On July 22, Head of School Sam Schaffer announced that Alessandro Ferzoco, Class of 2014, will serve as Roxbury Latin’s next Director of Development. Throughout a search process resulting in several excellent finalists, it became clear to all members of the search committee that Alessandro was the right individual to lead Roxbury Latin’s philanthropic and constituent engagement efforts, now and into the future.

For the past three years, Alessandro has served as RL’s Director of the Annual Fund, leading the school’s annual giving strategy and overseeing fundraising efforts supporting those goals. Under Alessandro’s leadership this past fiscal year, RL’s Annual Fund surpassed $5 million for the first time in the school’s history. He has led this remarkable fundraising effort while also maintaining more than 50% alumni participation, 99% parent participation, 100% faculty participation, and coordinating and supporting 40+ parent volunteers and 200+ alumni fundraising agents.

In addition to successfully leading RL’s Annual Fund, he has directed three successive Giving Day campaigns (raising nearly $1.2 million in 2026), secured major gifts, stewarded capital contributions, and been increasingly involved in leadership-level cultivation, stewardship, and solicitation efforts involving some of the school’s most loyal supporters. He has proven successful in mobilizing volunteers, cultivating relationships, and articulating a compelling vision for philanthropy that is grounded in Roxbury Latin’s history, mission, educational philosophy, and strategic priorities.

Unsurprising to anyone who knows him, Alessandro’s connection to Roxbury Latin’s fundraising efforts began long before his professional return to the school. As a student, he was the recipient of an endowed scholarship fund. As a Class I boy, he was selected as the student speaker for the annual Kick-Off Dinner, and as an undergraduate at Harvard he began serving as a Class Agent, spearheading his class’s reunion and Annual Fund efforts.

“These experiences showed me, firsthand, the ways that intentional stewardship can create truly consequential support between institutions, donors, and students,” says Alessandro.The greatest strength Alessandro brings to this role, however, is his ability to build and sustain trusted relationships across the RL community. He also possesses a deep institutional understanding of the school itself: its traditions, its culture, its language, and the people who have shaped it across generations.

In his own words: “I have had the privilege of learning from and working alongside many of the figures who have defined Roxbury Latin over the last fifty years. Those relationships have given me an appreciation not only for the school’s legacy, but also for the responsibility of stewarding its future. I am grateful to have benefitted from the mentorship and example of the previous leaders of Roxbury Latin’s Development Office: Tom Guden, Tobey O’Brien, and Phil Thornton. Our work is always a team effort. Successful institutional leadership depends upon trust, collegiality, and a shared commitment to the school’s mission: to instill in students a desire to live intentional lives of purpose, through a commitment to ethical formation and rigorous academic training. This role is an opportunity not only to sustain and strengthen Roxbury Latin’s culture of giving, but also to help shape the school’s strategic direction during an important moment in its history. Roxbury Latin has endured for nearly four centuries because generations of alumni, parents, faculty, trustees, and friends understood that excellent institutions do not sustain themselves. They survive only when people choose to sacrifice for them, steward them carefully, and hand them forward stronger than they inherited them. I am so grateful to be taking on this important role for a school that I love.”

As Director of Development, Alessandro will build upon Roxbury Latin’s many strengths to galvanize others in support of its mission, ensure its immediate success, and secure its position for future generations.

Thank you for helping us achieve an extraordinary year in fundraising for Roxbury Latin. Through your contributions to the Annual Fund and through your capital gifts, you allow us to realize Roxbury Latin’s distinctive mission: to democratically assemble the most capable, bright, aspiring group of boys, regardless of their families’ means; and to bring together and support the most talented, dedicated faculty to know and love those boys. We are so grateful for your support.

Your steadfast commitment to RL has allowed us to achieve a major milestone in annual fundraising, and to—once again—set an Annual Fund record, raising more than $5,100,000 for this school. This marks the first time that Roxbury Latin’s Annual Fund has surpassed $5 million—an astonishing feat. While RL boys and faculty are the living markers of your gifts, the statistics below show the impact and extent of your generosity in annual and capital giving, and provide yet another way that Roxbury Latin is distinctive. Rest assured that we pass along this commitment to our current students, who know that “from those to whom much has been given, much will be expected.” For your generosity and what it makes possible, thank you.

Each summer, RL boys have the opportunity to participate in a variety of study abroad experiences and immersion trips that deepen their understanding of history, language, and culture. Over the years, students have traveled to locations across the globe, including France, Spain, Costa Rica, and Senegal. This summer, 17 Class II boysGreece, accompanied by Mrs. Morris-Kliment, Mr. Beam, and Mr. Phillips, while a group of twelve boys studying French traveled to Caen to begin their month-long immersion program, accompanied by Monsieur Diop and Madame Kostur.

The Greek students embarked on an immersive journey packed with cultural and historical highlights. Their itinerary began with a visit to Cape Sounion and a swim in the Saronic Gulf, followed by a sunset hike to the Temple of Poseidon. In Athens, they explored the Roman and Ancient Athenian Agora, the Acropolis, and the Acropolis Museum. The group strolled through Syntagma Square, climbed Mt. Lycabettus, and visited sites like the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the Panathenaic Stadium. Beyond Athens, the students traveled across Greece, stopping at the National Archaeological Museum, Eleusis, the Corinthian Canal, Ancient Corinth, Nemea, and the Venetian seaport of Nafplio. They toured the ancient ruins of Mycenae, swam at Karathona Beach, and experienced the ancient sites of Epidaurus and Olympia—home to one of the original four Panhellenic Games. The journey also included time in Delphi, where students explored the Athenian Treasury, the Temple of Apollo, and the ancient stadium, connecting deeply with the myth and history they had studied. Each day was filled with opportunities to sample Greek cuisine, hike through breathtaking landscapes, and reflect on the significance of the ancient world in modern times. These trips not only offer delicious food and historical wonder but also provide memories and lessons to last a lifetime.

Meanwhile, in France, students were settling in with their host families, adjusting to their new home away from home, and beginning their studies, gaining firsthand knowledge of the French language and culture. Though stationed in Caen for the first leg of the trip, the group took many excursions to nearby towns and villages, such as a memorable field trip to Fleury-sur-Orne—the hometown of one of their new French teachers, Jacqueline. Students explored local history on walking tours, visited one of the last pre-Normandy battle walls and beaches of Normandy, made overnight excursions to St. Malo and the iconic Mont-Saint-Michel, swam in the English Channel, and culminated these adventures with two days in Paris, where they cruised the River Seine and ate in the French Quarter. Throughout the trip, the boys continued to work on their understanding of the French language through various lessons and activities, including writing a script, recording, editing, and presenting a podcast titled Normen vs. Saxons.

These special experiences—the opportunity to practice language skills, discover regional architecture, and reflect on the resilience of local communities—deepen students’ appreciation for the language, history, and culture they study during the school year. Studying abroad at RL, as part of these immersive adventures, connects classroom learning with real-world experiences, shaping students’ global perspectives, and making them more informed and empathic citizens of the world.

Read the French students’ firsthand accounts and view photos from their adventures at the French immersion trip travel blog.

We simply cannot thank you enough for helping to make Roxbury Latin’s eighth annual Giving Day an extraordinary success. With your help, we raised more than $1,145,000 for the Annual Fund—including $150,000 in match money from generous trustees—from more than 1,200 donors, in 24 hours. Every dollar raised will go directly toward supporting our students and faculty, ensuring that Roxbury Latin boys are able to learn, grow, create, compete, build, perform, strive, give, collaborate, and discover. To ensure they grow into men of character—men who go on to lead and serve in their communities and in our world.

Your generous support made this year’s Giving Day our most successful yet. For your excitement, for your generosity—for your love of, and belief in, this school—we are deeply grateful. On this year’s Exelauno Day, thank you for marching forth with us. Roxburienses Sumus.

Giving Day Participation Leaderboard 

Top Current Parent Class
Class of 2029: 95% 

Top Three Alumni Classes
Class of 1991: 81%
Class of 2015: 64%
Class of 2014: 61%

The National Merit Scholarship Program recently announced the names of Class of 2026 students across the country who earned recognition for their academic achievement. This year, 21 Roxbury Latin boys were named—five as National Merit Scholar semifinalists and sixteen others earning commendations from program officials, equating to roughly 36% of the class.

Juniors from across the United States entered the 2025 National Merit Scholarship program by taking the 2023 PSAT. The nationwide pool of semifinalists, representing less than one percent of U.S. high school seniors, includes the highest-scoring entrants in each state, while commended students placed among the top 50,000 students who entered. Scholarship recipients are selected on the basis of their skills, accomplishments, and potential for academic success at the college level.

It is estimated annually that from the approximately 16,000 semifinalists, about 15,000 will advance to become finalists, making them eligible for 6,870 National Merit Scholarships nationwide. The organization, along with several hundred independent businesses and companies, support the awards totaling over $33 million. 

Roxbury Latin boys earning recognition this year include semifinalists Habo Baaj, Colin Bradley, Denmark Chirunga, Dylan Pan, and Tom Pogorelec; and commendation recipients Luca Bene, Luke Campanella, Michael DiLallo, Nick Glaeser, Lincoln Hyatt, Max Kesselheim, Avish Kumar, Grayson Lee, Simba Makura, Dylan Massard, Braden Place, Fin Reichard, Austin Reid, Teddy Smith, Marco Suri, and Liam Walsh.

“I think the most important thing Roxbury Latin gave to me was the permission and the foundation to become a different person,” said Nate Klug ’04 during his Hall presentation in the Smith Theater on September 9. Nate is a poet, translator, essayist, and co-minister of The First Parish in Lincoln, Massachusetts, along with his wife, Kit. Nate’s various roles and interests have stemmed from many different life experiences, and the grace he gave himself to explore things that piqued his interest. 

“I went to college to play Division III soccer, and I realized after a few months that I absolutely hated being on that team—I hated having that be my main identity,” he explained. “All of a sudden, for the first time, I was no longer at the center of a community, and changing how I spent my time and who I spent it with was hard, but I was ready. Because of the breadth of my exposures here, I was ready to be translated.”

As he described, the foundation that Roxbury Latin provided allowed Nate to explore his interests and be open to continuous learning. He published work in every Forum issue during his time at RL, but he didn’t take the time to begin digging into poetry and its varying forms until college. “All of my roles came to me as callings in one way or another,” he said. Had he not valued and lived out the generalist model instilled in him at RL, he might not have listened to those callings and realized some of the passions of his adult life.

Many of Nate’s roles are interconnected, as art and spirituality often influence one another. As a minister, he works in a “spiritually eclectic place,” he says. It is one where individuals make up a community, rather than the community being the leading identity. Nate’s experiences of writing and translating poetry also emphasize the fluidity and openness in interpreting art. “If we want to live in a world that preserves nuance and complexity, we will look at different versions of the same text like we did this morning. We will dare to argue it out ourselves.” He noted that the members of his parish find community because they are all seeking something: “Poetry and translation rely on uncertainty and discovery,” Nate said, much like the spiritual journeys we often find ourselves on.

Nate earned his bachelor’s degree in English Literature from the University of Chicago, and is a graduate of Yale Divinity School; he was ordained in the United Church of Christ in 2013. He is the author of Rude Woods, a modern translation of Virgil’s Eclogues, and two books of poetry, titled Anyone, and Hosts and Guests. His poems and essays have appeared in The Nation, The New York Review of Books, Best American Poetry, and elsewhere. His writing has been supported by fellowships from the James Merrill House, MacDowell, and the Poetry Foundation.

View Nate’s Hall presentation.