For four concentrated weeks each spring, Class V students convene every F Block for a 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. It provides students early in their RL tenure with a lesson on the inner workings of the United States government, their own civil rights and responsibilities, and the many forms service to country and commonwealth can take.

The course is team-taught by Kerry Brennan, Stewart Thomsen, and Chris Heaton. Throughout the month, they cover topics like the American election process, our branches of government, and immigration and naturalization. But more often, the three of them step back, handing the class over to an impressive collection of guest speakers who offer first-hand accounts of public service.

This year’s speaker series began with Captain Colin Murphy, RL Class of 2005, who served in the U.S. Marine Corps from 2011 to 2015. Colin gave an overview of the structure of the U.S. Military; the extensive training that is required to join; the reality of active duty; and the many paths that veterans follow after service. Colin was followed by former RL parent and Boston City Councilor Mark Ciommo and his associate Daniel Polanco. They spoke with the boys about serving on the legislative branch at the city level. Finally, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gareth Cook (father of Aidan Cook ‘20) walked the boys through an exercise designed to help them identify “fake news.”

Sometimes expert speakers came in the form of RL faculty and staff. When the course turned to the topic of the legal system, for example, Mrs. Berg, Mrs. Dromgoole, and Mr. Lieb shared their experiences and insights having performed jury duty. In a second RL panel, Mr. Diop, Mr. Roumally, and Elias Simeonov of Class I shared their own personal immigration stories and paths to citizenship. This particular presentation followed the perennial favorite “May Madness” competition, which mirrors the U.S. Citizenship test. Nicholas Martin and Bobby Zabin won May Madness this year (though all boys were allowed to maintain their citizenship).

As a capstone of the course, each boy became a campaign spokesperson for a candidate in the 2020 presidential election, presenting on their candidate’s political platform for their peers. It is fitting that this Civics course relied on so many teachers—including, with final presentations, the students themselves. To rely on the collective efforts of many individuals is in itself a lesson on the American government and civic responsibility.

On Saturday, June 8, 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 ninth 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, France

Cadiz, Spain

 

On the morning of June 8, the 374th year of The Roxbury Latin School ended with Closing Exercises and the graduation of the Class of 2019. When Headmaster Kerry Brennan finished reading the names of the 53 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, voted by his classmates, was Ethan Kee who spoke about the gifts of both comfort and discomfort that Roxbury Latin has afforded to this graduation class. In addition to “saying goodbye to teachers and advisors, classmates and teammates, stages and studios, classrooms and playing fields,” Ethan said, he and his classmates were also “saying goodbye to comfort—that baseline sensation of contentment and familiarity which has allowed us to walk with certainty, to talk with conviction, and to act with initiative… The comfort with which we walk these halls today was forged from experiences: hardships and successes, risks and rewards, conflicts and resolutions. We’ve reached this proverbial destination together by intimate, and sometimes comical, encounters with cold, sweaty-handed, discomfort… Surely, these moments of discomfort did not pass by unscrutinized, without a response. So we studied better, practiced longer, went to bed later, woke-up earlier, and eventually the moments of failure and defeat were countered with ones of resilience and success. Most importantly, in the times of our greatest discomfort, we found the most genuine moments of camaraderie.”

 

The commencement address was delivered by Roxbury Latin trustee and parent Professor Ron Sullivan. Professor Sullivan is the Jesse Climenko Clinical Professor of Law at Harvard University. He is a leading theorist in the areas of criminal law and procedure, trial practice and techniques, legal ethics, and race theory. At Harvard, he serves as faculty director of both the Criminal Justice Institute and the Trial Advocacy Workshop. He is also the first African American appointed faculty dean in the college’s history. In his address to the graduation class (which includes his son Trey) he shared a little known anecdote about John F. Kennedy, who—as a swimmer at Harvard—was noted in the school’s records as a “swimmer without distinction”—in other words, “a good swimmer, but not a great one,” Professor Sullivan asserted. The speaker then went on to share a story of JFK as an active duty member of the navy, when he saved the life of an injured, fellow naval sailor by clutching the man’s life vest strap in his teeth, towing him as JFK swam them both to safety for more than three miles. “So you see, JFK was perhaps not a great swimmer, but he swam greatly.” Professor Sullivan implored the members of the graduating class to do their own versions of “swimming greatly” in their lives—stepping up in the moments when they see a need, feel called to duty, and have the ability to do something great with the gifts they’ve been given.

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 Quito Sanchez.

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

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 Ethan Kee.

 

On June 5, the Class of 2019 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. As Headmaster Kerry Brennan began, “Our purpose for gathering today is to recognize discernible excellence in all areas of school life—academic and extracurricular. In singling out certain prize winners, we are intending to affirm the highest standards of schoolboy endeavor. We do this even though we know that others in your seats may be more deserving of congratulations for they have struggled mightily, come far, taken risks, and been honorable boys. To you goes the faculty’s admiration and congratulations.” While some of the major Class I awards are announced at Closing Exercises, this year’s prize winners are as follows:

Major athletic awards to Class I:

ISL: Liam Rimas

Sportsmanship: Kevin Demore and Alvin Massenat

Scholar-Athlete: Nate Lopes

Best Athlete: Will Greer

Varsity athletic awards to Class I:

Soccer: Ethan Kee

Lacrosse: Deven Varney

Hockey: Jack Luca

Tennis: Brendan Jimenez

Football: Sean Russell

Basketball: Myles Davis

Track & Field: David Meneses Ontiveros and Milan Rosen

Cross Country: Aidan Bowen

Wrestling: Doevy Estimphile

Baseball: Ben Rounds

Major book awards to boys in Class II:

Holy Cross Book Award: Collin Bergstrom

Brown University Book Award: Jonathan Weiss

Dartmouth Book Award: Andrew Zhang

Harvard Book Prize: Avi Attar

Academic awards:

The Joseph A. Sasserno French Deturs: Justin Shaw V, George Madison IV, Thomas Gaziano III, Jonathan Weiss II, Trey Sullivan I

Headmaster’s Spanish Deturs: Matt O’Connor V, Vishnu Emani IV, Daniel Sun-Friedman III, Michael Stankovich II, Quito Sanchez I

The Isabel M. Fowler History Prizes: Lucas Vander Elst VI, Colin Herbert IV, Peter Frates III, Collin Bergstrom II, Rohan Sheth I

The Richard M. Whitney Science Deturs: Matt Consigli VI, Gabriel Stankovich V, Will Specht III, Andrew Zhang II

The N. Henry Black Science Detur: Raphael Deykin I

The Donald L. Whittle Math Deturs: Eric Zhu VI, Eddy Pan V, Josh Krakauer IV, Rohil Dhaliwal III, Chris Zhu II

The Islay F. McCormick Mathematics Prize: Kalyan Palepu I

The Anna Cabot Lowell Deturs in English: Theo Coben VI, Kevin Wang V, Teddy Glaeser IV, John Wilkinson III, Liam O’Connor II, Izzy Goldsmith I

The Trustees’ Greek Deturs: A.J. Gutierrez III, Jonathan Weiss II, Coleman Smith I

The Anna Cabot Lowell Deturs in Latin: John Tompros VI, James McCurley V, Eli Bailit IV, Thomas Gaziano III, John Harrington II, Adam Berk I

Extra-curricular awards:

Lower School Latin Declamation Prize: Rami Hayes-Messinger

Upper School Latin Declamation Prize: Daniel Sun-Friedman

Greek Declamation Prize: Austin Manning

The Cameron A. Rylance Music Prize: Eric Zaks

The Ralph F.F. Brooks Art Prize: Erik Zou

The Philip A. Kaye Prize: Leonardo Bene

The Joan M. Regan Service Prize: Jared Brosnan

The Class of 1976 Dramatics Prize: John Ryan

The Gerhard Rehder Prize in International Relations: Izzy Goldsmith

The Albert W. Kelsey Debate Prize: Trey Sullivan

The Publications Award: Adam Berk View photos of this year’s Prize Day Hall.

Chris Zhu, Class II, was awarded a Bronze Medal this spring in the 2019 U.S. Physics Olympiad (USAPhO), a national competition sponsored by the American Association of Physics Teachers and the American Institute of Physics. Chris is one of four medalists from Massachusetts.

In January, Chris and his fellow Science Club members took the preliminary F=ma qualifying competition on campus. The F=ma competition is a 75-minute multiple-choice exam focusing primarily on the Mechanics side of physics. Qualifying as a semi-finalist in the F=ma, Chris advanced to the final USAPhO competition on April 2. The USAPhO is a three-hour, free-response, and calculus-based exam covering Mechanics, Electricity and Magnetism, Thermodynamics, Fluids, Relativity, Waves and Optics, and Nuclear Physics. F=ma and USAPhO form a series of two highly competitive physics competitions for high school students and serve as the basis for the selection of U.S. Physics Team members for the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO). More than 6,000 high school contestants across the country participated in the preliminary round this year. Chris scored in the top 150 in the nation to become a medalist.

Chris attributes his achievement to Mr. Robert Moore’s rigorous Honors Physics class he took during his sophomore year and the competition opportunities offered by the RL Science Club. An active member of the RL Science Club, Chris now reflects on his experience: “I enjoyed each science activity during the season. In March, we traveled to the University of Connecticut to compete in the Northeast Regional High School Science Bowl, and our team had a great finish in the top 10. Furthermore, my qualification for the USAPhO competition has pushed me to broaden my learning in the disciplines of physical science.”