Prize Day and Valete

Prize Day

On June 5, the Class of 2019 took their front row seats in Hall for the last time as the First Class, and anticipated, along with the classes behind them, this year’s roster of prize-winners and their plaudits. As Headmaster Kerry Brennan began, “Our purpose for gathering today is to recognize discernible excellence in all areas of school life—academic and extracurricular. In singling out certain prize winners, we are intending to affirm the highest standards of schoolboy endeavor. We do this even though we know that others in your seats may be more deserving of congratulations for they have struggled mightily, come far, taken risks, and been honorable boys. To you goes the faculty’s admiration and congratulations.” Pictured below are the day’s major prize winners. (A complete listing of the 2019 prize winners is available on the RL website.) //

Class II Book Award Winners Andrew Zhang (Dartmouth Book Award), Jonathan Weiss (Brown Book Award), Collin Bergstrom (Holy Cross Book Award), Avi Attar (Harvard Book Prize)

Class I Athletics Prize Winners Nate Lopes (Scholar-Athlete), Alvin Massenat (Sportsmanship), Kevin Demore (Sportsmanship), Will Greer (Best Athlete), Director of Athletics Tony Teixeira ’93, Liam Rimas (ISL)

Valete

Prize Day is also the moment that the students, faculty, and staff recognize those adult members of the community who are leaving us. This spring, we bid farewell to nine members of the faculty and staff—four of them as retirees. The Headmaster offered these tributes:

Orlando Patterson Mr. Patterson joined RL in the fall of 2017 from a successful run coaching and serving as an admission officer at Tabor Academy. He took hold of RL’s football program, incorporating a new philosophy and preparing our team to compete in the up-tempo ISL. This past fall we gave teams runs for their money and earned the notice of schools throughout the league, with a .500 season. A well-prepared and thoughtful coach, Mr. Patterson ensured that we were ready for the challenges we faced and valued the contributions of every single player. Mr. Patterson also directed our summer programs, working to establish those programs in the broader universe of Boston’s numerous summer offerings.

Cary Snider Mr. Snider joined RL in 2016, fresh from an undergraduate career at Penn and a program that had him teaching in a Philadelphia public school as he also earned his master’s. A memorable teacher of English, Mr. Snider brings a quirky passion to his classes, eager to empower students to make important discoveries about themselves through the literature. Mr. Snider has been a patient, helpful advisor. A star schoolboy wrestler himself, Mr. Snider offered valuable perspective to the program as the head junior wrestling coach. At this year’s RL Arts Night, the community enjoyed hearing from students and adults reading their works of prose and poetry, to which Mr. Snider was an impressive contributor. Next year, Mr. Snider will commit himself full-time to earning an MFA in creative writing.

Andrew Kingsley ’12 Mr. Kingsley came back to Roxbury Latin in 2016, after completing a distinguished undergraduate career at Dartmouth. In that first year he taught sixie English and shadowed Mr. Cervas. Given Mr. Kingsley’s stellar contributions to various areas of school life when he was a student here, it seemed natural that he would make an impact in different ways: as a coach of soccer and basketball; as the founder and operator of the Film Club; as one of our talented crossword builders; as an effective coach of standardized test takers; as an admission officer; and as an advocate for all kinds of boys. Mr. Kingsley’s focused, energetic manner informs a teaching style that is risk-taking and effective. As a result of his training here, and as an inaugural RL/Penn Fellow, Mr. Kingsley is well prepared to take on his next assignment as a teacher at the Riverdale Country School in New York City.

Kyle Layne-Allen ’09 After an impressive schoolboy career at RL, Mr. Layne-Allen went on to Colby College, from which he graduated with a degree in Classics. He returned home in 2015 to serve as RL’s development and alumni affairs associate. Mr. LayneAllen helped establish new, more meaningful connections to younger alumni as they forged links to each other and back to the school. After two years of that work, he began studies as one of the inaugural RL/Penn Fellows. During his fellowship, Mr. Layne-Allen taught three different sections of Latin. He has also coached varsity football, j.v. basketball, and j.v. lacrosse. Mr. Layne-Allen is a man of deep conviction, creativity, and energy. He has served Alma Mater well in his various capacities and leaves us to take on a teaching/ coaching/counseling position at Worcester Academy.

Dr. Kate Stearns Dr. Stearns came to Roxbury Latin in 2014 after a full career spent teaching at the college and secondary school levels. RL had enjoyed the irrepressible company of her two sons—Nate ’04 and Sam ’07—and we were delighted when Dr. Stearns then joined the English faculty in a part-time capacity and to serve as our first writer-in-residence. For these past five years, Dr. Stearns has taught a senior elective in writing; advised colleagues on how to bring more writing into their classes;

counseled burgeoning student writers about opportunities for greater training and publishing; attracted guest writers and poets to the school to edify and entertain us; and to work specifically with the creative writing class. She has founded and organized a Creative Arts Night in which plenty of our boys and a handful of faculty and staff have presented their works. Dr. Stearns is a celebrated poet, and in addition to being an inspiring teacher, she is a clever, kind, resourceful, generous fellow traveler eager to help where she can; to affirm those who deserve it and need it; and to challenge (ever so gently) the wooly headed notions of many of us.

Matt Dinger Mr. Dinger first came to us in 2012 and took the place by storm. After three years, his wanderlust overcame him and off he went to the U.K. Thankfully this year, when we needed him desperately, Mr. Dinger agreed to return to RL to teach math and science, and to coach varsity wrestling and sixie baseball. He is a remarkable teacher, a savvy coach, and a caring advisor. We have benefited greatly from his good will and brilliance. Now he heads off to Harvard Law School to push himself in a new direction. Undoubtedly, Mr. Dinger will be a highly effective lawyer reflecting always the social justice issues about which he cares so fervently.

Peter Shea When Mr. Shea arrived at RL in 2012, he had already done a career’s worth of work. For many years, Mr. Shea served Amherst College as its Treasurer. Soon after his joining RL, the school would embark on the largest construction project in its history—raising and spending millions of dollars; devising financing schemes; dealing with neighbor relations and city bureaucracy; and anticipating a series of improvements that would change our collective lives. Mr. Shea helped guide us through that process in a wise, confident manner, and we are all the better for the improvements to our campus that resulted from that effort. RL’s financial model is distinctive and precarious; at every turn, in order to affirm our demographic, to ensure our need-blind admission and enrollment policy, we have to pay attention and behave responsibly. Mr. Shea has led us in those convictions. Working closely with the Board of Trustees, he has conscientiously operated our Bursar’s Office and ensured the health of our enterprise. Mr. Shea—a professional, friendly, funny, hard working colleague—has earned his retirement. Lindsay Schuyler For the past nine years, in her role as Assistant Director of Admission, Ms. Schuyler has often been the face of RL—in her warmth and energetic personality suggesting to newcomers the integrity and welcoming spirit for which we are known. Ms. Schuyler first came to know RL thanks to the odyssey of her own son, Nick Hrenchuk ’10. This experience as a parent gave her remarkable empathy for what others are going through and the capacity to reassure and assist. Ms. Schuyler has worked so effectively alongside three admission directors—first Mr. Guden, then Mr. Chappell, and, most recently, along with Mr. Quirk—in order to help determine for what boys RL would be a good fit. She is well-informed, hard working, and charming, and families who come to us are immediately impressed by how she represents our mission and values. She has been an understanding, reliable colleague to the rest of us involved in the admission process, and she has earned her retirement.

Dr. Phil Kokotailo Anyone who has been lucky enough to be in Dr. Kokotailo’s English class knows what a master teacher he is. His inspiration as a teacher comes from his keen sense of the world and his passion for untangling tough subjects. As a teacher, Dr. Kokotailo assesses the skills and motivations of each student fashioning in his own mind an ambitious program for each boy’s progress. He loves what he does, and it shows. Taking on the twin leadership duties of chair of the English department and as the first Deane Family Dean of Faculty, Dr. Kokotailo has wedded his fine mind and teacherly instinct to leadership responsibilities that have allowed him to help shape the English Department—what’s read at each level and who will teach what—as well as issues of pedagogy and the trajectory of the curriculum. As Dean, he has imagined and realized countless programs for the betterment of the faculty as a whole and, also, attended to the specific professional and personal needs of individual faculty members. He has good judgment and an avid work ethic. He has been an effective, attentive advisor. That our boys since Dr. Kokotailo’s arrival in 2007 speak better is a result of the public speaking program he has designed and the care he has taken to ensure that student speakers do their very best on the podium. Dr. Kokotailo is a man of unassailable integrity, impeccable judgment, loyalty, sensitivity, with an outsized capacity for friendship. As we bid him farewell in his retirement, we also thank him for twelve years of peerless work on behalf of RL boys and our distinctive mission. //

Photos: (top to bottom, left to right) Orlando Patterson, Cary Snider, Andrew Kingsley ’12, Kyle Layne-Allen ’09, Dr. Kate Stearns, Matt Dinger, Peter Shea, Lindsay Schuyler, Dr. Phil Kokotailo.

Trustees

Bill Maffie A member of the Class of 1988, and a member of the Board of Trustees since 2013, Bill served as chair of the Annual Fund for five years. With his financial acumen and enthusiasm, Bill led the Annual Fund to new records every year during his tenure. Bill served on the Development Committee and Resource Strategies Committee for the board. He was a founding member of the Alumni Leadership Giving Committee, has been a stalwart supporter of the Joseph Kerner and Jack Brennan professorships, and has served as Class Agent for many years. We have benefitted from Bill’s analytical skills and passion for preserving the availability of Roxbury Latin to all students, regardless of their financial ability. Although he is retiring from the board, we know that Bill will stay close to the school and continue to contribute his many talents for years to come.

Diane Young-Spitzer Diane has been a reliable and clear thinking member of the Board of Trustees since 2013. Mother of Garrett, Class of 2005, and Reid, Class of 2010, she has served on the Campus Planning and Operations Committee and chaired the important Conflicts Committee. Diane has also served as Secretary Pro Tem numerous times during her tenure. While her sons were in school, Diane served as a parent agent for the Annual Fund and has been a supporter of the Steven E. Ward Professorship. We are grateful to Diane for her love of the school and unwavering dedication of her time and talents. //

the roxbury latin board of trustees 2018–2019

Front Row: Bryan Anderson ’88, Paul Spinale ’81, Chris Mitchell ’89, Jim Frates (Treaurer), Mike Giarla ’76 (Vice President), Bob O’Connor ’85 (President), Paul Massey ’78 (Chairman), Larry Lebowitz ’78, Ethan Berman (Assistant Treasurer), Bill Maffie ’88; Back Row: Jo Tango, Marlyn McGrath, Diane Young-Spitzer, Pamela Everhart, John Connaughton, Jim Hamilton ’91, Michael Berk, Kent Sahin ’91, Gene Lambert ’87, Roberto Goizueta, Ellen Berkman, Jack Englert ’77. (Missing from photo: Anne McNay (Secretary), Ian O’Keeffe ’86, Ron Sullivan.)

Class of 2019

First row: Coleman Smith, Colin Miller, Ben Morris, Taalin RaoShah, Luke Streckenbach, Ben Rounds, Cameron Croce, Milan Rosen, Myles Davis, Aidan Lovett, Zion Mascall, Doevy Estimphile, Kyle Cloherty, Lo Monteiro-Clewell, Josh Morris, Elias Simeonov, Brendan Jimenez; Second row: Daniel McElroy, Aidan Bowen, Erik Zou, Rohan Sheth, Trey Sullivan, Cameron Keough, Brendan Gibbons, Nate Lopes, Sebastian Borgard, Alvin Massenat, David Meneses Ontiveros, Johnny Ryan, Izzy Goldsmith; Third row: John Frates, Eric Zaks, Lucas Zheng, Gil Rosenthal, Tomas Gustafsson, Adam Berk, Kalyan Palepu, Rafi Deykin, Jack Luca, Dominic Gaziano, Quito Sanchez, Ethan Kee; Back row: Will Greer, Sean Russell, Charlie Mazof, Makoto Kobayashi, Kevin Demore, Liam Rimas, Jackson Roberts, Deven Varney, Jared Brosnan, Matthew Fumarola, Brendan Lovett

Class of 2019 Matriculation Adam Berk - Harvard College Sebastian Borgard - Howard University Aidan Bowen - Roger Williams University Jared Brosnan - Boston College Kyle Cloherty - Syracuse University Cameron Croce - Colby College Myles Davis - Trinity College Kevin Demore - Elon University Raphael Deykin - Tulane University Doevy Estimphile - Bowdoin College John Frates - Harvard College Matthew Fumarola - Belmont University Dominic Gaziano - University of Notre Dame Brendan Gibbons - Georgetown University Isaiah Goldsmith - Brown University William Greer - Bucknell University Tomas Gustafsson - University of

Southern California* Brendan Jimenez - Skidmore College Ethan Kee - Harvard College Cameron Keough - Tufts University* Makoto Kobayashi - Brown University Nathaniel Lopes - Brown University Aidan Lovett - Tufts University* Brendan Lovett - Bates College John Luca - Trinity College* Zion Mascall - Howard University Alvin Massenat - Brown University Charles Mazof - Dartmouth College Daniel McElroy - College of the Holy Cross David Meneses Ontiveros - Connecticut College Colin Miller - Washington University in St. Louis Lourenco Monteiro-Clewell - Seattle University Benjamin Morris - Dartmouth College Joshua Morris - Tufts University Kalyan Palepu - Harvard College Taalin RaoShah - Duke University Liam Rimas - Connecticut College Jackson Roberts - Tulane University Milan Rosen - Georgetown University Gilbert Rosenthal - University of Chicago Benzan Rounds - Harvard College Sean Russell - Trinity College John Ryan - Boston University Enrique Sanchez - Harvard College Rohan Sheth - Harvard College Elias Simeonov - St. Lawrence University Coleman Smith - College of the Holy Cross Lucas Streckenbach - University of

Massachusetts, Amherst Ronald Sullivan - Harvard College* Deven Varney - University of Pennsylvania Eric Zaks - Tufts University Lucas Zheng - Yale University Erik Zou - Eton College/Harvard College*

*Indicates gap year Accurate as of June 30, 2019

National Merit 47 percent of the Class of 2019 received some level of recognition in the National Merit Scholar program, including five finalists and 20 Letters of Commendation.