On April 5, the internationally acclaimed novelist and short story writer Anthony Doerr delivered an energetic, inspiring Hall to students and faculty—all as a delightful retirement surprise to Headmaster Kerry Brennan. As a young boy, Mr. Doerr was a student and advisee of Mr. Brennan’s at University School in Cleveland, Ohio, where Mr. Brennan was a new teacher in the 1980s.

In Hall, on the Smith Theater stage, Mr. Doerr delivered a resonant message about the possibilities, joys, and potential of being intellectually curious, of being inspired by many different things, of being an intentional generalist. He spoke about the inspirations behind his prize-winning novels All The Light We Cannot See and Cloud Cuckoo Land, as well as his short story “The Deep,” which students had read prior in their English classes. He answered students’ questions about his writing life and process, about curating a generalist mentality, and about the positives and negatives of artificial intelligence and its impact on the arts. Mr. Doerr also spoke about the positive impact Mr. Brennan made, and the good advice he offered, during a memorable moment at University School, when Mr. Brennan assured the young, eager Doerr that having too many good ideas was far better than having no good ideas. After Hall, Mr. Doerr joined senior English classes to continue the conversation.

Anthony Doerr’s bestselling book Cloud Cuckoo Land was a finalist for the National Book Award, and All the Light We Cannot See—winner of the Pulitzer Prize, the Carnegie Medal, the Alex Award, and a #1 New York Times bestseller—was adapted in 2023 into a dramatic miniseries available on Netflix. Mr. Doerr is also the author of the story collections Memory Wall and The Shell Collector, the novel About Grace, and the memoir Four Seasons in Rome. He has won five O. Henry Prizes, the National Magazine Award for fiction, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Rome Prize, among many others.

Roxbury Latin returned from winter break on January 3 with a special Opening of Winter Term Hall titled “On Amateurism,” during which Headmaster Kerry Brennan explored the idea of work, and the importance of finding joy within and outside our careers.

When I was younger,” said Mr. Brennan, “it was common for someone to ask about another kid’s parent, ‘What does he do?”

“Of course, we know now there was a problem with that question. What someone did was much greater than his or her job, but one’s job seemed to suggest the most important thing that defined them. Implicit in what the job was were all sorts of inferences about how much money they made, what kind of lifestyle the worker and their family enjoyed, how important they were in the grander scheme of an operating community or, writ large, a society. And what he did surely most important wasn’t what he was.”

“What about the rest of his life? What about what he did for his family? Or the fact he coached a Little League team or helped maintain the church property or was a Boy Scout troop leader or made his own furniture or kept a remarkably productive garden? In the main, these things were seemingly less important but, in fact, they more vividly defined him. Indeed, in the subculture of mid-century blue-collar Schenectady, where I grew up, these were the things that gave life meaning. These were the things that made one’s heart sing. These were the things that suggested contributing to the betterment of others and honoring a communal covenant. These were the things in which one chose to specialize and with which to be identified.”

Today, continued Mr. Brennan, RL boys will enjoy the opportunity to embark on careers that will satisfy more than the need for a paycheck, but will satisfy the soul. 

“My hope,” said Mr. Brennan, “is that in deciding what your job will be that you are pickier and that you do the work necessary to find out first of all who you are and what kind of pursuit will be right for you—that will satisfy your values and your talents and your particular ambition and will make a difference in the lives of others. Our modest attempt of RL@Work is a program in which at the end of boys’ Class II year we intend to introduce them to lots of different people and jobs. In part, that’s also why we invite into Hall or to your classes people with different life paths and careers. We do this so you can begin to conjure various possibilities. Most of all, I don’t want you to feel trapped or doing something that is not meaningful.”

“Today we will acknowledge that whatever your job is isn’t everything, continued Mr. Brennan. “All sorts of other parts of your life complement your job and together suggest who you are and what you care about. And in most cases, you will be pros at what you do.”

In that spirit, the Hall pivoted to a discussion of amateurism, a word, says Mr. Brennan, that is worth reconsidering.

“More than once in my young life,” said Mr. Brennan, “I remember my father characterizing someone as an amateur. When an athlete failed to make an easy play, he was an amateur. When a person treated someone unfairly, usually by demeaning through language, he was an amateur… Today I would like to alter your thinking about the amateur. In fact, the more classic definition of “amateur” had nothing to do with contrasting it with the professional. To be an amateur meant engaging with something for the pleasure of it. Engaging with something for the pleasure of it. In fact, the word “amateur” derives from the ancient French word “love of.” This is what I am talking about: a pursuit that endures because we love it.”

Mr. Brennan then welcomed several speakers to the stage—faculty and students—to share their passions and personal pursuits that provide purpose outside their lives in the classroom. Mr. Jeff Ott spoke about his love of birding, Ryan Peterson (I) introduced his classmates to his passion for beekeeping, Mrs. Kristen Gibbons shared her passion for flowers and floral arrangements, Mr. Alessandro Ferzoco shared his years-long discovery of his family’s genealogical roots, and Mr. John Lieb spoke about discovering his love for crossword puzzles.

“As you can tell from these stories,” concluded Mr. Brennan, “our friends love what they do. It gives their lives meaning and gives them pleasure. As you think of your own lives—of what’s important to you now and will be important to you in the future— think about the amateur spirit. We hope to help you discover and develop passions that will accompany and define you for the rest of your lives. Continue to cultivate these this winter. May this goal like the days ahead shine bright and with compelling promise. Oh, and at some point, in addition to all that, get a job!”

View a complete gallery from The Opening of Winter Term Hall.

In 2004, we began what has become one of Roxbury Latin’s proudest traditions, the F. Washington Jarvis International Fund Lecture. Named for the man who for thirty years served as Roxbury Latin’s tenth Headmaster, the annual Lecture has given us occasion to hear from distinguished public servants and thinkers on foreign affairs, including former Secretary of Defense Robert Gates; homeland security advisor to President Obama Lisa Monaco; former Director of the CIA John Brennan; and, last year, David Diaz, who provided a stellar example of a career committed to national security, foreign policy, and public service. On October 12, we welcomed to Rousmaniere Hall our twentieth such distinguished speaker, Dr. Michael Beckley.

Dr. Beckley is an expert on the power dynamics between two of the world’s largest economic players—the United States and China. He currently serves as an Associate Professor of Political Science at Tufts University, a Senior Fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, and Director of the Asia Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute. His research on great power competition has earned him multiple awards and has inspired appearances in numerous media from The Atlantic to The New York Times, from NPR to the Wall Street Journal. Dr. Beckley has previously served as an International Security Fellow at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government; he also worked for the U.S. Department of Defense, the RAND Corporation, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He continues to advise offices within the U.S. Intelligence Community and U.S. Department of Defense.

Dr. Beckley spoke to the RL community about the realities of economic decline in China after more than 40 years of stunning growth, and the inevitable consequence of that trajectory, which is at best, by his estimation, a cold war. Dr. Beckley explained the history of China’s rise to a global economic power, as well as the factors that will undoubtedly lead to its decline in the coming years. He walked students and faculty from the early 1970s through to present day, during which time China benefited from a perfect storm of good fortune: a favorable demographic ratio of working-aged citizens to elderly folks; political progress after the death of Mao Zedong; a wealth of natural resources; and a rising trend of hyper-globalization that expanded trade dramatically.

Now, however, China’s natural resources are—quite literally, in the case of groundwater—running dry, and its population is dwindling. (In fact, sales of adult diapers in China are about to surpass those of infant diapers.) The country is in the midst of a productivity plunge and a surge in national debt, is suffering the economic aftershock of “zero COVID” lockdowns, and is more politically isolated than ever. Dr. Beckley explained that, in his estimation, this portends a large-scale global conflict. Historically, he explained, countries in similar positions—that is, those with significant means from an economic boom and the motivation of an impending fall—have lashed out in considerable ways. As he described, we need only look at Germany in the buildup to World War I, Imperial Japan in WWII, or the Soviet Union before the Korean War to “predict the future” of Chinese conflict. Dr. Beckley worries specifically about Taiwan and the many countries that lay claim to parts of the South China Sea.

Dr. Beckley’s insightful and comprehensive—if sobering—presentation was an important reminder that amidst so much global turmoil, world leaders cannot take their eyes off East Asia. Dr. Beckley is an inspiring example of an expert in his field who uses his intellectual passion to work toward a better, more peaceful world. After Hall, Dr. Beckley spent the morning with two sections of Mr. Kelly’s European History class, continuing the conversation and digging more deeply into the topic and its relevance to other global events today.

Roxbury Latin offers its thanks—as always—to Jack and Margarita Hennessy for funding the annual opportunity for our boys to hear from such distinguished thinkers on world affairs over the years. Mr. Hennessy is a member of the Class of 1954 and a former member of Roxbury Latin’s Board of Trustees. Both he and Mrs. Hennessy have throughout their lives represented an unusual engagement with other nations and cultures. Throughout their lives, too, they have generously provided the philanthropic wherewithal in order that others might come to know and appreciate various corners of our increasingly interconnected world.

On September 14, senior Ezra Liebowitz delivered a heartfelt and informative Hall presentation in the Smith Theater about the significance and traditions of the Jewish High Holy Days, Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur. Headmaster Brennan began the Hall by acknowledging the importance of sharing personal experiences, traditions, and stories of faith within the RL community. He emphasized that Roxbury Latin encourages the pursuit of truth and the exploration of various religions, recognizing that understanding and celebrating differences, including differences of faith, contribute to the school’s richness.

Ezra then shared the significance of Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur in the Jewish calendar—the holidays’ meanings and traditions. Rosh Hashanah, meaning “head of the year” in Hebrew, marks the beginning of the Hebrew calendar and celebrates the creation of humanity. It is a time for joyous celebration, togetherness with family and community, and reflection. One aspect of Rosh Hashanah, he explained, is the concept of teshuvah, which means “to return.”

“Although Rosh Hashanah is a very joyous occasion,” said Ezra, “it’s a time when you also want to reflect about yourself. You want to think about the past year, and about what you want to accomplish in the year ahead.”

Some of the common customs associated with Rosh Hashanah, Ezra continued, include eating apples and honey, which symbolize a sweet year; eating pomegranates, signifying fertility; and enjoying round challah bread to represent the full year ahead.

Ezra explained that Yom Kippur, meaning “Day of Atonement” in Hebrew, is—unlike the joyful celebration of Rosh Hashanah—a solemn day for personal reflection, fasting, and self-examination. Jews refrain from work, driving, and most activities, dedicating themselves to deep spiritual contemplation.

“Yom Kippur takes place ten days after Rosh Hashanah,” said Ezra. “It is the holiest day in Judaism—a somber and personal day during which you focus solely on reflection and on your relationship with God.”

Yom Kippur culminates with the sounding of the shofar, an instrument made from a ram’s horn, symbolizing the unity, the “calling together,” of the Jewish community. Ezra emphasized that Yom Kippur serves as a moment for Jews to seek forgiveness, make amends, and strive to be their better selves.

“After a very somber day of fasting,” Ezra said, “you’re tired, you’re hungry, you probably have a headache—so you finish the day with a break fast meal. It’s probably the best meal of the whole year! Every Jewish community has a different way of breaking the fast, different types of food—my family and I usually have bagels and lox. Once Yom Kippur concludes, it’s a happy celebration. We’ve broken the fast, and we’re finally into the next year and all that it brings.”

In addition to sharing the history and traditions of these holidays, Ezra also spoke at length about his own personal experience of Judaism and his relationship with God, underscoring that these relationships can be challenging, or complicated, and are deeply personal. He was open about portions of his faith that are more challenging for him, and that it’s the community of Judaism—the collective Jewish people of which he’s part—that holds so much meaning and importance for him.

In closing, Headmaster Brennan, thanked Ezra for his insightful and personal remarks, and he urged all students to consider the importance of these questions about faith, identity, and purpose in their daily lives, emphasizing that such introspection is vital for personal growth and understanding.

“Teachers and scholars of the oldest school in continuous existence in North America, good morning and welcome back,” said Headmaster Kerry Brennan from the Rousmaniere Hall stage on Monday, August 28. That morning, the traditional Opening of Fall Term Hall began The Roxbury Latin School’s 379th academic year, as Mr. Brennan welcomed the 308 students, along with new and returning faculty and staff, to the start of the school year.

Prior to the Headmaster’s opening address, Class I president Nick Consigli read Mary Oliver’s “The Summer Day” which asks, in its conclusion, “Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?” The entire school then sang together lively renditions of America the Beautiful, For the Splendor of Creation, Commemoration Hymn, and The Founder’s Song, with sophomore Eliot Park making his debut as the school’s newest in-house organist. Mr. Brennan honored those in our community who are new, or long-serving, or taking on new roles in the school. He honored the members of Class I seated in the front rows, and he welcomed the sixies perched in the balcony.

Mr. Brennan’s address focused on what it means to be a good school, a good teacher, a good student. Among other important distinctions he urged that a good school is prepared to evolve, and offers a dynamic example of community; that a good teacher love his students more than his subject; that a good student looks beyond that for which he will receive class credit to that which inspires him—that a student be open to learning that which is not on the syllabus.

Ultimately, Mr. Brennan concluded: “I care more that each of us is good than that each of us is great… What I’m talking about when I talk about good is not some second tier gradient on a scale. In seeking to be good, for the school, the teacher, and the student, I am signaling we should put character, good will, generosity, honesty, teamwork, empathy, love even, first. In pursuing whatever goal a school or a teacher or a student may have for achieving and measuring success, it should never be the result of sacrificing that which makes us fully and appealingly human. At least in the way I have heard “great” trumpeted and abused in society and in common boasts—often bragging of winners over losers—I will take “good” over “great” any day. When all is said and done in our personal and professional relationships, we will always be more impressively admired for our goodness than for our greatness. This year and always, let our essential goodness be among the things that surprise and arrest us and be part of our plan for our wild and precious life.”

Read Headmaster Brennan’s opening Hall address in its entirety.

After the Hall’s closing prayer, and the school community “passed the peace” to those around them, the entire school moved outside under sunny skies. Students, faculty, and staff gathered around the Senior Grass for the traditional opening day all-school handshake, which serves to welcome people new to the RL community—boys and adults—and for all to wish one another a happy and strong start to the academic year.

View a gallery of photos from Opening Day.

On June 1, the Class of 2023 took their rightful seats at the front of Hall for the last time this school year. During the traditional and festive Prize Day Hall—which honors a range of prize-winning students and serves to wish ave atque vale to the year’s departing faculty and staff—songs such as Jerusalem and The Founder’s Song reverberated around Rousmaniere Hall. The annual Prize Day Hall is the formal conclusion of the school year for students in Class VI through Class II, during which an impressive roster of prize-winners—honored for academic, athletic, artistic, and extracurricular achievements—earn their plaudits.

As Headmaster Kerry Brennan began, “Our purpose for gathering today is to recognize discernible excellence in all areas of school life—academic and extracurricular. In singling out certain prize winners, we are intending to affirm the highest standards of schoolboy endeavor. We do this even though we know that others in your seats may be more deserving of congratulations, for they have struggled mightily, come far, taken risks, and been honorable boys. To you goes the faculty’s admiration and congratulations.” While some of the major Class I awards were announced at the concluding Closing Exercises, this year’s prize winners are as follows:

Major athletic awards to Class I:

Independent School League: Aidan Gibbons

Sportsmanship: Patrick Schultz

Scholar-Athlete: Arjun Bose

Best Athlete: Kofi Fordjour

Varsity athletic awards to Class I:

Soccer: Adam Kuechler

Lacrosse: Riley Stanton

Hockey: Will Matthews

Tennis: Akshay Kumar

Football: TK Ghapontsang

Basketball: Harry Brennan

Track & Field: Kofi Fordjour

Cross Country: Kofi Fordjour

Wrestling: Thomas Savage

Baseball: Antonio Morales

Major book awards to boys in Class II:

Holy Cross Book Award: Evan Zhang

Brown University Book Award: Lucas Vander Elst

Dartmouth Book Award: Ryan Lin

Harvard Book Prize: Akhilsai Damera

Academic awards:

The Joseph A. Sasserno French Deturs: Eric Archerman (V), Luca Bene (IV), Omar Rahman (III), Lucas Vander Elst (II), Justin Shaw (I)

Headmaster’s Spanish Deturs: Andrew Plante (V), Oliver Colbert (IV), Brendan Reichard (III), Jack Tompros (II), Bobby Zabin (I)

The Isabel M. Fowler History Prizes: Caden Crowley (VI), Liam Walsh (IV), Zach Heaton (III), Dror Ko (II), Thomas Savage (I)

The Richard M. Whitney Science Deturs: Liam Guadagno (VI), Toby Harrison (V), Raj Saha (III), Evan Zhang (II)

The N. Henry Black Science Detur: Justin Shaw (I)

The Donald L. Whittle Math Deturs: Lucas Dolan (VI), Casey Chiang (V), Dylan Pan (IV), Nathan Zhang (III), Akhilsai Damera (II)

The Islay F. McCormick Mathematics Prize: Akshay Kumar (I)

The Anna Cabot Lowell Deturs in English: Nayan Patel (VI), Flynn Hall (V), Avish Kumar (IV), Levi Harrison (III), Joseph Wang (II), Michael Thomas (I)

The Trustees’ Greek Deturs: Lucas Connors (III), Ezra Liebowitz (II), Evren Uluer (I)

The Anna Cabot Lowell Deturs in Latin: Joseph Raposo (VI), Casey Chiang (V), Thomas Pogorelec (IV), Alex Giordano (III), Dennis Jin (II), James McCurley (I)

Extra-curricular awards:

Lower School Latin Declamation Prize: Nick Glaeser (IV)

Upper School Latin Declamation Prize: Akhilsai Damera (II)

Greek Declamation Prize: Caleb Ganthier (III)

The Cameron A. Rylance Music Prize: Tommy Reichard (I)

The Ralph F.F. Brooks Art Prize: Bobby Zabin (I)

The Joan M. Regan Service Prize: Alexander Sanzone (I)

The Class of 1976 Dramatics Prize: John Austin (I)

The Gerhard Rehder Prize in International Relations: Ethan Dhadly (I)

The Albert W. Kelsey Debate Prize: Jamie Drachman (I)

The Publications Award: Owen Butler (I)

That morning, Roxbury Latin also bid farewell to five beloved members of the faculty and staff who have served a collective 79 years: Associate Headmaster Mike Pojman, Director of Development Tobey O’Brien, Director of Dramatics Derek Nelson, Network Technology Coordinator Myron McLaren, and Penn Fellow Taylor Fitzgerald.

View a photo gallery of this year’s Prize Day Hall.

On April 20, Roxbury Latin celebrated in Hall the 12 members of Class I whose efforts and accomplishments have earned them membership in the Cum Laude Society. Each spring, the all-school Cum Laude ceremony honors the life of the mind—affirming that at the heart of a good school is scholarly engagement.

“This special event is intended principally to do two things,” began Headmaster Kerry Brennan. “The first is to recognize the most distinguished scholars of the First Class. In their efforts and in their accomplishments, they have put to good use the gifts they have been given… The second purpose of this annual ceremony is in many ways the more consequential, for it involves everyone else in this room. In honoring these 12 boys, we are honoring the life of the mind; we are honoring trying hard and doing well; we are affirming that at the heart of a good school is scholarly engagement. I admonish you to take to heart the example of the inductees… All of you boys have the capacity to strive, to grow, to change, and to know the satisfaction of ideas unearthed and potential realized.”

Delivering the morning’s Cum Laude address was Ms. Ara Gershengorn, an attorney in Harvard University’s Office of the General Counsel, and mother of Michael Thomas (I), one of the honored inductees.

In her work, Ms. Gershengorn advises Harvard’s senior leadership on a wide range of issues; she recently has served as lead in-house counsel managing the litigation challenging Harvard College’s consideration of race in admissions. In her address to students in Hall, she also spoke about her consequential role serving on the legal team that successfully convinced the Supreme Court to strike down the Defense of Marriage Act as unconstitutional in 2013.

“Each of you has a unique perspective,” she urged the students in the audience. “When opportunities present themselves, when you have the chance to use your voice for something important, when there are others who are afraid to speak, step up, share your perspective, and ensure they have a chance to share theirs.”

Read the entirety of Ms. Gershengorn’s remarks.

Between lively renditions of America the Beautiful and Jerusalem, Gaudeamus Igitur and The Founder’s Song, Mr. Josh Cervas, president of RL’s Cum Laude chapter, provided a history of the organization before he awarded the twelve inductees their certificates: “By formally recollecting our origins each year, we also reaffirm our commitment to the Society’s original and abiding motto—three Greek words inspired by the three letters of the old Alpha Delta Tau name: Alpha stands for Areté (Excellence), Delta for Diké (Justice), and Tau for Timé (Honor). These three words, with deep roots in our past and far reaching implications for our future, raise qualities of mind and character which, ideally, each member of the Society will espouse as his own values and strive to instill in others throughout his life.”

The following seniors were inducted into the Cum Laude Society this year:

Owen Butler
Carter Crowley
Ethan Dhadly
Will Grossman
Akshay Kumar
James McCurley
Alex Nahirny
Tait Oberg
Justin Shaw
Michael Thomas
Kevin Wang
Luke Wilkinson

On Monday, April 3, Mike Pojman—Associate Headmaster and member of the Roxbury Latin faculty since 1980—opened the spring term in Rousmaniere Hall, by sharing with students and colleagues 19 life lessons that he has come to rely on. Mr. Pojman will retire at the end of this school year. Below are his Hall remarks, in full—lessons by which we can all live:

I want to thank Mr. Brennan for giving me the opportunity to share a few thoughts with you as I speed-walk through the final lap of my Roxbury Latin career.

I’ve titled this talk “Lessons Learned,” and I’ve been working on it for the last 43 years.  Naturally, you guys think that we teachers spend all our time teaching, but, in fact, we are constantly learning, too—from the collective experiences gathered throughout our daily lives, from our colleagues and friends, and even from you. What follows is a compilation of the most important lessons that I have learned over the years, and I’m eager to share them with you now.

And by the way, there’s no need to take notes. I plan to send the list home to your parents so that they can reinforce them over and over again. So, if your mother pastes them up on your bathroom mirror, blame me not her. Now let’s get started.

Number 1: Don’t take yourself too seriously. Get over yourself. People who look to be offended usually will be, and they set themselves up to suffer the slings and arrows of everyday life with a lot of unnecessary pain. I have a relatively high opinion of myself, but I try not to let it get the better of me. Over the years I’ve been told that I’m smart… and good looking… and athletic… and I believe my mom. But I don’t let it go to my head. I can take a good-natured joke at my own expense, and you should be able to, too. But there’s a big difference between an affectionate jibe and a putdown, and you know the difference. For example, I like to have some fun kidding my good friend Chris Brown—I’m referring to the teacher, not the rapper—because he’s a young whippersnapper. But he takes it in stride, because he knows that it’s true. But he also knows that I regard him as one of the most talented and effective teachers I ever worked with. And of course, if I get carried away, Mr. Brown can always throw it in my face that I’m old enough to be his grandfather. 

Number 2: Avoid the Debby Downers. In other words, hang around with people who buck you up rather than drag you down. Stay away from the constant complainers, the eternal pessimists, and the cynics—the people whose lives always seem to be a glass half empty, and who go out of their way to convince you that yours is, too. Those people sap your energy. We all have days when we find it difficult to get out of bed. The last thing you need is to spend time with people who make you sorry that you did.

And here’s a corollary: If you find that you are becoming a Debby Downer, the best way to make yourself feel better is to go out of your way to make someone else feel better. Try it. It works.

Number 3: Mix it up a little. We’ve all just returned from Spring Break, renewed and energized. But how about that endless third marking period? How many of you were caught in the doldrums at some point during that three-month grind? Here’s what to do when you find yourself stuck in a rut: Break up your routine. Switch things up a bit. Go out for a walk before sitting down to work. Study your Latin before you begin your math, instead of the other way around. Have something to look forward to every weekend. It doesn’t have to be something big, just different. Plan to go out for pizza with friends, pick up that book that you started last summer and never finished, play a couple hours of video games—no, don’t do that! If all else fails and you are still feeling low, rearrange the furniture in your room. It sounds silly, but it really works. You might also find that missing sock when you move your bed. 

And here are a couple of other ways to snap out of a funk: Do a good deed out of the goodness of your heart—something simple, nothing dramatic. Help a classmate with his homework, take your mother to breakfast, hold the door for a sixie, start a conversation with a classmate that you don’t usually hang around with. Play Dungeons and Dragons with Mr. Fitzgerald. Close talk with Mr. Sugg. Invite Mr. Randall to join you in a BeReal. Do something nice for two different people every day—and preferably not against their will.

Number 4: This one should go without saying. Names matter. One of the benefits of a small community is that we know each other. We often say that Roxbury Latin is a place where every boy is known and loved—and called by his name. When you run into a teacher in the hallway, call him by his name—or her name—and I mean our real name, not the one you use behind our back. And that goes for your schoolmates, too. Greet each other by name, or by nickname, if it’s affectionate. I daresay we’ve slipped a little in that regard lately—though not you sixies, because Mrs. Carroll has trained you so well.

Number 5: Don’t be a know-it-all. The smartest person in the room is the one who makes everyone else feel like the smartest person in the room. You don’t have to be the one with all the answers. Try listening before speaking. Let someone else make the first comment, and let him finish his thought before jumping in. You may even find that he has something to say that you didn’t think of. Let me say it again: The smartest person in the room is the one who makes everyone else feel like the smartest person in the room. I’ve spent my entire career making all of you feel more intelligent than I am. That’s why I give easy chem tests.

Number 6: Follow through on a promise. How many times has someone promised to do something—forward an email to you, send an article they’ve read, share a link—and they don’t do it? We’ve all been guilty of that. Here’s a simple rule: Don’t promise what you can’t deliver. And be sure to deliver on your promises. The boys on the Glee Club tour to Nashville just had the pleasure of spending an evening jamming with the French Family Band who performed here last year. Remember rock star Sonny? When we reached out to Sonny’s mom, Camille, to see if they could possibly get together with us, she went out of her way to make it happen. Everything she promised to do, she did—and even more. She didn’t have to go to all that trouble, especially since they were preparing for their debut at the Grand Ole Opry a week later and certainly had bigger things to worry about. In the world of country music, playing at the Grand Ole Opry is making it to the top. Sonny’s mom made us a priority by following through, and I will always remember that. It is a well-known fact that people who make it to the top, always follow through. 

Number 7: I have come to find that there are three types of people in the world, those who make problems, those who are undone by problems, and those who solve problems. Let’s start with those who make problems. Fortunately, we don’t have too many of those around here. And those who do cause problems, rarely do so intentionally, so let’s not worry about them. The biggest group are those who are stymied—or at the very least rattled—by problems. They don’t know where to begin. They are easily discouraged. They waste a lot of energy fretting. Years ago, before the invention of the laptop, we had a lot of computer work stations around the school, including in the Chem Lab. I remember a very smart boy who was trying to sign into his school account so that he could write a Tripod article. After some period of frustration, he said to me, “Mr. Pojman, this computer isn’t working.” “Do you have the right password?” I asked. “Yes, but I can’t enter it. The screen is blank.” “Did you try the on-switch?” I asked, with a touch of sarcasm. “Yes, but nothing happened.” “Then it must not be plugged in,” I replied. “Plugged in?” he answered, his face as blank as the screen. “What do you mean, plugged in?” Apparently, he was not acquainted with the concept of a wall socket. I’m happy to say that that boy went to Harvard. I can say with less confidence that he actually graduated. Be a problem solver. Problem solvers get things done. Those of you who ride the T know that the system is in a bad way right now. Governor Healy has just hired a man named Phillip Eng as the general manager. He is 61 years old and coming off a highly acclaimed career as the manager of the New York transit system’s Long Island Railroad. Surely, he has no need to risk his reputation at this stage of his life by tackling problems at the MBTA which many feel are intractable. Clearly, he’s a problem solver. Problem solvers assume that every problem has a solution, and they take pleasure in finding it. Remember that, all you Bettendorf calc students.

Number 8: You probably aren’t familiar with the term “offer it up,” but those of my generation who went to Catholic school know it well. When we were feeling put upon and sorry for ourselves—for whatever reason—and we wanted a little sympathy, the nuns would tell us to “offer it up to Jesus” as a reminder of the pain he suffered on the cross. It’s an old-fashioned idea these days, but it was actually good advice. Life delivers its minor bumps and bruises. Take them in stride. Don’t give in to self-pity. I remember once as a little kid complaining to my mom that I had a stone in my shoe. I expected her to fix it, but instead she said, “Well, just walk around with it for a while. It’s not a bad thing to put up with a little discomfort.” Now that I know how to tie my own shoes, I usually remove the stone—but sometimes I don’t.

Here is one of my pet peeves: Whenever I am at a school event, and I see people putting their name tags on their left lapel, I feel compelled to correct them: Take it from an expert, boys. Your name tag goes on your right lapel. Here’s why: When you go to shake hands, you naturally turn your body to the right as you extend your hand—like this…. That means, as you rotate toward the person you are shaking hands with, your name tag will rotate with you—toward that person. As a result, it will be easier to read your name on your right lapel as it moves closer than it would be on your left when it would move farther away. It’s a subtle but friendly gesture. Now, of course, none of this makes sense if you are left-handed. Even so, I still suggest that you put your name tag on your right lapel, because if you don’t, you will be announcing to the world that you are a lefty, which is unfortunate, as you might then discover that some people may not want to shake hands with you.

Here’s another lesson in social etiquette: Whenever you are at a sit-down meal, don’t start eating until everyone at the table has been served. It’s impolite. 

And here’s one more: Despite having taught a couple thousand kids in my career, I generally remember my former students better than you might think. But let’s say you are an alum who has been out for 10 years, and I run into you at the checkout line at Whole Foods, and your hairline has receded halfway across the top of your head, and you’ve gained thirty pounds since graduation, and you’ve lost all your front teeth—and, since you didn’t introduce yourself, well, there’s a slim chance that that I won’t recognize you, or even that I won’t remember your name. It’s unlikely, but it could happen. And if that were to happen, and you haven’t introduced yourself, I will smile politely and pretend that I know who you are, while actually thinking to myself, “Who the heck is this guy”—and I probably won’t hear 90% of what you are saying while I try to figure it out. However, if you do introduce yourself, the pressure will be off, and we can then have a nice conversation: “Hi, Mr. Pojman, it’s Peter DeVito. Remember me?” And because you introduced yourself, I’ll say, “Of course I remember you, Peter”—even though you are 30 pounds overweight, and you’ve lost most of your hair, and all of your teeth—and I will hang on every toothless word you have to say.

Number 12: I call this next lesson “Take the hint.” Let’s say that you are with a group of friends and you begin to tell a rather lengthy story. As far as you can tell, everyone is riveted to every detail. And then let’s say that halfway through your story, someone comes along and interrupts you: You are at Bertuccis, and a waiter named Chuck cuts you off mid-sentence to say that they’ve run out of rolls and chicken parm. Or you’re standing in the lunch line bragging about how you grubbed some extra points on the Honors Chem test, when Mr. Kelly distracts everyone by going after Mr. Tran for not having his shirt tucked in. Or you are in the Study Center predicting the outcome of the Final Four, when Mr. Heaton comes over and threatens to boot you for talking louder than Mr. Thomsen. It happens all the time, right? Well then let’s say that you wait patiently for the disruption to end before taking up where you left off. And finally it does. And when it does—and here’s the point—if nobody says, “And then what happened?” take the hint and don’t tell them.

And while we’re on the subject of the dress code, if you are having trouble keeping your shirt tails tucked in, pin them to your underwear. I’m talking to you, Matt Hoover…

Number 14: If you take pleasure in annoying your elders, remember that one day you will be one.

I especially hope that you will take this next one seriously. I call it, Compliment Sooner, Criticize Later—or preferably not at all. It’s an RL epidemic—being quick to find fault. Owen Butler does many wonderful things for this school, and serving as Tripod editor is probably one of the most consequential but least heralded. He and his staff work harder than you realize to produce a top-notch school newspaper. It takes hours of work. Naturally, a word or two of appreciation is always welcomed. After every edition I ask Owen, “So, what have you heard about the paper?” Now we all know that Owen never stops smiling, even when three classmates make a point of telling him—before he’s even left homeroom—that Carter Crowley’s byline had him listed as being in Class VI rather than in Class I. Picky, picky, picky. But of course, with Carter, sometimes it can be hard to tell whether he’s a senior or a sixie.

Number 16: We’ve all had times when we’ve felt overwhelmed, even boxed in. If you are in a real fix and you don’t know how to get out of it, imagine the worst-case scenario and work backward. What’s the worst thing that will happen if you get a C in math? Or a B+ instead of an A- on that history paper? Take a step back and you’ll probably conclude that getting that C, or that B+, would not be the end of the world. But the worst-case scenario rarely happens, and thinking through how you would handle it if it were to happen will make any lesser, and more likely, outcome seem like a stroll through the park.

Number 17: When you have too much to do, and you don’t know what to do, just do something. Once you’ve gotten started, you will find it easier to keep going, especially if you tackle the most onerous challenge first. Put one foot in front of the other, and before you know it, you will have covered a lot of ground.

Number 18: Work hard, but don’t overdo it. Give yourself a break from time to time. No matter how busy you are, always make time to relax. You can only grind away for so long before you start to wear down. I’m always shocked when a fifthie tells me that he worked on his English paper until 4 a.m., or when a senior says that he only got a couple hours of sleep over the last two days. When it comes to studying, there’s a point of diminishing returns, and you probably reach it by midnight at the latest. Promise yourself that you will never pull an all-nighter. Ever. You need your sleep. I need my sleep. At my age, an all-nighter is not having to get up to go to the bathroom.

Number 19: Finally, just say thanks. We recently heard Eric Zhu blow us away in a Recital Hall. Naturally, you wanted to compliment him on his fine performance, so you went up to him and said, “Wow, Eric, you really rocked that Bach.” Even though he’s a perfectionist, he didn’t point out to you that he played the first note of the fifth measure of the second movement andante when it should have been pizzicato. He just said thanks, because had he said anything more than that, you would have felt that he saw you as either an undiscerning listener or an idle flatterer, and it would have made you feel bad. So, the next time that someone finds a reason to compliment you, just say, “Thanks. I appreciate that,” even if you don’t think you deserve it. When I see you around school later today, and you come up to me to say, “Hey, Mr. Pojman, that was a killer speech,” I won’t say, “Yeah, but the Gettysburg Address was better.” I’ll just say thanks.

I’ve now shared nineteen life lessons with you, and I want you to know that I practice every one of them every day. I hope that you will, too, because if you do, they will definitely make you a better person. But if for some reason you decide not to take them to heart, well, all I can say is that at least you will have a measure by which to know that you are not nearly as virtuous as I am.

But wait, before I leave the stage, I have one more. You’ve heard me say it a hundred times, and here it is again, for good measure. It’s simply this: Remember, no matter where you are or when it might be—next week, next month, next year, twenty years from now—promise me that you will never, ever, and I mean never take more than One Good Ice Cream.

On March 3, Roxbury Latin students and teachers gathered in Rousmaniere Hall to celebrate a tradition that is distinctly RL: Exelauno Day dates back more than 130 years, when Classics master Clarence Willard Gleason inaugurated a celebration of the Classics, in which Greek students would be exempted from homework. Today, the event allows for the singular annual pleasure of hearing from boys of every age and level of exposure to Latin and Greek. (It is worth noting that the day continues to be one in which Greek and Latin students are exempted from homework!) Gleason chose March 4th as a punny reference to Xenophon’s Anabasis and its use of the verb “exelauno,” meaning “to march forth.”

During the morning’s special Hall, boys in Class VI through Class I competed in this year’s David Taggart Clark Competition in Greek and Latin Declamation—reciting the stirring words of Ovid and Caesar, performing the story of Noah’s Ark from Genesis, and bringing to life the tales of Vergil himself. The declamations culminated in a surprise duo performance, in which Owen Butler (I) rose from the audience in reaction to the words recited by James McCurley (I) and then joined him onstage—to the audience’s delight—as they reenacted Thersites (James) questioning the motives of Agamemnon, before Odysseus (Owen) intervenes, from Homer’s Iliad. The duo’s unsanctioned performance was met with a standing ovation from students and with a good-natured disqualification from Classics Department Chair and Exelauno Hall emcee, Mrs. Morris-Kliment. (Duo performances are not allowed as part of the competition.) This year’s winners were Nick Glaeser of Class IV (Lower School Latin), Akhilsai Damera of Class II (Upper School Latin), and Caleb Ganthier of Class III (Greek).

RL extends its heartfelt gratitude to this year’s Exelauno Day judges, Michael Howard, teacher of Classics at Boston Latin School; Rachel Philbrick, lecturer on Classics at Harvard; and Walter Young, teacher of Latin at Buckingham Browne & Nichols.

View a video of the morning’s Hall in its entirety, and even enjoy a brief highlight reel of Mr. Brennan and Mr. Reid being used as props by the morning’s participants!

You can also view a complete gallery of photos from the morning, taken by Mr. Pojman. Congratulations to all of the day’s declaimers for impressive performances across the board.

On February 14, famed New York Times journalist Bret Stephens spoke with students, faculty, and guests in Rousmaniere Hall about his life and work. Mr. Stephens—one of the premiere conservative journalists of our time—has been an Op-Ed columnist for The New York Times since 2017, after a long career with The Wall Street Journal, where he served as Deputy Editorial Page Editor and, for 11 years, a foreign affairs columnist. At The Wall Street Journal, he most notably wrote “Global View,” the foreign-affairs column, for which he was awarded the 2013 Pulitzer Prize for distinguished commentary. Prior to that, he was editor-in-chief of The Jerusalem Post, a position he assumed in 2002 at age 28. He has reported from around the globe and interviewed scores of world leaders. Along with journalist Gail Collins, Mr. Stephens co-writes a popular New York Times column titled “The Conversation,” which contributes thoughtful, balanced commentary on American politics.

Mr. Stephens opened the Hall by mentioning Roxbury Latin alumnus and fellow journalist James Kirchick, Class of 2002. He called James one of the “greatest journalists working today” and passed along a message of thanks from James to teachers Stewart Thomsen and Mo Randall. Mr. Stephens then continued by offering “vignettes from [his] life, to hopefully inspire some [students] to take up journalism as a career.” 

He began with his childhood, talking about his youth as a Jewish-American being raised in Mexico City. He described himself as an “insider-outsider” as a child, and having that “hyphenated” identity has, he said, perhaps been the richest feature of his life. Mr. Stephens said he believes that “true thoughtfulness lies in the hyphen.” He brought this hyphenated identity into his teenage years, when at 13 he realized he would need to move to the United States for his high school education. He attended Middlesex School in Concord, Massachusetts, where he and his peers embraced “constructive rebellion”—starting a second, more irreverent student newspaper and pulling pranks with classmates.

After Middlesex, Mr. Stephens studied at the University of Chicago, where he emerged a better thinker from so many “intellectually humbling” experiences. He then took the audience through the up-and-downs of his career: from his first job at a magazine right out of college—which, he describes, ended in humiliating fashion—to The Wall Street Journal and the prestigious role running The Jerusalem Post at the age of 28. When he returned to the WSJ and won a Pulitzer in 2013, he reflected back on how his earlier work experiences shaped who he had become. He shared that if you have enough time to reflect on earlier disappointments—even humiliations—you will likely become thankful for what they teach you down the road. 

Mr. Stephens concluded by sharing the reason behind his move to The New York Times in 2017. The move was sparked by his “Never Trump” attitude during the 2016 election cycle. As a traditional conservative, he viewed the rise and right-leaning media’s coverage of President Donald Trump as the “antithesis of a healthy conservative movement in America.” This brought him to the NYT, and he said he knew it would be “okay to be a contrarian.” In his role, he embraces being a dissenting voice, and he feels the only way to “disagree well is to understand well.”

After the Hall, Mr. Stephens spent first period speaking with members of Tripod, answering questions from them and other faculty and students who wanted to continue the conversation.