Jack Williams Day

FACULTY SPOTLIGHT: BRANDON MOLLETT

By: Alex Barron

In his nineteen years at Boys’ Latin, Brandon Mollett has worn numerous hats. He has, at various times, taught Latin, English and world cultures, coached soccer and JV lacrosse, and instructed middle school Innovation courses in such quirky subjects as model rocket construction.

His connection to BL runs deep. He is a graduate of the class of 1994, and a legacy student: both his father and his brother were Lakers as well. After a short stint writing and editing for Inside Lacrosse Magazine, he returned to his alma mater, where he has been ever since.

“I feel fortunate to have found both a school and profession that are deeply satisfying,” he says, “Every day I am grateful for the opportunities that Boys’ Latin has given me to work with the boys on the field, in the classroom, and as an administrator.”

Of course, Mr. Mollett is most well-known of late as the Head of Middle School, a job he has held for the past eight years.

Under his watch, the middle school has undergone significant change. He and his faculty developed its successful Innovation Program, revamped its advisory program, and offered new athletic options like golf, rockclimbing, and futsal (a fast-paced South American game similar to soccer).

His philosophy is simple. “It’s all about asking, what can I do to help kids? What’s going to do the greatest good for the greatest number of people?,” he says, “And then figuring out, how can we make this happen?” ground. Problem-solving, he says, is a challenge he looks forward to embracing in his next job: Academic Dean. The job is designed to oversee academic practices and standards across all three divisions.

“Part of the unique opportunity in this role is that it hasn’t existed in a while, and I have the chance to redefine it,” he says.

Brandon looks forward to floating between divisions. His prime goal, he says, is to make sure that students and faculty are on the same page in terms of their commitment to supporting BL’s mission through rigorous academics.

“My job is to help create a consistent experience for our students across the curriculum,” he says, “That means providing support for faculty, hearing what they’re saying, and helping them to help kids.”

Mr. Mollett is one of few BL faculty who can claim to have worked at least some time in the upper, middle, and lower schools. Between his varied professional experience and his having attended Boys’ Latin himself, he might well know the ins and outs of the School better than anyone else on campus.

“It’s so inspiring to see a BL grad rise through the ranks and take on this role,” says upper school Dean of Students Mac McDonald, who figures to work closely with Brandon, “Brandon knows this community well and we know he’ll do good things.”

Assistant Headmaster Sean Kriebel looks forward to seeing what Mollett will do with the position.

“We really haven’t had a K-through-12 academic dean in at least the last nine years,” says Mr. Kriebel, “With the return of this position, comes an opportunity to really focus on the academic program holistically, instead of just division by division.”

He adds, “Brandon has the perfect experience to step in and hit the ground running.”

Brandon has agreed to stay on as middle school head for the 2020-2021 school year to provide stability as the School continues to contend with these uncertain times. Throughout the course of the year, Brandon will begin the transition into his new role.

THE BOYS’ LATIN ALUMNI ASSOCIATION: NETWORKING AND LIVE STREAM

By Brian Rudick ’87, Alumni Board President

Since its inception, the Boys’ Latin Alumni Association’s mission has been to promote the best interests of BL and its alumni. To ensure the success of that mission the Association created sub-committees under the Alumni Board. Two of these are our Networking and Live Stream committees.

The Networking Committee, created six years ago by Shawn Walter ’95, is a group of eight Alumni Board members, who host multiple networking events for a wide range of alumni. The first of these, The Networking Initiative, was created to afford college alumni the opportunity to network and build relationships with established alums from various businesses and industries. This event is held annually during college students’ winter break.

As the Networking Committee has expanded, so have our services. We now hold events such as The Young Professionals Networking Night, directed toward providing a space where working alumni can connect with each other in order to build their professional network. We’ve also invested in an online platform called Boys’ Latin Connect. The platform is free and is a tool that we want the entire BL community to use to help connect and network with each other. We encourage everyone to sign up at www. boyslatinconnect.com. Similarly, our Live Stream Committee is a group of nine Alumni Board members, who worked to obtain BL’s live stream service. Due to their efforts, as well as the efforts of the entire Alumni Board, we now have cameras on J. Duncan Smith Field for lacrosse and football home events, and in the Gelston Athletic Center for all basketball, wrestling, and volleyball home events.

All events can be viewed on your computer at locallive. tv/boyslatinmd. To view archived events you will need to use the password, Lakers1844. Events may also be viewed on the mobile app. Just search ‘locallive’, download, and follow the directions. When asked, you will need to enter the access code, Lat1.

We are seeking underwriters for our live streaming service. As an underwriter, you are provided with a unique marketing opportunity to gain exposure within this venerable Baltimore community, while also making an impact on BL and its athletic programs. To learn more about being an underwriter, contact Assistant Director of Alumni Relations, Taylor Stothoff ’11, at tstothoff@boyslatinmd.com.

In keeping with our mission, we will continue to serve BL and our alumni so that they know that our School is not only an outstanding institution, but also a place they can call home. We invite all members of the BL community to use our services frequently – they are for you!