Thanks to the generosity and hard work of many, Roxbury Latin has experienced another record-setting year in fundraising, exceeding ambitious goals for both the Annual Fund and capital giving. We are grateful for and humbled by the benefactions, each year, that allow us to welcome and support the most talented, interesting, aspiring, eclectic cohort of students in Greater Boston; to attract, develop, compensate, and retain a uniquely gifted, effective, and committed faculty; and to maintain the distinctive financial model that supports our mission and allows us to educate dedicated and deserving boys from in and around Boston, regardless of their families’ ability to pay.

These gifts allow Roxbury Latin to fill the $25,000 gap between tuition and the actual cost of educating each boy. They also save students and their families an average of $15,000 in tuition compared to other Boston-area schools.

Below is a glance at the year in fundraising “by the numbers.” A more comprehensive assessment of Roxbury Latin’s 2017-2018 year in fundraising will appear in the October issue of the Newsletter. Thank you to all those whose belief in this school has helped to make a difference in the lives of Roxbury Latin boys today and in the future.

$3,785,546  An Annual Fund record

$1,425,956  A new record for parent giving

$1,130,705  Alumni Leadership Giving Committee tops $1M for fifth consecutive year

2,082  A record number of donors

99%  Parent participation (average at other Boston-area schools is 80%)

52%  Alumni participation (average at other Boston-area schools is 27%)

$25,400,540  Total raised in capital campaign gifts, finishing one year ahead of schedule

On July 29, faculty members John Lieb (mathematics) and Andrew Kingsley ‘12 (English) hosted the Second Annual “Boswords” Crossword Tournament in the Palaistra on Roxbury Latin’s campus. This year the event drew 165 competitors—many for whom this was a first crossword tournament. (Leading up to the tournament, Boswords even earned a plug by The Washington Post crossword constructor, Evan Birnholz.)

The now-popular event draws young people and adults who can register for the advanced or novice divisions, or as a pair. Over the course of an afternoon, they solve puzzles developed by eight different constructors. (Puzzles from this year’s tournament, as well as last year’s, are available on the Boswords 2018 website.)

In the championship round, the top three solvers squared off for the Boswords title, which ultimately went to solver Katie Hamill. Prizes ranged from the entry fee to the 2018 American Crossword Puzzle Tournament, to subscriptions to the American Values Club Crossword, to a crossword book of the winner’s choosing. In addition to crossword puzzle solving, Boswords-goers had the chance to connect with other solvers from around the area.

At the edge of Roxbury Latin’s 50 acres of undeveloped forest is the school’s newest—and most unusual—campus addition: an outdoor classroom seating 80 students, equipped with a secured white board and a teacher’s table that doubles as a water-tight storage container. The classroom was completed in May and has already seen use—most recently by faculty during end-of-year meetings. When classes begin in August (and when weather permits!) the classroom will host a steady stream of students and faculty throughout the school year.

Faculty from all academic departments are eager to take advantage of the new space—none more so than science faculty member Elizabeth Carroll, whose Class VI Natural Design students spend the first four weeks of the school year working daily in the R.L. forest, learning the fundamentals of the scientific process: how to make scientific observations, collect data, formulate a hypothesis, and test it. The new outdoor classroom will enable seamless transition between traditional instruction and students’ exploration in the field. Similarly, Mrs. Carroll’s Class I Environmental Science class spends several weeks outside in the fall learning how ecosystems function and how to “read the forested landscape”—observing the details of current forest conditions and determining the history of that particular site.

The outdoor classroom was made possible by generous contributions from members of the R.L. community. The Arthur Vining Davis Science Fund awarded a grant to the school toward construction of the space, and Liberty Cedar Company of West Kingston, Rhode Island, provided the classroom’s 16 reclaimed oak log benches.

Brendan Gibbons (II) reported on the new classroom space in the spring issue of The Tripod; in that article he quoted Cam Keough (II), who is eager to experience class in the great outdoors: “[It’s] exciting that R.L. is branching out and implementing new education methods that challenge traditional learning.”

This spring marked year two of the popular RL@Work program. Led by Andy Chappell, R.L.’s Director of Studies and Strategic Initiatives, the program provides boys with an off-campus experience of discovery and growth—through visits to places of work, encounters with professionals, facilitated group discussions, individual reflection, and engagement in hands-on design challenges and case studies. Consistent with the school’s mission, the program helps boys imagine how they might “lead and serve” in the years ahead. RL@Work offers boys exposure to various professions and types of leadership, challenging real-world problems, and solutions in-the-making, preparing them for citizenship, service, work, and the world.

More than forty generous alumni, parents, former R.L. parents, and friends of the school—writers, lawyers, doctors, engineers, judges, developers, investors, professors, business owners—shared their time and passions with 53 Class II boys during the final days of the school year. Boys trekked throughout Boston and Cambridge over four days, many getting their first taste of the MBTA commuting experience.

The first of the program’s four days focused on science and medicine, during which small groups of Class II boys spent the morning at various medical and research institutions. At Harvard’s MEDscience Simulation Lab, boys sewed sutures and assessed vitals on high-tech practice “dummies” designed to blink, bleed, pulse and cry as appropriate. One group practiced their laparoscopic surgery skills at the STRATUS Center for Medical Simulation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Another group visited Boston Sports and Shoulder Center and a local medical supply company where they repaired shoulders and knees, using state-of-the-art simulation dummies. Finally, six boys had the once-in-a-lifetime experience of scrubbing into two heart bypass surgeries, care of Dr. Streckenbach, an anesthesiologist with Mass General Hospital and parent to two R.L. boys. The entire group convened later that afternoon on MIT’s campus to hear from Mr. Iqbal Dhaliwal P’21 and his team at the Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL) where researchers are combating poverty around the world with tangible solutions, based on economics.

Days two and three of the program focused on entrepreneurship of all kinds. One morning began with a presentation by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and R.L. parent Gareth Cook, who spoke with boys about the rewards and perils of journalism in today’s climate. After a discussion with Mr. Cook in the Evans Choral Room, the boys and their chaperones walked to the nearby commuter rail station to head further into the city, for meetings and activities with tech startups, real estate investors, designers, and a range of individuals working on innovative, interdisciplinary solutions through MIT’s Media Lab, coordinated by R.L. parent John Werner.

The final day of the program focused on law and public service, and, in small groups, students met with nearly twenty men and women whose life’s work is focused, in various forms, on justice. From an assistant U.S. attorney, to a white-collar criminal defense attorney, to a real estate and property lawyer, to a panel led by Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley P’14, boys gained a perspective on the many forms that a law career, and a career in public service, can take.

The culmination of the four days found the boys in the Champions Club at Fenway Park with three members of the Red Sox franchise, including Mike Regan ’04, Assistant Director of Baseball Administration; Steve Kelley ’09, Manager of Business Development; and Tim Zue, Executive Vice President and CFO of the Boston Red Sox. The trio reinforced to the boys, by virtue of their own professional experiences, the themes that over four day had become familiar in any successful pursuit, regardless of the profession or discipline: the importance of teamwork and communication; willingness to fail and learn from that failure; creating networks and developing relationships; being open to the unknown, and to exploring new ideas; working hard and being persistent; and understanding that the path to meaningful success isn’t always traditional or straightforward. (Afterward, the boys stayed with members of the faculty to watch the Red Sox beat the Toronto Blue Jays, 8-3, under sunny skies.)

The boys take away lots of lessons and inspiration from four intensive days. One reflected, “As Marvin said at Mass General: ‘Do something that—no matter how stressed you may be at work one day—still makes you happy to go back the next day.’” Another said, “It’s clear that R.L. is preparing me for a life of work and service. Now I can truly see what I am working for.”

We are grateful to the more than 40 men and women who generously shared their time, talents and spaces to provide our boys an insider’s view on so many possibilities and paths toward meaningful pursuits:

Andrew Eyre ‘02, Stratus Center for Medical Simulation, Brigham and Women’s Julie Joyal and Dr. Britt Lee P‘22, Harvard Medical School, MEDscience Simulation Lab Scott Streckenbach P’19, ‘22, Mass General Hospital Paul Weitzel ’86, P’16, ’18, ’20, ’22, Boston Sports and Shoulder Center, New England Baptist Hospital Iqbal Dhaliwal, P’21, Executive Director of Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action LabGareth Cook, P’20, New York Times Magazine, Contributing Writer Peggy Eysenbach, Nancy Adams, and Matt McCambridge ’94, MIT D-Lab and Edgerton Center Lou Goldish, MIT Venture Mentoring Service Dave Grossman ‘97 and Jake Grossman ‘00, Grossman Companies Gavin Murphy ‘98, Annkissam Eben Pingree ’00, Evertrue John Werner, P’21, MIT Media Lab, CEO of Aria and Vice President of Meta Michael Berk P’19, ’21, TA Associates Chris Mitchell ‘89, Spectrum Equity Greg Schmergel ’86 and Rahul Sen, Nantero Ron Allen ’95, Shire, and Dave Giordano ’96, Giordano and Chavous Mark Balthazard P’13, ’14, Assistant US Attorney, and Greg Noonan ’94, Hogan Lovells Paul Evans ’03, and Bob O’Connor ’85, DLA Piper Guy Green ’13, Peter Walkingshaw ‘06, Peter Rosenberg P’05, ’09, and John Wang, P’24, Ropes and Gray Tim Silva ‘88, and Arjun Jaikumar, ’01, WilmerHaleDan Conley, P’14, Suffolk County District AttorneyAttorneys Frank Kanin ’06, Pat Haggan, Peter Pasciucco ’01, Ramon Pascual ’07, Gavin Pittore ’12, Rob Settana ‘01, Ed Zabin, P’23 Tim Zue, Steve Kelley ’09, Mike Regan ’04, Boston Red Sox Organization

On Saturday, 2 June, Class III French students boarded a plane for Caen, France and Class III Spanish students embarked for Cadiz, Spain. Both groups make up RL’s signature month-long language immersion program, now in its eighth year.  The students are keeping blogs of their studies and adventures, their adoptive (homestay) families, and their own reflections and discoveries. Follow them as they unfold via the links below: Caen, FranceCadiz, Spain 

On the morning of 2 June, the 373rd year of The Roxbury Latin School ended with Closing Exercises and the graduation of the Class of 2018. When Headmaster Brennan finished reading the names of the 48 members of Class I, and each had received his diploma from Board Chair Bob O’Connor ’85, thunderous applause burst forth from the family members, friends, and faculty who filled Rousmaniere Hall. Following the benediction, the tolling of the school bell, and a rousing rendition of The Founder’s Song, all in attendance streamed outside onto the Senior Grass for hugs, handshakes, and farewells. (See photos)

Class valedictorian Thomas Bulger spoke on the subject of humility, a quality he saw in his classmates and which, among other things, “made this class special.” An accomplished student of the Classics, Tom began by offering Socrates as an example of what humility is not. (“Students appreciated that he recognized how much he did not know, but for a man who recognized how little he knows, he sure liked to show people how much he did know.”) Tom went on to describe in poignant anecdotes the many examples of humility shown by his classmates over their six years together. In closing, he said,

“There is no better example of character than taking time from your own life to help a person in need, especially when it would be all too easy to keep your extraordinary talents to yourself. …It’s not about whether or not you all change the world, because I am confident that you will. It’s about the manner in which you do it. I call on you today to keep your humility and to keep your character…. Continue to lend a hand to the struggling man, not in hope that it may one day be reciprocated, but because you all know it is the right thing to do.”

The commencement speaker was faculty member Dr. Sally Stevens, retiring this year after eleven years with the school. Having taught many of the Class of 2018 in her economics and history courses (and guided as many through the college application process), Dr. Stevens took this opportunity to draw deeply from her own expertise to address “some challenges facing the United States that will engage the Class of 2018 now and as adults when they are long gone from their seats of honor.” She discussed the ways in which Russia, China, and the US have evolved since WWII and the ways that the resulting relative power shifts are challenging what binds our nation together: “Not blood, not religion, not race, but a secular liturgy that proclaims all men, and women, are created equal.…”:

“The United States is not entitled to forever enjoy the privileged position it held after WWII and after the end of the Cold War. Yet, without correcting flaws in our economic policy, we will find our remaining privileges waning in the years ahead. Without paying attention and exercising our citizenship responsibilities, we risk compromising our political system. The task for you—the Class of 2018—is to ask questions, to search for what is true, and to be active and involved citizens in the long-term future of the country that has given you so very much.”

Three major senior prizes were also awarded during Closing Ceremonies.

The Richard A. Berenberg Prize, for generosity of spirit and concern for others, was presented to Reis White.

The Class of 1913 Award, for significant contributions to the life of the School, was presented to Andrew White.

The William Coe Collar Award, for achievements and contributions to the School that are deemed by the faculty as most deserving of recognition, was presented to two boys: Ben LaFond and David Ma.

On 30 May the Class of 2018 took their front row seats in Hall for the last time as the First Class, and anticipated, along with the classes behind them, this year’s roster of prize-winners and their plaudits. Every year its singular purpose is to recognize discernible excellence in all areas of school life and across every class. (See photos here.)

Major athletic awards to Class I: ISL: Ayinde Best Sportsmanship: Evan Lim Scholar-Athlete: Paul Kuechler Best Athlete: Jim Duffy Varsity Athletic awards to Class I:Soccer: Ben Bryant Lacrosse: Thomas Englert Hockey: James Duffy and Zach Milton Tennis: Harris Foulkes Football: Thomas Bulger Basketball: Sawyer Wellman Track & Field: Paul Kuechler Cross Country: Ben Lawlor Wrestling: Evan Lim Baseball: Robert Crawford Major book awards to boys in Class II:Holy Cross Book Award: Nate Lopes Brown University Book Award: Erik Zou Dartmouth Book Award: Rohan Sheth Harvard Book Prize: Ethan Kee Academic awards:The Joseph A. Sasserno French Deturs: George Madison V, Thomas Gaziano IV, Christopher Zhu III, Dominc Gaziano II, Reis White I Headmaster’s Spanish Deturs: Eli Bailit V, Daniel Berk IV, Michael Stankovich III, Tomas Gustafsson II, Robert Crawford I The Isabel M. Fowler History Prizes: Nicholas Frumkin VI, Peter Frates IV, Andrew Zhang III, John Frates II, Andrew Steinberg I The Richard M. Whitney Science Deturs: Gabriel Stankovich VI, Mark Henshon V, Andrew Zhang III, Rohan Sheth II The N. Henry Black Science Detur: Zach Levin I The Donald L. Whittle Deturs: Justin Shaw VI, Vishnu Emani V, John Carroll IV, Chris Zhu III, Kalyan Palepu II The Islay F. McCormick Mathematics Prize: David Ma I The Anna Cabot Lowell Deturs in English: Tait Oberg VI, Theodore Glaeser V, Ethan Phan IV, Jonathan Weiss III, Erik Zou II, Dylan Zhou I The Trustees’ Greek Deturs: Jonathan Weiss III, Coleman Smith II, Ben LaFond I The Anna Cabot Lowell Deturs in Latin: Robert Zabin VI, Vishnu Emani V, Daniel Sun-Friedman IV, John Harrington III, Gilbert Rosenthal II, Ben LaFond Extra-curricular awards:Lower School Latin Declamation Prize: Robert O’Grady Upper School Latin Declamation Prize: Coleman Smith Greek Declamation Prize: Thomas Bulger The Cameron A. Rylance Music Prize: Ben Lawlor The Ralph F.F. Brooks Art Prize: Andrew Gray The Philip A. Kaye Prize: Justin Shaw The Joan M. Regan Service Prize: Cole Englert The Class of 1976 Dramatics Prize: Andrew White and Reis White The Gerhard Rehder Prize in International Relations: Connor Dowd The Albert W. Kelsey Debate Prize: Joe Nero and Andrew Steinberg The Publications Award: Robert Crawford

For four concentrated weeks each spring, Class V students convene every C Block for a rich lesson in what it means to be a responsible, engaged, informed citizen of the United States. This Civics mini-course, conceived of by Headmaster Kerry Brennan, has been a hallmark of the Class V program since 2011. Through it, students learn early in their R.L. tenure how their government works, what their civil rights and responsibilities are, and what service to country and commonwealth can look like.

History Department Chair Stewart Thomsen kicks off the course with an Introduction to Civics—what the term means, and what the boys can expect in the coming weeks. On day two, Mr. Brennan walks the boys through the American election process, digging deeply into the federal branches of government and how the individuals in those seats come to arrive there. He offers the history and current state of the electoral college; the difference between primaries and caucuses; the steps toward running for our nation’s highest office; and the voter turnout percentages during recent presidential elections.

During the perennial favorite “May Madness” competition, the boys face a test of knowledge connected with the naturalization process for U.S. citizenship. This test segues into an introduction to immigration, offered by Mr. Thomsen and faculty member Chris Heaton of the History Department, who plays a key role in organizing the course. A major highlight of the immigration unit is when members of the Roxbury Latin community share their personal immigration stories and their various paths to citizenship. This year French master Ousmane Diop; Eli Roumally of R.L.’s Buildings and Grounds team; and Elias Simeonov of Class II generously told the boys their varied and personal tales of how they arrived in the United States and what made them stay.

A keystone of the Civics course is a series of guest speakers who represent different avenues of public service. This spring, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gareth Cook (father of Aidan Cook, Class III) walked the boys through exercises designed to help them identify “fake news,”; former R.L. parent and Boston City Councilor Mark Ciommo, with his associate Daniel Polanco, spoke with boys about their different roles and paths to serving with the City Council; and finally Dr. William Sparks (father of Andrew Sparks, Class V) discussed the critical role of the military staff corps—the lawyers, engineers, supply specialists, nurses, doctors—who ensure that other active duty service members and their families have the resources they need to do their jobs. Dr. Sparks served as a pediatric anesthesiologist for the Naval Medical Corps.

While boys enter the month-long course with various levels of interest and awareness about these topics, they all enhance their knowledge and walk away with a well-rounded understanding.

Reunion kicked off on Friday, 11 May, with RL Today, a program that welcomes alumni back to campus while school is in session. Alumni attended an all-school Hall, followed by lunch in the Bernstein Tea Room. The program concluded with an address by the Headmaster and a discussion with a panel of seniors in the Evans Choral Room. Students led alumni on tours of the campus before and after the scheduled events. Many guests saw for the first time such recent additions to the school as the IDEA Lab, the Evans Choral Room, and the Indoor Athletic Facility and Hennessy Rink. (RL Today photos.)

On Friday evening, the 25th Anniversary Class (1993) enjoyed a family supper reception in the IAF, sharing the occasion with their parents, spouses, and children. (25th Reunion photos.)

Alumni returned Saturday morning for a program—new this year!—called Back to School, in which they were students again in classes taught by Joe Kerner (poetry), Mo Randall (comparative literature), Sally Stevens (The United States’ Place in the World), and Nate Piper (STEAM and the Maker Culture). (Back to School photos.)

Varsity home games began at 12:30 p.m., despite the damp, and alumni and families came out to support our teams while enjoying barbecue fare under the arches of the Gordon Field House alongside Schoolhouse Field. (See Family Day photos.)

Reunion 2018 culminated in RL’s annual Cocktail Party and Dinner on Saturday evening. Rain kept the party indoors but at no expense to the festivities. Some 260 alumni and guests returned to Alma Mater, representing classes from 1953 on. (Reception photos, Class photos.)

Each spring, boys in Class V enrich their science curriculum with a day trip to Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute (WHOI), on the southeastern point of Cape Cod. For nearly 15 years, this hands-on experience has been a popular culmination of students’ fourth marking period studies in their Introduction to Physical Science course, which focuses on water quality.

Through RL alumnus Mike Earley ’87, the science department faculty communicated with Rob Reynolds, a Woods Hole Guest Investigator and founder of the Zephyr Education Foundation. Mr. Reynolds organizes educational investigation experiences for students using a boat that easily fits the entire class and includes sampling and video monitoring equipment. Onboard, students are able to view (through a camera filming the bottom of the ocean in real time) different ecosystems existing at different depths. Using his sampling nets Mr. Reynolds collects organisms from the sandy ocean bottom for the students to handle and examine up close.

Once the boys disembark, they hear from Dave Bailey—a research assistant in applied ocean physics and engineering. This year, he spoke with the boys about aquaculture from both scientific research and commercial perspectives.

With the help of RL alumnus Jim Flynn ’75—a member of the Woods Hole development team—students were invited aboard the US Navy’s state-of-the-art research vessel, the Neil Armstrong, which is operated by WHOI.

“The entire day has great value to the boys,” says Dean of Students Paul Sugg, a member of the science faculty and longtime teacher of the IPS course. “Just being away from campus, as a class, is a good way to spend a day, but being able to experience, firsthand, the life and work of a major research community—that’s invaluable to the boys. They get a sense of how significant Woods Hole is in the world of biological research. And because we have all these wonderful RL alumni who help us make this kind of trip happen, the boys gain perspective on the value of the broader RL community. They understand another way in which they might contribute to the school once they’ve graduated.”

On the trip home from Woods Hole, the group stops at a salt marsh to study, close-up, an estuary, which is relevant to the topic they’re covering in class.

“When the boys return to class, they’re presenting projects related to their study of Charles River water quality, and every year there’s mention of what we saw at Woods Hole, what we learned down there. It’s all connected,” says Dean Sugg. “When we began the Charles River water quality testing unit 15 years ago, water quality wasn’t as much of a mainstream story. That area of science has only become increasingly relevant and applicable.”