Dear Friends:

And so it comes to an end. I sit finally at my desk in the Headmaster’s Office, one that has been occupied with distinction by my predecessors—beginning with Daniel Varney Thompson, during whose administration the school moved from Kearsarge Avenue in Roxbury to its spatial digs here in West Roxbury. This perch has seen its fair share of travails and joys over the years, but no pleasure is more significant than the perspective it affords on the life of the school, the joyful churn of our boys about their business, and the opportunity between classes each and every day to be reminded of our central focus: to know and love every boy.

Since in February 2023 I announced my retirement, people have been extraordinarily thoughtful in their accounting of what my twenty years as Headmaster have meant to the school, and how we would together look forward to my remaining time in this role. But the past few, fleeting months have offered joyful affirmations of our time spent together—too many and too much to recount appropriately in this missive. Suffice it to say that I have felt affirmed and appreciated through these flattering valedictions. I am so grateful for the many kindnesses shown me over these past few months. I hope people will forgive me if I do not respond personally—as I should—but offer here my profound, humble thanks to all of you for your remarkably generous remembrances and good wishes.

As I have said repeatedly, it is I who should be offering thanks. First, for hearing the call to this vocation—so meaningful and so enriching. Next, that in 1978, and again in a new capacity in 2004, that I should be matched with a peerless school whose distinctive mission changes positively the lives of a democratically gathered group of boys who themselves will change their various communities and our world for the better; and, finally, that I should be drawn together with a peerless set of colleagues, blessedly supportive trustees, trusting parents, loyal alumni, and, best of all, talented, committed, caring, quirky, funny, loving boys who want to do their best and want to be their best. In this calling, I could not have had a more challenging, satisfying, meaningful life. For that, I shall always be grateful.

Tomorrow, my friend, Sam Schaffer, takes up the baton as our leader. As you have read, Sam has distinguished himself as an educator, especially as a brilliant teacher. He has cut his teeth at a wonderful boys’ school, St. Albans, and has served in a number of significant capacities there. His own intellectual fervor and his sense of excellence will serve him well at RL. Best of all, though, Sam loves kids. He is engaged by and delighted by the boys in his care. He has already found RL boys irresistible. You can imagine that I am especially reassured that we share that priority: always boys first. As you have done for me, I ask you to do for Sam: to be supportive, encouraging, and patient as he comes to know Roxbury Latin, its programs, its principles, and its people. He deserves the earnest hopes and prayers of all of us.

Finally, as I continue to live in Boston, I hope that our paths will cross regularly. I have pledged my support for Sam, and I will be delighted to help as needed. I am especially eager to extend and deepen the relationships you and I share, and I hope I will see you often. Thank you for all you have said about me, all that you have done for me, and all that you have meant to me. I have felt known and loved. Ave atque vale.

Sincerely,
Kerry P. Brennan
Headmaster

This month, more than 800 alumni and parents, faculty and friends joined together to honor Headmaster Kerry Brennan’s 20 years of dedicated service in leading Roxbury Latin, and to celebrate his retirement at the end of this school year. On May 11, in the McNay Palaistra, guests gathered to hear from several of Mr. Brennan’s beloved friends and colleagues about what he has meant to them, to this school, and to the hundreds of students that he has known and loved over the course of his career and years at RL.

Father John Unni, pastor of Saint Cecilia Church in Boston, opened the program with an invocation, followed by warm welcome remarks from Tom Guden ‘96, Assistant Headmaster for Advancement. In typical Kerry Brennan fashion, the program was full of song, featuring performances by RL’s Latonics (of “Been In The Storm” and “Valerie”), as well as two songs performed by Mr. Brennan’s own all-male a capella group The Sly Voxes (“Will The Circle Be Unbroken” and “How Deep Is Your Love”). The two groups then combined to perform “An Irish Blessing.”

Dennis Kanin ‘64, former president of RL’s Board of Trustees, delivered the first of three dedicated remarks, followed by Mike Pojman—member of the Roxbury Latin faculty for 43 years—and, finally, Rick Hawley, Headmaster Emeritus of Cleveland’s University School. Each spoke to the remarkable impact that Kerry has had on RL’s program, its campus, and—most important—its people.

Dennis described how he served on the search committee that led to Kerry’s appointment as headmaster 20 years ago. “The night before Kerry was introduced as the 11th Headmaster of Roxbury Latin, John Kerry won the New Hampshire presidential primary. Talk about serendipity! The next morning a triumphant Kerry Brennan stood on the stage of Rousmaniere Hall and held up a copy of that day’s Boston Herald. The full-page headline read “Kerry Riding High!” That morning, Kerry pledged, as he put it, to be ‘both the respectful guardian of this great School’s tradition and the hopeful advocate of its promise.’

“The hopeful advocate of its promise. What better description of the era of Kerry Brennan than those six words. The philosopher William James wrote that faith is the courage to act when doubt is warranted. Kerry has that kind of faith. It was with that faith in the future that he led the School to purchase almost 50 acres of adjacent vacant land for the benefit of generations of RL boys to come. It was that faith that led him to boldly freeze tuition for two years—and to the surprise of many, parents who could stepped up to close the gap and bring the Annual Fund to a whole new plateau. It was that boundless faith, and perseverance, that led him to take on the ‘nimbys’ and the doubters and build the hockey rink and the Indoor Athletic Facility. Indeed, the Choral Room, the Idea Lab, bringing Broadway to 101 St. Theresa Avenue, the Penn Fellows program, the revolutionary installation of air conditioning at Roxbury Latin(!), and the far-reaching Strategic Plan that embodied Kerry’s vision of the School’s future—all stand as testament to that faith.”

Mike Pojman shared, “A school head must juggle five constituencies—the students, the parents, the faculty, the trustees, and the alumni—ever-sensitive to the needs of each group individually while shepherding all five onto common ground. When managed effectively, they fill the fingers of a well-tailored glove. If any one group goes into spasms, however, the glove no longer fits. Each has its own perspective; one may be blind to the needs of the others; sometimes they have conflicting agendas. By knowing, appreciating, and hearing—but not indulging—Kerry has successfully kept everyone moving in the same direction, sustaining a remarkable community with shared values based on mutual respect. It’s an elegant foxtrot, but anyone who has seen Kerry on the dance floor knows that the guy can cut a rug.

“Serving so faithfully and so tirelessly throughout his two decades at the helm, Kerry has accomplished more than I can put into words. The buildings, the programs, the initiatives, they are his profound and enduring legacy. But most consequentially, from the moment he stepped onto this campus, it has been all about the boys. They have been his number one priority, always. Kerry puts everything he has into supporting the faculty and staff as we dedicate ourselves to loving, nurturing, and challenging these boys—doing our best to set them on a path that empowers them to find their way as they strive to be all that they aspire to be.”

Rick Hawley concluded, “In a profession in which the mission is to promote learning, it helps that Kerry is himself a devoted lifetime learner. He was a prodigious scholar at Amherst and Columbia. He is a constant and deep reader, who has an informed passion for American politics and history. He devoted his Master’s degree studies while a Klingenstein Fellow at Columbia to the under-sung but essential place of the arts in school life, and he has enhanced the arts dimension in every school he has served, no more so than at this one. He understands what too few of his colleagues in school leadership understand: the primacy of relationship—the knowing and loving—in school life, and that knowing and loving must be prior to scholastic distinction, prizes, and victories that schools can be too quick to trumpet. It helps that Kerry does not merely know these things; he is able to communicate them persuasively and eloquently.”

Following these remarks, Ethan Berman ’79, president of the Board of Trustees, presented Mr. Brennan with several gifts including a scholarship in his name that will financially support the tuition of several RL boys each year; the dedication of RL’s Director of Music position in his name; a commissioned portrait which now hangs in the schoolhouse’s main hallway; a book of his Hall talks representing 20 years; a watercolor painting of the Indoor Athletic Facility created by Erik Zou ’19; and a bound book of well wishes from decades of his friends and fans.

Finally, Mr. Brennan himself took to the lectern to deliver poignant, powerful—even funny—words of gratitude for the career he has loved and for the many people who have given him “a life worth living.”

Following the program—which concluded in a rousing rendition of “The Founder’s Song”—guests repaired to the Gordon Fieldhouse for food, drink, and fellowship.

On May 23, alumni parents from over Mr. Brennan’s tenure gathered on campus to celebrate his retirement and wish him well, and after this year’s culminating Prize Day Hall, Roxbury Latin students and college-aged grads will celebrate Mr. Brennan with a barbeque lunch.

Watch the entirety of the May 11 celebration program, including complete remarks from all speakers.

View a gallery of photos from the May 11 celebration.

Ronald “Trey” Sullivan, member of RL’s Class of 2019 and a senior at Harvard, was selected as one of 51 students nationwide to be named to the Marshall Scholarship Class of 2024. Recipients will spend the next two years in the United Kingdom to pursue graduate studies at the college or university of their choice.

At Harvard, Trey is pursuing his bachelor’s degree in history and literature, with a language citation in French. Elected to Phi Beta Kappa in his junior year, Trey also received the Lucy Allen Paton Prize for excellence in Humanities and the Fine Arts in the same year, which is awarded to a member of Harvard’s junior and senior classes, respectively, who shows great promise in the fields.

Trey is a founding member and editor for Indigo magazine, the premier Black literature and arts publication of Harvard’s undergraduate community. He is a member of the university’s Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program, which seeks to promote diversity and emphasizes the path to doctoral studies in the humanities and social sciences for talented undergraduates in the fields. Trey has also served as chair of the Politics of Race and Ethnicity program at the Harvard Kennedy School Institute of Politics, a program that focuses on the intersection of race, ethnicity and politics, and provides a welcoming space for learning and reflection through discussion.

According to The Harvard Gazette, Trey has focused his undergraduate studies on “the organization of labor and distribution of land in the French Caribbean after France abolished slavery in its colonies in 1848, and how 19th-century ideologies shaped the way Black labor laws and land rights were legislated.”

As a Marshall Scholar, Trey will pursue a PhD in history at the University of Cambridge, and engage in a comparative analysis of labor policies across the French and British Caribbean, as well as the American South, in the aftermath of the abolition of slavery.

Photo courtesy UK Consulate Boston

Thanks to the generosity and hard work of many, Roxbury Latin has completed another record-setting year in fundraising, exceeding our goals for 2022-2023. Gifts made to the Annual Fund this year totaled more than $4,831,000—setting a new record for the 14th year in a row. We are grateful for and humbled by the benefactions, each year, that allow us to welcome and support the most talented, interesting, aspiring, eclectic cohort of students in Greater Boston; to attract, develop, compensate, and retain a uniquely gifted, effective, and committed faculty; and to maintain the distinctive financial model that supports our mission and allows us to educate dedicated and deserving boys from in and around Boston, regardless of their families’ ability to pay.

These gifts allow Roxbury Latin to fill the nearly $29,000 gap between tuition and the actual cost of educating each boy. They also allow us to charge an average of $19,000 less in tuition compared to other Boston-area schools.

Below is a glance at the year in fundraising “by the numbers.” A more comprehensive assessment of Roxbury Latin’s 2022-2023 year in fundraising will appear in the Fall issue of the Newsletter. Thank you to all those whose belief in this school has helped to make a difference in the lives of Roxbury Latin boys today and in the future.

On June 3, the 378th year of The Roxbury Latin School culminated with Closing Exercises and the graduation of the Class of 2023. The traditional and intimate ceremony—which includes the seniors, their families, the faculty and trustees—took place in Rousmaniere Hall. Immediately after the ceremony, under cloudy skies, the 52 newest alumni of The Roxbury Latin School celebrated on the Senior Grass with classmates, family members, and members of the faculty. The light drizzle of the morning did nothing to dampen spirits. (View a gallery of images from the morning.)

Beginning with opening remarks from Headmaster Kerry Brennan—which acknowledged the challenges and triumphs of this particular group of boys, and also noted their many, worthy accomplishments—the ceremony included the singing of America The Beautiful, Commemoration Hymn, and The Founder’s Song, as well as a performance of Ave Verum Corpus sung by The Latonics, featuring eight of the day’s graduates. The ringing of the school bell, chiming 3-7-8, officially concluded the school year.

Class valedictorian, elected by his classmates, was Akshay Kumar, whose speech expounded upon the personal meaning and relevance of poet Anne Bradstreet’s line, “If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant.” Akshay’s address drew a standing ovation from his classmates; you can read those remarks in full here.

The elegant and powerful commencement address was delivered by The Reverend Morgan Allen, rector of Boston’s venerable Trinity Church, and father to graduating senior Michael Allen. Father Allen shared with the graduating seniors three beautifully drawn and important lessons—about what they’ve been given, and what they might choose to do with those gifts—through the 1864 essay titled “The Generous Gambler,” by Parisian poet Charles Baudelaire. Read Father Allen’s address in full.

Following the ceremony’s addresses, Headmaster Brennan and President of the Board of Trustees Ethan Berman ’79 awarded diplomas to the 52 newest alumni of The Roxbury Latin School.

Três grandes prémios de Classe I foram também atribuídos durante as Cerimónias de Encerramento:

The Richard A. Berenberg Prize, for generosity of spirit and concern for others, was presented to Owen Butler and Emmanuel Nwodo.

The Class of 1913 Award, for significant contributions to the life of the school, was presented to Justin Shaw.

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 Akshay Kumar.

Thank you to the hundreds of alumni and families who gathered on Roxbury Latin’s campus over the weekend to celebrate Reunion and Spring Family Day. Festivities began on Friday, May 5, with an alumni luncheon and Class I panel, followed by a Hall honoring former trustee Bill Collatos ’72, and celebrating his generous gift: naming the William E. Chauncey Director of Admission Chair, after his former teacher and baseball coach, and RL’s longtime and beloved admission director.

In Hall, Headmaster Kerry Brennan addressed the alumni, faculty, and students gathered: “Bill Collatos, Class of 1972 and a trustee of the school for nearly 30 years, acknowledges the impact Roxbury Latin had on the man he became by honoring a teacher and coach who was instrumental in his development, in order that subsequent teacher coaches—and, in this case, directors of admission—might have a similar impact on students yet to come. What a marvelous instrument for signaling a regard for the circle of life that is schools: one cohort paving the way for the next, teachers inspiring and shaping the next generation to be good and to do good.”

After Hall, friends and members of the Collatos and Chauncey families gathered in the Kelsey Faculty Room for coffee, dessert, and other refreshments. The evening concluded with the 25th Reunion Family BBQ, celebrating members of the Class of 1998.

On Saturday morning, alumni from across decades returned to the RL playing fields for an alumni softball game and alumni tennis matches (which included members of RL’s current tennis teams, as well). Alumni, students, families, and faculty flocked to enjoy a BBQ lunch under the arches of the IAF and cheered on members of our Varsity Baseball, Lacrosse, and Tennis teams as they swept victories in contests through the afternoon. Varsity Lacrosse beat Rivers (14-13); Varsity Baseball defeated Brooks (3-1); and Varsity Tennis was victorious over Brooks, as well (7-0). Off campus, RL’s Track and Field team won three of four match-ups to Milton Academy, BB&N, and Lawrence Academy, falling short only to Belmont Hill in the day’s meet.

Finally, on Saturday evening, in the Gordon Fieldhouse, nearly 300 guests celebrated a Reunion which honored, in particular, classes ending in 3 and 8. There guests enjoyed good food, drink, and fellowship into the evening.

Ver uma galeria de fotos do Dia da Família na Primavera.

Ver uma galeria de fotos do fim-de-semana da Reunião.

On April 24, TIME CEO Jessica Sibley announced the appointment of RL alumnus Sam Jacobs, Class of 2004, to Editor in Chief of TIME. Sam has been a part of the global media brand for a decade, serving as a leader of the editorial team. Sam is the youngest editor to lead TIME since co-founder Henry Luce nearly a century ago.

In her announcement to staff, Ms. Sibley wrote:
“During his decade at TIME, Sam has been instrumental in setting the strategic direction of the editorial team and leading TIME’s trusted journalism across all platforms. In addition to hiring dozens of journalists around the world, he has played a major role in the integration of TIME’s newsroom across platforms—including expanding TIME’s global events, partnering with TIME Studios and building a sustainability platform with TIME CO2 which just launched with the TIME CO2 Earth Awards. Sam has guided the strategy for TIME’s digital editorial operation, which has won multiple Emmy and National Magazine Awards.

“Over the past 100 years, TIME has told the essential stories of the people and ideas that shape and improve the world. There is no better leader for guiding that mission today than Sam. As we begin TIME’s second century, we remain unwavering in our commitment to trusted journalism, which is at the core of our company’s impact.”

In a follow up note to staff, Sam wrote:
“As TIME journalists we are living an incredible present, and we inherit an invaluable past. We know that integrity and innovation are key features of that inheritance and necessary ingredients of our future. For the past decade, I have had the privilege of working with you through a period of unrivaled change. It’s been such a gift to watch people’s careers thrive and to welcome new ideas and new voices to TIME. I have seen hundreds of colleagues do amazing work in service of our readers and our world. I’ve watched new generations of reporters, editors, and producers be welcomed by their predecessors and together make a new TIME. I love how that process starts again each day.”

Read the announcement in its entirety on the TIME website.

Headmaster Kerry Brennan—Roxbury Latin’s 11th headmaster, having served since 2004—has just announced his decision to retire at the conclusion of the 2023–2024 school year.  After communicating his decision to the Board of Trustees during its meeting yesterday afternoon, Mr. Brennan made his announcement to the faculty, staff, and students at the start of the school day this morning.  Mr. Brennan’s tenure of service as RL’s headmaster will be 20 years at the time of his retirement.  Read below the messages from Mr. Brennan and from the President of the Board of Trustees Ethan Berman ’79, which were issued to the entire RL community this morning.

Message from the Headmaster

Dear Friends:

I recently let the Board of Trustees know that the 2023-2024 academic year would be my last as Headmaster.  I will have served twenty years in this capacity and with gratitude and humility I know that this is the right time to step down.

When I was fortunate to be invited to be the School’s 11th Headmaster in 2004, the Board suggested no obvious mandate.  I would be following a highly successful predecessor in Tony Jarvis, who over thirty years had made a distinctive mark on this community.  I believe that most simply hoped I would strive to maintain the excellences and values for which Roxbury Latin was known.  With the highest regard for what had been and especially the history, traditions and ethic of the school, I sought, however, for us to evolve, to broaden and deepen programs, to support and attract high quality people, and to ensure that the facilities were both functional and beautiful and served an ambitious program well.  Best of all, I have consistently maintained that our most distinctive feature was our demographic, the boys we served.  We have made clear that the financial support necessary to guarantee the ability of talented, committed boys of all kinds to attend the school and to participate fully in its programs had to be a top priority.  The result is a school defined by a broadly representative, inclusive student body. 

One of the most compelling reasons for my return to RL and Boston in 2004 was the opportunity to help lead a school with a clear mission, to be involved in all aspects of its operation, and to have an impact on everyone in a relatively intimate community.  I regularly suggested to my colleagues that our principal opportunity and responsibility was to know and love every boy.  Roxbury Latin has both the structure and the will to realize that essential, rare goal.

There will be plenty of time to reflect on the past twenty years over the next eighteen months.  Whatever has been achieved over my time as Headmaster has been the result of a great team effort.  For that and more, I am grateful to the Board of Trustees, the faculty and staff, parents, alumni, and the boys themselves for realizing this dream of a school, for your support, and for your friendship.  You have all played a part in ensuring that my privileged professional life was meaningful and joyful.  Thank you.

Sincerely,
Kerry P. Brennan
Headmaster   

Message from the President of the Board of Trustees

Dear Roxbury Latin community,

As you have just read, Kerry Brennan has decided to retire as Headmaster of Roxbury Latin at the end of the 2023-24 school year.  While we all knew that this day would come, that does not make it any less of a loss, as his leadership, dedication, and love will be greatly missed. This, however, is not the time to thank him for his nearly two decades of service, nor to list all that he and Roxbury Latin have achieved over his time as Headmaster. Fortunately his tenure is far from over, and knowing Kerry as I do, I am sure that the next year and a half will bring even greater accomplishments.

Instead I write today to share with you the process the Board will take to select the 12th head of our great school. We are fortunate and thankful that Kerry informed us of his intentions well in advance to ensure that we would have ample time to find an appropriate successor. Over the next few weeks, a search committee will be formed, and a number of outside search firms will be interviewed to assist that committee and the school in this process. I expect the search committee to be announced by the end of this month, and a search firm hired by the end of March. I will be back in touch with all of you when those decisions are made.

The timeline after that will be determined by the search committee in consultation with the outside search firm, but my expectation is that candidates will be considered and interviewed over the spring and summer with a final decision made and announced in the fall of 2023. The search committee will inform the full community of a more specific timeline and process as soon as it is fixed, which I would expect to be by the end of April.

I realize that this is unsettling and perhaps upsetting news to many of you. Roxbury Latin has greatly benefited from strong and stable leadership for many decades, and times of change create uncertainty. While sensitive to those concerns, I see change as an opportunity. An opportunity to grow and to learn. An opportunity to find a person who will bring new ideas, new skills, and a new outlook for the future, while at the same time continuing to know and love each boy who walks through our halls and to remain true to what makes Roxbury Latin the school that so many of us love and cherish. An opportunity that will make us even better and stronger, just as the hiring of Kerry Brennan did eighteen years ago.

I will do my best to keep you and the rest of the Roxbury Latin community informed of progress, but please bear in mind that this is a process that will take months, not days or weeks. There is no more important decision a school can make than choosing its leader, and we will take our time to ensure that we have given thorough consideration and thought, with as much information and input as possible, to make that decision wisely. I can only thank Kerry again for putting the school’s interest ahead of his own and letting us know of his intentions so early.

In the meantime if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me directly at ethan.berman@roxburylatin.org.

Sincerely,
Ethan Berman ’79
President of the Board of Trustees