A panel of parents in the medical profession described their careers and career paths in Hall on 11 April. With such a wealth of experience within the R.L. community from which to draw, it seemed a perfect way to broaden the career horizons of our students with first hand knowledge and insight.

Hearing directly from professionals who have navigated diverse medical careers offers students a rare opportunity to see how passion, persistence, and adaptability shape real-world success. Such conversations go beyond academic guidance, allowing young people to connect personal interests with practical career paths and understand the evolving nature of professional growth. These experiences inspire clarity, helping students identify their strengths, values, and long-term aspirations while gaining confidence in their future choices.

Developing this self-awareness early can be instrumental in setting purposeful goals and making informed decisions that align with individual ambitions. Teresa Duke Consulting emphasizes this kind of intentional career development, guiding individuals to uncover their unique direction, build confidence in their abilities, and pursue careers that bring both fulfillment and success. Through reflection and mentorship, students and professionals alike can gain the clarity needed to craft careers that truly resonate with who they are and what they hope to achieve.

One of the things almost all of them touched on was how they discovered their own particular penchant within a medical career.

Dr. Larry Epstein thought he wanted to be a pediatrician, but it wasn’t until he began his rotations that he realized he wanted to do medicine with adults. His decision to specialize in breathing disorders in sleep was influenced largely by his mentor, a pulmonologist. Because the field was so new, he had to combine two areas of studies—pulmonary critical care and sleep.

Dr. Paul Weitzel majored in history in college, but took premed anyway “just in case.” He knew he didn’t want to spend his life at a desk; he knew he did like people, fixing things, and working with his hands. In his chosen field of sports medicine and orthopedic surgery (where his tools include drills and saws) he has found all three.

Dr. Elizabeth Drucker was trained as an interventional radiologist, but went back to law school when she realized that the kind of care patients were getting (or not getting) was determined by things beyond their control. Since then she has been involved with policy and ethics, and creating software and systems to make medical records accessible to doctors.

As a follow up to this medical panel Hall, Harry Callewaert II organized a session with Dr. Sanjiv Chopra, Faculty Dean of Continuing Education and Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, who spoke about his work and career path to interested juniors, seniors, and faculty on 19 April.

The parents who graciously gave their morning to be on the panel were:

Dr. Elizabeth Drucker (Ben Rivitz I), radiologist affiliated with Newton-Wellesley HospitalDr. Dorothy Cunningham (Evan Epstein I), owner and physician at Washington Square Dermatology specializing in medical, surgical and cosmetic dermatologyDr. Larry Epstein (Evan Epstein I), instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School and associate physician, Division of Sleep and Circadian Disorders, Departments of Medicine and Neurology, Brigham and Women’s HospitalDr. Deborah Zuckerman (Jacob Gendelman I), pediatric ophthalmologist at Burlington Eye AssociatesDr. Paul Weitzel (Will I, Harry III, Charlie V), orthopedic surgeon at New England Baptist Hospital, assistant clinical professor at Tufts University School of MedicineDr. Merrill Weitzel (Will I, Harry III, Charlie V), specializes in gynecology and obstetrics at Harvard Medical School and Boston Children’s HospitalDr. Huihong Xu (Kevin Zhu I), assistant professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at Boston University School of Medicine

The 44 boys comprising Class V trekked the full 10-mile Walk for Hunger route on Sunday, 1 May—raising $11,000 for the cause. Then on Monday morning they were off on a field trip to Woods Hole, where they embarked on an exploration of the bay with marine biologists from the Oceanographic Institute in one of their boats. The day included a visit to the labratories. Neither day’s weather favored the excursions, but that didn’t slow down these boys—although their teachers predicted they’d sleep well!See photos here.

Another collaboration between Winsor and RL brought this year’s musical, The Secret Garden, to the Smith Theater stage. Based on the 1911 novel by Frances Hodgson Burnett, the musical (script and lyrics by Marsha Norman and music by Lucy Simon) premiered on Broadway in 1991 and ran for two years.Twenty-one actors from Winsor and RL, along with a robust stage and tech crew, produced the show under the direction of RL Director of Dramatics Derek Nelson and Director of Music Rob Opdycke. The show had two evening performances on 29 & 30 April.  See photos here.

A group consisting of 60+ alumni joined faculty and Class I for an Alumni Spring Dinner on April 14. The event, which replaced the annual Alumni Spring Luncheon, offered attendees a unique and detailed first glimpse of the School’s athletic facilities expansion. David Powell, a representative from Hastings Architecture Associates, outlined and discussed the project, offering insights on the initiative with pictures and slide renderings of its progression. After dinner, school representatives and construction directors led field tours of the building sites for guests. See pictures of the eventful evening on Flickr.

After its far-flung tour of Iceland last year, the Glee Club stayed local this year, making the rounds of the Prairie State for its spring break tour. They gave concerts in Chicago, Springfield, and Urbana, and took in plenty of sights along the way.

In Chicago the boys performed at the Merit School of Music, the Museum of Science and Industry, the Francis Parker School, and two venues at the University of Chicago Lab Schools Historic Campus. While their Willis Tower visit was cancelled because of high winds, the Architectural Boat Tour made up for it, not to mention supper at Smoke Daddy BBQ Restaurant. Special thanks to Phil Curley ’72 and Paul Gibbons ’86 for their help in setting up Chicago performances!

Other highlights included performing in the opening concert of the Intercollegiate Men’s Choral National Seminar at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign—the only high school group to perform at the Seminar. After hearing a concert by Take 6 (the most awarded a cappella group in history) as part of the seminar, RL singers were privileged to join that group’s masterclass the next morning, and perform one of their songs with the band. At IMC’s closing concert, our boys got to hear the University of Kentucky and University of Michigan Glee Clubs give fantastic performances. The Glee Club performed at its highest level at Westminster Church in Springfield, reports Director Rob Opdycke. While in the state capitol, the group visited the Lincoln Presidential Museum. See photos here.

The School was treated to another Recital Hall on 12 April—80% piano, 20% mandolin, 100% memorized. 

Christopher Zhu V played Etude Op. 42 No. 5, by Scriabin; Dylan Zhou III played Sunflower by Yu Shi Wang, arranged for piano by Er Yao Ling (based on a traditional Chinese folk melody); Jonathan Weiss V played his own composition, “For Every End a Beginning”; on solo mandolin Marc de Fontnouvelle III played “A Bowl of Bula” by Mark O’Connor, an American fiddler; and Aditya Mahadevan I played the second movement of the Fantasie in C Major, opus 17, by Robert Schumann.

See photos here.