• Roxbury Latin Presents “Catch Me If You Can”

    Roxbury Latin Presents “Catch Me If You Can”

    Roxbury Latin and the Winsor School presented this year’s winter musical production—the 2011 Broadway hit Catch Me If You Can—on Friday, February 25, and Saturday, February 26, in RL’s Smith Theater.

    The story is about skilled con artist and imposter, Frank Abagnale Jr., who worked fraudulently as a doctor, a lawyer, and a co-pilot for Pan Am—all before his eighteenth birthday. A master of deception, he was also a brilliant forger, whose skill gave him his first real claim to fame: At the age of 17, Frank became a wildly successful bank robber, sought ceaselessly by FBI Agent Carl Hanratty, who makes it his primary mission to capture Frank and bring him to justice. But Frank always proves himself one step ahead.

    Roxbury Latin’s production of the play—written by Terrence McNally, with music by Marc Shaiman—included a cast and crew of nearly 40 students. Under the superb direction of John Ambrosino, musical direction of Rob Opdycke, and choreography of John Crampton, the company avidly tackled a challenging script and score, and delighted audiences two nights in a row.

    Watch a brief highlight video of the play, care of Mr. Miller.

    View photos of the production, care of Mr. Pojman.

    Read the program, which includes a complete list of the production’s cast and crew, and notes from the director.

    Erin Berg

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  • Careers in Art History, and the Multivalence of Art: A Panel Hall With Three Experts

    Careers in Art History, and the Multivalence of Art: A Panel Hall With Three Experts

    “In your art classes, and in this space, we often focus on art from the perspective of the artist—what someone creates, and why, and how,” began Headmaster Brennan in Hall on February 15. “Between the artist and the viewer, however, there is often a complex tapestry of activity, informed, shaped, and stewarded by experts such as those on our stage this morning.”

    The morning’s panel of Hall speakers included three professionals who earned degrees in art history and have since taken that skill and passion in various directions. From the Smith Theater stage, Myles Garbarini ’13, Sue McCrory, and Paul Provost ’83 shared their experiences, trajectories, and insights with students and faculty.

    Myles majored in art history at Yale after graduating from Roxbury Latin, focusing his thesis on the multidimensionality in Mikhail Vrubel’s paintings and ceramics.  He conducted his primary research in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia, and this work earned him Yale’s Goodyear Fine Arts Award for excellence in his senior thesis. Until recently, Myles applied his passion and talent for art and learning as a technical art historian and research coordinator in the Scientific Research Department of Sotheby’s—the famed marketplace and auction house for fine art and luxury items. In that role, Myles coordinated analytical examinations of artworks worldwide, and executed technical imaging and infrared photography of artworks, resolving disputes about authenticity and condition. In Hall he spoke about that work through the example of a famed Botticelli painting that he and his colleagues worked on, revealing what they found in the painting’s centuries-old layers.

    Dr. Sue McCrory—Roxbury Latin’s inspiring teacher of history, Art History, and Technology & Art—gained experience as an academic and historian in several different facets prior to arriving at RL. After earning her bachelor’s degree at Duke and her doctorate in History of Art and Architecture at Harvard, Dr. McCrory served as a teaching fellow at Harvard; as a historical guide in Rome, leading visitors through the Vatican Museums and Basilica of St. Peter; on the curatorial team of Harvard’s Fogg Art Museum; and as a consultant designing highly-specialized art-focused tours from Philadelphia to the Netherlands. In Hall she discussed some of the joys and challenges of pursuing a higher degree—both generally and in art history; what an advanced degree means experientially; and the variety of roles and opportunities available to an art historian.

    Paul Provost—RL Class of 1983 and a member of the Board of Trustees—has more than 25 years’ experience in museums, businesses, and foundations. In 2019 he was appointed Chief Executive Officer of Art Bridges, an arts foundation with net assets of $1.5 billion and a mission to expand access to American Art across the country. Prior to this role, Paul served more than two decades in various management and executive roles at Christie’s—the premier American art auction enterprise. As Deputy Chairman at Christie’s, Paul served as an art world ambassador and lead negotiator for high-value art-related transactions and financial services. He has also been closely involved with World War II Holocaust and Restitution matters and other cultural property claims. He has lectured widely on art as an asset and international art market dynamics—topics on which he expanded in detail during the Hall, and in response to students’ questions afterward in Dr. McCrory’s AP Art History class as a guest later that afternoon. The focus of Paul’s portion of the presentation was multivalence—the value of artworks in various contexts. He walked students and faculty through this concept using the example of the 1863 Winslow Homer painting Home, Sweet Home, which Paul shepharded from the home of a private collector in New Jersey, through auction at Christie’s, to the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where it now lives. Paul earned his bachelor’s degree from Middlebury; his master’s in art history from Williams and the Clark Art Institute; and his doctorate in History of Art from Princeton.

    The three art historians stressed for students the importance of paying attention to what you’re good at, and what you gravitate toward; the importance of visual literacy—of looking closely and decoding images; and, finally, the importance of following your passions, even when the trajectory ahead isn’t clear.

    Watch the entirety of the panelists’ Hall on art and art history.

    Erin Berg

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  • The French Family Band Brings Country Music to Smith Theater

    The French Family Band Brings Country Music to Smith Theater

    “Country music just sounds better when a family sings it,” began Headmaster Brennan in Hall on February 11. “That’s where it all began: mothers, fathers, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins, all huddled together, picking and singing on a porch in the twilight. Camille and Stuie French—now settled with their family in Nashville—have been making music together for nearly 25 years, oceans away from their childhood worlds of New Zealand and Australia where they both fell in love with and mastered country music.”

    This year’s Berman Visiting Artists—joining RL’s students, faculty, and staff not only for a rousing morning performance in the Smith Theater, but also in master classes, workshops, and jam sessions throughout the afternoon—are The French Family Band, made up of singers and guitarists Camille, Stuie, and 15-year-old Sonny French. In a special mid-morning Hall, the group performed a number of songs and styles—from Johnny Cash to poignant, original songs about family and growing up, including Not Too Young and Little Years. Camille even performed a traditional song and dance from her native Maori roots, to the crowd’s delight.

    As a duo, Camille and Stuie have earned three Australian Golden Guitar Awards––the equivalent to America’s CMAs—namely, in 2013, an award for Best Alternative Country Album of the Year and, in 2017, Stuie received Best Instrumental Album honors for Axe to Swing. Two of the pair’s original songs––Gone for All Money and Pretty Katalina––were featured on the popular Australian television drama A Place to Call Home. Stuie’s skill led to high-profile sideman gigs with Australia’s top touring artists, and to touring and jamming with his idol Merle Haggard on his Australian tour as a member of the opening band. And Nashville noticed. The Grammy-winning Time Jumpers invited Stuie and Camille to sit in on the group’s 3rd & Lindsley residency.

    The group not only performs impressive renditions of others’ songs, but they have met much acclaim by writing their own. Camille and Stuie are parents to three children, and their high school son, Sonny, has been the musical force that transformed a successful duo into The French Family Band. Sonny began singing at age three, and even then he could sing on pitch, his mother recalls. By the time he was six or seven, he was singing harmony. Since then, Sonny has picked up the guitar as well, inspired by some of his favorite country artists Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, George Jones, and Glen Campbell. The industry has taken note: USA Gibson Guitars invited Sonny to be part of an international mix of promising young musicians dubbed the Gibson Generation Group.

    On stage at RL, Camille, Stuie, and Sonny were joined by drummer Gregg Stocki and bassist Joe Reed who, between them, have played with international music stars from Willie Nelson to Keb Mo, Sheryl Crow to Johnny Cash, Beck to Merle Haggard.

    In 2005, Ethan Berman ’79 and his wife, Fiona Hollands, established—in honor of Ethan’s mother—the Claire Berman Artist in Residence Fund. This endowed fund brings to the school annually a distinguished figure or figures in the arts. Since 2006, the school has been honored to welcome actors—such as Christopher Lloyd in Death of a Salesman, Tovah Feldshuh, and the troupe of The American Shakespeare Center; as well as poet laureate Billy Collins; jazz artist John Pizzarelli; the rock-and-roll performers of Beatlemania Now; singer/songwriter Livingston Taylor; and renowned jazz singer Jane Monheit. We were lucky to have with us in Hall both Claire Berman and her daughter, Eve.

    Erin Berg

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  • Winter Art Exhibit Featuring the Work of Brian Buckley

    Winter Art Exhibit Featuring the Work of Brian Buckley

    On the evening of January 13, more than 200 members of the Roxbury Latin community—students, alumni, faculty, parents, and friends—helped to celebrate the opening of this year’s winter art exhibit, featuring the work of veteran faculty member and long-time Arts Department Chair Brian Buckley.

    Having served for 36 years on the Roxbury Latin faculty, Mr. Buckley is retiring. He has led the Arts Department for 33 years and has positively affected thousands of RL students over nearly four decades. In honor of his talent and dedication, and in celebration of his retirement, RL is hosting Brian Buckley: A Retrospective—an exhibit of Mr. Buckley’s artwork from 1977 through 2021.

    View pictures from the opening reception, and of the artwork itself. The exhibit will be available for viewing from January 13 to February 15. The Great Hall exhibit is open to the public Monday through Friday, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Please call 617-477-6326 for viewing access.

    Erin Berg

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  • Holiday Concerts, to Begin the Winter Break

    Holiday Concerts, to Begin the Winter Break

    In Roxbury Latin tradition, on the day following mid-year exams—and just before the students and faculty leave campus for a well-deserved winter break—a full third of the student body assembles to deliver a festive and joyful holiday concert, honoring the celebrations and spirit of the season. This tradition—like many—was interrupted in December 2020, and we were delighted to have Rousmaniere Hall filled once again with family and friends who, though masked, joined in a happy evening of song to commence the vacation and close the year 2021.

    Members of the Glee Club, the Latonics, and the Junior Chorus—along with help from several musical faculty members and friends—regaled an audience at 4:30 p.m. and again at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, December 17.

    Roxbury Latin Glee Club
    Veni, veni, Emmanuel                                Traditional Advent Hymn

    Exsultate Justi                                         Lodovico Grossi da Viadana
    arr. Ruggero Vené

    River in Judea                                                               Jack Feldman
    Heshie Liebowitz, piano                                          arr. John Leavitt

    Light One Candle                                                         Peter Yarrow
    Eli Bailit & David Sullivan, solos                     arr. Robert DeCormier
    Andrés Wilson, guitar; Michael Allen, bass           & Kerry P. Brennan
    Heshie Liebowitz, piano                                                                    

    Do You Hear What I Hear?                                         Gloria Shayne
    Peter Hyde & Ryan Miller, trumpet                       arr. Harry Simeone
    Theo Teng, piano                                                                             

    Roxbury Latin Latonics
    Ave Maria (Angelus Domini)                                           Franz Biebl
    Liam Finn, Ale Philippides, & Eric Zhu, trio

    Ma’oz Tzur                                             Traditional Hanukkah Hymn
    arr. Heshie Liebowitz

    The Minstrel Boy                                                       Irish Folk Song
    Will Grossman, solo                                         arr. Jameson Marvin 

    Roxbury Latin Junior Chorus
    Let It Snow! Let It Snow! Let It Snow!                          Jule Styne
    Dylan Massard, piano                                         arr. Carl Strommen
    It’s the End of the World as We Know It (And I Feel Fine)    R.E.M.
    Tom Pogorelec, solo                                             arr. Rob Opdycke
    Love Runs Out                                                              OneRepublic
    Dylan Pan, Simba Makura, & Fin Reichard, solos     arr. Rob Opdycke
    Roxbury Latin Latonics
    Please Come Home for Christmas                                   The Eagles
    Tommy Reichard, solo                                          arr. Rob Opdycke
    Amie                                                                    Pure Prairie League
    Brendan Reichard, solo                                         arr. Rob Opdycke
    Forget You                                                                   CeeLo Green
    Ale Philippides, solo                   arr. Cory Ryan & Sandy Fleming ’07

    Roxbury Latin Glee Club
    Vive L’Amour                                                                   Traditional
    arr. Alice Parker & Robert Shaw

    Ride the Chariot                                                  Traditional Spiritual
    Tommy Reichard, solo                               arr. William Henry Smith

    The Holiday Season                                                  Kay Thompson
    arr. Mark Hayes

    Battle Hymn of the Republic                                       William Steffe
    Peter Hyde, trumpet                                       arr. Peter J. Wilhousky
    Justin Yamaguchi, piano

    The Founder’s Song                                       James Shelley Hamilton
    Mathias Why, organ
    Joined by the Junior Chorus & Roxbury Latin Alumni

    Erin Berg

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  • Julian Patterson ’06 and Kaleb Rollins ’06 Discuss Music and Media, Podcast-Style

    Julian Patterson ’06 and Kaleb Rollins ’06 Discuss Music and Media, Podcast-Style

    On November 30, in the Smith Theater, students and faculty were joined in Hall by two alumni from the Class of 2006—Julian Patterson and Kaleb Rollins—who work today at the intersections of music and culture, sports and fashion, hip hop and media.

    “Popular culture—as many of us in this room can attest—evolves over time, and in many ways it marks each generation, evidenced in music and film, sports and art, fashion and commercial trends,” began Headmaster Brennan. “Increasingly the focus of academic interest, popular culture influences the ways in which each of us experiences the world, most especially, perhaps, when we’re young.” In a podcast-style interview of one another, Julian and Kaleb—classmates and friends—spoke at length about their paths to their respective careers (beginning as Sixies at RL!), what they love about their work, and why it’s important.

    Julian Patterson is a content executive at Bleacher Report, the number one sports publisher across all social media platforms with more than 125 million followers. From Bleacher Report’s website: “Through creative expression, Bleacher Report delivers visceral, authentic moments at the intersection of sports and culture.” During his tenure at Bleacher Report, Julian has been recognized for leading award-winning teams, spearheading social innovation, and co-founding the largest employee resource group in the history of the company. Julian earned his bachelor’s degree from Colby College, where he was involved in various culture clubs and service organizations.

    Kaleb “KQuick” Rollins is a multi-platinum Grammy-nominated songwriter, producer, and mixing engineer. Kaleb brought his passion for music to New York University’s Clive Davis Institute Of Recorded Music, where he honed his skills as a producer, mixing engineer, and songwriter. Since graduating from NYU in 2010, Kaleb has worked with artists including Chris Brown, J Cole, Alessia Cara, and Summer Walker. He has also written and produced songs for numerous film and television projects, including scoring a Sundance Film Festival short film selection. Kaleb has played a role in multiple Billboard #1 projects, two Grammy-nominated albums, and has won two JUNO Awards for his work.

    During the course of their conversation, they covered wide-ranging topics, both personal and professional. They underscored the importance of their lasting Roxbury Latin and college relationships; the willingness to pursue your passions, despite obstacles; the value of creating not just when inspired, but as a daily habit; the power of music and media; and the role of their mentors and inspirations—from their parents to fashion designer Virgil Abloh to music producer Ryan Leslie.

    Just prior to the student Q&A that followed their conversation, Julian concluded “I just think that not everyone is supposed to be a doctor, lawyer, accountant, engineer. Someone has to be the platinum rap producer. Someone has to be the media executive that runs the programming for the television or the social media that you watch all day. So whilst those jobs are available, why not us?”

    Hear the entirety of Julian and Kaleb’s Hall conversation—as well as their responses to students’ questions—here.

    Erin Berg

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  • It’s Alive! Roxbury Latin Presents Frankenstein

    It’s Alive! Roxbury Latin Presents Frankenstein

    On November 19 and 20, Roxbury Latin celebrates the full return to live theater as the fall’s Senior Play production of Frankenstein fills the Smith Theater stage. Based on the 1818 novel by Mary Shelley, and adapted for the stage by Nick Dear in 2011, the production tells the story of Victor Frankenstein and his creation, but from The Creature’s perspective. Directed by Derek Nelson, the play features Teddy Glaeser (I) as The Creature and David Sullivan (I) as Victor Frankenstein. Showtimes are Friday, November 19, and Saturday, November 20, at 7:30 p.m. in RL’s Smith Theater.

    View production photos, by Mike Pojman.

    “You, who call Frankenstein your friend, seem to have a knowledge of my crimes and his misfortunes. But, in the detail which he gave you of them, he could not sum up the hours and months of misery which I endured, wasting in impotent passions. For whilst I destroyed his hopes, I did not satisfy my own desires. They were forever ardent and craving; still I desired love and fellowship, and I was still spurned. Was there no injustice in this? Am I to be thought the only criminal, when all humankind sinned against me? Why do you not hate Felix, who drove his friend from his door with contumely? Why do you not execrate the rustic who sought to destroy the saviour of his child? Nay, these are virtuous and immaculate beings! I, the miserable and the abandoned, am an abortion, to be spurned at, and kicked and trampled on. Even now my blood boils at the recollection of this injustice… But it is true that I am a wretch. I have murdered the lovely and the helpless; I have estranged the innocent as they slept, and grasped to death his throat who never injured me or any other living thing. I have devoted my creator, the select specimen of all that is worthy of love and admiration among men, to misery; I have pursued him even to that irremediable ruin. There he lies, white and cold in death. You hate me; but your abhorrence cannot equal that with which I regard myself…”
    — from Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

    View a 15-minute preview scene, from Roxbury Latin’s production of Frankenstein.

    CAST LIST
    The Creature: Teddy Glaeser
    Victor Frankenstein: David Sullivan
    Gustav: Emmanuel Nwodo
    Klaus: Michael Allen
    DeLacey: Eli Bailit
    Felix: John Austin
    Elizabeth Lavenza/Gretel: Sophia Leissner
    Agnes/Clarice: Beatrix Picotte
    William Frankenstein: Ale Philippides
    M. Frankenstein: Alejandro Denis
    Ewan: Thomas Connolly
    Rab: Harry Lonergan
    Constable: James McCurley
    Ensemble: Michael Thomas, Leo Bene, Lucas Vander Elst

    TECH CREW
    Set Design: Mr. Nelson, Mr. Buckley
    Costume Design and Build: Joy Adams
    Make-up Design/Artist: Cass Seidl, Joy Adams
    Vitruvian Man: James Ryan (and Leonardo da Vinci!)
    Tech Directors: Mr. Buckley, Mr. Nelson
    Lighting Design: Owen Butler, Evren Uluer
    Light Board Operators: Marc Quintanar, Owen Butler, Evren Uluer
    Sound Design: Tommy Reichard, Matt O’Connor
    Sound Board Operator: Tommy Reichard, Matt O’Connor
    Set Crew: Mr. Beam, Sunil Rosen, James McCurley, Auden Duda, Henry Van Den Bosch, Lincoln Hyatt, Flynn Hall, Liam Walsh, Luke Campanella, Anton Rabkin, Declan Bligh, Nahum Workalemahu, Danny Tobin, Robby O’Shaughnessy, Alejandro Denis
    Props: Mr. Nelson, John Austin
    Production Photos: Mr. Pojman
    Production Highlights Video: Mr. Miller
    Pre-Show/Post-Show Music: “Snowflake” and “Angel” by Kate Bush

    Erin Berg

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  • Grammy Award-Winning Adam Granduciel ’97 on Fatherhood and Making Music

    Grammy Award-Winning Adam Granduciel ’97 on Fatherhood and Making Music

    Alumnus Adam Granduciel ’97—frontman of the Grammy Award-winning rock band The War on Drugs—discusses fatherhood, his band’s new album “I Don’t Live Here Anymore,” and their upcoming show at Madison Square Garden in a recent New York Times article titled “The War on Drugs Can’t Stop Searching for Answers in the Music.”

    “For all his achievements, Granduciel remains far more motivated by his craft than by external validation,” New York Times writer Olivia Horn writes. “A notoriously obsessive creative, he’s keener to tinker in the privacy of the studio than to bask in the spotlight. And lately, he’s been preoccupied by something even more important than music-making: his 2-year-old son, Bruce.”

    In the article Adam references his relationship with his father, RL alumnus Mark Granofsky ’51, and how that relationship has shaped him, both in his approach to his work and as a father to his young son.

    The War on Drugs will be headlining at Madison Square Garden on January 29, and tickets are available through the venue’s website.

    Erin Berg

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  • Live Music on Campus Again, At Last!

    Live Music on Campus Again, At Last!

    This week marked a momentous occasion for this singing school: On Thursday, May 20, Roxbury Latin hosted its first live musical performance in 14 months. On a beautiful, sunny evening, outside in the Smith Arts Center Courtyard, guests sat—spread out, in chairs on the lawn—and enjoyed performances by students in Class VI through Class I, instrumentalists and singers, performing a range of music that they’ve been practicing, in person and via Zoom, throughout this pandemic year.

    View the entirety of this spring’s outdoor concert, and read the complete program below.

    Chamber Ensembles
    Howard Frazin, director

    Piano Trio in F Major, Op. 39, No. 1

    1. Allegro con brio

    Julius Klengel (1859-1933)

       Max Kesselheim, violin                                                                    

       Kenneth Foster, cello

       Dennis Jin, piano

    Recorder Sonata in F Minor                      

    1. Allegro

    Georg Philipp Telemann (1681-1767)

       Marc Albrechtskirchinger, recorder

       Simon Albrechtskirchinger, guitar

    Violin Sonata in E Minor, BWV 1023             

    1. Gigue                

    Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750)

       Liam Finn, violin

       Michael Allen, double bass

       Darian Estrada, piano

    Piano Quartet No. 3 in C Minor, Op. 60                

       III. Andante

    Johannes Brahms (1833-1897)

       Justin Yamaguchi, violin

       Eli Mamuya, viola

       Justin Shaw, cello

       Theo Teng, piano

    Horn Trio in E-flat Major, Op. 40

    1. Allegro con brio

    Brahms

       Daniel Berk, horn

       Alex Yin, violin

       Heshie Liebowitz, piano

     

    Latonics
    Rob Opdycke, director

    Eric Auguste, Eli Bailit, Daniel Berk, Ben Brasher, Ben Chang-Holt,

    Ryan Frigerio, Aydan Gedeon-Hope, Heshie Liebowitz, Ryan Lim,

    Sam Morris-Kliment, Emmanuel Nwodo, Ethan Phan, Ale Philippides,

    Tommy Reichard, Theo Teng

    Loch Lomond

    Traditional Scottish Air

    arr. Ralph Vaughan Williams (1872-1958)

    Daniel Berk, tenor

    Lighthouse

    Ernie Halter (b. 1974)

    arr. Sandy Fleming ’07 (b. 1988) & Rob Opdycke (b. 1976)

    Ben Chang-Holt, Emmanuel Nwodo,   

    Ale Philippides, solos
     

    Guitar Ensemble
    Dr. Andrés Amitai Wilson, director

    Vishnu Emani, Tait Oberg, Nick Raciti, guitar

    Jack McCarthy, bass; Joseph Wang, drums

    Superstition

    Stevie Wonder (b. 1950)

    Original arrangement by the group

     

    Jazz Combo
    David Leach ’09, director

    Quinn Donovan, trumpet; Tommy Reichard, alto & tenor sax

    Ben Chang-Holt, piano; Ale Philippides, guitar

    Anton Rabkin, bass; Joseph Wang, drums

    Lonnie’s Lament

    John Coltrane (1926-1967)

    Darwin Derby

    Vulfpeck

    arr. D. Leach (b. 1990)

    Erin Berg

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  • National Gold Recognition and Artistic Accolades for RL Boys

    National Gold Recognition and Artistic Accolades for RL Boys

    Each year, the Alliance for Young Artists and Writers, in partnership with more than 100 visual and literary arts organizations across the country, accept submissions from teens in grades 7 through 12 for their Scholastic Art and Writing Awards. Hundreds of thousands of art and writing submissions across 11 categories are judged based on originality, technical skill, and the emergence of a personal voice. Roxbury Latin senior, Miguel Rincon, not only earned Gold Key recognition in the regional competition for his short documentary film titled LoPresti Park, but his film also won a Gold Key Award in the national competition. Even more impressive, Miguel was one of only six students in the country selected to win the 2021 Civic Expression Award. This award is the highest honor presented annually by the Alliance for Young Artists & Writers and it comes with a $1,000 scholarship. (Read more about Miguel’s prize-winning film, and view it in its entirety.)

    As a Civic Expression Award winner, Miguel and his work will be highlighted in the program’s anthology, The Best Teen Art of 2021, in the Awards’ Online Galleries. Recipients of the Civic Expression Award also receive recognition in the Awards’ National Ceremony, which will be presented virtually this year on June 9.

    Four other RL students found success in this year’s Scholastic Regional competition: James McCurley (III) earned a Silver Key for his science fiction writing submission titled Soup and Stories; Alex Uek (I) won an Honorable Mention for his drawing Unmatched; George Madison (II) earned an Honorable Mention in Photography for his piece titled Spiraling; and Joseph Wang (IV) earned an Honorable Mention for his poem Snow Showers. Several talented Roxbury Latin students earn regional honors for their art and writing in the Scholastic competition each year.

    In addition to winning a Gold Key award in the Scholastic competition, Miguel created a sculpture that was chosen as a winner in the 2021 Emerging Young Artists Exhibition, sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth’s College of Visual and Performing Arts. Miguel’s clay sculpture, The Little Prince, was one of 88 works selected to be part of the exhibition, out of more than 430 submissions. This competitive, annual, high school juried exhibition recognizes the exceptional work of art students from high schools throughout New England.

    The Little Prince was one of several pieces that Miguel created as part of his junior year Studio Art elective with Brian Buckley. Struggling with what exactly to make, he was inspired by the idea of creating gifts for people in his life—so that’s what he did. Out of wire, he crafted a hummingbird for his mother—her favorite animal; he made a wood-burning design of a horse for his grandfather in Colombia; and, out of clay, he crafted a sculpture based on the cover art of the French-language book Le Petit Prince, for his French teacher, Roxbury Latin faculty member Ousmane Diop.

    “I tried to recreate the cover as well as I could, but I didn’t want to make it exactly the same,” says Miguel. Over the span of two marking periods, he shaped all the clay parts and fired them in the kiln. “Creating this sculpture took me a really long time, so as another studio project I did the painting for it—it was almost like a two-for-one project. As I was working on it, the head fell off the figure, and because I wanted to do something a little different, I thought maybe I should swap the head with the rose, and that it might look pretty cool. I didn’t plan for that to happen, but I liked the way it looked, and I thought it offered a different perspective.” While a photograph of the sculpture is part of the awards exhibit, the piece itself now lives on Monsieur Diop’s office desk.

    Miguel will find out this spring how his documentary film, LoPresti Park, fared in the national Scholastic competition. In the meantime, Miguel will team up with classmate Brady Chappell as the two boys plan to create a documentary film on homelessness in Boston as their Independent Senior Project. “After having the opportunity to try out all these different media, filmmaking is still my favorite for now,” says Miguel.

    Erin Berg

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