Roxbury Latin Newsletter: Summer 2021 by Marcus Miller

T HE N EWS LET TER

SUMMER 2021

headmaster

Kerry P. Brennan associate headmaster

Michael T. Pojman director of external relations

Erin E. Berg assistant headmaster for advancement

Thomas R. Guden ’96 photography

Gretchen Ertl, John Gillooly, Marcus Miller, Mike Pojman, Adam Richins, Evan Scales, John Werner editorial & design

Erin E. Berg, Marcus C. 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

Summer 2021

The Newsletter For 436 days (after a Jazz Band Hall on March 10, 2020), there were no live music performances at Roxbury Latin. That streak came to a beautiful end as RL students held an outdoor concert in the Smith Arts Center Courtyard on May 20, 2021. Photo by Marcus Miller

SUMMER 2021 | VOLUME 94 | NUMBER 4

Features 8

Teaming Up for a VEXing Challenge | Members of the Robotics Team explain their love of annual VEX competetions | by ERIN E. BERG

The Magic of Untrodden Paths, in Five Living Examples | by JAKE A. CARROLL ’21

Wisdom for What Comes Next | Dr. Gita Gopinath P’21, Chief Economist of the IMF, addresses Cum Laude Society Inductees

Prize Day and Valete

Varsity Spring Athletics

Celebrating a Year Unlike Any Other: Closing Exercises

We’re Just Getting Started | The Valedictory Remarks of Ben Crawford ’21

Life Essentials: Taking Risks, Overcoming Fear... and Having Fun | Andy Chappell delivers Commencement Address

The Class of 2021

Stories from our Seniors | Select College Essays from the Graduating Class

Emerging from a Pandemic School Year | A Message from Headmaster Kerry Brennan

Departments 4

RL News, Hall Highlights & Arts News

Faculty & Trustees

Class Notes

In Memoriam: Remembering Phil Hansen, Faculty Emeritus

Ramblings from the Archives

Honors Bio Students Investigate Life Science Questions, With Help From the Pros Does sugar water have an effect on ants’ learning? Are the heart rates of Daphnia magna affected by alcohol exposure? How does isolation alter the dietary habits of cockroaches? How does sound affect plant growth? This year, the Honors Biology students in Dr. Peter Hyde’s class answered these questions and more, with help from medical professionals and research scientists.

Special thanks to our generous mentors, who include: Sirisha Emani P’17, ’22, PhD, Department of Surgery, Boston Children’s Hospital

For the eighth year, Honors Bio students spent the winter term immersed in Independent Research Projects (IRP). Posing questions of their own scientific interest, the boys developed experiment proposals and turned to the professionals for realtime feedback, honing their approaches all the while. Even before the winter break, the students met with their IRP mentors—RL parents and alumni who are also research scientists, surgeons, hematologists, oncologists—virtually. With the feedback from those sessions, the boys refined their experimental plans, and in January and February they collected their data. The IRP mentors

Andrew Eyre ’02, MD, Department of

then met with their mentees again to discuss the data and findings, and worked with the students on developing compelling presentations. In a typical year the students’ work culminates in a science fair-style event, in which faculty, staff, and fellow students can walk around perusing project posters and asking questions of the budding scientists. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the students instead submitted videos as the culminating presentation of their hard work.

Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital

Other research projects included the effects of dissolved oxygen on yeast respiration and CO2 production; the effects of changing soil pH on the growth of Wisconsin Fast Plants; whether hyperoxia improves learning in fruit flies; and how the concentration of potassium ions affect the heart rate of Daphnia magna. //

David Wilkinson P’21, ’23, ’25, MS,

Emergency Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital Ephraim Hochberg ’88 P’25, MD, Departments of Oncology and Hematology, Massachusetts General Hospital Matthew Hutter ’87 P’21, ’23, MD, Departments of General and Gastrointestinal

Julie Lin P’17, PhD, Clinical Development, Rare Diseases and Rare Blood Disorders, Sanofi-Genzyme Cynthia Morton P’10, PhD, Department of Cytogenetics, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

Department of Systems Engineering, Vicarious Surgica Scot Wolfe P’15, ’18, PhD, Department of Molecular, Cell and Cancer Biology, University of Massachusetts Medical School

Summer 2021

Emose Piou, mother of Hansenard ’14 and Noah ’16; Ousmane Diop, chair of the Modern Language Department; and José Flores (II) shared their stories of becoming U.S. citizens by way of various paths.

Exemplars of Real-Life Civic Engagement, for Class V Each spring, Class V students convene—led by Stewart Thomsen and Christopher Heaton of the History Department, and Headmaster Kerry Brennan—for a series of lessons in what it means to be responsible, engaged, informed citizens of the United States. This Civics mini-course, conceived of by Mr. Brennan, has been a hallmark of the Class V program since 2011. It provides students early in their RL tenure with a lesson on the inner workings of the United States government, their own civil rights and responsibilities, and the many forms that service to country and commonwealth can take. Happily, this year all Class V boys were able to participate in the Civics curriculum together, in person, in their “neighborhood” of the Gordon Fieldhouse gymnasium. While many of the impressive guest speakers and presenters were able to speak with the boys on campus, several presented remotely, given travel and safety restrictions.

Boys dove into topics such as the American election process; our branches of government; immigration and naturalization; military and diplomatic service; misinformation and democracy; voting rights; and incarceration. Students had a taste of the experience that individuals seeking United States citizenship face, as they attempted to answer questions posed in the American citizenship test. Subsequently, boys heard from three members of the RL community who were born outside of the United States and became U.S. citizens by way of three very different paths. Ousmane Diop, chair of the Modern Language Department, has been a member of the RL faculty since 1994. Born in Senegal, West Africa, Mr. Diop came to the U.S. originally as a student at Phillips Andover. Emose Piou—mother of RL alumni Hansenard ’14 and Noah ’16—grew up in Haiti with 12 brothers and sisters, and came to America as a young adult to pursue higher

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

education, enrolling at New York Technical College to study engineering. Finally, José Flores of Class II was born in Guatemala City, where he was adopted at age three by his mother and father, who were born in the U.S. Virgin Islands and in El Salvador, respectively. José gained full U.S. citizenship in 2011 but only received his official documents and citizenship ceremony since coming to Roxbury Latin. These three individuals shared not only their personal stories, but also similar challenges, such as overcoming language barriers, facing discrimination, and maintaining their own cultures while also trying to acclimate to America. During a class on the judicial system, and the critical role of jurors, faculty and staff members Erin Berg, Erin Dromgoole, and John Lieb spoke about their experiences serving as jurors on both civil and criminal trials. In a class session dedicated to military service, alumni Chase Gilmore ’12 and Martin Buckley ’15 spoke to students about their active duty service in the U.S. Army and Navy, respectively. The two provided an overview of the structure of the U.S. Military; the extensive training that is required to join; the reality of active duty; and the different paths that can lead to military service. From Bob Thomas—a managing member of the law group known as the Whistleblower Law Collaborative— students learned about how we as a nation can’t be “both ignorant and free,” and that citizens armed with facts and the truth are critical to the functioning of a democracy. Mr. Thomas is a former federal prosecutor who has worked in law in both the public and private sectors. He has also taught at Boston University Law School and served on the Board of the ACLU of Massachusetts. Boys also heard from Pulitzer Prizewinning journalist and RL parent Gareth Cook about the important role of the media and how they can be discerning news consumers, rejecting “fake news” in all forms.

Summer 2021

It is fitting that the Class V Civics course relies on the insights, skill sets, and perspectives of so many teachers. To rely on the collective efforts of many individuals is in itself a lesson on the American government and civic responsibility.

Peter Martin ’85, pictured with his son Xavier (V) and Kerry Brennan, spoke with students about his 20+ year career as a member of the United States Foreign Service.

In one of the final sessions of the course, RL alumnus and parent Peter Martin ’85 shared his experience as a member of the foreign service for more than 20 years. He spoke about the logistical process of becoming a member of the foreign service; his experience of living abroad as an American citizen; and about the many valuable lessons that he learned throughout his career as a diplomat. He also shared stories about the life and work of his father, Gordon Martin, RL Class of 1953, who pursued racial justice as a lawyer and judge in the 1960s, working in the U.S. Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division in Mississippi. On the final morning of the course, Fifthies heard from seniors Eric Auguste and Edozie Umunna, who reported on their work and findings from their Independent Senior Project titled “Restorative Justice and Deflection

Zach Heaton (right) emerged victorious in the Civics “May Madness” competition, which tests students’ knowledge in the U.S. Citizenship test. Krish Muniappan was the competition’s runner-up.

in Chicago.” Both Edozie and Eric worked closely over the course of a month with professionals in Chicago who have committed their lives to making changes to the law enforcement and legal systems that disproportionately impact people of color. The two seniors shared the findings of interviews; the results of their research; and what the experience meant to them, as well as how it will affect their education and career decisions in the future. It is fitting that the Class V Civics course relies on the insights, skill sets, and perspectives of so many teachers. To rely on the collective efforts of many individuals is in itself a lesson on the American government and civic responsibility. //

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

Teaming Up for a VEXing Challenge Interview by Erin E. Berg

Summer 2021

he VEX Robotics Club is one of the most popular extracurricular activities at Roxbury Latin. Each winter, student coders, engineers, and problem-solvers from all classes come together forming teams in which to design, build, and program robots with specific goals in mind, to compete against teams from other schools. As was true with all activities this past year, VEX looked different during COVID. With students assigned to “neighborhoods” by class, with hybrid instruction keeping cohorts apart physically, and with no ability to compete in-person against other schools in large venues, RL’s VEX teams adapted—and adapted well. The team of Josh Krakauer, Vishnu Emani, Oliver Wyner, Jacob Tjaden, and Max Williams (all Class II) were one of 12 teams in the Southern New England region to qualify for the World Championship competition, with their high Remote Skills score, which included both a oneminute completely autonomous score, and a one-minute driver-controlled score. (In short: Each VEX competition includes instructions on how to build a “field” as well as the various ways in which a team can score points using their robot—which the team builds, on their own, from scratch. Scoring possibilities can include stacking items, putting balls through hoops, or flipping flags to your own team’s color. Teams compete in both autonomous—or, fully programmed—and driver-controlled elements.) At this spring’s World Championship competition—in which the team competed virtually during the third week in May—the boys finished fifth out of 24 in their division, which placed them in the quarterfinals. While the team didn’t progress past the quarterfinals, they had a strong showing in the divisional round against some top-notch competitors, and proved—throughout a modified season— their skills in adaptability, creativity, and positivity. With next year’s VEX game and requirements already released, the team of rising seniors is already planning and strategizing for the upcoming season. All five boys and their VEX faculty advisor, Nate Piper, answered questions about why they love what they do, and what this particular year entailed for them.

What’s so great about VEX? Why do you love it, and why do you keep coming back to it? Josh Krakauer: I’ve been involved in VEX since seventh grade at Roxbury Latin. From the moment I started, I have loved the idea of challenging myself with every kind of problem solving—whether that's building or planning out different things with the team. That combination of teamwork and problem solving is what keeps me coming back each year. Vishnu Emani: The biggest things for me are the community and the teamwork, as Josh mentioned. I have a team and a group of friends that I really enjoy going to the lab with and working with and problem solving with, and I feel comfortable adding my input without worrying about any other weird dynamics. I feel very comfortable with this group, and that’s another thing that makes me really excited to be part of it. Oliver Wyner: I second that, as well. I joined VEX for a few weeks in my Sixie year, but freshman year is the first time I really got into it, because we split into smaller groups. (We started with 10 kids on the team, which was too many to get things done.) At that point, it felt much more like I was a part of things. It felt much more like a team. Max Williams: This is the first year I’ve really been able to help out. I tried to get involved freshman year, but I was also doing wrestling and other things. However, this year I feel like I've been able to be a meaningful part of it. Although I feel more than contributing, I’ve just really learned a lot—about the process, the coding, what goes into it, and how we can succeed in building a successful robot. Jacob Tjaden: One of the reasons I really like VEX is because you start from nothing. You have just this general goal, but there are endless possibilities of how to go about accomplishing it. There are very few opportunities, at least at this age, where a completely student-run organization can just come together and collectively try to work and find the best way to do something with all these endless possibilities. And doing that as a group, as everyone else said, is a really special experience.

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

Are there different expertises, roles, or insights that you each bring to this problem that needs to be solved from a lot of different angles? Vishnu: There are basically three main areas in which people bring expertise from different angles. The first one is building. You have to have solid building and structure, a stable robot. The second thing is programming. That’s especially important for the autonomous period—when the robot is moving on its own—but also during the driver-control period, making sure all the functionality is nice and clean. The third is driver control, which is where a lot of teams fall short. Lots of teams have really good robots, but their drivers aren’t as skilled. I’ll just say, this year we started off with a pretty preliminary, almost prototype, robot, and we went at it first try. And Oliver, who’s just a really, really good driver, almost made a Worlds scoring score just from that. So if you can make up in some areas with other strengths, that’s always helpful.

Do those specific strengths and skills emerge organically? How do you decide who will be leading in which of those three important areas? Josh: The process of creating the robot usually goes from building, to coding, to driving, and along the way, usually people take leads. But I would say every single person is involved in every aspect, to some extent. When we’re building, for instance, everyone is providing input. Sometimes I like to take the lead when we build, but I also make sure to take input from others and share what I’m doing. The same goes for coding. Vishnu usually does the majority of our coding. I’m not necessarily that great at coding, but I’ll still give input when I think it’s valuable, and so do Jacob and Max and Oliver. Even in driving, everyone’s able to help out Oliver and say, “You should maybe go for this path, or that path.” And if you’re not especially skilled in one area, you can learn a lot from everyone else on the team. And you can still provide ideas, even though it might not be your strong suit. Mr. Piper: Would you guys agree that the fourth area that ties it all together is the strategy of the game?

Summer 2021

Josh: Yeah, for sure. And every single person on the team is incredibly helpful with that. Because maybe one person is convinced, “We should go for this point system first,” and then someone else will take a step back and say, “Well, what about this?” and that will change everything. Vishnu: This year there were fewer ways to actually score points—there was pretty much only one task. But the strategy was deciding what order to do it in. What goal do you start with? What path do you take? And that plays into a lot of things, including the building. We don’t just say, “Okay, the robot is finished,” and then move on to the next thing. Instead we say, “Hey, we’re noticing this is taking too long to, say, clean out all the balls. Is it possible that we can change the spacing so that we can have it go out the back?” Something like that. The elements of a successful robot are all connected, as Mr. Piper was saying, by the strategy. Mr. Piper: Josh, do you want to talk about that specific thing you were showing me yesterday? Josh: Sure. One thing I’ve been working on lately has been spacing of certain rollers. So that instead of only having a two-way system for balls to go in and out of the robot, we can also spit them out the back. That’s one example of, even though the robot works, we still cycle back to the building phase—even though we might consider the robot to be in working condition. All aspects of the robot are constantly changing, and we’re trying to constantly make it better in every aspect. Max: I think that’s important. When you look at the grand scheme of things, most teams have a very similar base design. You have the two wheel intakes and then an arm to shoot the ball. But you need to be willing—and able— to figure out how to improve on that design and setup, determining what works best for your team to score the maximum number of points. That process requires revisiting a robot you might have already deemed “complete.”

“One of the reasons I really like VEX is because you start from nothing. You have just this general goal, but there are endless possibilities of how to go about accomplishing it. There are very few opportunities, at least at this age, where a completely studentrun organization can just come together and collectively try to work and find the best way to do something with all these endless possibilities.”

So, are you ever finished with your robot? Or do you find that you’re going back and tweaking every time you test it, every time you compete? Oliver: We might be satisfied to an extent, but there are always problems. We might identify three issues, and we then fix two of them to see how that works as a whole. Vishnu: Exactly. Also—and we were talking about this earlier—we feel like if we were ever actually able to get our robot to a place where we physically can’t improve it in any way, it would either take years or we would just be too bored to continue with it. Because we’re obviously not the experts of the experts. Take coding, for instance: Currently our autonomous uses the last second of the time we’re given because we don’t max out [in earning possible points]. But even if we were able to max out, maybe there’s a way that we can make turning faster—like creating a method to turn without stopping. It’s going to take a long time to perfect that, but once you perfect that there’s something else we can do to make it faster. There’s always something we can do to improve. Josh: Also, no matter how good we make our robot, there will always be other robots that are doing some aspects better than we are. And so one of the big things—which is harder this year, but has been huge in the past—has been looking at other robots and taking ideas and talking with other teams. Before COVID, going to so many competitions and seeing other robots up close was so valuable. Because even though you might think our intake is perfect, we'll look at another robot and think, “Wow, that’s better than ours.” So, I don’t think we ever get to a spot where our robot is finished, because, as Vishnu said, there are always ways to make it better.

When you’re competing in-person with teams from other schools, how collaborative are people willing to be versus how protective of their knowledge and skills? Oliver: From my experience, VEX and robotics in general rely on using other people as a resource. I don’t think I’ve run into a team that’s been like, “Oh, no, you cannot look. We have a box over our robot.”

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

Worcester Polytechnic Institute hosts its regional signature VEX event, called WAVE, each spring (photo credit: WPI).

Josh: One of the biggest competitions last year was at Worcester Polytechnic Institute, and that competition was amazing. We saw some of the best robots I’ve ever seen in person. And there wasn’t a single team that wasn’t extremely happy to explain its robot to me. There were teams, too, that would constantly say, “You can take a picture of our robot, if you want.” I gained so much knowledge from so many other people. I think the whole community, like Oliver said, not even just in VEX, but in robotics in general, is super happy to explain stuff.

the past. Worlds are live-remote: You’re competing from your own field, and there’s someone watching you live and in real-time. But you are competing at the same time as three other teams. One team is competing with you, and two other teams are competing against you. And you are working together, but also completely separately with your partner to score as many points as possible.

Because you didn’t have the opportunity to compete in-person this year, can you tell me what competing virtually was like? How are you logistically competing against other teams right now?

Vishnu: There are definitely some advantages and disadvantages to this setup. Obviously, the disadvantages are that we can’t have in-person competitions. In-person competitions are so fun. Nerve-wracking, but fun. But the nice thing is that we get to use the same field that we use in practice during the actual competition. Especially when it comes to something like autonomous, when things happen with the robot that even God can’t explain. Getting ready for the state competition, we had tested the robot for an entire week. It worked perfectly, almost maxed out. And then we went to the actual competition, and in all the three runs it just scored half of what it could have. So when you go to a different arena, and there’s, say, more dust on the

Oliver: So of the two “competitions” that we've been to this year, one was actually just a recording that we submitted. For the other, we were judged remotely—being observed in real time. But essentially, we just ran against the clock for 60 seconds. In both autonomous and in driver control, we just scored as many points as possible. The judge can see the field as it’s happening. For me, the competitions felt surprisingly loose, considering how strict they’ve been in

Summer 2021

What are some of the pros and cons of virtual competition?

floor, your robot is turning too fast and you just can’t do anything about it. So we did have that benefit, that we knew exactly what field we were using. Max: Although on the other hand, the field that we built was not perfect. We ran into several issues where mid-season we actually had to rebuild it, since we built many of the towers too dense and you couldn’t actually pull the balls out without significant effort. So mid-season we had to take out several of the towers and rebuild them, which was a pain. Also, a problem that we never really fixed was the balls would get stuck in the corners and be almost impossible to pull out. So, while having the same field over and over again was a good thing, it was also frustrating when the field would fail. Oliver: For me, even though the virtual competitions take up less time technically, the actual aspect of strategizing in-game, fixing those problems, even the stress of the competition in person is a big part for me. I really enjoy it, and it’s tough not to have that. On top of that, we only have one scoring method this year, so in terms of game plan, there’s less problem solving to do. Josh: I would say overall though, going into the season, I was very unsure of what it would look like. And I was worried, honestly, because I love this extracurricular so much. I was worried that we wouldn’t be able to do it this year. And I’m really grateful for the opportunity that RL gave us to actually get a robot not only working, but working well. This is not nearly a failed season. This was very successful for us, despite the many challenges. Vishnu: Especially compared to what materials other teams have been given. I’m probably accurate in saying we wouldn’t have made it to Worlds if other teams were in school, in session. I think a lot of the teams that did really well this year did so in spite of the fact that they had to do it from home. Mr. Piper: One of the fascinating things, I thought, was the remote competition. You’re competing with other people in the same Zoom room with the same judge, and you get to literally see into other people’s living rooms, where they set up the entire game board in their living room or their basement at home. To actually be in school was a major advantage.

Jacob: The competition is actually released in the summer, for fall, but at RL VEX is a winter activity, so that late start puts us at a disadvantage. The curve of our performance is a lot steeper than most other teams. But being given this opportunity with RL to come in-person and have a normal-ish season, where lots of people were not given that opportunity, it shows how much more we can do in that small time. Vishnu: It doesn’t relate to our specific robot, but another difficulty for me was not being able to help other teams at RL as much. That was something that I was really interested in doing, especially with the middle schoolers, because they need someone who has done it to help guide them. That was difficult because of the neighborhood situation, and we weren’t able to mix class neighborhoods for health reasons. I really would’ve liked to have been able to help other teams with that—but hopefully next year.

Mr. Piper, is there anything about this particular team that you would like to speak to? Mr. Piper: I have admired this team’s commitment—not just to their own success, but to the ongoing success of the program. As Vishnu was talking about a little bit, these guys have not just the willingness, but also the desire to spend time with the younger guys and teach them the ropes. I know there were several consequential older members when these five were younger who provided that mentorship for them. Another thing that Josh and Vishnu, especially, didn't mention is that even before we were fully back, and before we had this space set up, they had actually brought a bunch of stuff home and said, “We want to make sure that we can do something. Even if we’re not going to have a full RL season, we still want to get a jumpstart on this.” They were all in on this commitment. Finally, just about the team more broadly: Jacob and Max were both new freshmen, joining a team that was already starting to congeal. Their being welcomed in, and their bringing fresh ideas and fresh blood, has been a cool thing to watch. To see both how these five have allocated their skills, and split their focus, and yet how they’re still all in the conversation together at every moment is really impressive and enjoyable to watch. //

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 Magic of Untrodden Paths, in Five Living Examples by Jake A. Carroll ’21

Summer 2021

t is not uncommon for a school to bring in a speaker or two for the senior class, to get them thinking about the possibilities concerning their futures.* On May 25, however, before the senior class there stood five uncommon people, any of whom, alone, would have been a homerun speaker. The panel, organized by John Werner P’21, ’26, included Cory Pescaturo, Ramesh Raskar, Rebecca Love, MacCalvin Romain, and Carlos Cashman. Cory began by talking about his journey with the accordion. He set tangible goals that he could strive for, such as best in the country, and then best in the world—which he lived up to, being a three-time world champion, in addition to holding a Guinness world record for accordion playing. As he explained, Cory is always in search of the next step, always looking for the next challenge to tackle. He attended the New England Conservatory as an accordion player, despite the NEC not teaching the accordion. He didn’t ask them to teach him to be a great accordion player, he asked them to teach him to be a great musician. This demonstration of resourcefulness can act as a wealth of inspiration for anyone who hears it. Cory’s journey is an excellent example of the power of discipline, and his methods can be applied to any out-of-the-box calling that we may have. Ramesh shed light on the balance between the importance of privacy and the societal benefits of an honest, unbiased technological arbiter that has already begun to manifest in our lives, such as Google Maps and other transportation aids. One of the leading experts in the technology world, Ramesh spoke about the future of AI in our lifetimes and touched on the ways in which it may change our lives. His take on these sophisticated topics is bolstered by his considerable background in a plethora of start-ups, inventions, and TED Talks. Ramesh won the MIT-Lemelson prize, which has been dubbed by many the Nobel Prize for engineering. Ramesh is one of the most innovative inventors and thinkers of our time, and he was sitting less than ten feet from our senior class! (In fact, he gave the graduation speech at UNC a few years back, and so his presence in RL’s Smith Theater is a great reminder

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

Summer 2021

of the fortunate situation that we are in, and the incredible people we get to meet and hear from.) Rebecca walked us through her experience of becoming a nurse, though she admitted that at the time she would have preferred to become a lawyer. She then went on to change the entire sector of nursing almost single-handedly. She brought the problematic treatment of nurses to the forefront of the medical field and has continued to break down barriers in that vein. She started a program at Northeastern for nurses and helped to distribute masks and other PPE to nurses during COVID-19. She spoke about the sexism she sees in her line of work—an apt subject to discuss with a graduating class at an all-boys’ high school. Rebecca demonstrates, especially to this senior class, that any of us could perhaps make it as a doctor or a lawyer, but that being a leader is more difficult, and that leadership is a crucial trait to develop in the world we are stepping into. MacCalvin grew up not far from Roxbury Latin, and his life story is one of trailblazing and giving back. He went to the Boston Latin School and then Boston College, where he walked onto the basketball team (an inspiring story for those looking to start up or step up their athletic careers in college). He worked in IT after college, earning his MBA after receiving a full scholarship to the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. He ultimately decided to forge his own path, consulting for companies, becoming the reverse mentor for Digitas’s CEO, and now helping to strengthen social equity laws in Massachusetts. He is an example not only of personal success, but also of helping those around him, no matter where he is or how much he has done. Finally, Carlos discussed a series of successful business ventures he was part of after graduating from MIT. Those ventures were only the beginning. His experience and unorthodox views currently have him heading Thrasio, the fastest company to both hit a one billion dollar valuation and be on track to hitting one billion dollars in revenue. Carlos and Thrasio are reinventing e-commerce, which is a rapidlygrowing four trillion dollar industry. Carlos emphasized the importance of taking advantage of the present moment and the opportunities before you that often go unnoticed.

Mr. Werner, bringing together this panel of titans, connected the dots between each member and revealed to the senior class that each one of them was an entrepreneur in their own way. He emphasized the diverse ways in which entrepreneurship can manifest, laying the groundwork for future revelations and for ways each senior can create his own version of entrepreneurship. Ultimately, this panel revealed that some level of entrepreneurship is necessary for living a meaningful life, and that pushing the boundary in any industry falls under the umbrella of entrepreneurship. The subtle but powerful “Aha!” moment for me was that—in their entrepreneurship—each of these speakers followed their own path, a path that embodies their own passions and personalities. My takeaway: I believe this is where their success lies. At the end of the panel, Mr. Werner suggested that these interesting and inspiring individuals could serve as “verbs” for our class. This seemed a fitting description; as we continue our lives, faced with our own unique challenges, we can reflect on the powerful ways that these speakers have broken down barriers in their lives, and then apply those to our own as we continue to craft our character and resolve. I believe the wisdom of these five speakers will be reverberating in our heads as we live our lives and hear inner voices calling us to untrodden paths. // *Editor’s note: Due to the pandemic’s disruption to school life and events during the spring of 2020, the Class of 2021 was not able to benefit from the RL@Work program they would have experienced in their junior year. This May’s programming and panel of speakers was, in part, an effort to connect the students with a variety of professionals outside of our campus walls. The panel discussion was the culmination of a day-long program during which Class I focused on “what comes next” for them, after Roxbury Latin. The day, organized by Assistant Headmaster for Advancement Tom Guden ’96 and faculty member Elizabeth Carroll, also included an introduction to resume building, networking, and interviewing skills. We would also like to thank RL parents Bryan Anderson, Tyhesha Harrington, Paul Lonergan, and Tom Peterson for their help in making the day a success.

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

Photo by Carletta Girma

Writer and Poet Clint Smith Weaves Artistry With Activism On April 8, Clint Smith—writer, poet, scholar, and activist—spoke with students and faculty in virtual Hall about his poetry, his passionate support of the racial justice movement, and his newest project—his non-fiction book debut, How the Word is Passed: A Reckoning With the History of Slavery Across America, which will be published this summer. “I’ve spent the last four years reading and being transformed by history books,” Mr. Smith began, “and I wondered, ‘How can a poet contribute to this historiography?’” Prompted by watching monuments to the Confederate Army come down in 2017 in his home city of New Orleans, Mr. Smith launched into this project, through which he explores how different cities and sites across the country reckon with, or fail to reckon with, their relationship to the history of slavery. For this project, Mr. Smith traveled to—and chronicled what he learned and experienced in—places like Monticello Plantation and Angola Prison, Galveston Island and New York City. During Hall, Mr. Smith spoke about how important it is that we learn about, discuss, and understand the totality of

Summer 2021

our country’s history, and the people within it. He talked about how Thomas Jefferson, for instance, was “a brilliant mind, who helped to create the greatest experiment in democracy that the world has ever seen,” but that he also held more than 600 slaves over the course of his life, including four of his own children whom he had by his slave Sally Hemings. “How do we hold and understand two truths at the same time?,” he asked. “It’s important that we face these difficult realities and deal with these tensions. And we might not all agree in the end, but these are conversations we need to be having.” Mr. Smith also read aloud some of his poetry, including a new poem that was “a letter to four presidents who held slaves,” and the title poem of his 2017 collection, Counting Descent. In an extended Q&A session, he answered questions about his writing style and process; the topics he addresses in his poems and essays; and about how we grapple with American history, reconciling the admirable with the loathsome. Mr. Smith is a staff writer at The Atlantic. His essays, poems, and scholarly writing have been published in The

“[Jefferson] helped to create the greatest experiment in democracy that the world has ever seen, but he also held more than 600 slaves over the course of his life... How do we hold and understand two truths at the same time?” New Yorker, New York Times Magazine, The New Republic, The Paris Review, and other esteemed publications. His first full-length collection of poetry, Counting Descent, won the 2017 Literary Award for Best Poetry Book from the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and was a finalist for an NAACP Image Award. Mr. Smith is a 2014 National Poetry Slam champion and a 2017 recipient of the Shestack Prize from the American Poetry Review. He has been named to the Forbes “30 Under 30” list as well as Ebony Magazine’s Power 100 list. His two TED Talks, The Danger of Silence and How to Raise a Black Son in America, collectively have been viewed more than 7 million times. Mr. Smith has received a number of prestigious national fellowships; he has taught high school English in Maryland where, in 2013, he was named Teacher of the Year by the Maryland Humanities Council. He currently teaches writing and literature in the D.C. Central Detention Facility. Mr. Smith earned his B.A. in English from Davidson College and his Ph.D. in Education from Harvard University. //

Live Music on Campus Again, At Last! May 20 marked a momentous occasion for this singing school: Roxbury Latin hosted its first live musical performance in 14 months. On a beautiful, sunny evening, outside in the Smith Arts Center Courtyard, guests sat—spread out, in chairs on the lawn—and enjoyed performances by students in Class VI through Class I, instrumentalists and singers, performing a range of music that they’ve been practicing, in person and via Zoom, throughout this pandemic year. //

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

Art was Alive on Campus this Spring Sixies in Ms. Sonja Holmberg’s Digital Design class created “Mixed-Up Masterpieces,” putting their own modern spins on everything from Van Gogh’s self-portrait to American Gothic. //

When Dr. Sue McCrory charged students this spring with creating a “site-specific design” for installation at school, Nick Frumkin (III) executed this conceptual wall drawing—inspired by Sol LeWitt—on the back of the stage doors in the scene shop, with a little help from his friends. //

Summer 2021

On May 24, Alejandro Denis (II) and David Sullivan (II) acted in RL’s first and last live performance of the year in the Smith Theater, delivering two scenes from Yasmina Reza’s Art, which explores dynamics of artwork and friendship. //

At the end of the school year, students in Class IV created watercolor paintings of tulips to frame and deliver as gifts to the elderly residents of RL’s neighboring Deutsches Altenheim—a long-time service partner of Roxbury Latin and Class IV. (Special thanks to Mr. Jim Ryan for creatively keeping boys engaged with the residents throughout the year, despite the many COVID restrictions!) //

On May 24, Dr. Andrés Wilson hosted a virtual Creative Arts event featuring the poetry, essays, and short stories of nine students, Class VI through Class I. Enjoy the featured poetry contribution by senior Conor Downey, inspired by his hobby of creating with stained glass. //

Stained Consecration by CONOR DOWNEY

Crystal grozings spear palms, cautious work of Pilate. small sacrifice for painting with light, the blood of Christ. I spill in my passion. Lead-lined transubstantiation, lather the wine-red pigments an absolvent trinity of material, upon the wise throne of my own God pressed in molten hues.

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

Wisdo

Wh Com Ne

Address by Dr. Gita Gopin Economist of the International

Summer 2021

om for hat mes ext

nath P’21, Chief l Monetary Fund

Roxbury Latin was honored to welcome Dr. Gita Gopinath as speaker at the school’s April 22 Cum Laude Society induction ceremony. Dr. Gopinath is Chief Economist of the International Monetary Fund, serving in that prestigious post while on leave of public service from Harvard’s economics department, where she is the John Zwaanstra Professor of International Studies and of Economics.

Thank you, Kerry, for inviting me to give this year’s Cum Laude address and for the very generous introduction. And congratulations to the Cum Laude inductees. We are here to honor you today for your grit, your determination, and your hard work. Congratulations, also, to all of you who will be graduating very soon, and to all of your parents who I’m sure are very proud of you, just as Iqbal and I are of our son, Rohil. My salute to all the exceptional teachers at Roxbury Latin. I am absolutely certain this class will admire you even more, once they discover what college professors—me included—are like. I’ve had the opportunity to speak at such events at other institutions in the past, but addressing you, I will say, is tough. The reason is that as students at Roxbury Latin, you’ve already learned all the life skills you will need to succeed. You’ve learned the importance of hard work; of the necessity of collaborating; of the value of being an important part of a community; of the importance of failure; and of the critical importance of giving back to society. In addition, you’ve had an unforgettable senior year, living through a global pandemic. So you’ve learned how to adapt, how to innovate, and how to plow forward, despite all the challenges you face. So while preparing this address, I asked Rohil for help in what I should say. He said, “Well, why don’t you just use your old material?” So, I said, “Well, maybe I’ve gained some more wisdom since the last time I did this.” To which he replied, “I doubt it.” He is probably right. In any case, I have decided to share with you a couple of insights I’ve gathered through my years as a student, first in India, and then in the U.S., as a professor at Harvard, and now as Chief Economist at the International Monetary Fund. And I hope that some of this will be useful to you. At this point in your life, you must be incredibly joyful that you are graduating, crossing this finish line. But along with that, I suppose you feel some unease, or maybe trepidation about what comes next—perhaps doubts or questions about whether you’re making the right choices. So my very first piece of advice is that it’s perfectly okay if you do not have all the answers, and you should absolutely take chances. So, let me tell you why: I came to economics purely by accident. I grew up in India where almost universally the goal was to become a doctor or an engineer. Nobody grew up aspiring to be an economist. So I, too, concentrated on science all through high school. And then it just so happened that when I was in senior year, my parents

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

Thirteen Seniors Inducted into Cum Laude Society Each spring, the all-school Cum Laude ceremony honors the life of the mind—affirming that at the heart of a good school is scholarly engagement. With the speakers and inductees present inside Rousmaniere Hall—all masked and socially distant— the remainder of the school community watched the proceedings via livestream on April 22. “This special event is intended principally to do two things,” began Headmaster Kerry Brennan. “The first is to recognize the most distinguished scholars of the First Class. In their efforts and in their accomplishments, they have put to good use the gifts they have been given… The second purpose of this annual ceremony is in many ways the more consequential, for it involves everyone else in this room, and those watching remotely. In honoring these 13 boys, we are honoring the life of the mind; we are honoring trying hard and doing well; we are affirming that at the heart of a good school is scholarly engagement. I admonish you to take to heart the example of the inductees… All of you boys have the capacity to strive, to grow, to change, and to know the satisfaction of ideas unearthed and potential realized.”

Summer 2021

With lively recordings of Gaudeamus Igitur and The Founder’s Song as bookends to the celebration, Mr. Josh Cervas, president of RL’s Cum Laude chapter, provided a history of the organization: “By formally recollecting our origins each year, we also reaffirm our commitment to the Society’s original and abiding motto—three Greek words inspired by the three letters of the old Alpha Delta Tau name: Alpha stands for Areté (Excellence), Delta for Diké (Justice), and Tau for Timé (Honor). These three words, with deep roots in our past and far reaching implications for our future, raise qualities of mind and character which, ideally, each member of the Society will espouse as his own values and strive to instill in others throughout his life.” The following seniors were inducted into the Cum Laude Society this year: Robert Balson, Daniel Berk, Ben Chang-Holt, David D’Alessandro, Rohil Dhaliwal, Quinn Donovan, Peter Frates, Thomas Gaziano, AJ Gutierrez, Max Hutter, Byron Karlen, Ethan Phan, Daniel Sun-Friedman. //

decided that it would be great if Gita joined the Indian Administrative Service, which is an elite government service in India. In order to do that, economics would actually be useful. So that’s what happened. I enrolled in economics to secure that job that my parents thought would be great for me. And because in India you commit to your major before you take a single class, I had committed to a degree in economics without having taken a single class in economics. So, I describe myself as an accidental economist. While I’m surrounded by colleagues at Harvard who came to teach economics only after a very deliberate choice, I still get to teach along with them. What’s the moral of the story? Even if you haven’t figured out your life’s true calling—though you should absolutely try! I don't suggest that everyone should roll the dice like I did!—it’s perfectly fine. You will figure it out. And when you do, you can turn out to be pretty good at it. What is important, however, is that whatever you end up doing, you put your very best into it. With all that in mind, I have two book recommendations for you: The first is Outliers: The Story of Success, by Malcolm Gladwell. According to Gladwell, people like Bill Gates are exceptionally successful because earlier in their lives, they were lucky; like you, they got a lot of very distinct opportunities. But, then, they seized those opportunities that they were given and they worked really hard. Gladwell writes, “The magic number of greatness is 10,000 hours of practice.” I’m a big believer in that. I’ve seen that over and over again, all these years, looking around me and seeing how people do well. Effort, hard work, and grit are really the essential ingredients to doing well. The second book is Stumbling on Happiness, by the Harvard psychologist Daniel Gilbert. Gilbert concludes, based on evidence from numerous psychological experiments, that “While it is human nature to constantly try to predict what will make us happy and what will not, the truth is that the human mind is terrible at getting those predictions right.” For example, in one of the experiments the researchers talked to assistant professors at universities who were coming up for tenure. For those of you who don’t know,

getting tenure at university means that you get to do that job for life and you never have a boss. So, it’s a pretty good situation to be in. These assistant professors were asked to predict how happy they would feel five years from now if they did not get tenure now or if they did get tenure now. Not surprisingly, the prediction was that they would feel a lot more happy in five years if they had tenure. Five years later, however, when the researchers revisited those

“Embrace and leverage what is unique about your background, your culture, your experiences, and your dreams... You are 18 years old, and with an average life expectancy of 78 years. You have around 60 years to make a difference in this world. That is a hell of a lot of time. I hope you will see every opportunity you get to help others.” 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

individuals, there was absolutely no difference in the happiness levels of those who had gotten tenure and those who had not. The story here: Please do not worry about things going “wrong,” because the truth is that you really don’t know how you will feel when that happens. Your future self is very likely to be perfectly happy regardless of outcome. That is my first life lesson for today. The second life lesson is that you should embrace what is unique about you in order to make a mark in this world. I can assure you that there will always be people who are smarter than you—smarter classmates, more brilliant professors. If you think nobody alive is smarter than you, rest assured there are plenty of dead people who are much smarter than you. In this context, it is natural to question your own abilities. I certainly suffered from this. My Ph.D. thesis advisors at Princeton were wildly successful people; one of them was Ben Bernanke, who later went on to become the chair of the U.S. Federal Reserve System. The other was Ken Rogoff, who became Chief Economist of the IMF and, oh, yes, he’s also a chess Grandmaster. When you meet such people, it’s easy to question yourself, to wonder if you’re really up to the task at hand. You might start trying to mimic what you see other successful people do, and to discount your own experiences, and to think that everything these successful people are doing came through very brilliant, completely thought-out processes. That would be a mistake. Even though my advisors were focused on issues of relevance for developed economies, I, as a student at Princeton—because of my Indian background—chose to work on the unique challenges of developing countries. To date, my work on recessions and booms in developing countries is my most often cited work. Because I chose that track, I was able to step out of the shadow of my brilliant advisors. And, thanks again to all the work I did on developing countries and emerging markets, I am in a much better position to do this job, as Chief Economist at the IMF, because I can serve all the 190 member countries, as opposed to just a few rich nations. The short lesson here is to embrace and leverage what

Summer 2021

is unique about your background, your culture, your experiences, and your dreams to make you stand out in the crowd. You are 18 years old, and with an average life expectancy of 78 years. You have around 60 years to make a difference in this world. That is a hell of a lot of time. I hope you will seize every opportunity you get to help others. There is so much that needs fixing, even more after this terrible COVID crisis. At the IMF, we describe what we are seeing as a K-shaped recovery. We are seeing rich nations, advanced economies, recovering very rapidly from this crisis because they have much better access to vaccinations, much stronger health systems, and plenty of government spending power. On the other hand, we’re seeing poorer nations, developing nations, falling terribly behind and struggling to survive. COVID has reversed the decadeslong progress made in reducing global poverty. If you look at the data over the last two decades, you could see poverty going down globally around the world, everywhere. Because of this crisis, we now estimate that an additional 95 million people will have entered the ranks of the extreme poor. That is the entire population of California, New York, Massachusetts, and Texas combined. Hundreds of millions of children worldwide without access to the Internet have lost at least a year’s worth of education, setting them back further in life. So, maybe this summer you will take a few hours each week and help tutor kids somewhere in the world, to help them catch up. Finally, I want to say a few words on the importance of championing diversity and fighting discrimination of any kind. You’ve heard this. Being students at Roxbury Latin, you don’t lack for this message. But this is so important that I want to emphasize it, and also bring in some of my own experience. This past year has shone a very harsh light on racism in America, including against Black Americans and Asian Americans. When police officer Derek Chauvin was convicted of murdering George Floyd, it provided some sense of justice delivered. But this should be just the beginning. People continue to discriminate against others because of the color of their skin, their religion, their sexual orientation. And women everywhere, in every part of the world, are discriminated against.

And if you think this bias against women—whether explicit or implicit—diminishes with success, then I can tell you from personal experience that it does not. Even though I am a professor at Harvard and Chief Economist at the IMF, there are several instances in which I experienced bias. I’ll give you a couple of examples. Last year—this was preCOVID, when we were traveling—I was on a mission to a member country of the IMF. (Oh, yes—the IMF is also, by the way, the Impossible Missions Force, and I apologize that Tom Cruise couldn’t be here today.) I had a meeting with the governor of their central bank. I don’t want to name the country. In this meeting with the governor of the central bank, the protocol is that the most senior person from the IMF sits in the seat directly opposite the governor. So I was seated there, and before the governor came in, the deputy governor of the central bank told me that I needed to move, that I was in the wrong seat, and that, instead, my more junior colleague—who was male—should be seated in that chair. That person couldn’t associate that the Chief Economist of the IMF would be a woman. I could give the person the benefit of the doubt. It’s been 75 years since the IMF has been around, and I’m the first Chief Economist who is a woman, so that was a stereotype carried out. But this is just one example I’ve seen. In publications, publishers have reversed the order of the authors’ names to make me the last author, putting all the male names before mine, even though I’m an equal author and should go at the beginning based on alphabetical order. I’ve been on panels and on television where they will introduce the male panelists as Mr. X, and Dr. Y, and Professor Z. And I will be just Gita. These are subtle signs, but they happen often. Throughout my career as an economist, I’ve seen colleagues compliment male economists for being brilliant, and compliment female economists for being nice. Women get interrupted more often in seminars and get more aggressively questioned as compared to men. For the longest time people would say to me, “Wow, do you really know this is bias? Is this really evidence of bias?” Now, thanks to a considerable body of research, I can say that, “Yes. I really know.”

As young men, I hope you will be aware of it, and that you will speak out against such implicit and explicit biases, and proactively support diversity. When you get to invite a speaker, instead of doing the easy thing—enlisting the first male name that comes to mind—please spend some time, put in some effort trying to think of that equally talented, accomplished woman or minority individual to be the speaker. Whenever you see female classmates being slighted, please speak up. Never organize a panel discussion with only male economists. (Personally, I’m perfectly fine if it’s a panel with only female economists, but you probably want to mix it up.) These might seem like small things, but they make a very important difference. Let me end by, once again, congratulating the Cum Laude inductees. You have worked hard, and you have earned this honor. You have every reason to be proud of yourselves. And congratulations and cheers to the entire Class of 2021 who will soon be graduating. All your accomplishments, all your efforts have taken you over the finish line, and you’ve done well. But as you leave Roxbury Latin, I hope you remember that you’ve also been very lucky to receive this gift of an incredible education at RL from teachers who truly care about you. Thanks to the outstanding leadership of your Headmaster Kerry Brennan, and every teacher and staff member of the school, even in the midst of a raging pandemic, you have been able to attend school in-person; experience a full array of extracurricular activities; and, if all goes according to plan, you will have a proper, in-person Commencement ceremony, surrounded by your family. This high bar could not be achieved even by Harvard or MIT, despite their very large endowments and terrific in-house expertise. Please use this headstart you have received in life to challenge yourself, to take risks, to help others, and to try and fix the world. Your family, your friends, and your teachers at Roxbury Latin will be your safety net. That is one hell of a strong net. So jump really high. Thank you. And I wish you the very best. //

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

Summer 2021

Prize Day On June 4, the Class of 2021 took their rightful seats at the front of “Hall” for the first and last time this school year. Though the seats were on O’Keeffe Field, the stage was the festively adorned staircase outside of the IAF, and the traditional Prize Day Hall songs—Commemoration Hymn, Jerusalem, The Founder’s Song—reverberated not around the ceiling of Rousmaniere Hall, but into a pleasant, if overcast, sky. The annual Prize Day Hall—during which the students and faculty gather together for the final time—was the first and last in-person Hall of the school year. Though the setting was different, the impressive roster of prize-winners—honored for academic, athletic, artistic, and extracurricular achievements—earned their plaudits. As Headmaster Kerry Brennan began, “For the first time since we met in that fateful Robotics Hall in the Smith Theater on March 11, 2020, we are together—all of us. While not in the cozy confines of Rousmaniere Hall, here we are nonetheless, in this new beautiful place, O’Keeffe Field, eager to affirm our community. We have spent this year teaching and learning, competing and playing, striving and daring, succeeding and failing, growing and changing. Together we have made this school a great and good one, I’m bold to say, and there is much to celebrate.” “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.”

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

academic awards

Joseph A. Sasserno French Deturs Lucas Connors (V), Lucas Vander Elst (IV), Justin Shaw (III), George Madison (II), Thomas Gaziano (I) Headmaster’s Spanish Deturs Brendan Reichard (V), Aidan D’Alessandro (IV), Bobby Zabin (III), Eli Bailit (II), Ben Crawford (I) Isabel M. Fowler History Prizes Drew Anderson (VI), Jack Tompros (IV), Carter Crowley (III), Malcolm Whitfield (II), Rohil Dhaliwal (I) Richard M. Whitney Science Deturs Luca Bene (VI), Krish Muniappan (V), Akshay Kumar (III), Nick Raciti (II) N. Henry Black Science Detur Jake Carroll (I) Donald L. Whittle Math Deturs Avish Kumar (VI), Raj Saha (V), Theo Coben (IV), Akshay Kumar (III), Vishnu Emani (II) Islay F. McCormick Mathematics Prize Daniel Sun-Friedman (I) Anna Cabot Lowell Deturs in English Thomas Pogorelec (VI), Miles Baumal-Bardy (V), Eric Zhu (IV), Kevin Wang (III), Theo Teng (II), Ethan Phan (I) Trustees’ Greek Deturs Owen Butler (III), Brodie Lee (II), Ben Brasher (I) Anna Cabot Lowell Deturs in Latin Thomas Pogorelec (VI), Omar Rahman (V), Ryan Lin (IV), James McCurley (III), Vishnu Emani (II), Daniel Berk (I)

Summer 2021

extra-curricular awards

Lower School Latin Declamation Prize Benji Macharia (V)

Joan M. Regan Service Prize José Flores (II)

Upper School Latin Declamation Prize Vishnu Emani (II)

Class of 1976 Dramatics Prize Ben Crawford (I)

Greek Declamation Prize James McCurley (III)

Rehder Prize in International Relations John Wilkinson (I)

Cameron A. Rylance Music Prize Ben Chang-Holt (I)

Albert W. Kelsey Debate Prize Ethan Phan (I)

Ralph F.F. Brooks Art Prize Miguel Rincon (I)

Publications Award Rohil Dhaliwal (I), Max Hutter (I)

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

Class I Athletics Prize Winners

Sportsmanship Award Nolan McKenna

Scholar Athlete Award Thomas Gaziano

ISL Award Frankie Lonergan

Best Athlete Award Peter Frates

Class II Book Award Winners

Harvard Book Award Vishnu Emani

Summer 2021

Dartmouth Book Award Eli Bailit

Holy Cross Book Prize Mark Henshon

Brown Book Award Colin Herbert

Valete Prize Day is also the moment that the students, faculty, and staff recognize those adult members of the community who are leaving Roxbury Latin. Thanks to their endurance, loyalty, and commitment very few adults move on from RL each year, and we are the better for that continuity. This spring, however, we bid farewell to five members of the faculty and staff—two of whom have completed their Penn Fellowship, and three as retirees.

Steve Chauncey In Mr. Chauncey, we salute a colleague who has given 31 years of his life to this school. He started as Assistant Superintendent of Buildings and Grounds in 1991, and his responsibilities grew as the school’s footprint did. An impressive generalist, Mr. Chauncey took on virtually any assignment, saving the school during countless emergencies when wind, rain, snow, or hurricanes wreaked havoc—knocking out power, felling trees, or making roads impassable. Mr. Chauncey, often in tandem with his teammates, made it possible for all of us to utilize and enjoy the facilities that make it possible for all our programs to run. About 10 years ago, he took on the demanding, complex role of Director of Smith Theater, learning new skills and offering important leadership. Mr. Chauncey is a kind, self-effacing, friendly, dedicated person. He first encountered Roxbury Latin as the son of one of our school’s most beloved, longtime teachers and coaches, the former Assistant Headmaster, Bill Chauncey—a giant to many of us. Next year will be the first time in 63 years that Roxbury Latin will be without a Chauncey on campus. Steve Chauncey has been a great friend to so many of us. We are grateful for his hard work, dedication, and kindness over 31 years, and we will miss him greatly. //

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

Emily Grubb Ms. Grubb—arriving as a Penn Fellow in August 2019—represents the most rigorous commitment to scholarly striving and impressive, innate talent in all that she does. A teacher of great energy, she was frequently in motion giving well-appreciated momentum to her students and their academic ambitions. Showing impressive adaptability and breadth of expertise, Ms. Grubb taught math to Fifthies and juniors, as well as introduced a new course in Conceptual Physics, the design of which largely reflected Ms. Grubb’s commitment to science education for her students and her command of the material. Her approach was creative and student-friendly, and the result is many boys understanding their world and how it works that much better. A talented athlete, Ms. Grubb provided great coaching support to freshman basketball as well as Sixie soccer. And all of her teaching and advising was done in tandem with her graduate work at Penn, resulting in her newly-minted master’s degree. Ms. Grubb looks forward to a faculty position at Episcopal High School in Alexandria, Virginia. //

Sonja Holmberg Ms. Holmberg, in her two years at RL, has proven herself to be a talented, tested professional, who has contributed mightily to the school’s mission and program in countless ways. An especially effective, creative teacher of English, she has led her Fifthie charges through their grammatical challenges as well as unraveled mysteries concerning Lord of the Flies, Julius Caesar, and other texts. Ms. Holmberg arrived just in time to design and then teach a new course, Digital Design, for unsuspecting but delighted Sixies. The innovative work of that course is visible throughout the halls. This year she took on another new course in Painting, with the Fifthies. Add on a stint teaching Class III boys in Art and Technology last year and Watercolor this year, and you get a sense of Ms. Holmberg’s breadth of contribution and her diverse talents. She has been an effective catalyst for imagining our various programs anew, even as she contributed to the Film Club and production of the Yearbook. She also lent her athletic acumen to helping coach the Track & Field team. Ms. Holmberg is a “can-do” person, and we know that armed with her RL experience and her new master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania she will take the campus by storm as she continues her career at Brooks School in North Andover. //

Summer 2021

Robert Moore Five years ago, Roxbury Latin was fortunate to attract Mr. Moore, a seasoned professional, to join our school as Science Department chair. Mr. Moore had enjoyed a long, distinguished career as a physics teacher earning legendary status at Brooks School, which he served brilliantly for more than 25 years. For us, Mr. Moore has been an innovative, dedicated physics and IPS teacher. His excitement about the content is undiminished, despite the number of students and number of years he has demystified some of the most important principles of physics. Mr. Moore is a relentless champion of his students, offering countless hours of help outside of class. He is a student’s advocate, and his heart is where every teacher’s heart ought to be—in the classroom or on the playing field: connecting with his students and players, offering sage advice, and providing unfailing support. Thanks to his work leading the Science Department, we all paid greater attention to the STEM revolution and benefitted from a more logical trajectory of courses including IPS, MSI, physics for all sophomores, and engineering. Students have also benefited from Mr. Moore’s enthusiastic leadership of robotics and science bowl teams. Thanks to him, RL teams mastered sophisticated protocols and traveled throughout New England distinguishing themselves at various prestigious tournaments. Mr. Moore earned others’ respect thanks to his skill and commitment as a coach of lacrosse. Wellregarded in the ISL as a result of his coaching at Brooks, Mr. Moore represented a talent for teaching important skills and motivating his teams to be competitive. He brought that same sensibility to his work on behalf of our junior and j.v. lacrosse teams, an extension of his effective work in the classroom and the lab. For all of his professional life, he has given freely of himself and his gifts to two generations of students. Many of us have benefitted from Mr. Moore’s engaging, often quirky take on life and his focus on the task before him. For his commitment to the boys of our school and having made such a difference in his teaching career, we are grateful. //

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

Phil Thornton Beginning his schoolboy career as a prodigious scholar athlete at Cleveland’s University School, Mr. Thornton has always had great regard for schools—for their power, and their humanity. After a stint at IBM, Mr. Thornton joined University School as director of development—along the way teaching a bit of algebra, helming the successful varsity soccer team, and rising to assistant headmaster and eventually acting headmaster. In 2004, when Kerry Brennan began as headmaster, Mr. Thornton agreed to join RL as director of development for “just one year.” Seventeen years later he retires from Roxbury Latin, having served first as director of development and then as senior gifts officer. Mr. Thornton has been responsible for leading efforts that caused the school to raise more than $130 million. He put in place programs to reorganize and to reconnect with alumni; to espouse a mission concerning the school and its commitment to a need-blind admission policy; to foster the herculean capital fund raising efforts that resulted in our IAF and renovated fields and courts; and to mobilize a cadre of parent and alumni volunteers on behalf of the school’s noblest goals. He believes in this place, and he gets others to believe in it, too. He skillfully helped to establish RL as the leading independent day school in all sorts of fundraising categories. Mr. Thornton has also been assistant coach of the varsity soccer team for 17 years. With head coach Paul Sugg, the two have offered plenty of successful ideas about playing competitive soccer, but always emphasizing that it should be fun—a virtue they themselves exemplify each day. For many years Mr. Thornton was co-director of the Independent Senior Projects, connecting countless worthy individuals to us—benefiting those seniors, but also, by extension, the entire community. Outside of school Mr. Thornton helped to bring, through the i2 Learning Company, STEM education to public schools all over the Commonwealth. All of us have benefitted from Phil Thornton’s role as a mentor, booster, colleague, and friend. He shares his humor freely and his support and friendship yet more so. We bid farewell to this good, funny, well-read, passionately engaged man. //

Summer 2021

Retiring Trustees Jim Frates

Ronald Sullivan

Jim and his wife, Beth—parents of John ’19 and Peter ’21—have been active supporters of the Roxbury Latin community, serving in various leadership roles in the Annual Fund, including as Annual Fund Parent CoChairs. As a trustee, serving on the Board since 2015, Jim has been a steady, capable Chair of the Finance Committee, as well as the school’s Treasurer. Jim’s acuity, focus, and community-building style have helped to guide the school through turbulent waters—including the economic ups-and-downs of the COVID-19 pandemic. Jim has also devoted his talents to service on other board committees, including the Audit Committee and Development Committee. Jim has inspired boys in Hall—sharing personal stories and stories of human triumph and spirituality—and has been a stalwart fan on the athletic sidelines during all seasons. Jim and Beth have been reliable and important financial supporters of the school for many years. We are grateful for Jim’s generosity; for his financial acumen; and for his unwavering dedication to Roxbury Latin. //

Ronald Sullivan Ron has been a member of the Board of Trustees since 2015. In these six years, he has served on a variety of committees, including the Resource Strategies Committee, Conflicts Committee, Archives Committee, and the 375th Anniversary Planning Committee. Parents of Trey ’19, Ron and his wife, Stephanie, have also been dependable supporters of the school, including as leadership donors to the Annual Fund. Professor Sullivan has dazzled, surprised, and delighted students in delivering a Hall talk, or during his moving commencement address in 2019. We are grateful to Ron for his intellect and insight, for his love of the school, and for his willing commitment of time, talent, and treasure. //

Jim Frates

Paul Massey

Paul Massey Paul, a member of the great Class of 1978, first joined the Board of Trustees in 1997 and was elected to serve as a Life Trustee in 2009. Since 2015, Paul has served as the Board’s Chairman. His enthusiasm for the school is legendary. Paul has served as a Class Agent; received the Wellington Prize during his 25th Reunion; was an inaugural co-chair of the Alumni Leadership Giving Committee; has been a member of the Headmaster’s Council; served on the 375th Anniversary Planning Committee; co-chaired the Development Committee; and has served on the Athletics Facilities Committee, the Campus Planning & Operations Committee, and the Committee on Trustees. Paul was instrumental in the strategic acquisition of a large parcel of land adjacent to the school’s campus in 2008. Paul and his wife, Gretchen, have been leadership donors to Roxbury Latin for many years, and there has been no greater cheerleader than Paul Massey for the school’s efforts to raise funds in order to keep Roxbury Latin accessible to families of all means. We thank Paul immensely for his dedication to The Roxbury Latin School; for his decades-long, active service to our community; and for his encouraging, optimistic enthusiasm for all that we do. //

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

Faculty

First Row: Stewart Thomsen, John Lieb, Andy Chappell, Brian Buckley, Mo Randall, Kerry Brennan, Mike Pojman, Paul Sugg, Ousmane Diop, Hunter White, Tony Teixeira, Rob Opdycke. Second Row: Jim Ryan, Billy Quirk, Tom Guden, Rary Delaney, Tom Walsh, Josh Cervas, Erin Dromgoole, Ken Hiatt, Ernesto Guerra, Nate Piper, Darian Reid. Third Row: Sean Spellman, Greg Sokol, Nick Poles, Tim Kelly, George Matthews, Elizabeth Carroll, Daniel Bettendorf, Derek Nelson, Chris Heaton, Jamie Morris-Kliment, Sue McCrory, Robert Moore, Arturo Solís. Fourth Row: Bryan Dunn, Andrés Amitai Wilson, Sonja Holmberg, Alessandro Ferzoco, Chris Brown, Sarah Demers, Emily Grubb, Michael Tomaino, Arthur Beauregard, Justin Muchnick (missing: Jack Parker).

Board of Trustees

Jim Quagliaroli, Mike Giarla, Anne McNay, Chris Mitchell, Soren Oberg, Jim Hamilton, Bryan Anderson, Paul Massey, Paul Spinale, Ellen Berkman, Jim Frates, Bob O’Connor, Vanessa Calderon-Rosado, Kent Sahin, Ron Sullivan, Jay Mitchell (missing: Michael Berk, John Connaughton, Jack Englert, Roberto Goizueta, Derek Ho, Eugene Lambert, Larry Lebowitz, Marlyn McGrath). 38

Summer 2021

Spring Varsity Senior Athletes

Varsity Lacrosse: Chris Brown (Coach), Scott Giusti (Coach), Will Hyde, Aaron Shlayen, Declan Murphy, Bryan Anderson, Peter Frates, Bobby O'Grady, Beau Keough, Keaton Sahin, Javi Werner, Coach Scott Singer (Head Coach).

Varsity Tennis: Ben Chang-Holt, Ousmane Diop (Head Coach), AJ Gutierrez (missing: Walker Oberg).

Varsity Baseball: Will Murphy, Frankie Lonergan, James Gillespie, Brady Chappell, David D‘Alessandro, Sam Stone, Dave Cataruzolo (Head Coach).

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 Track and Field: Front row: Quinn Donovan, Ben Brasher, Aydan Gedeon-Hope, Eric Auguste, Sam Morris-Kliment; Back row: Nolan McKenna, Will Cote, Will Specht, Edozie Umunna, Esteban Tarazona, Conor Downey, James Harrington, Miguel Rincon, Alex Fuqua, Thomas Gaziano.

Summer 2021

Class

i varsity

athletic awards

Soccer Byron Karlen Lacrosse Bobby O’Grady Hockey Bobby Luca Tennis Walker Oberg Football David D’Alessandro Basketball Javi Werner Track & Field Ben Brasher Cross Country Will Cote Wrestling Keaton Sahin Baseball Will Murphy

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

Celebrating a Year Unlike Any Other

Summer 2021

Closing Exercises On the morning of June 5, the 376th year of The Roxbury Latin School—a year unlike any other—culminated with Closing Exercises and the graduation of the Class of 2021. In a normal year, the intimate ceremony—which includes the seniors, their families, the faculty and trustees— takes place inside Rousmaniere Hall. Due to the spring’s COVID guidelines, this year’s ceremony took place outside on O’Keeffe Field, where everyone gathered for a memorable, meaningful send-off of the 53 members of Class I. Beginning with opening remarks from Headmaster Kerry Brennan—which acknowledged the challenges and triumphs of this particular year, for this particular group of boys, and also noted their many, worthy accomplishments—the ceremony included the singing of traditional songs Jerusalem, Gaudeamus Igitur, Commemoration Hymn, and The Founder’s Song, as well as the ringing of the school bell, chiming 3-7-6, in honor of the conclusion of the school’s 376th year.

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

Class valedictorian, voted by his classmates, was Benjamin Crawford who delivered a personal, funny, and powerful speech that called upon memories and moments specific to his classmates’ time at RL, and to the most important lesson those years imparted: the importance of relationships, of friendship, and of supporting the people you care about. “You taught me to be there for my friends and family, and not just when they ask for it, but always,” he said. “At RL, we learned that a friend is not just somebody that you spend time with, but someone whose needs you’re willing to put before your own. Together, we discovered that there’s nothing more important to have than good friends, and there’s nothing more important to be than a good friend.” (Ben’s address had it all, including walk-off music to the song Just Getting Started from High School Musical 3.)

Summer 2021

The commencement address was delivered by Andy Chappell, the school’s Assistant Headmaster for Program, a member of the RL faculty since 1997, and father of graduating senior Brady Chappell. Mr. Chappell began by recalling a rafting trip that his family was fortunate to take during a visit to South Africa, during which he noticed their guides would paddle up ahead and slap the water a bit. “The reason for this, they told us, was to see if there were any hippos lingering under the water. ‘You don’t want to be paddling above a hippo when it comes up out of the water,’ offered one guide.”

Mr. Chappell went on to “slap the water” a bit for the graduating seniors, by recalling some important life lessons he’s learned along the way. He encouraged them to take risks, as he did when he took a memorable and life-changing trip around Egypt and Israel with a friend during the ’90s when those countries were in turmoil. He implored them to conquer their fears—to not see admitting fear as a sign of weakness, but rather acknowledging those fears as a sign of strength. After Mr. Chappell’s address, Headmaster Brennan and President of the Board of Trustees Bob O’Connor ’85 awarded diplomas to the newest alumni of The Roxbury Latin School. Three major Class I prizes were also awarded during Closing Ceremonies: The Richard A. Berenberg Prize, for generosity of spirit and concern for others, was presented to Eric Auguste. The Class of 1913 Award, for significant contributions to the life of the school, was presented to Quinn Donovan. The William Coe Collar Award, for achievements and contributions to the school that are deemed by the faculty as most deserving of recognition, was presented to Ben Crawford. //

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

“We’re Just Getting Started” Valedictory Address by Benjamin Crawford, Class of 2021

Summer 2021

he actor and comedian Steve Martin once said, “The more physically uncomfortable the audience, the better they respond to the material.”

Sun. Turf. Rapidly increasing temperatures. Flimsy folding chairs. As a matter of fact, I’d like to ask each of you to please turn to the person next to you—and poke them in the eyes. Thank you very much. I would like to begin with a quotation with which the cultured members of the audience will be familiar: It’s all good, it’s alright. See you later doesn’t mean goodbye. It ain’t over, it’s just time to fly. And we’re just getting started. — Troy Bolton, High School Musical 3. These are wise words from a wise man. And although Troy Bolton is correct—each of our journeys is just getting started, and this ceremony is far from a goodbye—it is helpful, at times like these, to pause and to reflect. And that is what the seniors did at a class meeting two weeks ago, when we were asked to create a list of moments that brought the class together. Without explaining their context, let me read to you just a few of the bullet points that we wrote down:

• • • • •

Quebec stink bomb Miguel attempted murder Alex hits old lady with football Jake eats an onion (And, my personal favorite) Dave vs. Wall

We came up with 102 of these memories, and we only had 10 minutes to brainstorm. Beyond our unique bonding experiences, the Class of 2021 has several claims to fame:

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

• We survived senior year during the COVID pandemic; • We are the last students to remember the look on Mr. • • •

Brennan’s face when Livingston Taylor failed to play a single song during his Hall; We are the grade responsible for the rule banning phone use by seventh and eighth graders; We are two-time tug of war champions; And we are the proud founders of the Underground RL Poker Club.

It’s safe to say that our class has gotten the full Roxbury Latin experience. So there’s a fraction of our class’s legacy. But in the spirit of Troy Bolton’s observation that we’re just getting started, I have to ask: What will our legacy be in five years? Ten? Fifty? When we go to our first RL Pub Night, what tales will we have to tell? What will each of us have accomplished, learned, experienced? Our time at Roxbury Latin is only the introduction to the story of our class and the story of our lives. Well, in order to ensure that our class’s legacy is one we can all be proud of, I’ve actually gone ahead and made a list, here, of things that someone in our grade ought to do. So, I’m just gonna read them off, and if someone wants to volunteer, or I can assign them, either way works. I’m thinking we need at least one astronaut. Who here is willing to be our class’s astronaut? Ok, Jake’s the astronaut. World-famous musician? We’re gonna need a world-famous musician. Aydan? Okay, maybe we’ll come back to that one. Navy Seal. Every legendary RL class needs a Navy Seal. DSF is that a hand? Is that a hand? Ok, DSF’s the Navy Seal. Unfortunately, we don’t have time to assign everybody his role today, but I know that if we all follow the three main lessons that Roxbury Latin taught us, our legacy will be fine. What are those lessons? 1. Honesty is expected in all dealings. 2. Diligent use of one’s talents is expected. 3. From those to whom much has been given, much will be expected. (A lot was expected of us, huh?)

Summer 2021

“The bonds we’ve formed don’t know what a day, or a month, or a year is. The bonds we’ve formed are as timeless as ice cream on Friday or falling asleep in Halls. I assure you we’re not leaving Roxbury Latin behind, we’re taking it with us, wherever we go, for the rest of our lives.” But are these really the most important lessons that we learned during our years at Roxbury Latin? Sure, they’re important, and they’re ingrained in us, but there’s one other lesson that I learned—that we learned—that may be even more important in the years ahead. Let me tell three brief anecdotes that illustrate this lesson. First, sophomore year. It was a few hours before the opening performance of the Junior Play, The Night Thoreau Spent in Jail. It had been a long tech week: I was exhausted and stressed, and a couple of mistakes that were made in the preview Hall only added to my anxiety about the show. By the end of the day, my cheeks were flush, I could barely keep my eyes open, and I had developed a painful stomach ache. Here’s what happened next:

• An older student drove to CVS to get me Tums for •

my stomach ache. One classmate ushered me to the theater, where there was a cot, a prop in the play, for me to sleep on.

• Another classmate gave me his noise•

canceling headphones and shooed away chatty students. Mr. Buckley found me asleep on the stage, turned off the lights, and gave me his winter jacket to use as a blanket.

I have never felt more supported by a community of friends than I did that night. Second, freshman year. Jake and I were in his basement playing a video game when the screen suddenly froze, and when it unfroze, my character had died. In the heat of the moment, I loudly uttered a four-letter word that I had never said before, and haven’t said since, and that would not be appropriate to repeat at this sacred ceremony. Suddenly, we heard the admonishing voice of Jake’s mom, Mrs. Carroll. “Jake!” Jake and I looked at each other, and not a half second later, he responded: “Sorry, mom.” That’s true friendship. My third story takes place this morning, at seven o’clock, when I realized that the new shoes I purchased on Thursday for this occasion were in the trunk of a car two hours away. Panicked, I could only think of one option: text my friends. So, if you’re wondering why James Harrington is wearing flip-flops right now, it’s because he’s the perfect embodiment of the lesson that these three stories teach. And that lesson is this: Be the Mr. Buckley, be the Jake, be the James. You taught me to be there for my friends and family, and not just when they ask for it, but always. At RL, we learned that a friend is not just somebody that you spend time with, but also someone whose needs you’re willing to put before your own. Together, we discovered that there’s nothing more important to have than good friends, and there’s nothing more important to be than a good friend.

Thank you, first, to the teachers. From Mr. Pojman, whose warm nature, wise advice, and sometimes clever puns brightened every Chemistry class; to Mr. Guden, who always found a way to get me a shift in Junior Hockey games even though I was a liability to the team, and—at times—to my own personal safety; to the dozens of other teachers who have spent countless hours on the fields, in the classrooms, and at home, carefully grading papers with usually illegible handwriting (but I forgive you for that because this is a thank you paragraph). Truly, you are what makes Roxbury Latin special. On behalf of my classmates: Thank you. We also owe a thank you to our parents—for coming to our games and performances; for giving us advice; for late-night, Latin vocabulary quizzing; and most of all, for loving us, and believing in us, even when we didn’t deserve it. To our parents: Thank you. To our siblings—even, and this is purely hypothetical, to the 17-year-old sisters who missed our graduation for a dance recital—even to them, we say thank you. And to all of the grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and pets who have supported us throughout our entire lives: Thank you. In closing, I’d like to address my classmates. Today is an exciting, but bittersweet day. We’ve come a long way, and now we’re realizing that we may not all be together again for a long time. But the bonds we’ve formed don’t know what a day, or a month, or a year is. The bonds we’ve formed are as timeless as ice cream on Friday or falling asleep in Halls. I assure you we’re not leaving Roxbury Latin behind. We’re taking it with us, wherever we go, for the rest of our lives. So, let’s find comfort in the wisdom of our comrade, Troy Bolton, who spoke these words to his classmates as he graduated from East High: It’s all good, it’s alright. See you later doesn’t mean goodbye. It ain’t over, it’s just time to fly. And we’re just getting started.

Before I close, I’d like to offer some thank-you’s. Thank you. //

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

Summer 2021

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

Life Essentials: Taking Risks, Overcoming Fea and Having Fun Commencement Address by Andrew Chappell, Assistant Headmaster for Program

Summer 2021

ar...

embers of the Board of Trustees, my fellow faculty and staff colleagues, parents, families, and especially the great Class of 2021, I am honored and humbled to stand before you this morning as the commencement speaker. To the Class of 2021: I know I speak for all of your parents when I say how proud we are of each and every one of you. From the first days I met each of you as Admission Director to this moment on O’Keeffe Field, you have impressed me and so many others with what you have accomplished and, even more importantly, with who you are as people. And, Brady, it is hard to believe that this moment has come. Your grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins, mom, sister, and I love you very much. I only hope you remember to call your mom at least once a week and text your sister every day. That goes for the rest of you boys, too! To my fellow faculty and staff colleagues: Thank you for all that you do and have done for Brady and all of these boys. I am thankful for the opportunity to work side-by-side with each of you, and I know that my fellow parents join me in thanking you for all that you have done for these boys. A few years back, when the world seemed normal and predictable, the Chappell family was fortunate (very fortunate, in fact, thanks to some generous support from the school) to travel to South Africa. We divided our time between Kruger National Park and Cape Town. It was a once in a lifetime travel experience. On the first leg of our journey, we spent a few days driving around Kruger National Park in a mini-van searching for and finding wild animals—elephants, a black rhino, a lion, and countless other wildlife native to the area. After a few days of this, we decided to do something different; we went white water rafting nearby on

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 Sabie River. As part of the experience, we were led by three, friendly, local guides who were there to show us the way, keep us safe, and provide some humor and adventure. As we paddled down the river, riding the rapids and enjoying the sights, the guides would from time to time paddle ahead of our group and slap the water with their paddles. The reason for this, they told us, was to see whether there were any hippos lingering under the water. “You don’t want to be paddling above a hippo when it comes up out of the water,” offered one guide. The dramatic reality of this adventure began to settle in: we could be attacked by a hippo, and it might not end well. We paddled on and thankfully never saw a hippo that day—anticlimactic, I know. But as I reflect back on that voyage down the Sabie River, I realize that there are several lessons that translate to this moment, which are at the core of my message to you this morning.

Take Risks In the winter and spring of my junior year of college, I studied abroad—something that I hope all of you will do. As luck would have it, a childhood friend of mine also chose to study abroad at that same time, in the same city. When the semester came to an end, we decided to spend a few months traveling before heading back to the U.S. When we would talk about where we would go and what we would see, the two of us—who had grown up in a small, rural county in central Virginia, nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains—marveled at the idea of walking through the Colosseum, or studying paintings in the Louvre. At one point my friend looked at me and said, “How about Egypt and Israel?” Up to this point, these two destinations—exotic, to my mind—had not been part of the conversation, so I was caught off guard. To be clear, in the late-90s, Egypt and Israel were not regarded as safe places to visit, but my friend was determined, and he kept pushing. Finally, I relented. We had an amazing time, crawling inside the Giza pyramids, hiking up Mt. Sinai in the middle of the night, floating in the Dead Sea, biking around the Sea of Galilee—all of this even as we read local newspaper articles about bus bombings, even as we could hear SCUD missiles hitting their targets in the distance. These and many other experiences in Egypt and Israel are seared into my memory for life. If not for my friend and his persistence, I would not have experienced any of it. So my first piece of advice is this: Take risks—the younger, the better, I would

Summer 2021

argue. Even when they seem a little dangerous, even when mom or dad isn’t sure about it. (I mean, be smart. Use your brain. But try things. Go for it.)

Conquer Your Fears I have found that most people don’t like to talk about their fears. There is ample research to suggest that lots of boys and men feel that admitting one’s fears is a sign of weakness, not strength. In my experience, I’ve learned that the opposite is true. To be clear, a big part of the success of that trip around Egypt and Israel, and of that whitewater rafting trip down the Sabie River, was my ability to identify my fears, and then move past them. By doing that, I was able to experience and enjoy the adventure. My charge to each of you, in whatever sphere of influence you have moving forward, is to change the narrative that acknowledging and expressing fear is a weakness. In the past year alone, fear has consumed all of us: fear of getting COVID, fear of losing a loved one. In order to get beyond fear, in order to make changes, we have to be able to name it. That’s the only way to address it. A phobia I have—which I share with most of you according to research, in fact—is doing what I am doing right now: speaking in public. Some surveys report that people fear public speaking even more than death. Those who have seen me speak before may remember a moment when I fell apart in front of a crowd. One that I remember well, too well, was one of the first opportunities I had to deliver an Admission Coffee talk to a group of parents in my first year as Admission Director here at RL. I stood up and began talking. Everything was fine at first, and then at one point I looked up and made eye contact with a dad in the crowd. All of a sudden, I could feel a bead of perspiration drip down my face, and then I began to pour like a rain storm in a tropical forest. That same dad stood up near the end and offered me some tissues to dry myself off. I was the literal definition of a “hot mess.” But, I worked at it, sought out advice and strategies from people I trusted, and I stand before you today, well, sweating, but sweating for a different reason—it’s hot out here! So my advice is this: Conquering your fears will be essential to experiencing a full life. As many of you know, the Latin root of the word courage—cor—means heart. Courage originally translated to “speaking openly about what is on one’s heart.”1 Though the popular definition has changed over time, I think

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

“As you begin your next chapter, do not forget that you will always have this band of brothers, your families, your teachers and coaches from this chapter of your life who are always one text, email, or call away. These relationships will last a lifetime and will help provide the strength you need to pursue and experience the life you will lead.” returning to that original definition of courage—of being open, honest—is important. So figure out what you are afraid of, and start to do the work of admitting those fears in order to conquer them.

Don’t Take Life for Granted Three years and four months ago, I received a phone call that would change my life. My mom and dad were on the other end of the phone, and they were telling me that my dad had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer. I was speechless.

Brene Brown, The Gifts of Imperfection

Summer 2021

After the shock of the news set in, my mind quickly went to solving the problem: Who is his doctor? What are the treatment options? We all agreed that my dad could beat it. There was chemo, radiation, a new and promising immunotherapy treatment that he qualified for. I booked my flight for the next week to join my dad for his first treatments. The fight against his cancer began. Well, the fight for my dad didn’t end the way we had hoped. The cancer was aggressive, and my dad passed away four short months later. It wasn’t because he and his doctors didn’t try. They did everything they could, but the reality was that the situation was beyond our control, and we lost my dad. One of the most important takeaways I had from this devastating experience was that in so many cases, we simply can’t control the results. We can’t control the outcomes. We often think we can—hope we can—but the reality is that in life so much is beyond our control. All we can do is put in the work, try our very best with what we have in front of us, and then let the chips fall where they may. Of course you all know how tenuous life can be, how it can turn on a dime. Just look at the last fifteen months. Last March our lives were turned upside down, virtually overnight. Just within your little bubble, in-person classes, sports seasons, most extracurricular activities, and May Day were cancelled; the outlook for what your senior year would look like was bleak; and opportunities to visit colleges, impossible. And suddenly simpler, less materialistic needs came into view: the need for human connection. People simply missed each other. They (you!) wanted to be with one another to watch games, listen to music, and laugh together—simple things that all of us had taken for granted before the pandemic. You’ve all heard the saying, “You don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone,” but the truth, I believe, is that we actually do know what we have; we just never think we will lose it. In the case of my dad, or our experiences over this past year, we are reminded that we shouldn’t take life for granted. We shouldn’t expect that the people we love, or the things we love to do, will be here tomorrow.

Have Fun When I was a freshman in college, I would often go to “the stacks”—the space in the library very similar to RL’s, where tables are situated between stacks or shelves full of books. I went there to study, because I found it difficult to concentrate

in my dorm room. Throughout the semester, there were always other students in the stacks, but it was never full. At the end of my first semester, however, I went to the stacks to study for final exams. Every chair at every table was taken, filled with stressed out students who were studying intently. There was an anxious exhaustion that permeated every inch of the space. I sat down and got to work, pouring over my notes, making study guides, and preparing for what would be my first set of college exams. All of a sudden, amidst the still hum of all that intense studying, came a loud “Yee-haw!” I looked over to see two guys—one on his hands and knees and the other sitting on his back—charging into the stacks screaming at the top of their lungs, “Yee-haw!” As they trotted through the stacks mimicking a cowboy riding a horse, smiles and laughs and relief swept over the space. These two cowboys made their way out the opposite end, and just as quickly the focus swept right back over the students seated at the tables— we simply got back to work, appreciative, however, of the playfulness, the happy distraction, and the reminder to keep our studying in perspective. As you already know, playfulness and fun are key ingredients to enjoying life. There will be plenty of moments—there already have been, perhaps—when your responsibilities, work, relationships, challenges will feel like weights that you cannot lift. Those are the moments when you need someone to remind you to smile, to laugh; those are the moments when you need a Yee-haw or to surround yourself with Yee-haw people, to help you keep everything in perspective, to keep things light and fun.

The Voyage Now, back to the Sabie River in South Africa: Battling the rapids and keeping my eye out for a hippo, I remind you that I wasn’t alone. I was on that journey with my family. We were taking on the challenge together. The same has been and will continue to be true for you. Here at Roxbury Latin, individually and collectively you have achieved much and also struggled—winning and losing games, debates, VEX robotic competitions, singing in concerts and acting in plays—but most importantly you did this all together. As you begin your next chapter, do not forget that you will always have this band of brothers, your families, your teachers and coaches from

this chapter of your life who are always one text, email, or call away. These relationships will last a lifetime and will help provide the strength you need to pursue and experience the life you will lead. Of course, your journey is far from over; it’s just beginning, and there is so much you are rightly looking forward to, and that your teachers, parents, families, and friends are eager to watch unfold. Where will you go? Whom will you meet? What will you do? These are questions that you likely are impatient to find the answers to, but exploring and discovering the answers to those questions is what makes life so rewarding. Like those guides did for me on that paddle trip on the Sabie River, I hope I have been able to slap the water for you a little bit this morning—to remind you to take risks, to conquer your fears, not to take life for granted, and to have fun along the way. Finally, I’d like to leave you with these words, the lyrics of a song written by Johnny Duhan and made famous by Christy Moore, that I hope tie together many of the messages I have shared this morning. My dad—who was a singer and musician—sang this song often at family gatherings, and it was one of the final songs I ever heard him sing: The Voyage I am a sailor, you’re my first mate We signed on together, we coupled our fate Hauled up our anchor, determined not to fail For the hearts treasure, together we set sail With no maps to guide us we steered our own course Rode out the storms when the winds were gale force Sat out the doldrums in patience and hope Working together we learned how to cope Life is an ocean and love is a boat In troubled water that keeps us afloat When we started the voyage, there was just me and you Now gathered round us, we have our own crew Together we’re in this relationship We built it with care to last the whole trip Our true destination’s not marked on any charts We’re navigating to the shores of the heart Boys, good luck and thank you. //

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 Class of 2021

First Row: Ben Crawford, Walker Oberg, Sam Stone, AJ Gutierrez, Quinn Donovan, James Lomusico, Frankie Lonergan, Kerry Brennan, Colson Ganthier, Ben Chang-Holt, Ethan Chang, Eric Auguste, Daniel Sun-Friedman, Benja Rosenzweig. Second Row: James Gillespie, Aaron Shlayen, Nolan McKenna, Will Cote, Keaton Sahin, Thomas Gaziano, Ryan Lim, Sam Morris-Kliment, Alex Fuqua, Will Specht, Beau Keough, Brady Chappell, Will Hyde.

Summer 2021

Third Row: Jake Carroll, Robert Balson, Daniel Berk, David D’Alessandro. Javi Werner, John Wilkinson, Miguel Rincon, Ethan Phan, Alex Uek, Peter Frates, Bobby O’Grady, Bobby Luca, Will Murphy. Fourth Row: Willem Sentry, Aydan Gedeon-Hope, Byron Karlen, Ben Brasher, John Balson, Esteban Tarazona, Max Hutter, Edozie Ummuna, Conor Downey, James Harrington, Rohil Dhaliwal, Elias Ortiz, Declan Murphy, Bryan Anderson.

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

Summer 2021

Class of 2021 Matriculation American University (1) Amherst College (1) Bates College (2) Boston University (1) Bowdoin College (2) Brown University (4) California Polytechnic, San Luis Obispo (1) Colby College (1) College of the Holy Cross (2) College of William and Mary (1) Columbia University (1) Dartmouth College (1) Georgetown University (5) Harvard College (6) Marquette University (1) Northeastern University (1) Princeton University (2) Southern Methodist University (1) Stonehill College (1) Trinity College (1) Tufts University (1) Union College (1) University of California, Los Angeles (1) University of Chicago (1) University of Massachusetts, Boston (1) University of Miami (1) University of Notre Dame (1) University of San Diego (2) University of Santa Clara (1) Washington University in St. Louis (1) Wheaton College (IL) (1) Williams College (1) Yale University (1) *Three graduates will be pursuing PG experiences Accurate as of June 1, 2021

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

Stories from our Seniors

Summer 2021

ach of the 53 boys in the Class of 2021 has a story. More than one, certainly—stories of family and of friendship, stories of joy and of grief, stories of failure and of triumph, stories of things to come. Many of Roxbury Latin’s seniors share their stories as a critical component of their college applications, of which—added to the myriad accomplishments, recommendations, test scores, and transcripts that comprise an application—a student’s essay is often the most revealing and humanizing element. Here we share the stories of eight of our graduating seniors, whose select essays have been printed with their permission.

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

Frankie Lonergan

In the 1980s, my grandfather, George Lonergan, marched to his neighbor’s door, hat in hand, and offered to paint his house. An economic recession had seen him lose his office job. With no way to provide for his family of six children, and unable to justify accepting unemployment benefits that could help somebody in more dire need, George decided that he’d employ himself as a painter for the time being. He had no training and very little equipment. What he had was a growing family and the mindset that you need to work to get by.

Painting couldn’t be that hard, I thought. Turns out, I had no idea just how much washing and scraping and sanding I would have to do before I even touched a paintbrush. The week was full of splinters, sunburns, and profanity, but I pedaled away at the end of it. The following Monday, when my dad came downstairs, he asked, “Why aren’t you at work?” “I already got my bike,” I responded. “Well, then you can use it to ride to work. Better hustle—it’s getting hot out.” So what started as an idiotic mistake blossomed into a fullblown job spanning the next four summers. Dave promptly gave me my ladder training, but it was obvious that I wasn’t going to be up there much. I was the rookie, relegated to the ground level. My coworkers, José, José, and Speedy, were far more skilled than I and thus got the ladder work done. They were all from the Dominican Republic, and my only authority came when, in the absence of the Josés, I would use my Spanish to translate for Speedy, who didn’t speak English.

Summer 2021

“

My mindset decades later allowed me to leave my bike outside overnight to get stolen. As I obviously didn’t value my possessions, my parents told me I didn’t deserve a replacement. A family friend, Dave McCrossan, who owns a painting company in my hometown, caught wind of my situation. The owner of the house he was currently painting had an old bike that would “fit me just about right,” he said. If I worked a week, I’d be paid with a new old bicycle.

Frankie Lonergan

If nothing else, this job has taught me what a

dollar really costs—just how much effort goes

into making a living in

America, especially for immigrants.

From the ground level, I learned about each of my coworkers’ backstories. The common trend was the money they each sent home to their families and their towns. Even when the younger José won $50,000 on a scratch ticket, he bought groceries for everybody in his housing complex,

“

There’s never a dull

moment at CVS. By now,

“

hundreds of customers

have made sure to tell me all about the memes that make fun of our receipts being used as wallpaper or reading material; consequently, I’ve

mastered my fake laugh.

Quinn Donovan

gave some cash to José and Speedy, and sent the rest home. His selflessness resonated with me, especially alongside the lessons I was learning about work ethic and earning what you make.

Dedication to hard work was obvious to my grandfather when he decided to paint houses in his neighborhood. It took the same job to teach me that very same lesson. //

These three guys and Dave get to a job site at 7 a.m. to beat the sun, work manual labor for hours upon hours, and then don’t even keep a great portion of the money they make. If nothing else, this job has taught me what a dollar really costs—just how much effort goes into making a living in America, especially for immigrants like José, José, Speedy, and Dave, who is from Ireland.

My job at CVS has taught me all about the wonders of retail. With a plethora of customers who will scream at me when their coupons won’t work, there’s never a dull moment at CVS. By now, hundreds of customers have made sure to tell me all about the memes that make fun of our receipts being used as wallpaper or reading material; consequently, I’ve mastered my fake laugh.

But the job has also challenged my thinking regarding my own place in life. To that point, my success both academically and athletically had served as affirmations of my own talent and status. Especially having come from a Catholic elementary school, every day of my life had taught me that I was a part of some sort of special plan or destiny. To be placed at the bottom of the metaphorical and physical ladder for four summers reoriented me, but also granted me a sense of freedom in the form of self-determinism.

Quinn Donovan

At the onset of this pandemic, however, everything changed at CVS: lines wrapped up and down the aisles with customers seeking the ever-so elusive hand sanitizer; fights broke out over the exquisite Charmin toilet paper; and any product with the word wipe on it became a hot commodity (yes, even baby wipes). The entire town had ransacked our inventory, and my months of practice stocking shelves finally paid off. Every Friday, I had to control the mob awaiting our delivery by creating a socially-distant line

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

“

I want my work to be a part

of someone else just as much

“

as it’s a part of me. I want

someone to love the words

I have written and for those words to love them back. I hope to create worlds,

stories, and characters that

make people feel understood and seen.

and satiating their desires with an update on the status of the Lysol Wipes. Faced with these unprecedented circumstances, CVS had to adapt to succeed.

In turn, my job at CVS has taught me a lot about myself. Anytime I am called upon to promote a new program or train an employee, the store asks me to adapt and give more effort. As a result of that effort, I now know my sales pitch on our loyalty program by heart, and our store functions more efficiently with well-prepared cashiers. In these instances, I was challenged at work, and I adapted to overcome the difficult circumstances—just as the store adapted to a major and unexpected obstacle.

I have begun to realize this quality of mine, adaptability, is one I have been honing in other aspects of my life as well. At the start of my sophomore year, I was asked to switch from my life-long sport of soccer to cross country to help RLXC. Not only did I make the switch, but I put our team in a position to compete for the ISL title. That year I finished the ISL championship race with my vision blurry and a raging migraine. After collapsing as I crossed

Summer 2021

Colson Ganthier

the finish line, I was taken in an ambulance to a nearby hospital only to learn that our team had lost by 1 point. Faced with adversity, I was only further motivated to adapt. I trained for another week for the New England Championship race where I finished sixth overall, and our team won the NEPSAC title. Although I ended up in the hospital for the second week in a row, that time around I was there as a NEPSAC champion. At school, I employed that same adaptability to be the only student in my grade to make the jump from Latin 2-3 to AP Latin 5. I also made a jump in math, enrolling in the honors section at RL despite being underprepared by my previous public school education. Not only did I make these jumps, but I succeeded in the fifth year Latin class with only two years of Latin background, and I fostered a love for calculus my junior year because of my risk-taking. Now as a senior, I am working to help others cultivate their adaptability as the lead organizer for the new freshman mentor program, captain of the track and field and cross country teams, and captain of the jazz band and jazz

combo. I have come to realize that I’ve applied that same adaptability that CVS displayed to every facet of my life. I not only succeed for myself, but I ensure that others can readily procure their own success. I intend to bring out the best in not only myself but in others as we encounter new solos, races, or environments. And if I ever doubt myself when facing a challenge, I simply recall that I stocked the toilet paper shelves at CVS mid-pandemic. //

Colson Ganthier

I have always wanted to be a writer. This motivation keeps my heart up at night while my mind slumbers. It is the desire to leave something that will outlive me and need to love those I will never know.

“ David D’Alessandro

On my first day... I had made it through one

“

sheet before my hand

started cramping and sweat was dripping

onto the paper. I hadn’t even begun working with wood and was already feeling the

scale of the project.

I am a Haitian American man, and I cannot say my story has been told. I have had to study the Odyssey, Macbeth, and The Great Gatsby while the stories about people like me are hidden in the shadows of electives. I think those stories need to be told, because they have value. I have the unique opportunity and gift to have this identity and the ability to share it with the world through writing. I hope to write stories about people like myself, so others like me may find shelter in my words. I want my work to be a part of someone else just as much as it’s a part of me. I want someone to love the words I have written and for those words to love them back. I hope to create worlds, stories, and characters that make people feel understood and seen. I know firsthand the feeling of loneliness; I know what it is like to have only fictional friends as comfort. I write to give someone that chance to love my art like an old friend that will never leave them. This was the comfort I felt with the anime character Naruto, with whom I spent many afternoons when I was feeling particularly alone in the world. Just as the author Masashi Kishimoto did for me, I am motivated by my desire to share a sliver of my soul with the world. The greatest writers of all time have not died. The words of Cicero, Shakespeare, and Ernest Hemingway live on in the consciousness of society. No matter the years, the era, or the language, their existence on the planet has not been erased. I am not certain life after death exists, but I

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

am certain that bookshelves are the closest thing to heaven on earth. I have lived a life that could possibly be ignored by the future regardless of how hard I loved and lived. It haunts me that as meaningful as my life is, I could, like all people, be forgotten as if I never lived at all. For me it is not conceit that drives this fear of mortality, but hunger. I hunger to connect with the souls of the future. I hunger to have my words provide comfort in the hearts of the unborn and respect to those that have passed. I hunger to love and to be loved by people I have never met. I hunger for legacy. If I am known by one person who finds my dusty words 200 years into the future, then that will be enough. //

David D’Alessandro

I have vivid memories of waking up during a week-long visit to my grandfather’s house in Florida and immediately asking him if we could take the boat out. If he responded with a grin, we were out on the dock, rigging rods, prepping bait, and getting the boat ready before breakfast. Soon after, we would head out the Intracoastal into the Atlantic Ocean and troll for hours following the birds. Even if the ocean got rougher, and we both started to get a little seasick, we would steer the boat into the waves, hoping to hear the zzzzzz of a reel. When I decided to build a boat during the summer of my 10th grade year, I immediately thought of fishing with my grandfather. Of course, I couldn’t construct a vessel capable of surviving the Atlantic Ocean, but I thought anything small that I could put an outboard engine on would work. I spent hours Googling “wooden powerboat plans,” until finally I found a design rated for a 15-horsepower outboard that wasn’t overly complicated but had deck space for fishing. By mid-July, I had ordered six sheets of marine plywood and made a trip to Home Depot to buy the minimum number of tools needed. I printed out the full-size templates at Staples, and I was ready to begin. Soon, half of the garage was filled with a makeshift wood shop. Saw horses and a band saw quickly made the garage feel cramped. The first step was cutting out the six 10-foot paper templates with a tiny Exacto knife. On my first day of boat

Summer 2021

building, I had made it through one sheet before my hand started cramping and sweat was dripping onto the paper. I hadn’t even begun working with wood and was already feeling the scale of the project. When the fall of 11th grade began, SAT studying, football practices, and homework took up most of my time, and I struggled to find time to work on the boat. I put the boat away for the winter and was happy to forget about the project for a while. After school shut down, I re-set up my “woodshop” in the garage and began to work with a newfound enthusiasm. I layed the frames on the deck and secured them with square battens and epoxy. To make the transom, I cut out three pieces of half-inch plywood with my low-power band saw knowing that I would have a sander to help fix mistakes when I glued the three pieces together. Soon after, I had to make another trip to Home Depot to buy a much more powerful sander because mine did not have enough power to correct my mistakes. The boat was taking shape, and once I had secured the hull and side panels I was ready to fiberglass the bottom. With one YouTube tutorial of experience, I began the most crucial step of the whole process. I layed out the threefoot sheets of fiberglass across the entire bottom and up the sides of the boat, getting rid of any air bubbles. I then brushed epoxy over the entire bottom of the boat in a thin layer to prevent it from bubbling in the hot July sun. After three coats of paint, and a 20-horsepower motor, I was ready to launch the boat. I headed to a small, shallow lake with an accessible shore (I wasn’t taking any chances if it sank). When the boat slid off the trailer, I immediately looked down to make sure water wasn’t seeping into the bottom. While the cove connecting the main part of the lake was much calmer than the Hillsboro Inlet, and the bass I would reel in did not fight as hard as Florida dolphin, I had completed my yearlong project and was ready to take my grandfather on my boat. //

Nolan McKenna

Every day over the summer, I take the train downtown, get

“

I hope I can apply the same

“

work ethic and mentality I

have with sailing and family life to college. I want to be able to navigate my own

boat in the busy harbor of

a college community. I will do my best to support and better whoever gets in my

Nolan McKenna

boat along the way.

on a ferry to the Charlestown Navy Yard, and spend my day sailing in the Boston Harbor with Courageous Sailing, a nonprofit community sailing program. I started learning there when I was six, and every summer since I have spent the majority of my time in the Harbor with some of the biggest ships in the world. My tiny little sailboat and I have sailed with thousand-foot LNG tankers, yachts worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and 300-foot Coast Guard cutters. All of this variety, this chaos, is why I enjoy being on the water all day. I love the responsibility of navigating my sailboat throughout the Harbor. I relish the idea of being a tiny little speck in the middle of the chaos in the Boston Harbor. These ideas of responsibility have been especially important these past few summers, when I began working at Courageous Sailing as an instructor. Now I am responsible for about 25 small children, not just myself. These kids, some as young as eight, almost never have prior sailing experience, so I need to teach them everything from rigging a boat to how wind works. This added responsibility requires me to work under extreme pressure,

but all of the complicating variables that come into play on the water are what I love most about my job. I would rather sail on an extremely windy, rainy day than on a quiet, sunny one. The chaos of the rainy day invigorates me.

Being at the helm of a ship has taught me many lessons about being a leader. This idea of being at the helm has translated into my family life. My parents are divorced, and I live with my mother. My parents’ divorce thrust me into the position of “man of the household.” I now have responsibilities that I never had before. I help my family get to places on time, do extra chores, and sometimes cook dinner. In addition to this, I’ve become a secondary father figure to my little sister, Kelly. Since we don’t see our dad every day, I’ve started to become the one who hangs out with her, teaches her different lessons, and guides her in the right direction. We’ve grown incredibly close due to these circumstances. As amazing as my mom is, she can’t do everything by herself, so these responsibilities have fallen on me, especially as my brother moved to college. I look forward to seeing how new challenges will shape me in the future.

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

anything from my past years of sailing, it’s that I need to make sure my boat is sailing smoothly, so all of the other boats in the harbor can also sail without issue. I plan to take care of myself in college, so the rest of the community can function. //

Esteban Tarazona

“So I have come down to deliver them from the power of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and spacious land flowing with milk and honey.” — Exodus 3:8

“

“ Esteban Tarazona

The “milk and honey” my parents were

promised in America has presented itself as the tremendous

opportunities offered to me throughout my life.

I hope that I can apply the same work ethic and mentality I have with sailing and family life to college. I want to be able to navigate my own boat in the busy harbor of a college community. I will do my best to support and better whoever gets in my boat along the way. If I’ve learned

Summer 2021

My parents read this Bible passage in their home in Colombia, as they contemplated moving to the U.S. after my dad lost his job. Their savings were dwindling and they had a daughter to take care of, and this passage was, they were convinced, a message from God. They set off for the U.S. immediately, following a job offer from a friend in Miami. When they arrived, though, their friend wouldn’t answer their phone calls, and they had to rely on friends for a place to stay as my dad frantically looked for work. After a month, my parents booked a flight to Boston, where they fell in and out of homelessness as my dad continued his job search. Finally, they found stability; my dad found a job as a parking lot supervisor and they moved into the apartment in which I was raised. The “milk and honey” my parents were promised in America has presented itself as the tremendous opportunities offered to me throughout my life. I began my education in Boston Public Schools. I was then fortunate enough to attend Roxbury Latin on a full scholarship for four years. That is a total of $138,200—no small deed. My time at an academically excellent institution like RL has truly been a blessing, and I owe it to my parents and their immense struggle before I was born. I have always seen my parents as role models because of their hard work and resilience through their struggles, and I strive to be like them. Additionally, they are always so humble about it all. They work in silence, but the results of their hard work manifest through all of the opportunities provided to me. For them, I believe I have a responsibility to take advantage of these many opportunities. I have always been eager to join as many

“

Thanks to this job, I have a greater appreciation

of the work of laborers in our country. I

understand that even

when it is pouring rain, I have a responsibility

“

to go and pick corn. I

might prefer to get a few extra hours of sleep, but I know the importance of a strong work ethic

and know that it is my

responsibility to be there each day.

clubs and extracurriculars as I can and to try new things. I never back down from a challenge, because I know that no challenge could be more difficult than what my parents went through, and I know that no matter what, with hard work and determination, I’ll be able to get through it and perform excellently. Despite my strong work ethic and determination, I have still had my fair share of struggles. I found myself drowning during the beginning of my time at RL, struggling to adapt to the academically rigorous environment. But as time passed, I learned the importance of being proactive and asking for help, something I had never

Sam Stone

done before. With that new way of dealing with challenges, I have seen great improvement through my years at RL. I will always be thankful for RL for helping me grow and for preparing me for my future. I am still searching for what I want to do with my life, but I know that as more opportunities come up to try new things, I will take them and, soon, I’ll find what I truly love. My parents went through trauma that no young couple should experience. Even now, they are taking care of four children and barely making enough to feed us all. Every day, I strive to make their journey to the U.S. worthwhile. I want to help my parents retire when they are older and live a peaceful and beautiful life, one that everyone wishes to have. When they got married, living by the skin of their teeth, they did not have the “ideal life.” But hopefully through my hard work, I will be able to provide for them a life full of milk and honey, for however many more years of life they have to live. //

Sam Stone

For the past decade, my family has run a small sweet

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

corn business out of Lovell, Maine: Sweet Kids Corn. Every summer from early August through Labor Day, my family heads north to the peace and quiet of Lake Kezar, not only to enjoy the solitude and beauty of the lake and mountains, but also to harvest the six acres of sweet corn that had been planted in early May. Since I can remember, I would wake up bright and early to hop into the pickup truck and head off to the field with my mom and dad. In my younger years, while my parents picked the day’s haul, I would simply put on my boots and run amok through the fields exploring the intricate rows of corn, eagerly awaiting the return trip home to where I knew my grandmother’s pancake breakfast was waiting. As time has passed, my role and responsibility in the business has grown exponentially, and for that I am grateful. I started by slowly learning the process of picking the corn, carrying the barrels, and stocking the stand. Before I knew it, I was a key piece in what made this well-oiled machine function. I’m responsible now for hauling all of the barrels of corn from the field onto the truck in the morning and then driving it all to our farm stand in town. What I love most about our small business is that we run an “honesty” stand. Lovell is a very small, rural town in western Maine, and our stand sits on the side of the road that runs through the town. Locals and veteran tourists love that they can stop by and pick up what they need and then can just drop the money into our honesty box. It is quite common to see an IOU or handwritten note explaining that someone would stop by later with the money. This summer we actually received a note from a traveler from Biloxi, Mississippi. He wrote: “I recently drove here, and I have never seen a stand like yours. The corn is excellent, but the honor system you use reminds me that this is still America. I really am impressed to see such a thing.” Hearing comments like this from distant travelers, and echoed by the locals, reminds me of the importance of integrity and honesty. Often when we are loading the stand, people will strike up a conversation and ask about where the corn is planted, or how much we plant, but more often than not they ask if people are honest. The residents of Lovell take great pride in how our stand is run completely on honesty, and they feel very strongly that people should

Summer 2021

honor that. I am often humbled when I see the pride that others take in our stand, and I feel a sense of responsibility to always maintain this tradition. This job is one that I hope to continue for years to come; eventually, I want to carry on this work by taking over the business. I truly appreciate what this work has taught me. Thanks to this job, I have a greater appreciation of the work of laborers in our country. I understand that even when it is pouring rain, I have a responsibility to go and pick corn. I might prefer to get a few extra hours of sleep, but I know the importance of a strong work ethic and know that it is my responsibility to be there each day. It is amazing to be a part of a community that values honesty, hard work, and respect. The corn stand is a symbol of all that is good and true about our world, and I am so glad that I get to be a part of it. //

Eric Auguste

Understanding who I am hasn’t always been easy. I grew up in a mildly religious Puerto Rican and Haitian family in which certain expectations are held. From a young age, I’ve been told that I would go to school, marry a woman, and have children. For a long time, that seemed perfectly normal to me, and to everyone else it was expected. But as I grew older and I began to understand the world around me better, I learned that my sexuality didn’t align with those same ideals. I saw that I was different from everyone else around me, and the thought of being different in another way aside from my race terrified me. I was just starting at a new all-boys’ private school, and I didn’t want to be seen as an outcast. So, I held onto my secret. By not letting such an important part of my identity develop, I was met with anxiety, loneliness, and, unfortunately, depression. But ironically, it was that same anxiety that helped me come out to my parents: the first big step in my journey. The summer before freshman year was my lowest point emotionally; one day, pushed solely by my anxiety, I approached my dad, ready to tell him. It took several minutes for me to find the words—the confusion on his face made it difficult to find the courage—but finally I was able to blurt out: “Dad, I’m gay.” Immediately, a tension

“

I saw that I was different

“

from everyone else around

me, and the thought of being different in another way

aside from my race terrified me. I was just starting at a

new all-boys’ private school, and I didn’t want to be seen as an outcast. So, I held on

Eric Auguste

to my secret.

filled the room, and I could clearly see the discomfort in his awkward smile. He was shocked and confused but he still told me that he would accept me no matter what. I was so thankful for his reaction, and from that point on I slowly began letting people know who I truly was. Though I didn’t come out to my friends until tenth grade, they were starting to sense that something about me was different. As they began to talk about girls I shrank into the shadows, trying to appear invisible so I didn’t have to lie all the time. Or when a conversation about the football game the night before arose, I was afraid I would be called out for not being “masculine enough” to know what they were talking about. Hearing “that’s gay” as an insult was difficult to ignore. I couldn’t connect with anyone on a personal level; I felt defeated. It wasn’t until one random day at lunch during my sophomore year that I came out to all my friends at once. I still remember the happiness their support and praise gave me.

relationships have only gotten stronger. I was lucky to be accepted, and consequently I have become more “me” than I ever have been. I no longer have to censor the way I talk or stop myself from acting in a way that goes against the standard of masculinity. I can be flamboyant or feminine and dress how I want to without feeling shame from my friends. However, that doesn’t mean everything is perfect. I have yet to come out to my grandparents and extended family. And, even though I have my friends supporting me, I still feel lonely. There isn’t much representation for gay men of color at school or in the media. The fact that my friends made such a big deal out of my coming out, although satisfying, also contributes to the idea that “coming out” or being gay is not normal. I still deal with anxiety and I’m still alone at school. I’m still waiting to meet people like me, and that is why I am excited to live on a college campus. There, I hope to meet others who have lived through the same experiences as me. //

Ever since then I’ve been steadily coming out to more important people in my life. And I can say that my

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

Emerging from a Pandemic School Year A Message from Headmaster Kerry Brennan

Summer 2021

What a difference a year makes. As a school community we have great reason to be glad about and proud of the way that we weathered an especially challenging storm. Guided by the dual goals of maintaining the health and safety of our students, faculty, and staff, and advancing the school’s program, we collectively did well and continued to affirm our distinction as a community. That reality was thanks to thorough planning; flexibility and creativity; great willingness and dedication; and, frankly, much good luck. I am so grateful to everyone for cooperating and collaborating, for approaching our lives and our participation in school with care and conscientiousness. Each of us made sacrifices for the greater good, and we are all better for it. This spring we at Roxbury Latin—like the rest of the country—began to see reasons for hope, and we began to take small steps toward the rituals and routines we enjoyed pre-COVID. After beginning this year in a hybrid learning model—with Cohorts A and B alternating weeks in and out of school—we were able to safely bring all members of the senior class back to campus in October for in-person instruction. In the weeks following the winter break, we brought one entire class back each week—with classrooms expanded to include Rousmaniere Hall, the McNay Palaistra, the Gordon Fieldhouse gymnasium, the Great Hall, and even the lobby of the IAF, overlooking Hennessy Rink! Coupled with bi-weekly pool testing of all members of the school community—and unrelenting adherence to the safety and health protocols we established last summer—we were able to be safely reconstituted as a school by mid-February In March, when vaccines were made available to all educators in Massachusetts, faculty and staff lined up to receive their initial doses inside the IAF. Emotions ranged from laughter to tears, and before the conclusion of the 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

school year every single member of Roxbury Latin’s faculty and staff was fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In May, when the CDC and Governor Baker announced that all individuals age 12+ were eligible to receive the vaccine, we were able to hold a vaccination clinic for our students here on campus. While we maintained mask-wearing indoors throughout the school year, we were able to lift the mask mandate on campus for outdoor activities on May 19, just in time for our annual and beloved school-wide May Day. With greater ability to practice and compete safely outdoors, our spring athletic teams enjoyed some semblance of a true season, thanks to League-wide cooperation and weekly testing of all athletes and coaches. On May 20—for the first time since March 2020—we enjoyed live music performances by our students on a picturesque evening on the lawn outside of the Smith Arts Center. And as the year came to a close, we were able to honor our seniors in ways that were familiar—if modified—bringing the entire school together for the first time for Prize Day, and finally celebrating the Class of 2021, in person, on O’Keeffe Field during the school’s 376th Closing Exercises. I’ve said it before, but I am heartened and deeply grateful to be part of a school community that could face such challenges and adversity with so much grace and resilience, elbow grease and goodwill. These unprecedented 15-months were a reminder that, together, we can get through anything. Thank you. Here’s to a happy, healthy, hope-filled school year ahead.

Summer 2021

“In March, when vaccines were made available to all educators in Massachusetts, faculty and staff lined up to receive their initial doses inside the IAF. Emotions ranged from laughter to tears, and before the conclusion of the school year every single member of Roxbury Latin’s faculty and staff was fully vaccinated against COVID-19.”

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

Class Notes 1954

Charles Halsted has published his poems in thirty poetry journals and has authored two poetry books, Extenuating Circumstance and On Razor-Thin Tires. He lives with his wife, Ann, at the University Retirement Community in Davis, California.

1975

Gary Innes is running for State Senate in Massachusetts. “In 1975 I had the fortunate positions of both Class President and Class Treasurer… neither of which I ran for!” he writes. While at RL, he co-captained the football and wrestling teams. He also received the Sportsmanship Award and was elected lacrosse MVP.

May 27. The group reminisced about great times with Coach Frank Guerra in football and Coach Mo Randall in hockey. Back row: Greg Mahoney ’88, Brian Donovan ’88, Kevin Malley ’88; Middle row: Joe Donovan ’87, Drew Kemalian ’88, Tom Baxter ’88, Chris Lovett ’88, John Laughlin ’87, Bryan Anderson ’88, Jim Grady ’87, Bill Maffie ’88; and kneeling: Ted O’Connor ’88. Ted Connolly ’88 and Tim Call ’88 were also in attendance but were absent for the photo.

2000

3 Eben Pingree and his wife, Caitlin,

welcomed their third child, a son, on March 23, 2021. Beckett Boyd Pingree was born at Dartmouth Hitchcock Hospital (as the family lived in Vermont through the pandemic this year). Big brother, Cole, and big sister, Thayer, adore their new little brother.

1982

2001

a literary agent. His first client is John Billings, a World War II B-24 Liberator pilot who flew one of the war’s most daring missions for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), the predecessor to the CIA and the U.S. Special Operations Command. His memoir, Special Duties Pilot: The Man Who Flew the Real “Inglourious Basterds” Behind Enemy Lines, is being published by Pen and Sword. Charles also writes that he had the pleasure of meeting Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal at St. James’s Palace in London on January 29, 2020.

Life Garden, in an abandoned lot in Bushwick, Brooklyn. Kofi believes in the power of community and recognizes green spaces as a catalyst to unlocking that potential. Particularly in the midst of the pandemic, Kofi’s garden offered a respite from isolation and a place for reflection.

1 Charles Pinck has a new career as

1988

2 Brian Donovan hosted members of

the Class of 1988 and members of the Class of 1987 at his home in Walpole on

Spring 2020

4 Kofi Thomas founded the Good

2002

5 Just a few days after the arrival of

a nephew (mentioned above), Tim Pingree and his wife, Liza, welcomed their third son, Calvin, on March 26, 2021. Big brothers Asa and Warren have not left Cal’s side. Proud grandparents Dick and Patty Pingree are happy to be spending lots of time with their two newest grandsons this summer.

2004

6 On May 17, the RL Innovation

Exchange welcomed Sam Miller, who created the Proteus system, a device that is revolutionizing the future of how people build strength and rehabilitate from injuries. www.proteusmotion.com

2006

7 Mike Lawler and his wife, Maddy,

welcomed their son Wesley “Wes” Elder Lawler on June 24. Wes came into the world weighing 8 pounds, 8 ounces. Mike notes, “I’ve been singing Wes Jerusalem and The Founder’s Song as lullabies, and they’re working surprisingly well.” Mike just completed his first year as a teacher of English and dorm parent at Westminster School in Simsbury, Connecticut.

2007

8 This spring, Adam Layne was

appointed Treasurer of St. Louis, Missouri. He was previously the Deputy Chief of Staff for the City of St. Louis Treasurer’s Office. Adam reflected: “I have always been a service-oriented person, strongly believing that work in service of others is truly the most rewarding and most needed.” Adam began his professional career as a high school math teacher for St. Louis Public Schools in 2011. In 2014, he developed and led the high school support and college access program for InspireSTL. He joined the Treasurer’s Office in 2017.

2011

In May, Nelson Tamayo was sworn in as a Foreign Service Officer with the U.S. Department of State by Secretary of State Antony Blinken. This fall, he will depart for his first overseas assignment as

Photo by GoFund Me Hero

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

Spring 2020

Consular Officer at the U.S. Embassy in Luanda, Angola.

2015

Rohan Shukla is moving to San Francisco to pursue a new opportunity as a growth equity investor for TPG Growth.

2017

9 Mitchell Garvey completed Officer

All-Academic Team. To be honored, an individual must have been enrolled fulltime during the fall or spring semester; reached sophomore academic standing; and be in good standing in their sport with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50 or equivalent on a 4.0 scale at the end of the fall semester. Myles plays men’s basketball at Trinity.

Candidate School (OCS) and was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant in the U.S. Marines Corps in May in Norfolk, Virginia.

Ben Rounds has been playing this summer with the Brockton Rox, a collegiate summer baseball team. Ben is a student at Harvard College, where he is a member of the baseball team.

2019

2020

Myles Davis was named NESCAC Winter All-Academic Team. A total of 1,152 student-athletes have been named to the 2021 NESCAC Winter

Headmaster Kerry Brennan welcomed the Class of 2020 back to campus for a celebratory cookout on June 15. Young alumni in attendance

included Joey Barrett, Colin Bergstrom, David Brennan, Mat Cefail, Aidan Cook, Dante Cuzzi, JJ DeMarco, Cameron Estrada, Lukas Franken, Sam Ginsberg, Sebastian Graber-Adamsons, John Harrington, Richard Impert, Rijs Johansongordet, David LaFond, Peter Levangie, Eric Ma, Hari Narayanan, Jack Ringel, Javi Rios, Jonathan Weiss, Andrew Zhang, Blair Zhou, and Chris Zhu. Faculty and staff attendees included Tom Guden ’96, Dave Cataruzolo, Tobey O’Brien, Alessandro Ferzoco ’14, Mike Pojman, Jim Ryan, Elizabeth Carroll, Chris Brown, Arturo Solís, Greg Sokol, Darian Reid ’05, Stewart Thomsen, George Matthews ’08, and Andy Chappell. //

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

Remote Reunions 1 The Class of 1951 celebrated their 70th (!) Reunion

via Zoom on June 2. The group included John Bennett, Mark Granofsky, David Hershenson, and Bob Vey, as well as Director of Alumni Affairs Dave Cataruzolo.

2 Celebrating their 55th Reunion, members of the

Class of 1966 gathered virtually on June 10 to catch up and reminisce. Seven members of the class attended: Bob Powers, Jay Bartlett, Ed Lebow, Paul Kirshen, Carl Roberts, Stuart Cohen, and Dick Scully. 3 On June 7, the Class of 1971 gathered virtually to

celebrate their 50th Reunion. Seventeen members of the class attended: Roger King, Paul Okubo, Jonathan Olch, Joshua Copel, Steven Simoni, Michael Collotta, Robert Principato, John Rodman, Brian Crowley, Christopher Armen, Joseph Toplyn, Louis Kaplan, Steven Kaitz, David Lake, Bill Lubart, Brian Bachynski, and Bob Fox. 4 The 1986 ISL Championship Baseball team got

together via Zoom on June 10. Eight members of the team were in attendance: Bob Baxter ’86, Tom Baxter ’88, Bryan Anderson ’88, Mike Clancy ’89, Dave Crossman ’86, Jim Grady ’87, Chris Haskell ’87, and John Laughlin ’87. 5 Several members of the 1986 ISL Championship

Lacrosse team also got together via Zoom on June 3 to celebrate 35 years since that memorable season. Those alumni in attendance were Mike Earley ’87, Matt Hutter ’87, and Bob Gobron ’87, who enjoyed an intimate conversation with their coach, Ned Ligon. //

4 82

Summer 2021

Annual Fund Sets New Record As the 2020–2021 Annual Fund closed on May 31, Annual Fund donations totaled $4,520,579.43, setting another record.

Annual Fund Chairman Bryan Anderson, ALGC Co-Chairs Jay Mitchell and Andy McElaney, along with Parent Fund Co-Chairs Caroline and Soren Oberg and Vice Co-Chairs Janet and James Nahirny did an outstanding job leading a team of dedicated volunteers. As a result, parent participation was 100 percent this year. Parents raised $1,753,658.13. Our alumni volunteers also worked diligently to ensure that the 2020-2021 Annual Fund was a banner year for them—alumni raised $1,809,964.93 with 55 percent participation.

None of this would be possible without the energetic, persistent leadership of Tobey O’Brien, Annual Fund Director. The continued level of commitment to Roxbury Latin demonstrated through the Annual Fund is both a ringing affirmation of the difference the school makes in boys’ lives and a testimonial to the tireless devotion of the men and women who served as volunteers.

This year in particular, we extend our deepest gratitude to all those who invested in Roxbury Latin, allowing us to preserve the school’s unique financial model. On behalf of the boys—your beneficiaries—we thank you for your continued support. There is no better way to honor the boys and their teachers, today and always. Roxbury Latin is the school that it is because of you. //

a record number of donors

Summer 2021

Familiar Faces, New Roles As Director of the Annual Fund since 2006, Tobey O’Brien P’01, ’04 has successfully led that fundraising effort, expanding outreach to all of the school’s constituencies and growing the Fund from $1.7M to more than $4.5M during her time at the helm. In recognition of her tireless work ethic, outstanding results, and her passion for and belief in the mission of the school, she has been appointed to the position of Director of Development. In addition to continuing to spearhead the Annual Fund and executing various school events, she will take on greater managerial responsibilities and assist with capital fundraising and other aspects of alumni relations. Returning to Alma Mater in 2019, Alessandro Ferzoco ’14 quickly embraced his role as Development Associate and has made meaningful connections with alumni, in particular our youngest graduates who are looking to network and find their way professionally. In addition to his teaching and admission work, he has been appointed to Associate Director of Alumni Affairs, taking on more responsibilities with stewardship and the Annual Fund as well as expanding his outreach across generations of alumni. //

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

Remembering Phil Hansen, Faculty Emeritus Phil Hansen—longtime history department chair and Scribner Professor of Global Studies Emeritus—died on June 25, at the age of 79, at a memory care hospital in Saco, Maine.

admiration of the world.” When Phil retired in 1998, he was described as “a towering intellect” and “one of the truly great minds on the RL faculty.”

As his brother wrote in Phil’s obituary: Phil’s teaching career included faculty positions at Kimball Union Academy (English); the Woodstock (VT) Country School (English and Headmaster); and for 23 years, The Roxbury Latin School, where he taught world history, western civilization, U.S. history, modern European history, African history, and political theory. When, at age 28, he was asked to take the helm at Woodstock Country School, he became the youngest headmaster in the country.

Equally important to Phil was the positive impact he had on hundreds of students who engaged in his classes and extracurricular activities. His retirement tribute included many accolades from grateful former students: “a positive driving force in my life.” And another: “his relentless efforts to teach, discipline and advise. . .are testament to the devotion, dedication, and loyalty he possesses.”

At Roxbury Latin, his accomplishments included reviving the school’s debate team and founding the Model U.N. and public speaking programs, all of which, under his tutelage, became the school’s most popular activities and distinguished RL in competitions, nationally and internationally, leaving the school (in a retirement tribute in 1998 by a fellow faculty member) “an empire and a dynasty which are glory of the school and the

Summer 2021

Phil was particularly adept at nurturing the academic and personal lives of students who struggled. Said one former student: “He never seemed to be afraid of the worst in a student and approached his frailties with uncommon humanity.” In addition to teaching and mentoring RL students, Phil served as a foster parent for at-risk youth referred to him by the Massachusetts Department of Youth Services. His compassion and commitment to social justice were

evident early on. As a student at Bowdoin College, he became involved in the Civil Rights Movement. He was instrumental in establishing a student exchange program with Morehouse College and in bringing Dr. Martin Luther King to the Bowdoin campus for an address to the student body and community at large. For these activities, Phil was awarded the Franklin Delano Roosevelt Prize presented to the student “whose vision, humanity, and courage most contribute to making Bowdoin a better college” and was commemorated, in 2014, in the Bowdoin convocation as an inspiration to current students. Phil also worked with inner-city youth groups in the New York City area while a student at Union Theological Seminary. In retirement, he volunteered on the Jefferson School Committee, as the Bowdoin debate coach, and for LGTBQ support groups. Headmaster Kerry Brennan wrote to the Roxbury Latin community the following, in memory of Phil and his long, storied relationship with the school: “Phil had a distinguished career of social activism and academic excellence at Bowdoin and other schools before arriving at Roxbury Latin in 1975. One of Tony Jarvis’s first appointments, Phil went on to serve for 23 years as chair of a colorful department and as a teacher of virtually every course in the history curriculum. Not long into his stay, Phil would be named Director of Studies, a position that would allow him to influence the curriculum writ large. Perhaps Phil’s most enduring and distinctive contributions were as director of the debate and Model United Nations programs. While scores of RL boys would hone their public speaking and interest in global affairs thanks to these programs, Phil was also responsible for forming the regional association of debate programs (DANEIS) and, indeed, was one of the founding fathers of the international organization through which RL debaters have competed over the years. Phil was famous for supporting the underdog both at school and in the community. Many boys whom he advised or otherwise supported are the beneficiaries of his great care. We are grateful for Phil’s long, generative career at RL and his model of engaged stewardship.” //

“Phil Hansen was more than a great teacher, he was a great person—in the conduct of his life, both in and out of the school. He inspired me to expand my interests and embrace philosophy and history, in my academic and personal interests, as well as in my professional career. I did not encounter him until Class III, but his influence was immediate. I owe him an enormous debt. More than anyone else in the school, he fulfilled its mission for me, in setting me on a course of service.” — David Henkel-Wallace ’82 “Phil Hansen was my debate coach, and he believed in me. May his memory be a blessing to all who had the privilege to know him.” — Yale Pearlson ’77 “Mr. Hansen was a great teacher and, more importantly, a very good man. His mastery of history and debate was excelled only by his kindness and humanity. Thanks for everything, Phil.” — Greg Noonan ’94 “Phil Hansen, in his sweet and soulful way, touched so many of our lives. He shaped my love of history and politics, for which I will be forever grateful. May his memory be a blessing.” — Wyatt Lipman ’00 “Professor Hansen was of profound influence and support to me during my years at Roxbury Latin… In many ways he set the tone for my studies at RL, in college, and in my subsequent professional pursuits. The challenges he set forth, and the support he offered to me as a student and young adult, are richly remembered.” — Daniel Mackay ’82 “Mr. Hansen was one of the kindest and smartest people you will ever find. I loved the Model UN trips and the thoughtful advice he gave me when he was my advisor.” — Jean-Pierre Jacquet ’01 These tributes were submitted by alumni via Facebook, in response to the announcement of Phil’s passing.

In Memoriam Professor Gordon Hemenway Pettengill ’42 died peacefully at his home, at the age of 95, on May 8, 2021. Gordon was born on February 10, 1926 in Providence, Rhode Island, the son of Frances Hemenway Walton and Rodney Gordon Pettingill. Just before Gordon’s ninth birthday, his father died unexpectedly. As a child, Gordon lived in Dedham with his mother and sister. He attended Dedham Country Day School and Mount Prospect School for Boys in Waltham until the eleventh grade. Quite unusually, he then gained admission to Roxbury Latin as a member of the senior class for the 19411942 school year. Although he struggled with English and history, Gordon was a superb math student, earning straight A’s throughout his senior year. His teachers awarded him high marks in deportment, attention, and neatness. In his college letter to MIT, Headmaster Northrup wrote: “Pettengill is a quiet, keen-minded person of unusual powers of penetration for one so young. This young man is half-way there in his first year here, and already has roused our admiration for the poise and the solid work he has shown. He has a clear mind with quite remarkable powers of analysis. I believe he will go far.” Indeed, far he went. At the age of 16, Gordon matriculated at MIT, following in his late father’s footsteps. Just as he was delving into his college studies, Gordon was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1944. He served in the Infantry Signal Corps until 1946 and spent the closing months of WWII in France (where he saw combat), Germany, and

Summer 2021

Austria. Upon his discharge from the Army, Gordon returned to MIT, where he completed his B.S. in Physics in 1948. Gordon then spent two years in Los Alamos, New Mexico (the creation place of the atomic bomb), where he worked in the field of radiation health physics. At UC Berkeley he studied high energy physics, and he earned his PhD in 1955. Gordon then worked at MIT’s Lincoln Labs, where he began his career in radar astronomy. In 1963, Gordon moved to the newly opened Arecibo Observatory in Puerto Rico, and in 1968 he was appointed its director by Cornell. During his stay, he more accurately measured the rotation of Mercury. Gordon returned to MIT in 1970 as Professor of Planetary Physics and used both MIT’s Haystack Observatory and the Arecibo telescope to further conduct research on other planets in the solar system. In 1977, he became Principal Investigator of the radar aboard the Pioneer Venus Orbiter that created the first near-global topographic map of any planet—better even than Earth, whose ocean floors were largely unmapped at that time. In 1980-1981 Gordon spent a sabbatical year at the University of Sydney (Australia) as a Guggenheim Foundation Fellow. Later, he served as the Principal Investigator of the Magellan Mission to Venus, whose measurements from 1990 through 1994 remain the most detailed description of the surface and interior of that planet. Gordon was the author of more than 100 publications. He was elected to both the American and National Academies of Science and served as director of MIT's Center for Space Research from 1984 to 1989. In 1992, Gordon delivered the Cum Laude address at Roxbury Latin.

For 53 years, Gordon shared his life with his beloved wife, Pamela, whom he married in 1967. He is also survived by two children and two grandchildren. Gordon and Pam loved to travel. Once Gordon became Professor Emeritus in 1995, he retired to Concord, Massachusetts, where he pursued interests in hiking, ornithology, and genealogy. Gordon had a love of ham (amatuer) radio threaded throughout his life, and he continued to operate on ham radio with his friends throughout his old age. Dr. Paul Silverstein ’56 died at age 82, after a long illness, on April 19, 2021. He was born in Boston on July 11, 1938, the son of Lena Rudd and Dr. Charles Silverstein. Paul grew up on Morton Street in Mattapan and attended the Robert Treat Paine School prior to gaining admission to Roxbury Latin. While at Roxbury Latin, Paul participated in a host of activities. As a freshman, he played soccer, wrestled, and participated in baseball. He contributed to the soccer and wrestling teams as a sophomore, as well. Additionally, he competed for the Debate team and worked on Tripod as a photographer. As a junior, Paul participated on the track and field team. He broadened his involvement, and worked on the Yearbook in addition to Tripod. He maintained his commitment to these various pursuits as a senior. Academically, Paul found success in a variety of areas. As a freshman he won the history prize, and as a junior he won the French prize. He was a strong science and math student, having inherited an interest in medicine from his father. In his college letter, Headmaster Weed wrote:

“Silverstein has a lot of poise and common sense and is a hard-working boy. He has varied interests of a worthwhile nature and makes the most of his abilities and opportunities.” Paul matriculated at Harvard College, where he studied biology. He graduated magna cum laude in 1960, having been elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year. Paul subsequently attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned his MD in 1964. He then returned to Boston for a five-year residency at Boston City Hospital. Beginning in 1969, through the Berry Plan, Paul was able to defer his service in the Vietnam war so that he could finish his general surgical training. In return, he enlisted for three years. Paul was already skilled in acute and reconstructive phase treatment of burns. He was assigned to the burn unit of the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio, Texas. He then completed a Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Fellowship at Emory University. In 1974, Paul relocated to Oklahoma City where he joined a plastic surgery practice. Paul set out to design and direct a state-of-the-art burn treatment center, which became a reality in 1975 at Baptist Hospital. The facility grew to include giant hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers in 1989 and special facilities to promote wound healing. After 25 years of Paul’s leadership, the burn unit was renamed the Integris Paul Silverstein Burn Center by Gubernatorial proclamation, and May 31, 2000, was designated “Dr. Paul Silverstein M.D. Day.” In 2000, Paul stepped down as director but continued his involvement with the Burn Center. In 2019, Paul was honored at the Oklahoma

Creativity Ambassadors Gala as a “surgical innovator for burn victims.” His research, publications, awards, and testimonials are numerous. He rose to the rank of First Vice President of the American Burn Association and he was recognized for his work both nationally and internationally. Beyond his professional responsibilities and interests, Paul served as Chairman of the Board of the Integris Foundation. He was a collector of museum-quality art and sculpture and was an accomplished pianist, a waterski instructor, scuba diver, boater, and fisherman. Paul is survived by his beloved wife, Amalia, a brother, his four children, and nine grandchildren. Richard Harlow “Dick” Daly ’48 died on May 29, 2021, at the age of 90, surrounded by his loving family. He was born on September 6, 1930, the son of Eva Hinchcliffe and Harlow Daly. Dick grew up just blocks from Roxbury Latin, on Bellevue Street, and attended the Randall G. Morris School prior to gaining admission to Roxbury Latin. While at Roxbury Latin, Dick made a name for himself as a wrestler in Class II and Class I. He also helped with the play on stage crew and as an usher. While at Roxbury Latin, he was a strong student in the quantitative disciplines. Headmaster Weed wrote in Dick’s college letter in February 1948, “Daly has an attractive manner and a pleasing way with people. He is a capable student with good ability in math and science… He will mature into a fine citizen, I feel, and will be a credit to his college and community.” Dick matriculated at MIT where he studied electrical engineering. There he

earned his B.S. in 1952 and M.S. in 1953. Subsequently, Dick served in the U.S. Air Force for three years, flying Boeing KC97 Stratofreighter refueling planes during the Korean War. Dick married Jean Gaston in 1953 and had three children. His first wife died at age 38. He then married Linda Tyler and adopted her two children. Together they had two children. Dick and Linda divorced, and he then married Laurie Evans in 1981. Dick worked at Raytheon Company as a Radar Engineering Manager for 35 years. Beyond his professional pursuits, he became quite involved in his local community, serving on several Framingham town boards including as President of the Framingham School Committee. Dick was active in the Framingham Unitarian Church and the Framingham Historical Society. Although Dick was not a particularly strong student of history at Roxbury Latin, he embraced history as he got older. In Framingham, Dick and Laurie owned and restored the Thomas Nixon House, c. 1786, which was featured on HGTV’s If Walls Could Talk. The couple was also active in the Sudbury Militia for 10 years, where, outfitted in Colonial garb, Dick marched eight miles to Concord, reenacting the Battle of Lexington and Concord. Dick and Laurie moved to Newburyport in 2004, where they similarly became active members of the community. In recent years, Dick had lived at Atria Senior Living. He is survived by his wife, Laurie, his children and their spouses, as well as many grandchildren and great grandchildren. //

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

from the archives

Time-Tested Treasures by CHRIS HEATON

Weather Vane

The Roxbury Latin archives are

The weather vane was installed in the Perry Building in May 1927,

a trove of interesting and valuable

before the West Roxbury campus opened in September of that year. //

ephemera, from 376 years of school history. Here are some of its most interesting (and quirky) gems.

Exelauno Banner

Varsity Hockey Letter: 1935

The March 4, 1956,

Although there’s no record of provenance, the archivist’s guess

Exelauno Day banner

is that the cut-out from the letter sweater was donated by

was donated by alumnus

Dave Mittell, Class of 1935 and Trustee from 1954 to 2008. //

Thomas Casey, Class of 1940 (Casey owned an awards store!). //

Toy Soldiers This set was given to Roxbury Latin by William Dickey, master of German and history from 1912 to 1939. It was made in Germany shortly after the Civil War, and we can guess that Mr. Dickey picked this up when he traveled in Germany in the summer of 1914, as war broke out in Europe. //

Summer 2021

The Nathan Cook Brackett Cup A memento for individual excellence in athletics, the cup was awarded in 1918 to John William Hammond, Class of 1921. A Tripod from Hammond’s era noted how he “won a circuit ticket in a baseball game… for having hit the ball so far it was only thrown in as he crossed the plate.” Hammond went on to be one of the best athletes ever at Harvard, then tying a record of earning nine varsity letters in a time when freshmen couldn’t play varsity. At Harvard he was the star fullback on the football team, an outstanding hockey player, and the baseball team captain. Fitting with mens sana in corpore sano, Hammond was also vice president of his class at Harvard. He went on to be a salesman for the Aluminum Company of America, created by fellow alumnus Arthur Vining Davis, Class of 1884. The Brackett Cup was named for Nathan Cook Brackett, Class of 1917, who died in training for the Great War at the Portsmouth, New Hampshire naval yard. //

The Eliot Oak The Eliot Oak framed picture of John Eliot was donated by Nathaniel James Young Jr., Class of 1938 and Trustee from 1973 to 1978. The wood is from the “Eliot Oak,” a tree in Natick that reportedly dated back to the 17th century. “Eliot’s Oak” is the title of a Longfellow poem about the tree and the school’s founder. //

Roxbury Historical Society Medal The Stanwood Gray Wellington Prize

Fessenden Arenberg Nichols, Class of 1921, was awarded this medal from the Roxbury Historical Society in 1919 for his essay on the life and

The Wellington Prize was established by

services of General William Heath, a

the Trustees in 1923 but first awarded in

major general during the American

1924. It is named for Wellington, a loyal

Revolution. (Heath was a Trustee from

alumnus from the Class of 1896. The book

1779 to 1789.) Nichols won the annual

prize honors a graduate during his 25th

essay competition again two years

reunion year. The first recipient was Horace

later for his essay on Thomas Ruggles,

Mann, Class of 1899. Mann was a teacher

the “earliest of the Roxbury Ruggles.”

at Milton Academy and grandson of Horace

Nichols became an Episcopal priest

Mann, the great education reformer. The

and was Rector at Christ Church in

Wellington Prize is still awarded to this day,

New York. He was also the father-in-

during Reunion Weekend. //

law of Chet Reynolds, Class of 1951. //

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

Homecoming and

Family Day

R E UA N D F OR N I ON C

E N D L AS SE 0, 1, ING IN S 5 AND 6!

saturday, september 25

bbq and varsity contests begin at 1:30 pm. 92

Summer 2021

Roxbury Latin Newsletter: Summer 2021

Articles inside

Stories from our Seniors | Select College Essays

In Memoriam: Remembering Phil Hansen, Faculty Emeritus

Emerging from a Pandemic School Year | A

The Class of 2021

Life Essentials: Taking Risks, Overcoming Fear

We’re Just Getting Started | The Valedictory

Celebrating a Year Unlike Any Other: Closing Exercises

RL News, Hall Highlights & Arts News

Faculty & Trustees

Teaming Up for a VEXing Challenge | Members

Wisdom for What Comes Next | Dr. Gita Gopinath

The Magic of Untrodden Paths, in Five Living