“To Expect Much We Must Give”

“To Expect Much We Must Give”

Roxbury Latin kicks off the annual fund

On October 6, more than 350 Roxbury Latin alumni and faculty, parents, and friends gathered in the Gordon Fieldhouse—hoping that, together, we could again achieve another record year in fundraising on behalf of the students, faculty, and staff of Roxbury Latin. Elizabeth Carroll, science faculty and Class VI dean, and her longtime advisee, Emmanuel Nwodo of Class I, shared their stories that evening—examples of the transformative opportunities that Roxbury Latin provides through its advising program, which your gifts help to preserve. Read excerpts from their remarks here.

“We all know about the quotation,‘From those to whom much has been given much will be expected.’ I make a similar statement, worded a little differently: To expect much we must give.”

Emmanuel Nwodo

Class I

One of RL’s best assets is all of the opportunities students have here. I knew right away that I should take advantage of these opportunities, and even when I was too nervous to go out and get them, they were offered to me. Roxbury Latin encouraged me to take risks and step out of my comfort zone. I was pushed to participate in Junior Chorus even before anyone knew that I liked to sing. In eighth grade, during a range check, Mr. Opdycke told me I had Latonics potential. There was no way I thought I would join the Latonics, even though I was mesmerized by the Latonics Hall hearing Ben Lawlor ’18 perform with the great singers behind him. Later on, a few of my classmates found out that I could sing a little bit, and they told me that I should audition for a solo. That experience opened a whole new door into music as I eventually did make the Latonics, elected to take Music Theory, and am now vice-president of the Glee Club. My involvement in Glee Club allowed me to go to Austria in March of this year, and I got to sing in beautiful churches, with architecture that made our voices sound fuller and brighter. While in Vienna, some other Latonics wanted to busk in the city center. Covid and an expired passport meant two of our main soloists had not yet joined the trip, so we decided to only perform two songs. But as the crowd started to grow, we wanted to keep it going, and the president asked for volunteers to sing solos. I volunteered without much hesitation—knowing the songs, but never having sung the solos. This isn’t a story about my singing abilities—this is a story about my confidence. It would have been impossible for me to even imagine myself being in this situation six years ago, and even more farfetched to think I would have reacted to it the way that I did. Not to mention, we also made a little bit of cash. At RL opportunity presents itself in unexpected ways. You simply need to take advantage of it.

From music came my interest in theater. I reluctantly started acting on stage last year when Mrs. Carroll said I should try out for the play. I had done Twilight during the pandemic, but that was me alone in front of a camera— this was me on stage, in front of a room full of people. My reluctance turned into me being involved in three plays last year, including Frankenstein, Catch Me If You Can, and The Actors, a student-directed play. These plays helped me to figure out that I love to perform. The rush you get right before a show, which I used to think of as nerves, became excitement. I learned that the experience of acting is only worthwhile if everyone puts his best foot forward. We

rely on each other, and experiencing that community was rewarding. From chanting “yes” before a show, to singing Jerusalem at the end of one, we share an excitement that makes being at RL until 9 p.m. for a week worth it.

There are many more opportunities RL has given me: going to Camp Becket for two summers where I made some great friends and hiked the largest mountain in Massachusetts for three days; participating in the Harvard Med-Science summer program, where students from all over the country come and learn what it’s like to be a medical student; and summer jobs including interning at Mass Community Health Centers and working at Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center Camp at RL. Did I mention that in addition to heading to Europe over spring break, I spent the first few weeks of this summer on another school trip in Costa Rica? Throughout my time here, I have never had to think about the cost of participating in any school activity—or even about how I was going to afford to buy my own computer. I am grateful for what RL and the greater RL community have given me. I will be forever thankful.

We all know about the quotation, “From those to whom much has been given much will be expected.” I make a similar statement worded a little differently: To expect much we must give. I am a hard worker, and I get that from my amazing family, but what would my work be if I wasn’t allowed to explore new things and find out who I am through them? Through my RL experience, I have made friends, learned a lot, and had some fun along the way. In my opinion, the reason why giving to RL is so important is because it opens doors for students like me — students who will take advantage of the opportunities put in front of them and find ways to contribute to the world. One day I plan to sit in your seats, having given back to a school that has given so much to me. Thank you. //

Elizabeth Carroll

Science Department; Class VI Dean

Like all of my colleagues, I wear several other hats here at RL—I run the ISP Program, I help our boys secure summer internships, I work in admissions, I serve as a faculty advisor on the Yearbook and ECOS, I plan the Prom….And while Kerry was right, as teaching sixies is definitely high on my list, the role at RL that holds the greatest meaning for me, as it does for so many of us, is advising, and that is what I want to spend the remainder of my time speaking to you about tonight.

I believe that Roxbury Latin’s advisor system is the foundation of what makes every other aspect of this school tick as well as it does. The consultant in me would call it an “elegant solution” for its simplicity and effectiveness. Having one person who is truly “on” each boy means that things don’t easily slip through the cracks. If I, or any of my colleagues, is concerned about a student, or sees something worth celebrating, we all know exactly who to talk to. Our advisor system, and the accountability that comes with it, helps us all be better teachers and coaches.

I always knew there was some great advising going on here, but stepping into the Class Dean role, I now have a front row seat to some serious varsity advising. It is remarkable to see the hours that my colleagues spend tutoring, counseling, and nurturing the boys in their care, making sure they have what they need to thrive here, cheering for them from the sidelines, and being there when the going gets tough. Just when I was starting to feel confident about my own advising, this past year taught me that I still have so much to learn. From the weekly check-in sheets that Josh Cervas customizes to help keep scattered advisees on track, to the almost poetic, multiparagraph emails that Sarah Demers writes on a random Tuesday afternoon to update parents on recent progress their son has made, to Erin Dromgoole’s unwavering commitment to ensure that all of her senior advisees know how to properly iron a collared shirt before they graduate, I am constantly amazed by the level of “above and beyond” that happens here every day.

Given that it is the Annual Fund Kick-off Dinner, I want to note that your generosity makes one particular aspect of advising so much better for all of us. When we are working with a boy, we never once have to consider whether or not to recommend a particular school activity or trip out

“Whether a family needs modest assistance to fund some portion of their son’s education or extracurricular activities, or needs the school to cover close to the full amount, it happens. So, thank you for the important role you continue to play in making that possible.”

of concern that the student might not be able to afford it. Think about that for a minute. It was clear that Emmanuel had a powerful voice and stage presence, and from the time he set foot at RL I did not have to hesitate for one second to enthusiastically recommend that he audition for Glee Club and consider participating in the March break trips. Nor did I have to tiptoe around whether it made sense for him to consider the language immersion trip to Costa Rica. I knew that if he wanted to do it and needed some assistance, RL would be there for him—you would be there for him. I have had dozens of advisees over the years, and I am not privy to their families’ financial circumstances. I don’t need to be. What I know is that whether a family needs modest assistance to fund some portion of their son’s education or extracurricular activities, or needs the school to cover close to the full amount, it happens. So, thank you for the important role you continue to play in making that possible. It makes a world of difference for all of us. //

Kerry Brennan

Headmaster

By enrolling your sons at Roxbury Latin, you expect to receive a set of goods and services. And my colleagues and I deliver on that expectation. Without fail? I would like that to be the case, but occasionally the pudding is less lumpless than we would want it to be. We do try, however, especially through our advisor system, which you saw highlighted in the remarks and relationship of Emmanuel and Elizabeth, to ensure that no boy falls through the cracks. I often suggest that there is a promise implicit in your applying your son, our accepting him, and then your enrolling him. We promise to know and love him. And as was true so vividly during the pandemic, you trust us. You trust us to do our best to deliver on our mission: to hold school and to keep school in such a way that each boy’s potential and idiosyncrasies are honored. You trust us to poke, prod, cajole, criticize, praise, and love each boy into becoming his best self. We are honored to have the chance to do our good work on behalf of such a crop of promising, committed, interesting, good, full-hearted boys.

But the promise is not just our promise to you; it’s your promise to us as well. We will take care of your boys. And you take care of us. Certainly that happens personally in the way you esteem and befriend us. But, given the reason for our gathering here tonight, you support us financially, as well, to the extent that we can be the school we aspire to be—inclusive, rigorous, supportive, ambitious. We

“There is a promise implicit in your applying your son, our accepting him, and then your enrolling him. We promise to know and love him. And as was true so vividly during the pandemic, you trust us. You trust us to do our best to deliver on our mission... You trust us to poke, prod, cajole, criticize, praise, and love each boy into becoming his best self. We are honored to have the chance to do our good work on behalf of such a crop of promising, committed, interesting, good, fullhearted boys.”

could not be all that, and do all that we do, were it not for a unique financial model in which only 40 percent of our revenue comes from tuition. As you have heard this is a model that ensures that even “full-tuition” is nearly $20,000 less than the tuition of our fellow Boston schools, and that every boy who qualifies for admission is given the opportunity to come here regardless of his family’s financial circumstances. Alas, that is a tall order. And year after year, support for the Annual Fund, in particular, makes our quirky model possible. It helps to ensure that our supply chain is fluid and reliable. I sometimes speak of our covenant: you do all that you can, and we will do the same. Even as we celebrate the accomplishments of the year just past—and they were tremendous—we beseech you to do it all again. Please continue to make RL a philanthropic priority; please continue to support a revolutionary vision for a school that promises to be countercultural and true to its mission; and, as we have loved you and especially the boys you entrust to our care, please continue to love us back. Thank you. //

Save the Date

reunion 2023