On November 3, Roxbury Latin celebrated its annual Founder’s Day, honoring the very beginning of the school, founded in 1645 under King Charles I by “the good apostle” John Eliot. In its 378th year, the school focused on immigration in the City of Boston over centuries—particularly in the historic neighborhood of Boston’s North End.

The day began in Rousmaniere Hall with choruses of Jerusalem and The Founder’s Song, and readings in Hebrew, Latin, Greek, and English from members of Class I. Historian and author Stephen Puleo gave the morning’s Hall address, which addressed the layers of immigrant history represented in the North End, from the time of the Revolutionary War through today. Mr. Puleo has written extensively about Boston, in his books A City So Grand, and about the North End in his books The Boston Italians and Dark Tide, about the Great Molasses Flood of 1919. He spoke about the “layers of immigrant communities” still visible in the architecture and culture of the North End, from the spark that set off the American Revolution; to the Irish who were predominant in the 1850s; to the Eastern European Jews whose aesthetic copper facades still mark many North End buildings; to the Italians whose food and culture has infused the neighborhood ever since, securing the neighborhood as Boston’s beloved “Little Italy.”

At the conclusion of Hall, all 309 boys, along with the faculty and staff, assembled on risers on the Senior Grass for the annual all-school picture, followed by a rousing Kahoot! trivia competition, expertly emceed by Mr. Piper, in the Smith Theater and focused on Boston and North End trivia. Following that, the entire school piled onto the MBTA Commuter Rail for an afternoon in downtown Boston. Arriving in South Station, the school then walked in small groups up the Rose Kennedy Greenway to Faneuil Hall, where they enjoyed lunch in the Quincy Market Food Colonnade. Afterward, boys got a faculty-guided tour of the North End, visiting Faneuil Hall, Paul Revere House, Old North Church, and Copp’s Hill Burying Ground, learning about the many layers of one of America’s most historic neighborhoods. (Lots of boys were lucky enough to have a faculty leader who enjoyed Mike’s Pastry cannolis enough to splurge and share.)

After traversing the reverse route—along the Greenway, toward South Station, and then back to West Roxbury—on campus there was ice cream for all, and another successful and enjoyable Founder’s Day was in the books.

View photos from this year’s Founder’s Day adventure.

And after Founder’s Day, there is always Founder’s Day Pub Night! That evening, alumni and faculty gathered for the annual event at Clerys in Boston. View photos from that gathering of friends.

On November 1, students and faculty assembled in the Smith Theater for an inspiring Hall co-presented by John Hart and Martin Feldmann of VulcanForms, a Massachusetts-based additive manufacturing (3D printing) startup. These two mechanical engineers and entrepreneurs began their presentation with a brief history of manufacturing. Beginning with the Gutenberg printing press in the mid-1400s up through the computer chips and vaccines we use today, Dr. Hart and Mr. Feldmann described how manufacturers, as they describe, “move fast and make things,” and in the process can change the course of human history. The two engineers then took the boys through their company’s journey—from a prototype in Mr. Feldmann’s living room, to a small and humble team sharing an office space, to a major innovator in their industry.

At its core, they described, manufacturing is taking raw materials and delivering sophisticated finished products at a high rate of output. Though manufacturing has increased globally in recent years, in the United States it is declining. Historically, this was not the case. The U.S. was once a great “shiny beacon” for manufacturing, reaching its peak during World War II. Using Henry Ford’s assembly line approach, the U.S. cranked out complicated mechanisms of war like the B-29 SuperFortress. Following this era, America learned the German manufacturers’ secrets to utilizing the heavy-press forge to revolutionize industries throughout the 1950s. The heavy-press technology of the postwar era is still used today. Even locally, a 50,000-ton press is active at the Wyman-Gordon Company in Grafton, Massachusetts.

After moving through all this history, Dr. Hart and Mr. Feldmann shared how pervasive manufacturing is in our everyday lives. It has a massive impact on today’s economy, as well as today’s climate considerations, and for the U.S. to return to its former status as a manufacturing hub there needs to be a dramatic change through the use of advanced—and cleaner—technologies. VulcanForms is hoping to lead this shift through innovation in 3D printing. The process of crafting various metal products using “laser powder bed technology” at a massive scale allows VulcanForms to break from the traditional model of producing a single end-product in a factory in favor of producing multiple commercial items for use in the mechanical, medical, and computer industries. Today, their facilities produce everything from car tire molds, to components for hip replacement. 

As metal printing scales up, it reinforces a broader narrative in manufacturing where adaptability, efficiency, and sustainability are no longer optional but fundamental. The ability to fabricate everything from medical implants to mechanical components within the same production ecosystem highlights how additive manufacturing is redefining both the scope and speed of modern fabrication. Alongside large-scale metal printing, the role of dependable 3D printing parts remains essential in translating these innovations into everyday design, prototyping, and production workflows. Access to a curated range of such parts through the DREMC store enables creators, engineers, and designers to refine their machines and experiment with new materials and applications. By supporting reliable performance at the hardware level, these components help bridge the gap between cutting-edge industrial advancements and practical, scalable 3D printing solutions that continue to drive innovation forward.

This same push for efficiency carries over from factory floors to the desks where designs are finalized and production plans are approved. As workflows become more digital and data-heavy, the computers running CAD software, simulations, and inventory systems need to keep pace. With the arrival of the new Windows 11, many engineers and designers are upgrading not for aesthetics, but for performance gains that support complex tasks without stalling mid-process. A modern operating system, when properly set up, helps ensure smoother multitasking, tighter security, and fewer interruptions—small details that matter when timelines are tight and precision is non-negotiable.

Naturally, when systems don’t activate cleanly or features remain locked, productivity takes a hit. That’s where conversations in online communities come into play, as professionals compare notes on making everything run without friction. More than a few turn to windows 11 retail key reddit threads while looking for clarity on legitimate activation options that won’t disrupt their workflow. Just like advanced manufacturing relies on reliable machines and well-sourced components, digital operations depend on fully functional software environments. When both align, innovation moves forward steadily, without the costly pauses that slow progress.

Once the operating system is functioning reliably, the focus naturally shifts to the everyday tools that keep projects organized and decisions documented. In engineering offices and production planning environments, office software becomes the quiet framework supporting everything from drafting technical reports and coordinating schedules to managing spreadsheets filled with design data and operational metrics. These applications rarely attract attention, yet they shape how information moves between teams and how quickly ideas progress from discussion to execution.

A stable licensing environment ensures that documents remain compatible across departments, updates arrive without disruption, and collaboration continues without the small technical obstacles that slow momentum. Within these broader digital workflows, references to Wiresoft often surface in conversations about maintaining properly licensed software ecosystems that support documentation, analysis, and communication tasks across complex organizations. In this sense, dependable office software operates much like the background machinery of a factory floor—rarely visible, but essential to keeping the entire system running smoothly and efficiently.

Digital workflows place growing demands on the systems that support them, especially in environments where complex designs, simulations, and data-driven decisions happen continuously. When performance is optimized and software runs without friction, teams can focus on precision and problem-solving rather than troubleshooting interruptions. This expectation of continuity extends beyond operating systems and applications to the infrastructure that keeps everything running in the background. Even brief disruptions can interrupt saves, corrupt files, or derail momentum, which is why uninterrupted productivity is increasingly seen as a combination of capable hardware, stable software, and dependable supporting systems working in unison.

System reliability becomes especially critical when considering the realities of power interruptions, which remain an unavoidable risk in many regions and facilities. A sudden outage can undo hours of work or bring connected operations to a standstill, making power protection an essential part of modern digital environments. Understanding factors such as load, battery capacity, and uninterruptible power supply hours helps organizations plan realistically for how long critical systems can remain operational during an outage. With the right power backup in place, teams gain the buffer they need to shut systems down safely or continue working through short disruptions, reinforcing the same principle that drives efficient digital workflows: minimizing downtime so progress is not lost when conditions become unpredictable.

Over the past eight years especially, Roxbury Latin has committed to inspiring innovation in students through coursework in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics—STEM. The day’s speakers drove this home. They told our students that it is “time to build” in America—in ways that are more productive, more efficient, more accurate, and cleaner—and students like them would help lead the next phase of innovation in manufacturing and related fields. Hopefully, they also helped fuel the entrepreneurial spirit in our boys.

Both Dr. Hart and Mr. Feldmann stayed on campus through the morning, meeting with students in Engineering and Physics classes.

“I want to talk with you this morning about what’s going on in Ukraine, and the role that the United States is playing to help the Ukrainian people,” began Matt Axelrod ’88 in Hall on October 20. “As you’ve all seen play out on your televisions and your phones, Vladimir Putin launched a brutal and unjustified war against Russia’s neighbor Ukraine. Russian troops have consistently attacked both civilian and military targets, and they’ve committed war crimes against the Ukrainian people in cities like Bucha and Mariupol.

“I imagine that the war can feel far away to you. Unless you’ve done a lot of Model UN, you probably had never heard the names Bucha and Mariupol until this year. But what’s happening now isn’t something you just read about in history class. It’s real life for kids just like you. Kids who are just going to school, living their lives, making TikTok videos, and playing soccer—and who now have to flee their war-torn country because of Russian tanks and missiles.”

Last winter, Matt Axelrod was confirmed by the Senate to serve as Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement at the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security. In this role, Matt leads an elite group of special agents and analysts dedicated to the enforcement of the country’s export control laws. They work to protect and promote U.S. national security and foreign policy objectives by stopping the export of sensitive goods and technologies that can be put to malign use—like weapons-of-mass-destruction proliferation, terrorism, and human rights abuses.

“In my current job,” Matt said, “I supervise a federal law enforcement organization, which is composed of special agents with guns and badges who police our country’s export laws. In other words, they do the criminal investigations of people and companies that send U.S. goods and technologies abroad for purposes contrary to our national security. Simply put, they work to keep the country’s most sensitive items out of the world’s most dangerous hands.”

Matt went on to discuss the complications of “dual use” technologies—software or devices that are capable of military use, but are also capable of non-military, civilian use, like the graphics processing unit (GPU) inside an Xbox or PlayStation.

“Because those GPUs accelerate the creation and review of images by processing many items of data simultaneously, they’re also being used by the Russian government to silence dissent by monitoring, identifying, and arresting protestors. They’re also being used by the Chinese government to track and confine their minority Uyghur Muslim population. So our job is to make sure that U.S. companies can sell the technology being used for gaming consoles, but not the technology that helps the Russian or Chinese governments repress their populations.”

Matt went on to describe the various ways in which his team develops and enforces policies that keep these dual-use technologies out of the hands of potentially dangerous individuals; and, he underscored, they’re working.

“Since the first new Russia export controls went into effect in February, total U.S. exports to Russia have dropped almost 86% by value. So far, we’ve prevented 250 shipments worth $93 million from going to Russia. We’ve seen public reporting of Russian defense industries—including tank, space, and drone companies—being unable to obtain the spare parts they need to support their war efforts in Ukraine… And none other than Vladimir Putin himself assessed in mid-July that, ‘The almost complete closure of access to foreign high-tech products is a huge challenge for our country.’”

Following Headmaster Brennan’s introduction of him, Matt stepped up to the lectern, thanked Mr. Brennan, and then—to the audience’s delight—offered what he called an “alternate introduction.” Matt’s introduction of himself was not the highlight reel that Mr. Brennan had enlisted in describing Matt’s accomplishments, but rather a litany of failed attempts and false starts, missteps and misdirections that—together with his many, shining achievements—helped Matt arrive where he is today.

“I offer that alternate introduction for a reason,” stated Matt. “I want you all to know that the people who speak from this podium—whether it’s Mr. Brennan, or me, or some visiting luminary—none of us had a straight line path of unalloyed success with accomplishment after accomplishment, good thing after good thing. That’s a myth, just like the lives you see on other kids’ seemingly perfect Instagram feeds. All of us, kids and adults, are a mix of success and failure, of good luck and bad, of advances and setbacks. What’s important is that, over time, you continue to have faith in yourself, persist in your efforts and hopefully keep your overall trajectory moving in the right direction.”

A longtime public servant with both criminal and national security experience, Matt spent more than 13 years at the Department of Justice. As an Assistant U.S. Attorney in the Southern District of Florida, he prosecuted a number of high-profile cases, including those involving drug cartels, corrupt public officials, and Cuban spies. After six years in Miami, Matt was assigned to Department of Justice headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he served in several capacities, including as the Principal Associate Deputy Attorney General, one of the Department’s highest-ranking officials, in which he advised the Attorney General on the Department’s most consequential criminal and national security enforcement matters.

Matt also previously served as Special Counsel in the Office of the White House Counsel, where he worked on both domestic and national security matters, and as a partner in an international law firm, where he conducted internal investigations and white-collar defense work. Matt graduated from Amherst College with a degree in English, and he earned his law degree from Yale. In the two years between college and law school, Matt was involved with City Year—a forerunner and inspiration for the AmeriCorps service program—and with the Anti-Defamation League. “In short,” Mr. Brennan concluded, “Matt has enlisted his ability to do great work, in order to do good work, as well.”

“There’s a Latin inscription in the interior central courtyard at DOJ Headquarters in Washington,” Matt concluded. “It says, ‘Privilegium obligadio.’ Mr. Randall—who is not only my advisor and English teacher, but also my Latin teacher—may correct me both on the pronunciation and the translation, but I believe it translates roughly as, ‘Where there is a privilege, there is an obligation.’ Or, to put it in a more familiar way, ‘From those to whom much has been given, much will be expected.’

“You’ve all been given the incredible privilege of attending RL. As I’m sure you know by now, that privilege means you have an obligation to do some good in the world. So once you’re done with your math quizzes, and your cross country practices, and Homecoming, and you’re eventually thinking about how you want to spend your professional life, I’d encourage you to consider government service.”

View Matt Axelrod’s Hall in its entirety.