Class VI Embarks on Annual Trip to Beaver Brook

View the Beaver Brook Photo Gallery (Photos by Marcus Miller)

On the morning of September 6, Roxbury Latin’s newest cohort of 43 Sixies, nine Class I leaders, Head of School Dr. Schaffer, and several faculty members departed campus for Hollis, New Hampshire, for the annual Class VI trip to Beaver Brook. 

After disembarking the bus and gathering their equipment, the boys faced their first challenge: true or false trivia about their beloved school. Using whatever they could find as a desk, including but not limited to the backs of their classmates, the boys approached each question with careful thought and a hint of friendly competition, not entirely dissimilar to when in class. 

Throughout the day, the boys engaged in many longstanding RL activities, such as Numbers, Flip Flop, and ropes course challenges, supported by Class VI Dean Elizabeth Carroll and other RL faculty. As day turned to night, the boys shared laughs and spirited conversation over dinner and then settled for a viewing of the 1975 film Twelve Angry Men, promptly followed by a discussion and reflection. The dynamic conversation continued to the roaring campfire outside as everyone gathered for s’mores and the task of learning The Founder’s Song. (With this new institutional knowledge, Class VI boys can confidently join in singing at the next Hall!) As it approached time to unfurl the sleeping bags and retreat to tents, students and faculty were ready for a restful, albeit short, night’s sleep. 

The following day, the boys gathered for breakfast, after which they received hand-written letters from their big brothers. The valued tradition fosters community and connection between the youngest and oldest students at RL. Using these notes as inspiration, the boys crafted a letter for themselves to read when they return to Beaver Brook as a class once more as seniors.

After an eventful 24 hours, the bus full of students left the New Hampshire woods for the wooded campus nestled in West Roxbury. The delight, camaraderie, and touch of exhaustion from lack of sleep were felt throughout the bus on the ride home. While the boys have now closed the chapter on one RL tradition, they are met with a forged story of brotherhood.