Faculty Spotlight - Eiyana Favers

SPRING SPORTS HIGHLIGHTS

VARSITY BASEBALL

Coach Bill Greenwell

VARSITY GOLF

Coach Doug Nicholas

What a year it was for Boys’ Latin baseball! The Lakers captured the MIAA B Conference championship with a thrilling win over St. Pauls, 7-6, giving the Laker 9 their fourth title in the last five years. The Lakers entered the conference tournament as the #1 seed and defeated Our Lady of Mt Carmel School, St. John’s Catholic Prep, and St. Paul’s School in their first three playoffs games. As the tournament was double elimination, in the fourth game of the playoffs, the Lakers met St. Paul’s once again and this time suffered a tough loss. That set the stage for a remarkable MIAA “B” Conference title game, with the Lakers taking on the Crusaders for the third time in the playoffs. Led by great pitching, hitting and field play, the Lakers came out victorious with a hard-fought 7-6 win. The boys finished their season at 14-6 overall and with a 9-2 in-conference record.

The class of 2021 provided leadership both on and off the field. Led by senior stand-outs second baseman and captain Harry Genth, captain and shortstop Jack Fishel, third baseman and closer Charlie Godin, and pitchers Liam Karey and Ian McAslan, the Lakers could not be denied. Senior JT Windle was also stellar with the bat and behind the plate, and Vinny Arthur did a great job in middle relief. Junior centerfielder Kaden Lymon, Peter Makris, and Braeden Hammett had great playoffs runs, and we look forward to their return next season.

Again, congratulations to all the coaches and players for a great season! The golf season went exceptionally well. The Lakers advanced to the semifinals versus Annapolis Area Christian School (AACS) but lost in a close match, 11.5 - 9.5.

Sophomore MVP Nick Johnson was the most consistent golfer throughout the season and was named ALL MIAA. Junior Michael Gilden and freshman Mason Paul were the Mason Champion award recipients, and Bennett English ’24 was the most improved player. Sophomore Ben Thomas won the Lubke Award winner. Conor Evans ’21 captained and was a strong leader throughout the season. The team completed the season with a strong 8-4 in-conference record.

Congratulations to the 2021 BL golf team on a winning season. The team is looking forward to a strong returning squad in the 2021-2022 season and will build on this year’s success.

VARSITY LACROSSE

Coach Brian Farrell

Boys’ Latin captured the coveted MIAA A Conference crown! It was the first title since 2014 and the 11th title in BL history. In the nation’s toughest league, the gritty and resilient #5 seeded Lakers won three one-goal games against Loyola Blakefield (8-7), #1 seed McDonogh (13-12), and Archbishop Spalding (9-8). Our Laker overcame a 6-4 deficit in the thrilling penultimate title match and survived a late rush by the upstart Cavaliers. The game ended with another one-goal victory for the Lakers and a final score of 9-8.

History has shown that in the MIAA, seniors win championships. And twentyone senior Laker gladiators proved their mettle and certainly earned a spot in our lacrosse history books.

Captain and attacker Ben Smith was named ALL MIAA and an Under Armour (UA) All American; he was also the title game Offensive MVP, assist leader, and played in the Nike National All Star senior game. Defenseman Eddie Loyd ’21 was a captain and had an ALL MIAA season leading a depleted defensive unit. Gavin McClernan ‘21 and sophomore Nate Crouse were the most improved players. Injured midfielder Avery Tankersley ‘21 won the General Gelston award for his unique contribution to the team. Injured senior defenseman and Captain AJ Hernandez and backup GK Xander O’Malley ‘21 were recipients of the John. E. Ehrhardt Award for team spirit. ALL MIAA junior attackmen Dom Pietramala and Smith won the Creator’s Game award. Midfielder Mac Moreland ‘21, our face off specialist, had a great championship run and won our ground ball award. Seniors Riar Schell and Matt Greaver won the Steve Dubin Unsung Hero award. Senior attackman Garrett Glatz had a tremendous year and was also a captain.

Head Coach Brian Farrell, who earned his first title in his sixth year at the helm, was named the Varsity Sports Network (VSN) Co-Coach of the Year. The Lakers finished their season with a mark of 9-4 conference record, 10-4 overall. Congratulations to all the players and coaches on a truly magical season.

VARSITY TENNIS

Coach Jim Magee

The varsity tennis team had a strong showing this season, qualifying for the MIAA “B” Conference semifinals while finishing with a 4-3 record and earning a #4 seed in the playoffs. The Lakers handily beat Archbishop Spalding 5-0 in the quarterfinals but went on to suffer a tough loss to the undefeated and eventual league champion Park Bruins, 4-1. Senior captain John Bryan was the team MVP and earned ALL MIAA in both singles and doubles. Ben Peake ’21 was also named ALL MIAA in doubles. Bilal Razzak ’21 was the most improved player of the season and a fellow captain. Finn Hopkins ’22 was the spirit award winner.

The 2021 tennis team fought hard throughout the season and should be commended for their attitudes and passion for the game. Congratulations to the players, coaches and parents.

By: Alex Barron

MIDDLE SCHOOL DAY OF SERVICE

At Boys’ Latin, we believe that a life-changing education calls for students to explore new realms and to look beyond themselves. One of the goals of our new middle school head, Pen Vineyard, is to expose students to the world outside of Lake Avenue by creating community partnerships. It was this desire that inspired the middle school’s first annual Day of Service.

The idea was for students to take part in several types of service projects in the Baltimore area. The middle school partnered with Jewish Volunteer Connection (JVC) to link Boys’ Latin with several local not-for-profit organizations. Together, students assembled three hundred lunches for Our Daily Bread, which serves hot meals to those experiencing hunger, and three hundred fifty hygiene kits for My Sister’s Place, which aids victims of domestic violence.

Meanwhile, a group of eighth-graders journeyed to Bethel Farm Lab, an urban farm located in the East Baltimore neighborhood of Oliver. There, they helped plant crops and beautified the area by cleaning up an adjacent alley.

For Mr. Vineyard, the day was a success and an extension of BL’s core values. “For us to be able to work with the broader community,” he said, “that’s living our motto Esse Quam Videri, to be rather than to seem.”

UPPER SCHOOL ART SHOW

The upper school art show was one of many events that looked a little different this year. The annual event usually takes place in Smith Hall, but when the pandemic rendered an indoor show impossible, upper school art teacher Amy Digges looked elsewhere.

Using a platform called Art Steps, Ms. Digges created a virtual gallery to display upper school student art. She taught her students to photograph their artwork effectively and uploaded it to the platform, allowing viewers to zoom in on details and observe pieces from all angles. The art show’s digital format also allowed students to record audio commentary, which accompanied some of their work, providing insight into their inspiration and artistic process.

The actual presentation took the form of a Scavenger Hunt competition between advisories. Each advisory was required to answer a series of questions about the pieces on display. “The best way to engage the boys in art was to make it a contest,” said Ms. Digges.

The art show encompassed multiple media: as each advisory explored the exhibit and hunted for answers to their questions, they listened to music from the Jazz Ensemble, conducted by Matt Pisarcik.

While it wasn’t the art show anyone had envisioned at the beginning of the year, Ms. Digges was pleased with the result, which she said was “more appreciated and better attended” than ever before. “You need to make lemonade from lemons,” she reflected afterward, “Just because you’ve always done it one way doesn’t mean that’s the way it has to be.” To view the virtual upper school art show, go to: www. boyslatinmd.com/arts/finearts.

DRAMA DEPARTMENT MOVES FROM STAGE TO RADIO WITH WAR OF THE WORLDS

Masks and social distance guidelines presented obvious challenges to hosting live theater this year, but drama teacher Gina Molling is nothing if not resourceful. Instead of producing the traditional liveaction play, she and senior directors Jonathan Elliott and Vinny Arthur worked together to recreate War of the Worlds, Orson Welles’ iconic 1938 radio play.

Mrs. Molling and her directors were excited to try their hand at a new dramatic format, but they knew the project would present its own share of challenges. “It was a new technical adventure for all of us,” said Mrs. Molling, “On stage, action produces effect and moves the plot forward. But with [a radio play], everyone is just sitting in front of a microphone, so we need to use our imaginations to turn it into an authentic experience.”

A large cast of voice actors included students from all four upper school grades as well as faculty members Rebecca Pollard, Claire Ricci, Joyce Barnett, Lee Kennedy, Mac Kennedy, Mac McDonald, and upper school head Brian Mitchell, acting as Orson Welles himself.

To Mrs. Molling, the success of War of the Worlds spoke to the strength of the student directors, the help and support of the community and the enduring power of theater to unite people.

Afterward, she reflected “People really came together to make this happen. We gathered together and put on a hat, and did the best we possibly could.”

SLEDDING AT SCHOOL? YOU BET!

Creativity and flexibility have become a bit of a mantra in the lower school, finding new and meaningful experiences for the boys but maybe, more importantly, ways for the boys to have fun! When the snow hit this winter, lower school head Greg Shnitzlein knew just what to do, let the boys go sledding! Kindergarten through 5th graders headed out to the western campus during recess to be the first group of BL students to tackle the hills. All had a great time, and you could hear the squeals of joy and laughter fill our snowcovered campus. They can’t wait for next year!