Members of Class IV presented a show of their artwork at the Deutches Altenheim nursing home on 23 January, as one of their regular visits with RL’s elderly neighbors. Over the course of the school year, the class shares music, conversation, and other entertainment with the residents. Classmaster Jim Ryan is the faculty advisor for the class service. Next up on 6 February, the residents will hear speeches from four boys: Nate Ukoha (on the Statue of Liberty), JJ De Marco (on Ronald Reagan), Mikey Jones (on Wayne Gretzky), and Colin Bergstrom (on driverless cars). See photos here.

Winter term began with an English Convocation in Hall and the installation of Josh Cervas as the inaugural Joseph R. Kerner, Jr. Chairholder in English.

The newly endowed chair honors recently retired RL English master Joe Kerner, who shared his passion for literature with generations of RL boys over his 36-year tenure at the School. Headmaster Tony Jarvis, who hired Joe Kerner in 1976, attended the convocation along with the families of Mr. Kerner and Mr. Cervas, and other guests.

Roxbury Latin kicked off the holiday season on 4 December with a wonderful night of song in Rousmaniere Hall. The evening began with a Holiday Concert by The Sly Voxes, an all-male a cappella group featuring talented Roxbury Latin alumni, parents, and faculty, and directed by Headmaster Kerry Brennan. The group’s eclectic repertoire of sacred and secular songs of the season delighted the audience of about 200, which included members of the Roxbury Latin community as well as many neighbors from West Roxbury and Roslindale. 

After intermission, the audience became a dazzling chorus for the Christmas portion of Handel’s Messiah, one of the world’s most enduring choral masterpieces. Rearranging themselves by voice part, the audience was directed from the stage with gusto by Mr. Opdycke and Mr. Brennan, and accompanied on the organ by Brandon Santini, music director and organist for nearby St. Theresa Church. Soloists Lindsay Conrad, Kelsey Harrison, David Cushing, and Neal Ferreira were superb. Together, the enthusiastic audience and professional soloists made Roxbury Latin’s eighth annual Messiah Sing-In a moving choral experience.

See more photos here.Here Sly Voxes (video) here.