“We gather to commemorate the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.,” Dr. Schaffer began, as he addressed the Roxbury Latin community at the annual MLK Commemoration Hall on January 14. “We pause to recognize the contributions of this remarkable man, and to consider anew principles of justice, equality, and brotherhood.” Dr. Schaffer continued, emphasizing how the words of Dr. King still ring true today. “Our vigilance, principles, and activism are consequential. We still have work to do to achieve the justice envisioned so many years ago by Dr. King,” he stated. “It is the responsibility of all of us to stand up for what is right.”

Prior to Dr. Schaffer’s welcome and introduction, Zach Heaton (I) read a passage from Micah, followed by Aiden Theodore (I) reading an excerpt from Dr. King’s “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.” Dr. Schaffer then introduced the day’s featured speaker, biographer Jonathan Eig. Mr. Eig spoke with students, faculty, and staff about the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.—a topic explored in his Pulitzer Prize-winning biography King: A Life.

“I begin my book with the following sentence: On December 5, 1955, a young Black man became one of America’s founding fathers,” Mr. Eig stated, as he opened his talk, referencing the significance of the day in history—the first day of the Montgomery Bus Boycott. “There was enormous risk involved. What kept people in Montgomery from equality, it wasn’t just the law,” he stated. “It was the fear of standing up, of challenging the Jim Crow society of the south. The fear of death.” As the city became more divided and segregated in the weeks following, a new leader was called upon. At just 26 years old, Dr. King, who was new to the town, was asked to lead the charge calling for desegregation and unifying the Black community. 

As Mr. Eig continued in his address, he explored the humanity of Dr. King—his mental health struggles, his family and friendships, his difficulties in life. “In the last 39 years, since we created this holiday, I felt like we had lost sight of him. In celebrating him and hallowing him, we have hollowed him,” Mr. Eig explained. “We have turned him into this two-dimensional figure, we’ve whitewashed him, we’ve stripped away his radicalism and his faith, and we’ve lost sight of the fact that he had fears and failures. We’ve turned him into a monument, a national holiday, and thousands of street signs and hundreds of public schools, and we’ve forgotten that he was a person.” Mr. Eig’s goal in writing the first biography of Dr. King in decades was to revisit him as a person, and to share his humanity, faith, successes, foibles, struggles, and victories with readers of today.   

After Hall, Mr. Eig spent time in history classes to participate in smaller class discussions and field questions directly from the boys. His influence and impact was felt throughout the day, with many faculty, staff, and students marveling at how engaging and important his speech was. His book, King: A Life, is a must-read. 

On January 6, students, faculty and staff gathered in Rousmaniere Hall to celebrate the opening of the winter term. After unified renditions of “Morning Has Broken” and “O God Our Help In Ages Past,” Mr. Cervas read the poem “For A New Beginning” by John O’Donohue, and Sam Seaton (I) recited a quotation from Albert Schweitzer, referencing the “instant flame” ignited by our encounters with others. Finally, Dr. Schaffer took to the lectern to deliver the opening address. 

“We are now in 2025,” began Dr. Schaffer. “We are at the beginning of a new calendar year. And one that, by the way, is quite interesting mathematically,” he continued, admittedly straying from his typical historian approach. He went on to highlight the various numerical anomalies associated with the number, including the way it is a perfect square and also a square of the sum of its digits.  

While January marks a new calendar year, it marks the midpoint of RL’s academic year. “In the spirit of the school year, we can look back to see what got us here,” Dr. Schaffer stated. “We can take satisfaction in all that we achieved, and now we can also assess what worked for us. What didn’t? How can we improve? What should stay the same, and what should change?”

The Hall couldn’t conclude without some historical tie-in, though. Dr. Schaffer reflected on the life of the longest-living U.S. President, Jimmy Carter, and his recent passing. Carter became President at a young age, yet it was the second half of his life and career, after his presidency, that defined and solidified his place in history. 

Dr. Schaffer recited a quotation from Jimmy Carter after he lost reelection: “In a few days, I will lay down my official responsibilities in this office to take up once more the only title in our democracy superior to that of president, the title of citizen.” Dr. Schaffer explored Carter’s identity in this regard: “As a citizen, he dedicated his life to further service to others. And while historians may reassess the successes and failures of his presidency, there is a common consensus that he is the greatest post-president ever. His second half was monumental.”

As the Hall came to a close and students were dismissed to begin the second half of their academic year, rooted in the fresh start of a new calendar year, there was a feeling of renewed optimism and drive within the familiar halls.  

On November 22, students, faculty, staff, trustees, and other members of the Roxbury Latin community gathered for the school’s annual Thanksgiving Hall. This year, Marlyn McGrath delivered the holiday address. Ms. McGrath has been a member of the Roxbury Latin Board of Trustees since 2016 and spent 34 years serving as the Director of Admissions for Harvard College until her retirement in 2021. 

Dr. Schaffer opened the Hall by offering some historical context of the holiday—initiatives and affirmations from George Washington to Abraham Lincoln to Franklin D. Roosevelt. Dr. Schaffer wove snippets of history leading up to the Thanksgiving of today, and our collective thanksgiving for Roxbury Latin. “Thank you, with all of my heart, to all of you for gathering together in good spirit, forging this nurturing community, and for extending such a warm and complete welcome to me and others,” he stated. 

After a brief litany of thanks from boys in each grade, several readings and song, Dr. Schaffer introduced Ms. McGrath—sharing many of her impressive career achievements and contributions, and then touching on those essential characteristics that are not easily conveyed on paper. “Her kindness and warmth, her generosity and sincerity, keen insights and support are among the gifts she shares in abundance,” Dr. Schaffer stated. “On a day of gratitude, I will say I am deeply grateful for the love she has shown this school, and the support she has shown me over these many months.”

In her address, Ms. McGrath focused on the history of Roxbury Latin, and on her gratitude for all those who have come before to make the school what it is today. She highlighted the many trials, tribulations, successes,trailblazing decisions, and the courage of many individuals that led from Roxbury Latin in 1645 to Roxbury Latin in 2024. She underscored the distinctive mission of RL—the idea of the accomplished generalist, and the access to an RL education regardless of financial situation and how, for these reasons, the school stands apart from many of the other schools she has worked with in her time in higher education. “This school is not a building, it is a group of people. You are the school of today, we are the school of today, and that is worthy of our thanks.” 

Read the entirety of Marlyn McGrath’s Thanksgiving Hall address here.