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.