The Newsletter - October 2017

Roxbury Latin THE NEWSLETTER

OC TOBE R 2 0 1 7

Beaver Brook Initiation of the Sixth Class

The Roxbury Latin School

Headmaster Kerry P. Brennan

The Newsletter is published quarterly by The Roxbury Latin School in October, January, April, and July for alumni, current and former parents, and friends of the School.

Editor & Design Joyce Hempstead joyce.hempstead@roxburylatin.org 617.477.6324 Photography Erin Berg, Gretchen Ertl, Chris Heaton, Mike Pojman.

www.roxburylatin.org www.facebook.com/roxburylatin/

© 2017 The Trustees of The Roxbury Latin School 101 St. Theresa Avenue West Roxbury, MA 02132 t: 617.325.4920 Send address changes, alumni news and other correspondence to alumni@roxburylatin.org.

The Newsletter October 2017 | Volume 91 | Number 1

INSIDE

4 Happiness Headmaster’s Address at Opening of Fall Term

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More than Volunteers Service Learning on the Blackfeet Reservation

12 Local Encounter, Universal Glimpse

by Marc deFontnouvelle I

14 Lessons, Expected and Unexpected, in the Canadian Wilderness

16 O’Connell Fellowships broaden summer’s horizon

DEPARTMENTS

28 Faculty Spotlight Phil Kokotailo, Deane Family Dean of Faculty

30 Class Notes > Class of 2013 Update, 33

34 Alumni Calendar 35 In Memoriam 38 Ramblings from the Archives

by Christopher Heaton

39 Fall Athletic Calendar

18 Classical Explorations Faculty Professional Development

21 Welcome New Colleagues 22 Secret Lives & Alter Egos > Crossword: What’s your R.L. quotient? 23

24 Three new trustees join the Board

25 Beaver Brook: Where It Begins

29 2017–18 Smith Scholars Global Climate Change

Above: Eight rising seniors on a backcountry hiking trip in the Canadian Rockies. (See story on page 14.)

Cover: Sixies at Beaver Brook with Class I counselors.

(See story on page 25.)

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Happiness The Headmaster’s Address at the Opening of Fall Term

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everal years ago, at another school, I was charged by the faculty to inform parents that their son was failing to live up to our expectations. A perfectly capable boy, he had resisted suggestions for improvement and persistently avoided engagement—in essence he wasn’t putting forth indications of his best self—and he didn’t much care that we were disappointed in him. I wrote a letter signaling that we were about at the end of our rope and that the boy’s behavior needed to change or we would have to consider whether this was the right school for him. After receiving the letter, at my invitation, his mother decided to come in for a face-to-face. I asked her what she and her husband thought of the letter. She very confidently and calmly told me that in effect we were concerned with the wrong thing. Her son may indeed have failed to realize his considerable potential, but that mattered little to his parents, because all she wanted was for him to be happy.

“Happy,” I said. “You mean to tell me that that’s all you care about—that he be happy?”

She protested slightly indicating she actually cared about other things, too, but, most important, she cared that her son should be happy.

At that point in my life I had internalized the view of other school leaders I respected and suggested to the mom that there were plenty of far more important things. For example, I asked, “Don’t you care about your son’s integrity? Don’t you think trying hard and accurately reflecting his potential ultimately is a question of great character? Don’t you think that he ought to be responsive to the suggestions of the adults who care about him?

Don’t you think his failure to master the material could have a deleterious effect on his academic performance in the future?

Don’t you believe in trying hard, doing well, and contributing to the community of learners of whom he was a critical part?”

“All that is well and good, Mr. Brennan, and I can see that you feel deeply on this issue. But I have to tell you that I believe that nothing you say trumps what I believe to be the worthiest goal 4

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for my son, and that is that he be happy. Why don’t we see how it goes? I expect my son will at least survive here academically and along the way he might be saved from the stress and anxiety that I see affecting virtually every other member of his class.”

I finished by saying that I guess we agree to disagree, that I do not believe that her attitude and, by extension, that of her son, was consistent with the mission of the school. I wished her well and told her that time would tell.

I know that you’re impressed by that string of brilliant, nonsensical platitudes. But I hope that you can feel a bit of my pain.

I had never run up against an adult, or a boy for that matter, who was as clear as this mom about what she wanted for her boy. I don’t know why the boy’s father wasn’t at the meeting (perhaps he was pursuing something in the workplace that had little to do with happiness!), but I got the sense that the parents had agreed that the mom would represent a position that I would have to infer was their shared position.

My resistance to that mother’s injunction about what was the first and foremost goal worthy of her son’s pursuit was the result of many years of training and habit. The kinds of things I heard over the years went something like this: Work hard. Do your best. Strive for excellence. Avail yourself of opportunities.

Don’t let others down. Help out where you can. Grow. Achieve.

Embrace challenges. Suck it up. Learn from mistakes. Give back.

Especially when I started to work at Roxbury Latin in 1978, I became part of a team that routinely suggested that suffering was good for you. As a neophyte advisor in my first year, I remember an advisee telling me that he hated school, that he hated this school, and he hoped that working the way he worked was a function just of this time of his life, only because life would not be worth living if it would always be like this. I was troubled by that confession and what it said about this boy’s perception of the experience we had designed for him and what would be an emerging philosophy about what life would be like. I expressed my concern about his take on things to a veteran colleague. In no uncertain terms, he told me,

“Brennan, this is school. It’s not meant to be fun for them. And it’s not meant to be fun for us. This is school.” After that revelation, my Catholic guilt sprang into action as I actually was having a pretty good time doing what I was doing, and, I thought, providing a bit of fun for my students along the way. I realized, given that advice, that I had it all wrong. Industry, frequent failure, stress, and few external rewards were the coin of the realm. I bought into that life-isn’t-easy-or-fair-so-you-better-get-used-to-it approach. And it served us fairly well then. It was that kind of attitude that informed my reaction to the mother who wanted happiness for her son.

Today, I want to tell you that I’ve changed my mind. I believe that our goal as sentient human beings should be to pursue happiness. I believe happiness is essential. And I believe that everyone deserves to be happy. I believe that in those earlier days that I was wrong. I have lived a bit more life, encountered hundreds more people, enjoyed the company of several dozen new boys, and am aware of the life journeys of men and women, boys and girls, who have witnessed for me countless different approaches

to life and living. The most inspiring, the most reassuring of these are the ones who pursue happiness.

I expect many of you are thinking at this moment. “Good. He’s said it. He got to the point much sooner than he usually does.

Thank God we can now be off to our first class.” Easy, partners, for as you would imagine, I am not done yet. Having boldly declared my conviction that happiness should be a common pursuit, I will need to qualify my assertion slightly.

Guiltless Happiness Here’s what I think. For too long people have felt guilty about being happy, about saying they wanted it, about pursuing it.

The essential flaw in people’s disregard for the happiness goal is that they think it means that one can’t also be about other worthy things. People hesitate to profess the goal of happiness because they feel it diminishes other things they’ve been taught to value. My contention is that happiness vividly accompanies and complements those other values. In fact, I’m quite sure that most

People hesitate to profess the goal of happiness because they feel it diminishes other things they’ve been taught to value. My contention is that happiness vividly accompanies and complements those other values. pursuits, even the seemingly most arduous ones, are enhanced by the person’s parallel quest for happiness.

Over the summer I had the good fortune to visit with a graduate currently in college who, like many his age, was interning for a big financial house on Wall Street. He started by saying that I should be glad he had 30 minutes to spend with me because he had been working from 7 in the morning until midnight for the better part of the past two weeks. I asked him about his work. It seemed awful, uninteresting, meaningless, cryptic. Our alum was slogging through not because he liked it but because he felt this was part of paying his dues—doing the crap work in order that more consequential opportunities would come his way eventually. This, of course, was predicated on his having impressed his supervisors enough so they would offer him a full-time job when he graduated from college. I gently warned the young man that I hoped this was all worth it; expressed my disappointment that despite living in New York his work schedule had prevented him from taking advantage of the City’s unique cultural offerings; and hoped that, even when he landed the big job with the company, he would find it all meaningful. He said, “One thing I learned at R.L. is how to work hard, how to manage my time, and how to set priorities. And that what we do now might not be much fun, but N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

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it will lead to something better later.” He had nicely internalized the idea of delayed gratification, which I feel is important for all of us to embrace, but there was not much lilt to this young man.

He had not said he was looking forward to happiness.

As you have heard before, I sometimes think that the careerdriven person presumes that lots of what he or she pursues and even achieves will result in material gain affording a lifestyle that anyone would want. You have read The Great Gatsby; you know Death of a Salesman. You have seen protagonists pursue the almighty dollar and end up broken men. I don’t intend to emphasize this today except to say what you already know and that is that “money can’t buy you happiness.” But what I saw in this young man was not that old rationalization of ambition, the ladder to be climbed, the positions to be sought, the money to be made, the home, the car, the family, the clubs, the vacations. He said nothing about what all that would lead to, so I do not have to quibble here with the unwise assumption that he has about what will lead to happiness. Happiness was not on his radar; happiness was not part of his vocabulary. But it should be.

Wouldn’t it be nice, some of you may be thinking, if I woke up tomorrow morning and for the rest of my life all that I knew was happiness. That might be nice. But it won’t happen. There are plenty of things that will get in the way: hardships to be endured, sadnesses to withstand. Each of us will be subject to dispiriting times and experiences and people. My main point today is not that each of us should look forward to a life that is nothing but happiness, but that each of us should pursue happiness as a worthy goal. And there are several different ways to recognize the happiness of which I speak.

technology so comprehensively that you can feel excited about warps and woofs that I would never understand. But I celebrate your passion (and your knowledge!). Often a passion evolves over the course of many years, many experiences. But even more often, a passion is born when we least expect it (like a thief in the night!), when we have an experience, an epiphany, a sensation that we’ve never had before. This can be when we see something, or feel something, or do something, or when we meet someone who announces a new highlight for our lives. One of the sensations that changed my life occurred during my first week at college, when all of us freshmen were gathered in the recital hall for various orientation activities. At the end of that meeting about filling out forms and selecting courses and fulfilling physical education requirements and learning the combinations on our mailboxes, we had a startling sensation. Eighty members of the Amherst College Glee Club in white tie and tails ran from the back of the room onto the stage and sang the National Anthem. I had never heard a men’s chorus, and surely never heard one like this. The sound was so powerful and so nuanced that I literally got chills. You know the rest of the story. I’ve never looked back.

But I did not know at that moment that I heard something I had never heard before and it would change my life forever.

Passion like the mustard seed we hear about in the Gospels finagles its way into our heads and hearts, only, however, if they are open to that intrusion, if they are open to be changed, to be moved, to be intrigued, to be delighted. For us to live life to the fullest, for us to know the happiness of passions imbedded and life-giving, we need to be wide-awake, eager to apprehend the world, to drink it in. Passions bring happiness.

Pursuing Passions Happiness comes from pursuing passions. For many of us, our passions are our work. As a teacher at this school I know that my colleagues and I have been called to this work. This is our vocation. We derive meaning from it. We believe we make a difference. We are put in the company of largely interesting, lively boys. This is one passion. For others, a passion may be music, or art, or antique cars, or the Red Sox, or politics, or global warming. Some of you have quirky passions. Some of you understand

Realizing Challenges Another kind of happiness comes from realizing challenges, from doing hard things well. Roxbury Latin has been known for years for the high quality of its wrestling program. While being runner up at last year’s Graves-Kelsey Tournament was a major accomplishment for our varsity team, there was much more to be pleased about than simply coming away with that piece of hardware. Indeed, each of the competitors had his own story to tell. The story of one particular boy on the team a few years

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before is similar to that of numerous boys who find themselves at the pinnacle of schoolboy wrestling. This boy entered R.L. as a scrawny sixie. I’ll bet he was about 4'10" and weighed not much more than 80 pounds. (I am not sure if that’s true of any of our new friends in the gallery today!) This boy loved basketball. He imagined himself the next Shaquille O’Neal. First of all, he was about the size of Shaquille’s left leg, and both his parents were about 5'5"! You know the rest of the story. As happens every year, he was cruelly cut by the merciless Mrs. Chappell throwing this poor lad on the mounting ash heap of disappointed sixies and fifthies whose dreams had been thwarted. The coach of the junior wrestling team, the boy’s advisor, and the sixie class master (again Mrs. Chappell, who had changed her tune!) triple teamed the boy and insisted that he go out for wrestling. It wasn’t easy at first— new muscles stretched, grabbing and being grabbed, the smell of the mat, the headgear falling in front of his eyes, and—Oh my God—those singlets. But somehow, he persevered. He won several matches his sixie year. And on and on he progressed. At first hating the idea of wrestling, he came to love it. And he came to be very good at it. His senior year, he was the Graves-Kelsey champ.

Was this easy? No. Every day was grueling, relentless, unforgiving, hard. But it added up to an achievable challenge, one that gave him confidence, discipline, and joy. Happiness can come from taking on challenges and doing hard things well.

Learning Happiness can come from learning. Because we are a school, our foremost attention ought to be paid to our academic enterprise.

Each of you is here because you’re pretty good at school. My friends in the Class of 2023 should know that one of the reasons you are here is that you gave some signals over the years that you were good at school. It wasn’t just that you were SMAHT. You put that intelligence to good use and became adept at performing in a way that impressed and pleased your teachers. How many of you remember when you first learned to read? I remember it vividly.

It happens gradually over time as one of our parents or a teacher painstakingly guides us through the word decoding that turns symbols on a page into language and meaning. For me, I began to sense I could read not when I had mastered the various delightful children’s books my mother had first read to me and then had me read, but one day when we were riding in my grandfather’s 1954, Robin’s egg blue Chrysler New Yorker, and we approached the intersection at the end of my street. I had driven this route perhaps hundreds of times in my young life, but now something was different. I saw a sign. I saw a red sign. And I shouted “Stop.”

That sign says “Stop.” I know it. I can read it. And that began a maddening period for my parents and my long-suffering brother in which I read or tried to read everything in sight: “Bank” “Barber shoppp” “Wallllk” “Schenectady.”

You boys may have had similar transformative experiences

when you learned to read. Thank God, those transformations continue as you tackle Latin, and calculus, and the Constitution, and French, and the 3D-printer, and Shakespeare, and learn about sexually transmitted diseases. Learning, learning, learning every day. I had an advisee about whom I was concerned because he seemed to be burning the candle at both ends. His days blended into nights and I was worried that he was not getting enough sleep and that he had taken on more than he should have. But this was an inveterate scholar, someone who loved learning for its own sake, who delighted in the mastery of material, who skillfully connected the dots making sense of this smorgasbord of disparate facts, theories, rules, languages, patterns, protocols. He loved it.

He was on fire. He was good at it. And he wanted to be better. He was happy when he was learning. Learning can lead to happiness.

Doing for Others At R.L. we boast that we prepare you to lead and serve. Let’s focus on the serving part. Doing for others can bring you happiness.

There are plenty of examples around here of that being the case.

As you know, unlike many other schools, we do not have a service requirement. Service is a part of our lives. The various class projects—Haley House, Project Bread, the Altenheim, playing with St. Theresa kindergartners, serving food at Epiphany, Ave Atque Vale, tutoring technologically-challenged senior citizens, building houses with Habitat. And for my purposes today, tutoring fellow students. This latter service activity is perhaps underappreciated, but it is monumental. Working side by side with a fellow human being, sharing one’s own mastery and enthusiasm with another, supporting him, loving him, encouraging him, empowering him. Dozens of you do this. You do it well. You do it willingly. Last year, I met an older boy on his way out of the Study Center after tutoring another student. I greeted him. He said, “Hi, Mr. Brennan. He got it. He finally got it. I wasn’t sure he would.

But finally, he did. I’m so proud of him. He knows the subjunctive.” Even those boys who, with tear-filled eyes, carry the casket of an unknown fellow traveler at an Ave Atque Vale funeral know this satisfaction of which I speak. Doing for others. Doing unto others. Even when there is no one to thank you. Even when there is no credit. How good we feel inside. This is what countless moms and dads feel making meals, changing diapers, chauffeuring you here and there. They love doing this for you, even as, later in life, they will be glad to care for aged infirm, diminished parents. Doing for others brings us happiness.

Practicing Faith Happiness also comes from faith, from spiritual questing, and the acknowledgement that there is something greater than each of us.

It might seem that satisfaction from faith-filled lives is the exclusive domain of people who are clergy or other especially committed spiritual practitioners. The reality is that each of us, with the N e w s l e t t e r o f Th e R o x b u r y L at i n S c h o o l

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desire to explore the depths of our essence, can find ways to affirm our spiritual selves, can encounter people who model meaningful prayer lives, and others whose commitment to meditation yields especially useful tranquility, self-knowledge, and peace. For many of us, the conventions and practices of established religions still give shape to these pursuits, and consistently offer reassurances, enlightenment and happiness. I happened to have two immigrant grandmothers who had known challenges in their lives, who had sacrificed much to leave their families and come to this country. Yet despite what were often difficult odds, they were hopeful people, relying regularly, daily, even hourly on prayer to reassure them and find solidarity with other committed, faithful people.

Their prayer of choice was the Rosary, a long-standing circle of prayers found in the Catholic Church. They lived lives in the middle of neighborhoods and families, but they freely and joyfully retreated to prayer, and that brought them in communion with God. Mainly, they prayed for the rest of us—that we might know safe, meaningful, love-filled lives. Once I met a monk who did not live in the middle of a neighborhood, who did not live in the middle of a family; rather he made his life in community with other monks, and, except for the chores that were necessary to keep their farm prosperous and food on the table, his sole pursuit was to pray—to pray for his brother monks, to pray for his family and friends (despite the fact he rarely saw them), and, most remarkably, to pray for humankind, in order that all people might come to a clearer, more compelling understanding of God’s role in their lives. I don’t know that I’ve ever met a happier man than this monk. Faith and fervent spirituality can bring great happiness.

Being Yourself Happiness comes from being yourself. Perhaps this goes without saying. But too often people are the prisoners of their own lies, of their own misguided presumptions about how or whether he or she would be appreciated or even tolerated. People want to be accepted. They want to be appreciated. They want to be acknowledged for who they are. How many of us go through life tortured by what we are not. We try to live up to what we believe others would prefer us to be. We try unnaturally to be some ideal, a version of someone whom we admire or is popular. This could be someone whom we don’t know but know something about—a pro athlete, a celebrated performer, a movie star, a politician. More often, though, it’s the kid at the next desk, the player on the same line, the leader of one’s singing section. We make assumptions about people we admire. We like one thing about them and presume that we know everything about them. We do not. Nor do they know everything about each of us. Honesty is the best policy. To be yourself—imperfect, unfinished, ever-evolving—is the ideal. Last year a boy asked to speak to me. He said he had something important to tell me. He told me he was gay. I said, “Thank you for telling me.

How can I be helpful?” He asked me if I thought he should tell oth8

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ers. I said that it was up to him. But why not? What’s your greatest fear? And he said his greatest fear was that they would think differently of him and no longer be his friends. I explained to him that countless boys had come out to me over the years, and never once was that the reaction. Rather, on Facebook and in person, the friends reassured the boy who professed his gayness, and told him they were proud of him for coming to this conclusion and being willing to share it. The boy left my office. Two days later, the boy came back to me and said he couldn’t believe how underwhelmed his classmates were by his revelation. He was confident that rather than imperil his relationships, his confession would cause them to deepen. He said, “I am so happy.” Be authentic. Be yourself.

Authenticity leads to happiness.

Loving and Being Loved Finally, I share what I believe to be the most fundamental and essential way in which one pursues happiness. That is to love and to be loved. All of you in this room are loved. All of you are loved by your families and all of you are loved by us. These are certain kinds of love. They suggest the kind of regard and affection that teachers or schoolmates or moms or dads or grandparents or brothers or sisters might feel for us. For right now, that’s plenty good enough. For some you in this room, however, there are other stirrings. You feel romantically toward others. You are imagining a special, different kind of love. Many of the adults in the room know of what I speak: they are in loving, romantic relationships. This, my boys, is most important. To know the unqualified, reliable, passionate love of a special other is life changing and life giving. Whatever you do in pursuit of the various routes to happiness that I have described for you today, this one must always be a priority. It will allow you in a way that now you cannot even fathom to offer love freely and to be loved in return. This will lead to the greatest kind of happiness.

This morning I’ve shared my thoughts with you on an especially noteworthy noun: happiness. My interest in it is all encompassing.

It does not just have to do with you in your private lives, in your lives away from school, but especially in your lives here, all together.

We have often been praised by visitors who are surprised to observe that R.L. is for the most part a joyful place. This is despite the fact that it is a demanding place, some would say a relentless place.

That it would seem to be joyful—though joy is not quite the same as happiness—is nonetheless a product of the beginning work that you have done on realizing happiness. You will practice each day, I hope, as you seek to bring the balance into your lives that will in part be represented by your being happy, but it will start with an attitude, as most important things do. You will will yourselves to make this a priority, to feel it, to know it, to learn how to find it, and to provide it for others. In our school, in this garden of possibility, while other values and aspirations may compete for your attention, let happiness be your constant companion—now and forever.

More than Volunteers Service Learning on the Blackfeet Reservation

by Christopher Heaton

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n the dark, still heat of the sweat lodge, 24 of us cluster together in anticipation. The quiet tension is broken by Tom Crawford, a Blackfeet spiritual leader, speaking with the familiar lilt and cadence of American Indians. “We offer prayers, Oh Great One, for the families that are suffering from loss or addiction… We offer prayers, Oh Great One, for those that don’t have enough to eat… We offer prayers, Oh Great One, for our visitors.”

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Erecting a goal post for a traditional Indian game (the forerunner of our lacrosse) on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation are Andrew Steinberg I, Ben LaFond I, Reid Corless III, Ben Stick I, Rohan Balakrishna I, Ayinde Best I (kneeling), Peter Levangie III, Elson Ortiz I, Liam O’Connor III, Ian Balaguera III, Eoghan Downey I, and Cam Estrada III. (Missing: Tom Bulger I)

We were the visitors, crowded into Tom’s sweat lodge with his family and friends. Thirteen Roxbury Latin boys, masters Paul Sugg, Mike Pojman, and I, and three other volunteers, had undertaken a week-long, service-learning project in June organized by R.L. and run in conjunction with Global Volunteers.

Lava stones, slid from a fire into the lodge and splashed with water to generate steam, brought the lodge to a nearly unbearable temperature. Tom’s advice for how to handle the heat was to pray harder, to push through, to endure—fitting challenges for those living in poverty and addiction on the Blackfeet Reservation in northern Montana.

We visitors learned and played traditional Native American games, built paddocks for the horses that are used for youth groups, and tutored at Ee-kah-ki-maat, a summer school program for the Blackfeet children. Our boys dove into group meetings, listened attentively, and spoke well about themselves, their school, and their culture. They witnessed the depression, struggles, and hopes on display at the Blackfeet Reservation.

Over the course of the week, we also got a sense of the Big Sky country. We craned our necks from vehicles to scan the mountains, and, during an evening of R and R, 10

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we rode horses across the hills. We beheld the spectacular scenery of Glacier National Park during our daily 30-mile drive from Heart Butte to Browning across the reservation, whose million acres of open rangeland support bison, cattle, and horses. I found a balance of solace and engagement in those drives, listening to the incessant but friendly guff of five Class III boys. More than once, I pointed out the window and said, “Take a look at that eagle,” causing a temporary reprieve from the chatter as we tracked an immature bald eagle riding the currents of a nearby gorge. No video game, Instagram message, or round of cards could have held their attention more, and for those few minutes we enjoyed the collective silence, truly present.

The value of service projects in schools is not only about what is accomplished in terms of actual service, but also (and sometimes more) about how the participants are changed. I had high expectations for our group on this score, and the boys’ subsequent reflections confirmed my hopes.

Andrew Steinberg I discovered how people can be so different, but share the simplest things. He reflected on how he experienced a completely new culture and a completely different political, social, and geographical landscape. “I met lots of new people and learned several of their

“ WE BECAME FAMILY. WE HELPED BRING A COMMUNITY CLOSER TOGETHER— THE MOST POWERFUL SERVICE.” customs. But we all were able to connect around the most basic things—music, sport, food, and love.” Andrew discovered that in their work—from setting up nets to constructing gates—the boys became more than volunteers. “We became family. We helped bring a community closer together—the most powerful service. That is something I will always remember.”

Classmate Ben Stick I was not prepared

for the open-hearted welcome we received from the Blackfeet community. He considered that they had “every reason to be cynical about volunteers like us.” Ben was alarmed by the reservation’s 75-percent unemployment rate, but came to realize the challenges surrounding such statistics. He acknowledges that the Blackfeet “simply don’t have the resources to solve this problem.”

Ben LaFond I saw changes in himself, and recalls a particularly wonderful moment on horseback just as he crossed into open country. “I was ten feet tall and could see as far as I wanted, and more. A great white owl sped out from the trees a hundred yards off and disappeared into

the greenery opposite. I could follow the creek with my eyes as it ran under us, feeling the rush of water flowing through, around bends, over a dam. I felt like I was made to ride a horse through the plains of Montana. It was a sentiment that, logically, could scarcely have been more misplaced; but the new perspective and power and inviting openness from my place atop the horse made me think differently about not only the world, but myself. The air up there seemed to make my thoughts clearer.

Whoever I thought I was, wherever I had been, or whatever I had done down below, up there I was a part of the scene: the plains chaste and wild, myself wild and free, and both—if nothing else—alive.”

Above: Ben LaFond I helps build a paddock for horses. Below: Andrew Steinberg I playing a traditional Native American game with Blackfeet children. Right: Eoghan Downey I prepares for a horseback ride on the Blackfeet Reservation.

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Local Encounter, Universal Glimpse Maru a Pula (MaP), our “brother” school in Botswana, has been part of the Roxbury Latin vocabulary for almost four decades.

In 2007, the two schools began a student exchange, and in the succeeding ten years 19 R.L. boys have spent several weeks each summer in Gaborone, engaging in both academic and extracurricular life at MaP. (In 2011, R.L. hosted Thato Ungwang for his senior year.) This summer, rising senior Marc deFontnouvelle became R.L.’s 20th MaP exchange student.

by Marc deFontnouvelle I

T

wo days after Prize Day, I woke up from a nap in a small dorm room in Botswana. I had just taken a fifteenhour flight to Johannesburg, a connection to Gaborone, and a van ride to the gates of the Maru a Pula School. It must’ve been the chatter of students passing outside my window that woke me up: hundreds of students, none of whom I knew.

When you travel to a foreign country, you usually arrive with some notion of that country in your mind, a notion that awaits confirmation or reformation. Perhaps your notion was rashly formed, based on stereotypes and news stories you’ve heard about the country. Perhaps you

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Marc, looking right at home among MaP students.

constructed your notions more mindfully, researching the country beforehand and talking to locals about it. When I arrived in Botswana, I hardly had any such notion in mind. Online research about the country turned up little more than a Wikipedia page and some vlog-style videos about Botswana filmed by an African man who grew up there. So, with a jetlagged body and a mind devoid of any preconceived notion of my surroundings, I got out of bed and set out to explore the campus.

It wasn’t easy at first to integrate myself into the social fabric of the school. The students interacted with each other in a way

perceptibly different from that of Americans, and they often switched between English and Setswana, the local language, mid-sentence. But the kids were welcoming and excited to have a foreigner on campus, and I soon found myself becoming close to several. Midway through my stay, eight new students entered Form 5 (roughly the equivalent of 11th grade) through Maru a Pula’s Top Achievers program, which offers top students from nearby public schools scholarships to continue their studies at Maru a Pula. I got along particularly well with these kids, who were amazed upon their arrival to find that they were living in a boarding house with a boy from America.

Their attitude toward their studies was unlike that of any American student. They held their own mathematics study sessions every night in which kids would lecture the others on upcoming topics in their syllabus, and they would select and solve problems that interested them together.

The quality of the classes varied greatly.

The first class I went to was a chemistry class taught by a British woman who plainly followed the A-level curriculum, an international system developed in England, and showed little interest in her own teachings.

The second one I went to was a biology class taught by a Motswana1 who had a palpable appreciation for life and

I realized that through the small slice of African culture I had encountered and grown to love, I had begun to develop a deeper understanding of African culture as a whole. its inner workings, and believed that imparting this appreciation to his students would enrich and empower their lives.

This seemed to be a pattern in the country. For every program, event, or idea with a distinctly African feel—an unpolished vibrance rooted in the culture of the country—there existed another such program, event, or idea inherited directly from English and Western culture that Batswana2 followed in an effort to learn from the developed world. The performances at the school theater (one of only two theaters in the small city of Gaborone) were sometimes rooted in the local culture—

performances by local hip-hop dance groups and talent shows filled with students dancing and rapping. Other times they were rooted in Western culture— performances of student-written plays in the style of canonical English dramas.

One of my most interesting realizations came in conversation with a history teacher at the school, also a Motswana himself. I told him I had never been to Africa before and had the sense I was getting a feel for African culture. He shook his head and told me that the culture of Botswana is just that: the culture of Botswana. It stretches little further than the boundaries of the country and cannot be taken to represent Africa as a whole. Botswana is a small, peaceful country of two million people. It’s a country where you can’t walk around the largest city without bumping into someone you know, and where you’ll see the vice president shopping at a grocery store without any bodyguards. If you travel north a few hundred miles, you’ll find a country ravaged by war and corruption, one whose citizens can’t comprehend the peaceful, non-violent attitude of Batswana. If you travel further north, you’ll find countries with populations growing at a staggering rate. Nigeria,

for example, is expected to have 20 cities with over 20 million inhabitants each by 2050. And if you visit boarding schools just a road trip away in South Africa, you’ll find environments that barely resemble the harmonious, explorative atmosphere of Maru a Pula: in most South African boarding schools, kids are expelled almost every term and in constant struggle with faculty.

Just as I was beginning to understand and enjoy the culture of Botswana, I was humbled to realize that there exist thousands upon thousands of fundamentally differing cultures in this continent where I had just recently arrived. African culture, like the human experience in general, is incomprehensibly vast: we can experience and understand only a small slice of it. But by the end of my stay in Botswana, I realized that through the small slice of African culture I had encountered and grown to love, I had begun to develop a deeper understanding of African culture as a whole. I had developed new perspectives through which to view the ways of the continent, and perhaps even of the entire world. As Massachusetts author Marion Starkey wrote, “If you really know the few, you are on your way to understanding the millions. By grasping the local, the parochial even, it is possible to make a beginning at understanding the universal.”

1 Motswana: person from Botswana 2 Batswana: people from Botswana

Botswana

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Lessons, Expected and Unexpected, in the Canadian Wilderness

Below: Evan Lim Right: (front) Jake Sporn, Carson Straub, Andrew Gray, Cole Englert; (back) Zander Keough, Zach Milton, Evan Lim, Austin O’Brian.

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n August, when most Bostonians are donning swimsuits, eight rising seniors were packing fleece jackets and down parkas. Soon they would be alongside massive ice fields and glacial ponds of near freezing temperatures. This summer, science faculty members Paul Sugg and Peter Hyde ran R.L.’s much-anticipated backcountry hiking trip, this year to the Canadian Rockies.

On the itinerary was an initial drive up the Icefields Parkway, “the spine of the Canadian Rockies,” says Mr. Sugg—home to more than 100 ancient glaciers and some of the world’s most stunning views.

The students knew they would be privy to 360 degrees of breathtaking, natural beauty, but they were surprised and delighted by some of the lessons they learned while disconnected from technology, responsible for themselves, and reliant on one another.

Through two multi-day hikes—in Mount Robson Provincial Park and Kootenay National Park—most of the boys were experiencing the backcountry for the first time. They were trekking six to ten miles a day, with significant climbs. Rampant wildfires in the northwest interfered with many hikers’ plans this summer; the group adjusted course and finished their expedi-

tion along a more northern route, with clear air and blue skies.

“Exposure to these remote, natural areas, which you really have to work to see, is something the boys rarely experience in their Boston lives,” says Mr. Sugg. “Experiencing that peace and solitude is important.”

In the evenings, without their phones for entertainment, the boys relied on a deck of cards, a Frisbee, and their own creativity. Being disconnected, though unsettling at first, felt freeing, they said.

It also made some of them aware of how much they rely on their phones, on being constantly connected.

“With our phones, we would have gone to our tents and listened to music,” says Cole Englert, “but instead we spent three hours seeing who could toss an empty Chapstick container into the air the highest.”

One clear benefit was the chance to develop relationships with boys they didn’t know well before. And everyone had to pull his own weight, literally. In addition to his own clothing and water canteen, each boy carried something critical to the group’s comfort and survival—the cooking stove, the water filter, the tent poles.

“We were responsible for everything,” says Zach Milton, “staying clean, carrying the group’s food, making sure it was stowed safe from bears. Staying organized was the critical difference between a fun trip and a disastrous trip, and that was a challenge.”

But they worked well together, and they depended on each other. Each boy had to keep pace, and look out for the others: If someone slipped, you had to grab him.

“Being completely responsible for myself was rewarding,” says Zach. “At home you have parents and teachers looking out for you, helping you along. We really had to make sure we were on top of what we needed to do, for the good of the whole group.”

Mr. Sugg and Dr. Hyde took advantage of teaching moments in the natural world.

“There was a great deal of observable glacial activity and some impressive examples of

more ancient geology in the range itself,” says Dr. Hyde. “The Robson Glacier is an excellent example of a glacier in retreat, a phenomenon associated with global climate change. We also hiked past Mist Glacier’s moraine—the pile of rubble it accumulates as it grows and dumps as it retreats.” (Cape Cod is an example of the same phenomenon 10,000 years ago.)

The level of quiet and solitude was a surprise for some of the boys, they said.

During the second leg of the trip, the group had the trails almost entirely to themselves for days. “Mr. Sugg and I were at the front of the group, breaking spider webs with our faces while we walked,” recalls one of the trip’s veteran hikers, Andrew Gray.

“Talking only to one another for four days was not something I was used to, or something I was expecting,” says Cole. “I

learned that I don’t love silence—it makes things take longer—so I’d just start talking.

I learned a lot about Doc Hyde and where he grew up, which is a conversation I otherwise probably never would have had.”

Cole described another challenge: the need to remain present. “We were hungry, tired, smelly. It was hard not to focus too much on our next meal, our next shower, getting to our tents to sleep. But I knew I may never be back there again, and I wanted to soak in all of the scenery, the feeling, the whole experience. You realize how lucky you are to be where you are.”

“Staying organized was the critical difference between a fun trip and a disastrous trip...”

Left: Mist Glacier’s moraine with the retreating glacier behind it.

Right: A rest by Boom Lake.

Upper right: Trek leaders Paul Sugg and Peter Hyde.

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O’Connell Fellowships broaden summer’s horizon

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ndrew Gray I has a reason to be interested in pipe organs. Both of his parents are musicians. His mother regularly provides instrumental accompaniment on the Rousmaniere Hall organ throughout the academic year. Andrew himself has been singing in a professional men and boys’ choir since he was seven.

For his Western Civ project three years ago, Andrew built a 13-note, mechanicalaction pipe organ, and for the last couple of summers he has worked in the Ortloff Organ Company shop in Waltham. This summer, thanks to an O’Connell Fellowship, he took his interest in the art and science of organ construction to a new level.

Andrew was one of 16 O’Connell Fellows scattered far and wide this summer to pursue an eclectic range of extracurricular oportunities—from creative writing to musical composition to summer camp for younger boys. Roxbury Latin is especially grateful to Michael O’Connell ’59 and his family who created the O’Connell Fellowships to enable boys to engage more deeply in a personal interest by providing access and support for opportunities that might not be otherwise available.

Andrew attended the 2017 Pipe Organ Encounter Technical (POE Tech), a program of the American Guild of Organists hosted by Parkey Organ Builders in Atlanta, Georgia. The weeklong course included instructional classes, hands-on shop work, and visits to area organs. Organ builders Randall Dyer and Phil Parkey led classes on the basic workings of pipe organs.

“Our first class covered chest action, and the differences between Möller Pitman, Wicks direct-electric, slider, and Blackinton chest actions, along with many of their variants. Messrs. Dyer and Parkey used anecdotes from their combined experience to showcase the advantages and common problems in each design. A second session covered electricity and wiring, beginning with the science and terminology of electricity, and introduced us to the National 16

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Electrical Code regulations regarding pipe organs. He explained electricity’s many applications in an organ, such as power supplies, rectifiers, telco cable, multiplexes, and solid state units. Later in the week, we discussed pipe voicing with Chris Bowman of Parkey Organ Builders and Brad Jones of Randall Dyer and Associates. Finally, we had lesson on running a business.”

To put into practice what they were learning, the students were each charged with constructing a hand-pumped, mechanical-action, one-note organ.

had the chance to play and to discover the distinctive qualities and features of each.

“My favorite part of these visits was getting to go inside the organ. From the interior, we could better understand the reason behind certain sounds, the design and layout, and some of the tasks of maintaining an organ. During our visit to the Parkey organ at First Presbyterian Church in Gainesville, Dr. Faythe Freese gave us a lesson and demonstration of registration.”

Discussions Andrew had with a master cabinetmaker at the program have given

“My favorite part of these visits was getting to go inside the organ.” — Andrew Gray I

Andrew Gray I, second from right, with completed mechanical-action, single-note organs.

Interior of the Casavant organ (Opus 3865) at Grace Episcopal Church in Gainesville, Georgia.

“Following plans, and with help from our hosts, we glued and gasketed the chest, put together the bellows, and voiced our pipes. Oyster Pipe Works provided each of us with a principal and trumpet pipe. Mr. Jones walked us through the steps of flue and reed voicing. When we were finished, we lined ourselves up chromatically to prepare a demonstration: a set of change rings. Rather than trying to coordinate sheet music with all 14 individual organs, we were each assigned a number, and when it was held up we played our note.”

When not in the shop, the students visited Atlanta-area organs, where they

him new project ideas, mainly concerning inlay and refinishing of a virginal he has been working on at home.

“I am grateful for the knowledge that has been shared, the friendships that have been forged, and the experience overall from this POE Tech.”

Gifts like the O’Connell Fellowships help the School fulfill its commitment, as spelled out in the Strategic Plan, to the development of a comprehensive portfolio of opportunities that complement the regular school-year program; and to make the full range of R.L.’s programs available to every boy.

More O’Connell Fellows

2018 National Merit Scholarship Recognition

Jonathan Weiss III attended the Music Horizons Program at the Eastman School of Music to further his study of composition.“I conducted for the very first time and studied two pieces of concise and unadorned beauty: Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus and Grieg’s Åses død. Best of all, I had the opportunity to perform my violin and piano duo, Arabian Nights: Dance, which I based on incidental music that I wrote for the Junior Play at R.L.”

Forty-one percent of the Class of 2018 received recognition from the National Merit Scholarship Program. Eleven were semifinalists and nine were commended for their academic achievement.

Andrew Zhang III studied creative writing at Grubb Street in Boston. “Every day there was stimulating analysis of particularly stunning pieces of creative writing. By reading good examples of creative writing, I could take all the ideas that really clicked in those pieces and add them to my own writing toolbox.…At the end, I found myself much more confident as a writer and getting so much more enjoyment from it. I find myself wanting to write more.”

Ben Lawlor I attended the Eton Choral Course at Eton College in England. “We sang John Sheppard’s Media Vita, a polyphonic gem—difficult but gratifying to perform. We also worked with Matthew Martin on his piece Te Lucis Ante Terminum. It was really cool to see him put himself into the piece through us— firsthand—and be a part of it. An important part of the experience was meeting singers from different countries, musical education systems, and singing cultures.”

Semifinalists Benjamin Bryant Robert Cunningham Marc de Fontnouvelle Connor Dowd Eoghan Downey James Jaffer

Commended Benjamin Lafond David Ma Andrew White Reis White Dylan Zhou

John Golden Gabriel Grajeda* Paul Kuechler Zachary Levin

Evan Lim Zachary Milton John Philippides* Andrew Steinberg Benjamin Stick

* additionally named National Hispanic Scholars by the National Hispanic Recognition Program.

French Immersion. Eighteen sophomores traveled to Caen, France, in June as part of Roxbury Latin’s immersion program. M. Diop and Mme. White led the group for four weeks of French study and excursions to historical sites. Boys make the most of their homestays with their local families, sharing meals and daily life. Crossing the flats to Mont-Saint-Michel at low tide (above) is one of the trip’s many highlights. Read the details on their blog: https://rlfrance2017.wordpress.com/

Arts Calendar Fri, 10 Nov 7:30 pm: Festival of Men’s Choruses w/Belmont Hill @ Belmont Hill.

Fri & Sat, 17 & 18 Nov 7:30 pm: Senior Play, Dogg’s Hamlet/Cahoot’s Macbeth, by Tom Stoppard. Smith Theater.

Fri, 1 Dec 8 pm: Sly Voxes’ Holiday Concert & Community Messiah Sing.

Rousmaniere Hall.

Wed, 20 Dec 4:30 & 7:30 pm: Holiday Glee Club Concerts. Rousmaniere Hall.

Tues, 9 Jan 6 pm: Opening reception: Matt McCambridge ’94 Exhibit. Great Hall.

Spanish Immersion. Twenty-three sophomore students of Spanish traveled to Cádiz, on the southern coast of Spain, to study the country’s language, history, and culture. Led by Señors Guerra and Solís, the boys lived with local families and enjoyed extracurricular activities and excursions throughout their stay. (Pictured above: a subset of the group in Seville.) Visit https://rlspain2017.wordpress.com/ to read the boys’ daily blog.

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Remains of the amphitheater at Salona (modern-day Solin, Croatia).

Classical Explorations Faculty scout potential trips for boys Roxbury Latin supports its faculty in their efforts to grow in their respective fields— for their refreshment, inspiration, and the inevitable benefit to their students.

Report from Dalmatia Classics master Tom Walsh continued his exploration of the classical world this summer on the eastern shores of the Adriatic, investigating the ancient regions of Dalmatia and Pannonia. Once comprising the province of Illyricum, today these two districts stretch from Albania to western Hungary, with Serbia, Croatia, Montenegro, and Bosnia-Herzegovina at the center.

Tom’s focal point was Diocletian’s Palace, which served as a retirement home for the emperor and later evolved to form the core of modern Split, Croatia. (Game of Thrones aficionados will recognize the palace from the series’ fourth season!) Tom writes: “In the winter of 2012, I conducted a tutorial with then-senior Nicholas Laning that delved into the demise of Rome. I can recall Nick’s excitement when he returned from a spring break trip to Venice to tell me about his unexpected discovery of the Statue of the Four Tetrarchs at the base of St. Mark’s 18

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Basilica. It was my work with Nick and his excellent research into Diocletian’s creation of the Tetrarchy (Rule of Four) that ignited my interest in this particular emperor.

“While in Croatia, I was prompted by a friend to add Kotor (Montenegro), Mostar and Sarajevo (Bosnia), and Herzegovina to my itinerary. Beyond learning a great

Stele, part of the collection of Roman antiquities at the Archaeological Museum in Split, Croatia.

deal about the Venetian influence which shaped Kotor and the lamentable miseries unleashed in Bosnia in the early 1990s, I was surprised to learn of Roman mosaics at Risan, Montenegro, and the preserved remains of the Roman city of Narona near Vid, Croatia. As a classicist, I reflected on the famous Roman blockade of Numantia as I was standing on a hilltop looking down on the city of Sarajevo, subjected to nearly four years of siege.

“This journey opened my eyes not only to significant elements of Roman history but also the far-reaching impact of both the Byzantine and Ottoman empires. …

While I was impressed, as always, by the accomplishments of the Romans in this distant, beautiful, mountainous land, for some reason—either this particular time in my life or these particular times in our lives—I found myself reflecting more on the folly of empire.”

Rediscovering Caesar Classics Department Chair Jamie Morris-Kliment enrolled in the Paideia Institute’s program “Caesar in Gaul.”

“I spent two weeks immersed in the beauty and precision of Caesar’s Latin,” Jamie says. “The course, taught by two skilled and acclaimed professors—Luca Grillo from UNC-Chapel Hill and Christopher Krebs from Stanford—opened

my eyes to the complexity of Caesar’s propaganda.”

The pièce de resistance of the trip was the visit to the archaeological site of Bibracte/Mont Beuvray (near modern Autun), an ancient Celtic stronghold. In 1995 the French minister of culture created a research center in the nearby village of Glux-en-Glenne, and since then the European Archaeological Center has been conducting excavations every summer and has supported a special two-week archaeological school for teenagers. Presently, I am in communication with the coordinator of the program to work out arrangements for R.L. boys who may be interested in improving their French and learning the basics of archaeological research next summer.

In addition to Bibracte, Jamie also visited Arles, Nimes, the Pont-du-Gard, Vienne, Lyon, Alesia, and Paris. She enjoyed the coincidence of running into R.L. alum Jackson Fleming ’12 on the Caesar in Gaul program. (Jackson teaches Latin and French at The Loomis Chaffee School.)

Dr. Jill Walsh on social media and adolescents

Jamie Morris-Kliment and Jackson Fleming ’12 (another participant in the Caesar in Gaul program) in front of Jacques-Louis David’s “The Oath of the Horatii” at the Louvre in Paris.

Faculty Professional Development

Every opportunity described below was made possible by the generosity and vision of our donors who support R.L.’s committment to its faculty.

P

hil Kokotailo traveled to Venice and Galway, Ireland, to research an article he wrote on the intersecting relationships of Yeats, his patron/collaborator Lady Augusta Gregory, and her son, Gregory.

Erin Dromgoole attended the conference “Engaging Students in Inquiry and Discussion on International Issues,” sponsored by Brown University, in preparation for her senior elective on current events.

Derek Nelson attended the Favorite Poem Project Summer Institute for Teachers at Boston University. “The blending of the inspirational and the practical (pedagogical) helped re-invigorate my thinking about the teaching of poetry, as well as seeing ways to apply certain lessons on poetry to other literature.”

Billy Quirk continued with his master’s degree coursework at Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English over the summer. His work included writing a critical paper comparing Twain’s Adventures of Huckleberry Finn with Kipling’s Kim. “My conversations about Huck and Jim with Class II boys will, no doubt, be informed by this past summer’s work.” Josh Wildes continued his master’s program “Math for Teaching” at Harvard Extension School. Darian Reid completed his master’s degree at St. John’s College Liberal Arts program this summer, concluding with the History segment, which included Herodotus’ Histories, Augustine’s City of God, Hegel’s Philosophy of History, and Marx’s German Ideology.

“Technology is neither good nor bad—it all depends on how we use it,” Dr. Jill Walsh reminded faculty during opening meetings.

Dr. Walsh is a sociologist, researcher, and lecturer at Boston University, focused on adolescent development and social media use. She aims to help parents and educators establish healthy parameters around teen social media use and foster positive and open communication around technology among parents, schools, and teens.

Dr. Walsh discussed how and where teens spend their time online. “Because we adults don’t necessarily know the scene, or are uncomfortable with it, we ignore it until it reaches a crisis point,” Dr. Walsh says. “We need to reframe our approach. Rather than focusing on the very latest app, we should recognize that—regardless of the medium— young people are facing challenges we know about: social pressures, making good choices, creating healthy boundaries.”

She offered suggestions and insight on how adults can communicate effectively with students on these topics. She also shared her biggest concerns related to adolescents’ online use, such as effects on sleep, emotional contagion, and social comparisons (body image and commercial consumption).

During opening meetings, faculty members also presented to one another findings related to boys’ sleep patterns and technology use throughout the year. “Paying attention to the whole boy,” Headmaster Kerry Brennan underscores, “has been a central part of R.L.’s mission for a long time.” Programs, workshops and courses for boys, focused on topics like sleep, nutrition, and overall wellness (physical, psychological, and emotional) have been modified and expanded each year. All of this work is to better understand and best serve the boys in our care.

Meet Jill Walsh 6 November: Parents’ Auxiliary Meeting 7:30 pm (refreshments @ 7 pm) The Evans Choral Room Jill Walsh will also meet with the Headmaster’s Council on 2 November.

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The 2017-2018 Roxbury Latin Faculty. 1st row: Mr. Teixeira, Prof. Thomsen, Mr. Chappell, Mr. Buckley, Prof. Randall, Mr. Brennan, Prof. Pojman, Mr. Sugg, Prof. Diop, Mrs. Chappell, Mr. Lieb. 2nd row: Mr. Bettendorf, Mr. Ryan, Mr. Quirk, Dr. Stevens, Mr. Guden, Ms. Delaney, Mr. Walsh, Mr. Cervas, Mrs. White, Mr. Opdycke, Dr. Hyde, Mr. Hiatt, Mrs. Dromgoole, Dr. Kokotailo, Dr. Guerra, Mr. Piper, Prof. Reid, Mr. Nelson. 3rd row: Mr. Kingsley, Mr. Solís, Mr. Moore, Dr. Stearns, Dr. McCrory, Prof. Morris-Kliment, Mr. Heaton, Mrs. Carroll, Mr. Wildes, Mr. Matthews, Mr. Kelly, Mr. Poles, Mr. Layne-Allen, Mr. Sokol, Mr. Snider.

Faculty attend IBSC conference in Baltimore Headmaster Kerry Brennan was reelected president of the International Boys’ Schools Coalition (IBSC), his third term, at its conference at Baltimore’s Boys’ Latin School in June. The Coalition was founded in 1995, and it includes 266 schools representing 250,000 boys in 20 countries.

Roxbury Latin faculty regularly attend IBSC conferences, and many faculty members have made presentations, led workshops, and have participated in the Action Research Program. This year’s attendees offered these highlights: Nick Poles appreciated Duncan Byrne, headmaster of Loughborough Grammar School, U.K., on his school’s leadership program that uses an inclusive approach— 20

October 2017

spanning each grade and driven by the ideas of the students. “I am looking forward to incorporating some of the ideas from this model into the R.L. Leadership Summit over the course of this year.”

Tom Guden noted a panel discussion with the three longtime boys’ school educators who were instrumental in establishing the IBSC. “Tony Jarvis, Rick Melvoin, and Rick Hawley spoke about the history of boys’ school education in the U.S. and their desire in forming the IBSC to dispel certain myths about single-sex education.

They also discussed educational trends to pay attention to as we strive to provide the best moral, intellectual, and spiritual education for the students in our care.”

Chris Heaton, selected for the IBSC Action Research Program, is preparing for a year of research and ultimate IBSC presentation in 2018 on the effects of mindfulness on managing stress for cross-country runners. In addition to working with Action Research coordinators, he attended workshops on Harkness technique, technology use, and current events in the classroom.

Kate Chappell attended part two of a workshop that began at last year’s conference on the role of women in boys’ schools.

“I particularly enjoyed having conversations outside of the workshop with young, female teachers who were looking for more guidance and support. I feel like this IBSC conversation is just getting momentum.”

of Holderness School, Mr. Pistey discovered his passion for hockey early in life.

After graduating with a degree in English literature from Gettysburg College, he earned various certifications having to do with rink maintenance and management.

He served several institutions—Phillips Academy-Andover as rink supervisor and then the Park City Arena in Park City, Utah, first as arena operations specialist, and eventually general manager.

Most recently, he was arena operations manager at Whittemore Center Arena in Durham, New Hampshire. Mr. Pistey was lauded here right away for his fine rink management acumen and friendliness.

Jon Pistey, Orlando Patterson, Erin Berg, Myron McLaren

Wecome New Colleagues Part of Roxbury Latin’s treasured continuity as a school is that we are always welcoming new people to our ranks—foremost our 45 new sixies, 13 new members of Class IV, our two new Class V boys, and our single new boy in Class III. This fall we are also pleased to introduce to the community the following four additions to the professional staff of the School.

MYRON McLAREN joins the technology department as technology support specialist. Mr. McLaren grew up in Cambridge, and prior to his arrival this past April he served a range of companies as both a network and systems administrator. A confident, skilled trouble shooter, Mr. McLaren exhibits a friendly, warm touch with all constituents as he navigates thorny technology-related challenges. He is already making himself available in the student center, for boys and adults alike, for all tech questions. A seasoned community basketball coach, Mr. McLaren enjoys the company of our students and will doubtless expand his positive influence during his time here.

ORLANDO PATTERSON comes to us from Tabor Academy, where he served

for the past three years as associate director of admission, football coach, advisor, and dorm parent. A graduate of Tabor, Mr. Patterson went on to graduate from Hobart College where he majored in sociology and starred all four years on the varsity football team. Mr. Patterson taught history and coached at Maine’s Bridgton Academy from which he was recruited to teach, coach, and serve as athletic director at the Blue Ridge School in St. George, Virginia. While heading the football program there, he was selected as the All-State Division II coach of the year; in 2012 his team earned the Division II state championship for Virginia independent schools.

Mr. Patterson joins R.L. as our first director of summer programs, also serving as head varsity football coach and assisting with basketball. This summer he directed our long-standing football clinic. In light of his leadership role in Tabor’s admission efforts, Mr. Patterson will serve as a key member of the Admission Committee.

JON PISTEY has been a fixture here since December 2016, when he joined the Buildings and Grounds team as rink manager and coordinator of facilities rentals.

A New Hampshire native and graduate

ERIN BERG joins the School as our new director of external relations. Mrs. Berg has had a distinguished career in marketing, public relations, and communications. For the past eleven years, she has served Milton Academy as associate director of communication, director of publications and media relations, and, most recently, as chief communications officer. Her work has included coordinating Milton’s print, social media, and other on-line communications; serving as the academy’s chief spokesperson; launching video projects; and generally ensuring that the mission was communicated consistently and well. Prior to Milton, she held positions at Boston University, principally in coordinating communications for their admission efforts. She also worked for a time as an editorial assistant at Houghton Mifflin, an outgrowth of her English and communications major at Villanova University from which she graduated. At Villanova, Mrs. Berg was elected president of her sorority; she was named Villanova Greek Woman of the Year and served as a key member of Villanova’s new student orientation team. At R.L. Mrs. Berg’s work will include elements of her roles at Milton as she leads efforts to ensure that our story is told well, consistently, and robustly and as she helps to plan for the School’s 375th anniversary in two years.

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Secret Lives & Alter Egos After the final grades have been tabulated, the last email sent, and the final meeting attended, R.L. teachers leave campus to embark on three months of relaxation, family, and no one asking, “Can I have an extension?”

Like Achilles without his sword, our faculty might seem a fairly banal bunch without their red pens in hand.

But many of them pick up different instruments once the weather truly warms, and create works unbeknownst to most students. Here, we take a look at two veteran faculty members, Chairman of the Art Department Brian Buckley and Data and Web Systems Manager Ken Hiatt ’93, to see what they do after that final school bell rings.

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When Brian Buckley isn’t teaching about painting, he is busy mixing his own pigments and putting brush to canvas himself. His subjects vary from portrait to landscape to abstractions. “I may do a landscape from a trip I took or a portrait of one of my family members, or just draw from my imagination,” says Brian. “The more abstract ideas take more time to work out, and are actually more challenging and even frustrating at times.”

Brian’s passion for art began a long time ago. In middle school he would draw in class all the time and regularly get in trouble for not paying attention.

“In eighth grade, a kindly old Mother Superior took me aside and encouraged

Ken Hiatt’s off-campus pastime may be one of R.L.’s best kept secrets. For many years he has been playing the accordion after hours in greater Boston venues and beyond. For the last several years he’s been with Banda Raizes, well known in the Brazilian community in Boston. “The accordion is actually the lead instrument, along with the voice, in the style of music that we play—called forro.” Banda Raizes plays for dancers, mostly in the Brazilian clubs in the Boston area—Somerville, Framingham, Lowell. “Every few months we will get down to the Connecticut/New York area, and this summer we

me to use my gift for positive results,” Brian recalls.

“That did it—and I have never looked back.”

even traveled to Houston for some shows.

“The music is fun, beautiful, and challenging.

There is a rich accordion tradition in Brazil, and it has been a real privilege to be immersed in it in a meaningful way for the past few years. I also love the community of dancers and music fans who come to our shows. They are friendly, welcoming, fun people who are passionate about Brazilian culture.”

Ken is drawn to all kinds of music: jazz, Latin, Middle Eastern, Indian, rock.

His favorite album of the moment is from Brazilian composer Hermeto Pascoal, titled “No Mundo dos Sons”

Brian’s subsequent undergraduate and graduate studies in fine art and his long teaching career have informed his own artistic tastes and abilities. “Leonardo, Velasquez, Rembrandt, Manet, Sargent, Duchamp, and Johns have been an inspiration, and all for different reasons.

Mainly I appreciated their inventiveness and skill.”

Brian paints for the sheer pleasure of the process, “scrubbing out the underpainting and building layer upon layer to a satisfying conclusion.” He also paints for a sense of wellbeing and accomplishment—and occasionally for a commission.

“No matter what, I always have a nice gift for someone special in my life.”

(“In the World of Sounds”).

“He really has created his own universe of sound,” Ken says of this artist.

Speaking of cool things our teachers do when not teaching, John Lieb (math) and Andrew Kingsley ’12 (English) are getting pretty famous for their crossword puzzles, if being published regularly in The New York Times is any measure. This summer, they teamed up to create a crossword tournament—Boswords—at R.L. The first-of-itskind-event attracted 149 competitors from all over New England to complete four puzzles, shooting for both speed and accuracy. The top three competitors faced a challenging championship puzzle from former R.L. master (and crossword constructor extraordinaire) David Quarfoot. Here on campus, Mr. Lieb and Mr. Kingsley enjoy their shared interest. “As a duo, we find we work nicely together,” says Andrew, “especially since we can pop into each other’s office during free periods and talk shop.”

What’s your R.L. quotient?

R.L.’s first “Boswords” Tournament, held 6 August in The McNay Palaistra Across 1 Photo’s finish 6 Like R.L. students 10 Stocking stuffer?

15 “The Count of ___ Cristo” 16 Soon, to Shakespeare 17 The founder of our school 18 “Sesame Street” sourpuss 19 Pronoun down South 20 Purchasable Latonics product 21 Germ-free 23 Mr. Buckley’s students, for example 25 Where an R.L. history teacher practices his putting?

28 Case study?

31 Caulfield’s creator 32 “Homeland” network, for short 35 Alexa-enabled device 37 Lin-___ Miranda, Hamilton creator 38 Denny’s rival 39 “Side to Side” singer Grande 41 Like some winter weather 43 Annoyed, after a time 44 United ___ Emirates 48 What boys come to R.L. to do 49 “___ it or lose it!”

50 Where an R.L. biology teacher takes a stroll?

53 Sun, in Señor Ryan’s class

54 Upper-left computer key 55 Come out 56 Take a crack at 57 Pong maker 60 Bamboo-eating bear 63 Washbowl 65 “Song of Solomon” author Morrison 68 Cry from a judge 71 Extremist prefix 72 Bottle filler?

73 Muhammad Ali’s boxing daughter 74 They get played 75 The Emerald ___ 76 An absolute necessity 77 Non-negotiables 78 “Little piggies” 79 Peter, Paul, and Mary Down 1 Whole Foods banes: Abbr.

2 In need of a map 3 ___ upon a time 4 Harsh 5 “Game of Thrones” and “Scandal,” e.g.

6 Bob Ewell’s daughter in “To Kill a Mockingbird” 7 Santa ___ winds 8 iMessage chuckle

9 10 11 12 13 14 22 24 26 27 28 29 30 32 33 34 36 38 40 42 44 45 46 47 51

Blow up, as a picture Two-___ (small car) Dramatic poker bet Pen points Speak highly of Devices you can bank on, for short Source of Peruvian wool Film library inventory ___ and yang Bearded African animal The “L” of I.S.L. What this answer isn’t Where an R.L. French teacher lords over serfs?

Where an R.L. Director of Finance catches ballgames?

Genre of “The Exorcist” and “The Shining” In plain sight Granola grain “___ had it up to here!”

Classic drama of Japan Reindeer’s kin Comes clean Mr. ___ (old board game similar to Clue) Big I.R.S. month Instrument with continuous sound Suffix with law or saw

52 “Crying Game” actor Stephen 58 Needing a nap 59 “Why, what ___ am I” (Hamlet line) 61 “Dunkirk” director Christopher 62 Department directed by Mr. Nelson 63 Overcook on a grill 64 Common lotion ingredient 66 Excessively 67 World’s longest river 69 Ultimatum’s end 70 “Darn it!”

Andrew Kingsley ’12 graciously produced this R.L.-themed puzzle for the pleasure of R.L. community word freaks. Mr. Kingsley’s NYTimes Crossword stats include eight published puzzles since his debut in April 2016.

Mr. Lieb, who debuted in 2013, has seen eleven of his creations appear in the venerable publication. Sam Trabucco ’11 is another Quarfoot-Lieb product whose puzzles have made The New York Times.

Answers to the puzzle are on page 32.

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Three new trustees join the Board The School is honored to announce the appointment of the following individuals to the Board of Trustees and gratefully anticipates their coming years of service:

Michael S. Berk is a managing director at TA Associates, a global private equity firm headquartered in Boston, at which he has worked since 2004. At TA he co-leads the North American business and financial services group, sits on the Core Investment and Portfolio Committees, and has oversight responsibility for the firm’s Asia investment efforts. In addition to sitting on several TA-owned corporate boards of directors, Michael also is on the board of the American Investment Council and the Harvard Cooperative Society. He graduated from Harvard College in 1992 with a concentration in East Asian Studies and subsequently earned a JD from Harvard Law School and an MBA from Harvard Business School. Michael lives in Newton with his wife Ellen, daughter Sophie, and two boys, Adam (Class II) and Daniel (Class IV). Michael has been a member of the Roxbury Latin Finance Committee for the past three years, and he and Ellen chaired the R.L. Parent Fund last year.

Ellen Fels Berkman is an attorney in the Office of the General Counsel at Harvard University where she advises the university in connection with investigations and litigation, faculty and student affairs, and regulatory matters. Before joining Harvard, she was a partner with the law firms of Baker Botts L.L.P. and Miller, Cassidy, Larroca & Lewin, L.L.P., in Washington, D.C., where she concentrated her practice in the areas of complex civil litigation and criminal defense. Ellen received her BA magna cum laude with highest honors from Harvard College and attended Columbia Law School, where she was an editor of the Columbia Law Review. Following law school, she clerked for the Honorable Joyce Hens Green of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia. Ellen is vice chair of the board of Mass Humanities, the state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. She lives in Brookline with her husband, David Bryant, and their two children, Ben (Class I) and Lily (a freshman at Noble and Greenough).

James A. Hamilton ’91 is the associate head for external affairs at Brooks School, overseeing admission, alumni and development, and communications and marketing. This is Jim’s second stint at Brooks, having spent the first six years of his school career working in Brooks’ admission office. In the intervening nine years, he was the director of admission and financial aid at St. George’s School in Newport, R.I. Jim currently serves on the board of trustees at Shore Country Day School. Jim earned an undergraduate degree from Amherst College and his MA in Liberal Studies from Wesleyan University.

A member of Roxbury Latin’s Class of 1991, Jim is a devoted alumnus of Alma Mater: he served for three years on the Alumni Council in the mid 2000s and is currently a member of the Headmaster’s Council. He is also an active alumnus of Amherst—serving as a class agent since 2015. Jim’s wife, Lucy, is also a long-time educator and coach. They live in North Andover with their three children.

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The Beaver Brook Tradition, for R.L.’s Newest Boys

Members of the Class of 1982 as sixies at Beaver Brook in 1976.

(Assistant Headmaster Bill Chauncey completes the circle.)

BEAVER BROOK WHERE IT BEGINS Beaver Brook 2017 (Class of 2023)

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The Beaver Brook Tradition

O

n a Friday in early September, 45 sixies traveled north to Beaver Brook in Hollis, New Hampshire, for R.L.’s overnight orientation of its newest members—a tradition since the 1960s.

Seventeen members of the faculty and staff accompanied the boys along with twelve seniors who served as group leaders. With campsites, an education center, and 35 miles of trails, Beaver Brook offers a perfect setting for new classmates to get to know one another in a non-school context.

After hiking their gear to their campsites, the boys tested their R.L. knowledge (and honed their negotiation skills) as they answered as many questions as they could about their new school: How old will Roxbury Latin be when you graduate? Who is the School’s founder? What’s the name of the School newspaper? After lunch in the sun, groups of boys and adult leaders set off with maps and compasses in hand, ori-

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enteering their way through checkpoints around the reservation and completing a photo scavenger hunt along the way. They also competed and assisted one another through a challenge course before some games and free time.

After dinner, as is tradition, the group settled in to watch the original 1957 version of the film Twelve Angry Men. The seniors (remembering their own Beaver Brook experience) then led a discussion of the film—what they learned and how it relates to their lives at School. Afterward, there was time for a round of the math game FlipFlop and renditions of The Founder’s Song around the campfire, and, of course, s’mores.

On Saturday morning, boys prepared to break down their campsites, but not before writing a letter to themselves, to be opened five years from now at their senior retreat.

For all its tradition, the Beaver Brook trip has changed in small ways, says Sixie

Senior leaders Mahamud Hashi, Andrew White, Zach Levin, Jake Sporn, Zach Milton, Robert Crawford, and Joe Nero. (Not pictured: Ayinde Best, Ben Bryant, Connor Dowd, Cole Englert, Paul Kuechler.)

Class Master Kate Chappell, who has coordinated the trip for the past 15 years. The length of stay is shorter, and meals align more with current notions of a healthy diet, for example. But the core activities have remained intact for more than 50 years, and the seniors can always be counted on as purveyors of Roxbury Latin lore.

Mrs. Chappell sees the Beaver Brook experience as one of the many ways that the School puts into action its concern for the kind of person a boy is. Activities and conversations, led by faculty and seniors, focus on character, reputation, cooperation, teamwork, and being a part of something bigger than oneself. They highlight the School’s core values of honesty, respect, and concern for others, while also providing some serious fun.

“I am always impressed with the energy level of the sixies and their willingness to partake in all the challenges we give them,” says Mrs. Chappell. “Having spent 24 hours unplugged from their normal, daily lives, the boys leave Beaver Brook with a feeling of belonging, a better sense of their new school, and new relationships among their classmates, the seniors, and the faculty.”

At the conclusion of this year’s trip, Mrs. Chappell was walking with a couple of sixies to the bus when one said, “How do the seniors get picked for this trip? I really want to be picked in five years!”

Beaver Brook 1976 (Class of 1982 as sixies)

A Beaver Brook Legacy

“I

first stepped foot on the grounds of Beaver Brook in 1980 when I was five years old. My Dad, Marcus Hurlbut, was R.L.’s dean of students at the time, and he brought my brother and me along for the sixie orientation trip. I have one clear memory from that event: While running around the wall that surrounds the campfire, my brother tripped and broke his arm.

R.L. history master Steve Ward rushed us off in his station wagon to the hospital.

“Fast-forward 17 years to 1997 and I am back at Beaver Brook as a first-year R.L. teacher.

For the past 21 years, I have attended Beaver Brook each September (with the exception of a couple of years when R.L. ventured to a different location) with our newest members of the School. Even after two decades, it never gets old. The activities and discussions don’t change much, but the people do. That’s what keeps each year exciting and new.” —Kate Chappell

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Fa cul t y Sp o tl i ght P h il Ko ko ta il o

Dr. Phil Kokotailo is the Deane Family Dean of Faculty and chair of the English Department.

“O

ne of the great joys of reading literature comes not only from learning or analyzing, but also from feeling deeply,” says Dr. Phil Kokotailo. He has been teaching English for 30 years, and has crafted an interdisciplinary approach that pairs, for instance, the writings of Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, and F. Scott Fitzgerald—in his Americans in Paris course—with a study of the Cubist art and post-impressionist paintings that Stein collected, or Woody Allen’s screenplay Midnight in Paris, or the music of Cole Porter.

“Literature is always informed by history, art, music—so being able to analyze and understand those forms only makes us better students of English,” Dr. Kokotailo says.

In his eleventh year at Roxbury Latin, Dr. Kokotailo has taught students from sixies to seniors. He is also chair of the English Department and the Deane Family Dean of Faculty—focused on hiring new teachers and developing faculty at all

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stages of their careers.

In bringing new faculty to R.L., he says that most satisfying is “hiring someone who is not only a good fit for Roxbury Latin, who is invested in its culture and values, but who also enriches us by bringing something new to the School.” In addition to helping orient new faculty, he coordinates professional development opportunities, such as summer conferences or work toward graduate degrees. He seeks to cultivate an environment where educators are supported and can grow in their profession. Bringing outside expertise to campus—as he did this summer, with Dr. Jill Walsh (see page 21)—keeps faculty informed on a range of topics related to the development and wellness of boys.

“Teaching at R.L. is so gratifying because the boys respect learning,” he says. “They’re invested in the process, and the faculty are too. They care about the boys as people as much as they care about their subjects.”

Today, when there’s such emphasis on pre-professional training, Dr. Kokotailo believes that studying literature is particularly important. For instance, he contends that all adolescent boys—whether they become engineers or physicians or painters—should read The Great Gatsby and The Odyssey for the values they promote.

“It’s important to me that I practice not only what I preach, but what I teach,” he says. Each summer, Dr. Kokotailo gives himself a writing assignment—perhaps literary criticism, description of a landscape, portions of a memoir. He also spends driving time each summer listening to the audio version of Great Expectations—a book he’s read half a dozen times and that holds particular meaning for him. For Phil, an avid traveler and a fisherman devoted to his corner of the Adirondacks, these literary activities round out a summer that recharges him for the vigorous energy that surges on campus come late August.

S mi th S ch ola rs

Dr. Michael McElroy

Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz

The Hon. Gina McCarthy

Dr. Maria Ivanova

2017-18 Smith Scholar Series: Global Climate Change Eleven years ago Robert and Salua Smith established the Robert P. Smith ’58 International Fellowship so that Roxbury Latin could bring visiting scholars to campus each year, enhancing our curricula with their insightful perspectives on our increasingly complex world. Over the years, these scholars have educated us on such topics as economic globalizaton in Africa, modernization in China and India, the modern Middle East, Latin American literature, and the history and legacy of World War I. This year, for the first time, the Smith Scholar Series will focus on a global issue that is based in science. The earth’s climate is changing at an unprecedented rate, and the ways in which different countries are addressing these challenges will have far reaching economic, social, and political impacts for all nations of the world. In the coming months, Roxbury Latin will hear from four thought- leaders working in the field of climate science and policy who will share their expertise and perspectives on this important global issue.

Dr. Michael McElroy Harvard University Dr. McElroy has been teaching at Harvard University since 1970 and is one of the world’s most distinguished atmospheric scientists. Much of his research has focused on climate change, including the public policy challenges posed by rapid industrialization in countries such as China and India. Dr. McElory will lead off the climate series by teaching us the fundamental science of climate change. He will also share his perspective on the state of our national and global efforts to address it, as well as his vision for a lowcarbon energy future.

Dr. Anthony Leiserowitz Yale University Dr. Leiserowitz is an expert on American and international public opinion on global climate change. His research investigates the psychological, cultural, political, and geographic factors that drive public environmental perception and behavior. He will speak about global perspectives on climate change and some of the reasons why public opinion

varies so significantly across different constituencies.

The Hon. Gina McCarthy U.S. EPA Administrator (2013–2017) A career public servant in both Democratic and Republican administrations, Gina McCarthy has been in the forefront of our nation’s environmental policy initiatives for more than thirty years, most recently serving in President’s Obama’s Cabinet as Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. Ms. McCarthy will talk about the groundbreaking work she did to advance the nation’s Climate Action Plan and Clean Power Plan, both of which helped spur international efforts to secure the Paris Climate Agreement. She will also share her insights on the current state of U.S. and global climate policy.

Dr. Maria Ivanova University of Massachusetts Dr. Ivanova is an international relations and environmental policy scholar. Her research focuses on environmental sustainability, international

environmental institutions and their performance, and the science-policy interface. She is a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the U.N. Secretary-General and a board member of the U.N. University Institute for the Advanced Study of Sustainability. Dr. Ivanova will speak about global cooperation on climate change, including her work with the United Nations and her perspective on the historic Paris Climate Agreement.

Since 2007, R.L. has been privileged to host the following International Fellows: Guilain Denoeux (2007–08) Diane Moore (2008–09) Momar Dieng (2009–10) Alexander Akin (2010–11) Avinash Singh (2011–12) Andrew J. Bacevich (2012–13) Hispanic series (2013–14): Gary Urton David Carrasco Maria Victoria Murillo Roberto Goizueta Junot Díaz Classical series (2014–15): Jay Samons Andrew Goldman Michael Neiberg (2015–16) Ilan Stavans (2016–17)

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Reunion: 11-12 May 2018 The class notes section of school magazines is the first stop for alumni readers. Give them something to read about and send your news to alumni@roxburylatin.org

class notes 1950 Last February, John Tedeschi was honored with a festschrift, a collection of writings published in honor of a scholar, with contributions from scholars in Italy, Israel, and the U.S. (L’inquisizione romana e gli eretici, eds. Andrea Del Col & Anne Jacobson Schutte).

1970 Mark Peters has been spending a majority of his time in Maine since retiring after 33 years as a physician’s assistant. He sends

his regards to his classmates and friends of the School!

1984 LaRoy Brantley was recently hired by Meketa Investment Group, a global investment consulting firm as a principal and consultant. Previously, LaRoy worked at Cambridge Associates, where he served as a managing director. Mr. Brantley is based in Meketa’s Boston office.

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1994 Whit Collier raised money for Cure Alzheimer’s Fund during a recent trip to Oregon, where he kite-surfed over 100 miles on Floras Lake. (www.curealz.org/ heroes/whit-collier)

1987

1995

Mike Earley continues his academic career as assistant head of school at Falmouth Academy in Falmouth, Massachusetts. He also teaches French and coaches for the school’s basketball and lacrosse programs.

In June, Bo Menkiti, founder and CEO of The Menkiti Group and Keller Williams Capital Properties, received the Entrepreneur of the Year 2017 Award in the Services category for the Mid-Atlantic region at a gala event held in Virginia.

1989

Professor of History emeritus Steve Ward sent this photo in for the benefit of alumni from the ’70s who might enjoy remembering where Joseph Warren used to stand. He writes: “This picture was taken in 1976 or 1977 as I was finishing my master’s thesis on Dr. Joseph Warren through Wesleyan University.

The car is on the School driveway and the picture was taken near the gate house looking toward St. Theresa’s. Joe was one lonely soul out in the wilderness before Tony (Jarvis) pulled him in.”

and his wife Amy welcomed their third child, Kelleigh Lynn Hickman, who weighed in at 8 lbs, 0.4 oz. He writes, “Both mother and daughter are doing great.”

Jack O’Brien was married to Ms. Hyeonyi Oh of Paju, Korea, last December at the Marin Civic Center in San Rafael, California.

They met while Hyeonyi was completing her master’s degree in computer animation at Academy of Art University in San Francisco.

1999 The Rev. Eric Cadin was featured in a story in the Boston

Whit Collier ’94 kite-surfed over 100 miles as part of a fundraiser for Cure Alzheimer’s.

Sunday Globe of 3 September that described his role as the Archdiocese’s recruitment “front man.”

2000 Jake Ramey married Kayla Rousos on 24 June in Calistoga, California, with a host of R.L. brothers in attendance.

1991 In August, Barry Hickman became the 77th President of the Security Traders Association of New York (STANY) representing financial services industry professionals in New York and the tri-state area. In September, he

Ramey Wedding. Front row: Jake Grossman ’00, Calvin Hui ’00, Kayla Rousos, Jake Ramey ’00, Luke Robertson ’00, Tim Pingree ’02. Back row: Peter Schaefer ’00, Eben Pingree ’00, Graham Pingree ’97, and Andrew Spencer ’00.

class notes

In August, Kyle Layne-Allen ’09, Colgan Johnson ’99, Nagib Charles ’01, Scott Martin ’09, Cliff Jones ’97, and Marcus O’Mard ’98 (in front) got together for a day of service at the Greater Boston Food Bank. They joined 31 other volunteers to sort the 15,540 pounds of food and 13,896 pounds of packaged goods needed for making 11,580 meals for those in need across the state.

2001 In July, Jean-Pierre Jacquet became the director of secondary school counseling and assistant head of upper school at AllenStevenson School. Prior to this he was the upper school dean of students at the Berkeley Carroll School since 2013.

2002 Andrew Eyre appeared on an NBC Nightly News segment on 12 August as part of the team from Brigham and Women’s Hospital helping NASA to train astronauts to become doctors in space.

Jamie Kirchick is a visiting fellow in the Center on the United States and Europe and Project on International Order and Strategy at the Brookings Institution.

The World Surf League (WSL) appointed Joseph Carr as its Chief Strategy Officer and Head of International. In partnership with the senior management

Sam August ’09 (right) met up with classmate Thad Kull on the New Hampshire portion of Thad’s Appalachian trail voyage.

team, he will be responsible for overseeing the League’s strategy and brand development.

2008 Roger Creel choreographed his first evening-length ballet, Lady Lear, for the Louisville Ballet (Kentucky). The work condenses Shakespeare’s King Lear to eight characters, 90 minutes, and two acts, while tracking the narrative of the original. It was performed free for the public in Louisville’s Central Park in August.

Major League Soccer player Aaron Maund begins his career as a Vancouver Whitecap after a four-year career with Utah’s Real Salt Lake (RSL) franchise.

He was the 2015 RSL defensive player of the year and RSL’s 2017 leader in clearances, aerials won, and blocks.

2009 Chris Muto wed Alex Ong on Labor Day weekend at Moraine

2009 classmates Matt Neelon, Peter Kohli, Alex Ong (bride), Chris Muto, Alex Cherenfant, Corey Rosenberg, Sam August, and Joe Tagliente at classmate Chris Muto’s Labor Day weekend wedding. (Missing: Kyle Layne-Allen)

Farm in Beverly, Massachusetts.

The couple celebrated alongside family, loved ones, and friends from their college alma mater, Duke University. R.L. classmates Sam August, Alex Cherenfant, Peter Kohli, Kyle Layne-Allen, Matt Neelon, Corey Rosenberg, and Joe Tagliente (best man) were also in attendance.

Thad Kull writes, “After several years spent teaching in Arkansas, I thru-hiked the Appalachian Trail northbound from April to September, and the support of my classmates helped enormously.”

Pat Murphy and Brendan Hanrahan hosted him in New York and Boston, respectively, where he also caught up with classmates Kyle Layne-Allen, Jordan Leites, Scott Martin, and Justin Berry ’11.

Tad and Nick Poles missed crossing paths in the White Mountains by just hours, but Tad was soon joined by Sam August and his dad for a day of hiking. He benefited from valuable wisdom passed on by Zack Hardoon ’05, who this year started and finished the trail ahead of Tad. Tad starts a new job in Washington, D.C., in October.

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class notes 2010

Help us find your classmates

Alec Joyner entered the PhD program in English and Comparative Literature at Columbia University this fall.

If you have any information that would help us locate the graduates listed below please email julie.garvey@ roxburylatin.org.

2014 Rob Shaw, Martin Buckley ’15, and Sean Lowrie ’15 joined Isaac Krier’s Haverford teammates in August for the 2nd Annual “Jack Jam.” The tournament, held at Governor’s Academy, honored the passing of Colby College Men’s Lacrosse coach, Jack Sandler, and benefitted scholarships for youth lacrosse.

This summer Luke Roberts worked as a data analyst at OneUnited Bank in Boston, which included evaluating the bank’s social media strategy. This fall he begins an internship at Columbia’s Center for Sustainable Investment, which works with the law school and Earth Institute to do research and consulting for companies interested in foreign direct investment.

Patrick Benzan, a sophomore at Holy Cross, was among four Crusaders selected to the 2017 Patriot League Academic Honor Roll for

Mickey Henry ’13 holding the trophy as University of Michigan seniors celebrate winning the men’s and women’s national championships at the USIBA boxing nationals 25 March in Lexington, Virginia.

the second straight year. He was one of just 50 student-athletes from men’s basketball teams around the league to earn a spot on the honor roll, which requires a grade point average of 3.2 or higher during the spring semester.

2015 In July, Peter Cahill and two Dorchester friends organized their third Dot Pot Street Hockey Tournament. Complete with all-day raffles and music, the fundraiser each year benefits a local family in need.

2016 Yanson Chang spent his summer in New York City as an intern in the tech department of Scholastic Corporation in Rockefeller Center working on continuous integration software for their online modules.

2017 Felix Wang was selected as a 2017 Davidson Fellow for his work in mathematics, “Functional Equations in Complex Analysis and Number Theory.” Felix is a freshman at Stanford University.

David H. Rubenstein ’58 Walter M. Furman ’63 William J. Milling ’63 Derek G. Stevens ’63 Richard P. Tritter ’63 David S. Douglas ’68 Philip Pruitt ’73 Robert G. Shapiro ’73 Richard K. Sprenger ’73 Timothy F. Burke ’78 Miller C. Chin ’78 Joseph K. Davis ’78 Chris F. Kiely ’78 Michael A. Masone ’78 Melvin C. McKenzie ’78 Michael L. Offen ’78 Anthony G. Quinn ’78 Gary A. White ’78 Michael L. Fitzgerald ’83 Eric Moy ’83 Peter A. O’Connor ’83 Matthew J. McDonald ’88 Peter J. Molineaux ’88 Brendan P. O’Malley ’88 Robert J. Reardon ’88 Timothy C. Boyle ’98 Andrew D. Cantor ’03 John M. Doerr ’03 Dakota H. Jones ’03 Michael J. Podolsky ’03 Joshua A. Sayles ’03 Boping Lai ’08 Marcell Budavari ’13

Answers to the puzzle on page 19:

Peter Cahill ’15 (middle) joins his Dot Pot Street Hockey Tournament organizers Ryan Sweeney and Tim Galvin for a photo opp during this year’s Dot Pot Street Hockey Tournament.

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J u ly 2 0 1 7

Matt Ellison ’14 and R.L.’s former director of operations, faculty member, and coach Ed Ellison reached the summit of Mt. Kilimanjaro in August.

Class of 2013 Update NB: Your 5th Reunion is on the horizon (11-12 May 2018) Chris Balthazard graduated magna cum laude in May from Georgetown with a BS in computer science and with minors in math and government. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He is currently teaching geometry and computer science for Teach for America at Banneker High School in the metro Atlanta region.

Kurt Bullard graduated cum laude from Harvard in May with an AB in statistics. He has taken a position as an associate consultant with Bain and Company in Boston.

Gregory Bunce earned his BSE, cum laude, from Duke in May, with a mechanical engineering major and a computer science minor. He was inducted into Pi Tau Sigma Mechanical Engineering Honor Society. This summer he held an engineering internship at STEMCO in Hayward, California. This fall he begins a three-year program at EnPro’s EDGE Rotational Program in Mechanical Engineering.

Matt Deveney graduated cum laude from Harvard in May with

a SB in economics and with a minor in computer science. He moved to New York City in July to begin employment as an analyst at Peter J. Solomon Investment Bank.

Ryan Dukeman graduated summa cum laude from Princeton with an AB from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa and received the Richard H. Ullman Prize for Best Thesis in U.S. Foreign Policy. Ryan spent the summer traveling through Europe and Asia (including Denmark, Holland, and France with classmates JB Gough, Luke Scheuer, Brion Morrissey-Bickerton, and Dan Wang) and this fall joined Deloitte Consulting in Washington, D.C., as a federal analyst.

Ethan Faust graduated magna cum laude from Davidson College in May with his bachelor’s degree in English and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. He is currently teaching at the Gilman School in Maryland as part of the Independent School Teaching Residency—a program

of UPenn’s Graduate School of Education that leads to a master’s degree. (Beginning this year, Roxbury Latin has led the cohort of day schools partnering with UPenn in this program and is sponsoring two of our youngest faculty—Kyle Layne-Allen ’09 and Andrew Kingsley ’12.)

Guy Green received his bachelor’s degree in government from Dartmouth in June. He is currently working at a law firm in Boston and is considering law school in the future.

Mickey Henry graduated with high distinction from the University of Michigan, completing a double major in economics and environment studies. As a sophomore he cofounded Epsilon Eta, an environmental professional fraternity, and served as its vice president of finance. He was named a James B. Angell Scholar, Graham Institute Sustainability Scholar, a Penny and Roe Stamps Leadership Scholar, and a Lee J. Steffenhagen Scholar, and received the William J. Branstrom Freshman Prize. He was captain of the UM Boxing Team and the 2016 USIBA Welterweight National Champion. “Magic Mike” led his team to a USIBA national championship in March at Virginia Military Institute. His post-grad plans include moving to Lusaka, Zambia, to work for IDinsight, an economic development consulting NGO. Nick Kirsch graduated cum laude from Columbia in May with a BA in philosophy and music. He Members of the Class of 2013 as sixies at Beaver Brook in 2007: Paul Matthews, Seth McNay, Warren Bunnell, and Nick Salinger.

plans to stay in New York City and work as a musician.

Nathan Leach received his BA in English and religion from Williams in June. Among his awards were the Lawrence Travel Fellowship, the William Sloan Coffin Prize for Passionate Public Speaking on Spirituality and Faith, the H. Ganse Little Jr. Prize in Religious Studies, and the William W. Kleinhandler Prize for Excellence in Music. Nathan also served as the student conductor of the Williams College Concert Choir.

Nathan’s future plans include attending divinity school.

Paul Matthews received his bachelor’s degree in economics and French from Tufts University this spring. He is working as an advisor at Concord Wealth Management in Waltham.

Seth McNay took a year with the Yale Whiffenpoofs as a gap year, and has now returned to Yale for his senior year. He joins fellow R.L. classmates Cam Ferguson and Patrick Sullivan, who also took gap years before freshman year, as Yale seniors.

Bobby Pinkham earned his BA in English, summa cum laude, from Union College in June. He was the recipient of the David Brind Memorial Prize in English, and the Hans Hainebach Memorial Prize in Judaica. He is considering graduate school with an eye to teaching English at the secondary or college level. This summer he worked on Starr Island off the coast of New Hampshire and attended the Skidmore College Summer Writers Institute.

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SAVE THE DATES

2013 Update (cont’d)

for upcoming fall alumni events:

Jay Andrew Robinson graduated magna cum laude from Columbia in May with a BA in economics.

Nicholas Salinger earned a BS in applied mathematics from Emory in May. He has begun a manager-in-training position at Hillstone Restaurant Group in New York City.

Dan Wang graduated magna cum laude from Brown in May with a BS in applied mathematics and computer science. He has accepted a position as a federal strategy and operations analyst at Deloitte in Washington, D.C., beginning in the fall.

Tom Warner earned a BS in physics, with merit, from the United States Naval Academy in May. His next stop is the Naval Nuclear Power Training Command in Charleston, South Carolina, to train to become a submarine officer.

Saturday, 14 October

RE NION!

Homecoming & Family Day Cookout 12 pm: Presentation for alumni considering an independent school for their sons or daughters

by Admission Director Billy Quirk ’04 on the ins and outs of the application process

SAVE THE DATE: 11-12 May 2018

12:30 pm: Cookout 1 pm: Varsity games begin

Class years ending in 3 and 8

Thursday, 26 October Founder’s Day Pub Night 6:30-8:30 pm, Clerys Pub 113 Dartmouth St., Boston

Thursday, 9 November NYC Alumni Reception 6:30-8:30 pm, Aretsky’s Patroon 160 E. 46th Street, NYC

Friday, 24 November Young Alumni Holiday Social 6:30-8:30 pm, Coppersmith’s 40 W. Third Street, South Boston

Friday, 1 December Sly Voxes’ Holiday Concert & Community Messiah Sing 8 pm, Rousmaniere Hall

Tuesday, 19 December Alumni Holiday Party for R.L. ’14, ’15, ’16 & ’17 4-6 pm, Headmaster’s House

Wednesday, 20 December Holiday Glee Club Concerts 4:30 & 7:30 pm, Rousmaniere Hall

2018

REUNION! Friday & Saturday, 11-12 May Friday, 11 May: R.L. Today Saturday, 12 May: Family Day and Reunion Dinner

SAVE THE DATES!

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October 2017

In order that we might honor our deceased alumni, we ask survivors and friends to kindly send information to alumni@roxburylatin.org

in memoriam 1941: Douglas Donahue Douglas Donahue, of Norwell, died peacefully, surrounded by his family, on 12 February 2017 at the age of 94, after a sevenyear struggle with Alzheimer’s.

A childhood resident of Jamaica Plain, Douglas was the son of Isabelle (Cairns) and Joseph Joyce Donahue and the brother of Robert and David. He came to Roxbury Latin in 1936. Acknowledging his fondness for his R.L. days, he reminisced in a 1991 letter to the School about wrestling under Bert Kelsey’s guidance and the white flannel trousers he wore on his graduation 50 years earlier (which still fit him well into later years). He was proud of his school and cherished the friendships he made there. Douglas matriculated at Dartmouth College and graduated in 1945. While still at Dartmouth he enlisted in the Marine Corps with 20 other Dartmouth classmates and joined the V-12 program on campus. He later saw active duty along the Pacific. Following his military service he started a career in the wool business and operated the firm Donahue-Draper Corp, a purveyor of wools from South America, until his retirement in 1989. Douglas enjoyed sailing, was an accomplished equestrian, and an avid swimmer. He and Dorothy, his wife of 69 years, raised six children and cherished enjoyable years on their sailboat “Aegis” and at their family cottage on Panther Pond in Maine.

Douglas will be remembered for pride in his Irish heritage, passion for adventure, and irreverent sense of humor. He is predeceased by a daughter, Darby Ann. He leaves his wife and sons Douglas Jr., David Alexander, Duncan

Andrew; daughters Dale Alison O’Brien, Daphne Alexandra Hoffman; and 15 grandchildren.

1947: Clarence K. Davis Clarence K. “King” Davis of Clinton, New York, died on 13 July—his birthday—at the age of 89. He was the only child of Barbara (King) and Richard Mott Davis of West Roxbury. He entered Roxbury Latin in 1941.

He was nicknamed “Chet” by his classmates and was known for torturing his professors with his sense of humor. Elected class president, he won the spelling prize and was editor of Tripod and co-editor for its sports section. He played center on the undefeated football team of 1947. In a note to the School in 1983, King wrote, “It gives me pleasure to see RLS lead the way in secondary education… our class’s six exciting years at RLS continue to endure.” King graduated from Harvard in 1951 with a degree in geology (following in the footsteps of his grandfather, William Morris Davis, who taught geology at Harvard). The same year, he enlisted in the Marines and, after serving in Korea as a photographic interpreter, he was honorably discharged in 1953 at the rank of captain. He was awarded the Korean Service medal with three stars and the United Nations Service Medal.

King earned his master’s degree at Cornell and met his bride, Mary Wilcox, there. Their son, Jeff, was born in 1956 and the family settled in Clinton, New York. King worked as a civilian employee in the Air Force and developed a reputation as an expert in the field of high altitude photographic engineering. He later served as a consultant in the aerospace

The Class of 1947 ”Hearties,” including the late C. King Davis ’47, honored the School’s 350th anniversary in 1995 with two R.L. coats of arms. This plaque is mounted inside Rousmaniere Hall.

industry. In his spare time, King enjoyed following professional sports; socializing over bridge and cribbage; tending his vegetable garden, apple trees, and tulip poplars; and caring for his two German shepherds. He charmed people almost instantly with his good nature and sense of humor and was loved by many. He is survived by his son, Jeff, of Richmond, Virginia, and Jeff ’s two stepchildren. Mary, his wife of 62 years, passed away last March.

1971: Jonathan G. Kahn Roxbury Latin regrets that it only recently learned of Mr. Kahn’s death in 2004. We are grateful to classmate John Rodman ’71 who provided the information.

Jonathan Kahn passed away on 27 December 2004. He was 51.

The son of Shirley (Berlin) and Arnold Kahn of Wayland and the late Julius Goldbarg, he was also the brother of Jill Kahn and Jeffrey Goldbarg ’66. At Roxbury Latin, Assistant Headmaster Warden Dillworth recognized

Jonathan for his strength in math and his conscientiousness as an academician. Jonathan’s fondest memories of the School included “working on a videotape production of comedy and drama, and working under the tutelage of his teachers Mr. Bridges, Mr. Dilworth, and Mr. Whitney.”

Classmate Steve Simoni attested to Jonathan’s comedic touch in a note after his passing: “His RLS classmates will miss his wit, intelligence, and sense of humor.”

Outside of the classroom, Jonathan was a manager for the soccer and baseball teams, an editor for school news publications, and a member of the computer club.

Throughout his R.L. tenure, he played baseball, soccer, tennis, and track and field. Jonathan received a degree in psychology from George Washington University in 1976. He enjoyed traveling between Europe and Mexico and spent time working as an engineer for several tech firms including Burroughs Corporation, Wang Laboratories, and Meadowlark Enterprises.

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requiescat in pace Terrell J. “Terry” Iandiorio, Class of 1989 Terrell J. “Terry” Iandiorio tragically drowned off Nantucket on 16 August. A member of the Class of 1989, he received his AB from Harvard in 1993. After teaching in Africa and at Belmont Hill School, he went on to the University of Chicago Law School, returning to Boston to Ropes & Gray where he became counsel to the firm’s government enforcement group; he did a notably large amount of pro bono work. He received the Denis Maguire Award from the Boston Bar Association Volunteer Lawyers Project and the Outstanding Medical-Legal Partnership Pro Bono Advocacy Award from the American Bar Association. He is survived by his wife, Ann, a mathematics teacher at Belmont Hill; their two young children, Mason and Ellery; and by his father Joseph, sister Quenby, and brothers Caley ’97 and Brady ’99. A fund has been established in his memory at youcaring.com—enter Iandiorio in the search box.

The following reminiscence was offered

by Terry’s classmate, Ryan McDonough, at the memorial service, Hamilton Chapel, Belmont Hill, on 25 August, at which his classmate Jake Shapiro played a Bach Sarabande on the cello.

T

, as most of us called him, was one of the best people I’ve ever known. I met him when we started 7th grade at The Roxbury Latin School in 1983. We were twelve years old. We spent the next six years learning a lot, growing up a bit, and becoming closer and closer friends.

T was small and very young looking from 7th grade straight through graduation in 1989. But his heart was huge and his brain mammoth. He was pretty much a fully developed adult in a child’s body. He was always a man among boys.

Terry had a self-confidence that came from a total lack of self. He had unquestioned purpose. He immersed himself in life and experience and in helping others without worrying about what he needed or how he could make himself happy. He was always concerned with doing the right thing, whatever it was and whatever it cost him, simply because it was the right thing. He always put others before himself. As long as I knew him, he was way more interested in how you were doing than how he was.

T was funny and edgy and irreverent, but never mean. Salty and paint-splashed. Entirely entertaining and always endearing.

And if he were here right now, he’d be embarrassed and annoyed that I’m saying all these nice things about him. He’d say something self-deprecating, quote a funny movie, and suggest we get out of here and get a beer. Then he’d remember I don’t drink and say, 36

October 2017

“How about a Fresca?” And mean it.

Terry hated being acknowledged for his accomplishments, and he had many. He just didn’t believe he deserved something special for simply doing what he was supposed to do. It was his job to do the best he could. And he always thought he could have done a little bit better. But before I talk about his annoying humility, I want to talk about something even more frustrating about him: Terry ruined the curve.

At R.L., Terry was always top of the class in everything, but you’d never know it from him. He never talked about his grades.

But it was a pretty small world, so we figured out eventually that this down-to-earth kid who loved to play sports any chance he could, who didn’t use particularly big words in conversation, and who was always as anxious as any of us that he wasn’t doing well enough at Roxbury Latin, was in fact destroying his classes, one A at a time.

But nobody resented T for making us all look bad. Maybe it was because he was just such a cool kid; you couldn’t dislike him for that or anything else. Or because he pretty much tutored anyone who asked him, myself included. And believe me, we asked him.

I would call him late on a weeknight and hold him hostage for an hour as I walked him through my English paper. He’d listen patiently, and only after I insisted on his critical feedback, he’d give some outstanding insight that I would usually ignore because I just wanted him to say it was awesome the way it was.

As hard as Terry was on himself, he never judged anyone else.

He might get frustrated with people, but he accepted them for who they were and seemed to believe they were doing the best they could. He had these ridiculously high standards for himself, but he wouldn’t think to hold you to them. And not because he thought he was better than anyone. Probably because he wouldn’t have wished to force his standards on anyone else.

Terry wanted to make the world a better place in the simplest way possible: by doing his absolute best at the task immediately before him. And by showing up for friends and family, even total strangers.

Sounds too good to be true? You wouldn’t blame me if I were exaggerating a bit about my friend on such a day, I’m sure. But I’m not. That’s who he is. Terry would kill me, but I want to take a moment to read part of Roxbury Latin’s letter of recommendation for college for Terrell Joseph Iandiorio: When Terry entered kindergarten, he was already reading Hardy Boy mysteries. When he explained to his teacher why he

wanted more challenging worksheets, he did so privately and without fanfare. It is this exceptional academic ability along with his concern for others that have been Terry’s trademarks throughout his years at The Roxbury Latin School.

Terry is an academic omnivore, the finest all-around student in his class. His transcript is startling with its perfect record of High Honors year-end grades in every discipline every year. Yet that is but one indication of Terry’s ability to combine his innate intelligence with tremendous motivation, disciplined preparation, and enthusiasm for the learning process.

Teachers are quick to point out that Terry’s thoughtfulness and tremendous capacity to give of himself enhance the environment for learning in the classroom. Although he could dominate discussion, he never does. He listens actively to the opinions of others and is patient and supportive of those who have greater difficulty with new material. His English teacher reports, “Terry’s terse, understated observations frequently defined issues or resolved problems in an almost perfect way.”

Class president for three consecutive years, Terry has been reelected for the right reasons: personal integrity, high standards, and concern for all classmates. In addition, Terry is the associate

editor of the yearbook; a tenor in Small Group, a select a cappella ensemble; treasurer of the Glee Club. Terry has also been a writer for the newspaper, a tour guide, and the coach of his little brother’s soccer team. Generous with his time, he has tutored classmates virtually since the first assignments were given. Terry throws himself into his sports activities with characteristic enthusiasm, this time adding scrappiness and heart to the group effort.

Perhaps most impressive in the face of all his gifts and achievements is Terry’s humility. He is poised and gracious as he pursues excellence in all endeavors, quick to show his appreciation for teachers and friends who have helped him, and always ready to support others. One of our most treasured, Terry has earned the School’s highest support and recommendation as a candidate for college admission.

So as you can see, Terry ruined the curve for all of us. But perhaps a better way to look at it is: He set the bar. He provided an example for how to live a truly good life. By striving for personal excellence, being of maximum service, and most importantly, loving his family and friends. By showing up and being there and putting them all first in his life, no matter what. Terry was my hero, and he should be yours, too.

“M

y daughters and I decided to designate Roxbury Latin in Billy’s obituary because Billy loved the School.

His service to Roxbury Latin meant a great deal to him, and we listed Roxbury Latin as the primary charity to support because he served on the Board at Roxbury Latin for 35 years, longer than any other institution with which he was affiliated. He remained friends with Tony Jarvis and fellow Board members throughout his life, and we wanted to memorialize his association with and love for the R.L. community.”

—Muffy Oates

In lieu of flowers

Billy Oates

Support R.L. in memory of a loved one We wish to thank those families who have designated Roxbury Latin as a charity to support in the name of a deceased loved one. Often the deceased has made it clear in his or her plans that R.L. is the memorial destination of choice. A memorial gift to the School is a meaningful way to pay tribute to a friend, colleague, mentor, or loved one while supporting the mission and programs of the School. These gifts provide meaningful assistance to current students, faculty, and programs, while honoring the connection these individuals had to the School. Memorial contributions made to Roxbury Latin over the last two years have accounted for over $142,000.

Memorial gifts can be made online, by mail, by phone, and through endowments or planned giving.

To learn more about memorial gifts, please contact David Cataruzolo, Director of Alumni Affairs and Planned Giving, at david.cataruzolo@roxburylatin.org or 617.477.6314.

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Ramblings FR O M T H E A R CH I V ES

by Christopher Heaton

R

oxbury Latin was quite different 194 years ago. It was known as the Roxbury Grammar School, and was located in Roxbury’s Dudley Square.

There were roughly 60 scholars taught in the upper school by Dr. Charles Fox (R.L. class of 1809), and 60 scholars in the lower school who were taught by William Davis.

The Trustee minutes of 1823 noted the School’s assets totaled $19,149.88. Quarterly expenses averaged around $250. Salaries for the two masters was the largest expense: $600 annually for Fox and $360 for Davis.

When they asked for a salary increase the next year, the Trustees rebuffed them saying that was the limit that the School could afford. The Trustees, however, did give each master twelve and a half cords of pinewood for his fireplace. The School also solicited bids for 35 cords of firewood to keep the boys (somewhat) warm. Other expenses in 1823 included repairs to a desk ($2) and advertising a bill of sale for some real estate ($5.88).

In 1823 the School was suffering a slump in admission standards. Among the requirements to enter the upper school was the ability “to read the English language readily and correctly and to repeat the rules of English Grammar by memory—he shall be acquainted with spelling…” By 1828 standards slipped even more: “their entrance not requiring them to have studied Grammar as was formerly one of the conditions.” In this period, according to then upper school master Richard Parker, the number of students in classical studies had been “but a small proportion of the scholars; and this has probably arisen from 38

October 2017

the almost fashionable…idea of the inutility of the dead languages as affording proper subject for the attention of the young…”

The School’s Quinquennial lists eight graduates for the Class of 1823: Elisha Atkins, Joshua Atkins, Edward Brinley, Charles Davis, William Langley, John Wells Parker, Stephen Williams, and Charles Wyman. They and others were feted at the equivalent of Prize Day on 9 June 1823.

Among the deturs awarded to the Senior Class were the following: “For exemplary conduct and general improvement awarded to Charles Wyman.”

“For successful application and polite behavior awarded to George Gale.” Gale was also awarded a “handsome Morocco Pencil Book” for being the best writer in his class.

“For good behavior, and proficiency in his studies was awarded to Stephen H. Williams.” He went on to establish the trading commission house of S.H. Williams.

His Boston business was located on India Wharf, near Long Wharf, where classmate John Wells Parker had his business.

“A book to William White as best reader in his class.”

Perhaps a book should have been given to the worst reader in his class, but “detur” comes from the Latin detur digniori, “to the more worthy let it be given.”

Sources: New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Memorial Biographies of the New England Historic Genealogical Society.

Thwing, Walter Eliot. First Church of Roxbury, p. 281.

Jarvis, F. Washington. Schola Illustris, p. 145.

School Rules circa 1823 The following “Rules and regulations for the Roxbury Grammar School” were recorded in the Trustees’ minutes of 9 June 1823: j No Scholar belonging to the Roxbury Grammar School shall use any improper or profane language at any time. j No Scholar shall treat any person with disrespect nor insult or abuse any person they meet, in any way. j No Scholar shall quarrel with another Scholar belonging to this or any other School. j No Scholar shall enter any person’s inclosed land, or rob any Orchard or Garden of fruit or anything else. j No Scholar shall make any improper or unbecoming noise in the streets to disturb the Citizens. j No Scholar shall presume to get on behind carriages or sleighs, nor ask strangers to let them ride. j No Scholar shall throw either stones, dirt, ice, or snowballs. j No Scholar shall make any improper noise around the Schoolhouse, especially in School hours. j No Scholar shall loiter about when dismissed from School, but shall go directly home. j No Scholar shall cut, scratch, deface, or injure, any part of the Schoolhouse or benches, nor shall they run over the benches or about the School room when it is not School hours. j No Scholar shall in school time, speak, whisper, or leave his seat without leave from his Instructor. j Every Scholar when he speaks to his Instructor, or is spoken to by him shall stand up, and shall at all times, both in school, and out of school, treat his Instructor with respect. j When the Scholars go out, they shall go South, and West, of the Schoolhouse to play, but not North, nor in the Street. j No Scholar shall meddle with another Scholar’s books, nor anything belonging to him in his absence. j No Scholar belonging to our School shall go into the Schoolroom to which he does not belong, unless sent by his Instructor. Every Scholar having been absent, shall bring a written excuse after such absence. j When any Scholar of either School shall be dismissed before School is done, he shall go out orderly, without speaking a word, or making any noise in either of the entries, or out of doors, but go directly home. j In Particular—No Scholar shall eat anything whatever in School. j Any Scholar who shall violate any of the above rules, shall be severely punished and degraded in such manner as the Instructor thinks proper.

Varsity Athletic Schedule | Fall 2017 2017

Football

Soccer

F, Sept 8

St. George’s (scrim) 5:45

@ B.C. High Jamboree 4:45

S, Sept 16

Brooks (scrim) 2:30

S, Sept 23

@ Belmont Hill 2:00 St. Mark’s 2:30

W, Oct 4 F, Oct 6

@ Milton 6:30 (at Canton HS)

@ Thayer 3:30

St. Mark’s 4:45

@ Rivers w/St. Seb’s, Milton JV & V: 5:00 (at Elm Bank) Belmont Hill JV: 1:00 V: 1:30

@ Nobles 3:00

@ Thayer w/Nobles, Groton JV: 2:00 V: 3:00

Groton 3:45 @ Groton 3:00

BB&N 2:30

@ Middlesex w/St. Mark’s, St. George’s JV: 3:30 V: 4:30

@ Belmont Hill 3:15 Middlesex 2:30

W, Nov 8 S, Nov 11

Lawrence JV & V: 3:00

Governor’s 3:15

W, Nov 1 F, Nov 3

Thayer 2:30 (at Lancaster)

Tabor 1:00

W, Oct 25 S, Oct 28

@ Brooks w/Tabor, Governor’s JV: 3:00 V: 4:00

@ Milton 3:30 Nobles 1:00

W, Oct 18 S, Oct 21

@ Brooks 2:30

@ St. George’s 4:00

W, Oct 11 S, Oct 14**

@ BB&N Lawrence 3:45

W, Sept 27 F, Sept 29

Cross Country

Middlesex 2:30

ISL Championships @ Lawrence JV: 1:30 V: 3:00

@ St. Sebastian’s 3:00 Rivers 12:00

Home games are boldface.

@ Rivers 12:00

N.E. Championships @ Berkshire V: 1:45 JV: 3:15

**Family Day / Alumni Homecoming

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

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R.L. Responds to Boston’s “Help for Houston” Drive

W

hen Mayor Marty Walsh announced the “Help for Houston” drive in the wake of Hurricane Harvey, Class IV’s Niall Dalton took the initiative to involve Roxbury Latin in the city-wide effort. He approached Headmaster Kerry Brennan and Community Service Director Elaine Driscoll, who called upon students, faculty, staff, and parents to contribute what they could— toiletries, diapers, blankets, clothing, food items. The collection filled the back of Rousmaniere Hall, and boys packed the School’s largest truck to transport the items to the Jim Roche Community Arena in West Roxbury—one of the city’s designated drop sites. These items contributed to the city’s successful drive, which—in total—required nine tractor trailer trucks to transport the goods to Houston.