone before. Thanks to creative breeding and surprising N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

pairings of ethnicities and types, each of us stands to be a unique example of the human form. Granted there will be characteristics, especially physical, that will be similar to those features of our ancestors: body type, eye color, hair color, complexion, height. And there will be other characteristics, too, having to do with our cognitive abilities, our tastes, our sexual orientation, our emotional makeup. These last qualities are arguably the more important, but the ones, alas, that we know the least about—certainly for those of us whose families have not been chronicled in important histories. Studying genes these days is not simply about affirming our ancestry related to what our forebears looked like or where they lived or what their jobs were. Important, even essential, genetic research is being done in order to give us insights about our own physical, medical makeup. My friend Dr. Robert Green, father of Lachlan ’12, heads a lab at Harvard that is intent on researching people’s genetic makeups in order to alert them to their predisposition to certain diseases. In some cases, getting this information can cause unnecessary worry with no likelihood of affecting the inevitable; in others, the person who has had “his genes done,” a kind of super coding, can help to prevent what would have been the likelihood of his falling ill to disease by modifying his diet, exercise and lifestyle.

nature or nurture? In academic and psychology circles there has been a persistent debate about whether the way we turn out— beyond the obvious physical traits that are inherited—is a function of nature or nurture. Nature or nurture. Often this conundrum was cited in less enlightened times when there was talk of sexual orientation. Even now some contend that this important characteristic is not the result of inherited propensities but the result of being shaped into a sexual orientation or choosing it despite what might be seemingly prevalent dispositions to the contrary. Now, most reputable psychologists assert that sexual orientation is a function of nature, a trait that one cannot make otherwise. In most other essential instances of considering who we are and what we are like, there is a combination of nature and nurture. We are hardwired to look a certain way and perhaps even have certain capacities and limitations, but many aspects of us, especially concerning our personalities, are the result 14

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of our collective experience, of internalizing cues about acceptable, even celebrated, behavior and then including these in our repertoire. This is where the modeling and mentoring I talked about in last spring’s opening of term address come in. We look to significant others in our lives to tell us and show us what kinds of people we should be. They model the way we approach life—work and play—and especially other people. They model the language we use. They model senses of humor. And they model especially how we are in the world—what our prejudices and passions are. Throughout life the early impressions imprinted on us by our parents and close-in family are challenged, complemented, and affirmed. Every minute of every day we are potentially forging a new part of ourselves. As we have intellectual epiphanies, emotional revelations, and encounters with a diverse set of people, it is likely that we will evolve as healthy, dynamic people. As individuals. As individuals who deserve to be affirmed for who each is. A corollary problem to the making of assumptions about privilege is the “speaking as a” problem that philosopher Kwame Anthony Appiah addressed in a recent New York Times column: “As a white man,” Joe begins, prefacing an insight, revelation, objection or confirmation he’s eager to share—but let’s stop him right there. Aside from the fact that he’s white, and a man, what’s his point? What does it signify when people use this now ubiquitous formula (“As a such-and-such, I …”) to affix an identity to an observation? Typically, it’s an assertion of authority: As a member of this or that social group, I have experiences that lend my remarks special weight. The experiences, being representative of that group, might even qualify me to represent that group. Occasionally, the formula is an avowal of humility. It can be both at once. (“As a working-class woman, I’m struggling to understand Virginia Woolf ’s blithe assumptions of privilege.”) The incantation seems indispensable. But it can also be— to use another much-loved formula—problematic. The “as a” concept is an inherent feature of identities. For a group label like “white men” to qualify as a social identity, there must be times when the people to whom it applies act as members of that group, and are treated as members of that group. We make lives as men and women, as blacks and whites, as teachers and musicians. Yet the very word “identity” points

Grace has played a part in many of the wonderful, unearned gifts we have known in our lives.

N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

Don’t squander what you’ve been given. But don’t be ashamed of it either.

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toward the trouble: It comes from the Latin idem meaning “the same.” Because members of a given identity group have experiences that depend on a host of other social factors, they’re not the same. Being a black lesbian, for instance, isn’t a matter of simply combining African-American, female, and homosexual ways of being in the world; identities interact in complex ways. That’s why Kimberlé Crenshaw, a feminist legal theorist and civil-rights activist, introduced the notion of intersectionality, which stresses the complexity with which different forms of subordination relate to one another. Racism can make white men shrink from black men and abuse black women. Homophobia can lead men in South Africa to rape gay women but murder gay men. Sexism in the United States in the 1950s kept middle-class white women at home and sent working-class black women to work for them. Let’s go back to Joe, with his NPR mug and his man bun. Having an identity doesn’t, by itself, authorize you to speak on behalf of everyone of that identity. So it can’t really be that he’s speaking for all white men. But he can at least speak to what it’s like to live as a white man, right? Not if we take the point about intersectionality. If Joe had grown up in Northern Ireland as a gay white Catholic man, his experiences might be rather different from those of his gay white Protestant male friends there—let alone those of his childhood pen pal, a straight, Cincinnati-raised reform Jew. While identity affects your experiences, there’s no guarantee that what you’ve learned from them is going to be the same as what other people of the same identity have learned. We’ve been here before. In the academy during the identity-conscious 1980s, many humanists thought that we’d reached peak “as a.” Some worried that the locution had devolved into mere prepositional posturing. The literary theorist Barbara Johnson wrote, “If I tried to ‘speak as a lesbian,’ wouldn’t I be processing my understanding of myself through media-induced images of what a lesbian is or through my own idealizations of what a lesbian should be?” In the effort to be “real,” she saw something fake. “One is not just one thing,” she observed. It’s because we’re not just one thing that, in everyday

conversation, “as a” can be useful as a way to spotlight some specific feature of who we are. Comedians do a lot of this sort of identity-cuing. The switch in identities can be the whole point of the joke. Here’s Chris Rock, talking about his life in an affluent New Jersey suburb: “As a black man, I’m against the cops, but as a man with property, well, I need the cops. If someone steals something, I can’t call the Crips!” Drawing attention to certain identities you have is often a natural way of drawing attention to the contours of your beliefs, values or concerns.

privilege as opportunity Certain faiths, and especially the Christian faith, teach about grace. This is a gift or gifts that are freely given to us, gifts that are unearned in a conventional sense, gifts that shape and enhance who we are or the nature of the lives we lead. Some would say that the gift of the family into which each of us has been born is toward the top of the list of graces we might have known. Additionally, the personality traits that make us attractive to others, the physical prowess or handsomeness that may in fact defy what would likely result from the smashing up of our genes would be considered a grace. For me, when I have received a chance to prove myself capable of something though I might not have conventionally signaled my ability to do it, I have considered that a grace. Some may simply call these instances luck. But for those of us who believe there is some special, powerful force, we are grateful for the graces we have been given. I think of these graces typically as providing opportunities—opportunities to grow, to achieve, to change, to encounter people who will change our lives. To allow us to do meaningful work, to pursue happiness, and to forge loving, empowering relationships. No matter where we think it comes from, each of us, I submit, would have to admit that grace has played a part in many of the wonderful, unearned gifts we have known in our lives. While related, grace and privilege are not quite the same thing—at least as privilege is being construed now. One of the chief complaints I have about the typical assertion is that it seems only to be imagined as a binary proposition. In other words, one is privileged or not. The other objection I have is even if there is something elementally wrong about one having privilege and another not, there is not much choice in the characteristics that for many presume a privileged

N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

situation. I am a middle-aged, white male. There’s not much I can do about that. I understand the typical observations that I cannot even concede what advantages those characteristics yield me because they are so ubiquitous in the culture. But I also understand that we are living in a period of growing alienation—one in which the haves and have nots seem more and more apart. I resent the fact that simply because I’m white and male I should be blamed for the country’s economic anomalies. Economic data supports the idea that a great underclass is growing while the top 1% seem to be getting richer and richer. This is a society-wide concern that will and specific policies can help to correct. Some of us believe it is worth correcting; others don’t seem to care. My feeling is that attitudes about social policy and the condition of all people in our country ought to be an extension of our

Over the break, I overheard some parents discussing their kids’ soccer careers. One said, “We just got back from Florida. It was a great tournament. Some of the best 14-year-old players in the country were there. Lots of college coaches. What about your Justin? Has he played this summer?” “Oh he’s part of the Olympic development program of his local team. He would have made the all-stars but his coach is terrible. Such a jerk. He wouldn’t know talent if he saw it. Justin plays rings around those other kids and yet the bleeping coach hardly gives him a chance. We’re thinking of moving to the super duper league; it costs a helluva lot more but it will be worth it.”

personal convictions about how people ought to be treated.

minute of competitive soccer in his life? You catch my drift. From an early age we are taught to be victims. To imagine that we have been treated unfairly. That someone has it out for us. That we have been screwed. On the other hand, many of us of earlier generations grew up with the idea that life is unfair, that nothing is going to be handed to us, that some have it better and some have it worse than we do, that we may know happiness despite our less glamorous lives that others do not. That hard work usually pays off. But that we are entitled to nothing but the opportunity. And it’s up to us to make the most of the opportunities we are given. David Brooks wrote in his New York Times column:

an era of hyper-victimization This is a period of hyper-victimization. Everywhere you turn someone is feeling aggrieved. And it’s not just or mainly people who are living in poverty. It’s all sorts of other people who resent the status and presumed advantage of certain people—not just people in their communities now, but people who have lived in the past. At my own college there was a sitin in the library over a few days about the fact that white men in the 19th century failed to do enough to reconcile the needs of the Native American population with the broader white culture. I mean, really. As I’ve studied history, I, too, have not been pleased by figures who have tortured, euthanized, beheaded, or murdered innocent people. The idea is that we learn from history and don’t relive it. Certainly we don’t waste our time relitigating the past and blaming the current successors to those who did wrong—just because they look the same—for what went on. To my mind this is a blatant form of bigotry in and of itself. There are plenty of other victims. We read of them in the newspapers every day. We encounter them in the marketplace. We hear them in the vapid political debate that marks our time. Rarely, but occasionally, we even hear the complaints of victimization in our own beloved school. “That test was so unfair. He scheduled an extra help session but it was during my advisor meeting time. Those other kids had an advantage.” “Well of course I got an A minus, so and so wrecked the curve because he took the course last summer and is just repeating it.” “I don’t know why he played him and not me. I’m just as good.” 18

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How good is Justin? Has he worked hard to make the all-star team? Does he take the advice of his coaches, or does he just listen to the endless praise of his father who never played a

There are, of course, some parts of society where the word “privilege” has a very negative connotation. In those parts of society, history is not seen as a shared debate over how to pursue a common ideal. Instead it is seen as a zero-sum power struggle between oppressor and oppressed, and America is not a distinct and special place but just another country where the powerful stomp the vulnerable. This prism is an understandable pedagogical tool. It’s a way to show students the reality of injustice and inequality. But as several writers, including Phoebe Maltz Bovy, have argued, this concept of negative privilege doesn’t seem to lead to productive social change. The negative-privilege mind-set usually begins with a privilege call-out. Somebody accuses someone of not checking their privilege. This

leads the accused to respond that in fact my group has also been marginalized, and that if anyone is the oppressor, it’s some other group more privileged than mine. This leads to an ever-higher-decibel-level identity war that sucks up everybody’s good will and doesn’t actually lead to social action. David Brooks, “In Praise of Privilege” The New York Times, March 26, 2018

privilege, in and of itself, is not bad And it finally is on this idea that I wish to dwell and to conclude. Privilege in and of itself is not evil. Privilege is often unearned. Privilege can be a surprise. But privilege always suggests opportunities. And that is the predicate of this talk. I’m not sure that there was a time in our country’s history during which groups of people were more dramatically different in their lifestyles and resources than they are now. But I believe there were many other times in our history, from our founding days, when people had to scratch and sacrifice simply to stay alive. I know that consistently during the course of our country’s history, people who had more were eager to make life better for those who had less. In Boston, in particular, the Brahmins, the landed gentry, the WASPs who lived in privileged enclaves, were seen to be privileged, unworthy of their lot in life, unfeeling for the condition of the great unwashed who surrounded them. But there were, as there always are, notable exceptions, people whose goal in life was to make life better for all of the community, all of the society. While some of that important work might be seen to be patronizing, it ultimately was empowering. How else would we have public libraries? Or symphony orchestras? Or Social Security? Or art museums? Or old age homes? Or world class hospitals? Or systems for the distribution of food? Or child care? Or beautiful parks? Or schools and colleges and universities? Schools and colleges and universities that have made the opportunity of them available to all kinds of people regardless of their socioeconomic station. I like to believe that Roxbury Latin is in the forefront of this movement, a movement that seeks to level the playing field. A movement that refuses to blame people for the circumstances into which they were born, but, rather, seeks to identify qualities and especially promise that students who have desire

and talent represent. To them, then, goes the opportunity to “make something of themselves” as a result of a top notch education. And while there is a great variety within this room when one considers the relative financial wealth of families, or the tradition of attending ambitious schools throughout the generations, or the trappings of home and car and vacation and travel, this is the great equalizer: the opportunity to learn and grow and change and benefit from the perspectives and life experiences of a full range of people, representative of this region’s great demographic diversity. We share in the privilege of this school. It is a great one. To some extent we have earned the privilege and to others it is simply a gift, a grace. But what it does suggest is that we never take it for granted. To be privileged is not a crime. Indeed, to be privileged affords one the opportunity to do something great with his or her life. It allows one to have both an inward seeking and an outward reaching life, one in which our mission is to find satisfaction in helping others. Our mission is to be all that we can be, not just for self-aggrandizement, not just to accumulate things, not just to feign superiority, but rather, and only in order that we can positively affect the world in which we live. In order that we can love others and improve their lot. In order that we can make a positive difference. The great African-American female commentator Bell Hooks asserted: “Privilege is not in and of itself bad; what matters is what we do with privilege. I want to live in a world where all women have access to education, and all women can earn PhDs, if they so desire. Privilege does not have to be negative, but we have to share our resources and take direction about how to use our privilege in ways that empower those who lack it.” As we start our school year, Roxbury Latin’s 374th, remember that our most important reason for existing is in order to prepare you and inspire you to seek justice, to improve our society for all its members, and to insure that the privileges we have known are utilized on behalf of revelatory, transformative, generous causes. Don’t squander what you’ve been given. But don’t be ashamed of it either. I wish you a year in which we all can begin or continue that good work.

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Visaury Moreta, Matthew Dinger, Marcus Miller, Michael Lawler, Chris Brown, Mike doCurral, Meredith Reynolds, Carolyn Powell.

welcome, new colleagues 2018–2019 new faculty and staff

Part of Roxbury Latin’s treasured continuity as a school is that we are always welcoming new people to our ranks—foremost our 45 new Sixies, 11 new members of Class IV, and our four new Class V boys. This fall we are also pleased to introduce to the community the following seven additions to the professional staff of the school. CHRISTOPHER BROWN, newly admitted to the Penn Fellows Program, joins the History Department to teach AP Economics and Class VI history, as well as to coach basketball in the winter and assist with varsity lacrosse in the spring. He will also serve as an advisor and serve on the admission committee. Mr. Brown attended Bowdoin College, at which he fulfilled the double major in economics and German and contributed prominently as a member of the men’s lacrosse team. His play and academic achievement earned him berths on the NESCAC All-Academic Team three years running. He is a Schenectady native.

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VISAURY MORETA is a new RL-Penn Fellow with responsibilities in the Modern Language Department teaching Spanish. She will also coach basketball, assist with the Model United Nations and debate programs, and serve as an admission officer. Ms. Moreta graduated from the College of the Holy Cross with a degree in Spanish, Latin American and Latino Studies, and earned the Vannicelli Prize for the best essay on a theme of Italian literature. She participated in various service and culture organizations, while also serving as a mentor to first-year students at Holy Cross, and helping Worcester fifth graders with their studies. Indicative of the high regard in which she was held by the Holy Cross community, she was chosen from her class to serve on the Holy Cross Board of Trustees. She is a Roslindale native. MEREDITH REYNOLDS joins us as Assistant Director of College Guidance. She comes to us from her most recent post as Associate Director of Undergraduate Admissions at

Tufts University. Ms. Reynolds was responsible for training new colleagues, hiring and orienting 85 tour guides, and representing the University throughout New England, the Midwest, and in Turkey and South Korea. Also an alumna of Tufts, she majored in Spanish with a minor in Communications and Media Studies, graduating cum laude and spending a semester abroad in Barcelona. Here at RL, in addition to guiding a representative cohort of seniors as they pursue their college plans, Ms. Reynolds will also assist Mrs. Berg with the planning, design, and writing of various school publications and the website. MICHAEL LAWLER ’06 returns to Alma Mater to serve in various capacities. At RL, Mr. Lawler was a broadly involved and successful scholar-athlete. He went on to Harvard, from which he graduated with a degree in English and a language citation in French. Mr. Lawler comes by way of St. Sebastian’s School, where for six years he taught English, coached football and lacrosse, advised students, served as an admission officer, and served as the Associate Director of College Counseling. He has also taught for two summers at Steppingstone Academy. During his time at St. Sebastian’s, he earned the master’s in English Literature from the Bread Loaf School of English at Middlebury College. At RL, Mr. Lawler will teach two levels of English, serve as Associate Director of College Guidance, and in similar capacities help to lead our admission efforts, and the good, new work of the Fellows Program. He will also serve as an advisor and coach football and lacrosse. CAROLYN POWELL has come to know RL through her husband Robert ’81 and through her two sons, Robbie ’11 and Jake ’16. This year she joins us as the Assistant to the Director of Admission. When her boys were with us, Mrs. Powell offered great and wise service to all of us as she, along with her husband, were co-presidents of the Parents’ Auxiliary. She worked for more than 30 years at the Boston Globe, where she ably led various advertising and digital advertising efforts including most recently as the digital campaign manager. Her degree is from the University of Rhode Island, in nutrition and food service leading to some early jobs as director of food services in the Auburn and Easton Public Schools. We are especially glad that the first person most people will meet as they look at Roxbury Latin will be Mrs. Powell, an upbeat, authentic, relatable ambassador for the school.

MARCUS MILLER is the new Director of Digital and Graphic Design. In this capacity, he will be chiefly responsible for “telling the RL story” through print and virtual media. All of our constituencies—including prospective families—will benefit from his clear, compelling design and communication. Mr. Miller graduated with a degree in writing and public relations from Drake University and, subsequently, earned his master’s in writing, literature, and publishing from Emerson College. He has had extensive experience as a copywriter and editor for various companies. Since 2013, Mr. Miller has worked for schools in their communications operations. First at St. Sebastian’s, then at Derby Academy, and most recently at Catholic Memorial School. He has directed communications efforts, often coordinating media relations, writing and designing promotional materials, and collaborating with colleagues in admission and development. MATTHEW DINGER had a great impact on the school and our boys a few years ago, and he returns to us this year to teach math and science, coach wrestling and baseball, advise several boys, and serve on the admission committee. He left us in 2015 to take a position at the TASIS School in London, and now returns to Boston, eventually to enter law school. Mr. Dinger came to us from a fellowship year at Fessenden, and before that as a prodigious student at Dartmouth from which he graduated magna cum laude with a degree in mathematics and Classics. He won the Atherton Greek Prize and captained the rugby team. When a student at Newton North High School, he earned laurels on a host of Latin exams, was a National Merit semi-finalist, and captained the varsity wrestling team earning fifth place in the state championship. For a half-dozen years, Mr. Dinger helped lead various programs at the famous Camp Becket, which had a great influence on his approach to boys’ learning and fun. MIKE DOCURRAL arrived on campus last November as RL’s Director of Operations and Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds. Mike came to us with a raft of experience in the building trades industry and as a supervisor of maintenance operations. A graduate of North Adams State College, he subsequently earned his MBA from Plymouth State. Over the past twenty years, he has operated his own business as a specialty contractor, served as a project manager for Consigli Construction, and served as director of facilities for the Kearsarge Regional School District in New London, New Hampshire. Most recently, Mike was the Director of Plant Operations at Tabor Academy. N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

Beaver Brook 2018

A Fresh Take on a Decades-Long Tradition

Six RL boys—seven if you include the towering senior along for the ride—huddled together on a tiny wooden pallet. A horde of angry (and fictitious) crocodiles stood between them and the more inviting pallet in the distance: their finish line. All seemed lost, as the rope that could usher them safely across the treacherous expanse hung uselessly out of reach. That is, until Matteo picked up a really big stick. In September, 45 new Sixies—along with nine senior leaders and sixteen members of the faculty and staff—trekked to Beaver Brook in Hollis, New Hampshire, for a tradition that dates back more than 50 years. Upon arriving, Class VI boys were immediately met with their first challenge: a test of their Roxbury Latin knowledge. Though the help of faculty and seniors was permitted, it should be noted that this is the only time RL suspends its first and most important rule: honesty is expected in all dealings. This is perhaps why Sixie parents were later regaled with tales of Kerry Perry Brennan and his 22

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assistant, Dwight Schrute, as well as the long and lustrous tenure of RL headmaster Mr. Lovett, who coincidentally shared a last name with one of the seniors present. Perhaps you’ve read about him in the Bipod? Noah Rock was successful in separating fact from fiction, producing the most correct answers in the survey, and Ryan Peterson had the best guess for the number of M&Ms in the giant jug (adjusting, of course, for the handful Ms. Morris-Kliment snagged before it all began). The day, organized by Class VI Master Hunter White, continued with team building activities (a low ropes course; the famously frustrating helium hoop; an orienteering challenge that required a crash course in maps and compasses). After dinner, Sixies gathered in the barn for the annual viewing of Twelve Angry Men, followed by small group discussions—decidedly more civil than the ones depicted on screen. The evening ended around the fire, where Mr. Opdycke taught new boys The Founder’s Song before it was time for s’mores.

After breakfast the next morning, each Sixie addressed a letter to himself, to be opened at his senior retreat in five years. As they closed their notebooks, packed up their gear, and boarded the bus home, the Class of 2024 joined a brotherhood of RL men and boys who have sat around the campfire at Beaver Brook, singing about Roundheads and eating sâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;mores. It is a brotherhood that spans generations.

Readers are likely eager to learn the fate of Matteo and his crew. Unfortunately they did not make it to the pallet on the other side of the crocodile swamp. They did, however, learn a valuable lesson in facing challenges, and that lesson is this: Always have a really tall senior present when swinging across crocodile-infested waters. He can lift you up really high so your feet donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t skim the ground on your way over. By Meredith Reynolds

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welcome, new trustees The school is honored to announce the appointment of the following individuals to the Board of Trustees and gratefully anticipates their coming years of service.

DR. ROBERTO S. GOIZUETA is the Margaret O’Brien Flatley Professor Emeritus of Catholic Theology at Boston College. A native of Cuba, Dr. Goizueta is a graduate of Yale University and Marquette University. He is former president of both the Catholic Theological Society of America and the Academy of Catholic Hispanic Theologians of the United States. The National Catholic Reporter named him one of the 10 most influential U.S. Latino educators, pastors, and theologians. He has published six books and more than 100 scholarly articles and book chapters. Dr. Goizueta has served as a trustee of Stonehill College and has served on numerous editorial and advisory boards, including RL’s Headmaster’s Council. His wife, Elizabeth, teaches in the Department of Romance Languages and Literatures at BC, where she also curates exhibits at the McMullen Museum of Art. Their son Roberto graduated from RL in 2009.

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DR. GENE LAMBERT ’87 is an Addiction Medicine fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital. Previously, he served as director of Hospital Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital for ten years. In that role, he oversaw the strategic development and growth of Hospital Medicine. He focused on strategic planning, patient care delivery models, operations, process improvement, patient safety and quality. There he completed an administrative fellowship and was a long-standing member of the MGH Clinical Business Development, Information Systems Steering, Medical Service Operations Oversight and Emergency Department/Department of Medicine committees. Dr. Lambert previously served as a Physician Lead on the Partners Acute Care Documentation project, an inpatient electronic health record system for MGH and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. He was the founder and director of the Hospital Medicine physician assistant education program. He is a clinical instructor in medicine and serves as a core faculty educator at Harvard Medical School.

He graduated with a BA in Biology from Brown University and earned his MBA with certification in Healthcare Management from BU’s School of Management. He earned his MD from Tufts and completed his Internal Medicine residency at Temple University Hospital. He is a member of the Governor’s Council and co-chair of the opioid use disorder subcommittee of the Massachusetts chapter of the American College of Physicians. He is also a member of the Massachusetts Medical Society Task Force on Opioid Therapy and Physician Communication. He coaches both boys’ and girls’ Parkway basketball teams and lives with his wife and daughter in West Roxbury. Gene also has been a member of RL’s Headmaster’s Council.

ANNE C. MCNAY returns to the Board as a Charter Trustee, having served as a Trustee from 2009 to 2015 and as Secretary of the Board since 2015. Anne was co-head of the Parents’ Fund with her husband, Colin, in 2008–2009, and co-president of the Parents’ Auxiliary in 2010–2011. She has also served on many RL Board committees, including Strategic Planning, Archives, Development, and Nominating. Anne has served as a trustee at other leading schools, including the Winsor School since 2013 and the Park School from 2001 to 2007. She is also a trustee at the Massachusetts Historical Society and vice president of the Dartmouth Women’s Club of Boston. Anne is a graduate of

Dartmouth College and Boston College Law School, where she was editor-in-chief of the Boston College Law Review. After law school, Anne clerked for Chief Judge Albert W. Coffrin of the U.S. District Court for the District of Vermont, and was an associate at Ropes & Gray until her second child’s birth. Anne and Colin live in Brookline and have two sons, James ’11 and Seth ’13, and a daughter, Eliza.

KENT E. SAHIN ’91 is CEO of REAL Software Systems, a provider of software products and services that enable efficient intellectual property commerce. Kent has led the growth of the company since 2002, which now has a customer base that uses its software products to pay and receive over $10 billion in royalties annually. After earning his undergraduate degree from the Isenberg School of Management at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst in 1995, Kent held numerous individual contribution and general management positions at Kenan Systems through its acquisition by Lucent Technologies in 1999. Since graduating from Roxbury Latin in 1991, Kent has been a steadfast supporter of the school and its mission, most recently as a member of the Headmaster’s Council. Kent lives in Needham with his wife, Kori, and their three children, Keaton (III), Kate, and Kolby.

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Great Outdoors

Since opening last spring, RL’s new outdoor classroom has welcomed a steady stream of faculty, staff, and students—from Sixies to Seniors.

At the edge of Roxbury Latin’s 50 acres of undeveloped forest is the school’s newest—and most unusual—campus addition: an outdoor classroom seating 80 students, equipped with a secured white board and a teacher’s table that doubles as a water-tight storage container. The classroom was completed in May and saw immediate use by faculty during end-ofyear meetings. When classes began in August, the classroom welcomed a steady stream of students and faculty. Faculty from all academic departments are eager to take advantage of the new space—none more so than science faculty member Elizabeth Carroll, whose Class VI students spend the first month of the school year working daily in the RL forest, learning the fundamentals of the scientific process: how to make scientific observations, collect data, formulate a hypothesis, and test it. The new outdoor classroom enables seamless transition between traditional instruction and students’ exploration in the field. “All incoming Sixies take a year-long course called Natural Design,” says Mrs. Carroll. “The boys begin the year with a four-week introductory unit called Observing the Roxbury Latin Forest. “Before having the outdoor classroom, we would split our time between lectures in the science classrooms and field work in the forest. The outdoor classroom gives us the flexibility to be

in the forest every day that the weather permits. We can teach the boys in the outdoor facility and then give them the rest of the class period to do their field work based on what they learned that day. It is a much more efficient use of our time. Perhaps more importantly, when learning about ecosystems and the environment, it is inspiring and fun to be in such a beautiful, natural space.” Similarly, Mrs. Carroll’s Class I Environmental Science class spends several weeks outside in the fall learning how ecosystems function and how to “read the forested landscape”—observing the details of current forest conditions and determining the history of that particular site. The outdoor classroom was made possible by generous contributions from members of the RL community. The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations awarded a grant to the school toward construction of the space, and Liberty Cedar Company of West Kingston, Rhode Island, provided the classroom’s 16 reclaimed oak log benches. Senior Brendan Gibbons reported on the new classroom space in the spring issue of The Tripod; in that article he quoted classmate Cam Keough, who is eager to experience class in the great outdoors: “[It’s] exciting that RL is branching out and implementing new education methods that challenge traditional learning.” N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

Border Scholar by Meredith Reynolds

Twelve years ago, Robert and Salua Smith established the Robert P. Smith ’58 International Fellowship so that Roxbury Latin could bring visiting scholars to campus each year, enhancing our curricula with their insightful perspectives on our increasingly complex world. Over the years, these scholars have educated us on such topics as economic globalization in Africa, modernization in China and India, the modern Middle East, Latin American literature, and the legacy of World War I. Last year, the Smith Scholar Series included four experts on climate change and its far-reaching political, economic, and social effects. This year, Roxbury Latin welcomes Dr. Evan McCormick, whose research on U.S. foreign policy and experience at the Department of Homeland Security brings important historical context to many of today’s most hot-button political issues. ROXBURY LATIN HAS HOSTED 20 INTERNATIONAL FELLOWS SINCE 2007.

2007

GUILAIN DENOEUX

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2008

DIANE MOORE

2009

MOMAR DIENG

2010

ALEXANDER AKIN

2011

AVINASH SINGH

2012

ANDREW BACEVICH

2013

GARY URTON

2013

DAVID CARRASCO

HISPANIC SERIES

2013

MARIA VICTORIA MURILLO

“Globally, we’re seeing an increased emphasis on division and othering,” says Dr. Evan McCormick, this year’s Smith Fellow. Both physical and abstract borders, he explains, fill our newspapers, television screens, and Twitter feeds. Literal division at national borders has garnered worldwide attention through chants of “Build that Wall” and boats of asylum-seekers cropping up on European coasts. At the same time, the concept of a border has broadened in recent years. Cyber-attacks among governments bring to light the vulnerability of virtual borders, and events like the white supremacist rally in Charlottesville force us to examine racial borders within our own communities. Dr. McCormick will explore, connect, and contextualize these topics in his course for Class I boys, as well as in a series of Halls addressing the entire RL community. Dr. McCormick earned his bachelor’s degree from Boston University in 2003. After gaining experience working on Capitol Hill he earned a master’s in International Relations at Yale. He was then hired as a Policy Fellow in the Department of Homeland Security, where he spent time in the Office of International Affairs writing speeches and conducting research for policy papers on issues of immigration, citizenship, and border control at the U.S.Mexico border. All of this work ultimately informed Dr. McCormick’s Ph.D. research at the University of Virginia. There, he wrote his dissertation on the emergence of democracy promotion in U.S. foreign policy during the 1980s under Ronald Reagan. This dissertation will soon be published as his first book, titled Beyond Revolution and Repression: U.S. Foreign Policy and Latin American Democracy, 1980–1989. Here at Roxbury Latin, Dr. McCormick is teaching the first half of a course titled Contemporary Global Issues, offered to Class I boys. He and Erin Dromgoole—who will teach the second half of the course in the spring—will spend class

2013

ROBERTO GOIZUETA

2013

JUNOT DÍAZ

2014

JAY SAMONS

2014

ANDREW GOLDMAN

CLASSICS SERIES

2015

MICHAEL NEIBERG

time exploring contemporary issues through a historical lens. Dr. McCormick has themed his semester of the course around borders. He is beginning with units on physical borders, like the one separating the U.S. and Mexico, and those drawn at the end of the Cold War that continue to serve as the root of much friction throughout Europe. Then, Dr. McCormick explains, he’s going to take a conceptual turn. “We’re going to do a case study of Charlottesville in 2017. This will be a chance for students to explore… how borders aren’t just national lines. They arise on the community level as well.” The final unit will explore human rights, and moments when countries and groups work across borders to address injustice or suffering. In addition to his course, Dr. McCormick is presenting a number of Halls throughout the academic year. His first Hall, in mid-October, was titled “Other People’s Politics.” “I want to talk about Russian intervention in the 2016 U.S. election,” he says. This moment in our history may be an opportunity, he explains, for a reckoning with our own past. “As many have been quick to point out, the U.S. has intervened in other countries’ politics throughout the 20th century. Hopefully this election can prompt us to rethink how the United States can protect its interest in supporting democracy abroad without undermining other countries’ political institutions.” While much of Dr. McCormick’s time at RL will be spent spurring debates about barriers and boundaries, his ultimate aim is that students will look beyond lines that divide. “By historically looking at moments when [borders] matter more or less,” he says, “[I hope] students will understand that much of the rhetoric that’s based on division is something they can—and must—think beyond.” In that way, our time with Dr. McCormick provides a muchneeded respite from a global political narrative dominated by othering.

2016

ILAN STAVANS

2017

MICHAEL MCELROY

2017

ANTHONY LEISEROWITZ

2017

GINA MCCARTHY

GLOBAL CLIMATE CHANGE SERIES

2017

MARIA IVANOVA

National Award Recognition for RL’s Newest Athletic Facilities OUTSTANDING DESIGNS CAT ION FAC ILIT IES/REC

Roxbury Latin's new Indoor Athletic Facility and Hennessy Rink were honored with

PHYSIC AL- EDU

REATIO N CEN THE ROXBURY TER S INDOOR ATHL LATIN SCHOOL

an award for Outstanding Design by American School & University Magazine, as part

WEST ROXBURY, ETIC FACILITY AND HENN MASSACHUSETTS ESSY RINK

of the 2018 Educational Interiors Showcase issue. The IAF and Hennessy Rink projects, designed and built in partnership with Hastings Architecture Associates, have served Roxbury Latin's athletes, coaches and community well and broadly over these two years since their opening. The space is, as Headmaster Kerry Brennan describes, "a functionally top-notch, aesthetically arresting... beacon offering the community a place to recreate, connect, and celebrate our common mission."

ound ed in 1645 , The Roxb ury Latin School is an indep Challenges inclu endent school ded identifying for areas over boys in grades buildable 7 to 12. The camp the hilly, 117-a cre campus. For us is purposes in an established of sustainability, residential neigh the school enlist hood in Boston bor- Stantec to ed and positioned convert existing on dramatic terrain. The scho field surfaces to synthetic turf rathe ol’s desire to expa r than build new nd pro- The gradi grammatic offer fields . ings spurred a ng design inclu progressive acco ded raising fields mast er plan in mmodate exces to 2014 , s topsoil, saving Hastings Architectu in partn ersh ip with and ener on cost gy, and limiting re Associates. The disruption to the to ensure that goal: surroundin scho lar-athlet g residential stree es and their teacher-coache ts. Stormwater struc s had tures were minim tion facilities comm training and competi- limit ized to excavation. Rainw ensurate with the ater is managed of the rest of their quality a syste with m of 1-inch stora Roxbury Latin expe ge for all proposed The plan included rience. imperviou the addition of s surfaces. With an indoor perc athletic facility; this system, 75 ent an updated vehic ular circula- groun of rain is cont aine d, rech argin tion pattern; new d water. Air hand g football, lacrosse, ling units (AHU baseball an enth and soccer fields s) use ; a tennis cente r; and track minim alpy whee l for energy recovery and field complex. to ize load demand on the compresso The new Indo or They are equip rs. Athle tic Facility ped with 100 perce competition ice has a economiz nt airside hockey rink with ers for free cooli spec tator cond ng when ambient seating, a fitnes Client: itions allow. The s center with weigh AHU serving the t training spac equipment and The Roxbury Latin main es incorporates a traini School active duct static dio, additional playe ng room, a fitness stu- sure presreset to minim r and coach locke Total area: ize the fan horse r rooms, used coaches office Total cost: power s, associated back as an energ y cons 47,00 0 sq. ft. ervation measure. -of-house chille spaces, and a new $21,0 00,00 0 The r, designed for “Varsity Room.” dual purpose, provi Tota The facili ty expa l cost cold glycol to creat /square foot: des nds the exist ing e ice during the creates optimal $447 gym, season; hockey student and staff once the season circulation, perat ends, the glycol and increases the temure is reset to enlist Completion: school’s athletic Photographer the AHUs for comf program cooli offerings. The open : ort ng in the warmer January 2017 ing of the Henn Christian Phillips, months. essy Rink in January 2017 Throughout cons enabled the scho truction, Roxbury Adam Richins, Evan ol’s hockey educ players to pract Latin ated its stud ents ice and host comp Scales etitions on cons in the desig n campus in a regul and truction process. ation-size rink for Students participat the first in lectu time in school histo ed adjacent res ranging from ry. The exterior resource areas. of the facil- and community proce ity was designed In economics class permitting , to to merge seamlessly es, architectural desig ss students analyzed the cost with the comp original brick scho of the project and n, to the path uter-aided desig olhouse, designed to appropriate n. Work shop s 1920s by architect in the held highl financing. Site were throughs William Perry. ighting environme walkenabled students ntal topics such 84 AMERICAN as stormwater to explore build techniques, such ing management and SCHOOL & UNIV as struc ERSITY • SCHO prote tural cting safet y, engineering, OLDESIGNS.CO and geotechnic M • AUGUST 2018 al studies.

Hastings Archit ect Associates, LLC ure

arts calendar 2018–2019

GLEE CLUB / FESTIVAL OF MEN’S CHORUSES FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 9 @ 7:30 P.M. SENIOR PLAY: IT CAN’T HAPPEN HERE FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 16 @ 7:30 P.M. SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17 @ 7:30 P.M. SLY VOXES CONCERT / MESSIAH SING FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 @ 7:30 P.M. GLEE CLUB HOLIDAY CONCERTS WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19 @ 4:30 P.M. AND 7:30 P.M. ALL EVENTS WILL TAKE PLACE ON CAMPUS.

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Thank You. An Early, Successful Conclusion for Mens Sana in Corpore Sano: A Campaign for Roxbury Latin.

Because of your loyalty and generosity, we not only surpassed our ambitious goal of raising $25 million in five years, but we surpassed our goal one year early. In four years, you helped us raise $25.4 million in support of: • • • •

Roxbury Latin’s talented, diverse, and aspiring boys; their gifted, effective, and committed teachers; facilities commensurate with the excellence of our program; and our continued commitment to the character development and rigorous academic training of each boy entrusted to our care.

Your love for and continued belief in this school helped us achieve unprecedented heights in capital fundraising, realizing key priorities including: • funding 28 new endowed scholarships (51 since 2010); • establishing 8 new financial aid funds; • and developing funds in economics, environmental science, music, and leadership development in support of our skilled and dedicated faculty. You’ve allowed us to enhance our facilities in several important areas, ensuring that our spaces match the excellence of the teaching and learning that happens within them: • Indoor Athletic Facility and Hennessy Rink • • • • •

Schoolhouse Field Evans Choral Room Chauncey Diamond Fitness and Wellness Center Tennis Courts

Your support is vital to the well-being of our school and its mission. Thank you for allowing us to preserve Roxbury Latin’s core values while ensuring that the next generation of students is equipped to lead and serve in the world they are inheriting. Thank you for your generosity and for your belief in Roxbury Latin.

Hall Highlights Dr. Jill Walsh Kicks Off New Wellness Program With “Know Thy Selfie.” “At RL, as you know, we care not only about helping you develop your intellectual passions and pursuits, but also about helping you develop the tools to lead physically, mentally, and emotionally healthy lives,” began Headmaster Brennan on the morning of September 20, as he addressed boys in Classes IV through I. That presentation marked the beginning of a new, comprehensive health and wellness program for RL’s older boys. Coordinated by Masters Tony Teixeira, Paul Sugg, and Andy Chappell, the program will address a range of timely topics over the year, aimed at helping students establish healthy balance in their lives.

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The program began with two guest speakers: First, Jordan Grinstein from Ivy Child International set the tone with an invigorating exercise in mindfulness, aimed at getting everyone’s energy flowing and minds focused on being present. Following Mr. Grinstein, boys and faculty spent an hour learning from Dr. Jill Walsh about technology, social media, and their effects on our health. “Technology is neither good nor bad—it’s neutral. How we use technology, and what we create with it, dictates whether we’re employing it in ways that are good or bad,” began Dr. Walsh. Dr. Jill Walsh is a sociologist, researcher, and lecturer at Boston University, focused on how social media can affect young people’s emotional wellbeing and relationships, in ways both positive and negative. (Last year, Dr. Walsh spoke with RL parents and members of the Headmaster’s Council on this topic.) Her presentation to boys included lessons on “amplification”—how social media can make things seem more significant and increase the reach of news and images exponentially and instantly. She discussed how we—young people and adults—turn to tech during any downtime, which can increase our feelings of being stressed, overwhelmed, depleted; how the amount of time spent online—gaming, for instance—can have positive effects over 20 minutes, but that those effects plateau and then become negative after 30–40 minutes; and how a bolder, “snarkier” digital version of ourselves becomes the version with which people interact more frequently. “What we all need to do is be aware: be aware of what you’re putting out there and how people are interpreting it; be aware of what apps/games/technology energize you and what drains you; be aware of how much time you’re spending so you don’t get sucked into the ‘time void’,” advised Dr. Walsh. Dr. Jill Walsh earned her PhD from Boston University, her master’s from Brown, and her bachelor’s degree from Harvard. She teaches courses on the intersection between society and technology, with an emphasis on the millennial generation. After Dr. Walsh’s presentation, boys and faculty broke into smaller groups for further discussion and to think together through several, real-life social media scenarios.

Dr. Jerry Katz Speaks on Jewish High Holy Days In this year’s recognition of the Jewish High Holy Days, RL welcomed Dr. Jerry Katz, head of school at Gann Academy in Waltham, to speak to students, faculty and staff about his faith journey and the meaning of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. “These Jewish holidays mark ten days of intense reflection [between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur],” said Dr. Katz. “For me, that means reflecting on ways I may have missed the mark over the year, and how I might atone for those missteps.” Dr. Katz helped the audience understand that he believes we do not ask forgiveness from God, but rather from our fellow human beings. For him, the fact that members of the Jewish faith commit to this reflection and renewal once a year implies commitment to a healthy, growth mindset, “always evolving, capable of changing, capable of improving.” Dr. Katz has more than 40 years of experience as a teacher and school leader, including as former head of The Park School for 20 years. Today he helps educate young people to become confident, engaged, and responsible members of the Jewish faith.

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National Art Awards and Carnegie Hall Honors ERIK ZOU, CLASS I, traveled to Carnegie Hall this summer where he was honored as a National Gold Medalist in the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards, a competition sponsored by the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers. Erik earned the honor for his drawing “East Meets West”; national medalists represent less than one percent of the 350,000 works of art and writing submitted in 2018 by high schoolers from across the United States. Since 1923, the Scholastic Art and Writing Awards have recognized students for their creativity, skill and leadership. Other National Medal winners from past decades include Andy Warhol, Sylvia Plath, Truman Capote, Robert Redford, Joyce Carol Oates, and this year’s Alumni Achievement Award recipient, author and illustrator Marc Brown. Senior ADAM BERK was a National Silver Medalist in the 2018 competition, for his Humor Writing submission titled “Advisor Letter.” (Adam was unable to attend this summer’s ceremony in New York City.) As part of Erik’s Gold Medal award, his piece was on exhibit at Parsons School of Design at The New School and Pratt Institute’s Pratt Manhattan Gallery.

Western Civ Project Donated to Deutsches Altenheim Chapel For his Western Civilization project last year, CONOR DOWNEY, CLASS III, designed and crafted a reproduction of the famed stained glass window—depicting Mary and the Christ Child—from the Cathedral at Chartres, France. The piece of artwork—a labor of love for which Conor earned RL’s informal “Best in Show”—now has a new and permanent home on the campus of RL’s neighboring Deutsches Altenheim. Conor donated his window to this long-standing service partner of Roxbury Latin, where it now hangs in the facility’s non-denominational chapel. Conor knew of many remarkable stained glass creations in history, but he wanted to be sure that he was taking on something within his skill range. Art History teacher Dr. Sue McCrory helped him to assess a range of options. Having previously created art at the Diablo Glass School in Roxbury— 34

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largely with glassblowing techniques—Conor was intrigued by the stained glass work he encountered there. “For my project I went to the studio every weekend for two to four hours a day,” says Conor. “I spent about 50 hours total—researching, creating my template, cutting, grinding, soldering, and putting on the final touches.” When the presentation period for the Western Civ projects had come and gone, Conor and his family thought it would be a shame for the window to simply gather dust in their basement. In thinking about a potential home for the piece, Conor decided ultimately on Deutsches Altenheim: “I had been lucky enough to volunteer there through RL several times. All of the residents there are so kind and appreciative. They also have lots of art in the hallways, and it just seemed the right home for my window.” Jennifer Clark, director of development at Deutsches Altenheim, says she, other staff members, and the residents are grateful to have Conor’s artwork installed in the chapel, which residents and staff members use daily to find some tranquility or pray the rosary. “As people age they tend to rely even more strongly on their faith, so this space on our campus becomes an important part of their lives,” says Ms. Clark. “We were grateful that Conor thought of us and reached out. The sunlight hits the window really beautifully, and the colors help to brighten and warm this space in a way that residents and staff really appreciate.” Volunteering, entertaining, and spending time with Deutsches Altenheim residents is the classwide service project for boys in Class IV, led by Classmaster Jim Ryan. Several years ago, Roxbury Latin boys built raised planter boxes for the Deutsches Altenheim residents, so that they could garden at waist height, which made a favorite pastime possible again for those residents who can’t bend or kneel on the ground. “RL boys are making important and lasting marks all over our campus,” says Ms. Clark.

The annual Class IV Western Civ project, long a component of RL’s freshman year curriculum, involves students researching, producing, and orally defending an artifact, building, or historical scene linked to Western Civilization. Parameters dictate that the student must make his project with his own hands—no kits, and no enlisting a 3-D printer to craft a prefabricated design. Each student is graded on his oral defense, accuracy in representing the original, workmanship, and the project’s degree of difficulty.

Award-Winning Essay Published in The Concord Review Last year, LUCAS ZHENG, CLASS I, won first place in the Senior Historical Paper category in the state round of the National History Day competition. His essay, titled “Treaty of Lausanne,” on the Greco-Turkish War, moved through stages of advanced rounds in the competition, reviewed by history faculty members Tim Kelly and Chris Heaton. This fall, Lucas’s essay was published in the September issue of The Concord Review. Founded in 1987, The Review recognizes and publishes exemplary history essays by high school students throughout the English-speaking world. The Concord Review’s founding premise is that “the pursuit of academic excellence in secondary schools should be given the same attention as the pursuit of excellence in sports and other extracurricular activities, and that many students do exemplary work in history.” As of the Fall 2018 issue, The Review has published 1,196 research papers from authors in forty-five states and forty countries. The Concord Review is the only quarterly journal in the world to publish the academic history papers of secondary students. Writing submissions are assessed by The Review’s National Writing Board against an independent academic expository writing standard endorsed by Harvard, Michigan, Princeton, Stanford, Virginia, Yale, and 33 other selective colleges and universities. The September issue of The Concord Review containing Lucas’s essay is available for purchase online.

RL National Merit Scholars Announced This year, 25 Roxbury Latin boys from the Class of 2019 have been recognized by the National Merit Scholarship Program—five were named semifinalists and 20 earned commendations from program officials. SEMIFINALISTS Tomas Gustafsson Nate Lopes Taalin RaoShah Ben Rounds Erik Zou COMMENDATION Adam Berk Jared Brosnan John Frates Dominic Gaziano Isaiah Goldsmith Ethan Kee Makoto Kobayashi Charlie Mazof Colin Miller Ben Morris Kalyan Palepu Milan Rosen Gil Rosenthal Quito Sanchez Rohan Sheth Elias Simeonov Luke Streckenbach Trey Sullivan Eric Zaks Lucas Zheng

Top to bottom, left to right: Tomas Gustafsson Nate Lopes Taalin RaoShah Ben Rounds Erik Zou

In Erratum: July 2018 One of the photos accompanying the article about Milan Rosen’s new pole vault record (p. 32) is mislabeled. The boy listed as “S. Golden ’14” is actually Joey Mullin ’15. Stephen Golden is a member of the Class of 2015, and was a captain along with Joey.

W. Hoyt 1896 36

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M. Rosen ’19

S. Golden ’15

Revitalizing Our Scholastic Energies RL Faculty Become Students Each Summer Every summer, members of the faculty take advantage of various opportunities to expand their own educations; to research new curricular or pedagogical ideas and approaches; to bring new thoughts and energy back to the classroom in the fall, all to the benefit of RL’s boys. Each of the opportunities described below was made possible by the generosity and vision of our loyal donors who support the school’s commitment to our faculty. ROB OPDYCKE attended a Choral Conducting Workshop at the University of Michigan, joining more than a dozen music teachers from across the country to learn from Julie Skadsem, the University’s associate professor of Choral Music Education and Conducting. Ms. Skadsem led a workshop titled “Turning Basic Conducting Into Expressive Conducting,” which involved the techniques of Dalcroze eurhythmics—a full-body movement concept that can form a foundation for expressive conducting—in masterclass-style, one-on-one critiques. GREG SOKOL took a course in wilderness medicine with Stonehearth Open Learning Opportunities (SOLO) in Conway, NH. In anticipation of co-leading the twelveday backpacking trip to the Canadian Rockies in August,

Mr. Sokol first spent time focusing on best practices in the ever-changing fields of backcountry medicine and firstaid. The Wilderness First Responder (WFR) certification is the industry standard for most professionals in wilderness leadership roles. During the course, Mr. Sokol lived with other students on the SOLO campus in the White Mountains, where they were taught by an experienced military medic and a practicing EMT, through classroom learning supplemented by hands-on practice and scenarios. CHRIS HEATON visited the Huntington Library in Pasadena, CA; attended the annual conference of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition in Southport, Australia; and conducted independent research on the Battle of Gallipoli and Australia’s role in that pivotal Great War battle. “These professional development opportunities enhanced my teaching, aided my library and archival research methods, and increased my institutional knowledge of Roxbury Latin.” Mr. Heaton’s attendance at the IBSC conference was the culmination of his year-long action research project titled “The Effects of Incorporating Mindfulness at Cross Country Practice.” As one of forty IBSC action researchers from around the world, Mr. Heaton wrote a research paper; produced an award-winning poster; and N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

presented to 30 educators from boys’ schools across the globe on the benefits to boys who incorporate mindfulness as a way to reduce stress, improve performance, and enhance positive routines in social and academic settings. TOM WALSH spent three days as an adventuring Classicist, in the southwest corner of Spain’s Andalusia region, at the archeological installation of the Carteia Roman Ruins—“not far from the Strait of Gibraltar and what the Romans called the Pillars of Hercules.” The Carteia ruins, “far from wellknown, sit on a low bluff rising above a cove in the shadow of the Rock of Gibraltar. The archeological park at Carteia went unprotected until the 1970s, though authorities have known about the settlement for a few hundred years. The quietude… makes one feel as if you are communing with the ghosts of Phoenician, Carthaginian, and Roman predecessors… At Carteia, one can see the early roots of those civilizations on the Iberian Peninsula.” NATE PIPER began a Master of Arts in Educational Technology program at Michigan State University. The “hybrid online” model includes two weeks of intensive oncampus work with a small cohort, followed by four weeks of online coursework. The first summer incorporates content from three courses: Teaching for Understanding with Technology, Adapting Innovative Technologies in Education, and Applying Educational Technology to Issues of Practice. Topics included educational psychology, learning theories, “expert” vs. “novice” thinking, the Maker Movement, inquiry-based teaching and learning, questioning, networked learning, creativity, failure, experience design, equity in edtech, and “wicked problems,” all while students learned and explored new technologies, tools, and techniques. BILLY QUIRK completed his Master of Arts in English Literature through the Middlebury College Bread Loaf School of English. “For five summers, I have had the great pleasure of immersing myself fully in communities animated by a love of learning and of great literature. To take part in this academic exchange each summer serves not only as a helpful and instructive reminder of student life, it also revitalizes my own scholastic energies.” This summer, to complete his degree, Mr. Quirk enrolled in a course out of the Harvard Summer School titled Reality, Desire, and the

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Epic Form: Homer, Dante, and Joyce. The course presented a study of the epic genre through three distinct time periods: Homer’s Odyssey from Classical antiquity, Dante’s Commedia from the Medieval period, and Joyce’s Ulysses from the modern era. Mr. Quirk focused his efforts on a comparison of Homer and Dante, culminating in a paper examining Odysseus and Dante as heroes responsive to their worlds, and therefore fundamentally distinct from one another. JOSH WILDES completed two courses at the Harvard Extension School toward his Master’s program, Math for Teaching. The two courses included Graph Theory: Investigating the Mathematical Process, and Teaching Projects/Capstone Course. The graph theory course began with the idea of what a graph is, or could be, and expanded to what graphs represent in the real world. The capstone course included discussion of pedagogy in the United States and internationally, exploring different teaching strategies and different learning technologies. SEAN SPELLMAN declared his concentration within scholastic sport at the Northeastern Sport Leadership program. “My Dynamics of Leadership course is directly applicable to my role as coach and advisor. Studying various forms of effective leadership through the course has allowed me to self-reflect and evaluate my own practice and methodology, especially in helping to coordinate and implement RL’s Leadership Summit for Class I boys. I feel I’m better prepared to help boys determine their own particular style of leadership—especially if that style is different from that which I personally enlist.” STEWART THOMSEN attended an AP workshop at St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont to gain a better understanding of the College Board’s course redesign for AP U.S. Government and Politics. “It became clear that one overarching goal of the College Board is to develop transferable skills like quantitative analysis, concept application to real-world scenarios, comparison and application of Supreme Court cases, and formulation and defense of complex arguments. They want students to learn how to think and reason more like political scientists.” In June, the History Department spent two days working on changes to RL’s U.S. History and Western Civilization

courses. A number of adjustments to the courses embrace RL’s initiative to assist all boys in finding themselves and their families in the curriculum. For example, each boy will write a paper on immigration (or migration) allowing him to explore how his family’s story is a reflection of America itself. TIM KELLY attended a weeklong seminar at the University of Virginia run by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History on the topic of The American Civil War: Origins and Consequences. “Spending a week studying the Civil War, and how it is remembered, connects to the conversation

we have today about memorials: what they originally were intended to convey, and what they convey today. Our class walked around the Albemarle County Courthouse in Charlottesville where outside stands a statue of Stonewall Jackson. We spoke throughout the course of how the war should be remembered. We also visited a new exhibit at Monticello, detailing the life of Jefferson’s slave Sally Hemings, with whom Jefferson fathered several children. This new exhibit highlights the constant work of historians and preservationists in dealing with the past.”

roxbury l atin facult y 2018–2019

First row: Mrs. White, Mr. Lieb, Mr. Chappell, Mr. Buckley, Mr. Randall, Mr. Brennan, Mr. Pojman, Mr. Sugg, Mr. Diop, Mr. Thomsen, Mr. Teixeira. Second row: Mr. Heaton, Mr. Wildes, Mr. Bettendorf, Mr. Quirk, Dr. Kokotailo, Mr. Hiatt, Dr. Hyde, Mr. Opdycke, Mr. Cervas, Mr. Walsh, Ms. Delaney, Mr. Guden, Dr. Guerra, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Piper, Mrs. Carroll, Mr. Reid, Mr. Nelson. Third row: Mr. Lawler, Mr. Brown, Mr. Kingsley, Mr. Sokol, Mr. Layne-Allen, Mr. Poles, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Matthews, Mrs. Morris-Kliment, Dr. McCrory, Dr. Stearns, Mr. Moore, Mr. Solís, Mr. Snider, Mr. Dinger, Ms. Moreta (missing: Mrs. Dromgoole). N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

Boys of Summer

Over the summer months, Roxbury Latin boys don’t sit idle (though we hope, too, that there’s a healthy amount of that!). Many take part in the school’s immersion programs in France and Spain, expanding their language capabilities and falling in love with new cultures (see page six). Some venture into the wilderness, ably led by faculty guides, to press their physical limits in some of North America’s most beautiful spaces. Others counsel younger boys and girls closer to home, as leaders in RL’s summer programs. In recent years, sponsored by the generosity of the O’Connell Fellowship, many boys dig deeply into various passions, interests and talents—or try something new altogether! These boys, most of them O’Connell Fellows this summer, offer a range of the season’s highlights and lessons, reporting on how they spent part of their summer vacations.

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a better understanding of the mechanics that go into making writing more effective.

Andrew Zhang ’20 GrubStreet Creative Writing Workshop Boston

“Before the 19th century, Grub Street was a real street in London, where a myriad of ‘hack writers’ would meet. Fortunately, I can safely say that GrubStreet Inc. in Boston chose its name in irony, as the writers and teachers there are certainly not hacks. With their skilled writers and instructors, not only could I workshop my writing with individuals with keen literary eyes, but I could also read their work and learn from what they did well. They gave me detailed suggestions and criticism of my work, and I know their help will continue to apply to my future creative endeavors. Our teacher offered a number of stimulating prompts that pushed me in unique, creative directions, which gave me a number of ideas for my poetry. She offered great tips; for instance, she often reviewed my use of line breaks in poems, and how I could make them more dynamic and surprising. She also identified my tendency to use adjectives in excess and recommended that I consider the importance of each adjective as I write. She provided a number of examples of literature for the class to discuss. For example, one day we went over voice, so we read excerpts of monologues or dialogues. These pieces of literature and discussion were invaluable for gaining

Also important was how much fun Jon [Weiss] and I had together. Before and after class we explored Boston—the Public Gardens, the Commons, the Esplanade. We took advantage of free admission to the Museum of Fine Arts and spent time in the temporary exhibition, Casanova’s Europe, and saw some greats from the permanent collection, like the work of John Singer Sargent, Childe Hassam, and RL alumnus Philip Leslie Hale. Class was also always a blast. The quirky personalities of all the other students around us and the boundless enthusiasm of our teacher always kept things engaging.”

Kyle Cloherty ’19 New England Center for Investigative Reporting Boston University

“The New England Center for Investigative Reporting (NECIR) Summer Workshop at BU is something that I will never forget. This two-week course gave me different opportunities and learning experiences, inside and outside of the classroom. I learned how to write an Associated Press Style article, which is the basic method for journalists to write

Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

a report. During our newsroom blocks, I had the freedom to do my own reporting and story writing. My favorite story was an interview that I did with Gary Washburn, a Celtics reporter who has spent more than 20 years in the field. I also heard from lots of professional journalists who have their own perspectives on this field and career. On top of all of that, I was lucky enough to have this whole experience on a great college campus that is close to home. Finally, I was able to learn and grow as a person and figure out that journalism is truly something that I want to do.”

Jonathan Weiss ’20 GrubStreet Creative Writing Workshop Boston

“In addition to a month I spent on the French immersion trip in Caen, I took part in a week-long program at GrubStreet, where I was immersed in five days of creativity and collaboration at its best. I entered the program low on inspiration, with just a fragment of an idea, and I left with a complete draft of a short story. The strength of this program is that it generates energy, ideas, and motivation without assigning anything. We had an eccentric group of twelve kids, along with our focused and fun teacher, Ashley. We read excerpts from literature together; practiced concepts 42

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and techniques with writing prompts; and ‘workshopped’ our writing with the class. I soon realized how many ideas and how much writing I could produce in this lively environment. I got to read my story aloud to a willing audience and get an instant gauge of what did and didn’t work. At the program I also found time for leisure and play. My friend and RL classmate, Andrew [Zhang], had initially invited me to join him at GrubStreet this summer; he and I commuted by train every day together and found time to roam around Boston. (On multiple occasions, Drew finagled food from Chinatown and shared it with our class back at GrubStreet.) The fun and exploration inspired my thinking and enabled me to hammer out large quantities of writing in the evenings.”

Colson Ganthier ’21 Pre-College Creative Writers Workshop Emerson College

“At Emerson, I was able to explore and develop as a writer. Taking classes in the art of fiction, graphic novels, and performance poetry, I strengthened my skills in performing and creating and met other writers my age. Making friends with other people who share my passion for writing has proven helpful and fun; my friends have helped me edit my

writings and have hung out with me even when we were not ‘workshopping.’ The teachers at the program gave me a challenge on par with Roxbury Latin. Just like at RL, the program had guest speakers come in for lectures. These speakers were professional writers and editors advising us on how to submit, edit, and publish our works, and the information they provided was indispensable. I learned how to write bios and letters to editors; where to send work; how to practice certain writing skills. Many of the skills and practices I learned were things I never knew that I never knew! At the end of the program each student had to perform in front of all the parents, which allowed us to show our growth and development. By the end of the program I realized I grew infinitely more than I thought I would.”

actors and directors a new approach to performance, the importance of ‘always doing the little things right,’ and what big city living is like. Before attending Atlantic, I would not only memorize my lines, but I would memorize how I say my lines. My old scripts include underlined words calling for emphasis, arrows signaling inflection—that way, nothing would be left to chance on opening night! My teachers at Atlantic taught me to prepare in a different way—how to analyze my scene and character, and then let the emotion come naturally. We were even told to memorize our lines monotone, and not to practice with any emotion until rehearsal. This method felt backward to me at first; it made each performance feel like improv, and that was scary. I discovered, however, that this method of acting is not only more enjoyable, but it also creates a more authentic scene for the audience. Atlantic also taught me the importance of a strong work ethic and doing the little things right. I realized that habits such as showing up to class on time and memorizing your lines in the first week are just as important as how well you act… I can’t control everything, but I can always be punctual and engaged!

Ben Crawford ’21 Atlantic Teen Acting Intensive New York City

At first, I was a little unnerved by New York City. People were just focused on themselves and getting where they needed to go. But it didn’t take long for me to adapt, and by the end of the month, I loved living in the city. My time there will likely influence my college choices and where I choose to live. Moreover, I learned that the first approach you take is not always the best, and sometimes you have to be willing to adjust.”

“Atlantic Teen Acting Intensive is a month-long workshop focused on acting, script analysis, and the ins-and-outs of professional theater. At the southern tip of Manhattan, from 9:30 to 5:30 each day, I learned from professional Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

was Javascript. Java controls the actions of the websites; it is where you can add polls, or places for people to ask questions, or offer comments or description when someone hovers over a certain element of the site. During the game design course we learned the “behind the scenes” construction using Game Maker Studio—a game design browser that also offers options to drag and drop (for beginners). The drag-and-drop feature allowed us to use partially-made code (in order to learn more) as we created our games, which included ‘sprites’ (the characters) and rooms (where the game would take place). We were able to customize the sprites and rooms to make the game any way we liked.”

Aydan Gedeon-Hope ’21 Kids 4 Coding Lesley College

“At this summer’s web development/game design camp, I learned great, new skills in programming and design that I will apply in my future. The camp was split into two halves: first, web development, in which we learned three different programming languages, and then game design, where we learned to use Game Maker Studio. Prior to my time there, I thought the code used would be the same that I had previously learned in my Math-Science Investigations class at Roxbury Latin. Even though there were some similarities, a lot of it was new for me. During the program we learned HTML, CGS, and Java— each of which contributes something different to the final website product. Using a program called “Mozilla Thimble” we developed our own websites. The HTML portion of the code is what creates the structure of the website. (That is usually where you would insert text and pictures; even links to a picture, website, or video can be found in the HTML portion of programming code.) The second part of the code would be CGS, which builds out the design and style of the website—color, font, etc. The last type of code we learned

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Chris Zhu ’20 Program in Mathematics for Young Scientists (PROMYS) Boston University

“PROMYS was unlike anything I had done before. My first experience of PROMYS last year included an unwavering focus on precision and foundation. Ideas that were often taken for granted, such as prime factorization, had to be rigorously proved from basic axioms about the integers. We could only accept the most fundamental facts about

numbers such as 0 and 1, often having to go through the tedious proofs of simple lemmas. This summer, instead of building up the roots of math and understanding fundamental properties, the other returning students and I jumped straight into advanced classes on topics such as cryptography and Galois Theory. We explored the many reaches of higher mathematics, essentially taking entire college-level courses in six weeks. As we examined new topics, the problem sets veered down different paths, all leading toward intriguing but seemingly different branches of mathematics. However, these unrelated ideas ultimately merged in class, culminating in the goal of the Galois Theory course: proving the important theorem of the insolvability of quintic equations. PROMYS offered more than exciting math, though. The program gave me a community of friends with whom I bonded over a shared passion for mathematics and learning. We walked around the BU campus and worked in whatever empty classrooms we could find. Over lunch, we would discuss the highlights of the lecture, marveling at the new theorems and topics covered during the morning. Every day, I learned—not only from the problem sets, but also from my friends. The sense of community and collaboration at PROMYS has enhanced my development as a mathematician, but, more importantly, as a person. Over the course of the program, I successfully taught myself about hyperelliptic curves—which I had barely ever seen before my summer of research. Instead of regarding mathematics as some sort of ‘black box’ that only teachers and classes can open, PROMYS has made me realize that I am able to explore what I want.”

RL Introduces New Summer Programs On June 4—just two days after RL’s Closing Exercises—young people filled the campus with a new wave of energy, kicking off a reimagined season of RL Summer programs. Offering academic, athletic, and arts programs for boys and girls, ages 5–18, RL Summer drew young people from throughout the city of Boston and surrounding towns. Under the new leadership of Director Orlando Patterson, and offering several new programs, RL Summer increased its number of campers by more than 20 percent over last summer. One successful new program was RL’s Junior Sports Camp—a co-ed program in which boys and girls, ages 6 through 12, played up to 10 sports weekly, including traditional sports like baseball, basketball and soccer, but also flag football, street hockey, and European handball, providing campers the opportunity to learn new sports in a non-specialized environment. One of RL’s members of Class VI, Matteo Santagata, has attended various RL Summer programs over the last few years. Earlier this summer he highlighted his experiences at RL Summer and how those experiences led him to apply to Roxbury Latin. Several other current RL students attended programs such as the Debate Institute, RL Biotech Institute, and various sports clinic offerings. The new RL Summer Games allowed our own boys to take part in strength and conditioning sessions each morning, followed by a variety of activities throughout the day that earned them “points.” In this inaugural year, Team Black, led by Captain Willem Santry (Class III) beat Team Cardinal (captained by Brady Chappell, Class III) by a score of 247 to 223. (A plaque will hang in the IAF to commemorate what will be an ongoing summer tradition at RL.) Learn more about what RL Summer offers at rlsummer.org. Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

In The LEAD

For 15 years, a select group of Roxbury Latin boys has spent a portion of their summer on the campuses of top colleges and universities as part of the LEAD Program—a collaborative of corporations, government agencies, higher education and non-profit partnerships—that focuses on developing academically talented youth from underserved backgrounds into responsible leaders with the skills to pursue careers in business, technology, engineering, and health sciences. Believing that a diverse workforce is the gateway to a successful economic future, LEAD draws approximately 500 scholars to attend summer institutes each year. In 35 years, LEAD has served more than 10,000 scholars. Four RL seniors recount their experience with LEAD this summer:

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NATE LOPES ’19 NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY “LEAD introduces high school students to the world of business—a world with which many people my age have not had much experience. In two weeks, I learned so much. We participated in classes, visited businesses throughout Chicago, and heard from professional businessmen and women. The most important thing we did, however, was design and pitch our own businesses to a panel of business professors and professionals. Spending hours every day working on accounting and marketing and advertising—things I had never even considered before— was riveting. My group’s business plan was developing a

professional networking platform for up-and-coming artists called NextUp. Our group won the final competition at Northwestern and competed in the semi-finals with teams from LEAD programs across the country. We even moved on to the final competition in Washington, D.C. The people I met there were incredibly kind and charismatic. I developed a real camaraderie with people from all over the country, from all sorts of backgrounds. With people from so many different races and ethnicities and locations, it was incredible how well we all meshed. We had several discussions about diversity: in our lives, our communities, even in the business world. It was great to have so many different viewpoints on lots of different topics.” TREY SULLIVAN ’19 UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA “In the first half of our program at Wharton, each group received a preparatory business plan (for an allergy medicine) so that we could get a feel for the process. We got to know each other through that work, which made things easier when it came time for us to develop our own business idea. We had lots of back-and-forth about our product; it’s technology-based, so feasibility was a big concern. I was the Chief Technology Officer, so I spent a lot of time researching: Can this screen do this? Can this metal bend like this? Our product is basically customizable graphics for shoewear, using technology. On top of your shoe would be a bendable LED screen with a protective sheet made of metallic glass. (Metallic glass has an amorphous cell structure, so that it can bend.) Then, from an app on your phone you can change the design to anything you want—a piece of art, or a logo of a sports team that you like. I really enjoyed the people I was working with. What we were doing was pretty hard—it took a lot of time and was new for most of us. Working with other young people, who I feel are going to be successful and do lots of amazing and important things, was a great experience. I also learned that the parts of business I would want to go into are people-focused—like advertising or marketing.”

QUITO SANCHEZ ’19 NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY “My experience at LEAD was simply terrific. At Northwestern, I was one of 29 hardworking scholars from all over the United States, Puerto Rico, and London. Each student brought his or her unique perspective and experience, which made for a diverse group. Almost immediately we developed a sense of community. The curriculum, focused on leadership and business, was intriguing. Every engaging speaker taught us valuable lessons that apply not only to business, but also to life in general. The counselors were also amazing: Four of the six counselors were LEAD alumni, so they could relate to our experiences. The most memorable part of LEAD for me was not the engaging curriculum, or Northwestern’s beautiful campus, but rather the outstanding people. Learning from all of my talented and intelligent peers was an invaluable experience. In the two short weeks we spent together, all of us forged deep bonds and developed strong and enduring friendships. LEAD taught us to celebrate and embrace our diversity as a group and learn from each other’s unique perspectives.” DOEVY ESTIMPHILE ’19 LEHIGH UNIVERSITY “Leadership was the theme of this trip, as I had lots of opportunities to take a leadership role in this program. At first I found it hard to speak up during our group sessions, in preparation for our presentation, because I felt that my opinion was either incorrect or not helpful. But when the deadline for our presentation was approaching, I stepped up and helped direct the team toward success. At Lehigh I felt the creativity oozing out of the LEAD counselors; it genuinely felt that they were not at a paid job, but at a fun, collaborative event. They were friendly and spent time with us discussing what they were working on. The environment was built for creativity—with couches, white boards for recording ideas, and spacious rooms. I also learned a lot about presenting and speaking clearly in preparation for the pitch. Public speaking is an area I need to improve, and this trip helped me work on those skills. I made some mistakes along the way, but I have become stronger due to them, not in spite of them. I hope to become an RTA at this program so I can impart some of what I’ve learned to younger students, eager to take on the world.”

N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

cl ass notes

1961 Engaged in one of many games of poolside bridge, Bob Magnuson, Arthur Leary, Phil Ferrara, and Bob Mulligan caught up in Orleans from August 23 to 26 for a long weekend of swimming, miniature golf, local restaurants, and three different ice cream shops to celebrate their 29th birthdays (albeit for the 47th time!). They also spent their reunion with storytelling and chatting over great breakfasts from hosts Bob and his wife, Tina.

upcoming events 2018–2019

FOUNDER’S DAY PUB NIGHT THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 1 @ CLERY’S, BOSTON NYC ALUMNI RECEPTION THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 15 @ ARETSKY’S PATROON, NYC SLY VOXES CONCERT / MESSIAH SING* FRIDAY, DECEMBER 7 @ 7:30 P.M. YOUNG ALUMNI HOLIDAY SOCIAL (CLASSES 2006–2014) FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 23 @ COPPERSMITH, SOUTH BOSTON GLEE CLUB HOLIDAY CONCERTS* WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 19 @ 4:30 P.M. AND 7:30 P.M. *EVENTS WILL TAKE PLACE ON CAMPUS.

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1971 On July 14, Steve Simoni and his wife, Terri, hosted a reunion of the Class of 1971 at their home on Hog Island in Narragansett Bay in Rhode Island. First Row: Steve Simoni, Terri Simoni. Second Row: Bill McCarthy, Joe Toplyn, Sherry Toplyn, Pam Rodman, John Rodman, Dave Golub, Mary Beth Golub, Brian Bachynski. Third Row: Josh Copel, Alix Copel, Kelly McCarthy, Elizabeth Bachynski, Marcie Williams, Dan Williams, Bob Principato.

1967 Jonathan Dandridge is enjoying life on Sabattus Lake in Central Maine. He isn’t retired yet—he’s currently developing software for InterContinental Exchange—but he hopes to go part-time after next year.

1968 Sam Goldhaber, MD, has been appointed interim chief of the division of cardiovascular medicine at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston.

1975 Pictured left to right, Neil Collins, Jim Flynn, and Larry Cohen reunite. The three were close friends at Roxbury Latin and later at Wesleyan. Jim and Neil hadn’t seen each other in 25 years.

1979 Tom Walsh was honored by his alma mater, Bowdoin College, as the 2018 recipient of the Foot Soldier of Bowdoin Award. As noted in the award letter, the honor recognizes Tom’s “tireless, dedicated and loyal” work on behalf of Bowdoin, chairing or serving on nearly every committee of the Alumni Council over the years, including as Council president. As a champion of Bowdoin and its Class of 1983, “there simply is not an area of campus that [Tom has] not touched.” A scholarship will be awarded to a Bowdoin student in Tom’s name through the Foot Soldier of Bowdoin Scholarship Fund.

1982

1996

Charles Pinck spent time with actor Paul Rudd at Fenway Park, while

Nils Hegstad and his wife, Jill, welcomed daughter Britta Gail Hegstad.

Rudd was filming the movie “The Catcher Was a Spy,” about the Office of

Reese (5) and Maris (2) are ecstatic about the new addition. Now dad is

Strategic Services’ Moe Berg. Charles is president of The OSS Society, Inc.

wondering if RL will ever become co-ed.

2000 Last summer, Amit Paley was named as CEO and Executive Director of The Trevor Project, the nation’s leading suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ youth. In addition to crisis intervention, The Trevor Project serves as the world’s largest peer-to-peer social support network for LGBTQ people under the age of 25. It offers an education program with resources for youth-serving organizations; a legislative advocacy department; and research to best serve LGBTQ youth in crisis. Lucas Robertson and Tim Pingree ’02 have launched SHAKE architecture: construction LLC, which they developed from their mutual belief in the value and 50

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results of integrating the design and build processes. At SHAKE they create projects that are carefully designed and built to exceed owners’ expectations, and that contribute positively to the surrounding community and environment. Learn more about their work and collaboration at shakeac.com.

2002 Mark Valentino has been chosen to lead Citizens Bank’s national Security Alarm banking group and its Not-For-Profit banking group in Massachusetts. The security alarm group serves security systems companies nationwide, while the not-for-profit team serves the education, hospital, and human services sectors. Mark joined Citizens in 2015 as Head of Sales and Business Development for Global Markets. He then

became Head of Business Development for Commercial Banking. He serves generously on RL’s Alumni Leadership Giving Committee (ALGC).

help us find your classmates If you have any information that would help us locate the graduates listed below, please e-mail Julie Garvey at julie. garvey@roxburylatin.org.

2004

On May 27, Nate Klug and his wife, Kit Novotny,

Billy Quirk and his wife, Mary, welcomed

had a daughter, Zoe May Klug.

their daughter Stella Jane on March 11.

Christopher A. Myers ’59 William E. Bilodeau ’69 Alan D. Levine ’69 Jeremy D. Lipp ’69 James Owens ’69 Kevin J. Leonard ’74 Kevin L. Kearns ’79 Timothy P. LaRonde ’79 Timothy K. Osborne ’79 Philip Pasley ’79 Christopher T. Black ’99 Brendan W. May ’99 Eric N. Bloom ’04 Daniel B. Foley ’04

2006

Jumoke S. Johnson ’04

Robert Hamlin III and Leela Vosko were married on July 20 at the Country Club in Brookline.

Schuyler L. Redd ’04

The Rev. F. Washington Jarvis officiated.

2018 Ben LaFond earned a gold medal in the individual contest of this summer’s International Linguistics Olympiad, held in Prague. His team, USA Blue, also earned first place in the team contest, receiving an award for the highest average score on the individual contest. (Ben earned the highest individual score on USA Blue). Ben says the events themselves were gratifying, but the highlight was “hanging out with 200-plus kids who are (almost) as interested in linguistics as I am. I wouldn’t have expected it, but there are other kids in the world… who have a “favorite phoneme.” Ben began his first N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l 51 year at Harvard this fall.

the cl ass of 2014 college graduate updates

HENRY BOOTH has graduated from Duke University with a BA in political science. He finished a successful four-year soccer career at Duke and also played for King’s College London, where he helped win the conference championship and the Macadam Cup while studying abroad. Henry also played for Harlow Town FC, a professional football team in Essex, England, before returning to the United States. He has started a career in sports management, working as an associate at the NBA League Office in Manhattan. PATRICK CASEY graduated from the Boston University College of Engineering with a degree in Mechanical Engineering. JIM CONLEY graduated from Boston College with a BS in biochemistry and minors in history and philosophy. He is working toward his PhD in pharmacology and experimental therapeutics at the Boston University School of Medicine. 52

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DREW DODAKIAN recently completed his third co-op at Northeastern University and will graduate in 2019 with a degree in economics and finance. HARRY DOERNBERG will graduate from Yale University with a BS in May 2019. He plans to remain at Yale through May 2020 to earn his master’s in music. MASON ELIZONDO graduated from Williams College with a BA in math and economics. He is currently working at HFF in Miami. MATT ELLISON graduated from Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service with a BS in Foreign Service, majoring in international politics. He is currently a cyber research associate at Stanford University’s Hoover Institution in Palo Alto. DUNCAN FINIGAN graduated cum laude from Bowdoin College with an AB

in economics. He was also awarded the Francis S. Dane Baseball Trophy for “high qualities of character, sportsmanship, and enthusiasm for the game of baseball.” Duncan is working in Washington, D.C., for Alarm.com in a project manager training program, and lives with fellow alumnus WESLEY BERRY ’14. COLE GARVEY graduated magna cum laude from University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Commonwealth College with a BA in political science. He was also elected to Phi Beta Kappa. MARK GOLDSTEIN earned his BA from Princeton University’s Woodrow Wilson School for Public and International Affairs. He now works for nonprofit Philanthropy University in Oakland. CHRISTIAN HASIOTIS graduated from Tufts University with a BA in Classics. He was awarded the Boston

Greek Prize by the Tufts Department of Classics for meritorious achievement in the Greek Language. GRANT KEATING graduated with honors from Princeton University with an AB in economics. He lives in Manhattan, where he works as an analyst for J.P. Morgan. ISAAC KRIER graduated cum laude with his BA in political science from Haverford College, where he also received honors as an Ambler Scholar Athlete. He was a two-year captain of Haverford’s men’s lacrosse team, and a three-time Centennial Conference Academic Honor Roll student. Isaac now works in New York City as a litigation legal assistant at Cravath, Swaine & Moore. JONATHAN MARCHETTI graduated cum laude with a BS in business administration from Babson College and has joined Wayfair in a business associate

role for brand platforms. He will also be conducting research on predictive statistics and analytics in the sports industry to further develop drafting techniques for professional organizations or sports bettors. RYAN SEWALL graduated from Boston College with a BA in economics and a minor in management and leadership. He is currently working toward an MS in finance from BC’s Carroll School of Management. ROBERT SHAW lives in the Boston area and recently joined Bain Capital. He reports working closely with Brendan Hanrahan ’09 on a recent deal. TENZIN THARGAY graduated from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, completing dual degrees in political science and Chinese language and literature as a Commonwealth College Honors student. He has earned

a certificate in public policy, as well as an International Scholars Program certificate. Tenzin was also named one of 10 recipients of this year’s 21st Century Leader Awards, and he delivered the student address at UMass Amherst’s commencement ceremony. Tenzin also received a Fulbright U.S. Student Program award to South Korea in political science from the U.S. Department of State and the J. William Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board. He will conduct his research at Hanyang University’s Center for Energy Governance and Security as part of a project to examine how political party affiliation influences local attitudes on nuclear energy. R. ANDREW YEAGER graduated magna cum laude from Boston College with a BA in economics. He now works as a management consultant at Accenture in Boston.

It feels like 100 years since you’ve been back.

reunion 2019

friday & saturday, may 3–4 N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e

R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

in memoriam ARTHUR PHILIP CONNELLY, JR. ’47 passed away on March 6, 2018, at the age of 87 at the Elizabeth Seton Residence in Wellesley. Born June 1, 1930, in Brookline, Phil attended Mt. Alvernia Academy before gaining admission to Roxbury Latin. At RL he excelled in the classroom and was a three-year member of the varsity football team, including the undefeated 1946 team. Headmaster Northrop had these words to say about Arthur upon his graduation: “Connelly is a young man of exceptionally fine character, sound mind, rare modesty and co-operative spirit.” At his funeral service, Phil’s daughter, Cece, delivered this quotation from the 1947 yearbook: “True modesty is a discerning grace— Phil of the broad grin and great frame. Through his good nature, easy going manner, and generosity, he has etched a place in our hearts which no one else can claim.” These words demonstrate the impact he had on his peers and the RL community during his time as a student and that he would have on others during the remainder of his life. After RL, Phil went on to Harvard College (1951) to earn his AB in Government and then to Tufts Medical School (1958) before completing his residency at the University of Chicago in 1962. He also served two years in the Army during the Korean War before attending medical school. He and his RL classmates remained close friends and dedicated to the mission of the school long after their graduation. To celebrate

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RL’s 350th anniversary, members of the Class of 1947 established an endowed fund to benefit Alma Mater in perpetuity. A specialist in internal medicine, Phil practiced in Wellesley for a year before becoming the first Chief of Medicine at Cardinal Cushing Hospital (Good Samaritan Medical Center) in Brockton, a position he held for more than 20 years. He also served as Chief of Staff and Chairman of the Executive Committee. In addition, he founded the private practice, Medical Specialists, a group of 10 physicians in varying specialties. Phil was a life-long student who passed on his enthusiasm for learning to his family and countless medical students. He was extremely proud that his grandson, J.B. Gough ’13, had the opportunity to attend RL. In his spare time, Phil could always be found immersed in a good book and he was an avid lover of sports. He also found great joy in the family time spent at their summer home in Marion. Beloved husband, father, and grandfather, Phil is survived by his wife of 54 years, Judith (nee Donnelly) of Norwood, and his daughters Cece (Bob) Gough, Julia (Craig) Woodward and Suzie (Steve) Doyle. Phil will also be remembered with love by his seven grandchildren, JB, Bryn, Caroline, Tyler, Summer, Conner and Cassi, and by his brother Peter (Barbara) Connelly. He was predeceased by his brother Patrick Connelly.

MICHAEL ANTHONY O’KEEFFE ’56 of Madison, Wisconsin, passed away peacefully on July 22, 2018, at his home. Born on January 9, 1938, in Boston to Bernard O’Keeffe ’24 and Grace O’Keeffe, Michael married Emlen Jones and was happily married to her for more than 50 years. Michael grew up in Newton and entered Roxbury Latin in the fall of 1950. At RL, he played numerous sports and enjoyed sailing most of all. Along with his high school team, Michael won the national championship in the Raven Class. He went on to Dartmouth College and graduated with a BA. At Dartmouth, he was a member of the boxing team and the ROTC program. Upon graduation, Michael was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Army. He received training in Hawk missile systems at Fort Bliss, Texas, and was stationed in Wurzburg, West Germany. Michael was on active duty during the Cuban Missile Crisis and viewed the successful conclusion of that episode as a miracle of history. After completing his service, Michael studied at the American Institute for Foreign Trade in Arizona (Thunderbird) and graduated with an MBA. He then worked for the Department of Defense, specifically the Defense Intelligence Agency. At the age of 28, the DIA sent him to the U.S. Canal Zone in Panama. In later years, Michael was the Operations Manager for a commercial vegetable operation in Culiacan, Mexico,

and a cattle ranch/sod farm in Florida. He and his family lived in Mazatlan, Mexico, and Englewood, Florida, during these periods. He never truly retired, but in later years Michael worked for the Wisconsin Air National Guard, and also as an instructor in the MBA program at Edgewood College. His specialty was assisting international students, and he greatly enjoyed this work. He was a devoted father and loved his family. He had a wide circle of loyal and good friends in all the areas where he lived. Known as a great storyteller, he derived much enjoyment from sitting with friends and family around the table and swapping tales. He is survived by his sons, Michael O’Keeffe of Minnesota and Gerald O’Keeffe of Illinois; five grandchildren, Levente, Grace, Michael, Aidan, and Liliana; sister, Kathleen Capo; brother, William O’Keeffe ’57, Life Trustee Emeritus, and nephew, current trustee, Ian O’Keeffe ’86. WILLIAM THOMAS WALKER ’73 of Hyde Park died on August 16, 2018. Born on June 14, 1955, William grew up in West Roxbury and spent his elementary school years at neighboring St. Theresa School. During those years, he played football and showed an interest in collecting coins and stamps. Enrolling at RL in the fall of 1967, William was a brilliant scholar, winning the William Coe Collar Scholarship his senior year which was “awarded to that pupil of the graduating class, who, all things considered, is deemed most deserving by the faculty…” His Greek teacher praised William’s talent and academic approach, saying, “Bill is so low key and humorous that it took me a while to recognize how extraordinarily

bright and perceptive he is. He wrote a major paper on a comparative study on mythic heroes which was exceptionally fine. I feel that Bill is one of the few students who loves learning and has no concern for external rewards. I find that he has the most compelling mind in his class in terms of intellectual power.” William also participated broadly in the extracurricular life of the school by playing football, wrestling, and lacrosse while working on the stage crew for theater productions. He had several interests outside of school as well, such as gardening, doing repair and carpentry

his senior year by teaching the language to a class of younger boys. Outside of his academic pursuits he was an active member of the chess club, tutored children from the local community, and assisted with the publication of the school newspaper. His college counselor praised John’s character, noting that he “has considerable concern for others, which shows in his participation as a tutor and teaching assistant.” His other hobbies included golfing, gardening, playing the guitar, and computer programming.

work at his house, and studying birds.

It was at RL that John developed this passion for language and languageoriented courses. During his time as a student he commented, “I am fascinated by such diverse topics as Greek and Latin, art and archaeology, contemporary American fiction, concept of evil in Western literature, and the Graeco-Roman World.” Therefore, it was no surprise that John continued to pursue his love of language after RL, earning a BS from Georgetown University’s School of Linguistics with a focus in French and Chinese. He went on to receive a Master of International Affairs (MIA) from Columbia University in 1980, which propelled him into

After his RL career, William attended Amherst College until he suffered a traumatic brain injury during a motor vehicle accident his freshman year. For the past several years, William participated in MAB Community Services programs in Hyde Park and Allston. William was predeceased by his parents, Catherine (Fraher) Walker and Francis Walker, and his brother, Paul Walker. He is survived by his two sisters, Joan Walker of Quincy and Ann Marie Walker of Laurel Park, North Carolina, and West Roxbury, as well as two nieces, Caitlin Wilson and Kimberly (Wilson) Minnix and her husband, Benjamin. JOHN JUSTIN CALLEBAUT ’74 passed away suddenly on August 21, 2018. Born June 30, 1956, in Walpole, John grew up in Needham and attended St. Bartholomew School before entering Roxbury Latin in 1968. John excelled in the classroom, earning cum laude distinction and a National Merit Commendation. Demonstrating a clear aptitude and passion for French, he assisted the French department during

his career at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. John was an Asian Program Officer for Center for International Private Enterprise. John was a devoted father of Ryan Callebaut of Arlington, Virginia, and brother of Janet Cerundolo and her husband, Daniel, of Hingham. He also leaves behind his nephews, Matthew Cerundolo of Boston and Mark Cerundolo of Hingham.

N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

varsity athletic schedule fall 2018

FOOTBALL SEPTEMBER 22

1:00 PM

BELMONT HILL

SEPTEMBER 29

2:30 PM

@ ST. MARK’S

OCTOBER 5

7:30 PM

MILTON (@ CATHOLIC MEMORIAL)

OCTOBER 13

2:30 PM

@ NOBLES

OCTOBER 20

1:30 PM

THAYER (HOMECOMING & FAMILY DAY)

OCTOBER 27

2:00 PM

GROTON

NOVEMBER 2

2:00 PM

@ MIDDLESEX

NOVEMBER 10

12:00 PM

RIVERS

SEPTEMBER 22

2:30 PM

BROOKS

SEPTEMBER 26

3:45 PM

@ LAWRENCE

SEPTEMBER 29

12:00 PM

@ THAYER

OCTOBER 3

4:00 PM

ST. GEORGE’S

OCTOBER 5

4:45 PM

@ ST. MARK’S

OCTOBER 10

3:30 PM

MILTON

OCTOBER 13

3:00 PM

@ TABOR

OCTOBER 17

3:15 PM

@ GOVERNOR’S

OCTOBER 20

1:00 PM

NOBLES (HOMECOMING & FAMILY DAY)

OCTOBER 24

3:30 PM

@ GROTON

OCTOBER 26

7:00 PM

@ BB&N

OCTOBER 31

3:15 PM

BELMONT HILL

NOVEMBER 2

2:30 PM

@ MIDDLESEX

NOVEMBER 7

3:00 PM

@ ST. SEBASTIAN’S

SEPTEMBER 15

2:00 PM

@ TABOR

SEPTEMBER 22

4:15 PM

@ GOVERNOR’S (GROTON, ST. MARK’S)

SEPTEMBER 28

4:15 PM

@ ST. SEBASTIAN’S (NOBLES, THAYER)

OCTOBER 5

5:00 PM

BB&N, LAWRENCE, RIVERS

OCTOBER 13

1:30 PM

BELMONT HILL

OCTOBER 20

2:00 PM

BROOKS (HOMECOMING & FAMILY DAY)

OCTOBER 27

2:00 PM

@ MILTON (MIDDLESEX, ST. GEORGE’S)

NOVEMBER 2

TBD

ISL CHAMPIONSHIPS

NOVEMBER 10

TBD

NEW ENGLAND CHAMPIONSHIPS

SOCCER

CROSS COUNTRY

HOME

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AWAY

varsity football First Row: D. D’Alessandro, F. Lonergan, J. GIllespie, W. Greer (capt.), S. Russell (capt.), B. Lovett (capt.), J. Birch, C. Weitzel, L. DeVito; Second Row: Coach Randall, A. Brooks, W. Hyde, B. Lee, C. Bergstrom, J. Lomuscio, D. Cuzzi, D. Meneses Ontiveros, E. Ma, K. Cloherty, Coach Patterson; Third Row: W. Silva, J. Rose, Q. Sanchez, N. Lopes, Z. Mascall; Fourth Row: Coach Spellman, Coach Layne-Allen, B. Keough, M. Cefail, D. Brennan, L. Rimas, E. Egodogbare, Z. Donovan, J. Rios, Coach Lieb (missing: Coach Lawler, D. Varney, J. Buckley, C. Clough).

varsity cross country First Row: W. Cote, J. Werner, M. Henshon, N. McKenna, E. Zou (capt.), D. Gillis (capt.), A. Bowen, (capt.), J. Weiss, G. Madison, Q. Donovan; Second Row: J. Ringel (manager), C. Estrada, L. O’Connor, B. Rosenzweig, B.Crawford, C. Zhu, J. Harrington, B. Zhou, B. Gibbons; Third Row: Coach Heaton, E. Auguste, D. Sun-Friedman, C. Mazof, L. Zheng, R. Dhaliwal, I. Richardson, D. McElroy, D. LaFond, G. Rosenthal (manager), R. Johansongordet (manager), Coach Poles.

varsity soccer First Row: I.Goldsmith, A. Massenat, T. RaoShah, D. Estimphile, E. Kee (capt.), J. Cloherty (capt.), M. Davis, R. Sheth, D. Gaziano, T. Gustafsson, C. Miller, K. Demore; Second Row: Coach Solís, B. Chappell, J. Sheer, K. McCabe, W. Specht, T. Gaziano, I. Balaguera, P. Frates, M. Kobayashi, B. Brasher, B. Karlen, K. Miller, B. Kelly, C. Landry, A. Fuqua, B. Rounds, Coach Thornton (missing: Coach Sugg, S. Morris-Kliment, M. Rincon). N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l 57

As a math teacher, John Lieb can be described by the numbers. In his 24-year teaching career, Mr. Lieb has spent 21 years at Roxbury Latin, taught more than 90 sections of math, including five years of the Math-Science Investigations course he codesigned with Mr. Piper. But in each of his classes, Mr. Lieb has only one goal: giving students the opportunity and the tools to discover concepts on their own. No matter if he is teaching Sixies the rudiments of algebra or seniors the complexities of infinity, Mr. Lieb always begins his classes with a game of Set. This pattern-spotting card game, Mr. Lieb says, “has always worked, no matter the age group. Playing the game helps the boys settle in, and leads to jokes and camaraderie while providing something competitive as a class but not individually.” The fun of his classes doesn’t stop there. Fundamentally, Mr. Lieb understands that “no boy wants to be bored in class, and each comes to class with a positive expectation. The challenge of teaching at Roxbury Latin is to meet the enthusiasm and curiosity of the boys.” To pique his students’ curiosity, Mr. Lieb encourages boys to wrestle with new problems and occasionally stumble, and to understand that making mistakes and learning from them is central to the learning process. Mr. Lieb often jokes with his Sixie classes, “I’m going to challenge you, and you might get a 65% on a test. But I don’t want you to say with a sigh, ‘Boy, it was a good run. I was good at math for 12 years, but today, I stopped being good at math.’” Mr. Lieb brings a similar philosophy to his coaching. As assistant coach for the varsity football team and head coach for the freshman baseball squad, Mr. Lieb sees sports as an extension of the classroom: “You’re teaching in both the classroom and on the field. Most boys are playing sports because it’s fun. Coaching is fun for me because I can see the boys building confidence in such a short time.” Mr. Lieb attributes his success as a coach, in part, to the many coaches he has worked alongside in his time at RL, such as Frank Guerra, Steve Ward, and Pat Ross. Even when Mr. Lieb isn’t working with students as a teacher, coach, or advisor at RL, he never ventures far from the school. A West Roxbury local, he enjoys all the outdoor activities the city has to offer. He is also an avid crossword puzzle maker and Philadelphia sports fan (Super Bowl LII was the best game he’s ever seen!). Most of all, Mr. Lieb enjoys spending time with his two middle-school-aged daughters, who have helped him to empathize more with what RL parents and boys are going through each day. By Andrew Kingsley ’12 58

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faculty spotlight john lieb

FROM THE ARCHIVES

What’s In a Name? by Christopher Heaton

The beginning of this 374th school year, and the homeroom ritual of taking attendance, prompted me to notice both the continuity and change of boys’ names in RL’s history: Edmund, John, John, Joseph, Samuel, Samuel, Caleb, Daniel, Aaron, Benjamin, James, John, and Thomas. So reads the first 13 RL students, those from 1647-1667; five of those were the sons of the founder, John Eliot; three were Welds, ancestors of the former governor, Bill Weld, who spoke at RL in November 2013—four years before Governor Charlie Baker was featured at last year’s Founder’s Day Hall. A century after that original baker’s dozen, Increase Sumner, Class of 1763, graduated. He went on to become the governor of Massachusetts in 1797—answering Eliot’s call for service “to Church and Commonwealth.” That call was heard by others, as four of those original 13 boys went on to become ministers. The Caleb (Caleb Watson, 1657) was the first master of Hopkins Grammar School (Hadley), founded in 1664. The next page of the alumni directory features six Ebenezers— including two Ebenezer Williamses. The first, Class of 1705, became pastor of the First Church, Pomfret; the second, Class of 1756, became Congregational minister at Falmouth and Trustee of Bowdoin College, where so many RL faculty matriculated, including our first faculty Polar Bear, Gerhard Rehder, RL Class of 1927, who taught from 1947 to 1975. Another Ebenezer who was learned at this ancient Latin school was (wait for it!) Ebenezer Learned, 1783, who, after Harvard, was the first RL boy to go to Dartmouth for medical school. His Big Green team today includes masters Erin Dromgoole, Matt Dinger, Greg Sokol, Andrew Kingsley, and (for graduate school) Andy Chappell, Mo Randall, Paul Sugg, and Tom Walsh. Plenty of RL boys answered the Founder’s call for service to the Commonwealth (and country). RL alumnus Ebenezer Seaver (1780) served as U.S. Representative from the

Massachusetts 13th Congressional District from 1803 to 1813. Seaver was succeeded by another RL alum, Nathaniel Ruggles (1777) who served from 1813 to 1819. (How many schools have back-to-back U.S. Representatives?) Non-alum William Eustis took over the seat the next year, but his RL link is that he cared for the wounded at Bunker Hill, where RL’s Joseph Warren was killed. During his tenure as Massachusetts governor (1823-1825), Eustis spoke at Hall. Those representatives were joined in the judicial branch by former master, William Cushing, who taught at RL in 17521753. While on the Massachusetts Supreme Court in 1780, Cushing ruled that slavery was unconstitutional. He went on to be one of the first six associates of the Supreme Court, and he administered the oath of office at Washington’s second inauguration. Some of today’s RL boys commute on his eponymous highway which runs through Scituate. Cushing’s grandfather, Josiah Cotton, was an Indian missionary in Plymouth. RL’s first Peleg is Peleg Heath, Class of 1717, who was the first RL boy to bypass Harvard for Yale. Those early boys were taught by RL’s first masters Philip, Edward, Thomas, Daniel, Thomas, John, Thomas, Thomas, John, Joseph, Andrew, Benjamin, and John. The last of whom, John Bowles, used his training corralling early RL boys when he became a major in Roxbury’s militia and a justice of the peace. His eponymous father was the twelfth RL student and Massachusetts Bay Colony Speaker of the House in 1691, the year of his death (and a year after Eliot’s passing).

Rosenthal, Howard L., and Keith T. Poole. “Ebenezer Seaver, former Representative for Massachusetts’s 13th Congressional District.” GovTrack.us, 17 Sep. 2018, www.govtrack.us/congress/members/ebenezer_seaver/409720. Accessed 17 Sep. 2018. Rosenthal, Howard L., and Keith T. Poole. “Nathaniel Ruggles, former Representative for Massachusetts’s 13th Congressional District.” GovTrack.us, 17 Sep. 2018, www.govtrack.us/congress/members/nathaniel_ruggles/409462. Accessed 17 Sep. 2018. “William Cushing.” Oyez, www.oyez.org/justices/william_cushing. Accessed 17 Sep. 2018.

N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

The Roxbury Latin School 101 St. Theresa Avenue West Roxbury, MA 02132-3496 www.roxburylatin.org Change Service Requested

Varsity cross-country runners lead the pack during a meet at Governorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Academy on September 22 (photo: John Werner). left to right: Javi Werner (III), Will Cote (III), Mark Henshon (IV), and Daniel Gillis (II).