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Volu m e 6 4 , Issu e 2
Ju ne 8 , 2 0 1 5
A Student Publication of the Belmont Hill School
Advisor, Mentor, and Community Leader Mr. Ekwelum Leaving BH to Pursue a Ph.D. By Arnav Prasad & John Markis Panel Staff The common case of the busy, overloaded schedule and long, sleepless nights too often leave Belmont Hill’s campus to seem crowded with a sea of students fixated on their plans for the day. However, sometimes a simple “hello” or “hey, how’s it going” in the halls can lift your spirit and make your day. Many in the Belmont Hill community, whether a member of the faculty, staff, or student body, can pay testament to the spirit, enthusiasm, and compassion Mr. Ekwelum brings each and every day. His school-wide-known cheer and smile can become a beacon of energy and warmth even in the bleakest of days. Over the many years he has spent with the Belmont Hill community, Mr. Ekwelum’s energetic and spirited persona has impacted not only the lives of his students and advisees, but also the social environment of the entire community. As a member of the class of ‘08, Mr. Ekwelum has been a community leader within his class who has succeeded because of his passion for learning and education. A former boarding student at Belmont Hill, Mr. Ekwelum is well-acquainted with all parts of the school; although much of the campus has changed since his graduation, the sense of community has not. When Mr. Ekwelum graduated from Belmont Hill, he wanted to become a medical doctor and live a similar life to Dr. Cliff Huxtable on The Cosby Show; that is, Cosby’s lifestyle of eating hoagies, delivering babies, and still being a part of his family, inspired Mr. Ekwelum.
Look Inside Diversity Day Page 2 Arts Year Recap Page 3 Prize Day Awards Pages 4 & 5 Sports Scoreboard Page 6 Matriculation List Back Page
Mr. Ekwelum soon realized, however, that an actor portraying the lifestyle of a doctor is not necessarily similar to the difficult life of an actual doctor, and he began to explore different fields. Being an educator did not appeal to Mr. Ekwelum at first, as he believed that he did not have the patience to work with students; however, after living in a social justice house during
because he wished to instill his love for learning in younger generations of students; as former First Form English students of Mr. Ekwelum, we can wholeheartedly attest to Mr. Ekwelum’s passion for learning, and, thankfully, some of it rubbed off on us. One of the hardest parts of Mr. Ekwelum’s transition back to Belmont Hill was his youth; besides being nearly as young as the
ner, Mr. Carr, and Dr. Buckley, have given Mr. Ekwelum advice about both teaching and being an adult in the world, wisdom that will help him throughout his life. In the future, Mr. Ekwelum wants to continue to be brave in the face of adversity, to keep advocating for justice and equality throughout the world, and, most importantly, to earn his PhD; there
oldest senior, Mr. Ekwelum now called former teachers, who were potentially forty years his senior, by their first names, which was naturally awkward at first. Mr. Collins, his faculty mentor, was instrumental in teaching Mr. Ekwelum not to be afraid to be himself and speak his mind, “which can be intimidating when you’re a young person amongst seasoned educators.” Mr. Collins, Mrs. David, and Mrs. Doherty, friends of Mr. Ekwelum while he was on campus as a student, helped the new teacher adjust to life as a faculty member; his transition back to campus would not have gone nearly as smoothly without their help. Other veteran faculty members, such as Ms. Ze-
is no doubt in our minds that Mr. Ekwelum can accomplish anything he wants in life, as his leadership skills displayed on campus, both in the classroom, on the athletic fields, and during extracurricular activities, will enable him to take any path that he chooses. Mr. Ekwelum is not sure that he will return to Belmont Hill as an employee in the future; however, when he left campus for the first time, in 2008, he did not believe that he would return, showing that life is full of surprises. He is certain, however, that he will visit Belmont Hill as much as he can, both to see former teachers and coworkers and to lead students. In the past three years, Mr. Ekwelum has had the opportunity
to be at the forefront of introducing, welcoming, and including incoming boys to the Belmont Hill community. Personally, Mr. Ekwelum has become more than an advisor, he has become a life-long mentor and friend who has pushed us to involve ourselves in more roles throughout the community. In many ways, Mr. Ekwelum has helped us establish our value systems as we have moved through the inner workings of Belmont Hill. It became evident that Mr. Ekwelum was truly invested in our lives as his advisees after having invited us as a group and individually to his classroom for talks, hangout sessions, and donuts even after we had graduated from his advisory group in the seventh grade. Having graduated Belmont Hill himself, Mr. Ekwelum has been someone whom we can reach out to about anything school or family related. He has guided us as a mentor, pushing us to explore our ethics and beliefs, and our limits and capabilities. Having introduced us to PRIDE (People Respecting Individual Differences Everywhere) as eighth graders, Mr. Ekwelum sparked our drive to succeed as leaders at Belmont Hill, and we will always be grateful for that. Among the many lessons we have learned from him, we hope to adopt the energy, passion, and dedication he invests in everything he does, and continue to promote these values at Belmont Hill. Mr. Ekwelum will always be one of the first real friends we made at Belmont Hill, and we appreciate all he has done to help us grow and develop as a people and leaders. We are hopeful that we will frequently see Mr. Ekwelum on campus in the future: he will be sorely missed by all.☐
Mr. Glenn submerged himself into the thick of musical life at school very early on. One student remarked, “At first, I thought that we students would have to take more responsibility at the start of the school year in managing musical groups to accommodate Mr. Glenn, but that assumption proved to be totally
for giving such great support to me, but also I have to thank the students. At Belmont Hill, everyone took an extra step to go out of their way to help me. Without that effort and strong character of the faculty and students, my transition into the fold at Belmont Hill would have undoubtedly been more difficult.” Mr. Glenn’s contributions in only a single year at Belmont Hill have touched the entire school community. He has brought a new musical perspective to the Orchestra and Jazz Bands, and he has also played a major role in establishing the new Belmont Hill Piano Trio. One member of the Trio noted, “There were many attempts to create chamber groups at this school in the past, but without much faculty support those groups quickly fell apart. Regarding the Piano Trio, however, due to Mr. Glenn’s support we were able to stick together for an entire year and share our love for music with the entire school.” As his time at Belmont Hill winds down to a close, Mr. Glenn recalls numerous special experiences in the past year. Next year, Mr. Glenn will move to Fessenden, where he will continue to teach music. Some of the highlights of his year here include the energetic and
proud all-school Chapel performance in December, the Pep Band at the TD Garden, the Middle School Jazz Band coming together in April, the Piano Trio playing 4 gigs in 8 days in April, and the final Spring Concert and Jazz Night at Ryles in April and May. Mr. Glenn noted how much he enjoyed working with Mr. Patterson. “Mr. Patterson is a great colleague. He answered every question I had, always asked how he could help, and made sure that I arrived and left school every day with a smile.” Mr. Glenn occasionally brought his daughter, Ivy, to school, and he remarked, “Ivy always loved visiting Belmont Hill. Part of it could have been the fact that she got to watch movies and eat cookies, but I know she loved Belmont Hill so much because everyone was so nice to her.” Reflecting on his year, Mr. Glenn holds fond memories of all the groups and students that he taught and directed in a group. He said, “It’s been a wonderful year. I’ve had so many great experiences this year, and I want to make sure to thank all of the students, faculty, staff, and administration.” In turn, the entire Belmont Hill community would like to thank Matt Glenn for making such a large positive impact at school in such a short time.☐
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his time at Columbia University, Mr. Ekwelum soon realized that he wanted to be a teacher, “as it offers [him] space to grow, both emotionally and intellectually, while also making small impacts along the way.” Mr. Ekwelum soon realized that he wanted to come back to Belmont Hill as a teacher; by the spring of 2012, Mr. Ekwelum knew that he would return to Belmont to teach. As he recovered from the fatigue of four hard years at Columbia University, Mr. Ekwelum was not thinking much about his return to Belmont Hill as a faculty member; he was just thankful that he was able to secure a job so quickly out of college. Mr. Ekwelum decided to become a teacher, at least in part,
Mr. Glenn Departing From BH Community After Filling in for Fiori By George Hu Staff Writer While Director of Instrumental Music Dan Fiori enjoyed a sabbatical this year, Matthew Glenn, hired as a one-year interim replacement, did a wonderful job filling in for Mr. Fiori. After teaching and directing instrumental music at Bancroft School in Worcester, MA for 14 years, Mr. Glenn decided to forsake his familiar surroundings for a new challenge at Belmont Hill. Mr. Glenn noted that the friendly and kind atmosphere at Belmont Hill played a pivotal role in making his decision: “When I came to Belmont Hill, I was particularly struck by the warm, thoughtful nature of the administration and the teachers. I also admired how welcoming the students were and their potential to grow as musicians.” His decision to join Belmont Hill has come as a great benefit to the entire community. At Belmont Hill, Mr. Glenn quickly thrust himself into a busy schedule. Teaching Music Technology and Jazz Music Theory, conducting the Orchestra, Upper and Middle School Jazz Bands, and the Jazz Combo, and helping to assemble the school Piano Trio,
wrong.” Despite a tremendous workload from the outset, Mr. Glenn found his transition into life at Belmont Hill quite smooth. He notes, “I have to thank the administration and the arts department