The Riparian - Spring 2023

InFebruary,31works of artby Rivers students were chosenforrecognitionin the ScholasticArt&Writing Awards competition.

The student artworksonthispage are amongthosethatearnedGoldKeystatus.

VOL.XXXVIINUMBER2

HEAD OF SCHOOL NedParsonsP’17

EDITOR JaneDornbusch,SeniorAssistant DirectorofCommunications

ASSOCIATEHEADOFSCHOOL FOR DEVELOPMENT AND EXTERNALRELATIONS KrissieKelleherP’22,’25

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING ColettePorter

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS RachaelChen,JacobWerrick’16

DESIGNER DavidGerratt,NonprofitDesign.com

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS JohnHurley,MaddieMalhotra,LeahO’Brien, GilTalbot

PRINTER BrianMaranian’96, SignaturePrinting&Consulting

TheRiversSchool 333 Winter Street Weston, MA 02493-1040 781-235-9300 www.rivers.org

RIPARIAN: “One that lives or has property on the bank of a river or lake.” The Riparian is published twice a year for The Rivers School alumni, parents, students, faculty, and friends. Toconserve resources, Rivers has consolidated multiple mailings addressed to the same household so that your home will receive only one copy. If you have reason to receive additional copies at your address, please call Jane Dornbusch at 781-235-9300, ext. 230.

RickietheRedWing,vigilantin everyseason (PhotobyLeahO’Brien)

On the cover: HeadofSchoolNedParsonson thePaulFamily Boardwalk,whichconnectsthemaincampus toNonesuchField. (PhotobySoe Lin Post)

Photo(above):

MAYLEA HARRIS’26, “FROLICKING FALL”

CHELSEAYAN’25,“FRAGILEMASK”

DANALOWITT’23,“HOLDINGON”

Toseeacompletegallery ofhonoredworks,scan theQRcode.

Looking Back, Looking Forward

By EDWARD V. PARSONS P’17

Among the many pandemic impacts that continue to mark our post-Covid days, the blurring of time as we look back on the past few years seems particularly remarkable. Memories meld into one another; time frames overlap and float free from reality. Storytelling from our recent past has come to resemble recounting a dream.

With or without Covid, these past nine years have moved quickly; my family and I can hardly believe we’ve been at Rivers that long. There are still days when we feel we’ve just arrived, and others when those early days feel like a lifetime ago. Perhaps that’s simply how time feels as we live through more of it. But it’s a measure, too, of how much we’ve enjoyed our sojourn in this special community.

I’m extremely proud of what we’ve accomplished within that time. We started immediately when I arrived in the fall of 2014, pulling together our alumni, parents, faculty, and trustees to imagine Rivers’s next iteration and to map out the road to the school’s future. We built on our foundation of Excellence with Humanity; our tradition of nimble, entrepreneurial approaches to curriculum and pedagogy for a changing world; and our shared vision of what Rivers could be for our students.

And look what we were able to do. Since 2014, we have reconfigured the

campus by building out The Revers Center for Science and Visual Arts; revitalized the learning spaces in Prince, Haynes, and Lewis and the support spaces in Lower Carlin; added three turf fields and a pavilion that serves as a community space on glorious fall and spring afternoons; connected the campus to the Camp Nonesuch side of our acreage via the Paul Boardwalk. Add to those physical changes the additions of deeper programming in science and technology, the arts, experiential learning, Middle School science, and interdisciplinary work, and it’s clear our strengths have multiplied as our spaces afforded us the appropriate room and support to do so.

Culture in independent schools is everything, and we have worked hard on that essential component of school life as well. Programmatic additions like the Center for Community and Civic Engagement, deeper scaffolding for our DEI work across campus, broader support for mental health and wellness, affinity spaces for students and faculty, cultural celebrations, and community events have all added to the depth of our students’ experiences on our campus. At our all-school meetings, that culture shows up on full display, and as I listen to our senior speeches there, watch the presentations students pull together for their peers, and hear students put out the call for help

with volunteer projects, I know that our work is making a difference.

I’m most proud of that growth, and proud, too, of the way in which this community worked its way through the challenges of the Covid era. No matter the circumstances, this community always pulls together to bring our values into the work of helping young people become their best selves.

The question of what lies ahead will be the subject of much interesting and vital work at Rivers over the next several years. From a distance I’ll be cheering on Ryan Dahlem and the extraordinary team here as that work takes shape.

It has been my honor and pleasure to work with the Rivers alumni, students, faculty and staff, parents, and trustees along the incredible path we’ve traveled these past nine years. I’m so proud of what this community has accomplished and grateful for the support offered to me along the way. I’ve learned more than I could have hoped for and can’t wait to see all that comes next for the Rivers community.

Between the writing of this note— my last in the Riparian—and the end of my time in the seat, there’s much to do and celebrate: the prom, graduation, athletic contests, art openings, and so much more.

I extend my deep gratitude to the Rivers community. It’s been a tremendous ride!

Alan D. Rose, Jr. ’87 Named Board President

In his long history with Rivers, Alan D. Rose, Jr. ’87 has worn many hats, as student, alumnus, volunteer, Alumni Council president, and, for more than 15 years, board member. Now he’ll add one more: Rose was recently selected to serve as president of the Rivers Board of Trustees. He succeeds Harley Lank P’21, who has been board president since 2018.

Rose first joined the Rivers board in 2007, but his engagement with Rivers goes back much further, and his institutional knowledge runs deep. Now in his second term as a trustee (he reached his term limit in 2021 after 15 years in the role and re-joined the board this past year), he has served as second vice president of the Board, as clerk of the Rivers School Corporation, and as a member of numerous committees, including Development, Faculty Enrichment, Diversity, Executive, and Governance, which he chaired for many years. Additionally, in 2013, he served on the Head of School Search Committee that brought Ned Parsons to Rivers, and he was chair of the most recent Head of School Search Committee, whose work culminated in the hiring of Ryan Dahlem to be the school’s next head, starting in July 2023. In 2008, Rose received the Rivers Cup in recognition of his service to the school.

If someone had told Rose, back when he was a student at Rivers, that one day he would be president of the board, he would have been skeptical. “I probably would have said that a whole bunch of other kids are more likely to play that role,” he says with a smile. But he’s never lost sight of what drew him to Rivers in the first place, and he says it’s not so different from what distinguishes the institution today.

“It was about relationships—teaching and relationships,” says Rose. “My teachers had an interest in what I did in the classroom and on the playing fields. If you look at Rivers in the ’80s and beyond, through today, that’s the throughline: teaching and relationships. That’s been the consistent factor, and that’s what has motivated me to stay involved for so long.”

After Rivers, Rose attended the University of Massachusetts Amherst, graduating cum laude before going on to Vermont Law School to earn master’s and juris doctor degrees. He is a co-founder of Rose Law Partners; his practice focuses on civil and criminal trial and appel late litigation in federal and state courts and in

arbitration, with an emphasis on commercial litigation, employment litigation, defense of state and federal government and regulatory investigations, and college and university law.

Throughout it all, Rose remained connected to Rivers. “I got involved as a member of the alumni association, which led to becoming president of the association,” he says. “I did that for four years; it was a great way to reconnect with the institution

“My teachers had an interest in what I did in the classroom and on the playing fields. If you look at Rivers in the ’80s and beyond, through today, that’s the throughline: teaching and relationships. That’s been the consistent factor, and that’s what has motivated me to stay involved for so long.”

and led to a position on the board.”  When he was approached about taking on the role of board president—the first alumnus in more than 30 years to hold the position—the decision to say yes was an easy one. “I’m happy to do whatever I can to help the school.”

Outgoing board president Lank says the timing couldn’t be better. “Rivers has never been in a stronger position,” he says. “It’s a perfect time to transition board leadership to Alan Rose, who I am confident will successfully lead the Rivers board into the future.” Of his own time on the board, Lank says, “It was an honor to serve in this capacity on behalf of the Rivers community.”

Rose is looking forward to rolling up his sleeves and diving into the work that lies ahead with his colleagues on the Rivers board. “This is a great time to look toward the future, with Ryan starting in July and the accreditation process launching next year, which will lead us to a new strategic plan.”

He’s not unaware of the challenges that face independent schools, but he’s also a Rivers believer: “The school has always been nimble and innovative. We will meet whatever the future calls for if we retain that spirit.”

Rivers Holds Its First Diwali Celebration

Arange of holidays, festivals, and special dates are marked at Rivers, but this was the first year the school held a Diwali celebration. Diwali, sometimes known as the Festival of Lights, is celebrated throughout India and represents the triumph of light over darkness. At Rivers, the October 24 festivities included a special performance at all-school meeting by Neil Nimgaonkar ’28, along with his father; a lunchtime feast of South Asian food; and painting mehndi (henna designs applied to the hands) and clay diyas (oil lamps) in Kraft Dining Hall.

Organized by the student leaders of the AAPI affinity space, the Diwali celebration was colorful, tuneful, festive —and significant. Mia Patel ’23, one of the student organizers, said afterward, “My goal for this school day was to create a fun, meaningful celebration for all students regardless of their religion, race, or ethnicity. Being one of the few South Asians at Rivers, I felt it was my responsibility to bring the celebrations to the school, given that the school does not observe the holiday. I wanted my classmates to walk away with an understanding of the holiday and even be able to celebrate it in the future.” She added, “I am grateful to the faculty members who were willing to work with me to plan this day, as well as Chef Clancy for preparing a Diwali lunch.”

Rivers Stands Up: This Year’s DEI Theme Helps Build Community

For the past two years, Rivers has organized its diversity, equity, and inclusion work around distinct themes. During the 2020–21 school year, the theme was Finding Your Voice Around Race; last year, the focus was Gender: Beyond the Binary. In November, the DEI and student life teams announced that this year’s theme would be Rivers Stands Up: Confronting Bias to Build Community. In a letter shared with the parent community, Katie Henderson, acting director of DEI, wrote that the theme provides “an opportunity to extend and build upon our earlier work.”

Henderson continued, “At the heart of this year’s theme is the implementation of our new bias-incident protocol, part of our continued efforts to create a safe and inclusive environment for all members of our community. Grounded in restorative practices, the protocol gives us new ways to build awareness, channel conflicts into learning opportunities, repair harm, and nurture the relationships that are at the core of who we are as a school.”

The new protocol grew out of extensive community-wide research undertaken last year, which included both focus groups and a school-wide survey. “It is a framework for codifying and addressing information we were already hearing informally and anecdotally from

students with historically marginalized identities,” Henderson noted.

The year’s Rivers Stands Up programming includes student-led workshops, guest speakers, professional development for faculty and staff, and opportunities for parents to engage. “Most importantly,” said Henderson, “it centers the student voice. We listened to what students shared, and we built a system that meets their needs—one that helps support the culture of belonging and inclusiveness that is the cornerstone of all we do at Rivers.”

Students, along with acting DEI director Katie Henderson (left), spoke at a November assembly that introduced Rivers Stands Up

Chef Michael Clancy and crew prepared a South Asian lunch.

Painting mehndi was one of the day’s activities. Neil Nimgaonkar ’28 and his father gave a musical performance.

Teachers Learn Lessons Through Faculty Enrichment Grants

Rivers faculty members are notable for their talent, accomplishments, hard work, and dedication to teaching and learning. That dedication doesn’t end when the school year draws to a close, but—thanks to the Faculty Enrichment Grants program—it takes on a very different form, with the teachers becoming students, in the broadest sense. The longstanding program gives Rivers faculty members the opportunity to spend the summer exploring interests, hobbies, and passions outside of the classroom—and often, outside of the U.S. Those farther-flung experiences were more or less off limits during the pandemic, but this past summer, as travel restrictions eased, teachers were able to explore the wider world during their time off.

The grants are specifically not intended for professional or curriculum development. Rather, as the program guidelines state, they are meant to “enrich the applicant’s personal and professional growth.” Over the past summer, Rivers faculty members used enrichment grants for everything from a biking expedition in Iceland to a pottery class on Cape Ann to a road trip through the Deep South visiting key sites from the Civil Rights movement. The grants may fund an opportunity to build on existing skills and interests or to develop new ones. And, the teachers report, they provide a chance to see the view from the other side of the desk—to remember the joys and frustrations that students experience when tackling the unfamiliar.

Kit Cunningham, director of community engagement, used her grant to take a stained-glass class at Snow Farm in western Massachusetts. A longtime crafter who wanted to try a new medium, Cunningham learned lessons that enhanced her teaching, though not perhaps in the way she anticipated. “Pretty

much from the beginning, I struggled,” said Cunningham. “Everyone else could do perfect shapes, and mine kept shattering. I couldn’t believe my emotional reaction; I was in tears.” Her response surprised her and brought home a powerful insight: “This is what so many students feel when they’re trying something new that is hard. It gave me perspective on how brave kids have to be in school.”

Science teacher Sequoyah Reynoso similarly found the experience of being a student frustrating at times. His grant brought him to the Dominican Republic, where he has family roots, for four weeks of immersive Spanish language instruction. “Taking classes again was challenging,” Reynoso reported. “I was often frustrated at my slow progress in Spanish. I had several humbling experiences there. Being back in the student position reminded me how taxing learning can be and highlighted how important it is for an instructor to be patient.”

Sometimes the benefits are more concrete. For Philippe Crettien, of the performing arts department, a trip to Havana provided a rare opportunity to perform and collaborate with Cuba’s top jazz artists. Not only was Crettien invited

to return, he reported, he also initiated a potential exchange program for Rivers students.

Darren Sullivan explored World War II sites in France and England. The military history buff, who has also made excursions to Yorktown, Antietam, Gettysburg, and other battle sites, says the trip was “right up my alley.” But it also allowed him to add a personal dimension to the U.S. history classes he teaches: “I’m going to show the students my slides of Normandy Beach and of the U.S. cemetery there. I’ll ask them if they think they would have been able to climb up that cliff that troops scaled on D-Day.”

No matter the experience, teachers report that the grants provide a priceless perspective on their work. “I do feel like I’m bringing this back to the classroom,” said Cunningham. “It’s a whole new lens on learning something new.”

Kit Cunningham used her Faculty Enrichment Grant for a stainedglass class.

Sequoyah Reynoso spent four weeks studying Spanish and exploring local culture in the Dominican Republic.

Darren Sullivan visited World War II sites in England and France.

Poetry Reading Highlights Faculty Work

All-school meeting has served as a venue for music and comedy, for distinguished visitors and important announcements, for student presentations and senior speeches. This fall, for the second year running, it provided a showcase for faculty poets (and others) to share their work with the community.

“I decided to try organizing it last year because I was inspired by the visual arts faculty shows and the presentations by the performing arts faculty,” explained Mac Caplan, chair of the English Department. “Given that we have three practicing writers with MFA degrees in our department, we thought it would be great to do our own version.”

English faculty members Evan Massey, Jeff Baker, and tc Hanmer all participated in this year’s reading; they were augmented by Rivers staffer Cheryl Wolf and former faculty member Ari Kaplan.

At the assembly, the audience listened attentively as the poets read their moving, powerful, and personal works. For students, it was a rare opportunity to see a different side of their teachers—a side that showcases those teachers as professional practitioners.

“It’s important that students have mirrors,” Massey noted. “In my MFA program, every faculty member wrote and published voraciously.” Massey,

a veteran who served in Afghanistan, read a piece titled “Salerno,” after the base where he was stationed overseas.

Baker said later that the reading served as, among other things, an opportunity to build community. “I think that wherever we, regardless of discipline or expertise, can find opportunities to share things we’ve made, we help to foster— however briefly—community and connection,” he said.

Reading one’s own work in front of a large audience entails a kind of risk, even for those who have done it many times. That, too, is an important component of the program, said participants. As Massey put it, students need to see that “creativity comes from taking risks in your learning. Put simply, we are not going to get better at anything if we don’t take risks, particularly as artists.”

Jenny Jun-lei Kravitz to Lead DEI Office

In January, Head of School Ned Parsons announced that Jenny Jun-lei Kravitz had been selected as the new director of diversity, equity, and inclusion at The Rivers School, effective July 1, 2023.

Kravitz will be a key member of the senior administrative team, reporting to incoming Head of School Ryan Dahlem, who was actively engaged in this important hire. She will work collaboratively with all departments and constituents to advance DEI initiatives across the institution and support the school’s collective

efforts to deepen its culture of inclusion and belonging.

Kravitz comes to Rivers from The Pike School, where she serves as director of equity and justice, leading comprehensive DEIJ initiatives and programming across the institution. She earned a BA in biology from Tufts University and an MA degree in biological sciences from the University of Massachusetts Lowell, and she taught science for many years in the Massachusetts public school system. She completed a master’s degree in diversity and inclusion leadership at Tufts University.

Through teaching, she says, she discovered that forging authentic connections with students and their families was the most important aspect of successful learning and development. She says her approach emphasizes supporting students to become “better thinkers, better problem solvers, better empathizers, better advocates, and ultimately better at knowing who they are inside and how they wish to share that with the world.”

For the past 20 years, Kravitz has been actively working toward equity and justice in the educational arena. In announcing the hire to the Rivers community, Parsons noted that “the overwhelmingly enthusiastic response from the professional community and students who met Kravitz during the search process speaks to the strength of her candidacy and readiness to lead this work at Rivers. . . . We look forward to all she will bring to this role.”

Faculty member Evan Massey was among the participants in the fall poetry reading.

Jenny Jun-lei Kravitz will lead the school’s DEI office.

A Happy Homecoming for Rivers Fans

The Rivers Homecoming is always eagerly anticipated by the entire community, and this year was no exception. Once again, the weather was picture perfect, as athletic competitions unfolded under clear blue skies and under the new lights that illuminate our playing fields. (See page 10 for more on “Friday Night Lights.”) Red Wings and their supporters turned out in force to support the teams, enjoy food-truck treats, shop for new Rivers gear, and once more celebrate our return to live community events. Topping it off was a 44–0 football victory against St. Mark’s.

Scan the QR code to view a full gallery of Homecoming photos.

Fall Play Paints Powerful Picture

Before there was the fictional Norma Rae Wilson or the actual Erin Brockovich, there was Grace Fryer. As demonstrated by Radium Girls, the Nonesuch Players’ fall drama production, Fryer deserves a place among those women who spoke truth to power and led successful efforts to hold corporate polluters accountable for their transgressions.

Set in the years just after World War I, Radium Girls tells the story of the young female factory workers who painted watch and clock dials with

radium, the recently discovered glowin-the-dark element that was also touted as a miracle cure for an array of ailments. Far from being a cure-all, of course, the substance proved to be harmful and ultimately deadly. The workers fell sick as a result of their exposure, and Fryer led the fight for justice for her fellow “radium girls.”

At Rivers, Grace Fryer was movingly portrayed by Leila Saponaro ’24, with able support from a talented cast, many of whom took on multiple roles. Said producer Julia Auster-Hogan, “The most

rewarding part of this show was seeing the characters come to life as the cast not only worked hard but got closer as friends. They grew more and more comfortable taking risks on stage and, with the help of director Juliet Bailey, supported each other in being bigger and bolder with their lines and blocking.”

Despite the seriousness of the subject matter, said Auster-Hogan, the cast and crew developed a positive esprit de corps “As odd as it sounds, it was a joy to watch them tell this heartbreaking story.”

Jazz Festival Features Students and Alums

Music is often in the air at Rivers, and one of the most anticipated yearly events is the fall jazz festival, which takes place in November. A full day of performances by Rivers School and Rivers School Conservatory ensembles, the festival gives young jazz musicians a chance to shine. This year’s festival also featured Joe Nedder ’18 (on the trombone, above), now working as a professional musician. He was joined by, among others, Michael Manasseh ’19 and Joel Manasseh ’20.

“The 2022 jazz festival was a success!” said jazz program director Philippe Crettien afterwards. “Kraft Dining Hall was

transformed into a jazz club, with tables and refreshments served for all.”

Crettien continued, “The Honors Big Band performed the music of Joe Nedder, our commissioned composer for the festival, with Joe joining the trombone section of the band and also playing with his own band. It was a great day and evening of jazz for Rivers.”

Scan the QR code to view a gallery of jazz festival photos.

Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day: A Favorite Tradition Returns

On a Monday in early November, a special group of visitors came to Rivers to enjoy music, presentations, and a glimpse into Middle School classrooms. For the first time since before the Covid pandemic, the school was able to host an in-person Grandparents’ and Special Friends’ Day, a longtime tradition that brings generations together on campus.

“It’s a chance for grandparents and others to gain a little insight into how students spend their days here,” said Amy Dunne, director of parent engagement and special events. “Everyone really enjoys this event—the grandparents, the parent volunteers, and the students. We haven’t been able to hold the event

in person for three years, so this time around, it felt extra-special.”

Grandparents were welcomed by Head of School Ned Parsons in Kraft Dining Hall and heard an introduction from Head of Middle School John Bower about the philosophy and approach to Middle School education at Rivers. Following that came musical performances by several ensembles, involving some 80 Middle School students and spanning a wide array of musical styles and genres, from classical to jazz to choral to musical theater.

Then it was on to class, though not before each grandparent enjoyed a photo op with their student. “What’s your favorite subject?” one grandfather asked

Friday Night Lights: A Tradition in the Making

Friday nights throughout the fall took on a new shine as Rivers launched its Friday Night Lights program, hosting evening athletic events that quickly became a popular destination for the entire community. It was all made possible by the generosity of a group of parents and board members who supported the effort to purchase lights that illuminate Baker and Davis fields.

Every fall sport had its moment in the spotlight during the season. Along with games under the lights, FNL evenings offered food, music, and an opportunity for community building and bonding. Scott and Jess Holmes P’23, ’25 led the effort to bring about the new program. “As we started to think about ‘returning

to normal,’ we thought it was important to give Rivers students an opportunity to gather, socialize, and rebuild school spirit,” said Scott Holmes. “Thanks to the financial commitment of a small group of Rivers parents and board members, and

a young student as they entered an eighthgrade humanities class. “I like them all,” replied the grandson—a response sure to warm the heart of any grandparent. After class, it was back to Kraft, where the day wrapped up after the generations shared lunch together. Both grandparents and grandkids seemed delighted to enjoy special time in one another’s company. “We saw a lot of smiling faces,” said Dunne. “It’s really a wonderful event.”

the organizational efforts of the Rivers administrators, faculty, and staff, Friday Night Lights quickly became a reality. It was a great series of games in the fall, and we look forward to making this a Rivers tradition.”

Scan the QR code to view a gallery of photos from Grandparents’ Day.

Fall games played under the lights brought out community members in droves.

MARY MERTSCH P’27, ’29

Making It Meaningful

If all had gone according to plan, Mary Mertsch might be practicing medicine today.

“I grew up the child of a doctor and a nurse, and I always thought I’d be a doctor,” says the veteran English teacher, now in her 15th year at Rivers. There was one catch: During her first year at Georgetown University, she made an unexpected discovery. “I hated my pre-med classes,” says Mertsch. “And I loved English. After one semester, I flipped a coin, and the coin told me I should stick with pre-med. But I said no.”

Clearly, Mertsch’s choice was the right one: Her love of literature and her passion for teaching it are evident. “English is a way of understanding myself better, and the world in which we live,” she says. “For me, they are melded together.”

As far back as her own high school days, Mertsch was forming ideas about education. “My senior year of high school, I took a philosophy class. I had an amazing teacher who introduced us to the work of John Gatto,” the author and teacher well known for his critical take on American public education. Gatto’s views aligned with her own: “I didn’t and don’t like the idea of education as jumping through hoops, doing things that don’t matter, doing homework that felt disconnected from something meaningful,” says Mertsch.

After college, Mertsch earned a masters’ degree in education and went on to teach at a public high school. “I loved it,” she says, “but I decided to go back to grad school to earn a PhD in English and education.” As a doctoral student, she taught

college students in English and teacher education, but her heart remained in secondary education. “High school kids have a vision of how the world should be, and they haven’t given up on it,” she says.

She spent a year living in Germany with her future husband, a German native. “I was supposed to finish my dissertation,” she says with a laugh, “but I got distracted.” Upon the couple’s return to the U.S., Mertsch taught briefly at St. Johnsbury Academy in Vermont before pursuing a position at Rivers. “When I interviewed here,” she recalls, “everybody seemed so happy. I remember thinking, ‘This can’t be real. They’re putting on a show.’ But I’ve found that it’s a place where my colleagues and I look forward to coming to work each day.”

Beyond her passion for English, Mertsch is a certified yoga teacher who brings her expertise on mindfulness into the classroom. And she has long served as advisor to the student Gender Sexuality Alliance, supporting

LGBTQ+ students and their allies on campus.

This year, she has taken on another role at Rivers that resonates deeply. Mertsch is now director of new faculty development, helping to guide and mentor Rivers teachers as they navigate their first year at the school. Mertsch explains, “We meet once a week to check in, discussing various topics in education and sharing our own educational philosophies and practices.” She also visits classrooms to observe her new colleagues in action. Mertsch loves the role and the learning opportunity it affords her: “Watching my colleagues teach is the best professional development I’ve ever had.”

The position, she says, reflects the interest she’s had since her teen years. “It goes back to my senior-year self in high school,” says Mertsch. “That’s really when I became passionate about education: what it should look like, and what it can look like.”

Taking the Stage at Symphony Hall

By Rachael Chen

On a Tuesday evening in June, as the sun began to set in Boston, the Symphony Hall lights came on, putting Rivers School student Adalia Wen ’25, along with Andrew Kim and Fei Yang-Sady from The Rivers School Conservatory, in the spotlight as soloists with the Boston Pops. Following years of dedication to the guzheng, cello, and violin, respectively, their captivating musicianship earned each of them the opportunity to perform with the Boston Pops after winning three of the four grand prizes in the 2022 Boston Pops Fidelity Investments Young Artists Competition.

Talented high school musicians from across Massachusetts audition for the annual Young Artists Competition, but only four exceptional young artists (and sometimes fewer) are selected to perform with the Boston Pops. In preparation for the concert, winners rehearse with the Pops and receive one-on-one coaching with Maestro Keith Lockhart. Working and performing with world-class musicians is not something high schoolers get to do every day, making this “such an honor,” said Kim. It was “an incredible experience,” added Yang-Sady.

“The most important goal of my performance was to inspire other musicians that play instruments unique to their cultures, or that perform cultural music, to seek big audiences like I did,” said Wen. Preparing He Zhanhao’s guzheng concerto, The Eternal Sorrow of Lin’an, for her Symphony Hall debut and first public guzheng performance allowed Wen to learn more about her culture’s history. We caught up with Wen recently to chat about the experience.

Why did you choose this concerto to perform over other guzheng concertos?

Nearly everything about China is represented in its music: the architecture, the landscape, the history, the aesthetic, and even the different dialects. My teacher, Hui Weng, chose this piece for me because it was the first guzheng concerto ever composed. It represents a significant turning point in guzheng repertoire, where Western elements started to become fused with Chinese music. This piece is also important for its story, “The Sorrow of Lin’an,” which is based on the death of the Chinese patriot and general Yue Fei.

Adalia Wen ’25 played the guzheng with the Boston Pops in June.

Wen and fellow grand prize-winners Fei Yang-Sady, Leah Steinman, and Andrew Kim took a final bow on the Symphony Hall stage.

What’s something new you learned about yourself from this experience?

I’ve learned that I am extremely lucky to have had my family’s and The Rivers School’s support during the process of preparing and for the performance itself. I’ve also learned, from having classes with world-class musicians at the BSO, that I have a long way to go. They gave me an idea of what the life of a professional musician is like.

Do you hope to perform with the guzheng more often? If so, in what kind of settings?

Yes, I would love to share the guzheng with local communities. I’m hoping that the diversity in genre will be exciting for audiences and bring more recognition to folk and cultural music. I’ve just recently given a recital with both the piano and the guzheng for a local senior residence. The warm reception the guzheng received is very encouraging.

I’m also working on an ensemble performance for the Lunar New Year celebration at Rivers and a commissioned work for the annual Contemporary Seminar for the Young at The Rivers School Conservatory. As for settings, I’m mostly aiming for ensemble opportunities because the guzheng has a lot of potential for that, especially for more contemporary music.

Could you please share some inspirational advice for musicians of all levels who are currently preparing for a performance?

Work in order to enjoy sharing it with the audience. As the musician, it is your responsibility to bring your best work; however, it is also your privilege to be able to share such beautiful music and connect with so many people who are there to listen to you and appreciate what you are doing. Performing is the most wonderful and rewarding experience any musician can have, so enjoy it.

What are you looking forward to next?

I’m looking forward to more competitions, festivals, master classes, and performance opportunities, especially those that reach out to local communities. I’m very fortunate to be a part of such an understanding and supportive community at Rivers, which helps me balance my musical endeavors with my academic life.

Creating Community Through Contemporary Music

As a composer I feel like I have something important to say. If I have doubts, they usually don’t last too long, because it’s the projects that I do and the people I work with that make it all meaningful for me,” says Andrew List, Berklee College of Music professor, accomplished composer, and now commissioned composer for The Rivers School Conservatory’s 2023 Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young.

The seminar is an annual celebration of contemporary music. The event began in the late ’70s and took place this year from March 31 to April 2. Select RSC students had the opportunity to work and collaborate with the seminar’s commissioned composers, which over the years have included such significant figures as John Cage, Philip Glass, and Joan Tower. They also experienced what it’s like to offer the world premiere of the commissioned composer’s work.

List was thrilled when Gabriella Sanna, director of the RSC, asked him to write a piano trio for the seminar. He says, “My piece is called The Dignified Heart for violin, cello, and piano. The Dignified Heart is a tribute to three human rights leaders: Eleanor Roosevelt, Nelson Mandela, and Harriet Tubman. I am inspired by the courage of these people and lives they led, and also by the cultures they came from. I used certain music that they used or liked, or was a part of their culture, weaving it into specific parts of the musical fabric.”

Leading up to the performance of List’s trio, the threeday event featured a roundtable discussion focused on contemporary music pedagogy and the performances of 10 small, personalized commissions. The small commissions involve collaboration between Berklee composition students and RSC musicians. List was particularly excited about these collaborations: “Together, they are helping to shape today’s new music.” —RC

Andrew List was the commissioned composer for this year’s Seminar on Contemporary Music for the Young.

A Family Affair

By Jacob Werrick ’16

At the conclusion of every practice and game, the Rivers football team huddles together before leaving the field. And then the captains of the team break down every huddle with the same chant: “Rivers on three, family on six!”

That motto had extra meaning for Rivers football this year. In his third year as head coach, Randdy Lindsey P’23, ’24, ’26 knew that in order to have his team achieve the success they sought and attain the first bowl win in school history, they would have to bond like a family. Luckily, he could turn to his eldest son, Kalyl ’23, a senior wide receiver and defensive back who will continue his football career at Brown University in the fall, to lead the team both on and off the field.

The family spirit that the Lindseys bring to Rivers football has not gone unnoticed. Keith Zalaski, director of athletics, said, “While each individual person in the Lindsey house is unique, they share central characteristics that show how connected they are to each other and Rivers; they’re competitive, loyal, hard-working, and extremely fun to be around. Their

family finds the balance between taking what they do very seriously and being able to laugh at life and at themselves—which helps our community do the same.”

After Covid wiped out his first year as head coach, Coach Lindsey and company turned heads last year in their first real season, compiling a 6–2 regular-season record in 2021 and making an appearance in the NEPSAC Moose Curtis Bowl—the second bowl appearance in school history and first since 2010. The team ultimately fell short, losing to Dexter Southfield 45–36. But the loss motivated the team, and from the first practice of the 2022 season there was a palpable level of confidence and determination amongst the team members. The first game of the season was against St. George’s, the only ISL school that had beaten Rivers the year before. Rivers showed itself and everyone else that they were back and better than ever, traveling to Rhode Island to roll the Dragons 42–7 and setting the tone for the season.

The Red Wings finished the regular season with a 7–1 record and were rewarded with another berth in the Moose Curtis Bowl, this time at home. On a beautiful day in late November,

they broke through with a 27–9 victory over visiting Canterbury School, for the first bowl win in Rivers history. Lindsey’s sons, Kalyl and Amir ’24, teamed up for three touchdown receptions for the Red Wings.

“It was awesome,” Randdy Lindsey said. “Any dad that’s in my situation and has their kids play for them, they want to have that deeper connection with their sons. We have the same mindset, and we can do this together. It’s fun to see my boys happy. It’s fun to see that we can talk about things outside of just school, like football and relationships with friends and life. Football made that happen. That’s why I think it’s one of the best things in the world.”

Under Coach Lindsey, the program has made remarkable strides. The successes of the past couple of seasons (6–3 last year and 8–1 this year) are especially impressive given that, just five years ago, the team was winless.

“It was going to be hard work,” Lindsey said of taking the reins. “If you want your life to be the way you envision it, you have to work harder than anybody else.”

Rivers football, and the Lindsey family, exemplify the philosophy that hard work pays off.

Coach Randdy Lindsey embraced sons Kalyl ’23 (left) and Amir ’24 (right) after the team won the Moose Curtis Bowl.

Ned Parsons Vision and Values

SO WROTE NED PARSONS , Rivers’s eighth head of school, in the fall 2014 issue of the Riparian. He was reflecting on his first 100 days in role. He continued, “I am honored by the opportunity to lead the Rivers community during this exciting time as we work together to build our collective future. That future will be informed, but not weighed down, by our past; rooted in our stories, while encouraging the next generation’s narratives; mindful of past success and eager to embrace the opportunities before us.”

Nine years later, as Parsons prepares to move on to his next chapter, that future has unfolded in ways both expected and unexpected. In his time here, Parsons oversaw the creation and execution of an ambitious strategic plan, made possible by FutureMakers, the school’s first comprehensive campaign. As a result, the physical campus has been almost completely transformed, bringing the school’s facilities in line with its programmatic and academic excellence. Applications are up 44 percent from where they were in 2014, and the school is increasingly able to attract the best and brightest students and faculty members. Rivers is thriving as never before.

There have been challenges during the Parsons era as well. A global pandemic placed unprecedented demands on our community—and, largely through his determination, we rose to the occasion, keeping the doors open and maintaining in-person instruction. A reckoning on race and racism roiled our nation and our campus with it, and Rivers responded with increased efforts in the area of diversity, equity, and inclusion work.

Through the challenges and triumphs, the celebrations and commemorations, Parsons’s leadership stood out for its thoughtfulness, compassion, and vision. Members of the Rivers community are grateful to have had him as a leader and partner in the important work of the past nine years. On the next two pages, a range of community members share their thoughts about his tenure and impact at Rivers.

“I have never encountered a more collegial, innovative, creative, and joyful school community in my nearly 25 years in schools.”

Ned Parsons

Our Community Reflects

Ned is the consummate educator and leader. Throughout his successful tenure at Rivers, he has given 100 percent of himself, always keeping our school’s mission in mind when making important and difficult decisions.

Student-centered, cerebral, collaborative, thoughtful, kind, calm, and selfless, Ned has an ear for the nuances of people’s positions and can see—and understand (not always the same thing)—the different sides of an issue.

I will miss his guidance, quick wit, enthusiasm, and the genuine respect he offered everyone he encountered within our community.

—Jim Long P’19, ’21, Assistant Head of School

I first met Ned as a fellow hockey parent, cheering as our boys competed for the Red Wings. I soon learned that Ned, as head of school, would use that same passion for competition to raise the game for Rivers across the board. He brought a clear vision for transforming the campus—from moving the football field to building a state-ofthe-art science and visual arts center to upgrading the Middle School to building a boardwalk to Nonesuch. Ned’s persistence and leadership will benefit Rivers for generations to come.

—Jonathan Paul P’17, ’19

Nine Transformative Years: A Timeline

Ned’s guiding vision during Covid was to ensure that the student experience was the best it could be—including being at school whenever possible— while balancing faculty and staff well-being. While the first spring of Covid required all schools to operate remotely, Ned sought the advice of outside consultants during that spring and summer to be prepared for both the best- and worst-case scenarios, and anything in between. He followed their advice, formed the necessary committees, and found the resources to allow us to be on campus. He carried the strain of balancing his vision of holding school in person with the ever-changing health and safety guidelines. Managing this tension required constant vigilance and adaptation, and Ned did this tirelessly. Ned’s efforts resulted in Rivers doing excellent work under difficult circumstances.

—Leslie Fraser P’10, ’14, Math Department Faculty Member, Former Upper School Dean of Faculty

The job of head of school has become more complex, demanding, and thankless over the past three decades. In that context, I appreciate the sensitivity and reflection that have marked Ned’s work. He brought a contemplative, mindful approach to his decision-making and never lost sight of our core values or his own principles.

Ned’s most obvious and visible legacy is The Revers Center. That project took the campus to a whole new level of design and shifted its epicenter forever. But many of us will also always remember the image of Ned, standing delighted outside the construction site fencing, hovering over his baby as it came to fruition. He knew how great it was going to be. And he was right.

—Meghan

9/2015

10/2018

10/2019

New athletics complex is unveiled at Homecoming weekend.

Regan-Loomis P’17, ’22, ’22, English Department Faculty Member

7/2014 Parsons’s tenure at Rivers begins.

The Board of Trustees approves a new strategic plan and campus master plan.

FutureMakers, the school’s first comprehensive campaign, kicks off at Gillette Stadium. The campaign ultimately raises $67 million.

The Paul Family Boardwalk, connecting the main campus with Nonesuch Field, is completed.

1/2020 Grand opening of The Revers Center for Science and Visual Arts.

Working with Ned was a pleasure because he was always thoughtful about understanding how the Rivers community felt. He wanted everyone to know and feel they belonged and that Rivers was their school. Ned is a genuine person who truly loves Rivers, connects with the students, and believes in the faculty. Rivers was never a job to Ned, but a home. —Louise Cummings ’98, Trustee

Ned’s impact on Rivers is impossible to ignore. His efforts transformed our campus and pushed our community toward a deeper, more inclusive understanding of how we live our mission of Excellence with Humanity. Most notably, Ned has led with an unwavering desire to do what is right. Defined by ever-present goodness, he has pushed our community to act with similar kindness. His support as a colleague, mentor, and friend has helped the college office tremendously over the years, and he will be sorely missed.

—David

Lyons

Rivers has been extremely fortunate to have Ned’s leadership. Anyone in the head-of-school-search business will tell you that the hardest headship is one following a long-serving, successful head. Ned not only pulled that off, he led the school to even greater success— with strategic and campus master planning and implementation, record advancement numbers, record admissions numbers, and new program design and implementation.

Ned’s leadership during Covid bears mentioning, too. Ned reopened Rivers before most school leaders were ready to assume that risk. Ned’s leadership— working countless hours, on nights and weekends—through that incredibly difficult period allowed Rivers to deliver on our mission in the most challenging circumstances. On a personal note, I will miss Ned. As a member of the board, I have found him a pleasure to work with—calm and collaborative, with a constant focus on our mission.

—Alan D. Rose, Jr. ’87, President, Board of Trustees

Rivers has been a comfortable place for our family, and that comes from Ned’s leadership. There is nothing ostentatious about Ned, and his personality is reflected in Rivers. I remember attending a prospectivestudents’ night with our older son. When Ned was speaking, this 12-year-old leaned over to me and said, “I like what this guy is saying.” That sealed it for our family.

I always enjoyed the fact that when I asked Ned a question, I always got a direct answer. He didn’t always like my question, and I didn’t always like his answer, but there was mutual respect for the difficulty of a head’s job.

Before we set out to raise the capital for the renovation of the Middle School, it was Ned who told me that he really wanted that renovation to take place. To paraphrase, he said he felt he owed it to the Middle School faculty and staff to get that done. He felt they had waited in line and that he owed them for their patience and commitment. I invoked his passion for the project often when helping with that fundraise. I hope that people know the project would not have been undertaken or funded without Ned’s passion for his Middle School team.

—John Foley P’22, ’25, Trustee

3/2020

With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Rivers Remote is launched. Faculty, staff, and administrators pull together to create a seamless online learning experience

1/2021

The school celebrates the life of beloved faculty member Dan McCartney and announces the McCartney Scholars initiative, a program of distinction in math studies.

2021

9/2020 Rivers reopens for in-person school, with extensive Covid protocols in place.

With the reopening of Haynes, renovations to the academic quad and Middle School spaces

2022 2023

6/2023

Head of School Ned Parsons completes his nine-year tenure at Rivers, having presided over a period of unprecedented transformation and growth at the school.

’99, Director of College Counseling

Rivers|McLean Partnership program, supporting student wellness and mental health, is launched.

are complete.

Summer Science Internships

Celebrating Nearly Two Decades of Experiential Learning

Clockwise from upper left: Jacob Sardinha ’23 interned at the Burns Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital. Jackie Lee ’23 interned at a pediatrics practice in Brockton. Brady Johnson ’23 worked in the medical imaging lab at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Dana Lowitt ’23 helped build and test robots at Brooks Automation.

BACK IN THE SUMMER OF 2016, Nazeli Hagen ’17 served as an intern at Jackpine Technologies in Maynard, as part of the Rivers Summer Science Internship program. A rising senior at Rivers, Hagen had a strong interest in software and programming: “My junior year, I took AP computer science with Mr. Schlenker, and I fell in love with it within the first week. I knew it was what I wanted to do.” Today, after earning a degree in computer science and gender studies at Harvard, she has reached that goal: Hagen is working as a software engineer in San Francisco.

Charlie Watkins ’16 spent the summer between his Rivers junior and senior years interning at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, working in a medical robotics lab. “I had a great experience, and it did have an effect on my future,” says Watkins today. He went on to study robotics at Johns Hopkins (under the guidance of his mentor at the Brigham), and he now works as an engineer, helping to develop medical devices.

While not every participant can draw a straight line from their summer experience to their college and career choices, the summer science internship program— a signature Rivers initiative now heading into its 18th year— has been an extraordinary success by any measure.

It has grown from placing five or six students a year to offering some 24 internships this past summer, with students serving in a wide range of STEM-related fields, from engineering to medicine to research to software to robotics and more. Interested students must go through a rigorous selection process; if chosen, they are paired with a placement that matches their interests. And thanks to the generosity of supportive donors, the internships now provide a stipend, making it a more viable option for students who want or need to take on a paying job over the summer.

“Having that experience,” says Hagen, “helped me know that I wanted to learn more about being a software engineer.”

Science and Substance

Michael Schlenker P’25, ’26, the faculty member whose class inspired Hagen to pursue computer science, is now coordinator of the program. “When I arrived at Rivers, 14 years ago, the

science internships were run by Kim Koppelman, who worked with [then head of school] Tom Olverson to make this a big deal,” Schlenker recalls. What that meant, says Schlenker, was that interns would perform “important, high-end research working in real labs, at companies doing real science.”

“There were five students per year,” he continues, “and the goal was six to eight weeks, half time to full time, per summer. At the end, in the fall, each kid did a 20- to 30-minute symposium. We’d order pizza, and it would be really in-depth.” As the program grew, he says, those in-depth sessions became challenging to schedule, and the format was switched to a single all-school meeting at which all the interns make a presentation about their experiences. “But we still wanted the program to be a big deal; Tom wanted it to be something the school really supports and gets behind. I inherited that,” says Schlenker.

If interest and participation are any measure, the program is, if anything, a bigger deal today than ever. At the most recent fall all-school meeting where interns reported out, 24 students described their stints at 15 sites (some sites hosted more than one intern).

Long before they reach that point, however, they all go through an extensive application process over the previous winter. Explains Schlenker, “They have to write a cover letter. They have to write a one- or two-page essay on why they like science and what interests them. They have to sit for a formal, professional interview with me.”

Part of the reason for this in-depth process is to assess the students’ interests, the better to match them with a suitable internship. “There’s real value when the internship has a 100 percent overlap with what you might be interested in pursuing,” says Schlenker, noting that this year, there were several new internship opportunities for students. But, he adds, “There’s also a decent amount of value if you know you’re not going into the thing the internship is about. There’s value in learning how a business works, how a hospital works, whether you like big teams or detailed scientific work, whether you like medicine, whether you like surgery, how real scientists approach a program, how to manage accountability, and so on.”

Keira Thompson ’22 shadowed an orthopedic surgeon at Boston Medical Center during the summer of 2021.

He also sees opportunity, he says, in the more humbling aspects of internships. “I give the students a pep talk every year, telling them that at Rivers, they are the focus of what most people are doing on this campus,” he says. “When they start at the internship, they are not the focus. They are at the bottom. They’re trying to find a way to add value.”

The experiences are as varied as the students and their interests. At the October assembly, Abby Matsuyasu ’23 and Jacob Sardinha ’23 described working at the Burns Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital, where zebrafish are bred to model human cardiovascular disease; the students helped breed the fish, using intentional genetic mutations to study cardiovascular defects. Jackie Lee ’23 interned at a busy pediatrics practice in Brockton, shadowing doctors and assisting with young patients; a highlight was removing a suture. Grace Brosnan ’23 sat in on some 900 clinical appointments during her stint working with an orthopedic surgeon at Boston Medical Center. Eli Helzberg ’23 worked with Klett Consulting Group (run by Mark Klett ’71) to research solar technologies, write a white paper, and create a social media campaign and marketing strategy around the company’s solar streetlight product. Without question, the internships provide real, substantive experience, as Tom Olverson envisioned; no one spent the summer fetching coffee and filing.

Growing Support, Expanding Access

A key factor in the program’s expansion has been the financial support that allows students to receive stipends. “That has really helped the program,” says Schlenker. “If kids are deciding between ‘I have to make money’ and ‘I want to do the internship program’—now, they don’t have to make that choice.” When the internships began offering a stipend, he says, interest in the program skyrocketed and the number of interns nearly doubled.

Chris Ehrlich ’88 was one of the key contributors to the fund that makes the stipends possible. Today, he works in biotech venture capital, as CEO of Phoenix Biotech Acquisition Corporation—an irony, he says, because “the two things I was worst at in high school were math and science.” Nonetheless, he had his reasons for supporting the Summer Science Internship program, as he explained recently.

Ehrlich comes from a family engaged in the life sciences—his father was a doctor and his brother is a lawyer who runs a life science practice—and both parents, he says, were “huge Rivers fans.” A few years back, as his father underwent a final illness, Ehrlich pondered ways in which his parents could be memorialized through philanthropy. “I wanted my gift to be put to a practical use, and I thought long and hard about it,” says Ehrlich. At around that time, he was approached about making a gift to Rivers, and he began talking to Schlenker about the internship program.

“If I’m into biotech, and I give talks about taking risks, how about if I put my money where my mouth is?” says Ehrlich. “Life sciences and Rivers are a great combination.”

That was in 2019, and while Covid put a slight crimp in the internship program—the summer 2020 placements were all done in a remote format—the gift, and others like it, have boosted the program to a new level of success. Ehrlich is thrilled to see the growth: “What could be better than supporting kids at the school where I was supported? It’s been more successful than I could have imagined, and it’s an awesome legacy for my family.”

Learning by Doing

For former interns like Hagen and Watkins, who are pursuing careers in STEM fields, the value of the program is incalculable. But even younger alumni who are still charting their professional course were excited and inspired by the experience. Keira Thompson ’22, now studying at Northwestern University, says that shadowing an orthopedic surgeon at Boston Medical Center during the summer of 2021 was “incredible.”

“I learned so much,” says Thompson. “I got to see how Dr. Stein didn’t just address the orthopedics case at hand but really addressed the whole patient. And it was really special to work at a hospital that has a unique mission, given that it’s a ‘safety net hospital.’” Speaking during her senior year at Rivers, Thompson

Stephen Mortarelli ’23 and Amanda Freeman ’23 interned at software developer Bullhorn.

said, “You can think about medical care in the abstract, but seeing what the day-to-day is like, and the ins and outs of patient care, is really helpful in figuring out my future path”— a path, she said, that could include medical school or biotech. “I love how science can translate into human impact, and I want to have an impact.”

Anna Monaghan ’22 says her summer stint at Brooks Automation was “so cool.” The robotics enthusiast, now in her first year at Bowdoin College, says “I was mostly doing NCs—nonconformances—all the little pieces and parts of different robots that didn’t work. We would take the part we were given and figure out what was wrong with it.” She says she did about 1,000 NCs over the course of a five-week internship—more substantive work than she expected from a summer job. And while she’s not sure what she might pursue in college (“I’d say robotics and computer science are up there”), the lessons she learned at Brooks would be useful in any professional field: “I learned how to be super thorough, and the importance of always doing your best work. I also feel like I learned a lot about the engineering and robotics industry, and it gave me an appreciation for automated things we use every day.”

Many former interns report that one of the most valuable aspects of the experience was simply exposure to a professional environment. “I think I had no idea what certain jobs looked like, what the day-to-day is,” says Hagen. “Just to be able to see what people were doing and what the process was enables you to imagine yourself doing it.”

A Two-Way Street

An ongoing challenge, says Schlenker, is lining up a sufficient number of appropriate internships in suitable fields each summer. While many companies and organizations have offered spots to Rivers students for several years, the need continues to grow, along with the program. “It’s an amazing part of the Rivers community that helps us find new internships each year,” says Schlenker. Parents, alumni, faculty members, and friends in STEM fields—all have stepped up to help connect students with meaningful summer placements.

And the benefits, points out Schlenker, accrue to both students and hosts. “A great piece of the program is the feedback I get from the hosts at the end of the internships. They are always so impressed with our students,” he says. “They may start out with reservations about the maturity and skills of a high school student, but I’m always blown away by what I hear. ‘The person fit right in. They were really helpful, and they added value.’ ”

Grace Brosnan ’23 worked with an orthopedic surgeon at Boston Medical Center.

Abby Matsuyasu ’23 (right) interned at the Burns Lab at Boston Children’s Hospital.

AspirationsInspirationsand

A Q&A with Incoming Head of School Ryan S. Dahlem

In September, after an extensive and rigorous search process, the Board of Trustees, acting on the recommendation of the Head of School Search Committee, voted unanimously to appoint Ryan S. Dahlem as Rivers’s ninth head of school, succeeding current head of school Ned Parsons. Dahlem’s role at Rivers will begin on July 1, 2023.

Dahlem comes to Rivers from St. Margaret’s Episcopal School, a pre-kindergarten through Grade 12 school of 1,240 students in San Juan Capistrano, CA; he currently serves as assistant head of school and has held numerous leadership roles at St. Margaret’s in his 16 years there. With degrees from Stanford and Harvard, the lifelong educator is excited about stepping into the head of school role at Rivers. After the September announcement, he noted, “I was initially drawn to The Rivers School for its mission, core values, and tradition of Excellence with Humanity, which resonates so deeply with my own educational philosophy.” A serious musician and a mountaineer who has climbed Mt. Everest, Dahlem will relocate to Massachusetts next spring with his family—wife Anne and their three children, Peter (age 18), Ella (16), and Colin (8). Recently, we spoke to Dahlem about his approach to

education, his impression of Rivers, and his return to the East Coast.

You grew up in a family of educators. Tell us about your decision to pursue the “family business.”

My upbringing formed the foundation of my career in education and helped me find my calling early in life. So much of my perspective was forged in a household led by two parents who were educators. My dad ran a comprehensive public high school, and my mom led the Braille Institute for blind and visually impaired students. Our dinner table conversations were all about school—teaching and learning, the joys and challenges of school leadership, equity and inclusion, or the thrill of an exciting game or performance. The overarching theme was a love, care, and concern for young people that really left an imprint on me. My parents have always lived their lives with a sense of purpose, which inspired me to pursue my own purpose as an educator as well.

What was your favorite subject in high school, and why?

My favorite subject was math. I had several amazing math teachers along the way who connected with me and made it cool to be excited about math. They

created spaces to be curious and interested in math, and I always tried to pay that forward with my own students as a math teacher. Music was also a favorite subject in school. It provided a creative outlet to express myself, connect with peers, and just have fun.

What is your philosophy of education, and how does Rivers fit into that philosophy?

Above all, I deeply value personal relationships between educators and students. They are at the heart of a transformational education. Teaching is a complex human interaction, and we must be intentional about building relationships, fostering trust, developing empathy, and inspiring excitement and curiosity. I also strongly believe schools must innovate, through ongoing review and self-reflection, to ensure their programs are relevant, engaging, and inclusive. Education is about questioning and discovery, and schools must embody that approach.

At Rivers, I frequently heard about strong relationships between students and faculty. Every constituency spoke to it, and I observed it as well—even just in snippets of conversation I heard around campus. This is clearly a community that places a high value on relationships, and that resonated with me. Rivers is also an

Ryan S. Dahlem will be Rivers’s ninth head of school.

innovative place, from interdisciplinary studies courses to the Center for Community and Civic Engagement to all the recent campus enhancements, including the amazing Revers Center. The school is on the move, as great schools should be, and that aligns with my philosophy as well.

What made Rivers feel like the right place for you?

It started with the mission, core values, and tradition of Excellence with Humanity. Having high expectations for young people, while in the context of a caring community rooted in relationships, is very appealing from a school culture standpoint. There’s also a balance of tradition and innovation that is important in schools. Rivers feels rooted in its rich history with a sense of place, yet forward-thinking and optimistic about its future.

The school’s diversity, equity, and inclusion work is also very important, especially the way it focuses on creating a sense of belonging for every community member.

I also found the signature Conservatory Program to be so impressive, and the athletics program is outstanding as well. As a musician and an athlete, and a devoted advocate for the impact these programs have on the lives of young people, I was inspired by Rivers’s excellence in both areas in addition to its strong academic program.

Finally, and most importantly, it was the people who made the school feel like the right place for me and my family. From the compelling student-led tours to meetings with the professional community, parents, trustees, and alumni, everyone was so invested in Rivers, excited about the school’s future, and sincerely welcoming to our family. It is truly a special place, and we are thrilled and honored to be joining the school community.

What does Excellence with Humanity mean to you?

It reflects the essence of the school’s mission—challenging students to attain

their very best in the context of a caring and supportive environment. I love the “yes, and” rather than “either/or” nature of that philosophy. There is also a recognition of the fullness of students as human beings and a commitment not only to their success, but to who they are becoming as people. Our highest aspiration as educators is guiding students on the journey to finding their purpose—where their strengths and talents intersect with needs in the world—and I think Excellence with Humanity also captures that.

You and your family will be relocating to New England next summer. What are you most looking forward to about living in Massachusetts? (It can’t be the weather!)

Through mountaineering I’ve been to some really cold places, so I’ll definitely be pulling out that gear! I really enjoyed my time in Boston for graduate school and always thought about returning to New England. The rich history of the region fascinates me, especially having grown up on the West Coast. The vibrant cultural and arts scene in Boston is also very appealing, as is the sports tradition. My family and I look forward to catching some games at Fenway and TD Garden and exploring local hiking trails and outdoor activities as well. The area around campus itself is so beautiful! Living in the Boston area is an exciting next chapter for us as we join the Rivers community.

Among your many accomplishments, you climbed Mt. Everest—with your father, no less. Are there lessons from that experience that continue to inform your professional or personal life?

The best part of climbing Everest was doing it with my father, so the importance of family has been a common thread throughout my life. Growing up, most of our big family outings involved piling into our VW bus and heading off somewhere new. The broadening experience

of the outdoors, travel, and adventure that eventually led us to the Himalayas is another lesson that endures. Mt. Everest was actually one part of a larger goal to climb the seven summits, the highest mountain on each of the seven continents. It was an amazing way to see the world, get off the beaten path, and engage with a variety of cultures and awe-inspiring natural settings that were transformational.

Everest has certainly informed my professional life as well. I enjoy the notion of setting big goals and being ambitious, even audacious at times, especially when it has a positive impact on the lives of young people. I’ve also learned that challenges and unpredictability are inevitable, in the mountains and in life. Having a strong team with a shared mission, being persistent and adaptable, and keeping the big picture in focus are key takeaways for me. There is also an important place for joy and celebration, not just for the summit but the journey, all of which I am looking forward to in this next adventure at Rivers.

Dahlem visited campus with wife Anne and son Colin in the fall.

HISTORY OF

A Classic Evolves with the Times

Ascheduling snafu during her senior year at Rivers changed the course of Alex (Krotinger) Lisavich ’04’s life—and she’s glad and grateful that it did. “I was signed up for AP French, but the teacher told me it wasn’t a good fit, which left me scrambling,” explains Lisavich.

As luck would have it, there was an opening in the History of Art class taught by Jack Jarzavek—a course that has had a near-legendary status since Jarzavek launched it in 1968. Lisavich didn’t just enjoy the art history class; she ended up majoring in the subject in college and visiting Jarzavek at his second home in Italy during a year abroad. The two remain close to this day— so much so that Jarzavek officiated at Lisavich’s 2017 wedding.

History of Art, and the two teachers who have presided over it for 50-plus years, has proven to be a transformative experience for generations of Rivers students. When Jarzavek left classroom teaching, in 2005, the course was taken over by Ben Leeming P’17, ’19, ’21, ’23, who now serves as chair of the History Department. The two veteran teachers hold each other in great esteem, with Jarzavek praising Leeming for adroitly seizing the baton and Leeming venerating Jarzavek for laying the course’s rock-solid foundation.

They’ve also proven to be a strong double act. Back in 2018, they traveled to New York City to host an event that attracted dozens of alumni. And during the Covid pandemic, they appeared on a video webinar, titled “Art History Night: The Men, the Myth, The Legend,” which was viewed by hundreds of alums.

But even myths and legends may require the occasional update, and History of Art is no exception. Until this year, Leeming continued to teach the course more or less as Jarzavek had taught it. “It was a survey of Western art history, with a

curriculum that begins in Paleolithic times and goes through the Modern era,” he says.

This year, though, the course looks a bit different. “It’s the first year of seeing art through a global lens, where kids are going to be exposed to the artistic traditions of many different cultures,” says Leeming.

Back when Jarzavek launched the course, the goal was simply to give students a better framework for understanding other areas of the curriculum. “I was teaching a sophomore English class and we were reading a poem by Auden that made reference to ‘Landscape with the Fall of Icarus,’ a painting by Bruegel,” recalls Jarzavek, who arrived at Rivers in 1965 and initially taught French. “The students said, ‘We don’t have any background about this painting, and we don’t know who Icarus was. Can we meet and have some extra classes?’ ”

Startling though it may be to imagine students asking for extra classes, the initiative was a success from the outset. “That gave me the idea that we should really have is a class in art history,” says Jarzavek. “These kids were fascinated, and they were hungry for this material.” The ad hoc lessons became a fullfledged course not long thereafter.

At first, the class was called Fine Arts and included a parallel survey of music. After a couple of years, though, the focus shifted solely to art history, with the standard work in the field, Janson’s History of Art, serving as the backbone.

It was a bold step toward broadening the Rivers curriculum— part of a general movement in the history department, said Jarzavek, that began in the ’70s. The class included a field trip to the Museum of Fine Arts Boston and dinner at an ethnic restaurant, an experience that took many students not only

Jack Jarzavek in his early days at Rivers.

out of their daily routine but out of the prevailing direction of their lives.

“Our families, up through the early ’90s, were very focused on conventional success,” says Jarzavek. “The fun, broad things that were interesting in life, the kids never got.” But Rivers students “have always been intellectually curious,” he continues, and given the opportunity to broaden their horizons, they seized it eagerly.

Not that art history was an easy course or a mere curricular frill, says Jarzavek. A few students, like Lisavich, were so taken with the subject that they ended up making it their college major or professional focus. But Jarzavek’s hope for all who passed through the course was that they would broadly apply the lens it provided and use it to enrich their intellectual lives. “I have found that many former students enjoy going to museums, and some have art collections,” he notes. “And the intellectual context that comes with studying art gets them into political science and history. You can’t do the Renaissance without talking about the banking history of the Medicis.”

Sameer Agarwal ’96 is one such alumnus. “My love of art history started at Rivers,” he says. He took Jarzavek’s course and went on to major in art history and political science at Tufts; today, he says, he applies that art background to his role as vice president of marketing for Clinique. Though the tie-in might not be obvious, says Agarwal, “A big part of my job is analyzing both visual and written communication, and art history laid the groundwork for that. I look at print ads and TV commercials, and at visual social posts, and assess whether we are communicating effectively. When I think about art history, it’s very relevant to what I do today.”

Jarzavek notes that even in the early 2000s, there was some movement toward a more global perspective for art history, prompted in part by changes to the AP art history exam (Jarzavek served as a reader for the AP exam for 21 years).

Lamentably, he says, when non-Western art was added to the exam, some topics had to be dropped to make room for it. “But you just can’t do it all in a high-school class,” says Jarzavek. Though that’s still the case, Leeming says the course—like many others—needed to change with the times. “I could no longer justify focusing exclusively on European art,” says Leeming. “Instead, I decided to dive into presenting European art in a global context, as one aspect of many global traditions. It decenters Europe in art history and tries to broaden students’ understanding of many different artistic traditions.”

He continued, “A lot has happened in the past two or three years, here and around the country. George Floyd, Black Lives Matter, the Black@Rivers Instagram thread… I think I can speak for the faculty as a whole when I say we’ve been looking at our curriculum and coming at it with a new perspective.”

Leeming arrived at Rivers in 1996 as a sabbatical fill-in for Jarzavek and never left. “It was my first classroom experience, and I fell in love with teaching instantly,” says Leeming. History of Art was so popular that nearly every Rivers student chose to take it. Says Leeming, “Due to Jack’s magnetism and brilliance, every senior wanted to take the class.” Leeming taught the class that year; it became a permanent part of his teaching schedule after Jarzavek retired from the classroom.

Jarzavek left big shoes to fill, says Leeming, but he eased the transition by generously sharing his resources and expertise— including his slide trays. “I had maybe a dozen slide trays or more, and a projector,” recalls Leeming. That time-honored method for viewing artwork has since been supplanted by iPads that allow video views, fly-throughs, and panoramic perspectives that were previously unobtainable. “Students are able to essentially go into cathedrals and stand inside them, to stand on the Acropolis and get a sense of geography and scale, to virtually visit ancient Pompeii,” says Leeming.

But while the tools and the content may have evolved, the fundamental purpose of History of Art remains. “I want students to leave the class with a heightened appreciation for the arts and visual culture,” says Leeming, noting that today’s young people, more so than those of previous generations, live “in a world saturated with imagery.” He wants the class to provide them with “visual literacy,” but he has a more basic goal as well: “Of course, I hope they fall in love with art.”

The two veteran teachers, shown here on campus this past fall, maintain close ties with one another.

Ben Leeming and Jack Jarzavek hosted an event in New York City in 2018.

Speaker Series Connects Students and Alumni

On a Tuesday in November, Dalinda Ifill-Pressat ’05 addressed a group of students seated around a conference table in the CCCE about her professional experiences in the world of nonprofit (and for-profit) work. IfillPressat currently serves as director of marketing and communications at Children’s Services of Roxbury; she spent an earlier phase of her career working at CBS Boston. She spoke about her experiences at Rivers and beyond, and she told the students that, though nonprofit salaries can’t compare with those offered in the corporate world, she has “never felt so fulfilled.”

Ifill-Pressat’s visit was part of the Alumni Engagement Series, a

program that celebrates the many ways Rivers alumni are creating positive change in the world. Once a month, alums meet with students, sharing their experiences and answering questions in an informal setting. Jonathan Salzman ’08, who works for a start-up medical device company,

kicked off this year’s series in October. Said Marc Stroum, director of alumni engagement, “The program offers a chance for alumni to connect with students, and for students to hear about the real-world impact of Rivers graduates.”

Veterans Day Honors Those Who Serve

In keeping with a longstanding Rivers tradition, Veterans Day 2022 brought a solemn observation of the occasion. Members of the community—alumni, parents, faculty members, and friends—were recognized and honored for their military service. Students, formally dressed and silent, filed into Kraft Dining Hall to hear this year’s keynote speaker, English faculty member Evan Massey, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Afghanistan. Massey’s presentation was followed by a video roundtable discussion with Callie Bullion ’10, Tommy Manna ’10, and Rob Costa ’11, all military veterans. The community then gathered around the flagpole while “Taps” was played by Evan Lanzendorf ’23. Later, alumni veterans who came to Rivers for the ceremony also visited Middle School classrooms to talk to students about their experiences.

Dalinda Ifill-Pressat ’05 (left) and Jonathan Salzman ’08 (right) participated in the Alumni Engagement Series this past fall.

Top: Among the veterans in attendance were Nate Van Duzer P’12, ’17, ’20, Darby Nielson P’27, Conor Van Duzer ’12, Dave Donahue ’03, Steve Snider P’12, and Larry Colvin ’66. Bottom: Evan Lanzendorf ’23 played “Taps” near the flagpole.

Alumni Apple Picking FUN BY THE BUSHEL

It was a day of fall family fun at Lookout Farm in Natick, as Rivers alumni and their families gathered for the annual apple-picking event. This past October marked the fifth anniversary of this perennial favorite, and pickers turned out in droves to stroll through the orchard, catch up, and, of course, fill a bag full of the freshest apples around.

Alumni Gather for Pre-Thanksgiving Festivities

This year’s pre-Thanksgiving reception for young alumni took place at Dillon’s in Back Bay. Close to 100 alumni from the classes of 2010 through 2020 attended the event, enjoying drinks, appetizers, and one another’s company. “This longstanding tradition for young alumni, gathering the night  before Thanksgiving, is a great way to jump-start the holiday and to bring Rivers friends and classmates together,” said Director of Alumni Engagement Marc Stroum ’98. “We seem to draw a bigger crowd every year, and I look forward to seeing this fun tradition continue to grow.”

Lucas Lisman and Pat Lawn, both Class of ’20, were among the young alumni enjoying the festive get-together.

Elissa Robertson ’99 (far right) and family

Jeff Berman ’99 and family

Julia Robinson ’02 and family

Dana Amsbary ’05 and Kimberly Kontrimas ’03

Open Skating Sessions Draw Alumni

Throughout the winter, Rivers hosts open skating sessions for alumni and their families on alternate Sundays. The free ice time draws dozens of alums—and their kids—looking for a fun winter activity. We hope to see you there next year!

Red Wings Return to the Nest

For the first time since the Covid pandemic, alumni basketball and hockey players were able to join current students for the traditional alumnistudent practices over winter break. Young alums currently playing in college returned to the courts and the ice in MacDowell, then enjoyed a bagel break afterward.

Dan Head ’99 and his children

Alumni returned to campus over winter break to practice with the Rivers hockey and basketball teams.

Rob Prenovitz ’00 with his wife, Alexa, and daughter, Eva

Empathy in Action

Matt Talbot ’98 isn’t one to leave his work at the office. And even if he were, his work isn’t easily confined to an office or to normal work hours.

“I was going to visit family last Thursday, when I got a call,” he said recently. “One of our employees was in a hostage situation and shooting at local police. So when that kind of thing happens, it doesn’t matter if you have a plane to catch; you’ve got to get on the phone and talk to a negotiator.”

It’s not your typical 9-to-5—and Talbot wouldn’t have it any other way. As a specialist in violence prevention and behavioral threat assessment and management, Talbot routinely encounters situations most of us have only seen on television crime dramas. Professionally, he wears a few different hats: Based in San Antonio, he serves as workplace violence prevention program coordinator for the South Texas Veterans Health Care System and is founder of Triple Threat Assessment and Prevention Consulting. He is also president of the Association of Threat Assessment Professionals’ south central chapter.

Talbot is clearly a person who has found his purpose. “It’s an unusual field,” he admits. “You can’t major in behavioral threat assessment; you study something else, and end up in it. It’s daunting, stressful, and sad, but incredibly important.”

It certainly wasn’t the professional path he envisioned back when he was a student at Rivers. Talbot served as junior class president and as his class’s graduation speaker. Gregarious and athletic, he chose Rivers because “I knew people there and I wanted to

have a good social life, as well as to excel academically.” After graduation, he went off to Skidmore College— where the long run of successes that had marked his life abruptly came to a halt.

“College was not an easy start for me,” says Talbot. “I dropped out after six weeks. I had a horrible battle with severe anxiety and fell into a dark depression. I felt like I had failed.”

He took a year off and then attended Wheaton College, where he majored in sociology and discovered “an affinity for criminal justice. I found the abnormal psych content intriguing.”

His interest in learning about what makes people tick led him to a master’s degree in clinical social work. In the course of earning that degree, he interned at the Suffolk County House of Correction, where his career path truly began to take shape. Talbot went on to work in Massachusetts’s largest multi-security-level state prison, spending most of his time on a lockdown unit working with gang members, sexual predators, and multiple homicide offenders, among others. “I had to work through an impenetrable wall of defenses. But by doing unorthodox things, I found ways to connect with them as human beings.”

Through it all, he never lost sight of the person behind the behavior: “Beyond the screaming, yelling, threats, and danger is someone hurting inside.” When you’re able to keep that in mind, he says, “that’s the true definition of empathy.”

Empathy continues to define his approach. At the VA hospital, where Talbot has worked since 2010, he says he “helps safeguard the organization, but we don’t do that in the ways

people envision security. We don’t use metal detectors and barbed wire; my focus is on prevention, not on active responses. We’re focused on how we identify someone before it escalates into violence.”

Lately, as the tide of extremist violence has risen, his consulting work has expanded. “I travel a lot to spread the message, talking about how people become radicalized, how do we help people who end up in hate groups, and how do we prevent this kind of violence,” says Talbot.

Talbot recently helped launch a new global nonprofit based in Vancouver that helps support safetyfocused intervention teams. With so many irons in the fire, Talbot admits he doesn’t sleep much: “There’s no time,” he says, given the urgency of the work and his commitment to it. That said, much of what he does comes down to both empathy and common sense. When you encounter a person who concerns you, says Talbot, the basic approach is simple: “Don’t be a bystander—be an upstander. Just ask three words: ‘Are you OK?’ ”

JACK DOSSANTOS ’23

To See a World in a Lego Brick

For his senior speech,Jack DosSantos ’23 looked back at his childhood fascination with Legos and found a metaphor for building a future.

The sound is unmistakable: the high-pitched rattle of plastic inside tightly closed cardboard. I wish I could say the taste of them had a role in my memory, but eating plastic is frowned upon in most places. Their geometric edges are smooth to the touch, connecting tightly with one another as I carefully yet forcefully combine them into miraculous works of art. From pirate ships to construction machines, from spaceships to beachfront houses, the sight of a colorful pile of Lego bricks is forever seared into my memory, an endless expanse of possibility, a vast world waiting to be created.

Let’s quickly take a trip back into the past and get inside the mind of a 5-year-old Jack. I was consumed fully by the proposition of the Lego Death Star. Twenty-two mini-figures; 10,188 pieces; a detachable TIE fighter; and one elementary schooler’s dream. I was thoroughly transfixed.

Each month a Lego catalog would arrive in the mail, and I would spend hours flipping through the slick, waxy pages. The Death Star in all its glory always dressed the back cover. I begged and begged my parents for the miraculous spherical beauty. As Christmas approached, I could only think about the Death Star. I loved that set; I needed that set.

I wrote to Santa and made sure he was aware of my ever-growing hunger for this Sistine Chapel of Lego sets. But alas, Christmas came and went with no Death Star. And so it happened again the next year. I was starting to

get angry with Santa. Each year my letters to him grew more and more hostile, in hopes of convincing him that I needed the Lego Death Star more than all the other kids in the world. I couldn’t believe that his elves would have such a hard time making the Death Star appear for me; it was only 10,000 plastic pieces, after all.

Finally, after three years of feuding with Santa, I awoke on Christmas morning to the Ferrari, the Michael Jordan, the Mona Lisa of Lego sets itself: the infamous Death Star. I was off the walls, screaming and thanking Santa for finally managing to pull through this year. I told my mom, “Now I know Santa is real, because you guys would never get me this.”

But more important than the structured creation of sets like the Death Star is the simple yet exquisite act of finding your way through a massive pile of assorted Lego pieces. I always make sure to keep a bin of old miscellaneous pieces in my basement for whenever I feel like I need some creativity in my life. I could spend hours rifling through pieces

in the never-ending quest to make the best creation possible.

Lego sets are easy; building freely is hard. It took Emmet from The Lego Movie an entire movie to figure out how to build off the top of his head, and he’s a Lego figure; imagine how long it takes a human being. It’s always a challenge, but it’s one I’m willing to take on.

As I move through the ever-intense final year of high school, I have found myself turning to Legos to keep me light-hearted. Whether it is building a pterodactyl or my most recent creation, a pizza truck, Legos always remind me to find the child within myself and enjoy every moment I can. Legos also keep me closely attached to my own creativity and individuality. I like to tell myself that building a spaceship on my own will always be more rewarding than following the strict blue pamphlet with your entire future laid out in the instructions. The world is simply an endless expanse of colors and shapes with infinite possibilities; all we have to do is figure out how to put them together.

MissionDriven

SteveSniderP’12

SteveSniderP’12is notaRiversalum,buthe’s as devoted tothe schoolasany graduate couldbe.

“My relationshipwiththeschoolgoes backover20years,”henotes—startinglong beforehisdaughterMelanie’smatriculation at Rivers. Melanie, Class of ’12, was astudent atwhatwasthentheRiversMusicSchool (nowTheRiversSchoolConservatory)from abouttheageof 6,andwhenshebecame oldenoughtoattendTheRiversSchool, itwastheonlyoptionsheconsidered.“We reallylikedtheopportunitytointegrate musicintohereducation,”Sniderexplains. “AllISL schoolshavemusicprograms,but none oftheothers offer the equivalent oftheConservatory Program.”

Sniderwasakeysupporteroftheconstructionof BradleyHall,theRSC’shome,andservedontheRivers BoardofTrustees.Inhis13yearsontheboard,Snider servedontheMusicExecutiveCommitteeandthe FinanceCommittee,andheldthepositionoftreasurer.

Oneaspectoftheschool’sappeal, saysSnider,isthe focusondevelopingskillsratherthanonspecificcareer preparation.Assomeonewhohaswornnumerous professionalhats—fromprincipalofreal-estatedevelopmentfirmGreenPhoenixDevelopmenttoquantitative investoratFidelitytoU.S. navalofficer—heparticularly appreciatesthewell-roundedexperienceRiversprovides. ItwastheRiversmission,though,thatdroveSnider’s decisiontoincludeRiversinhisestateplans.“Ilike theacademicrigorandthebreadthofopportunities theschooloffers.ButI’mmostimpressedbythe closerelationshipsbetweenteachersandstudents,” saysSnider.“Ireallybelieveintheschool’scommitmentto ExcellencewithHumanity.”

TheNonesuchSocietywasestablishedtorecognizethe generosity ofalumni,parents,andfriends whohavemadeprovisionsfor Riversintheirestateplans.Its membershaveeachmadeacommitment to ensure the continuation ofexcellenceinteaching that is so criticaltotheeducationoffuture generations.

WhenyouincludeRivers inyourwill,youplayasignificantroleinhelpingfuture generationsofRiversstudents. Atthesametime,bytaking advantageoftaxlawsthat encouragephilanthropy, makingabequesttoRivers cansignificantlyreduce estate-taxburdens.

Formoreinformationabout gifts toRivers,suchasbequests, livingtrusts, and gifts oflife insuranceorretirementplans, or if youwouldlikemore informationabouttheNonesuch Society,pleasecontactMeret Nahas,directorofleadership andplannedgiving,at m.nahas@rivers.org or339-686-2263.

Since September, ournewly renovated spaceshave beenabuzz withactivity.