Belmont Hill Summer-Fall 2020

Belmont Hill t h e bu ll e t i n for be l m o n t h i ll s c h o ol

summer

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contents

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chapel talk

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belmont hill safe at home

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commencement 2020

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departments

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always character always together

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belmont hill archives

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chapel speakers

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arts on the hill

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coaches’ corner

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community & diversity

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new faculty biographies

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corporation news

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alumni & family events

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class notes

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faculty & staff news

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in memoriam

our mission statement Belmont Hill School educates boys in mind, body, and spirit to develop men of good character. Our community encourages and challenges students to discover and pursue passions, seek excellence, and face adversity with resilience. We cultivate critical thinking and creativity, teamwork and competition, hard work and reflection, tradition and innovation. Valuing our differences and working together, we embrace camaraderie, compassion, and service to others. Our school strives to instill in each boy ethical judgment, a sense of common humanity, and a lifelong love of learning.

On front cover: Greg Desrosiers ’20 receives his diploma from Greg Schneider, Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School, at the Commencement Cruise held on May 30, 2020.

Inside front cover: Socially-distanced faculty and staff lined the Jordan Athletic Center parking lot to congratulate the graduates as their families processed through the Commencement Cruise on May 30, 2020. www.belmonthill.org

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chapel talk

HOPE IN THE AGE OF CORONAVIRUS

Remarks delivered by Gregory J. Schneider, Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School, on April 6, 2020

crisis as the backdrop for tales about personal relationships and our appreciation of beauty. I think of Gabriel García Márquez’s Love in the Time of Cholera, where he so adeptly juxtaposes unrequited love in the context of a societal plague. Another favorite author of mine is Graham Greene, who wrote stories of human love and relationships impacted by the bombings and sense of panic surrounding World War II. As a lover of literature, I am fascinated by the ways in which national and global events can impact our one-on-one micro relationships so deeply. Clearly, we are all living in such a time today.

Good morning once again from Hamilton Chapel and congratulations to everyone for surviving your first week of online learning at Belmont Hill. If there is anything that the Schneiders have learned about this new normal, it is that there is so much adjustment to the schedule and workflow of each family member. This is as true for our faculty as it is for all of our students. I have appreciated hearing so much positive feedback from many of you in week one, but I am also mindful that our collective stamina as a community will be most important for us to continue to be successful. For faculty, this means a persistent willingness to evolve your craft in the context of the tools at our disposal. For the boys, we know this new model puts more onus on you to be authentically and intrinsically motivated and to take your work seriously. For parents, we need to continue to be informed and fed by your constructive feedback as well as your ongoing trust and support. I hope that our sense of working together in week two is even better than week one.

While these are unprecedented times for all of us, we know that the coronavirus is not the first epidemic or pandemic humankind has faced. In fact, some of my favorite literature has used either a pandemic or world

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We must acknowledge that this backdrop matters, and so much of what we have taken as established context is moving under our feet. How we now act as human beings is revealed in a new kind of relief given the realities of our world. What it means to be brave, selfish, sad, anxious, or lonely suddenly has new definitions. I still seem to wake up each morning, and for only a few precious moments I forget that our world has changed.

For a brief instant, I think I’m heading to the Y for a swim or getting ready for a 7:00 AM meeting in my office.

As you all know, reality sinks in quickly, along with, in my case, a frequent desire to pull the covers over my head and find a way to go back to sleep. Working together with all of you so closely is obviously what does get me moving each morning.

Writers like Greene and Márquez had the gift of showing us that challenging backdrops reveal beauty in new ways.

I find myself admiring the sunrise more frequently with a warm cup of coffee in my hand. I notice and appreciate the moments when two of my daughters are actually playing together as real friends to combat their loneliness. I savor food differently. On the rare moment I meet a colleague on campus outside, I light up with a feeling of connection—even from more than six feet away. Things that I had once taken for granted now seem exquisite.

My hope is that when the world returns to normal, and we know that it will, we will not forget all that this new backdrop has revealed to us.

Early on in this outbreak, Mr. Masiiwa in the Admission Office sent me an article beautifully entitled The Blessings of the Coronavirus. While I won’t be referencing that article specifically today, I did want to offer a few thoughts on how we might try to frame some of the positives of what we are experiencing at the moment.

I suspect that for many of our boys one of the hardest realities has been the evaporation of team competition from your life. I will not try to say that this is a positive, and I look forward to the day when our fields are full and you are all competing in a Belmont Hill jersey once again. And yet, at least in our household, the sudden cancellation of youth sports, clubs, and other things that have made our weekends frenzied has not been all bad.

I find myself able to get a bit more sleep than I have in my other 25 years in this industry, in part because evening events have suddenly been put on hold. Our new online learning days begin at a time that is more appropriate to the physical rhythms of boys and adults rather than as early as 7:00 AM in the morning. While I miss the fullness of our days in the past, a different pace for a period of time also has its positives. I suspect that we will be ready to rev back up in a new way for having had this period of pause.

For me, one of the gifts of the coronavirus has been reading. And I mean reading for pleasure—reading books that are simply fun and offer me an opportunity to escape. If you have not already done this yourself, I would encourage you to look into e-book options or other content that might allow you to do something similar. Reading is a continual workout for your mind, ever improving your skills in vocabulary, writing, and inference as you go. As a teacher of literature, I have lamented for years that students never have enough time to simply read for pleasure outside of the 24-hour schedule of homework, sports, and other activities at independent schools. Suddenly, you have this time in a new way, and it is a gift. I would encourage all of you to find a new genre, a new author, or a new modality of reading that might sustain you differently. Just like you are sharing playlists or Netflix shows, share a few good reading titles with each other. I am talking about something different here than reading news or social media feeds. I am talking about losing yourself temporarily in a piece of literature.

I have also found that this new normal has forced me to spend so much more time on reflection and gratitude in general. In my case, I have a new appreciation for my family and friends. I have a new appreciation for my job and for this community of Belmont Hill. When I compare the reality that I find myself in compared to so many in this crisis, I have so much for which to be grateful. My hope is that this period of time provides a similar catalyst for all of you. As much as you are all right to be experiencing a level of grief and sadness about what is happening around us, this is also a moment for gratitude unlike any other I have experienced in my lifetime.

Beyond simply considering blessings, and as someone who is charged with teaching Ethics at Belmont Hill, I find myself contemplating the ethics of this global pandemic as well. There are some massive questions for us to wrestle with these days, and as my Ethics classes discussed last Wednesday, they are all dilemmas to be managed rather than problems to be solved. Here are a few that have been keeping me up at night: • Hoarding: What is the balance between individual and community as all of us rush to capture supplies for our families to the point where we are making it impossible for others?

• News Coverage: What is the proper balance for the media in considering truth, data, fear, and hope?

• Politics: Should this pandemic be connected in any way to the politics or the presidential race underway, and how should we think about leadership in general?

• Diversity and Equity: We already know that like most national disasters, this crisis will impact the disadvantaged so much more intensely than the affluent. How do we reconcile that in our own local communities, and what might we do about it?

• Making an Impact: What is ultimately our responsibility at Belmont Hill to serve others as this crisis unfolds? How can we do this in a way that keeps us safe?

• The Relative Value of Human Life: As social distancing restrictions wane in the weeks ahead, how will we balance the needs of the young vs. the needs of the old in this country? Or at Belmont Hill? Or the value of lives in other states or even other countries?

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chapel talk

Suffice it to say, I have more than enough material suddenly to create an entirely different Ethics course at Belmont Hill. While I believe there are blessings of the coronavirus, there are also extremely hard questions that we will need to confront and discuss over time as a society and as a school.

Finally, I have spent a great deal of time thinking about hope, and I ask that you do this with me this morning.

Where do we find hope and inspiration at a time of crisis in our country and a time of such disappointment and sadness in our own community? I will try to close today with a few reasons that I believe we should be hopeful.

We all know that this age of the coronavirus will end, and our country and our community will get through it.

Belmont Hill is a strong institution in so many ways, and we are all fortunate to be connected to it during trying times. It is hard to step back and keep perspective while we are in the middle of the storm. In our hearts, we know that a vaccine will eventually surface, and the intensity of the virus will dissipate over time. What we are doing now is critical to give us more time to get to that day while minimizing the impact on our healthcare system.

I find hope and inspiration in the amazing researchers and scientists that will ultimately bring forth the vaccine we need. I can only imagine how many people are working on this at this very moment around the globe.

While I can contribute nothing to that quest, I am grateful to all of these people.

I also believe we can find hope when we look at the bravery and character of our healthcare workers.

Whether doctor, technician, nurse, or staff member of any kind, we all know that going to work in a hospital is noble on any day. In the age of coronavirus, as these people put their own families at risk, I view this nothing short of heroic. If healthcare workers can continue to go to battle each and every day to save our loved ones on the front line, we should be able to do our part through social distancing to make it just a bit easier upon them.

Leaders and heroes will emerge from all sorts of unlikely places in the weeks and months ahead. It is already happening. Stories will emerge about how people are taking care of each other, and how people are working for the common good. This pandemic catalyzes a level of global cooperation unlike anything I have seen in my lifetime. While there is an appropriate tension between our national interest and our sense of a global ethic, we know that a virus knows no borders and neither will the ultimate solutions.

Perhaps a bit closer to home, we find hope in our families, whose unconditional love and support mean more than ever. For those of us lucky enough to have siblings, we feel more connected than ever. For my part, I find hope and inspiration in the brotherhood of Belmont Hill. While we have been fortunate to have relatively little impact on our community directly thus far, we also know that this could change in an instant.

And when it does, we will come together in whatever way we can to support one another through what lies ahead.

We look forward to a time when we are able to go back to our sense of normal, and we will appreciate normal in an entirely new way when we do.

In one of my earlier letters to the community, I referenced Nassim Taleb’s powerful book, Antifragile. In fact, this title addressed the reality that there was no existing word that fully expressed his idea that there are certain things in life that actually get stronger by being put under stress. I believe that you, our Belmont Hill boys, are antifragile, and I believe our community is as well.

Some examples that Taleb highlights include the notion of a candle in comparison to a bonfire. A candle can be easily extinguished by a puff of air, whereas a bonfire, an example of antifragile, actually gets stronger as more oxygen is applied to it. We find ourselves at a moment in our history where we are being put under an entirely new level of stress as an individual, a family, a community, and a country. I find it comforting to know that we

look forward to a time when we are able to go “ We back to a sense of normal, and we will appreciate normal in an entirely new way when we do.”

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will emerge stronger from this experience—more cohesive, more bonded, and more prepared for the next challenge that will come our way.

I close where I began, in reminding us that as we now launch into the second week of our online learning experiment, I suspect that we will all begin to grow weary of the isolation and routine in new ways—parents, students, and faculty. Our community’s focus on character and excellence will need to stoke our unique boiler room of working together to push through these temptations. This pandemic will be a marathon rather than a sprint, and it will test our staying power. So far, I have heard from our faculty just what an amazing job you boys have done in entering this phase. I look forward to watching your commitment to intellectual resilience and character only strengthen in the week ahead.

And so, as we enter week two of our grand experiment, let us all pledge to spend some amount of time considering the blessings of the coronavirus at Belmont Hill. My hope is that our communal exercise in reflection, perspective, and gratitude will bring us fortitude for what lies ahead.

And once again, with both sadness and hope, we conclude in the way we always should in this building.

Sixth Form.

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belmont hill safe at home

Alone Together

ALONE TOGETHER:

How the Belmont Hill Community Rallied Together During the Global Pandemic

By Bill Mahoney

When students left for Spring Break on March 12, the usual sense of jubilation was notably absent. The story of the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) was all over the news, and already phrases such as “social distancing” were becoming a regular part of our vocabulary. There was a growing sense among the school community that perhaps students would not be returning to school after the break, at least not immediately. Words like “quarantine” and “lockdown” were heard, and many were being told to stay home to be safe.

Sure enough, the initial message from Greg Schneider, Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School, was that return to school would be delayed until early April and that students would commence with an online learning plan that had already been set in place. (See story on p. 8).

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Later, when Governor Charlie Baker announced that all schools would be closed until at least early May, hopes began to dim about a return to campus. Finally, a few weeks later, Governor Baker announced that all schools would remain closed through the end of June, thereby ending any hope of a return to campus for the community.

While there was a grave sense of disappointment as these announcements were made, it also became a time of incredible inspiration. The School, led by the indomitable spirit of the senior class, rallied together to make the most of a challenging set of circumstances. The community, truly taking the School’s motto of Working Together to heart, did its very best to make sure that school life thrived in as normal a manner as possible.

Class President Jack McHugh ’20 led the way by hosting weekly Friday Forums online, which featured announcements, videos from students, challenges and contests, and other uplifting content. A Patriots’ Day Virtual 5K Road Race was put in place by a few faculty members, as community members ran 5K courses on their own and sent in pictures listing their times and who they ran in honor of—with everyone running to honor first responders and frontline workers during the pandemic.

A number of alumni sent videos of support to the senior class, empathizing with their plight but urging them to keep their spirits up. A “Day of Gratitude and Kindness” was held, during which students had no classes but were expected to perform some sort of service in the spirit of the event. Several webinars were held to keep parents informed on a variety of issues. Greg Schneider, Assistant Head of School Mike Grant, Admissions Director Steve Carr ’93, Dr. Michael Thompson, and Director of Counseling June Schmunk all participated in these online talks. Concerts and the annual Coffee House went on as planned, with performers entertaining the community online. Near the end of the year, a virtual

Performing Arts Event was held featuring music and theater performances. Poetry Fest, always a favorite day on campus, came to us virtually this year and was no less inspiring. Weekly Monday morning chapels were livestreamed to the community as well. Mr. Schneider gave some memorable Chapel Talks, including one in which he referenced each individual member of the senior class.

Mrs. Hamilton filled the chapel with beautiful music, Mr. McAlpin reflected on Earth Day, and Mr. Grant delivered a heartfelt address. It was not the same as witnessing these events in person, together, and yet there was an undeniable inspiration in seeing so many working to keep school spirit alive.

At the Commencement Cruise graduation ceremony, one of the signs on the cars read, quite appropriately, Class of 2020: Alone Together. The lockdown robbed this class of many of the wonderful traditions of Senior Spring, and left the entire community in isolation. Yet, in true Belmont Hill fashion, the community came together, and by Working Together made wonderful memories that will not soon be forgotten.

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Transition to Online Learning

ADAPTING TO UNPRECEDENTED CIRCUMSTANCES:

Belmont Hill’s Transition to Online Learning as the Pandemic Broke

By Michael Curran, Director of Academic Technology

While Spring Break traditionally offers students, faculty, and parents a respite from the pace of Belmont Hill life—a chance to unplug, travel, and prepare for an exciting spring—such was not the case this spring as we prepared for an uncertain fourth marking period, a changing world, and a list of new norms. For nearly a century, the hallmark of a Belmont Hill education has been the interpersonal relationships forged among students and faculty—relationships formed and enriched in classrooms, the dining hall, on the athletic fields, and in rehearsal and performance spaces. COVID-19 forced us as a school to consider how we use our time together and, more important, how those relationships that are the bedrock of our institution can be recreated in an online environment.

Many in education referred to the move from a traditional, brick-andmortar school world to the world of online learning as a transition.

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Our previous Head of School, Rick Melvoin, recently defined it best as an emergency response: Our courses, our school, and our relationships were never designed to so singularly exist in an online world.

With the fourth marking period behind us, now is a good time to take stock of how Belmont Hill’s students and faculty used online learning tools and resources to work together as a community, what we collectively learned, and how we, as a school, plan to move forward.

In the spring, Belmont Hill students, faculty, and administrators worked hard to create an environment and experience that fostered intellectual, athletic, artistic, and community growth, and, at the same time, an environment and experience true to who we are as a school and what we value. Over Spring Break, faculty and administrators reconsidered how to bring our school’s program to life using an array of different online tools and resources.

Rethinking the Belmont Hill experience in an online environment required the School to adopt a different schedule and to muster the energy of both faculty and students to create and support community-oriented programming. For some faculty, reimagining their courses online allowed them to rely upon and expand their use of technologies they were already using with their students. For others, reimagining their course to move online required them to learn and adopt technologies that were new.

As a whole, faculty brought to life the School’s new online schedule for the fourth marking period by using Google Classroom and Google Sites as their chief way to interact with students. Through both Google applications, teachers disseminated content, taught skills, led collaborations, and assessed student work.

Students met with their teachers synchronously on Zoom and also completed work asynchronously on their own and with their classmates using other Google applications. In addition, faculty used online-learning applications such as Flipgrid, Loom, and Edpuzzle to expand how their students learned course content and skills. How teachers balanced synchronous and asynchronous work evolved over the fourth marking period. Both faculty and students experienced Zoom fatigue, yet they both worked hard to learn together to remain flexible and to look for new and interesting ways to engage with their coursework. A number of courses relied on project-based learning and inquiry as modes of assessment as opposed to traditional tests and quizzes.

“ COVID-19 forced us as a

school to consider how we use our time together and, more important, how those relationships that are the bedrock of our institution can be recreated in an online environment.”

michael curran director of academic technology

Mr. Richards teamed up with Ann Ryan P ’19, ’17, ’14 and Will Ryan ’17 to offer four cooking classes. Pictured are some of the completed focaccia made during bread week.

Belmont Hill Creates Summer Enrichment Program Data from surveys conducted by the School to gauge parent response to the transition to online learning revealed that many parents were worried about what their sons would do during the summer months with the pandemic still very much a factor in their lives. The pandemic altered the summer outlook so drastically that many boys who had plans for a very full summer suddenly found themselves unsettlingly wide open. There was also a growing desire across Belmont Hill to create structures for the community to engage in informed conversations and do key work on race and racism in America.

To fill each of these voids, Belmont Hill faculty worked hard to create cost-free online programming for new and returning students during the months of July and August. The offerings came in two parts.

First, during July, a program called “Get Engaged” offered a range of faculty-directed one-week, twoweek, and month-long opportunities ranging from book clubs and cooking classes to a month-long New York Times movie group. The second program, “Get Caught Up,” featured faculty-run two-week review modules in the Classics, Math, and Modern Languages to ensure that the boys were well prepared for when classes resumed in the fall.

A webpage was also created, listing resources to provide students and their families with content including, but not limited to, anti-racism and social justice, the arts, athletics, and community service.

The overall goal of all the programming was to provide an outlet for students to participate in fun, engaging, and meaningful activity during a most unusual summer.

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Transition to Online Learning

Mr. Sherman’s calculus class goes through the AP Exam Checklist.

In addition to their academic work, faculty and students worked together supporting and developing clubs, athletic opportunities, and community events, be they Friday Forums, the livestreaming of chapel events, or Wednesday’s advisor meeting Padlets, which helped the entire community manage the challenges of being apart.

These resources helped the community recognize and celebrate each other’s work, remain actively engaged in the community, and enjoy a laugh.

What we as a community learned from our time in online learning was that our emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic asked all of us to question what connects us most to each other and to Belmont Hill as an institution. Without the brick-and-mortar world of Belmont Hill, the waves, nods, hellos, and high fives of life in the hallways of Morse, Atkins, and Melvoin disappeared. The pandemic stripped many of us of our spring passions: athletic competition, the formal, Chapel Lawn antics, spring concerts and plays, and the beauty of the Belmont Hill campus coming alive after a long winter sleep.

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As we pivot towards this new school year, we are renewed by all that we learned this spring. The School adopted Canvas as a new Learning Management System, which will dramatically improve how faculty and students work together online by providing a single virtual space to share, explore, and assess student learning. In addition, Canvas will allow faculty to access a broad range of learning tools to improve and expand how they teach skills and content. While new technologies and the adopting of more project-based and collaborative learning will better position us for success in the future, relationships will continue to be at the heart of the Belmont Hill experience. Learning together requires collective energy, enthusiasm, flexibility, and collaboration be it in person or online.

belmont hill safe at home

Community Service During the Pandemic

COMMUNITY SERVICE DURING THE PANDEMIC

By Stephen George, Director of Community Service

As the School transitioned to remote learning for the final two months of the school year, community service programming also evolved to match the new circumstances. One of the most substantial service projects of the year, the Party with a Purpose event, had to be canceled, though fundraising through that program continued in the form of online merchandise sales.

Plans for reviving the Kids’ Pan Mass Challenge Ride were scuttled, as well. In their place, students looked

to new and revised opportunities for the Belmont Hill community to get involved amidst the ongoing pandemic.

The annual cereal drive in support of Pine Street Inn shifted to a direct-delivery effort providing the organization with needed supplies. With facilitation from Marquis Jamison Harris ’05 at the Boston Medical Center, a team of students helped organize the purchase of socks, undergarments, and other basic supplies for patients, as well as a card and letter drive to provide encouragement and express gratitude to BMC staff. A group of Middle School students oversaw a similar letter-writing effort for both patients and staff at the Hebrew Senior Life longterm-care facility. Other efforts included the purchase of a catered meal for frontline workers, a grocery bag drive for the Belmont Food Pantry, and production of a music and poetry performance video to provide entertainment and encouragement for long-term patients at various local healthcare facilities.

Many students and families took advantage of the schoolwide “Day of Gratitude and Kindness” on May 4 to dive in and take part in these and other service opportunities. Overall, the breadth of projects undertaken by the students was impressive, and set the stage for more of such efforts this coming fall.

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“Because of HIPAA, I was unable to take photos of patients or staff reactions, but they were beyond grateful. My clinic was stunned to see my mailbox overflowing with these colorful cards and signs. There were so many I am circulating them among infectious disease doctors, EMTs, environmental services, testing nurses, front desk staff, etc. You guys are great. I’m impressed but not surprised.” – Marquis Jamison Harris ’05

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Nick Ascione ’24 and his family helped with the grocery bag project delivering Belmont Hill’s donations to the Belmont Food Pantry.

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Stepping Up: Alumni Respond to the Pandemic

STEPPING UP: Alumni Respond to the Pandemic

In her role as the Pennsylvania Secretary of Health, Dr. Rachel Levine ’75 has led her state’s public health response on COVID-19. She has worked closely with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and has delivered daily press briefings to keep the public up to date on the status of the pandemic. Dr. Levine has been praised for being a calm voice during a most difficult time, regularly providing advice to the community on how to stay safe.

“I have a lot of clinical background, so staying calm in the face of medical emergencies is something I’ve been able to do all throughout my career, to be able to focus on the job at hand,” Dr. Levine said in an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.

“I think that my greatest satisfaction is in the midst of this global health crisis to be able to do my part to serve Pennsylvania. Our vision is a healthy Pennsylvania for all. And, you know, that’s an enormous challenge in the midst of a global pandemic, so my greatest satisfaction is being able to contribute towards that goal.”

Dr. Levine graduated from Harvard College and Tulane University School of Medicine and completed pediatrics training at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. In January 2015, she became Pennsylvania’s fourth physician general, a cabinet-level position for which she was unanimously approved by the Republican-controlled state senate. She was appointed by Governor Tom Wolf as acting health secretary in July 2017 and confirmed in March 2018.

Secretary of Health Rachel Levine provides an update on Pennsylvania’s response to COVID-19.

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The following alumni sent in videos of support for the Class of 2020, keeping their spirits strong in spite of losing their Senior Spring to the pandemic.

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• John Grady ’66 • Andy Cadiff ’73 • Emmett Lyne ’77 • Gotham Chopra ’93 • Derry Lahey ’99 • Yanik Bababekov ’04

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• Will Forde ’05 • Marquis Jamison Harris ’05 • Field Yates ’05 • Woody Klemmer ’09 • Mike Nahill ’10 • Ryan Paganetti ’10 • Aman Shah ’10 • Teddy Mitropoulos ’11 • Parker Mundt ’12

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• Matt Grzelcyk ’13 • Matt Gustafson ’13 • Mike Leary ’13 • Mac Manion ’14 • Robert Sayegh ’14

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The following is a listing of Belmont Hill alumni who were directly involved in helping the fight to stop the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19).

• (1) According to the Boston Globe, the Hintlian family (Ken ’71, Jamie ’78 P’17, John ’84, William ’17) tripled production for Teddie Peanut Butter to keep shelves stocked. “We as a company feel we have a back-line role to play in this crisis, to restore the American food supply with a product that is shelf-stable, highly nutritious, and relatively low-cost.”

• (2) In April, Robert and Jonathan Kraft ’82 sent the New England Patriots’ plane to China to ferry over 1.2 million N95 and KN95 masks for healthcare workers in New York and Massachusetts.

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• (3) Matt Goguen ’19 volunteered at Tufts Medical Center on the COVID-19 floor, answering incoming phone calls, managing the PPE supply, and delivering equipment to the COVID floors.

• (4) Dan Ronan ’94 raised approximately $8,000 from 51 donors to help with supply needs and distributed approximately 1,200 face shields to 12 nursing homes in Massachusetts and New Hampshire as well as a medical practice in New Hampshire.

• In March, Manny Makkas ’96 of Makkas Drapery switched their operations to making face coverings.

• (5) Marquis Jamison Harris ’05 works at Boston Medical Center in a unit caring for homeless COVID-19 patients. In the spring, he reached out to Mrs. David to enlist the Belmont Hill community to support both

patients and those on the front line of the fight against this virus through notes of encouragement and basic supplies, such as socks and undergarments.

• (6) Tim Toomey ’08 is working as a resident doctor in internal medicine at BMC staffing the coronavirus unit at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in West Roxbury.

• Woody Klemmer ’09 and six volunteers started a GoFundMe page that has raised over $415,000 and fed over 5,000 healthcare workers.

• (7) Dr. Taylor Shortsleeve ’11 recently graduated from UMass Medical School early to jump on the front line and fight COVID-19.

• Chad Meyers ’16 offered to tutor Belmont Hill students in math, standardized test prep, and writing.

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belmont hill archives

FROM THE ARCHIVES

By Caroline Cushman, School Archivist

March 12, 2020

Dear Belmont Hill Parents,

As I mentioned to our boys today, the Heads of all ISL schools convened by phone this afternoon to discuss appropriate steps to be taken in regards to our spring athletic seasons at this juncture. As one might imagine in a league comprised of both boarding and day schools, the challenges we face are varied and complex. It was agreed today that no ISL school would hold a practice of any kind while their school was not in session. In our case, this clarifies that we will not be holding practices during the week of March 23. Additionally, no captain's practices are to be held off campus while our school is not in session. While I am sure that our boys will remain physically active individually, we know that these guidelines are in line with social distancing.

The ISL heads agreed to convene again during our spring break to re-evaluate additional league decisions, although there has been no decision to cancel the spring season at this time. We are committed to acting upon new information as it becomes available and will continue to do our best to communicate as this situation develops. The boys were told to take all of their equipment home with them today. If an individual student has a need to come to campus tomorrow to get something, we can certainly accommodate that request. However, after tomorrow, students should expect Jordan athletic center to be closed to all activities until at least March 30.

As our day together ended today, I had the pleasure of watching a number of our boys playing outside on our fields as campus was beginning to empty. We all look forward to the time when they will be working together once again.

Sincerely yours,

ARCHIVING THE COVID-19 EXPERIENCE AT BELMONT HILL When it comes to archives and special collections, the past and the preservation of history are of the utmost importance, but there are times when we also need to look at the present and ahead to the future. Considering that we are in an unprecedented time with the COVID-19 pandemic, it is certainly a period in which we need to evaluate our present and future, most importantly the experiences that we are currently having as a community.

Gregory J. Schneider Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School

HOME | CALENDAR | PARENTS | LOG IN Belmont Hill School 350 Prospect Street • Belmont • Massachusetts • 02478-2662 617-484-4410 • FAX 617-484-4688

Mr. Schneider sent out regular updates to the parent community.

Since the middle of March, I’ve been collecting digital materials that reflect the experiences that the community has had during the time of this pandemic. My main objectives were to collect materials that: • Describe the climate of Belmont Hill School during this time • Document the actions from the School’s administration • Capture the students’ reaction to the changes • Describe the actions taken to keep the community together I looked to collect letters to the Belmont Hill community from the administration, online learning plans and planning guides, any resources on the “COVID-19 Resources” page on the School website that relate to Belmont Hill specifically, publications and speeches from students and faculty, and events and activities that record the Belmont Hill community and the changes that have occurred during this time. My collection process includes these materials but it’s certainly not limited to them. Some of the highlights from what I already have collected include musical performances and concerts, Friday Forums, and Chapel Talks, which you will read about in this issue of the Bulletin.

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Friday Forums were hosted by School President Jack McHugh ’20.

Of course, this project is far from over; it’s actually just getting started.

As we return to campus, my collection of the materials will evolve as our experiences do. I look forward to continuing this project so our community can look back at these difficult and yet in many ways inspiring times for years to come.

As always, if you have any questions about our archives or this archiving project specifically, please contact me at cushman@belmonthill.org.

Commencement 2019 2020

commencement 2020

Prize Day Recognition

PRIZE DAY AWARD WINNERS B-FLATS MUSIC AWARDS Preston Adams ’20 Rowan Bradlee ’20 Aidan Donnelly ’20 Bobby Manion ’20 James Markis ’20 John McHugh ’20 Archibald Perry ’20 Joseph Romney ’20 ENSEMBLE AWARD Timothy Brown ’20 Rhocar Constant ’20 Artemy Ivanov ’20 Rush Lincoln ’20 Charles Stevenson ’20 CHORAL/VOCAL PRIZE Matthew Travaglini ’21 INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC PRIZE Charles Stevenson ’20 DIVERSITY LEADERSHIP AWARD Griffin Hamilton ’20 Ysael Porro ’20 WILLEY SEXTANT PRIZE FOR CREATIVE WRITING Renny Gong ’20 Ikenna Ugbaja ’21 WOODBURY PUBLIC SPEAKING PRIZE – FALL Adam Alto ’21 Ikenna Ugbaja ’21 WOODBURY PUBLIC SPEAKING PRIZE – SPRING Erick Silva ’21 Abraham Tolkoff ’21 MIDDLE SCHOOL PUBLIC SPEAKING PRIZE – FALL Michael Bobo ’23 MIDDLE SCHOOL DRAMA AWARD – ACTING Julian Boutin ’23 Jeremy Eaton ’23 Juan-Pablo Fernández-del Castillo ’25

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MIDDLE SCHOOL DRAMA AWARD – TECHNICAL Adam Shaff ’25 Daniel Xie ’24 HAYDEN GAYLORD COON DRAMA PRIZE – ACTING Daniel Rashes ’22 PROSPECTOR PRIZE Luca Mezzanotte ’23 THE PAUL J. ZOFNASS ’65 ENVIRONMENTAL AWARD John Henehan ’20 Holden Present ’20 Charles Stevenson ’20 GLOBAL CITIZENSHIP AWARD Rhocar Constant ’20 THE BELL PRIZE Michael Bobo ’23 Alexander Lo ’23 Cooper Nelson ’23

Douglas Conigliaro ’21 Owen Gerah ’22 Henry Hagedorn ’25 Luke Hogan ’22 Edward Madden ’20 James Markis ’20 John McHugh ’20 Stephen Pellegrino ’20 Gabriel Raffa ’20 Justin Santana ’21 Jeffrey Segel ’20 Jack Shah ’23 Bennett Teceno ’20 Jonah Wyett ’20 NEWELL HOWES MORTON AWARD Michael Bobo ’23 Turner Rayment ’23 BABE RUTH SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD Isaiah Gomes ’20

EDWARD M. BURT COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD Myles Cutler ’21 Daniel Drucker ’23 John Goguen ’23 Emmett Greenwood ’20 Timothy McCormack ’21 Jack Tahan ’20 Jalen Walker ’21

DARREN D. GALLUP THREE SPORT ATHLETE AWARD Preston Adams ’20 Timothy Brown ’20 John Curtin ’20 Gregory Desrosiers ’20 Charles Donahue ’20 Aidan Donnelly ’20 Alexander Gannon ’20 Adil Kassim ’20 Aidan McGaugh ’20 John McHugh ’20 Daniel Milmoe ’20 Charles Mullaney ’20 Ysael Porro ’20 Charles Richards ’20 John Weldon ’20

MAX WARBURG COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD Edward Madden ’20

CHARLES F. KENNEY ’06 PRIZE Blake Brookes ’20 Charles Richards ’20

RED AND BLUE KEY SOCIETY Maxwell Barton ’20 Rowan Bradlee ’20 Nicholas Castellucci ’20

THE INDEPENDENT SCHOOL LEAGUE AWARD OF EXCELLENCE Gregory Desrosiers ’20 Aidan McGaugh ’20

HAMPERS LYCEUM AWARD Matthew Drucker ’20 Zephan Kraus ’20 Jonah Wyett ’20

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THOMAS PHOTOGRAPHY PRIZE Ysael Porro ’20 ANGELO TOGNERI ART PRIZE Alexander Sousa ’22 JARED WATERBURY SCUDDER LATIN PRIZE Sreetej Digumarthi ’21 Justin Paré ’21 NATIONAL LATIN EXAMINATION Perfect Scores: 2A: Daniel Cho ’23, David Cho ’23, and Alexander Lo ’23 (Third consecutive perfect score) GAMMA: Aaron Stanger ’24 ALPHA: Luke Trevisan ’24 LATIN 5: Jack Weldon ’20 (First Belmont Hill Student to earn a perfect score on the Latin 5 examination) MAUREEN O’DONNELL BOOK PRIZE Sreetej Digumarthi ’21 Justin Paré ’21 HENRY S. ROBINSON ENGLISH PRIZE Renny Gong ’20 Elias Hyde ’20 BROWN BOOK AWARD Adam Alto ’21 Justin Paré ’21 Matthew Travaglini ’21 DOWNES HISTORY PRIZE Jeffrey Segel ’20 John Weldon ’20 FORM IV HISTORY PRIZE Thomas Madden ’22 DONATO MONACO AMERICAN HISTORY PRIZE Sreetej Digumarthi ’21

MAXWELL MATHEMATICS PRIZE Aidan McGaugh ’20 Colin Trueman ’20

RAYMUND A. KATHE PRIZE (ASIAN STUDIES) Henry Moses ’21 Riley Shafer ’21

THOMAS G. WALTERS MATHEMATICS ACHIEVEMENT PRIZE Renny Gong ’20

NATIONAL CHINESE HONOR SOCIETY (NCHS) Max Hall ’21 Zephan Kraus ’20 Timothy McCormack ’21 Theodore Stoll ’21 Matthew Travaglini ’21 Dominic Tung ’21 Jalen Walker ’21

MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION (AMC) Grade 12 of America Award Liam Peterson ’20 Howard Huang ’22 MATHEMATICAL ASSOCIATION (AMC) Grade 8 of America Award Anthony Galvagna ’23 Daniel Xie ’24 N.E. MATHEMATICS LEAGUE AWARD (NEML) Howard Huang ’22 SPANISH PRIZE Abraham Tolkoff ’21 NATIONAL SPANISH EXAM GOLD – 93%+ Spanish 1: Julian Boutin ’24, Joseph Puglielli ’23, Luke Trevisan ’24, and William Yakoobian ’24 Spanish 1A: Connor Gandel ’24 and Brian Lee ’24 Spanish 2A: Daniel Drucker ’23, James Dyer ’23, Leonardo Montoya ’23, Jack Shah ’23, and Kevin Simmons ’23 FRENCH PRIZE Joshua Baldwin ’21 Ruphael Getahun ‘20 NATIONAL FRENCH EXAM Platinum – perfect score: French 1: Nathan Pappas ’24 Gold – 95th percentile: French 1: Andrew Bittner ’24, Luke Guleserian ’24, and Alexandre White ’24 French 2: John Butterworth ’23, Nolan Henehan ’23, and William Rice ’23 French 3: Samuel Davis ’24, Aaron Matthews ’22, and Thomas Romney ’22

HENRY S. ROBINSON PHYSICS PRIZE Andrew Jonghyun Lee ’20 Gabriel Raffa ’20 John Weldon ’20 FREDERICK C. RICHARDSON CHEMISTRY PRIZE Sreetej Digumarthi ’21 Abraham Tolkoff ’21 Charles Wells ’21 RENSSELAER MATHEMATICS & SCIENCE MEDAL Charles Wells ’21 G. CLIFFORD GOODBAND BIOLOGY PRIZE Howard Huang ’22 Kevin Jiang ’22 MIDDLE SCHOOL AWARD OF MERIT Form I Benjamin Adams ’25 Juan-Pablo Fernández-del Castillo ’25 Thomas Folan ’25 Tawanda Masiiwa ’25 Brady Paquette ’25 Gabriel Umlas ’25 Form II Marco Beshere ’24 Jacob McManus ’24 Julian (Rafael) Rodriguez Montgomery ’24 Luke Trevisan ’24 Cord Vallis ’24

Form III Michael Bobo ’23 Daniel Drucker ’23 Jeremy Eaton ’23 Merhawi Ghebrelul ’23 Turner Rayment ’23 Connor Smirl ’23

faculty & staff 2019–2020 service milestones

GREGG CITIZENSHIP AWARD Evan Dresser ’25

40 YEARS Donna S. David

HELENA WEISTER FUNK AWARD Leonardo Montoya ’23

25 YEARS Lauren M. Hamilton

YALE BOOK AWARD Luke Curtin ’21 Erick Silva ’21 Ikenna Ugbaja ’21 WILLIAMS COLLEGE BOOK PRIZE Abraham Tolkoff ’21 Matthew Travaglini ’21 Jalen Walker ’21 HARVARD CLUB OF BOSTON BOOK PRIZE Sreetej Digumarthi ’21 GENERAL MARK A. MILLEY ’76 PRIZE Jacob Czarnecki ’22

20 YEARS Arlette A. Doherty Joseph P. Marzilli Tyson A. Trautz 15 YEARS Keith M. Carey 10 YEARS Sean Anderson Jay A. Bounty Jared R. Courtney ’97 Stephen N. Feldman Andrew Musler Willis Negron 5 YEARS Catherine S. Mitchell

MILTON L. DODGE PRIZE Liam Kelly ’20 David (Benjamin) Reyes ’20 MARGARET V. LAWLESS MEMORIAL PRIZE Emmett Greenwood ’20 John McHugh ’20 Hamza Shemsu ’20 GEORGE VONL. MEYER III MEMORIAL PRIZE John Weldon ’20 WRIGHT AWARD Class of 2020

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Senior Celebration

SENIOR CELEBRATION May 29, 2020

The global pandemic caused many schools to cancel end-of-year traditions as families sheltered in place at home. Belmont Hill was no different. But in an effort to still provide a memorable goodbye for the graduating class, the School came up with the idea of holding a Senior Celebration in the chapel, to be followed the next morning by the Commencement Cruise. Mr. Schneider and Mr. Bradley delivered heartfelt speeches and also announced student awards. Mr. Tahan announced athletic awards, and Mr. Kaplan presented arts awards, while also unveiling a powerful senior class plaque (see back cover). Class President Jack McHugh ’20 gave a poignant talk as well.

The featured Commencement speaker was Utah Senator W. Mitt Romney, who gave an inspiring address via video. Even the B-Flats were on hand virtually to sing “Lean on Me.” The evening concluded with a moving video created by Jack Weldon of the graduating class. The event was livestreamed so that members of the community could watch from home. While it was not the same as being together as a community to enjoy traditional closing events, the evening was nevertheless a powerful and emotional way of paying tribute to the ever-resilient Class of 2020.

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I

have been to many proms over the years.

I have been to many baccalaureates as well.

More of both than I ever anticipated. Truthfully, the former tend to be a little more interesting to me, even if they involve a chilly boat ride in Boston Harbor in late April.

Don Bradley Director of the Upper School

Mostly, I know only three things about baccalaureates. One, is that there should be a book involved that the speaker has read and would like to tell you about. Two, it should be serious and somber and befitting of the occasion. And, three, that I have always had very good ideas about who the speaker should be so long as it was not me.

Well, you guys tripped up on the last one—but that is as far as I will follow suit. I promise to be succinct, not necessarily reverent, and that I will speak to you who chose me.

First, permit me a digression as I contemplate the chapel and this striking new lectern behind which I stand. I know at Belmont Hill we often refer to it as a podium from the Greek word podion for foot or for base. But I prefer the term “rostrum”—especially when speaking to you. Rostrum is derived from the Latin word rostra—the bronze clad ramming prow of a classical Mediterranean warship. When the Romans defeated the theretofore masters of the sea, Carthage, in the First Punic War—in one of the most unlikely naval results in military history—they took as trophies the Carthaginian rostra and placed them in the Forum where the leaders of the Republic formally addressed the citizens—hence the term, “rostrum.”

I have always admired the Romans for their belief that effort and commitment together would overcome all odds—they always played to win and they did so for 12 centuries.

That “can do/can do it together” resolve has always resonated for me at Belmont Hill, and I do not think it is by accident that Latin, the Classics, Rome, rowing, public speaking, and even togas—and just plain competition—manifest so strongly in our ethos—and I think particularly in your class.

Much of this talk I wrote before the virus and that is where I shall begin.

Good evening, faculty, families, friends, and, most importantly, the Belmont Hill graduating Class of 2020. Almost sounds like a Baccalaureate speech doesn’t it? It is so good to see all of you here in this hallowed room this evening for this very special occasion. And do you know how I can tell it is special?

Because Jason is here and on time for Chapel.

Dylan and Ryan are not wearing their hats.

Luke has on shoes, not slippers.

Sascha has on a sport coat and it’s not one from my office and many sizes too small—I even think Mr. Martellini may even have one on, too—but don’t hold me to that.

Trevor is not carrying his bag from Dunkin’s.

Markis is still wearing his Graves Kelsey medal.

Jack and Ben have both shaved.

And Pedie is here—and, oh my goodness, so is Lucas—which just might be for the first time since Dr. Melvoin told that very scary story about having to build your own house so many Orientation Days ago. Welcome back both of you and so good to see you all.

I hope you can tell, I have missed you guys—laughing and misbehaving in the common outside my office—driving some of your teachers like Mr. Sherman crazy during senior spring. Skipping lunch and weight training, plotting pranks, proms and talent shows, and all those other wonderful moments of interaction that I have with the senior class every year. I missed them, and I missed you.

I have always said that every Belmont Hill class is a great one and that every one is also different—just as the senior retreats are different every August. But I have to tell you—and luckily no one else will hear this beyond the confines of these walls—that some are more special, and that is the case of your class, all 93 strong, for me.

You will likely not guess which one of you I knew first—if only by name in the summer of 2014. It was Brady Chitkara—for he was my son Colton’s little brother. So, as you arrived to a lawnless chapel, thanks to the “Howe Now” trailer classrooms, my son was heading off to his retreat and senior year.

That was also the autumn of the infamous and short-lived cookie cart that turned Milk & Cookies into a daily melee replete with ripped blazers, scarred psyches, and at least one First Form concussion.

That year was also the first time I could convince Dr. Melvoin to let me return to teaching Middle School and Greek & Roman History. It was time for Mr. Armstrong to stop winning Field Day, and easily I can still remember all 12 of you alphabetically from Ryan Bradley to Jack Weldon in my class in Atkins or the “dog pound” as you called it. What a blast that year was, and it was “mission accomplished” that spring when, clad in your togas and bucket hats, you won bragging rights forever.

Memorable moments included the chariot race when Cam slipped on the 90-degree turn and, in true Ben Hur fashion, Jack Olton just kept going and dragged the chariot right over him. Or the quiz bowl, when some accused Jack Weldon of cheating because he answered before the questions were fully asked.

I guess that was before you all knew Jack so well.

Two years passed quickly and suddenly you were in the Upper School and were a much bigger class and one with serious chips upon your shoulders for hoodies had been banned—and to add insult to injury, Middle School boys were now allowed sneakers, something you had never enjoyed. And then I got to know a whole bunch more of you in my AP Euro class and Mr. Grant’s as well for he taught in the same Atkins room and we enjoyed trading classes and learning about the “big picture” from Max. Indeed a circle of you from those two classes—including the infamous Coffee House “Babyshark”—never left and Atkins became your hangout for the next two years, Griffin, Brian, Nicky, Holden et al.

That December, in the context of the library Christmas tree, was also when I had the first inkling of the holiday spirit that so pervades your class. Then it was junior year and your class was fully formed with the arrival of Will and Greg and Luca and even some good guys who stayed on from 2019. And somehow Liam and Jake and Charlie and Jack were able to convince me we should start a farmers club and raise chickens at Belmont Hill.

I still can’t get over that one, but they were right and we did.

And then it was a year ago May and there you were about to take command of the Hill when suddenly the chapel was fenced in and construction began. You grumbled of course—and lumped it in with hoodies and sneakers and “Howe Now,” but you moved on and it was a glorious day last August when you returned for acclimation under the tent on the Chapel Lawn—a great big class, with a great big president—ready to lead. And lead you did—the Class of 2020.

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Senior Celebration

2020—as in eyesight or vision—what a cruel irony that none of us could possibly see how this year would end. Certainly not I—standing here in a near empty chapel and trying to imagine it otherwise. I am sorry for myself not to have had more time with you and to get to know all of you even better, for that always happens in the spring of senior year.

But, of course, I am much more sad for you and all that you missed here this spring—lots of events, yes, but most of all each other. I have always found that the most difficult period of history to teach is the most recent. It is very hard to know what the most important takeaways will be when living in or close to the moment.

But in closing now, I do know another three things. One, is that when we return together we will never take that for granted again. Two, is that you will persevere as a class. You have always been a class with many individual personalities but an even greater one as a whole.

Whether it was turning Goodband Common last December into such a festive space replete with Christmas trees, holiday lights, a menorah, and toy trains, or preparing for the greatest Party with a Purpose ever, or just refusing to give up as we witnessed last October in the football game against BB&N. Your class is special.

Indeed, if I count the last three years when you were on varsity teams, Belmont Hill won 15 ISL and 7 New England titles and that’s without having one more spring. So, while only one of you may have it inked on his forearm, this is a class of champions—you guys play to win. You are a class marked by Roman resolve leavened with great humor—and I cannot help but believe that this entire experience will only make you stronger and more united. You will share this bond forever, and we will be reminded of you here every day when we pass through the busiest corridor in the School and see your Class Plaque, flanked 93 strong by each one of yours.

Third and last, I know, on behalf of the School, that we will do everything we can to make this up to you. I am not sure what that celebration will look like, but I know we will do it right. And I suspect it will likely involve us all being here in this chapel together—and if that is the case, I will be happy to help you pick a Baccalaureate speaker.

See you tomorrow—and for many years, many reunions, and Belmont Hill events to come.

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M

onday, June 1st was supposed to be a special day. Our day to don white khakis Jack McHugh ’20, School President and boutonnieres, and finally put on the coveted maroon and navy graduation tie that we had waited so long and worked so hard for. The tie that us, Belmont Hill’s Class of 2020, truly did deserve.

Instead, our ties were shipped in the mail, and our boutonnieres were replaced by banners to hang on the doors of our homes where we have spent way too much time in over these past months.

I remember Thursday, March 12th like it was yesterday.

After a few weeks of virus murmurs, us Seniors gathered together in the Goodband Commons after news of an early start to Spring Break had broken. Lucas Meade frantically pestered Mr. Bradley about our Bahamas trip while spring athletes worried that their seasons might be in jeopardy.

Perhaps what was ahead in the coming months was somewhat predictable, but none of us really believed that we had just completed our last class as Belmont Hill students.

As our cars disappeared from campus that day, the School community lost its driving force of humor and happiness that is our grade. While it was inevitable that Belmont Hill would lose us, it stings that it was a half-semester too soon.

But enough of the bad stuff. At one point or another, we will get the Commencement we deserve, and will look back on the senior spring that never was as a mere blemish on an unforgettable high school experience together. After all, at least now we can justify starting our senior slide in January.

There have been many graduating classes in the history of Belmont Hill. So what makes our class, the Class of 2020, so special? So unique? To find the answer I look back to the beginning of the school year when all 92 of us made the trek north to Freedom, New Hampshire for our one-night stay at Camp Cody. We had heard good things about the retreat, but were still skeptical, as previous trips to Burgess and Becket hadn’t been all that fun. But Cody lived up to the hype, and we left the next morning closer than ever. During the trip, we balanced both lightheartedness and sincerity in a perfect way to maximize the time we spent with one another. There was no shortage of humor, whether it be Mr. Feldman sleeping outside when there was more than enough

cabin room, or when we realized that the teachers had heard our campfire stories that no one should ever hear.

But with these laughs also came powerful moments of humility and candor. The embrace and support that we gave each other after reacting to emotional parent letters was moving, and the bravery of my classmates that got up and talked about their note was even more impressive. It was only fitting that when we were asked to choose three words that best described our class, we came up with genuine, united, and fun. That night at Cody proved why those three adjectives were the perfect choices.

For a long time now Belmont Hill has embodied the motto of “Working Together,” which Brady Chitkara and Max Barton made sure nobody forgot when “Always Character Always Together” came around this fall. To someone outside of the Belmont Hill community, this simple phrase might have little significance. But spend a day walking through campus, on both the academic and athletic sides alike, and you will understand its importance. When you choose to come to Belmont Hill, you do so to help put yourself in a spot to succeed. But when you get to Belmont Hill, you crave success as a group. Mr. Schneider summed it up perfectly in his Monday Chapel a few weeks back about our class; how we embraced this idea that working collectively is far more effective than working as individuals.

I believe that our class, despite being one of the biggest in the School’s history, is closer than any group of young men that have passed through the doors of Belmont Hill. I remember the Commons during our last X block before Winter Break. Nearly the entire class gathered around, laughing at the various Secret Santa gifts that were exchanged. Or on any given afternoon walking through the Jordan’s halls and seeing a large group of us gathered in the weight room. Whatever the setting was, more often than not, it wasn’t certain groups of friends: It was the class of 2020. When we did something, we did it together. So how do we take this unity with us to the next stages of our academic journeys? Past Belmont Hill and beyond in our lives?

Last summer I had the pleasure of reading Mr. McCarthy and Mr. Phinney’s faculty-sponsored book Legacy by James Kerr. Yes, Mr. Bradley, unlike your AP Euro class, I did in fact read it. The book itself is about the All Blacks, New Zealand’s international rugby team, but the lessons and ideals outlined in it are applicable in so many aspects of life. One of my favorite lines from the book particularly connects to Belmont Hill. It reads: “Collective character is vital to success. Focus on getting the culture right; the results will follow.” The culture that we have come to love at Belmont Hill is one that has put us in a position to, like I said before, “work together.” So how might we take these values that have become second nature to us and carry them into our future endeavors? Like Kerr says, you need to get the culture right. I suspect that as we arrive at our new schools for the next four years, there will be people who are out

for only their own gain, with a lack of regard for the progress of those around them. We too might be tempted to focus on ourselves as we face a new challenge, quite similar to the one that stood in front of us when we first arrived on the Hill. But we will be grounded by the experience we have had together, and take the lessons that have been instilled in us and use them for the benefit of others. We ought to apply our knowledge to create this collaborative culture, the culture that has been the most essential part of our Class of 2020’s identity and success.

Because without this culture, we are just a bunch of individuals.

Individuals without purpose.

This weekend is a celebration for the Class of 2020. But the list of the people that have paved the way for my fellow graduates and I to be where we are extends far beyond us, starting with our parents. So, wherever you are right now, whether it’s your living room, kitchen, or backyard, offer gratitude to the most important people in your life. Without their constant love and support we would be nothing.

Thank you to the faculty for your tireless effort in shaping our futures. You chose to embrace, not try and change, the humor of our class. You laughed with us, mostly at Gator. You reprimanded us, a lot of the time for dress code infractions or too much facial hair. You taught us, most importantly, and gave the best education we could ask for. While our Belmont Hill days are behind us, the friendships we have built will continue to grow. I know Jason Oliveri is eager to be back on a first-name basis with Mr. Martellini after calling him “Ted” in the First Form. I don’t think they have spoken since.

Thank you also to the staff. From working early clearing parking lots full of snow, to being the first people to arrive on game days to ensure everything is in pristine condition, to making sure us linemen are never hungry, the work you all do is critical to Belmont Hill’s success. I’ll miss spending afternoons in the training room or cage just as much as any game I played.

Lastly, thank you to my classmates. It has been my honor to serve as your leader, but even more so to be a part of the lifelong brotherhood that we have developed over the years. Sure, we will hang out in groups, and spend plenty of time with each other. But the next time all 92 of us are in a room together? Who knows, and that is what I will miss the most.

Maybe it’s sitting by a bonfire reminding you of our night at Cody, or a family Secret Santa that reminds you of that X block we spent together. Or simply putting on that graduation tie that was supposed to be paired with 91 others on the Chapel Lawn this weekend.

However you do it, never forget each other, the Class of 2020, and all the moments we shared together.

I know I won’t.

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Senior Celebration

Greg Schneider Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School

G

ood evening, Class of 2020, and welcome to all of your extended family and friends that I hope are joining us virtually here in Hamilton Chapel from many locations.

While I am sorry that we have to come to you via livestream, I am nonetheless happy that we can be together in this way to honor such a remarkable class. We look forward to a day when we can physically be together with the Class of 2020 in a different way, whether that is later this summer or deeper into the future, when it is safe to do so. And yet, we are excited to be here tonight and to gather for a different kind of spirited celebration tomorrow. I suspect it will be emotional for all of us to be on campus in the morning after so many days apart, and I know that the faculty is also grateful to have a chance to say congratulations and to wish you well.

I do want to remind all graduates and your families to be sure to follow the guidelines offered to you for our Commencement Cruise, especially regarding the need for one car per family, wearing masks whenever windows are down, and that no one is permitted to exit their vehicle at any time. We were extremely fortunate to have been granted permission by the Town of Belmont for this event, which is clearly more than ten people, and I want to be sure that we abide by the guidelines that have been laid out to us by the Belmont Board of Health.

Additionally, some of you may have heard about a recent story regarding an Independent School in the South that had a similar drive-through graduation and subsequent graduation party off campus that led to a mini-COVID-19 outbreak. I ask all of you for your partnership in taking social distancing safety guidelines seriously both on and off our campus tomorrow. With that said, I can guarantee that, thanks to our parent volunteers and the amazing Belmont Hill Alumni House, there will be lots for all of us to see, hear, and enjoy tomorrow outside of Jordan Athletic Center. Having tracked the weather all day, we do expect to be here tomorrow, but we will post an announcement tomorrow morning on the website by 7:00 AM to confirm or to postpone if necessary.

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After thirteen years as a Head of School, one develops certain rhythms and patterns, and one of mine is writing a first draft of my graduation speech each year during Spring Break. For me, this time period usually provides a few days of calm when I can think about the senior class more deeply and reflect upon the year we have had to date. This particular year, I started writing the day after we dismissed one day early for Spring Break on account of the coronavirus. Less than 24 hours earlier, two of my favorite moments of the year took place. At Upper School lunch, our ASSIST Scholar Harvey Rupp announced that he had just learned his stay at Belmont Hill had been cut short and that we should all appreciate the opportunities we have in life. You responded with a standing ovation, and I found myself suddenly choked up at the Head’s table. Ten minutes later, I began my presentation about where Belmont Hill stood in terms of the virus and made the mistake early in the speech of pausing for a dry cough into my sleeve.

The chirping began quickly as the dining hall erupted in groans and laughter and seats began inching away from the presumably infected Head of School. Belmont Hill humor continues to sustain me to this day.

Your Form VI year has not gone as anyone would have hoped.

The chapel was off line, your spring athletic season was lost, and you forfeited cherished traditions like Party with a Purpose and prom. Today we are alone together with uncertainty and ambivalence about what lies ahead, and yet your class has stuck together and persevered. What we have learned from all of this is that the sense of brotherhood in this class is special, forged more strongly by the stress that has been put upon it. I referred to this phenomenon a few weeks ago as being antifragile.

Amidst all of the uncertainty, there were great achievements.

I will remember opening day under a big tent on the Chapel Lawn, as you led the entire school back to work after summer.

We survived Camp Cody together, having just left campus after a failed first panini experiment. President McHugh led many of you in a spirited message to your Head of School as we climbed Mount Major together, caught on my cell phone, which I would like to pause and play for you now if we can pull it off (video plays on screen). Mercifully, we did fix the aforementioned panini situation eventually, but you kept me on my toes nonetheless. You reminded me that yours was the class who had to wear dress shoes all through Middle School and never got to wear a “hoodie” in the Upper School, for example. I have also heard you were at the center of the Tyler Road driving controversy a few years back.

And yet, you have been inspirational in your resilience. Not too many weeks after Camp Cody, I was caught by photo on the sideline of the BB&N football game next to Mr. Kaplan, arms extended over my head like some crazed Patriots fan as junior Josh Baldwin trundled into me, having hauled in a fourth and 25 catch that led to one of the greatest wins I have witnessed in high school sports. Varsity soccer had a spectacular run in to the Class A Tournament, falling to the eventual champion 1-0 on a bone-chilling day in Worcester. Cross country competed nobly as well and winter brought us four out of six varsity teams winning League Championships: wrestling, squash, as well as Alpine and Nordic skiing. Wrestling went on to win New Englands for the third year in a row and placed three wrestlers as All-Americans. Hockey won the Lawrenceville Tournament and had a memorable win over St. Sebastian’s in Jordan, where I was unsuccessful in keeping both players and fans from hanging over the boards in a remarkable victory celebration.

At a Chapel Talk back in April, I referenced my personal canon of pandemic literature but saved one final example for today.

My favorite pandemic novel has always been Portuguese Nobel Prize winner José Saramago’s Blindness, where he spins a fable-like tale of a blindness pandemic that ironically and unflinchingly casts a spotlight on the moral and ethical underbelly of our society. What begins as one confused citizen going blind becomes, eventually, a dystopian vision of quarantine and concentration camps. Yet, through the spiraling decline and filth of society’s choices, we are reminded of beauty in surprising ways. The book famously concludes:

Other amazing things happened for Belmont Hill outside of the athletic realm, including the appointment of Gen. Mark A. Milley from the Class of 1976 as our country’s chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. We completed a campus-wide audit effort focused on making Belmont Hill a more inclusive place over time. On campus, we put on amazing productions, including All in the Timing and Game of Tiaras. The B-Flats allowed me to sing a number with them in the fall, and our concerts, recitals, and art shows were truly first rate. I will always remember the amazing arts performances at one of our winter “Chapels” in the Fritz as well.

You have also grappled with ideas and disagreement in real ways in our classrooms. Your amazing college list reveals that

What will I remember from our spring semester, alone together, at Belmont Hill? I will remember standing next to Jack McHugh for the opening spring Chapel feeling so grateful to have him in the foxhole with me leading the School. I will remember the Friday Forums that went from the ridiculous to the inspirational—from trick shots to service on the front lines.

From comic relief to conversations about empathy and caring.

We saw virtuoso Coffee House performances and virtual orchestras. In short, we watched you evolve, innovate, and grow in new ways. None of this was the way we wanted, but it was marvelous to be with you on that journey nonetheless. As the world around us began to spiral in unexpected ways, your class stayed laser focused on excellence not just for Belmont Hill but for your Class of 2020 brothers.

Do you want me to tell you what I think, Yes, do, I don’t think we did go blind, I think we are blind, Blind but seeing, Blind people who can see, but do not see.

I believe that the Class of 2020 has helped Belmont Hill see itself in an entirely new and important way this year.

others have taken notice of your ability to engage in dialogue and address divergent views. While you represent a range of backgrounds and viewpoints, you also enter a landscape in college education that can be challenging for ideas, a case that is made in Jon Haidt’s book The Coddling of the American Mind. My hope is that you are now able to leap from the relative bubble of Belmont Hill and not merely find comfort in dorm rooms with people like you for the next four years. My hope is that the confidence and intellectual background you have built here will allow you to become the bridge builders on your next campus. My hope is that the breadth of your education here will allow you to make connections across disciplines. Another one of my favorite quarantine reads came to me from a Belmont Hill parent entitled Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World by David Epstein. This is a true Belmont Hill title if I have ever heard one. Epstein, in his concluding chapter, suggests: So about that one sentence of advice: Don’t feel behind…

Approach your own personal voyage and projects like Michelangelo approached a block of marble, willing to adjust and learn as you go, and even to abandon a previous goal and change directions entirely should the need arise…Even when you move on from an area of work or an entire domain, that experience is not wasted.

we are alone together with uncertainty “ Today and ambivalence about what lies ahead, and yet your class has stuck together and persevered. ” www.belmonthill.org

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commencement 2020

Senior Celebration

All of you were forced to abandon certain goals and adjust as you went this spring, and I would argue that this time has not been wasted.

Unlike any other school community I have known, I can say to you with confidence that today can be the beginning of your Belmont Hill experience rather than its end. I continue to marvel at how our alumni remain so involved with our school, and I hope that you will as well. You now become a part of the formidable village that buoys our work each and every day. The legacy of your class is that you came together tightly during challenging times. The legacy of this year seems to be that the world has finally had to work together like Belmont Hill, across borders and differences, whether it wanted to or not.

Don’t forget what you have learned—what we have all learned from this year. Community is precious; the ability to be together with those you love is ephemeral.

Isolation can be lonely, confusing, and uncertain, even while it is continually being fortified by information and messaging and electronic connectedness. There isn’t any amount of news or data on the planet that can cure loneliness. From this point forward, you are not alone, as you move forward together as a class. Great things lie ahead for you, just as you have accomplished

great things already. I look forward to seeing you at your first reunion, where the saga of your story will become one of the most memorable in our school’s history with the passage of time. That said, I hope that your families would also agree with me when I tell you that your story is already extraordinary as we celebrate with you tonight and once again tomorrow morning.

Congratulations and good luck.

forget what you “ Don’t have learned—what we

have all learned from this year. Community is precious; the ability to be together with those you love is ephemeral.

May 30, 2020: Class of 2020 families queue on Marsh Street in anticipation of the Commencement Cruise on campus.

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commencement 2020

Commencement Speech

2020 COMMENCEMENT SPEECH Utah Senator W. Mitt Romney P ’88, ’88, ’90, ’93, ’96, ’99, G ’20, ’22 May 29, 2020

of the school continues to shape decisions I make even to this day. In fact, the faculty and friends of my high school may well be the most lasting and rewarding legacy of my high school years.

Unlike me, of course, you’re… today... not looking back, you’re looking forward. But as you embark toward new ports and new frontiers, let me offer this word of advice about your journey: Make the effort to stay connected to the people at Belmont Hill. Especially to your friends: They will be a remarkably enriching and gratifying part of your life. In fact, I’m convinced that the real currency in life is not how much money you make or how high you climb on a career ladder. The real currency in life is the people you love and the people who are your friends.

A

t my own high school graduation, we sang the school song. And it went like this: ‘Forty years on, when afar and asunder, parted are those who are singing today/when you look back and forgetfully wonder, what were you like in your work and your play?’ Truthfully, the idea that forty years after my graduation, I would give any thought whatsoever to high school seemed pretty far-fetched. But I was wrong. No, I don’t remember much of what I studied in the classroom. Dates and world history have been erased from my mind, and my math skills have arguably devolved to a ninth-grade level.

Now, I’ve had five sons graduate from Belmont Hill.

And a grandson is graduating today. So I know a little about the character of Belmont Hill School. I’m not sure that all high schools can be said to have a particular set of values, but Belmont Hill does. Not that everyone lives them, or that everyone subscribes to them, but everyone hears about them, and everyone, to some degree, is judged by them. You’re taught, time and again: integrity; honor; care for other people who are different from you. The faculty at Belmont Hill endeavors to shape you into men of character. This is the other and great dimension of a rich life: the extent to which you have lived up to your fundamental values.

Whether in the final analysis it could be said of you that you’re a man of character.

Congratulations on your graduation. May your life be filled with friends and the approbation of your conscience.

But I do remember, with surprising clarity, the young men in my class. I think with fondness about several members of the faculty. And I believe that the character

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Sundial Dedications

2020

MAY 21, 2020 During a virtual Senior Dinner with advisors, Sundial, the School’s yearbook, presented its annual dedications to members of the Belmont Hill community.

Presented here are the tributes given to departing faculty member Jared Courtney ’97, athletic trainer Dennis Chin, and equipment manager Willis Negron.

Sundial Dedications

DENNIS CHIN As Mr. Chin’s greatest importance has always been the boys, there have been few students to not familiarize themselves with him during their time at Belmont Hill. Whether it be just stopping into the training room to talk, receiving treatment, or being taped before a big game, Mr. Chin has consistently been present over the last 19 years.

JARED COURTNEY ’97 Mr. Courtney’s contributions to the Belmont Hill community have extended well beyond his decade of classroom service. His dedication to the instruction of the well-rounded student, through work with the boarding program, Advance Science Research (ASR), and coaching, is a true embodiment of the School’s teacher-coach-mentor model and mission.

He has taught Middle and Upper School, including chemistry, biology, IPS, and computer science.

Beyond his classroom contributions, development of the ASR program remains perhaps his largest addition to the science department and the School. Mr. Courtney and his family have brought warmth and compassion to their duties as dorm parents. His wife, Dr. Maureen Courtney, a researcher and high school educator, has also made lasting contributions to school life, including addressing the School with striking facts about the dangers of vaping.

As a coach, Mr. Courtney spearheaded the improvement of the Middle School crew program and revived the Nordic skiing team. Coach Courtney recently took the Nordic team to the Lakes Region League, where they have been top achievers. We wish Mr. and Mrs. Courtney well in their new roles at The Hill School in Pennsylvania, where both will teach and participate in the boarding program.

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From the beginning of his athletic training career at Belmont Hill, Mr. Chin gained a quick first impression that “this was a unique and special place. I could see that the students not only had a deep respect for their teachers and coaches, but were also passionate about sports and academics equally.” Mr. Chin remains popular with alumni and has enjoyed alumni reunion events over the years. The connections and relationships built at Belmont Hill are very important to Mr. Chin, and he hopes that “the traditions that have helped shape so many boys become well-rounded young men continues and the connections made last a lifetime.”

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WILLIS NEGRON When Mr. Negron joined the Belmont Hill staff in the fall of 2010, the School was immediately strengthened. After ten years of equipment management at MIT, Mr. Negron instantly had an influence on the athletic program. From managing all of the sports equipment to striking up simple conversations before and after games, Mr. Negron has a broad impact on students’ everyday life. Once Mr. Negron first stepped on campus, he was “impressed with the close-knit community at Belmont Hill and amazed at the sports rivalries and passion shown by our studentathletes.”

Mr. Negron noted Belmont Hill’s “willingness to approach complicated and important community issues. Whether it be the focus on diversifying our community or providing workshops to help young men deal with complex issues in society.” He feels as though Belmont Hill embraces these opportunities and has come a long way in the past few years.

The connections Mr. Negron has made at Belmont Hill have stuck with him, and he loves when alumni student-athletes return and share the impact that Belmont Hill has had on them. Mr. Negron looks forward to Belmont Hill’s bright future and hopes “this sense of community is never lost; it is what makes Belmont Hill so special.”

commencement 2020

Commencement Cruise

COMMENCEMENT CRUISE Honoring Graduates of the Class of 2020

They lost so much—but never their spirit. The Class of 2020 will go down in Belmont Hill history not only as the class that graduated during a global pandemic, but also as the class that demonstrated inspiring resilience in lifting the spirits of their classmates. They did not dwell on their lost Senior Spring and all the wonderful traditions that go with it, but focused instead on making the most of a tragic situation. In doing so they demonstrated tremendous character and well earned the Commencement Cruise held in their honor.

Due to the pandemic, organizing the Commencement Cruise took a great deal of work from the Belmont Hill administration with the town of Belmont Hill. Strict safety protocols were put in place. Cars lined up early for the 10 AM start, and witnessed a parking lot beautifully adorned with balloons, banners, and other decorations, while lively music was pumped in through speakers.

Faculty and staff, properly socially distanced, lined up on the curb to wave at and cheer on the graduates as they drove by on their way to meet with Mr. Schneider at the end of the parking lot to receive their diplomas and other tokens of appreciation. As the cars departed, they were showered with confetti. The sun was shining in clear blue skies for a glorious day indeed.

“It’s terrific that we were able to have people on campus together,” Mr. Schneider said afterward. “Particularly to have that receiving line, socially distanced, with the faculty members, I think it speaks to how relationships between our boys and the faculty are just at the core of the Belmont Hill experience.”

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College Choices

COLLEGES ACCEPTING MEMBERS OF THE CLASS OF 2020 Allegheny College

George Washington University

Rice University

American University

Georgetown University

University of Richmond

Amherst College

University of Georgia

Rochester Institute of Technology

Arizona State University

Gettysburg College

University of Rochester

Babson College

Hamilton College

Sacred Heart University

Bates College

Harvard College

Saint Anselm College

Belmont University

College of the Holy Cross

University of San Diego

Bentley University

Indiana University

Santa Clara University

Boston College

Johns Hopkins University

Savannah College of Art & Design

Boston University

Kenyon College

Skidmore College

Bowdoin College

King’s College London

University of South Carolina

Brigham Young University

Louisiana State University

University of Southern California

Brown University

University of Louisville

Southern Methodist University

Bryant University

Macalester College

Syracuse University

Bucknell University

Marquette University

University of Toronto

College of Charleston

University of Maryland

Trinity College

University of Chicago

University of Massachusetts, Amherst

Tufts University

University of Cincinnati

University of Massachusetts, Boston

Tulane University

Claremont McKenna College

University of Massachusetts, Lowell

Union College

Clark University

Merrimack College

University College London

Colby College

Miami University, Ohio

U.S. Air Force Academy

Colgate University

University of Miami

Utah State University

University of Colorado at Boulder

Michigan State University

University of Utah

Colorado College

University of Michigan

Vanderbilt University

Columbia University

Middlebury College

University of Vermont

University of Connecticut

New York University

Villanova University

Cornell University

Northeastern University

University of Virginia

Dartmouth College

Northwestern University

Wake Forest University

Davidson College

University of Notre Dame

Washington and Lee University

University of Denver

Occidental College

Washington University in St. Louis

Dickinson College

The Ohio State University

Wesleyan University

University of Edinburgh

Pennsylvania State University

College of William & Mary

Elon University

University of Pennsylvania

Williams College

Emory University

Princeton University

University of Wisconsin

Fairfield University

Providence College

Yale University

Fordham University

Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute

Franklin & Marshall College

University of Rhode Island

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chapel speakers

CHAPEL SPEAKERS Due to the pandemic, scheduled speakers and events to be held last spring in the newly renovated chapel were canceled.

But in true Belmont Hill form, the School found a way to still bring Chapels to the community. Chapels were held virtually and livestreamed for all to see. The speakers were Belmont Hill faculty, who brought their unique talents and insights to make each Chapel special. Each of these appearances can be found on our website.

lauren hamilton

April 13, 2020

Mrs. Hamilton began her Chapel appearance by talking about the important role music has played in her life. Growing up, music had an integral role in her family, and that passion has remained constant as she now has a family of her own.

After speaking, Mrs. Hamilton declared she wanted to “try out the acoustics” of the newly renovated chapel. She then took to the microphone and sang a breathtaking version of the classic “Somewhere Over the Rainbow.”

john mcalpin April 27, 2020

Science teacher Mr. McAlpin led this Chapel and spoke about Earth Day. He noted to the boys that this was the 50th anniversary of Earth Day and that he can still remember the first one in 1970.

Mr. McAlpin talked about his days growing up in Elyria, OH. The town was in close proximity to some major corporations, which provided good jobs for the town, but the cost came in the pollution that followed. This sparked his lifelong interest in the environment.

He recalled that he and his friends spent the first Earth Day pulling trash out of a nearby river.

michael grant May 11, 2020

Assistant Head of School Michael Grant delivered a poignant address to the boys during his Chapel appearance. Mr. Grant talked about the effects that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the community, and especially how it has affected the well-known camaraderie and brotherhood that is so much a part of Belmont Hill. He offered words of reflection and inspiration to bring the subject to life.

Mr. Grant also urged the boys to look forward and see what positive steps they could take to endure the pandemic and prepare for life beyond it.

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arts on the hill

ARTS ON THE HILL Since making the move to the remote learning environment, Belmont Hill artists have worked hard to find new opportunities for expression, to be together even while we are apart. In the spring, Belmont Hill held three virtual events. Videos of those performances can be found on the Belmont Hill website.

VIRTUAL COFFEE HOUSE Mr. Fiori, with the support of Mr. Schneider, was determined to hold the spring Coffee House and with a touch of innovation put together a splendid evening of music. The show was run on Zoom on April 21, with performers playing mostly solo acts. The selections ran from classical to pop, to rap, to country, and rock ’n roll. Both students and faculty performed to make for a wonderfully eclectic mix for the community to enjoy.

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Mr. Sherman performs Johnny Cash’s “I Walk the Line” at the 13:25 mark.

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Brothers Aidan ’24 and Andrew Lee ’20 performed two songs together.

PERFORMING ARTS EVENING

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On May 19, the Belmont Hill Community came together online to celebrate the Performing Arts program. This virtual spring concert featured performances by our Orchestra and our two Jazz Ensembles, interspersed with solo performances by members of the B-Flats. The evening closed with a big ensemble number performed by the cast of the Middle School musical.

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Mr. Fiori introduced the event’s program.

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Matt Travaglini ’21 performed “Latch” as sung by Sam Smith.

5.

Upper School Jazz Ensemble performed “One by One”

by Wayne Shorter, arranged

by Mark Taylor.

• Alto Saxophone: Charles Geddes ’22, Artemy Ivanov ’20 • Tenor Saxophone: Timothy Brown ’20 • Trumpet: Daniel Bittner ’22, David Carter ’22 • Trombone: Rush Lincoln ’20 • Guitar: Samuel Freed ’21 • Piano: Cameron Connell ’23 • Bass: Charlie Stevenson ’20 • Drums: Quinn Peck ’21

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6.

The Belmont Hill Orchestra performed “The Abduction from the Seraglio” (overture) by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, arranged

by Jamin Hoffman.

• Clarinet: Kevin Jiang ’22, Abraham Tolkoff ’21 • Violin: Howard Huang ’22, Wesley Zhu ’25 • Viola: Julian Dalziel ’21 • Cello: Benjamin Adams ’25, Brian Lee ’24, Timothée Simonin ’22, Theodore Stoll ’21

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Ryan Cannistraro ’21 performed “Since You’ve Been Gone” as sung by Rainbow.

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Preston Adams ’20 sang Van Morrison’s “Brown Eyed Girl.”

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The Upper School Jazz Ensemble performed Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood,” arranged by Mr. Fiori.

• Trumpet: Daniel Bittner ’22, David Carter ’22 • Trombone: Rush Lincoln ’20 • Alto Saxophone: Charles Geddes ’22, Artemy Ivanov ’20 • Tenor Saxophone: Timothy Brown ’20

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10. The Middle School Jazz Ensemble performed “Soul Bossa Nova”

by Quincy Jones, arranged by Rick Stitzel.

• Saxophone: Jack Barrett ’25, Derrick Huang ’25, Danie Xie ’24 • Trumpet: Andrew Bittner ’24, David Luo ’25, John Mazur ’25 • French Horn: John Luehrman ’24 • Trombone: Alexander Behn ’24, William Yakoobian ’24 • Bass: Thomas Cannistraro ’24 • Drums: Connor Gandel ’24 • Piano: Cameron Connell ’23 11.

Aidan Donnelly ’20 performed “The Fields of Athenry” as sung

by Paddy Reilly.

12. Jack McHugh sang “Amen” as sung by Chase Rice.

13. The Belmont Hill Orchestra performed the theme from HBO’s Game of Thrones by Ramin Djawadi, arranged by Larry Moore.

• Clarinet: Kevin Jiang ’22, Abraham Tolkoff ’21 • Violin: Howard Huang ’22, Wesley Zhu ’25 • Viola: Julian Dalziel ’20 • Cello: Benjamin Adams ’25, Brian Lee ’24, Timothée Simonin ’22, Theodore Stoll ’21 • Piano: Arec Keomurjian ’22, Adrian Tan ’25 14. Mr. DiResta greeted the audience from the Kraft Theatre to introduce the remote version of the Middle School Spring Musical.

15. Winsor and Belmont Hill Middle School students performed “We’re All in this Together” from Disney’s High School Musical.

Cast: Gabriella Montez: Julia Nephew Troy Bolton: Julian Boutin Chad Danforth: Jeremy Eaton Ryan Evans: Juan Pablo Fernández del Castillo Sharpay Evans: Caroline Bee Coach Bolton: Ben Guenther Kelsi: Diya Dronavadhyah Jack Scott: Stephen Aguilar Brainiac #1: Liana Min Cheerleader #1: Susan Zuo Cheerleader #2: Kim Nguyen Cheerleader #3: Julia Oh Moderator: Daniel Xie Cathy: Sawyer Bowen-Flynn Cyndra: Katina Handrinos Susan: Ariana Shokrollahi

Theatre Team – Directors: Paul DiResta and Frederick Choi; Technical Director: Daniel Duarte; Choreography: Rachel Roccoberton; Music Director: Donnell Patterson; Costume Designer: Heidi Michel; and Vocal Coach: Maria Jane Loizo.

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arts on the hill

SPRING PRIVATE LESSON RECITAL Performers included Jack Kornmehl, Brady Paquette, Wesley Lindstrom-Chalpin, Timothée Simonin ’22, Connor Willett ’21, William Sullivan, Juan Pablo Fernández del Castillo ’25, Jason Cannistraro ’23, Duncan Kilbride ’24, Derrick Huang ’25, Quinn Healey ’23, and Nathan Pappas ’24. Special thank you to our private lesson teachers: Meghan Carye, Patrick Gaulin, Kenji Kikuchi, Maria Jane Loizou, Dan Loschen, Manny Pettine, and Matthew Wright.

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16. Timothée Simonin ’22 performed “Suite No. 1 in G Major, Prelude” by Johann Sebastian Bach.

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Connor Willett ’21 performed “Shades of Amber” development of a groove for drum set, inspired by 311’s song “Amber.”

18. Nathan Pappas ’24 played the theme from Interstellar by Hans Zimmer.

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VISUAL ARTS Teaching arts remotely was challenging, but the students remained upbeat and engaged with weekly artistic endeavors and unique assignments.

During the period of remote learning, the focus was primarily on having students work with their hands and spend less time on a device. The feedback was quite positive and students were happy to have a break from screen time. It also encouraged students to be innovative with objects around them and to try using nontraditional materials to create their works of art.

In the coming year, the art department will provide “medium-specific kits” to keep the boys moving forward in their electives, should the need arise to work on projects from home.

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19. Mr. Duarte remotely guided Alex Sousa ’20, with the help of his father, in the building of a darkroom in the basement of his home.

This enabled Alex to continue working on projects with his 4x5 view camera. Shown in this photo are Alex’s first large format sheets developed in his new darkroom.

20. Alex Sousa ’20, large format, black and white print produced in his at-home darkroom.

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Chris Brusie ’23.

David Cho ’23.

Elias Hyde ’20.

Max Wagner ’23.

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Coaches’ Corner

coaches’ corner

Alpine Skiing STEPHEN FELDMAN, Head Coach

The 2019–2020 season for the Belmont Hill Alpine ski team was the strongest in recent years. The boys started well, winning the first four races, all but guaranteeing the team at least a share of the ISL title. The boys dropped their only race of the season in a rare Friday night competition at Nashoba Valley. The night race is a new addition to the schedule and will hopefully ensure a more complete season of racing for all ISL teams. That Friday night Slalom race was not the strong performance that we’d hoped for, but proved to be the only loss in regular-season racing. After returning to Nashoba on the following Wednesday with a win, the team put themselves in a position to be the outright League champions. In the end, Belmont Hill finished first in the ISL, Governor’s second, and Middlesex third.

Our roster this year allowed us to field the strongest weekly line-ups in years. With more varsity letter winners this year than ever before, we had talent spread out over each of the six Forms. The team was anchored

by All-ISL skiers Sascha Gannon ’20, Jack Theberge ’21,

Quinn Richards ’20, Danny Crowley ’22, and Anton Schmitt ’22. Sascha Gannon earned League MVP along with Boston Globe All-Scholastic honors for the second year in a row, and Luke Theberge and Danny Drowley earned All-New England honors in Slalom following a great day at New England Championships at Sunday River. Even with the graduation of three longtime pillars of the team, Jack, Quinn, and Sascha, the future looks bright for Belmont Hill Alpine skiing.

The team will be looking to repeat this season’s success next year with a strong returning roster. While the team was unable to put it together for a top finish at NEPSACs this year, they are hoping next year will be a different story. They are hungry for not only another ISL championship, but also are hoping to bring a New England championship back to the Hill. With new leadership in captain Jack Theberge next year, along with great support from parents and coaches, the team is confident 2020–2021 will be a great year for Belmont Hill Alpine skiing.

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coaches’ corner

Basketball AL MURPHY ’98, Head Coach

The Belmont Hill basketball team finished 6-18 overall and 6-9 in the league. The team finished in 11th place, and battled through much adversity throughout the entire season. They were plagued by injuries much of December, at one point having over half the team out.

The team showed great character. Every practice, they brought a level of focus and effort that would make our school proud. Every game, they represented the School with class, determination, and sportsmanship. I could not have asked any more of the group.

The season had brought much hope to begin. With ten returners, the group looked to build off of the momentum of last season. We quickly learned that would be very hard to do as we only had two healthy returners to start the season. Despite all of the injuries, the team pushed forward. We opened up against a talented St. Paul’s team.

Despite 26 from Max Hall ’21, the team fell just short, losing by three. After a tough road game at Rivers, the team returned to face Nobles at home. The undermanned Belmont Hill squad battled the eventual 8th seed all night. Hall added 21, and Nick Perrotta ’20 chipped in 13.

Unfortunately, the team lost at the buzzer. The next three games were played at a Holiday Showcase against three more tournament teams. The team got great efforts from Hall, Charlie Richards ’20, and Preston Adams ’20.

On the back half of break, the team was finally healthy, but needed some time to gel. After dropping two tough games to St. Sebastian’s and Nobles, we traveled up to Andover to see yet another tournament-bound team.

With a great defensive effort from Greg Desrosiers ’20,

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and Hall and Josh Baldwin chipping in 17 and 15, respectively, the team found itself in a dogfight. We came up just short losing by four. But as always, the team did not let a tough loss get them down. They bounced back the following Saturday to take on Milton at home. Baldwin scored 24, and Martin Wilson and Harry Lodge did a wonderful job defensively. The team earned its first victory of the season. We then found a good groove, winning three of the next four, only dropping a game to tournament-bound Loomis. The most impressive win came at Lawrence.

Casey Rockett, Jaden Hill, Desrosiers, and Wilson led an impressive defensive effort. Baldwin and Hall scored 26 and 24, respectively. It was a wonderful team victory.

The next two weeks would see four disappointing losses.

The team continued to battle but fell just short. The last month of the season brought an impressive home victory vs. Tabor, and a thrilling come-from-behind OT victory over Thayer. The last two weeks did not produce a victory, but did show the character of the team. No one ever questioned their heart.

I would like to thank coaches Cofield, Cayemite, and Moore for their tireless effort. It is truly the best set of assistant coaches in the league. Thank you, coaches Kimball, Anderson, Collins, Fritz, Chittock, Bracken, McDougal, Martellini, McDonald, and Roberson for your work with the sub-varsity teams. Thank you, Mr. Chin and Ms. Ruys, for your care and treatment of the boys.

Thank you, Mr. Negron and Mr. Wade, for your work in the equipment room. Thank you, Mr. Tahan and Mr. Peck, for your support. Thank you, seniors. You will be missed.

Hockey JEREMIAH MCCARTHY ’94, Head Coach

The 2019–20 varsity hockey team was defined by its senior leadership. The three seniors were the backbone of this team: captain Luke Khozozian and seniors Liam Kelly and Zephan Kraus.

These seniors led the team to a Lawrenceville Tournament Championship, putting a number up on the banner in the rink for their accomplishment to be memorialized forever.

The underclassmen were juniors Paul Halloran, Michael Hauswirth, Will Killoran, Charlie Lambert, Grant Litchfield, Kevin McCallum, Ryan McGuire, Justin Pare, and Tyler Rubin; sophomores Drew Blackwell, Jack Bosco, Charlie Cave, Tom Goguen, Ryan Griffin, Jack Houser, Aaron Matthews, and Braden Reilly; and freshmen Matthew Biotti, Mason Daignault, James Fisher, and Ronan O’Donnell. The team managers were Bennett Teceno and Owen Gerah.

This team was spirited and passionate throughout the season and a pleasure to coach. The boys stayed positive through adversity and competed every day at the rink, finishing the season with 15 wins, 13 losses, and 2 ties.

Among the highlights of the season were winning the Lawrenceville Tournament, playing in the championship game of the Nichols-Belmont Hill Tournament, and midseason wins over St. Sebastian’s and Thayer. In the final game of the season versus Westminster at Northeastern University’s Matthews Arena, Belmont Hill entered the third period down 3-2 and exploded to win the third period 4-0. The final victorious score was 6-3. Thirteen players were on the scoresheet and both goaltenders contributed to the victory. This was a great finish to the season.

Thanks for a great season to the seniors. Thanks to coaches Robert Wright, Ryan Flanigan, Brian Phinney, and Dan Holland. Extra special thanks to everyone who supported the team, including faculty and staff, family and friends, Athletic Director George Tahan, Assistant AD Al Murphy, The Winter Loop, Willis Negron, Charles Wade, Dennis Chin, Jennifer Ruys, Keith Carey, Shawn Anderson, and the staff at Jordan Athletic Center. Thank you to the sub-varsity coaches Andrew Davis, Dave Cunningham, Mike Cherpek, Eric Smith, Dan Duarte, Jack Najjar, Ken Martin, George Tahan, Ryan McLaughin, Chris Sweeney, Jim Peck, and Wayne Griffith. Good luck to next year’s team.

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coaches’ corner

Nordic Skiing JARED COURTNEY ’97, Head Coach

The 2019–2020 Varsity Nordic ski team finished its winter season as one of the most talented and successful in the School’s history. The team earned its second consecutive Lakes Region Championship, and finished an achingly close second place at the NEPSAC Championship. Even as the team battled with warm and lowsnow conditions, both new and returning skiers trained hard and laid strong groundwork for its winter success and beyond.

into the 2020 Lakes Region Championship race, a skiathlon held at Dublin School, with high hopes for itself to capture the League championship. Though the team was narrowly defeated in that day’s race by Dublin School, who was racing on its home course, the Belmont Hill skiers proudly hoisted its second Lakes Region Championship trophy at day’s end, reflecting the cumulative results and record of the entire season.

After several skiers trained through the summer on rollerskis, competing in July and August rollerski races up north, the team was primed for focused and intense training as soon as the season began in November.

Coupling technical work with distance training and speedwork, the top three skiers (Aidan McGaugh ’20, Christiaan Eikeboom ’21, and Charlie Donahue ’20) set the tone for the remainder of the team. The team welcomed more Middle School skiers to its ranks than in recent years, which added to a good sense of camaraderie among skiers who relied on each other for motivation and competition. New skiers, including Australian import Harvey Rupp and Abe Tolkoff ’21, quickly rose through the ranks, skiing alongside veterans like Howard Huang ’22 and Charlie Wells ’21. Following an early snowfall in early December, the team began training on snow at Weston Ski Track, where excellent grooming and snowmaking provided more reliable snow through the winter than nearly anywhere else in New England.

to race in the NEPSAC Championship at Green Woodlands. Seeking to avenge its loss to Dublin from the week before, the top six skiers carefully toured and planned the uphills and downhills of the 6 km course the day before the race. On race day itself, skiers raced hard in the morning event, a distance skate race, earning a first-place finish, narrowly ahead of Gould, Dublin, and St. Paul’s. In the afternoon classic four-man relay, Belmont Hill skiers lost narrowly to Gould, ultimately securing themselves a second-place finish. Three skiers finished in the top 15: Donahue in 12th, Eikeboom in 10th, and McGaugh in 7th.

This finish earned McGaugh and Eikeboom individual All-New England Honors.

Also new this year, skiers competed in several Eastern Cup races, which combine the top collegiate and high school skiers in the eastern half of the country in two-day races. Following the first of such races in Maine over the first weekend of Winter Break, the team took its annual trip to Craftsbury Nordic Center on New Year’s Day. With nearly all skiers attending that trip, we logged excellent technical and endurance work, even engaging in some high-jump competition to work on some all-important agility.

Early January saw the beginning of the weekly Lakes Region races, where Belmont Hill Nordic remained undefeated through four season races. The team came

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The following week, the team traveled to New Hampshire

Beyond its New England School racing, and as a result of the Eastern Cup races, those same three skiers distinguished themselves among the top 75 skiers under the age of 20 in the East: Charlie Donahue 63rd, Christiaan Eikeboom 55th, and Aidan McGaugh 44th. As a top U18 skier, Christiaan Eikeboom earned a spot to race for the Massachusetts state team in the All-New England race, were that race not canceled due to the developing COVID-19 outbreak.

Though the leadership of senior captains McGaugh and Donahue will be sorely missed, the future of Belmont Hill Nordic holds great promise. With a pack of talented underclass skiers, including First Year Will Walton and Davis Woolbert, rising captains Christiaan Eikeboom ’21 and Charlie Wells ’21 have a promising winter season ahead of them for the 2020–21 season. To be sure, the remarkable success and positive attitude of this year’s team will not soon be forgotten by the coaches, the athletes, or, indeed, the School.

Squash ROBERT BROWNELL, Head Coach

The year’s team had to scratch and claw all season long.

We asked a great deal from our new players, and they consistently delivered. Our résumé speaks for itself: Undefeated ISL Champions for the 11th time in the last 12 years (14-1) Regular season record 8th Place Team High School Nationals 4th Place Team New England Interscholastics Jackson Tournament Champions Senior co-captain Jack Winston finished his brilliant career as our #1 player, and won the clinching matches versus Avon and Milton. He earned the coaches’ award for the greatest contribution to the team. Jack, and co-captain Andrew Lee, our #3, provided two years of outstanding leadership. We shall miss them both dearly next year. Andrew is off to Williams, and his crucial win versus Milton was truly inspirational. Co-captain-elect Doug Conigliaro played the vast bulk of the season at #2, and his epic win against an extremely talented Avon opponent at New England’s was absolutely exhilarating.

Dougie is as fierce a competitor as I have ever worked with. Our most improved player, William Okurowski, was our #4. He played the most five-game matches of anyone, and Williams was absolutely crucial for our collective success. He is among the very best players in the country in his age group. New varsity player Dietrich Jacobs worked his way up to #5, a tremendous achievement. He played superbly for us all year. I hope Dietrich will remember his pulsating 16-14 fifth set win versus Milton for many years to come. Co-captain-elect Sam Freed ended the season at #6. His wins against Deerfield, Avon, and Milton were absolutely crucial for us.

Brahm Agnihotri was our #7, and he improved dramatically over the year. He played a huge role in helping us push it over the top versus Avon and ended his season undefeated in ISL play. He was a wonderfully dedicated teammate, and we shall miss him dearly next year as well. All told, every boy experienced an exhilarating win and a tough loss over the course of the season, good life lessons to be sure.

Despite huge losses to graduation, our future remains bright. We are counting on our JV players to step up next season. Luke Wagner, Chris Egan, Hayden Okurowski, and Aaron Green are currently at the top of the ladder.

They all have a great deal of potential, and I have every confidence that they will be up to the task.

I can’t thank assistant coach Gary Gargan enough for his help and support every day. He keeps us organized, and I am grateful to him for his daily company. Our athletic director, George Tahan, has tirelessly supported our program behind the scenes for years, and I am forever indebted to him and his staff. Most importantly, I thank the boys and their parents. I am honored to stand beside them throughout their memorable 2019–2020 championship season.

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coaches’ corner

Wrestling DON BRADLEY, Head Coach

Powered by a large and strong senior class, the Belmont Hill varsity wrestling team enjoyed another “Banner” season as it once again won the ISL Dual Meet Championship and both the Graves Kelsey and New England tournaments.

Sophomores Adam Figler, Kailen Richards, and Danny

Captained by seniors Hamza Shemsu and Harrison Shapiro, the team consisted of an exciting mix of veteran

At 152 lbs. and above, the senior class took over with Jason Wolf at 152, Jack Curtin at 160, Jack Weldon at 170, captain Harrison Shapiro at 182, Charlie Mullaney at 195, Tim Brown at 220, and James Markis at heavyweight.

Unfortunately, after a promising start to the season, Jack Curtin was injured, but sophomore Josh Houston Davis filled in admirably. Indeed, at the Graves Kelsey tournament Belmont Hill placed top 4 in every single one of these weight classes. Of particular note, Harrison won both the Graves (third time) and New England’s (second time). He was voted the “Outstanding Wrestler” in the heavier division of the New England’s as well as the ISL MVP when he was awarded Globe All-Scholastic honors.

At the National Preps, Harrison placed sixth to again earn All-American status.

seniors in the upper brackets and talented younger wrestlers down below. At 106, we were fortunate to have two of the top wrestlers in the league. Aaron Stanger ’24 was a champion at the Hopkins Tournament, and Freddie Pimental ’23 won the Graves, and placed second in NE and 7th at the National Preps to be honored as an All-American. At 113, Hamza Shemsu ’20 capped off his four-year career with his third top-four finish in New England. In the next couple of weight classes, Cord Vallis ’24, Alex Gavronsky ’23, and Jimmy Harrington ’22 dominated whether they were competing at the 120 or 126 lbs. In the season-ending tournaments, Alex won the Graves and was voted the “Outstanding Wrestler” of the tournament. Jimmy won the Graves and New England’s where he was voted the “Outstanding Wrestler” of that tournament. A week later, Jimmy took fifth at the National Preps to earn All-American honors for the second time.

Bittner anchored the next three weight classes. At 132, Adam won the Graves and placed second in New England.

At 138, Kailen earned second at the Graves and fourth in New England; and at 145, Danny won the Graves.

At the end of the season, Kailen Richards and Adam Figler were awarded the Henry B. Sawyer Award for Sportsmanship and Jack Weldon was honored with the William “Bingo” Emerson Trophy for being the “Most Improved” wrestler on the team. The “Greatest Contribution” award, given in honor of Belmont Hill’s first wrestling coach, Gilbert S. Jordan, was shared by Harrison Shapiro and Jimmy Harrington.

Next year we look forward to building upon this year’s success under the leadership of our captains elect Kailen Richards, Adam Figler, and Jimmy Harrington.

I close with great thanks to all our coaches, Dave Leonardis, Todd Davis, Steve Kaplan ’83, and George Sullivan ’07—as well as to our Athletic Director George Tahan and all of the great folks on his staff.

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CLASS OF 2020 VARSITY ATHLETES Spring 2020

BASEBALL Head Coach, Michael Grant

LACROSSE Head Coach, Tim Sullivan

TRACK Head Coach, Adam Harder

Aidan Donnelly Declan McDonough Will McFadden Richard McNamara* Daniel Milmoe David (Ben) Reyes* Mauricio Rodriguez Bennett Teceno*

Rowan Bradlee Blake Brookes* Dylan Brown Brady Chitkara Alexander Gannon Liam Kelly Jackson O’Donnell Archibald Perry Quinn Richards* Cameron Rubin*

Preston Adams Charles Booth Gregory Desrosiers* Ruphael Getahun Isaiah Gomes* Griffin Hamilton John Henehan Artemy Ivanov Adil Kassim* John McHugh Michael Montanaro Benjamin Morales Jason Oliveri Nicholas Perrotta Ysael Porro Charles Richards* Jackson Riffe Aaron Sousa Michael Varnum

CREW Head Coach, Chris Richards Timothy Brown John Curtin* Charles Donahue Gianluca Foschi Walko* Aidan McGaugh Charles Mullaney Liam Peterson Charles Stevenson* John Weldon GOLF Head Coach, Charlie Doar John (Charlie) Donahue* Bobby Manion Trevor Reilly

Team Managers: Nicholas Castellucci John McHugh Jeffrey Segel SAILING Head Coach, Zach Orlov Stephen Pellegrino* TENNIS Head Coach, Nick Cary ’12 James Cahill Matthew Drucker* Andrew Jonghyun Lee* Rush Lincoln Chetan Shukla

*Team Captain

View Spring Captains’ remarks: https://vimeo.com/419016743 www.belmonthill.org

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community & diversity

BELMONT HILL ANNOUNCES NEW DIVERSITY INITIATIVE FUND Belmont Hill is excited to announce the creation of an important new giving opportunity. The Diversity Initiative Fund gives donors the chance to invest in the School’s goal to further enrich diversity efforts on behalf of the boys of Belmont Hill. Initiated in June, the fund has already raised $1 million, an inspiring total indeed.

“These funds will allow Belmont Hill to bring speakers to campus, work on further curricular transformation, and generally support our diversity efforts,” said Greg Schneider, Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School, in announcing the initiative to the community. “We expect that our Diversity Committee will complete a Board-approved diversity action plan this fall. With additional support now provided by the Diversity Initiative Fund, our action plan will seek to articulate and fund measurable areas for improvement over time.”

Chairman of the Board of Trustees Jon Biotti ’87 shared Mr. Schneider’s enthusiasm. “As many know, most things worth doing in life take true investment and success emanates both from this investment as well as consistent commitment,” Mr. Biotti said. “Investment takes the form of one’s time, ideas, and capital. I am incredibly proud of our Board’s immediate response to create the Diversity Initiative Fund spearheaded by Jason Hurd ’90 and his family.”

Belmont Hill trustees raised $1 million in the first sixty days of the Initiative, specifically to invest in diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) initiatives. Mr. Biotti noted that the Board had stated repeatedly that our job and our mission statement are to educate young men to become future leaders in their chosen fields. “We must complete our mission by imbuing our students with character, empathy, and a healthy sense of inclusiveness to understand people from all walks of life. For that is how we will continue to evolve the Belmont Hill community to be relevant for generations to come.”

Emmett Lyne ’77 Chair of the Trustee Development Committee added, “We have an opportunity to work together toward our shared goal of ensuring that Belmont Hill fosters diversity, equity, and inclusion, and is always becoming the best school it can possibly be.

The intention is to use contributions to the fund over the next three to four years, and then have an endowed fund set up for the Centennial Campaign. Contributions to the Diversity Initiative Fund are a crucial step toward achieving this goal.”

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Belmont Hill board member Jason Hurd ’90 and his wife, Dr. Mallika Marshall are parents of Belmont Hill students James (Form IV) and Jackson (Form I). The generous lead gift from the Hurd family catalyzed the Diversity Initiative Fund.

Gifts to the fund can be made here: https://www.belmonthill.org/ support/diversity-initiative-fund Belmont Hill School Diversity Initiative Fund 350 Prospect Street Belmont, MA 02478 Contact alumni@belmonthill.org for more information

new faculty biographies

NEW FACULTY BIOGRAPHIES

fiona ahearne Having received her B.A. in May 2020 from Bowdoin College with a major in government and legal studies and education along with a minor in Francophone studies, Ms. Ahearne will join Belmont Hill as a teaching fellow for the 2020–2021 school year, teaching history and French. Her experience as co-captain of Bowdoin’s varsity Nordic ski team and as an assistant head sailing instructor during summers in Maine will prove beneficial to her coaching responsibilities with Belmont Hill’s Nordic ski and sailing teams. Ms. Ahearne will also be part of the School’s residential life team and will reside on campus.

jake decaprio ’16 A graduate of Belmont Hill School, Mr. DeCaprio joins the School as an interim teacher in our science department, where he will also coach Nordic skiing and advise students. He received his B.S. in biochemistry from Tufts University in February 2020 and will receive an M.S. in chemistry from Tufts in December 2020. In addition, Mr. DeCaprio has served as a teaching assistant in Tuft’s department of chemistry for two years and also taught and tutored algebra at Charlestown High School. He has been an active member of our alumni body and has worked as a varsity coach of Belmont Hill’s cross country and Nordic ski teams. He also serves as an assistant camp director in our summer sport camps.

bolaji ekhator Mr. Ekhator joins Belmont Hill School from the Trinity School in New York City, where he served as an upper school history teaching fellow in the Penn Fellowship program for two years teaching global world history and serving as an academic advisor, basketball coach, and debate club advisor. Mr. Ekhator received his M.S. Ed. from the University of Pennsylvania in 2020 and a B.A. in political science with a concentration in leadership studies from Amherst College in 2018, where he was also captain of the varsity football team.

At Belmont Hill, Mr. Ekhator will teach two sections of history, work in our Admission Office, and coach football and Middle School basketball.

harry goldberg Mr. Goldberg joins Belmont Hill School as Chair of the science department. He comes to Belmont Hill after serving as the assistant dean and director of academic computing at Johns Hopkins University, where he created and implemented innovative learning systems and led the medical school’s initiative to combine online education and active learning. Mr. Goldberg began his career as an independent school teacher and coach at the Gilman School in Baltimore and has been eager to return to his roots after many wonderful years teaching at the college level. In addition to chairing the science department, Mr. Goldberg will teach four science courses, head an extracurricular leadership program, and coach in the spring season. He holds a Ph.D. in molecular biophysics, an M.S. in education, and an M.S. in computer science from Johns Hopkins University and a B.A. in biology from Franklin & Marshall College.

zachary horwitz Mr. Horwitz joins Belmont Hill School as an interim teacher for the 2020–2021 school year and will teach English and math and coach in all three seasons.

Mr. Horwitz graduated from BB&N in 2016, where he was the school’s class president, and recently graduated from Amherst College with a B.A. awarded in economics with concentrations in English and theater. At Amherst, he was a left-handed pitcher on the baseball team and was unanimously voted 2020 team captain. In addition, he served as a statistician for the Amherst College football program. www.belmonthill.org

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new faculty biographies

sadie otley Ms. Otley joins Belmont Hill as a teaching fellow for the 2020–2021 school year where she will teach calculus, advise, proctor lunch, and provide coaching support. She is a 2020 graduate of Tufts University with a major in applied mathematics and a minor in physics. At Tufts, Ms. Otley was a member of the varsity basketball team for all four years and was a 2019 NESCAC Champion and a 2017 NCAA Division III National Runner-up.

harrison rohrer ’16 A graduate of Belmont Hill School, Mr. Rohrer joins Belmont Hill as an interim teacher for the 2020– 2021 school year. He is a May 2020 graduate of Middlebury College, earning a B.A. in biology and environmental studies and a minor in global health.

With his wide range of abilities in various subjects, Mr. Rohrer will be assisting in our math and science departments and will also provide coaching support throughout the school year.

bryson rosser Mr. Rosser joins Belmont Hill School from Central High School in Knoxville, TN, where he was an administrator, academic interventionist, and the head football coach. With a coaching philosophy rooted in relationships, Mr. Rosser recorded six consecutive winning seasons including three state championships and back-to-back Class 5A state championship wins.

Mr. Rosser graduated from Tennessee State University with a B.A. in elementary education in 2006 and an M.Ed. in administration and supervision in December of 2007. As an undergraduate at Tennessee State, he became a four-year starter as a quarterback, finishing his career there amongst the top ten in all-time passing yards and passing touchdowns. At Belmont Hill, Mr. Rosser will be assisting the director of Community and Diversity with presentations and workshops; coaching three seasons of sports including varsity football; coordinating with the Admission Office to support outreach programming as well as working with student-athletes considering an application to Belmont Hill; and supporting Health and Wellness programming.

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james c. peck ’77 A graduate of the Class of 1977, Mr. Peck is a familiar face on campus having held the role of assistant athletic director in our athletic department and coaching Middle School football and hockey. This year, he has transitioned to the Middle School office where he will support Middle School Director Mrs. Hamilton, serve as a Form II Advisor, and coach 5th football, 5th hockey, and 3rd baseball. Mr. Peck is a graduate of Princeton University where he also played baseball and Dartmouth College where he earned his MBA. He is also the father of Quinn, Class of 2021.

brennan simpson Mr. Simpson joined Belmont Hill School in January 2020. He has operated his own custom furniture shop, Simpson Fine Furniture, since 2013. Mr. Simpson is a recent graduate of the North Bennett Street School, one of the premier furniture-making programs in the country and has been a workshop leader and part-time instructor at the Chicago School of Woodworking. This past spring, he worked at Belmont Hill with Mr. Kaplan helping seniors carve panels. He recently completed the Class of 2020 commemorative plaque honoring the boys and their perseverance through the COVID-19 pandemic (see photo on the back cover). Prior to his career in furniture making, Mr. Brennan served our country from 2005 to 2013 as an active duty Military Police Sergeant in the Army National Guard. In the fall, Mr. Brennan will teach woodworking and advanced woodworking. An avid maker and designer, he looks forward to helping students in Whittling Club, Conceptual Physics, and Canoe Building.

This year, Belmont Hill added several proctors to aid in supervision and classroom support of faculty members teaching remotely. Belmont Hill welcomes: Matt Armstrong ’16, Andrew Herrera ’19, Robbie Montanaro, Holly Rivage, Charles Wade, and Myles Walsh ’15.

corporation news

CORPORATION NEWS Belmont Hill School’s Corporation met virtually on April 30. In addition to the election of new Board of Trustees and Corporation members led by Tagg Romney ’88, a State of the School address was provided by Greg Schneider, Ronald M. Druker ’62 Head of School, and a financial report was given by Board of Trustees Treasurer Tony Ryan.

COMMITTEE ON TRUSTEES Taggart M. Romney ’88, Chair

Jason H. Hurd ’90

Jon M. Biotti ’87

Emmett E. Lyne ’77

Marsha Feinberg

Carl J. Martignetti ’77

John T. Grady, Jr. ’66

Gregory J. Schneider

Danielle A. Heard

Margaret M. Wade

NEW TRUSTEES

DANIEL S. FARB P ’24 Dan Farb, his wife, Shoshana Farb, and their children, Noah ’24, Adam, Leah, and Sasha, live in Chestnut Hill, MA. Dan is the president of Mill Pond Capital Corporation. He is a 1997 graduate of McGill University and earned his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 2001. Dan serves as a Trustee at Boston Children’s Hospital Trust, and enjoys playing tennis and coaching baseball in his free time. He also serves on the Parents Fund Committee at Belmont Hill.

AMY BRIDGES MADDEN P ’20 ’22 Amy Madden, her husband, Ted Madden ’88, and their children, Emery, Molly, Edward “Daniel” ’20, and Thomas ’22, live in Wellesley, MA. Amy is a 1987 graduate of Dana Hall and earned her B.S. in education at the University of Vermont in 1991 and her M.Ed. from Lesley University in 1987. She was previously a first-grade teacher and reading tutor. Amy is a volunteer art liaison for Family Reach at the University of Massachusetts Hospital Worcester and Tufts Medical. She cherishes time spent with her family and additionally loves travel, Maine, gardening, and reading. As she plans her next chapter professionally, she has enjoyed being a student going to cooking school, photography school, and most recently golf school. At Belmont Hill, she serves as the 2019–2020 Parents’ Council President, co-chair of the Form VI Parent Gift, and a member of the Parents Fund Committee. She has served as a captain of the Better Buy Sale, a Parent Form Representative, a Holiday Hill volunteer, an active participant of Parents Fostering Diversity, and as vice president of the Parents’ Council.

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corporation news

NEW CORPORATION MEMBERS

DAVID B. EDLIN ’79 David Edlin is director of the Wealth Management Consulting Group, EVP at Cohen & Steers. A 1984 graduate of Georgetown University with a B.S. in business administration-finance, he lives in New York City with his wife, Rosangela. At Belmont Hill, David is a Class Agent, Reunion Committee member, and part of the networking program.

BLAIR E. HENDRIX P ’23 Blair Hendrix lives in Wellesley with his wife, Jackie, daughters Lindsay, a member of the Northwestern Class of ’23, and Rachel, a member of the Dana Hall Class of ’21, and their son, Ian ’24. He is a managing director in Private Equity at Bain Capital and is a 1987 graduate of Brown University. He is a Trustee of Dana Hall School and the New England Conservatory, and is also on the Advisory Board of The Steppingstone Foundation.

Blair enjoys time with his family, travel, golf, and cooking.

GEOFFREY B. HOMER ’03 Geoff Homer attained his B.A. from Middlebury College in 2007 and his M.B.A. from Babson College in 2013.

Geoff is the vice president and owner of Shawnee Peak, a skiing resort in Bridgton, Maine. He lives in Boston with his wife, Lillian, and their 7-month-old son, Henry. He enjoys golf, reading, squash, and skiing. Geoff looks forward to coaching Belmont Hill’s Alpine ski team next winter. He serves Belmont Hill as a Class Agent and Reunion Committee member.

PARESH D. PATEL ’89 Paresh Patel is a managing partner at Sandstone Capital. He earned his B.A. in economics from Boston College in 1993 and his M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 2000. He currently lives in Weston with his wife, Nirva; their son, Nayan, and their daughters, Bela, Nayan, and Lila, all of whom attend Meadowbrook School.

In his spare time, he enjoys golf, tennis, squash, reading, and filmmaking. He is a Class Agent and Reunion Committee member at Belmont Hill and has spoken at the Sixth Form TYSK program.

AMAN M. SHAH ’10 Aman Shah earned his B.S. in mechanical engineering at Johns Hopkins University in 2014, and will be pursuing a Ph.D. in business at Bentley University starting fall 2020. Aman lives in Somerville and currently works as a senior research support associate at MIT Sloan Center for Information Systems Research. He enjoys photography and both playing and coaching Ultimate Frisbee. At Belmont Hill, Aman is a MAP Director, Class Agent, and Reunion Committee member, and has presented at the Sixth Form TYSK program. He and his fiancée, Rachel Brown, are planning a June 2021 wedding.

JONATHAN P. SKINNER ’86 Jonathan Skinner earned his B.A. from Brown University in 1990 and his J.D. from Boston College Law School in 1996. He works in investment banking as a partner and managing director of William Blair & Company in Chicago. Jon lives in Winnetka, IL with his wife, Karen, and their daughter, Hanna, a member of the Lehigh University Class of ’20; their son, Peter, a member of the Princeton University Class of ’23; and their son, Jack, now attending New Trier High School. He is a board member of the Honor Foundation, a Chicago board member of Bottom Line, and a member of the Springboard Foundation. He enjoys golf, reading, and traveling with his family. Jon serves Belmont Hill as a Class Agent and Reunion Committee member.

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alumni & family events

Alumni Networking February 2, 2020

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Greg Schneider, Teddy Mitropoulos ’11, Jeff Hamilton ’01, Bob Crowley ’90, Aman Shah ’10, and Scott Aldrich ’01.

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Matt O’Connell ’06, Rob Butler ’06, and Mark Crane ’06.

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Peter Martini ’74, Michael Schelzi ’71, Peter Sullivan ’75, and Chris O’Connell ’77.

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Mac Manion ’14 , Matthew Ryan ’14, Otto Fisher ’12, Drew Burgard ’12, Teddy Mitropoulos ’11, Will Cresap ’13, Austin Frank ’13, and Carl Reid ’13.

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Jim Eisenberg ’94 and Jason Kass ’01.

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Jamie Marcus ’03, Geoff Homer ’03, Scott Aldrich ’01, Matt Stoeckle ’01, Jeff Hamilton ’01, and Andrew Cleary ’01.

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alumni & family events

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Kristin McHugh, Julie Gomes, Leah Morris, Katie Bramley, Jennifer Drucker, and Trish Lincoln.

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Kelly Brown, Cricket Mullaney, and Meredith Hall.

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Trish Lincoln, Amy Madden, and Debra Foschi.

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Cynthia Keefe, Beth Ramsey, Elizabeth Hinds-Ferrick, and Mary Beth Palladino.

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Caryn Wang, Katherine Warming, and Constance Sullivan.

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B-Flats led by Donnell Patterson perform.

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Senior class Party with a Purpose leaders Daniel Madden, Jack McHugh, Bobby Mannion, and Emmett Greenwood.

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This annual event draws mothers of alumni from a wide range of classes and welcomes Form VI mothers.

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New York City Reception Hosted by Katherine and Kurt Simon ’83 February 26, 2020 1.

David Edlin ’79 and Doug Wolf ’84.

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Steve Kaplan ’83, Ken Martin ’65, Katherine Simon, Kurt Simon ’83, and Greg Schneider.

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Paul Zofnass ’65.

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Zander Farkas ’04 and Phillip Landrum ’06.

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Taylor Davis ’01.

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Diego Fernandez del Castillo ’13 and Perla Fernandez del Castillo.

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Thomas Pagani ’11 and Sam Klemmer ’07.

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Steve Kaplan ’83 and Philmore Anderson ’82.

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Steve Kaplan ’83, Matt Kane ’04, Rob Palladino ’05, Marshall Nevins ’05, and Michael Pagliarulo ’05.

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Class Notes

class notes

ALUMNI, FACULTY, AND STAFF: We would love to hear from you and share your news.

Please email your notes and photographs to alumni@belmonthill.org. Length and content are subject to editorial approval; some submissions may appear as excerpts. The deadline for the Winter/Spring Bulletin is December 15, 2020.

VETERAN’S PROFILE: Have you served in the military? To be publicly recognized in the Belmont Hill School Military Register, please complete the online form found under “School History” on the website. If you have any questions, please call the Alumni Office at 617.993.5203.

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1955 The Marquis Who’s Who presented DR. NEIL R. BLACKLOW ’55 with the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. Dr. Blacklow celebrates many years’ experience in his professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership qualities, and the credentials and successes accrued in his field.

1960

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JIM MACMAHON ’60 writes, “Last July I put down my stethoscope to join the rest of our class in the adventure called retirement.

Fixed up the big house in Scarborough, ME to sell in December and moved 90 miles due north to Temple, ME, a town of 550 people beside Farmington, two miles from our simple camp but five miles from the University of Maine. Downsizing is hard! Lots of boxes, in the age of coronavirus we will have to master virtual lawn sales.”

This from NICK WESSELL ’60: “My life partner Gwendolyn Stevens and I are sheltering in place on St. Simons Island, GA, a little longer in the spring than our annual drive to Maine for the summer would normally take place. Like everyone we are monitoring trends and trying to make estimates of when it will be considered safe to do what. I do not envy public health officials, who are subject to more second-guessing than the Red Sox. My son Kerry (Nils Walker Wessell) is in a hot spot in Brooklyn, NY with his pregnant wife. So we follow developments there very closely.

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John Murray ’53 during a round of world cruise.

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Virtual Reunion on Saturday May 9, 2020 for the Class of 1955. Top row: Bob Togneri, Wendy Togneri, John Hurd, Bob Repetto, and Tony Federer. Middle row: Sam Parkhill, Peter Burch, Neil Blacklow, David Canfield, and Hugh Nazor. Bottom row: Tom Hunt, Jeff Eaton, Ted Davis, and David Goldberg (via telephone not pictured).

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Jim MacMahon ’60 introduces his neighbor at his new home in Maine.

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Nick Wessell ’60 with his new puppies, Mimsy and Misha, at 7 weeks old.

I have taken the liberty of including a photo of our two new Havanese puppies, Mimsy and Misha, 7 weeks old in the photo, with

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me in the middle. We arranged to get them just before the pandemic became known, and they are keeping us very busy house training them.”

1965 This from TOM AMON ’65: “Four grandchildren since the 50th—and another on the way!! So our lives have changed considerably with these new arrivals!! Carol has taken Senior status on U.S. District Court, which presumably means a lighter workload.

I continue to practice with no retirement plans. Unfortunately I will—absent spread of coronavirus—miss the reunion as we had scheduled a cruise for those dates (which I of course forgot about). God willing, we will see you all at the 60th. We were so happy to make it to John Grady’s Alumni Award ceremony; a very memorable night!

Any classmates are certainly welcome in Brooklyn if your travels bring you to NYC. Thanks for all the hard work to the Alumni Office and to the Reunion Committee; have a ball and party in the grand tradition of the Class of ’65—the greatest in the history of Belmont Hill!”

1968 DON HAGUE ’68 shared an interesting article about his classmate JEFF GOLD ’68, and his lifetime love of sailboats and how he made a profession of his passion.

It all started on the Charles River when he learned to sail at a young age when his father was teaching at MIT and he was going to Belmont Hill.

In recent years, he has been spending his winters in St. Maarten working on boats there and his summers in Mystic, CT working on the restoration of the Mayflower.

1970 50TH REUNION NARRATIVES Through the organization of MARK HERMAN ’70, members of the Class of 1970 began to record their reflections on carving their panel. The videos, narratives, and sound clips can be found on the Belmont Hill website: www.belmonthill. org/sound-portraits-pilot-program BRIAN BIXBY ’70 writes: “I graduated from Brown, went to law school, avoided the draft, and have practiced law for 43 years. I chair the Private Client Group at Burns and Levinson.

We have about 130 lawyers, primarily in Boston, but also with offices in Wellesley, Hingham, Andover, and Providence. I’ve lived in Cohasset for 30+ years, have been married to Christine from my hometown of Salem almost 43 years, and our crowning achievement are children Ben and Meredith and grandchildren Max and Simon, now all here in Massachusetts after several years on the West Coast. It’s been a great ride, with hearty thanks to my teachers all along the way, particularly at Belmont Hill.”

KEVIN BOTTOMLEY ’70 writes: “I have had an eventful but in many ways a traditional 50 years after BHS. Four years at Harvard was followed by two years at business school at the University of Virginia (Darden). Then I migrated back north to New York City to begin a 35-year career in commercial banking at Bankers Trust. Over time I went from large to small institutions, returning to Boston and managed to spend a great time in London for Bank Boston in the early ’80s. Thatcher was in full command! I finished my career at Danvers Bank, a $400 billion assets mutual savings bank, joining as CEO in 1996. Over time we converted the bank to a public company and grew it to $3 billion in assets. It was subsequently sold to People’s Bank of Connecticut in 2011. I retired the same year and have remained on the People’s Board and that of various non-profits in the Boston area.

On the personal side, I have had a wonderful 38 years with my wife, Rosemarie. We have two children, Amy and Taylor, and four grandchildren from age three to 10—two, from each family. We are very lucky to live within walking distance of each other in

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Hamilton, MA. One knee replacement and one partially fused ankle have taken me off the basketball and tennis courts, but pickle ball and golf keep me going !

I look back with no regrets for the time I spent at Belmont Hill. A solid academic environment... a caring and challenging faculty... great athletic experiences… and, most importantly, good friends, a number of whom I have stayed in touch with over the past 50 years.”

JOHN CANADAY ’70 writes: “I landed in Third Form as a middle-class, preacher’s kid, who had done well in school until puberty hit and was then generally pretty clueless and athletic. I thought my new classmates were interesting, good folk— some a little edgy, or nerdy, or strange, we all knew who we were. I was surprised by the empathy and encouragement of our teachers and coaches. I mean, who on earth would take literally the last kid picked for crew in his first year, and who reached a peak of 5th boat in Fifth Form, and then let him coach one of the even-lower boats in senior year? It’s one of the happy ironies of life that crew became the major focus of my time in college and wired me into long-term friendships with Belmont Hill classmates DAVE WEINBERG and STEVE CARR—even rowing together in Egypt with the Harvard Crew in December 1971.

Another irony is that I dropped out of Latin as soon as I could and wrote “Never Again” in dear Charles Jenney’s textbook.

At college, I chose Classics as my major and ended up giving the Latin oration at commencement. I had plenty of expert help with the speech, including from the department chair. Afterward, Mr. Jenney wrote a kind note and gently offered a few corrections.

After college, I worked in banking in NY, and roomed with Dave Weinberg. Slowly waking up from adolescent torpor, I wedged my way into business school, and then landed back in finance and eventually consulting to financial firms. Weinberg, seeming more and more like Waldo, met my future bride before I did. Cynthia attended summer classes at Dartmouth and learned to row while, it turns out, Weino was training with the U.S. National Team. She and I met in NY because we each decided it

was a good idea to join a rowing club and go sculling on the creepy Harlem River in the 1970s.

After business school, we lived briefly in Exeter, NH, and then moved to Connecticut, where we started a family and I began 30 years of intensive work and travel with Greenwich Associates, a research and consulting firm to banks in North America, Europe, and Asia. For my sins, I was made managing partner shortly before 9/11, and returned to regular client work after the financial market crash. We retired to New London, NH two years ago where I row and cycle indoors and out, am treasurer of our summer chapel, and try to make green things happen—including geothermal and solar power, EVs, and helping local churches to hack back their oil consumption. Our two sons live in the West and are happy with their beloveds and their chosen work in music and psychology, and therefore so are we.

Whether your own time at Belmont Hill was happy or hard, I look forward to seeing many of you who were compatriots and co-conspirators during our formative years.”

ROB GOGAN ’70 writes, “I live in Acton with my wife, Frann Addison. Our son Josh (b. 1986) lives in Maynard with his wife, Grace; our son Zach (b. 1990) lives with us. We love sailing, hiking, and all carbon-free outdoor activities. We berth our sailboat, a leeboard schooner with solar-powered electric auxiliary, on Buzzards Bay… After Hampshire College, I taught English for 10 years in Massachusetts, Maine, and Iran. Arriving at Harvard University as a graduate student in 1984, I founded the campus’s recycling program. For the past 30 years, I have promoted reuse, recycling, and responsible disposal across all 12 faculties.

Our collaboration with Harvard Habitat for Humanity has recovered and diverted over 2,000 tons of useful goods from disposal, raised over $1 million to fund student efforts to build housing for the homeless, and saved Harvard undergrads an equal amount on dorm furnishings. At Belmont Hill, I was

editor of The Panel. Continuing my interest in community journalistic outreach, I have edited the Harvard Recycling Update and Campus Nature Watch for 20 years. We have recovered surplus furniture, supplies, equipment, books, computers, and more to dozens of Harvard departments, over 200 non-profit organizations, and thousands of needy individuals in the US and overseas— I work a short week now and soon will retire—but not quite yet. Kind regards and blessings to all my classmates and the entire Belmont Hill community. I look forward to the day when we can return to the dear old Hill and catch up in person!”

TOM ULFELDER ’ 70 writes: “The most unexpected result of the COVID-19 pandemic has been the virtual reunion that began in response to Mark Herman’s project. Many of my classmates have shared memories, their lives since graduation, and their appreciation for each other 50 years later.

I have often thought that if we had all attended our fifth reunion we would have found common ground and great changes individually in our life view. The period between 1970 and 1975 was one of great adjustments to an evolving world that delivered us to a different place than the one represented by a small private school in suburban Boston.

I graduated from Harvard in February 1975 after taking a semester to work for the Hurricane Island Outward Bound program and at the time of my graduation I had been admitted to the public health program in hospital administration at Yale. February 1975 found me in a recession, which led me to work as a ranch manager in California on the Nevada border running cattle on a half million acres. I almost didn’t come back and in retrospect wish I hadn’t. But I did return and completed my MPH followed by a law degree. I returned to Massachusetts after ten years in Connecticut and continued to work in healthcare as a consultant with a division of Baxter International and then Arthur D. Little. I finally decided to practice law in 1990, took the Massachusetts bar exam, and began to practice privately. But an opportunity presented itself to work for the Suffolk District Attorney and I couldn’t resist beginning a long-term career as a prosecutor. Along the way I prosecuted

major drug and firearm trafficking cases and retired eventually as the chief of the Special Prosecutions Unit responsible for economic crime, public corruption, computer crimes, and police misconduct.

I have been fortunate to have four children, two boys and two girls, and an amazing and wonderful partner in my wife, Jean. We have lived in Wellesley for 22 years, where I have had the time to participate in town affairs. I have been an elected town meeting member, served on various committees, and currently serve as a member of the Board of Selectmen. Life has been anything but a straight line but I look back and realize how lucky I am to have traveled many interesting paths. I have traveled extensively including time in Afghanistan and Pakistan, which were two of the more interesting adventures. One of my boys graduated from Belmont Hill in 2014 and attended all six years, and I am grateful to have seen the School through his experience so many years after my own. Two of my brothers were members of the Classes of 1951 and 1966 so all together we span a long period of time at Belmont Hill. I have had mixed feelings about my own experience while at the same time understanding the values imparted and expectations imposed by the School. I say imposed gratefully because at times in my life those values were central to my recognizing that I needed to change direction. As I watched my son James through his years at the School, I realized that the core values have not changed but the process and experience has and for the better. To an extent the process and experience was simply a reflection of the times, but while equally demanding and difficult, James experienced a more caring and encouraging environment. As I have watched James, I see the School’s values and influence constantly and in response I am proud and grateful that James and I are graduates and will always be part of the Belmont Hill family. There is a lot of life still ahead. May our unexpected virtual reunion lead to even more classmates attending our reunion.”

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TODD WALKER ’70 writes, “While pulling mostly a disappearing act for 50 years, I always vowed I would come to the 50th Reunion. It will be just as good next year or whenever—actually even better now, since there has been so much class email correspondence lately, which set my worries of possibly enduring essentially a large preppie cocktail party to rest.

Not our class. Misfits in time caught between a traditional British prep school model and the exploding psychedelic ’60s, how could we possibly fit comfortably into either? Even the school administration was rocked, with young professors like Thomas and Prenatt on our wavelength. Anyway, one shouldn’t take much of what you were like or did back then seriously. We were embryos. Works in progress. The best you can hope to achieve from middle/high school is some great bedrock learning (we did), some inkling of what you are meant to do, more courage, and perhaps some lifelong friends.

Somewhat late to the party, I turned on during the summer of ’69 and really never came back. My whole world turned on a dime and I started really seeing, learning and growing. But where was I supposed to be?

My involvement in the Ecology Action group in Cambridge and leadership in BHS’s first Earth Day pointed to environmentalism, but in what way? The search began, knowing it would never be conventional, or in the city/suburbs.

I bounced around various colleges—Johns Hopkins, then Bennington in VT—but still not free enough, so headed out to various communes around the country to join the back-to-the-land movement. Turning point #2: discovered I was meant to be in the country. Next, I decided I would do whatever it took to get some land, so headed back to the city in 1974 to build savings. Meanwhile, I had converted to a Macrobiotic diet and taken up Transcendental Meditation, both still in our lives today.

Finally finished up college at Bentley College in 1978—a surprisingly good business program. Married another country seeker, and in 1988 we bought an old 175-acre farm in Wells, VT (Endless Brook Farm on Airbnb).

Cathy moved there full time with our two boys in 1994; I followed full time in 2000 as the internet broke out and I was able to start working remotely with financial marketing clients all over.

Along the way, though, I had been bitten by the bug of working face-to-face with people on their finances rather than just marketing to them, so I got my Financial Advisor credentials in 2004 and joined a firm that specialized in Socially Responsible Investing (SRI), a relatively new concept then, and perfect for Vermont. Today SRI is going mainstream under various nuanced names: Impact Investing, ESG, but we still like Socially Responsible Investing. In 2015 I opened my own SRI asset management firm with some other advisors, named Greenvest (www.Greenvest.eco). We were recently approved as a Certified B Corporation, joining the ranks of Patagonia, Ben & Jerry’s, Etsy, Seventh Generation, and 3,300 other companies worldwide that are (legally) committed to using business as a force for good.

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BEN ANASTAS ’86 shared an essay he contributed to Oxford American about former faculty member Jack Myers (Belmont Hill Faculty 1968–1989). https:// www.oxford-american.org/magazine/ item/1915-buh-black-snake-in-new-england

2002 Congratulations to Maria and JOHN GRAUSE ’02 on the birth of son Sebastian Grause on July 15, 2019.

2006 Kigali International Community School (KICS) in Kigali, Rwanda, has expanded its leadership team by appointing DR. CHUKWUMA (CHUKS) EKWELUM ’06 as its new Secondary Principal. KICS is an international Christian school that offers a pre-K to 12th grade North American-based curriculum.

And now the final chapter begins. Grown children, grandchildren, retirement, community service, and the achievement of a lifelong dream: lots of nature to mature in, forever protected as wilderness by the VT Land Trust. My eldest son is scheduled to take over the business in a few years, and hopefully spread Greenvest’s mission far wider. The circle will then be complete.

If others have had similar ‘New Agey’ paths, please let me know. Would be fun to share and compare.

Looking forward to seeing everyone whenever the 50th happens. Until then, safety to all.”

1980

Due to family contacts, I joined the advertising world, then eventually opened my own small agency specializing in financial direct marketing, perfect for Boston.

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CHRIS SIMON ’80 scored a hole in one at the Renaissance Golf Club on August 19. Pictured with Joe Tully ’84 and Kenny Martin ’65.

Congratulations to Samantha and BARRY GALLUP ‘06 on the September 3, 2020 birth of their daughter, Colette Lisa.

2012 BOB MARTIGNETTI ’12 and his brothers opened up Faces Brewery in Malden. Bob is the co-owner. Bob writes: “We officially opened our outdoor beer garden. Seems to be a lot of interest and we had a big turnout for the first day. We are still waiting for the reopening of indoor restaurant spaces, so we can accommodate more than the hundred-something we can fit in our outdoor space.”

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1982 classmates Rick Ganong, Dan MacDonald, Scott Webster, and Dan’s puppy, “Lady Wellington.”

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A reunion Zoom call with (from left to right, top to bottom) Jesse Margolis ’95, Bill Abely ’95, Eric Sanders ’95, Eric Lev ’94, Jeff Evans ’95, Scott Ribich ’94, Jeff Oppenheimer ’94, Patrick Cramb ’95, Colin Hynes ’94, Adams Kosberg ’95, and Mark Gallagher ’95.

3.

Jesse Faneuil ’99’s children Owen, 5, and Ella, four months.

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Hughes Martin Woodward, son of Andrew Woodward ’02 and grandson of Alan Woodward ’67, just shy of his fourth birthday.

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Toinette and Todd Basnight ’02 welcomed their daughter Gabriella Basnight born on February 22, 2020. She joins sister Lucy, 5, and brother Vincent, 3.

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McEvoy “Macky” Wachtmeister born on September 28, 2019 to Emily and Mark Wachtmeister ’07.

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Leonas “Leo” Howard Holland born on April 27, 2020. He is the son of Amy and Drew Holland ’08.

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class notes

2016 Congratulations to TIMOTHY BROWNELL ’16 who was awarded Harvard’s John P. Reardon ’60 Men’s Award. This prize is presented annually to the senior varsity male athlete who exemplifies the qualities of excellent scholarship, character, leadership, and athletic ability.

Congratulations to MIT student ROBERT WILLIAMSON ’16 who was selected as a Scholar-Athlete by the College Squash Association. In order to be eligible for this award, squash student-athletes must be a two-time varsity letter winner at the school they are currently attending, have two appearances at the CSA Team National Championships, have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 (4.0 scale) or higher, be a junior or senior, be enrolled at their current school for one year prior to the present term, and play a top 10 ladder position for the majority of scheduled CSA-sanctioned matches during the season.

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Congratulations to Elizabeth and Matthew Egan ’08 on their April 6, 2019 wedding in Boca Grande, FL. Belmont Hill attendees included Peter Bourneuf ’08, Michael O’Donnell ’08, Michael Egan ’00, Daniel Egan ’95, Matthew Egan ’08, Elizabeth Egan, Rick Ganong ’82, Tucker Johnston ’09, Michael Smith ’08, Ryan Ganong ’09, Al Minihan ’08, Matthew Kaminsky ’08, Colin Quirk, Sam Choate ’08, and Charlie Carey ’08.

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Six Belmont Hill alumni competed on March 1, 2020 at the College Squash Association Men’s National Championships. Pictured from left to right: John Paul Champa ’17 (Brown), Jack Bell ’18 (Dartmouth), Robert Williamson ’17 (MIT), James Bell ’17 (Dartmouth), and Blake Gilbert-Bono ’16 (Brown).

Not pictured: Julian Wambach ’19 (Brown).

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faculty & staff news

FACULTY & STAFF NEWS Longtime Middle School assistant ARLETTE DOHERTY announced her retirement at the end of the school year after 20 years of service to the School. Mrs. Doherty was thought of as the glue that connected countless faculty, staff, and students over the years. More than 60 members of the faculty and staff community gathered online in June for a virtual goodbye party.

In late May, a former coach who spent time on the Belmont Hill campus coaching with some memorable faculty many years ago reached out to the Alumni House to make an anonymous gift. In gratitude for his time on the fields, he made a gift of $1,000 in memory of JOHN (JACK) W. FISHER and JOHN (JACK) A. MYERS, JR.

“For 20 years Belmont Hill has been my second home and you have been my extended family,” Mrs. Doherty told her colleagues. “Because of so many of you, my retirement has become a bittersweet departure.”

Middle School Director Lauren Hamilton appreciated all that Mrs. Doherty brought to the School. “Congratulations to Arlette Doherty for her 20 years of service to the Belmont Hill community. We wish her all the best in her retirement.

I appreciate all her efforts in the Middle School Office. She will be missed.”

Arlette Doherty, Belmont Hill Staff, 2000–2020

Jack Myers Belmont Hill Faculty 1968–1989

Rachel and DAN DUARTE welcomed their son Owen Oisín Duarte on February 13, 2020.

Rebecca “Tay” and CAMERON CHITTOCK welcomed their daughter Rowe Taylor on March 7, 2020.

JEREMIAH MCCARTHY ’94 and Elizabeth Morrow welcomed their daughter Lillian Sian Joyce McCarthy on April 16, 2020.

Jamison and BRIAN PHINNEY welcomed their daughter Lincoln Parnell Phinney on March 22, 2020. She joins her four-year-old big brother George.

GRAYSON HOLLAND ’05 and Margaret Gammill welcomed their daughter Aza Harlan on May 15, 2020, joining her big brother Miles.

Krystal and COREY COFIELD welcomed their son on April 14, 2020. Braylen Robert joins siblings Corey Jr. and Aubrey.

DAVE HEGARTY welcomed his grandson Cormac Eoin Hegarty, born on June 24, 2020.

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BEN ANASTAS ’86 shared an essay he contributed to Oxford American about former faculty member Jack Myers (Belmont Hill Faculty 1968–1989).

We hope the School community will enjoy the piece—especially those who remember Mr. Myers. https://www. oxfordamerican.org/ magazine/item/1915buh-black-snake-innew-england

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In Memoriam

in memoriam

He later earned his B.A. from Amherst College, where he majored in physics.

Working as an engineer in the fields of vacuum technology and unusual environment measurement devices for most of his career, he developed and constructed devices used in the Apollo lunar landers.

FRANK A. BEARD ’44

Frank A. Beard, a lifelong resident of southern Maine and Florida, died on September 27, 2019, in Bay Pines, FL. He was 94.

Born in Cambridge in 1925, he was the son of the late Hubert and Unis Beard. Mr. Beard ran the Arundel Publishing Company in Kennebunk, ME and was a professor of history at Saint Francis College (now University of New England) in Biddeford, ME. He worked at the Maine State Historic Preservation where he published several books, including Maine’s Historic Places. Mr. Beard was an avid sailor, historian, and lover of books.

He is survived by his son Ronald Beard, daughter-in-law Lillian Harley, and grandson Matthew Beard.

Mr. Middleton was a Boy Scout leader for Troop 51 in Lexington, MA and earned a Presidential Physical Fitness award for bicycling. He loved sailing, downhill skiing, bird watching, kayaking, and bowling in his leisure and won a Massachusetts Seniors State Bowling championship. He was an aficionado of things related to rail transit and was an active member, guide, and trustee of the Seashore Trolley Museum in Kennebunkport and several model railroad groups in Massachusetts and Maine. He was also a host docent on the Downeaster and active in that role to the last.

His wife, Marjorie, preceded him in death.

Mr. Middleton is survived by four sons, John, Andrew, David, and Thomas, and five grandchildren.

PAUL F. AVERY JR. ’47 JOHN L. MIDDLETON JR.’44

John L. Middleton Jr., of Kennebunkport, ME, died on March 21, 2020. He was 95.

Born in Cambridge, MA, Mr. Middleton was drafted into the U.S. Air Corps in 1944.

Paul F. Avery Jr. died on February 28, 2020.

He was 90.

Born in Boston in 1929, Mr. Avery went on to earn his B.A. from Williams College in 1951.

He later graduated from the Naval Officers Program in Newport, RI and served in the U.S. Navy until 1953.

He began his business career at Avery & Saul Company in Cambridge, MA. He later became president of P.F. Avery Corporation in Billerica, MA and its successor company, CE Avery in Newington, NH, manufacturers of equipment for power generating stations throughout the world.

Although technically retired in 1984, Mr. Avery continued to work as an independent consultant. In this role he collaborated with the KSB Pump Company of Frankenthal, Germany; served as president, CEO, and board chair for Ferrofluidics; and was the general partner for the Mine Falls hydroelectric generating facility in Nashua, NH. An engineer from birth, he loved to innovate and bring projects to fruition.

An active community leader, Mr. Avery was the founding chairman of the Seacoast Science Center board in Rye, NH and served on the boards of numerous non-profits, including Strawberry Banke, New Hampshire Public Radio, and the American Independence Museum. He was a member of the Leadership, NH Class of 1997 and in 2002 was awarded the Body and Soul Award for philanthropy from the Squamscott Coalition.

Mr. Avery loved youth and had a profound influence on many. But mostly, he loved the outdoors. An avid snow skier and hiker, he and his wife, Mary, traveled extensively to do both in America and Europe. October was his favorite month in Brookfield, NH, hunting woodcock and partridge with his family and a cast of bird dogs. He was never one to pass up an opportunity to get a new car and had a unique and colorful approach to the game of golf. His mischievous curiosity was always a joy to witness.

Mr. Avery is survived by his wife of 66 years, Mary M. Avery, their sons F. Lincoln Avery ’73, Paul F. Avery III ’75, and Christopher W. Avery ’79, eight grandchildren, and one great-grandson.

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SC and then Eufaula, AL. In 2017, he and Donna divorced, and he settled in Minneapolis, MN to be near his daughter Lucy and her husband Tony Pulver. Mr. Swift’s last three years at Abiitan in Minneapolis were filled with joy, stories of days past, piano concerts, and many new friendships.

and Ryan; three great-grandchildren, Soren, Lydia, and AlesAna; two nieces and four nephews. He was predeceased by his infant daughter Flora Suzanne Sigourney and three sisters, Suzanne Vik, Carolyn Holtz, and Katherine Shaver.

He is survived by his former wives, Barbara and Donna, his son Charlie, daughter-in-law Nancy, and their two daughters Cameron and Courtney, as well as by his son-in-law, Tony.

CHARLES W. SWIFT ’50

Charles W. Swift, of Minneapolis, MN, died on July 1, 2020. He was 88.

Born in Boston, MA in 1932, he was the son of Jesse Gilbert and Ngawini Swift. He went on to Princeton University, from which he graduated in 1954 with a degree in mathematics, and then to MIT’s Sloan School, earning a master’s degree in management science in 1956.

He then embarked on an exciting and fulfilling 34-year career with IBM. Over this time, he lived in France, England, Japan, Australia, and the U.S. and worked in some 97 countries, opening up IBM to the world. Mr. Swift understood the importance of patience, listening, and acceptance in building lifelong relationships across the globe. Never was this more evident as when he started IBM’s business in China and later worked to help evacuate IBM staff from Vietnam in the 1970s.

Mr. Swift retired from IBM in 1989 and moved to Hilton Head Island, SC in 1995. A long-time pianist, having played since his days with the Glee Club and Triangle Club at Princeton, he, along with his partner-friend Bob Masteller, opened a jazz club, The Jazz Corner in Hilton Head in 1999.

He married Barbara Teare in 1957, and together they had two children, Lucy (who died on July 24, 2019) and Charlie. After his divorce from Barbara in 2000, Mr. Swift married Donna Stetler and moved to Charleston,

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GEORGE M. VROTSOS ’52

George Michael Vrotsos, of Winchester, MA, died on July 26, 2020. He was 86.

ANDREW SIGOURNEY ’51

Andrew Sigourney, of Nahant, MA, died on January 10, 2020. He was 87.

Mr. Sigourney was born in Worcester, MA and raised in Princeton, the son of the late Andrew W. and Katherine (Harrington) Sigourney. He went on to Middlebury College, where he earned his B.A. degree.

He was a resident of Nahant, MA for 55 years.

Mr. Sigourney was a 50-year member of the Freemasons associated with the Mount Carmel Lodge, a former deacon at the Nahant Village Church, a U.S. Army Veteran, and a Friend of Bill for over 35 years.

He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Flora (Fisher) Sigourney; his children, Donald A. Sigourney and his wife Missy of Holbrook, MA, and Katherine (Kitty) Moleti of Swampscott, MA; five grandsons, Kevin and his wife Rachael, Matthew and his wife ChristiAna, Christopher and his girlfriend Veyiv, Eric,

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Born in 1933, Mr. Vrotsos was the son of the late Michael and Clara Vrotsos of Belmont and won lifelong friends on the playing fields of Belmont Hill. Always fun-loving and game for adventure, he spent the summer before college hitchhiking and jumping freight trains across the U.S. As a Harvard undergraduate in the Class of 1956, he majored in economics and jazz clubs, sporting a raccoon coat and cutting a rug.

Mr. Vrotsos will be remembered in the Boston area as co-owner of Apollo Cake Specialties, where he kept long hours, lighting the cake ovens well before dawn. In Winchester, he was known as a trusted realtor at Coldwell Banker and a vibrant member of the Rotary Club and Jumelage. He loved travel, and his charm, subtle wit, and embracing smile made him welcome everywhere. A man of lionhearted loyalty, he was a great raconteur, a loving family man, and a generous host.

In foul or fair weather, Mr. Vrotsos was a passionate fisherman, whether lobstering in Manchester or reeling in blues and mackerel off the coast of Maine. He lived for family, friendships, and adventure.

Beloved and devoted husband of Susan Packer Vrotsos, he is also survived by his daughter Holly and her partner Dean Wickline, his daughter Karen, son-in-law David Rogers, and grandson George Vrotsos-Rogers, his son Michael ’81, daughter-in-law Trish Williams, and grandsons Dylan and Luke Vrotsos. Mr. Vrotsos was also the brother of the late Bernard Vrotsos.

Mr. Adams is survived by his daughter, Holliday Adams, of Charlotte, NC, his son Alfred A. Adams IV ’77 of Travelers Rest, SC, his sister Beatrice Adams Miller of Wellesley, MA, his first wife Sandy Snow Adams of Westwood, MA, and his nieces, nephews, and many devoted friends.

His first marriage, to Jewel Anne (Julie) Edel, ended in divorce. In 1989 he married Mary Childs, who died in 2016. He is survived by his son, Timothy H. (Martha Knowlton), of Boise, ID; his daughters, Wendy B. Childs, of Lake Oswego, OR and Robin (Forrest) Briscoe, of State College, PA; two grandsons, Owen and Carsten Briscoe; three brothers, Peter O. Childs ’55, of Miranda, CA, Nathaniel B. Childs ’58, also of Miranda, and Christopher Childs, of Saint Paul, MN; and a sister, Faith A. Childs, of Thetford, VT.

PETER J. BURKE ’56

HENRY D. CHILDS ’54

Henry Dyer (Hank) Childs, of The Villages, FL and formerly of Stow, MA, died on January 21, 2019. He was 81.

ALFRED A. ADAMS III ’54

Alfred A. (Trippi) Adams III, of Wellesley, MA, Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Charlotte, NC, died on May 8, 2020 at his home in North Carolina.

He was 84.

Mr. Adams went on from the School to Harvard College, earning his A.B. degree in 1958, and followed a career in real estate and development in the Boston area and in South Florida. He received awards for years of service from the Ft. Lauderdale Humane Society and was a member of the Ft. Lauderdale Rotary Club. He also was a monthly contributor to the St. Cloud Indian School, the Southern Poverty Law Center, and the ASPCA. He loved the sea, his friends, jazz, and travel, and was an avid reader. He had a great sense of humor, loved to laugh, and his fun and kindness are dearly missed by friends and family.

Dr. Childs, born in 1937, grew up in Stow and was educated in local schools and the Fenn School in Concord, MA before enrolling at Belmont Hill. He went on to Harvard College, where he was a member of the Air Force ROTC. He retained his love of flying throughout his life, earning his private pilot’s license and rising to the rank of captain.

Following active duty in Korea, he returned in 1964 and changed his career goal from architecture to medicine, in which there was a strong family tradition. He took needed pre-med courses at Brandeis University and enrolled in Boston University Medical School. He would go on to establish a highly successful private practice in Maynard, MA and earn certification as an internist.

Peter J. Burke, of Newtonville, MA and Little Compton, RI, died on October 30, 2019. He was 81.

Mr. Burke was raised in Lexington, MA and went on to the College of the Holy Cross. He worked for many years for Clappers in West Newton, MA and Larchmont Engineering as a landscape lighting and irrigation engineer.

Known for his gregariousness and loyalty to the friends and institutions that helped shape him, Mr. Burke also was blessed with 50 years of marriage to his wife Marion, with whom he shared a passion for travel, taking family trips to Europe and Costa Rica.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Burke is survived by his son, Jay C. Burke and his wife, Theresa, of Framingham, MA; and grandchildren Fiona and Sebastian Burke. He also was the brother of Caroline Venusti and her husband Robert, of Little Compton, RI.

Dr. Childs’ talents extended to playing Flamenco guitar, which he taught himself as a teenager and enjoyed lifelong, and to commercial photography.

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in memoriam

RICHARD E. PIAZZA ’56

RICHARD N. MOSTROM ’57

NORCROSS TEEL JR. ’57

Richard E. Piazza, of Bellevue, WA, died on February 24, 2020. He was 81.

Richard N. Mostrom, of Bedford, NH and Colchester, VT, died on June 29, 2020. He was 80.

Norcross Teel Jr., of Langley, WA, died on April 11, 2020. He was 80.

Mr. Piazza was born in Boston, MA, the second of six children to Camille and Salvatore Piazza. After Belmont Hill, He earned a B.S. in Engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, a Master’s degree from Emory University, and Ph.D. in Physics from University of Massachusetts.

Born in Boston, MA, in 1939, he was the son of the late Howard and Edith (Nims) Mostrom. He went on to Bowdoin College, where he earned his B.S. degree in physics and was captain of the hockey team. He later earned a master’s degree in engineering from the University of Rochester.

As one of the first Peace Corps volunteers, he went on an unforgettable journey, teaching physics in Nigeria, motorcycling through Africa, and forming lasting friendships.

Mr. Mostrom’s career as an aerospace engineer included work with Northrop Grumman, SSG, and Goodrich Aerospace.

His positions entailed program management in the fields of optics, SIBERS team, and telescopic engineering.

Born in Boston in 1937, Mr. Teel was the son of the late Norcross and Frances (Brown) Teel. He grew up in Lexington, MA and went on to Colby College, where he earned his B.A. degree in philosophy in 1961. He studied in the M.B.A. program at Boston University in 1962 and served in the National Guard, including six months of active duty at Fort Devens, MA.

He was a pioneer in medical device engineering, and enjoyed traveling with his wife of 54 years and their two daughters. He was an inspiration, beating the odds and living with cancer for 20 years.

He and his wife, Mary (McNeil) Mostrom, enjoyed many travels around the world and visited most of the continents.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Mostrom is survived by his daughter, Kristen McPhail and her husband Andrew of East Fremantle, Australia; two sons, Richard K. Mostrom and his wife Margaret of Minneapolis, MN and Brett D. Mostrom and his wife Kimberly of Newark, DE; his brother, Philip Mostrom ’52 and his wife Jocelyn of Darnstown, MD; his stepson, Ryan McNeil Pierce of Burlington, VT; eight grandchildren, Michael and Ashley McPhail, and Mason, Mya, Sean, Shannon, Heather, and Warren Mostrom; in addition to the McNeil brothers and sisters-in-law; and numerous nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by another brother, Thomas F. Mostrom ’55.

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In 1963, Mr. Teel began his career as a commercial mortgage loan officer with Travelers Insurance Company in Cleveland, OH. He joined Mutual of New York in 1970 and by several promotions and increasing responsibility at the home office in New York reached the position of senior vice president of real estate, in which he supervised 130 employees and made investments for the company in excess of $5 billion in mortgages and $3 billion in equities. Mr. Teel retired from Mutual of New York in 1990, and afterward worked part time for nine years as a consultant to Mony Real Estate Investors and as a mortgage loan analyst and as vice president of real estate asset management at Fortis Insurance Company.

Mr. Teel was an enthusiastic builder and sailor, and over the years he was actively involved in his various communities. In Fairfield, CT, he was a council member and trustee at the First Church Congregational

and board member of the YMCA, and in Blue Hill, ME, where he oversaw a large comprehensive renovation at the Congregational church, served as a consultant at SCORE in Ellsworth, helping people start new businesses, and as a board member of Friends of Blue Hill Bay and of the Bar Harbor YMCA. His rich family-oriented marriage to Margaret (Maggie) Smith lasted for 42 years until her death in 2006. The next year, he married Elsa (Swenson) Gentleman, who survives him.

Together they enjoyed travel to Italy, Scandinavia, Canada, and America’s national parks.

Mr. Teel will be remembered for his wry sense of humor, professional acumen, leadership ability, helpfulness, and spirit of adventure, but most of all for his love for his family.

In addition to his wife, Mr. Teel is survived by three sons, David Campbell (Michelle) Teel, of Boston, MA, William Blackburn (Julia) Teel, of Fairfield, CT, and Elliott Rollins Teel, of Cape Elizabeth, ME; Elsa’s two daughters, Jenna Victoria (Matthew) Frasca, of Everett, WA, and Tyra Lilly (Charlie) Walsh, of Langley, WA; his sister, Susan Teel Brown, of Wellesley, MA; Elsa’s sisters, Wenda Elizabeth Swenson, of Houston, TX, and Melva Swenson (David) Owens, of Charleston, SC; and his grandchildren, Lucie Belle Teel, Charlotte Smith Teel, Alden Jack Teelham, Sophie Skye Teelham, Matiyah Victory Frasca, Beckett Criley Walsh, Wyatt Swenson Walsh, Adelaide Queen Walsh, and Ellis Aldrich Walsh.

coffee and was often enjoying a cup at the Dirt Cowboy in Hanover, NH. Mr. Stone was the only child of Mark and Clara (Segel) of Boston. He is survived by a large extended family and network of friends.

PETER STONE ’59

Peter Stone of Newton, MA and Bradford, VT, died on August 14, 2020. He was 80.

After graduating from the Belmont Hill School and attending Lawrence University in Wisconsin, he returned to the Boston area. His sharp technical mind and his love for music led him to employment during the “HiFi boom” of the 1970s with innovator Advent in Cambridge and Epicure, where he was a principal and founder, in Newburyport, MA. An avid amateur photographer, he took thousands of photos in Europe, the American Southwest and candid shots of people and landscapes in first Boston then Vermont where he moved to in 1980.

Often perceived as reclusive by those who did not know him, Mr. Stone struggled with lifelong learning disabilities that often kept him on the sidelines. That experience led him to work as a volunteer with Central Vermont Adult Basic Education in Bradford, VT and tutored young people in math and helping them get their GED. A serious gourmand, he worked in his youth as a professional cook—insisting he was “not a chef”—in and around Boston. He had an impressive list of favorite restaurants ranging from Charlestown, NH to Burlington, VT, where he often took friends out to his favorite Burlington place, Single Pebble.

His first choice restaurant was Peyton Place in Orford, NH. He also enjoyed a good single malt and a cigar. He loved a good cup of

DONALD J. HURLEY JR. ’60

Donald J. Hurley Jr., of Hanover, NH, died on March 16, 2020. He was 78.

Born in Boston in 1941, Mr. Hurley was the son of the late Donald J. and Miriam Hurley.

He grew up in Weston, MA and went on to Harvard College before moving to New York in 1965. He and his wife, Nancy Mae, settled in Lloyd Harbor on Long Island, which was to become their home for more than 50 years.

For much of that time, Mr. Hurley worked as a banker in Manhattan, initially with Chemical Bank and ultimately as a director of British investment bank Kleinwort Benson.

He retired as senior vice president and chief operating officer of the Institute for Applied Economics, a research organization.

Throughout his life, Mr. Hurley savored telling humorous stories and could be counted on to erase a difficult time with his quick wit. He also loved crossword puzzles and games of all sorts, and was a matchless opponent in Scrabble, a skill he attributed to English classes with Roger Duncan and Belmont Hill’s Latin curriculum. He was a proud alumnus and cherished his affiliation with the School, serving as a Class Agent and member of the Corporation.

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in memoriam

His beloved wife, Nancy Mae, died in 2018.

Mr. Hurley is survived by his daughter Courtney Pearson and her husband Tim; his granddaughter Katie; his brother, Stephen N. Hurley; his sisters, Rosamond Page Sughrue and Cornelia Hurley McPeek; many nieces and nephews, and eleven godchildren.

he became a teacher and an advisor to future high school English teachers. As the director of the Writing Project, he was a teacher of teachers, with his specific focus being on the teaching of writing. He retired in 2016.

JONATHAN H. LOVELL ’63 GEORGE N. DEMERS JR. ’61

George N. (Buddy) Demers Jr., of Belmont, MA, died on May 2, 2020. He was 77.

Known to many as the proprietor of Buddy’s Sirloin Pit, a bygone Harvard Square institution, and often seen smiling while taking in the summer views in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Buddy will always be remembered for his kind heart, generous spirit, and the mischievous sparkle in his eye.

Born in Boston in 1943, Mr. Demers was the son of the late George N. and Mary (Spilios) Demers, also of Belmont. He is survived by his beloved wife, Janet (Black) Demers and his son, Alexander N. Demers ’02 and his fiancée, Calina Ciobanu, both of Los Angeles.

Jonathan H. Lovell of San Jose, CA, died on April 14, 2020. He was 75.

Mr. Lovell was the son of Richard Hallett and Beverly Warren (Smith) Lovell, and was born on May 21, 1945 in Boston.

Mr. Lovell, Jonny to his family, grew up in Newton, MA. His family was part of the strong, warm community of Eliot Congregational Church in Newton Corner.

After Belmont Hill, he earned a bachelor’s degree from Williams College in 1967, an M.A. from the University of Oxford in 1969, and his Ph.D. from Yale University in 1980.

He served as an assistant professor of English and Education at Columbia University in New York City from 1977–1981. Following this, he and his family moved to California, where from 1981–1983 he taught as a lecturer on the Davis and Berkeley campuses of the University of California. His career continued when he accepted a position as associate professor of education at the University of Nevada, Reno from 1983–1987.

His professional memberships included the California Curriculum Study Commission, the National Council of Teachers of English, and the California Association of Teachers of English.

In 1987, he began teaching in the English department of San Jose State University and by 1988, was director of the San Jose Area Writing Project. In the SJSU English department,

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After retiring from the Writing Project in 2016, he became a member of the Democratic Club and, following his newest passion, joined the Pickleball Club, in the Villages Community where he resided. In these clubs, he, as ever, took on new responsibilities and readily made new friends. Most recently, Jonathan was looking forward to pursuing new avenues of learning and had joined the Brandeis Study community.

Almost every day, rain or shine, he ran with his dear dog, Mindy, enjoying the people they met and the beauty of their surroundings.

Jonathan was never one to sit still for long.

He sailed his treasured boat whenever possible, taking with him friends, family, and, of course, Mindy. He especially loved taking his grandchildren, nieces, and nephews for a sailing lesson or to battle with the pirates on the lake. For Jonathan, the roughest weather was the best for a sail and the most treacherous hill the obvious choice to ski.

Scottish Country Dancing was a pleasure he shared with Ellen, his wife of almost 20 years.

They met during his early years of dancing, and during their marriage traveled several times to Scotland to participate in summer school dance programs. Jonathan was a member of The Red Thistle Dance Group for 16 years. Dancing to the best of his ability was ever his goal.

In addition to Ellen, and her children Karin and Kelcey, he leaves two daughters, Stephanie Lovell-Rose and Helen Lovell Wayne (Robert), two sisters, Pam Parker and Merrily Lovell, two brothers, Benjamin (Sandy), and Christopher (Julie), and five grandchildren.

remained friends with Mark Scranton since then. His second marriage ended in 1994.

He and Barbara had shared their Berkeley home since the mid-1990s. Introduced by his lifelong best friend Damon Spillios, the couple met and fell in love in New York City in July 1994, and were married May 1996.

ROBERT L. RINES ’64

ROBERT H. PRICE ’65

Before and during his Berkeley days, Mr. Price was an avid audiophile and frequent and well-known patron of Amoeba Records.

He had a particular affection for classical and jazz music—indeed his vanity license plate for a long time was TWEHONK (saxophone).

Robert Louis (Rob) Rines, of Nashua, NH, died on May 27, 2020. He was 73.

Robert H. Price of Berkeley, CA, died on May 16, 2020. He was 73.

Born in 1946, Mr. Rines was the son of the late Robert H. Rines and Dorothy Kay Rines.

After his years at the School, which he counted among his best and most memorable, he went on to earn his B.A. degree at Tulane University seven years later, reflecting his love for New Orleans and reluctance to move away. Finally, after detaching himself from The Big Easy, Mr. Rines pursued a law degree at the Franklin Pierce Law Center in Concord, NH, which had been founded by his father. He practiced law in New Hampshire for decades until he was incapacitated by declining health.

After a brief hospital stay and release that day, on a quiet, pleasant Friday evening, he celebrated with Barbara their 24th wedding anniversary. Saturday afternoon he died peacefully with the kind aid of hospice support. He had received cancer treatments for over a year.

Mr. Price would insist on mention, praise, and accolades for his faithful, observant, and obedient seeing-eye companion/dog-buds.

Mr. Price was born in Boston and raised in Belmont by his parents David and Elaine.

After Belmont Hill, where he played varsity hockey, he attended the University of Pennsylvania from September 1965 to June 1967.

He was a well-liked member of Beta Theta Pi fraternity, whose surviving brothers have sadly noticed his passing.

Besides his wife, Barbara, Mr. Price is survived by his sister Karen Ross and his aunt Nancy Deutsch. He was preceded in death by his brother David.

He is survived by his former wife, one son, a sister, a half-brother, one grandson, and several nieces.

After an infection in 1968 and resulting blindness, Mr. Price continued his education at Boston University in 1970, graduating with the Class of 1973 and a B.A. in Classics.

He met his first wife, Stephanie, in Philadelphia in June 1969. They were married at Belmont Hill May 1971, but separated in 1974. After that, he boldly moved to San Diego staying with his brother-in-law, before deciding to enter California Western School of Law in 1977, graduating in 1980, passing the California State Bar in May 1980. He then moved to the Bay Area in May 1982 with his second wife, Afroditi Katzikis, a paralegal, and was employed in the Scranton Law Firm in Pleasant Hill, now Concord. He had

First, Hughie a magnificent full German Shepherd, Bandit an energetic tan and white, part Basenji, and, finally, Abbey a beautiful and friendly female Labrador.

SHELDON S. ANANIAN ’72

Sheldon S. Ananian, of Watertown, formerly of Belmont, MA, died on April 5, 2020.

He was 66.

Born in 1954, he was the son of the late Shahen and Rose (Marsoubian) Ananian.

He went on to major in biochemistry at Tufts University, where he pitched for the baseball team and was a proud member of Phi Alpha Delta. Mr. Ananian graduated summa cum laude as editor and chief of the Law Review with a Juris Doctorate from Western New England Law School.

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in memoriam

A respected member of Mensa, a proud Armenian, excellent whistler, talented drummer, heavy metal fanatic, exceptional piluv maker, and degenerate New York Giants fan, Mr. Ananian fought for and raised his three girls on his own. After working at a boutique law firm, he co-founded Ananian & Rodibaugh, LLC, where he specialized as a personal injury litigator.

He was the devoted husband of Karen (Antaramian) Ananian, who survives him, along with his daughters Abby, Katy, and Sarah. He was the bonus father to Candace Ananian, as well as to Nick, Grant, and Cassie Gilbert. He is also survived by his sisters, Valerie Narsasian and her husband Carl, and Paulette Arakelian. He was the uncle of Emily and Julie Narsasian and Adam and Alisa Arakelian.

BRETT C. WEGNER ’95

Brett Cameron Wegner died in Boston on July 4, 2020, three months after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia. He was 44.

He lived most of his adult life in New York City, working for 15 years at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, where he was involved in lymphoma research and clinical trials of oncology medicines. Recently, Mr. Wegner fulfilled a dream of starting his own business, which he truly loved and which allowed him to set his own schedule and spend more time with family, friends, and travel.

He lived his life fully and on his own terms.

He had an intrinsic curiosity about the world and how it works and a huge, gentle, and generous heart. This combination brought him to many places around the world where he developed close friendships. He preferred a simple lifestyle and enjoyed meeting people from all walks of life. Mr. Wegner had an easy-going personality and was described by friends as warm, genuine, kind, funny, and smart. He leaves a trail of enduring love and connection behind him.

In addition to his parents, Glen and Lynn Wegner of Boston, formerly of Wellesley, MA, Mr. Wegner is survived by his brother Mark (Bobbi) Wegner, of Milton, MA, and sister Lisa Wegner (Olivier) de Wykerslooth, of Guirsch, Belgium; his nephews and niece, Cameron, Tyler, and Evelyn Wegner and William de Wykerslooth; two uncles, Stephen (Mary) Magnuson, of Leicester, MA, and David (Debbie) Magnuson, of Paxton, MA; two aunts, Betty Wegner of Boise, ID, and Karen Magnuson (Spencer) Bernard; and 12 cousins.

Born in 1976 in Boise, ID, Mr. Wegner was the son of Dr. Glen and Lynn Wegner. He grew up in Wellesley and was a member of the Wellesley Congregational Church. He went on from Belmont Hill to earn his bachelor’s degree at Dickinson College, and he later studied biological sciences at the University of East Anglia, Norfolk, England.

DAVID J. HUTCHENS ex ’11

David J. Hutchens, of Hyannis Port and formerly Wellesley, MA, died on August 6, 2020. He was 28.

Son of E. James and Lorine F. (Freeman) Hutchens, Mr. Hutchens went on to attend Davidson College and graduate from Boston University in the Class of 2018. He was currently in the Master of Business Analytics program at Boston University. He was an avid reader and a lover of music.

In addition to his parents, Mr. Hutchens is survived by his sister Christina H. Giller and her husband Patrick of Beverly, MA, and his nephew, Cameron James Giller. He is also survived by his uncles, John Freeman of Springfield, VA, Timothy Hutchens of Bethesda, MD, Curtis Hutchens of Green Cove, FL, and his aunt, Pamela Edwards of Scottsdale, AZ.

FACULTY

MICHAEL F. HUMPHREYS

Michael F. (Brud) Humphreys, of Durham, NH, died on May 18, 2020. A modern language teacher and tennis coach at several New England schools before his retirement, he was 92.

Born in Danbury, CT, on December 29, 1927, Mr. Humphreys grew up on the campus of Kent School, from which he graduated in 1945.

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After service in the U.S. Navy, he attended

Designated the Poet Laureate of UMass,

Maintaining high standards in class for his

Rutgers University, earning his B.A. degree

Professor Nelson was an inspiring and

students, and—in his longtime service on the

in 1952. He began his teaching career at the

beloved teacher. In addition to celebrations

admissions committee—for applicants to the

Gunnery, in Washington, CT then joined

of his family and friends in Gloucester and

School, Mr. Richardson was known in the

the Belmont Hill faculty in 1955. He would

Annisquam, he wrote more than 1,000 odes

classroom for his approachability, sincerity,

remain for nine years as a modern language

commemorating university events, such as

and dazzling habit of solving arithmetic pro-

teacher and athletic coach, notably in tennis.

building groundbreakings and openings,

cedures mentally to four decimal places. In his

He returned to Kent School for the balance of

commencement breakfasts, chancellor

role as teacher/coach, assisting with Middle

his career, retiring in 1992 after seven years

farewell parties, and Years of Service galas,

School athletics, and later becoming unofficial

chairing his department.

which he often wrote and delivered on the

“czar” of Upper School intramural sports in all

spot. Professor Nelson appeared on the cover

three seasons, whether on the touch football

of Lux, UMass Boston’s student magazine, in

field, the ice, or softball diamond, Mr. Richard-

2008, and in 2010, he received the university’s

son emphasized fun, good sportsmanship, and

Shining Beacon Award.

the important benefits of team play.

through the sport. Advancing to distinction

Professor Nelson is survived by his wife,

Upon his retirement, the School named the

in the New England Vets and Senior Circuit,

Beatrice Kipp Nelson, his sons Peter and Evan,

chemistry prize for him, drawing attention to

he counted as most notable his experience

and, from his first marriage to the late Jean

his long service as an exemplary school man.

competing in the 1957 Wimbledon Qualifying

Richmond Parsons, Rowena, Lee, Perry, Skye,

For many years, Mr. Richardson returned on

Round with some of the world’s best players.

and the late Burr Nelson. He was the brother

Prize Day to present the award and congrat-

of W. Evan Nelson, George Anthony Nelson,

ulate the winner. He continued to follow the

and the late Elizabeth Burr Abetti, and he is

efforts of Belmont Hill varsity teams and often

also survived by 20 grandchildren.

was a familiar figure on the sidelines at home

Passionate about tennis, Mr. Humphreys drew great satisfaction in his roles as player, coach, and mentor and in the pleasure and accomplishment he brought to the lives of others

Mr. Humphreys was happily married for over 50 years to the late Barbara (Stahl) Humphreys. He is survived by their children, Jon

and away.

and his wife, Tasha, Todd and his wife, Liz, six grandchildren, and a great-grandson.

Once described by a colleague as the quintessential naturalist, Mr. Richardson worked for many summers for the National Park Service

FREDERICK C. RICHARDSON

as a guide and ornithology resource at the Cape Cod National Seashore.

DUNCAN M. NELSON

He was also an enthusiastic amateur musician, singing tenor in the choir of the First Parish Frederick C. Richardson, longtime member of the Belmont Hill science department, died in

Duncan Morse Nelson, of Gloucester, MA, died on December 20, 2018. He was 88.

Born in Durham, NC, he earned his B.A. at Wesleyan University in 1952 and his Ph.D. at Harvard University in 1964. Mr. Nelson taught English from 1955 to 1958 at Belmont Hill while a graduate student. After two years of teaching at Harvard and three at MIT, he joined the English department at the University of Massachusetts Boston in 1967, where he remained until his retirement in 2016.

April 2020 after a brief illness. He had lived in Lincoln, MA for many years and was 93.

A graduate of Noble and Greenough School and Harvard College, Mr. Richardson joined the faculty in 1957 after service in the U.S. Army. His arrival coincided with the science department’s occupancy of the new Howe Building, with its three labs designated for science classes.

Although qualified in all Upper School subjects, Mr. Richardson was tapped to teach chemistry.

Church in Lincoln and playing the flute, piccolo, and fife. Chamber music was a feature of life in the Richardson home, with all family members participating, and for many years he organized a fife and drum corps to be featured in the Lincoln and Concord parade on Patriots’ Day. Mr. Richardson was the devoted husband of Inge Marie Richardson, who survives him. He is also survived by their daughters, Charlotte, Katherine, Margaret Richardson, and Amy R. Larkin. He was preceded in death by his son George and sister Margaret.

He also taught Middle School science courses, served as advisor to the science club, and assisted with instruction in mathematics. www.belmonthill.org

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2020–2021

Belmont Hill School

Board of Trustees Jon M. Biotti ’87, President William F. Achtmeyer ’73, Vice President Gregory J. Schneider, Secretary Anthony W. Ryan, Treasurer Jinane Abounadi Dewey J. Awad Mark D. Chandler ’74 Gretchen R. Cook-Anderson Warren Cross, Jr. ’83 Carl D. Dawson ’72 Jeffrey D. Drucker ’90 Ronald M. Druker ’62 Jean C. Egan Daniel S. Farb William A. Forde ’05 Scott A. Gieselman ’81 John T. Grady, Jr. ’66 Christopher J. Hadley Danielle A. Heard Jason H. Hurd ’90 Stephen R. Karp ’57 Jonathan A. Kraft ’82 George W. Lynch II ’88 ex officio

Emmett E. Lyne ’77 Amy B. Madden Carl J. Martignetti ’77 Kirk D. McKeown ’95 Sarah H. Pelmas Taggart M. Romney ’88 Jill M. Shah Brian J. Shortsleeve ’91 Margaret M. Wade Herbert S. Wagner III Meghan R. Weldon ex officio David B. Wilkins honorary trustees John M. Connors, Jr. John A. Pike ’49

350 Prospect Street Belmont, MA 02478 617.484.4410 www.belmonthill.org We welcome your comments and suggestions.

Please address all correspondence to the Bulletin Editor at the above address, or email us at communications@belmonthill.org. managing editor Bill Mahoney editors Amy Hirsch Lindsey Taylor class notes & in memoriam Eileen Foley Harold Prenatt photography John Gillooly, John Gillooly IV, Kristie Gillooly Dean, Neal Hamberg, Amy Hirsch, Bill Mahoney, Adam Richins, Matt Risley, Paul Rutherford, and the Belmont Hill School Archives ©2020 Belmont Hill School. All rights reserved.

Design by: amn brand + design amnbrand.com

On back cover: The Class of 2020 plaque, carved by woodworking teacher Brennan Simpson, now hangs near the entrance to the William H. Byrnes Library.

PAUL W. WRIGHT PRIZE AWARDED BY THE FACULTY IN TRULY UNUSUAL AND SPECIFIC CIRCUMSTANCES.

1987

lienart l. sylverin 1992

anindya bhattacharyya 1993

nghia hiew ho 1996

timothy p. gallagher 2000

david mitchell The Wright Prize is only awarded at Belmont Hill for truly unusual and specific circumstances and has been given to individuals rarely throughout the School’s history. This year, through a unanimous faculty vote, the Wright Prize was bestowed upon the entire Class of 2020 for their leadership and resiliency during this challenging time. The award is celebrated with the listing of recipients throughout the years and is displayed in Hamilton Chapel.

2003

geoffrey b. homer 2009

michael a. ramos 2010

hilbert v. schenck iii 2014

jacob l. kotlier 2020

the class of 2020

350 Prospect Street Belmont, MA 02478-2662

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