Coach Josh Wildes and his varsity wrestlers captured second place at the Graves-Kelsey tournament on 13 February. Hosted by Belmont Hill (who took 1st), 12 of 14 wrestlers qualified for New Englands and each of these wrestlers contributed to the team’s edging out Brooks and Nobles to finish ahead of our third place finish in the ISLs for the regular season (behind BHS and Middlesex).

 “It was an all-around team effort with many kids getting clutch pins and performing above their seed,” reports Coach Wildes, “with 12 place winners out of 14 weight classes.” Those 12 are:

106- Doevy Estimphile 3rd place 113- Zach Lehan 2nd place 120- Darcelis Worrell 3rd place 126- Ian Kelly 5th place 132- Brent Samuels 2nd place 138- Rafael Brantly 2nd place 145- Adam Banks 5th place 152- Evan Epstein 5th place 160- Tyler Yan 3rd place 170- Noah Piou 6th place 182- Chris Jimenez 5th place 220- Chris Rota 3rd place

On Ash Wednesday Sister Barbara Rogers, headmistress of Newton Country Day School of the Sacred Heart, addressed the School in Hall. It is Roxbury Latin’s tradition to commemorate the major religions during the year. Last fall we heard from Rabbi Wesley Gardenswartz during the Jewish High Holy Days. For Christians Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of Lent, the penitential season leading up to Easter.

Fundamental to keeping a holy Lent is the awareness of our own mortality. “Remember, oh man, that thou art dust, and unto dust thou shalt return,” the priest says while making a sooty smudge on foreheads. Sister Barbara focused her remarks on the implications of this fact—specifically how Jesus’s human experience can guide us through the desert pilgrimage of Lent’s 40 days.

“Christians believe that Jesus is true God and true man. I want to talk about Jesus as true man.” Sister Barbara explained that Jesus was attracted to the zealots and radicals who wanted to overthrow Roman rule and return Israel to self-governance. Judas Iscariot was one, John the Baptist was another. Jesus probably waited in a long line to be baptised by John, and when the moment came he heard God’s call (“my beloved son”). Anxious for what it meant, he wandered the desert for answers. It was there he faced three temptations: to make bread out of stones to relieve his own hunger; to jump from a pinnacle and rely on angels to break his fall; and to worship the devil in return for all the kingdoms of the world. Managing to resist all three, he left the desert to engage with the world—and God’s call.

Sister Barbara reminded us that we too are called to engage with the world, and listen for God’s call. “What am I going to do with this great education?” We are confronted with the temptation to power. Or we doubt God’s call: we squander the gifts we have been given; we view life as a sideshow. We are tempted to step back from engagement with life, to not be our fullest selves.

“Lent is an invitation to know how loved you are and to listen for that which you are being called to,” she said. “Jesus chose the route of being with the poor.” As true man, Jesus understood mortality: that at the end of life, all that is left is our good deeds.

As part of his welcome to Sister Barbara, Kerry Brennan noted that RL and NCDS share some common history. NCDS moved to its current location in 1925, just two years before RL moved in 1927 from Roxbury to West Roxbury. They expanded their school from four Commonwealth Avenue townhouses to the Loren D. Towle estate in Newton, which was designed by the legendary architect and Roxbury Latin graduate, Frederick Law Olmsted Jr., Class of 1890. Like RL, NCDS develops the intellectual and spiritual side of students while encouraging them to dedicate their individual talents and gifts to others.”

A sister of the Society of the Sacred Heart of Jesus (RSCJ) and an energetic, effective, and beloved school leader, Sister Barbara earned an undergraduate degree at Manhattanville College and an MBA from Yale. Over her 27 years as headmistress of NCDS, she has had a significant impact on its growth and advancement including increasing the endowment and building a new science lab and arts center.  

Looking for an antidote to a bleak mid-February? Try two ensemble performances in the space of a week.

Symphony Nova is a confederation of aspiring musicians who play in large ensembles but more often in chamber configurations. The group handpicks its fellows annually from top conservatories, and five of these (on flute, clarinet, oboe, French horn, and bassoon) presented a chamber music recital in Rousmaniere on 9 February. Based in Boston, Symphony Nova was founded in 2007 and gives four concerts each year in Old South Church (Copley Square). See photos here.

RL’s own Jazz Combo primed the pump just five days earlier with a stunning recital hall in the Smith Theater on 3 February. Coached by pianist David Leach ’09—who logged many performances himself while a student at Roxbury Latin—the Jazz Combo includes Aiden Collins I (electric guitar), Liam O’Connor V (trombone), Ian Richardson V (drums), Jack Ringel V (trumpet), Jake Wexelblatt III (sax), and Josh Winograd II (trumpet). See photos here.

Sandwiched between the first two real snowstorms of the winter, the February Flurry on Saturday evening, 6 February, drew a festive crowd of parents, faculty, and staff. The Parents’ Auxiliary’s annual mid-winter bash (inaugurated back in 2009 as The Moveable Feast) brings the School community together for excellent food, great conversation, and wonderful entertainment.

As has been true for past Flurries, this year’s featured guest performed in Hall for the whole school earlier in the week as the Claire Berman Artist in Residence. Livingston Taylor, professor of voice and stage performance at Berklee, shared his wisdom and advice on the art of performance on 2 February in the Smith Theater for the boys (his book, The Care and Feeding of Your Audience, says it all), and came back for the Flurry-goers to perform his music on the stage.

Livingston Taylor picked up his first guitar at the age of 13, beginning a 40-year career that has encompasses performance, songwriting, and teaching. Born in Boston and raised in North Carolina, Livingston is the fourth child in a musical family that includes James Taylor and has recorded multiple top 40 hits. He has been teaching at Berklee for the last 25 years.

Congratulations to our parent volunteers in the PA for another spectacular event!

Photos of Livingston Taylor’s Hall on 2 February

Photos of the FlurryPhotos of Livingston Taylor at the Flurry

This year’s student production was Frederick Knott’s Wait Until Dark, starring Class I’s Joseph Fleming, Noah Piou, and Jake Rooney. Performed on the Smith Theater stage on Thursday, January 28th, the production was a result of just four weeks of hard work on the part of the eight cast members, Director Evan Epstein I, Stage Manager Andrew White II and his stage crew, and faculty advisors Mr. Nelson, Mr. Buckley, and Ms. Dunn. There was a great turnout (and even some terrified screams!).In classic RL style, the next day Director Epstein went on to clinch a victory for the varsity wrestling team, winning the last match of the meet against Nobles. No rest for the weary! See photos of the production.See photos of the the tech crew at work.

Class III Physics students recently competed in a bridge building competition as part of a unit on engineering. Required to meet certain size specifications, the boys were challenged to build the lightest bridge possible that would support the heaviest load. The bridges had to span 40 cm, be no more than 8 cm wide, and support a minimum of 10kg (about 25 lbs) to be awarded a base score. Additional points were awarded for high quality construction, aesthetics, and weight to load ratio at failure.

The result was a vast array of spans including arched, suspension, and a great variety of trusses. In the end, ten of the structures were able to support the 400-lb load without failing. The lightest bridge to do so (at 81 grams) was designed by Harry Weitzel. It held up under more than 2,200 times its own weight!

In support of this challenge, these same students have been studying the nature of structures, stability, and strength of materials, and as part of the class took a tour of the active construction site currently surrounding the campus. Led by the lead on-site engineer for Shawmut, the discussion focused on the importance of reinforced concrete piers, the three-foot deep steel I-beams (which will span the indoor athletic center) and the large equipment used to move the heavy loads.

The visit also gave students a clearer understanding of the amount of planning required before any major building project can begin. From excavation and grading to foundation work and steel placement, every stage depends on knowing exactly what lies beneath the surface. Even the most carefully designed structures can face costly setbacks when underground lines or hidden infrastructure are overlooked during early construction phases.

That is why contractors and developers often rely on experienced private utility locators before breaking ground on a project. Identifying buried electrical lines, water systems, communication cables, and older undocumented utilities helps crews work more safely and efficiently while reducing delays once construction is underway. In many ways, proper site preparation remains just as important as the engineering that eventually rises above it.

Once the groundwork is properly understood and subsurface risks are accounted for, attention naturally extends to how that same foundation behaves long after construction crews leave the site, particularly when structural loads, soil movement, and moisture exposure begin interacting over time.

Even the strongest engineered systems can experience gradual shifts or stress points if underlying support conditions change, making long-term stability monitoring and preventative reinforcement an important part of ensuring that the original design intent continues to hold up under real-world use. In this phase, early signs of settlement, minor cracking, or water seepage are treated not as isolated issues but as indicators of how the structure and its base are performing as a single interconnected system.

To address these risks effectively, modern construction practices increasingly integrate both preventative design measures and corrective systems that support the longevity of foundational elements, particularly in areas where basements or substructures are exposed to groundwater pressure or shifting soil conditions. Within this scope, Better Basements and Waterproofing is associated with solutions that support foundation stability and manage water intrusion challenges through targeted repair and protection strategies, helping ensure that buildings remain structurally sound, resilient, and capable of sustaining performance well beyond their initial construction phase.

See bridge challenge photos here.

Pumping up for the Winter Family Weekend and its lineup of athletic contests, seniors led an all-school pep rally in the Gordon Field House. Topping it off was the signing of the beam for the new indoor athletic facility, the construction of which is underway.The whole school filled the bleachers in the Gordon Field House as Class I’s “Pep Boys” led the cheers. Act II was a hilarious mismatch of sixies facing off against seniors at the hoops before Latin master Darian Reid ’05 settled the matter with a slam-dunk. RL Football mascot, the Fox, made an appearance to everyone’s delight. Finally, the boys filed outside, by class, to sign their names on the I-beam, which was set up for the purpose and will become part of the new indoor athletic facility.See photos here.Winter Family Weekend saw victories for varsity hockey over Groton, varsity wrestling and third basketball over Nobles, and junior hockey over Thayer. Varsity and jv basketball ceded to Nobles after close, hard-fought games.